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heresathreebee · 4 years ago

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Old Stomping Ground

[Ava Starr X Female Reader]

Summary: One of the good things to come out of constant alien invasions are the abandoned ruins of New York, and you’re fixing to show Ava your favorite place. Previous Masterlist Next

Tag(s): 13+ | can be reader gender and race neutral reader but is written with woc readers in mind, no-snap au, post-Ant Man and the Wasp, Ava and reader on an adventure in post Avenger's New York, homelessness, alien trees and the power of community.

AN: no-snap au, post-Ant Man and the Wasp. No beta, we die like men. Just you and Ava having a short adventure.

You took three days off of work for this one. Packed two backpacks with food, water, clothes, and other supplies. Bedrolls and bug spray and hiking poles. Ava laughed at your enthusiasm but she seemed to vibrate with excitement right along with you.

"Can you at least tell me where we're going," she pleaded.

You ran through the end of the checklist for the third time, trying to be extra careful now that you wouldn't be hoofing it solo. You dodged the question expertly with a "it's not far and it's not dangerous so hush! Learn to enjoy the mystery, babe."

Ava rolled her eyes playfully but stopped asking and let you finish. After that you ate a hearty breakfast and began your journey north by northwest. In the taxi, your girlfriend's eyes darted from building to building as you turned on every street and you mentally gave up on scolding her. She was too pragmatic to allow for that level of trust yet.

You were surprised that it took her until you passed the ruins of the daycare you once attended that she whipped her head around to whisper, "is this… Leviathan alley?"

You shush her but can't keep the excited grin from your face. "It's a bit more than just an alley."

Once SHIELD was finished stripping for parts and gutting the cybernetically enhanced alien creature left behind in the Battle of New York, the rest was abandoned. The city's been planning to clean up and rebuild but there are scores in the earth where the leviathan crashed and crumbling, precarious buildings that need to be brought down first in the safest way possible. While the city’s been debating how to deal with the destruction, the poor and destitute had moved in and discovered the blood of the chitauri has some very interesting properties.

"It's like it changes the property of concrete," you explained, climbing over rubble and reaching back to pull her up, "uhg– breaks it down into some kind of hyper fertilizer. There's this copse of trees growing where we think the stomach was and I think in its natural habitat, the creature was probably an omnivore of sorts and may have swallowed thousands of seeds–"

"That's all very fascinating dear, could you please take this?" Ava shoves a canteen into your hands and cups your hands to bring it closer to your mouth. You've climbed for what feels like miles and hey, you are pretty parched. "Think we'd better rest and eat, maybe look for a safe place to set up camp and… oh, look over there!"

Ava's sudden whisper makes you turn. It's green in that direction, though this 'alley' is shrouded in darkness due to the dome made from the spine and ribs of the leviathan, the sprigs seem to grow just fine, becoming taller as they moved farther away from you until they began to develop woody stalks and trunks.

"That's the forest you were talking about," Ava whispered in awe. “I wanna get a closer look.”

You gently caught her arm. “Camp first, eat. It’ll still be here tomorrow.”

Ava didn’t expect you to take her into an encampment. There were two dozen people in tents, an open grill going and laughter. They seemed to recognize you. It was mostly older adults, a few elderly people wrapped in thick blankets and teens walking around asking anyone needed drinks. You grabbed the blanket from your pack and wrapped Ava in it as soon as she found a seat on a slab of concrete.

"Comfy?"

Ava smiled up at you, taking the proffered fruit slice from you. "Very."

She examined the strange fruit. It had a thin violet skin with a spongy white inner layer and pink juice with black seeds dripping from it. She leabed over your shoulder get a look at the fruit as a whole, and it seemed the pink goop was loose inside the fruit similar to a coconut.

"Are these from the trees," she asked.

"Yeah, they're edible don't worry. No side effects we've seen," you assure.

Ava nods but as she's licking the tangy pink juice you continue, "well except for Nadia but she's a mutant."

Ava flicks worried green eyes at you and slowly takes the fruit from her mouth. She's already swallowed on reflex so there's no turning back now, only managing whatever weird things would come next.

"Uh… what do you mean by that?"

You blink at Ava. "Oh it's not, like, bad or anything. Right, Nadia?"

A dark skinned girl in an orange beanie looked up from her phone. "What?"

"Tauri makes you, what, gassy?"

The man on the grill threw his head back in a laugh and Nadia kicked a rock at you. "Ha hah, you're everybody's favorite clown in the circus. It doesn't make me gassy, you jerk, it makes me smell like roses actually."

"Oh," Ava said, "that's all?"

You and Nadia shared a knowing look. "It's strong. Not overpowering but strong like you've got your nose buried in a whole bouquet of them."

"And your fingers tingle and you make sparkles– "

"Nadia I think that's just you, baby!"

People laughed and the conversation died down. Ava let the slip of tauri fruit linger in her grasp until you gently pried it out and ate it yourself. You were side eyeing her but kept your question to yourself and eventually Ava was able to relax. She fell asleep during Nadia's uncle Rodney's story with her head on your shoulder and dreamed of violet things. Violet dresses, violet paint, violet fires, and violet sprigs.

All you could dream of was the smell of roses so close and so thick you could touch it.

The walk through the natural path as the trees got thicker finally prompted Ava to ask the question that's been plaguing her. "How do you know them? Are they family?"

You cast a quick glance over your shoulder and slowed your pace to match hers as your fingers tapped the straps of your backpack nervously. "Sort of. They were family when I had no home to go to. Then I got a job with enough money and a stupid good deal on my apartment because I had no priors.

"Rodney and Jules and some of the others prefer it out here with the forest. Some of them have nowhere else to go or no way to take care of themselves. Nadia's been kicked out of every home she's ever been to, but she won't go to that gifted school for mutants in Westchester county. Can't say I blame her either."

"School for mutants, eh," Ava said as she trudged on, "interesting."

You walked along in silence, drinking in the inviting quiet of the forest and the tiny chirps and peeps of its new inhabitants. You'd almost say it would be a shame to tear this place down knowing it's a new natural habitat, but you know New York had a hundred bigger and more pressing issues to deal with right now. As long as any capitalist moguls kept their eyes elsewhere, the new jungle should be fine.

As the forest becomes denser, you have to pull a rechargeable flashlight out to see the ground beneath you. Black bugs crawl under and over the brush and fallen twigs, and something no bigger than a cat scuttles away out of the path of the light. Ava puts a hand on your arm and you open your mouth to assure her you'd protect her, but as you look at her you realize she's ready to protect you. Arm poised out and eyes darting around for signs of sudden movement from the brush.

You walk in silence for what feels like an fantastic eternity but when you look at the canopy you stop yourself. Ava looks up to, gently taking a hold of your hand to keep you close and it sends tingles up your arm. She rarely reaches for you but she seems to be growing more and more confident of it.

Light dances beyond the thicket of the leaves. Green and gold flashes as a soft breeze creates gaps beyond the chitauri rib ceiling and every time a light flashes you feel warmth on your skin like soft little kisses.

Something wooden creaks, and that creaking quickly turns to snapping. You unconsciously squeeze Ava's fingers as you spot a black tree trunk beginning to fall towards you. Suddenly, Ava's arms are around you and she pulls you down into a duck.

Everything happens so fast it blinds you. You can't see, can only feel as shivers of warmth and cold jitter through your entire being, drowning you into sensations you've never felt before. It makes you feel fear more than anything. Is this how you die? Cowering?

When the sounds of falling trees stop, there is only the wind and the rush of Ava's windbreaker against yours. You test your fingers to see if they still work and dig them into her back. Nothing broken, you're still standing if gravity is correct.

She finally lets you lift your head from her embrace and survey the scene. That tree opened a spot in the canopy for more natural light to pour in which is good because your flashlight was lost among the thick bramble bushes.

Ava brushes your forehead. "Are you OK?"

It must be a trick of the light but she looks like she's shimmering. Perhaps you hit your head or something but it seems like you never fell. Your standing just beside the fallen tree but you could have sworn you'd almost felt it go through you. And then…

And then there was the smell of roses.

"I'm fine," you say at last. "Let's get back, probably shouldn't have come here by ourselves anyways…"

Ava gives you a look, it almost looks like trepidation. You steel your resolve and press on to retrace your steps, knowing you had a lot of walking to do before you would exit the treeline.

Ava has powers and you're ok with that. You'll just let her tell you in her own time.

#three bees writing #ava starr #ava starr x female reader #ava starr x reader #marvel #antman and the wasp #black reader insert #🐝🐝🐝✒

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chibimyumi · 4 years ago

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🍵Japanese Reactions☕ Kuromyu 2021

Dear everyone, I received overwhelmingly many questions about Japanese audience reactions, so here you go!

Methodology:

For this post I logged out from Twitter to avoid any bias because of my own user algorithm, and just simply searched the term “kuromyu” (生執事) , and selected “latest tweets”. As you can see, all posts have the word 生執事 in bold, meaning that was my search term. There are a LOT of reactions, I can’t possibly discuss them all. What I did was just search at any random point of time, and take every other comment. I censored the usernames of the commenter to protect some (ceremonial) level of privacy.

I watched the Kuromyu costume rehearsal and cried, this is not it，，I think it might be better to go to Osaka [performance] without expecting too much I shouldn’t expect the Kuromyu of until last time

Honestly no matter how often I watch [the musical] this time’s Kuromyu is fantastic... as someone who knows the energy of the original comics, I really enjoyed it...

In Kuromyu Violet and Chesslock were the real thing

Like Violet’s way of walking being so slothful it was like the real thing, and the rapping of Chesslock in the cricket scene was cool

The reception of this time’s Kuromyu is entirely polarised, and indeed [this production] has a very different taste than the ones until now so I also understand the people who criticise it, but I think that’s fine.

Click “keep reading” for (a LOT) more reactions. Don’t lie to yourself and not click it, I know you all want the tea. Here’s the tea (ÒvÓ)ノ☕

There’s so much thought going on now I have seen the PV of Kuromyu. Eh? Because he [probably Konishi (Ciel)] has roots in Tennis [Probably prince of Tennis] once he holds the cricket it just looks like he’s swinging a tennis racket.

Bocchan is just too big, I’m not sure about that.

I only watched until half way ー

Calling it the Prince of Cricket is too befitting😂 Such singing and dancing, the youthfulness is exploding. They sure have stamina. #Kuromyu

Ah ーSomehow a lot of memories just popped up tears really are welling up... even though my deep-seated grudge has now passed, my obsession for Kuromyu surfaced, and it felt like it got beaten to a pulp by its big brother...

My heart is recovering through the Kuromyu DVD but the big brother is still the big brother... sob...sob (the dirty wailing of an otaku)

TLN: Big brother here means something’s superiour or better.

It became this production that made me think: Never mind the actors but is it the problem of the makers? Erm. I think it’s a waste. Is it because it’s the footage of the first day performance?

I don’t have the feeling that it’s not that, but that it somehow became cheaper? Is a really strong thought I got from this performance. With this line-up [of cast/staff] it should have been able to create the high quality of Kuromyu, but the impression is that it was a mess.

I finished watching kuromyu. Erm... somehow... it was a theatre production that strongly reminded me of the first Lycoris (the cheapness of the set), felt like they tried to create the feeling of🎾but failed, and tried to do something trendy (🎤) but then the production lost the sense of unity.

Well Mr. Tate’s [Tateishi] Sebas was good, and Undertaker’s acting was good (make up...)

I’ve watched the stream of Kuromyu countless times and gotten used to the songs, and even though I miss the old Kuromyu, maybe it’s not so bad that somebody who can’t let go is rewatching something countless times. If next time they will do the Cult Arc or the Witch Arc I’d be pursuing it. Honestly I want them to stage Lycoris again ←

Kuromyu was this place where I got stimulated by Yuta’s TOHO quality, Ms. AKANE [Madam Red] and Ms. Son [Akisono, Frances]’s Takarazuka quality. The synergy of everything, the original manga’s story, actors, music, directing all were so perfectly done in the past three productions they sure have become a tremendous bar. Once again Yuta, thank you for playing Sebas for us for three times 🥺✨

Kuromyu really was too fun, I’m in trouble

Honestly ------------- Kuromyu was so fun !!!!!!!!! Yasue-kun, you also go watch soon!! Ah, you going tomorrow???

It might be quite unsatisfying for people who only watch Kuromyus that are like Imperial Theatre grand musicals, but I think it’s good that it’s a bit like the Kuromyus of the beginning of before when they adapted the manga arcs

I watched Kuromyu and had fun 😊

I cried, I laughed, it was amazing anyway!

It was the first time watching a musical for me but I think I’ve been sucked into it...

Shall I buy the DVD, I’m indecisive 🌀🤔💭

Now I’ve seen the PV of Kuromyu I don’t think it’s worth going at all... Even in the PV the vibe of 2.5D was ridiculously strong...

My friend went to watch Kuromyu and gave me the review: “I’ve seen all sorts of 2.5, why did they do this for Black Butler. It’s trivial.” I’ve only seen the PV so I won’t say anything, and I really get what I’m refraining from saying. But Mr. Kuma once tweeted the descriptions of Black Butler, I guess it’s fine that the Boarding School Arc feels like this 🤔

Click here for the translation of this tweet. The description of the Weston Arc is as such:

(To the people who will be going to see it I’m sorry)

They did say that the staff along [with the cast] would entirely be renewed, but I feel like they’re actively trying to shake off the fans of Kuromyu until now I’m a bit sad but I guess I won’t be watching [Kuromyus] anymore... I feel like But I am buying the stream I’ll think about it after I’ve bought it...

Anyway about Kuromyu, my mom said she wanted to watch it too so I watched it again with her yesterday, and she sure had a lot to say 😶 My father pulled this weird face of “what is this even” and I had to see him off halfway 😑 I thought about buying the stream of the final performance, but I guess I don’t need a second viewing. I don’t feel like watching the archive either. I really liked the Kuromyu of until now, my shock is too big.

At the beginning [of the musical] we looked back on Lycoris, Circus and Luxury Liner... kinda like some sort of recap, but I thought “huh?”... now I just want to watch that. I used to like Kuromyu, I really have trouble accepting it this time it’s painful.

But honestly when talking about Kuromyu it’s the Sebas with the superb voice who sung about the dynamic with the little lord full of emotion and built the world view, and for better or for worse the world view of Kuroshitsuji is maintained through Sebaciel, the songs, the directing of Sebaciel, but what happened there. Whether you should watch it or not. The past 3 productions were masterpieces、、、

But Sebas is not Mr. Furukawa, Ciel is not Reo-kun and even Mr. Izumi’s [role] of Undertaker was unfortunately changed, this is the new Kuromyu huh...

I watched the stream of the first performance.

I liked the songs so I checked, and I knew it.

This time has a lot of laughing factors, and I thought it was good it had a fresh cast.

I didn’t expect the cricket scene to be taken that far. I thought it was Tenimyu.

Kuromyu, this time be it the story, script, directing or casting, I thought: “it’s more enjoyable to take up this [musical] while temporarily erasing the memories of until now ～🎶”, and I watched the theatre piece without looking back to the past productions, and that was the right decision To the people who came to love Kuromyu of until now, it’s safer to watch it while temporarily erasing the memories.

Did Kuromyu turn into Tenimyu half way?! I thought,

and the Elite Musical → 2.5D Musical transformation I also felt

Konishibocchan being cutesy was cute, and the P4′s desperate faces resonated all went by in a flash

Above was the report from the theatre ☺️

I went to Kuromyu

I went into it knowing it’d surely be something different from the past productions so it indeed turned out to be so

There were parts that made me go “erm the script....” and also this part that made me go “was it really necessary to make Undertaker descend into that dream in Act 1 just because you wanted to give him stage time??”

I went into 2 shocks gradually

Sebas doesn’t sing He only sings properly at the very beginning of the beginning Even though he’s Sebas There’s no ending solo Even though he’s Sebas

You’re the ♪ah~a~a~ number-one main character though!! That’s why this one!!! Is the N・E・W production--!!!!

I am in shock

I A M I N S H O C K ANGER!!!

I watched the Kuromyu stream!

It was TOTALLY 2.5D~❕❕😁It was also a school setting and the Tenimyu vibes were strong (laughs)

It’s a bit of a shame that Ciel isn’t played by a child actor anymore, but because he has more stage time than Sebas has this time I caccept it.

Sebas and Ciel’s visuals are also good ~ ☺️

It’d be even cooler if they increased the fight scenes with Sebas though.

@ivvy_toshiki [Tateishi Toshiki (Sebastian)’s Twitter account]

Thanks for the hard work in the performance.

Today I saw the “first viewing of Kuromyu” of my dreams 🥀😆 Regardless of what I could say Sebastian’s beauty is from beginning to end spellbinding ☺️ My eyes were very happy. moreover, the songs and the killing were also AMAZING 😍 my eyes were nailed to Sebastian. I want to watch it again 💕☺️ I wish that the performances will go without a hitch until the final performance ❕

I was so happy to see the recap of the past productions

I really liked the Circus Arc (original comics), and even though it was comedy it really dived into the darkness! That was the story I also didn’t expect to see the Luxury Liner Arc So Undertaker, for real... for

Up to the last time there weren’t that many songs in total, but there were songs like I shall become your pawn and sword and the contract that made me go BATHUMP--- I have to rewatch this number!!! It’s a shame that this time there were no songs like that.

#Kuromyu

Calling it the Prince of Cricket is too accurate 😂 They sang and danced so much, the youthfulness was bouncing off it. What stamina they have. #Kuromyu

What’s different from the last time is the strong 2.5D vibe...... Until now the ages [of the characters] were fairly faithful [to canon] and in a good way there was no 2.5D-ness and I could just enjoy it as a proper theatre piece This time both the casting including the music had a strong 2.5D vibe for better or for worse #Kuromyu

Very personally! Matsushita’s Sebas was “heavy as the evil of evil and beautiful”, and Furukawa’s Sebas was “evil, strong and unapproachable and beautiful and gorgeous”, and Tateishi’s was “light hearted and beautiful and a florid kind of evil”!! (My vocabulary is failing me) All Sebastians have a different aura about them it’s fantastic!!! #Kuromyu

The new Sebas is good

Overall

It’s this arc so that it’d get a chit-chat idol? vibe was within the expectation The cricket of the second half had a bad vibe and I was sick of it It might have been different had I watched it live I don’t like the Boarding School and Green Witch arc that much to begin with I am looking forward to the appearance of the real Ciel That's it for now

I don’t know why I’m mentally dead but it must be that, I watched the Kuromyu stream and I am thoroughly dead, mentally dead, but as I managed to say this I’ve reached a level that I recovered a bit??? I am too tired but I don’t feel like sleeping, but if I doze a bit then I realise my fatigue and feel like sleeping unnecessarily

This time’s kuromyu... erm I guess I’ll quit 🤔

I’ll be rant-puking for a bit

I’ve seen a lot of Tenimyu and A-stage [Mankai A3] but it’s not like I wanted to see that in Kuromyu... What I wanted to see was Kuromyu...

I watched the video of the Kuromyu PV? but it’s impossible. Watching the PV [I thought] children should be played by children... and as I watched their interaction it’s not the character building I had in mind... and there’s no wound on the vice principal’s forehead. I planned to watch the stream of the final performance, but I’m hesitant about spending more money to watch that... If I can’t accept Ciel and Sebastian I can’t watch this, that’s just me...

Now I’ve read the reviews of Kuromyu all are saying it went back to 2.5D, and I think that it’s not worth going after all. It’s probably because the Kuromyus until now far surpassed the quality of 2.5D... I guess it’s fine if one were to go for the cast, but I really loved the Kuromyu of until now.

#Kuromyu #Kuromyu 2021 #Japanese Fandom #reaction #Secret of the Boarding School #My god that's a LOT and not even NEAR all of them #Maybe 5% at best?#I PROMISE you this was a random selection - I did NOT handpick them #I've never seen this level of outspoken negativity before in JP public spaces #Like it or not - ppl just hate it THAT much I guess!!!

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probably-writing-x · 5 years ago

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Unintentional beginnings

Arón Piper x Reader

Request by anon: hey! i love your writing!! i was wondering if you could write an aron piper x reader one where the reader is a “fan” and sliedes i to his dms and they talk for a while until aron asks her out on a date which is where they meet for the first time and instantly realize they’re made for eachother? thank you so so much 🥰🥰

Gif is not my own

Requests are closed🤍

You hadn’t thought much of it when it first begun. You’d simply started a new show on Netflix after you’d finished something else and you’d landed upon Élite. It sounded interesting to say the least but you hadn’t expected this. Now, you were halfway through the first season on your first night of watching the show and you’d already been onto Instagram to follow all of the cast. You were engrossed!

Now, it had only taken you a week and you were already coming to the end of season 3. Omar and Ander had rapidly become your favourite thing about the show as you watched with tears in your eyes at the prospect of their long awaited reunion. You had already rewatched the scene three times when you decided to pull out your phone and snap a photo for your Instagram story. It was a photo of the laptop screen in front of you, with your solo glass of wine and the blanket covering you - with the caption ‘these boys have officially killed me!’. You also didn’t think much of it when you’d tagged Arón and Omar in the photo - they’d never see it anyway.

You finished the season, went to bed that night in your flat, and only just about heard the notification on your phone at 2am. It made you jump awake, never being much of a deep sleeper anyway. You groaned and rubbed your eyes to try and make the screen more clear. But, sure as hell, you definitely bolted awake when you saw Arón’s name on the Instagram notification that had just come through.

He’d replied to your story.

‘Glad to know I’m doing my job well ;) x’

You had to blink a few more times to make sure you weren’t dreaming what you’d just seen. Though the whole process had to be reset again when you saw the notification come through that he’d followed you back...

There’s hardly a reply you can think of that would sound good enough.

‘I was talking more about Omar x’

That was okay? Right? It would come across okay?

It’s like a gut wrenching relief when you see him typing back - ‘Can’t blame you for that! I’m not actually as moody as Ander is x’

Somehow, you roll over in bed so you’re laying with your stomach flat against the mattress and you reply, and so does he, and you reply again... and you find yourself texting each other back and forth for the entire night - only noticing the time when the sun starts to rise outside the window of your flat.

‘You’ve really fucked up my sleeping pattern here x’

You smile at his message and reply - ‘Likewise x’ just as your eyes start to drop and you can no longer fight off the urge to fall asleep against the warm comfort of your bed. Was it possible to fall asleep with a smile on your lips?

- - - - - -

When you wake up later in the day, it’s already mid afternoon so you’ve only got a few hours left of sunlight - yep, definitely fucked up your sleep schedule.

You clamber out of bed and make yourself a coffee to drink on the small balcony outside of your apartment. It’s only then that you bother checking the notifications on your phone. To even more of your surprise, Arón has liked a bunch of your recent posts from your feed. He’d even commented on a couple of them with witty, mocking comments that all made you giggle like a school girl with a crush. How on Earth had this happened?!

You reply to one of them and it already feels odd to be flirting with him in the public of the digital age.

Then, you find a voice note from him left unread in your messages.

“Afternoon, sleepyhead, since you fell asleep and ignored me. Either that or I got a bit boring but I can’t see how that would work. Do you fancy watching a film with me later?”

And that’s how it all started. You’d set up films at the same time and FaceTime as you watched them to discuss. It sometimes took a few tries to get it to work properly but it was always worth watching Arón get more and more frustrated with his dying laptop.

It continued in that way for at least a few more weeks before you started to question things. You didn’t live far from each other, and yet you’d never actually made any plans to meet. Maybe this was just how he wanted it to stay, this oddly committed and casual setup you had going. But you’d found yourself cancelling plans to spend time on the phone to him and it seemed silly to do if this was all it was going to be. Though, as Arón had managed to do far too many times, he surprised you yet again.

“Yeah, I should take you there one day,” He laughs, “I think you’d love it.”

Silence falls between you as both of you realise what he’s said at this late hour over another FaceTime.

“Would you... maybe want to go with me?” He suggests, shifting in the bed so he was laying down with a pillow tucked underneath him.

You tuck your hair behind your ear as though he was right in front of you, not just through a screen, “Yeah, Id love to.”

“Great, are you free tomorrow?”

- - - - - -

At four pm the next afternoon, you’re grabbing your keys and rushing out of the house to get your taxi and make your way to the destination he’d told you about. It was to part of the set where they filmed some of Élite. For some reason, you’d got onto the topic yesterday. He’d told you that it wasnt the most attractive of places but it had rapidly become one of his favourites because of the scenes they’d filmed there.

When you arrive, you can tell what he means. It’s simply a graffiti struck bridge overlooking the water. But when you see who’s waiting on that bridge, no other appearance matters. He’s taller than you expected him to be and he’s wearing a big jacket and a cap that make him look disproportional to what you’d expected after seeing him on FaceTime. Hes already more handsome in real life and you envy it instantly.

“Here you are, my biggest fan!” He calls out to you as you approach him from the bottom of the steps as he stood at the top.

“Something like that,” You roll your eyes.

How had watching a Netflix show ending up in you now being on a date with one of the main cast?! Wasn’t this any fan’s dream?

“Hi, finally,” Arón smirks when you’re in front of him, “Seems weird to not be seeing you through a screen.”

You laugh, “Better or worse weird?”

“Better, definitely better,” He assures you, “Shall we?”

He starts walking across the bridge as you find yourself impossibly distracted by his appearance and presence, rather than looking at anything around you. You’d somehow also managed to zone completely out as he speaks up to catch your attention.

“Seems like you made the right decision to watch my show.”

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gosatsuvns · 4 years ago

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Weekly Update Compilation

Just realized that I kinda neglected the weekly updates here on Tumblr (sorry about that!), so I'll compile the last few right here:

Weekly Update #328: CG & BGM Progress

This past week, I've focused on drawing the "dead body" CG for GENBA no Kizuna, which is quite an undertaking to say the least. I've made a lot of progress on it, but there's still some work left to be done. It took me quite a while to figure out the exact perspective and angle. Thankfully, being married has its perks, so I got Kuna to take a bunch of reference pictures of me while I was lying on the floor, pretending to be dead, haha. That definitely helped tremendously.

Still, the details are going to give me another headache for sure. We're talking about a guy who got eaten by a T-Rex after all, so there's a lot going on in terms of, well... damage.

Anyway, every now and then, I've also continued working on the outline for Withering Without Hope. And speaking of which, I have just released a new Patreon post, delving into the topic of how Broken Beyond Despair sets up and dictates the direction for its sequel.

If you're curious about the changes I felt were necessary in our recent anniversary update, be sure to check it out!

Next week, I'm planning to make another post talking about the time in between BBD and WWH and what exactly happens there. There is quite a gap between October 30 and December 23 after all...

Now, in other news, I've been working with Solo, our composer, on a new BGM track for GENBA. I've already received a first preview of it and it sounds amazing! Can't wait to hear the full version and share it. This time, we're tackling another investigation theme, specifically for the segments you will play as Rei.

That kinda wraps up this week's progress report. I'll get back to working on that CG now, so please enjoy the rest of your weekend and, until next Saturday, take care! :3

Weekly Update #327: BGs, CGs, Sprites & WWH

After a bit more BG work, I have finally finished a variation for the 1st Floor Main Hall and one for the 2nd Floor Main Hall. That now only leaves one more variation of the 1st floor and all the necessary BGs for the first three chapters of GENBA are done! Hopefully, I can get to that soon, but first of all, I've decided to tackle the "dead body" CG instead, as it is kinda tied to that BG.

Basically, after recovering the body from the Rex jaws, it will be spread out in the main hall and you will be able to catch a glimpse of it on the missing variation of the 1st floor background. At least that's the plan, but I think drawing the CG first will better help me understand what exactly and how much needs to be visible on said BG.

The CG is kind of intimidating to think about, as it is going to be the most difficult to draw by far. As a result, I've been pushing it off for a while now, but I figured, if I get it out of the way now, that'll be a big relief, haha. I've actually started working on it a while ago, doing some initial sketches. You will see almost the entire body lying on the floor. It's going to be an interactive CG too, meaning that players will be able to click all over the body in order to examine it. As you can imagine, it's going to be a very crucial asset towards solving the mystery death at the Kaseki residence, so it will require a lot of attention to detail.

My goal is to finish it by the end of the month, so I have just about a week left, which will hopefully be enough!

Outside of finishing those BG variations and getting back into the body CG, I've been working on some more sprite variations for Keiichi and Amber. Unfortunately, I kinda suffered a setback of sorts by accidentally deleting one of Amber's new sprites "orz Thankfully, I still had the low quality preview I posted on Patreon, so I was able to restore it, even if that was kind of an annoying and rather frustrating occurrence...

I have to doublecheck with the script, but this might be it in terms of sprites for the first chapter, too. In the end, Keiichi only got one new one, depicting him with a somewhat worried expression:

Now, one other thing I've been working on is Withering Without Hope. With the Christmas season drawing near, I'm really getting into the mood for it, so I've been working on the outline for the first chapter. I'd like to continue working on this on the side and hopefully finish at least the entire first chapter outline before the end of the year. The goal here is to have the full script for the game done by the time GENBA will be released.

If you're a patron, you should keep your eyes open, as I'm also going to share some behind-the-scenes info for WWH soon! Been wanting to do that for a while now and just haven't gotten around to it...

Anyway, guess that about wraps it up for today so, please enjoy the rest of your weekend and, until next Saturday, take care! :3

Weekly Update #326: GENBA Background Progress

Alright, after a bit more work, I have finally finished the background for the second floor of the main hall and, along with it, adjusted the other two main hall BGs. If you want to learn more about my struggles with these, be sure to check out last week's blog post where I talk a little about visual consistency. I've also made a post on my private Twitter, showcasing the differences between the old and the new version of the first floor main hall. As for the second floor, here's another preview for that one as well:

Now, what's left are the variations of these two BGs, which I've also worked on. One variation for each of them is almost done as well, just missing one last detail which I'll take care of tomorrow. That will leave only one more variation for the first floor background, which will display a couple more pieces of evidence. As mentioned last week, once these are done, we're gonna be good on backgrounds for a while. That's because the second chapter will not need any new BGs, as no new locations inside the residence will be visited. As for chapter 3, the mid-point case discussion... that one will take place entirely in the exhibition room featured at the end of our demo. So no new BGs for that one either!

Well, I did mention before that I'm playing with the idea of making one more simple BG for said exhibition room. Since the cast will spent quite a while there, discussing the mysteries (think of the dining hall in SHINRAI), it would probably be nice to get some visual variety. However, as I don't deem this to be an "essential background", it's a bit lower on my priority list. For now, I just want to focus on the assets that are absolutely necessary to tell the story. And when we talk about "essential" backgrounds, there are actually only four left now: the wash room, the back corridor, the backyard and one of the suspect rooms.

Before I get to any of those, I'm still aiming to finish all the assets for the first chapter, though. Which (BG variations aside) now only leaves a couple of sprite variations and two CGs. One of those is going to be very elaborate, though, so it will probably take me a while to get it done. I'll most likely work on it next month and, for the rest of November, take care of the sprites and script revisions.

Anyway, that about sums up the current progress. Time to get back to work, so please enjoy the rest of your weekend and, until next Saturday, take care! :3

#shinrai #genba #visual novel #visualnovel #visual novel development #vn #evn #vndev #game development #gamedev #indie game #indiedev #indie #Ren'Py #renpy #interactive fiction #murder mystery #detective game

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preface2adreamplay · 5 years ago

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Under Your Spell (Part 14) - Morning After You

Summary: A Jared Padalecki/OFC/Oscar Isaac fiction.

Stef is a musician, recently gone solo. Happy with her life as a forever single person until Jared makes it his mission to get close to her. Her ex, Oscar isn’t sure what to make of her new relationship. Should he step in or leave her be? (For the purpose of this fiction, I have liberated some lyrics from various artists and their videos. This is fiction, with real people mentioned.) Married Jared, single Oscar!

Chapter warnings: Cursing

Chapter WC: 1,928

You doubt and you're desperate, you wear both your cross and your hammer.

Reactions to Twin Flames had been better than she could have ever imagined. The distraction of Jared visiting kept her away from the anxieties of releasing another new song. He had left an hour before the bus pulled away, holding her face in his hands, kissing her like he would never see her again. She missed him already. Already pining for him. He felt the same.

As she made her way across state lines, texts were coming through from everybody she knew.

Jared: I miss you so much. I keep watching this video, wishing we were making it all over again.

Stef: Making the video or making love

Jared: Both :)

Claire: My god, that video is hawt. Brendan misses you, he’s being a douche rn.

Darius: Mom, that video is amazing, I’m glad I didn’t have to see dad doing those things to you though. Warn me if the next one will be that graphic pls.

Oscar: I was not expecting the video to be like that. It’s both beautiful and confusing.

Stef rolled her eyes. She could just imagine Oscar’s brows furrowed, thinking over the video.

Stef: It’s past demons coming for me. I’m allowing them to devour me so I am reborn. I thought you’d be happy for me. Growing up and moving on.

Oscar: So happy for you. x

Several messages popped up from Jared while she drank her third coffee that morning.

Fuck

In trouble

They were Paps

Gen angry.

HELP ME

Stef snorted with laughter. He was really panicking.

Chill. I’ll put something up on my twitter about us hanging out, it should take some heat off.

Sure enough, it did. Stef had posted a short tweet about Jared coming to NY to celebrate the release of the song. She tagged her bandmates too. Mentioning that she would see her fans at the next show in Pittsburgh.

Two more shows in Canada, then home.

Just before she stepped on stage that night, she shot off a text to Jared.

Stef: Everything ok now?

It was hours before he replied.

Jared: Still in trouble, will call you later.

They were travelling again, hitting the road as soon as the show was finished. They all stank of sweat and beer. Luckily, they were staying in a hotel the next day. Her phone, on silent, flashed with Jared’s name across the screen. Keeping her voice low while the guys slept, she answered, her heart hammering in her chest.

‘Hey.’

‘Hey you,’ his voice just as low as hers.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Oh, just, Gen not happy we got caught. Photos of us on some gossip website. Did you see?’

‘Nah, I don’t care much for them. I didn’t have food on my shirt did I?’

Jared snorted, the tension easing as he laughed. ‘No. Gen showed me the photos but I told her not to look. We were just having lunch.’

‘Well, don’t look at comments on anything right now, it might upset you.’

Jared sighed heavily. ‘I hate that I’m getting in trouble over this. Can’t I just see my girl without someone else putting it out there for everyone to see?’

‘That’s kind of part of the agreement, honey.’ Stef yawned. She couldn’t help herself, her mind and body were achingly tired.

‘Yeah, but I broke the rules by going to see you.’

‘What rules?’

‘Well, we date other people when I’m away working. And I’m not working right now, I will be in a week or two but yeah, I may not get to see you all too soon. I’m sorry.’

‘What does that mean for us?’ Stef swallowed a lump in her throat.

‘Nothing baby, I just have to put my energy into my family right now. The kids missed me and I missed them. They’ll be back at school soon...’

‘So, I’ll be put on the back burner.’

‘Nah not like that. Come on.’ He pleaded.

‘It is like that. It’s what we signed up for. It’s not like you’re leaving your wife for me, you have to work between the two of us.’

Jared was silent on his end of the phone, it made Stef feel uncomfortable, she really didn’t know how to move forward in the conversation.

‘If that’s what you still want,’ Stef said, her voice lower that before. Her fingers winding into her hair nervously.

‘I always want you. Never think that I don’t.’

‘But you want to take a break from us for a while?’

‘I don’t want to, but it looks like we have to.’

It wasn’t final, but it felt like a kick in the gut.

Stef couldn’t agree to it, couldn’t say yes or no or fight with him.

‘Stef?’ His voice came through, she could hear his longing.

‘Yeah, it’s fine.’

‘No, it’s not. It’s not what you wanted. You told me you didn’t want this to be for everyone else, it was just for us and I promised you that. I said it was just for us. I fucked it up.’

‘I wouldn’t take it back though.’ Feeling as though she couldn’t punish him for everyone else’s reaction to it. It seemed so simple all of a sudden.

‘No I don’t regret a single thing. Maybe I just need to be a little more careful.’

‘We need to be more careful. I don’t want to talk about shit I know nothing about but I hope your wife isn’t too upset about this.’

‘Yeah well. I’ll have to work to get back in the good books.’

‘Good luck with that!’

Jared hummed on the other side of the phone. ‘You know what will get me through the next few days? A picture of my girl.’

Stef smiled. ‘Of me now? I look horrid after the show.’

Jared chuckled, ‘Impossible. And send one to me tomorrow too. I need my fix.’

‘Are we talking kinky pictures or...’

‘Well, now that you mention it, the idea is in my head.’

Stef bit her lip, curiosity taking over. ‘Maybe I’ll take a sexy picture. You’ll have to wait and see.’

‘Oh, baby don’t make me wait.’

‘He complains! After having me several ways yesterday.’

Jared whimpered. ‘I’m touching myself through my pants right now.’

‘Behave,’ she scolded playfully.

‘I can’t! You make me feel desired.’

‘Hey, can you not quote my lyrics to me!’

Jared started laughing then, feeling the funk of the last few hours draining away. ‘You make me feel so much better about this whole situation.’

‘It’s nothing, Jared. You can move past this. And I’m here until we decide otherwise.’

‘You mean if we decide to break up? Which we’re not.’ Jared pressed, ‘we’re not are we?’

‘No.’ Stef said with finality.

There was a voice in the background, she heard Jared pulling the phone away from his face.

‘I gotta go.’

‘Ok, good luck.’ Was all she could say before she heard his weak ‘goodbye.’

***

‘Brendan! My little douchebag, you miss me?’ Stef was kneeling on the floor of Claire’s hallway. Brendan was rubbing himself against her legs, annoyed that she had left him and happy that she was back. He couldn’t decide to be excited or just ignore her completely.

‘He was good for most of the time, but he destroyed some shit, as usual!’ Claire spoke to the cat, not Stef.

Sitting on her back porch in the bright autumn evening, hands around a strong mug of green tea, Stef gagged with each sip. She hated the stuff, but it was all Claire had.

‘So you hear from Richard at all?’ Stef didn’t want to the conversation to get on to Jared. They hadn’t spoken in three days and she missed him desperately.

‘Yes! Oh my god, we went out last week, that guy is sooooo funny!’ Claire exclaimed.

‘So, have you fucked him yet?’ Stef asked, remembering Claire asked her the same question about Jared.

‘I did, actually.’

‘And?’

Claire was beaming, ‘that guy is amazing in the sack. He’s amazing anyway.’

‘Woah, Claire. This is starting to sound like love.’

Claire rolled her eyes, ‘maybe. Oh my god. Listen to me.’

‘You’re gushing about a man!’ Stef couldn’t disguise how happy she was for Claire.

‘I’m seeing him next week too, he’s working on Supernatural so I get to see him and go on set.’

Stef’s heart sank a little, thinking of Claire on set meeting everyone again. Meeting Jared.

Claire nudged her, ‘You’re coming too, you know! I’m not walking on set by myself.’

‘Am I going? Jared hasn’t asked me.’

‘Shush, Richard said he would arrange it with Jared so we can go for dinner. All of us. All the cast, so it won’t look too suspicious for you guys.’

‘That’s nice of him. So he knows about me and Jared?’

‘Yes. And he’s totally cool with it. He said it’s also cool if you want to join us for a threesome.’

‘Oh tell him yes, right now. Tell him I’m ready and waiting.’

Claire clapped gleefully, ‘Oh he will be so happy. He’s always wanted to have a brunette and a redhead at the same time.’

‘You know, if I weren’t seeing Jared, I might even consider it.’ Stef imagined herself rolling around in the sheets with Richard, she bet that guy could fuck.

‘You’re not exclusive are you? It’s more of an open thing, right?’

Stef considered it for a moment, ‘I guess it is. But, I don’t think Jared would be too happy with the thoughts of me and Richard. And you!’

Claire shrugged, ‘As if he’s not sleeping with is wife too.’

‘Please stop, I don’t want to think about it!’ Stef put her head into her hands.

‘Sorry, but he does. That man has a good thing going. Two women on the go.’

‘Am I foolish, Claire? Tell me truthfully.’

Claire reached over and placed her hand in Stef’s. ‘We have been friends for so long, I would tell you if I thought you were being an idiot, in an instant you know I would.’

Stef nodded, agreeing.

‘To anyone on the outside looking in, yeah you could be a little foolish. But this is what you want and it’s what he wants. It suits you both. You’re enjoying it now.’

Claire kissed Stef’s hand. ‘So stop thinking too much on it. Just enjoy the love and attention of a good man with a good heart.’

‘You’re right.’

‘Of course I’m right.’

They fell into silence, thinking of the men currently occupying their mental space.

‘He has a huge dick doesn’t he?’ Claire mused.

‘Totally. And Rich?’

Claire sighed happily, ‘it’s as big as his personality. God, that man is made for me.’

‘Oh I told Jared I would send him a selfie.’ Stef pulled her phone from her pocket.

‘No, let me take it. Pose sexy,’ Claire grabbed the phone and typed in the pin code.

Stef leaned back against the rail on the porch, her hand in her hair. licking her lips. her gaze cast down.

‘Pull your tits out a bit, perfect.’ Claire showed Stef the photo before whipping it away and texting it to Jared.

‘Bitch, I can send my own messages!’

‘Yeah but you’ll put something boring. Let me.’

Stef laughed, covering her face with embarrassment seeing the picture that was sent to Jared with the tag line. ‘This pussy is so wet thinking of you.’

Brendan was in the lower half of the picture drinking water from a flower pot.

CHAPTER 15

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kajaono · 5 years ago

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X men master post

I am allways a little bit surprised that the X-men movies are not more popular by „diverse“ people. I can understand why the MCU is favored by many white straight male persons but let me break down the XMCU a little bit for you and why it actually has a lot more depth and diversity then the MCU. And they did important stuff when it came to disability and female representation around 10 years before the MCU did it.

Diversity, with in the main cast:

Logan: While he first appears as a hot wet male dream his character actually has way more depth. He suffers from PTSD and amnesia. While in the MCU Tonys PTSD was (mostly) only discussed in Iron man 3 Logans PTSD is a constant companion in every story that features him. He suffers from sleeplessness and nightmares. He shows sign of affection towards the man who tortured him. And even long after he has got his memory back and found out why he sufferes from PTSD the triggers are still there. And they can be activated at any given moment. Like in Days of future past where one look at a young version of guy who will torture him some where in a distant future was enough to gave him a panic attack and flashbacks. And all of this (nightmares, panic attacks, flashbacks) are happening in every movie and are making it nearly impossible for him to find a home or form stable relationships with other people.

Erik: A jewish man. And being jewish is a big and important part of the character. It is still a superhero movie so we never see him celebrating jewish holidays but he is constantly reminding the viewer that we never should forgot what happend back then in the KZ without reducing him to that. But actually showing how he overcomes his grief and anger by making it a constant companion of him.

Charles: A disabled man. While his disability is never shown as something that stops him from doing stuff (because he has a fancy sci fi wheelchair) there is a whole movie that shows how he tries to accept his life in a wheelchair. And after he accepted the wheelchair it a constant companion of him so we see him going into fights with a wheelchair and noone finds anything “strange” about that (aka making comments about him). Actually people are more confused when he stays at home. But that doesn’t mean that his disability is ignored.

Rogue: A girl that can actually kill by touching other people. She is perfect example how being different scares other people and make you an outcast. Until that point where you are unable to love and accept yourself. And what i found so fascinating about her story. It showed that it is okay to give up. That we do not can win every fight. That giving up is okay when it is what makes us happy and gives us peace

Powerful female main characters:

In the XMCU women where allways part of the main cast. They were never reduced to love interests or sex objects. They were allways in the middle of the fight and kicking ass. Actually 2 out of 3 X men in the first movie are women. They wear the same outfits as there male comapnions and if your name is Storm you get an extra fancy cape. While on the other hand the women are diverse. They are not wet male dreams of hot women kicking ass but actually you have:

Jean: A doctor. Who is really calming. A loving teacher and girlfriend. Also a little insecure about herself. While also being one of the most powerful mutants around and kicking ass. And she is allowed to say: NO!” Something we rarely see in other superhero movies. In x men 2 she shows signs of attraction and affection towards Logan. But instead of cheating with him on her boyfriend she says: No, please do not let me do that.” Because women are perfectly functional human beings who can still decide against a guy when they feel attraction towards him, knowing it wouldn’t be good for her/or when she wants to protect her relationship with her boyfriend.

Storm: A woman of color. Sadly her character never really got fleshed out.... not like Jeans character. (She deserves a solo movie!) But she is this quiet cool woman who somehow manages to stay away from every relationship drama because she never gets a male love interested forced onto her. She is this kind of women who makes you hyped everytime you see her own screen just because her presence alone is so powerful

Rogue: Actually she is still a child and doesn’t know anything about fighting. She is super insecure. Is really closed off from the world (caused by her powerful mutation) But somehow she is allways in the middle of the battle and saving the world with small actions.

Kitty: While her character gets introcuded really late, and she is actually only a side chatacter, the whole plot of xmen 3 and days of future past would not have worked without her.

Queer characters:

Nevertheless this is still a superhero and hollywood movie which means queer representation is of cource not present in text. BUT! That doesn’t mean it is not present at all. 1. The whole plot of x men 2 was a LGBTQ metaphore. There is this whole conversation in x men 2 where a mother sits down with her son after he says: Mum i have to tell you something.” Then he comes out as gay a mutant. Later the mother asked when he first relaized that he is gay a mutant. And if he ever tried not to be gay a mutant. Bouns point that actually this character comes out as gay in the comics. Also it has Ian McKellen who highly supports a gay reading of his character Erik.

Yeah Cherik:

From the very first moment they share a deep lovers to enemies relationship with eachother. Because no matter how much they fight against eachother. They allways end up together again, saving eachother, unable to let eachother go. Their relationship ended really tragical in the first timeline. But the new timeline with Fassbender and Mcavoy did not stopped that. They added 100% more homoerotic subtext. And then they wrote a whole movie for them only to explain how they meet and fall in love. And it was so gay that Fassbender and Mcavoy confirmed that FOX seperated them in later movies to reduce the gay subtext. BUT! that did not stop the writers from make it canon in the last movie. Yeah, it is still a Hollywood movie so not canon CANON but if you watch it you will see that it is canon. A little bit like good omens. They are moving in together and playing chess like they allways did... in Paris... the city of love... they couldn’t have been more obvious. Would have been openly queer representation even better? Sure. But with this little ending FOX XMCU achieved more then the MCU in the last 10 years.

The cinematography is perfect. Many may know the scene where Quicksilver is running through the kitchen in light speed listing to music. The movies have so much more of these moments. Also in the early movies where they had less money and CGI. So they need to invest a lot of time into planning how to film exciting scenes while still saving money and time. That resulted in absolut amazing scenes that make especially X men 2 a bless to watch. Also that most of the movies are PG 13 blood is only used where it is needed but then allways in such an aesthetical beautiful way that it is allways blowing my mind.

Body positivity: is a big topic especially in the first three movies. Sure the main characters are all perfect looking people but what matters here are the children. Most of the storyline is playing in a school and not a single one of the kids is a model type person. They are are super mixed, super chubby, super skinny, tall, small, freckles, curly hair, flat hair etc. And they all dress as bad all children did that grew up in the early 2000s. I think that is especially important for the children that are watching the movies. Becuase they see that all the kids are looking like them and have super powers anyway, no matter what skincolor or body type, so they do need to stress about that

Sexual consent: Especially in the main movies there are never any out of the blue sex moments. And as i allready mentioned Jean says: No” to a kiss with Logan because she doesn’t feel good with it but i think even more important is the scene in x men 3 where Jean goes completly Phoenix and wants to have sex with Logan he first goes along happily because that is what he allways wanted. But in the moment he realizes that Jean is out of her mind and not really there he stop immediatly. He regnoizes her boundaries and says: Let us stop. And let us talk about it tomorrow again.” And i think this scene is so important. It shows the viewer that just because a woman wants to have sex with you it is not necessarily right to use her helplessness as an excuse to actual have sex with her. Instead you should try to get her sober/clean and bring her home.

Up-to-dateness: Escpecially the older movies are still really up to date. There is this whole scene in X men 2 where police forces are storming into the mutant school by night and are arreasting little children by gun power. Just to imprison them later on, with out food, proper cloths or a lawyer. But also the realization that if you are part of a marginalized group you have to fight 10x times harder to be accepted, that you allways have to good, because one mistake and everyone will hunt you down and bully you again. That gets a nice addaition by the scene in x men 1 where Mystique says that she was afraid to go to school when you was young because of her beng different even though noone can actually see it.

Problems. of course there are problems. Here are the four main ones.

Solo movies: Everything i said about the x men movies does not necessarily have to apply for the solo movies. The Wolverine solo movies allways feature a quick female love interest and fights that get more brutal and bloody with every new solo movie released. They do not take their time to explore Logans PTSD and trauma even more and focus more on the action. And also the female love interest do not know how to fight, are weak, are needing protection and are getting killed off easily.

Storm. Her character was more of a side character from the beginning. She had not really much character development but all in all her character still got treated well (okay in x men 3). It gets horrible in the new movies. In days of future past she only appears because of her powers. She is just standing there and fights. She does not share more then one sentence with the three main characters. With all those characters she is actually really close with in xmen 1 to 3. While all “old” characater (those that allready appeared in x men 1 to 3 and survived) get a heartful goodbye she is excluded from it. Then her origin story happens in Apocolpyse. here she not only joins the bad ones first, she also get absolut sidelined again. Why she joins the good ones in the end is absolut unclear because she never says anything. And i do not even remeber if she even was in Dark Phoenix. Because IF she was in there she probably never said more then one word. We never got the Jean/Scott/Storm origin story we deserve

Rasism. For a movie that is so diverse it has surprisingly few persons of color. Beisde of Storm there is actually no POC in those movies. And let you only need to see above to see how bad she got treated at the end. And then there is still this cursed scene from X men First class where the bad guy says: “You can stay here and live like slaves. Or you can come with me and live like king and queens.” and in the moment he says: Slaves.” the camera focuses on the only black giy in the group who gets murder 5 minutes later. “Kings” zoom at the blond white guy who survives the movie. “Queen” focus on the latina woman in the group who joins the bad guys 5 seconds later and gets injured badly at the end of the movie.

Apocolypse. Actually everyting about this movie is horrible. F.e. while the other movies tried to show how Erik over comes his KZ trauma by making it a part of himself Apocolypse reduces being jewish completly to the KZ and kills off his whole family five minutes later... again. A forced straight romance that leads nowhere. Everything about Storm in this movie. This movie is just cursed.

Also x men 3 feels a little bit off sometimes but this is part of another post

So with the Xmen now joining the MCU i can highly recommend everyone to check out the x men movies. Especially the old ones from 2000 who still have the most depth and do not try to be a copy of the MCU.

So all in all i can highly recommend you to watch the X men movies. And the contunity errors that many MCU fans are laughing about are actually really helpful because it makes the movies more flexible then the MCU movies. And that avoid shitstorms and makes the fandom - most of the time - a really relaxed place to be in

#x men #xmcu #mcu #marvel #x men master post #master post

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airquietworks · 6 years ago

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One for All, None for Heart (IzuOcha)

Summary: “Despite the millions of people he now held aloft, his hand longed for only one touch.” The greatest heroes must pave roads of sacrifices. To reach the top, there is room for little else. To become the Symbol of Peace, Deku forsakes his heart and his love. Will he continue his lonely existence or forge a new dream with the embers of his old flame?”

The autumn chill bit hard into his weary flesh.

It was enough to make Izuku want to curse, but he lacked the energy for even that. His steps were slow, the exhaustion mixing with the cold, making his breathing shallow. The world had closed in on him, giving him little room to maneuver and breathe.

But there was a light at the end of that tunnel, faint though it may be.

He finally arrived at his apartment and took a desperate lungful of air. The aches of his limbs cried out for attention, the siren call of the couch becoming too much to ignore. He quickly stripped off his outer jacket and burst into a brief sprint, collapsing onto the plush comfort of the couch cushions.

Izuku stayed like that for a while, closing his eyes, letting his mind fade into nothingness. There was a figment of peace at this moment, a lifeline of respite he could grasp. Everything was fine. He had helped people today, and he could rest now. Tomorrow was a long way away.

The emptiness of his home did not have to haunt him.

With a sigh, he stood up and stretched, his sore muscles aching. He busied himself with the monotony of flicking on the lights and starting on a bowl of instant ramen.

He lacked the energy to muster effort into his meal. The noodles lacked flavour, but they were pleasantly warm as he slurped them down his throat. It was enough to get him by for an evening, anyway.

He walked over to the couch, his eyes glancing over the photos in the wall of his living room. There were a few of his friends and former classmates. His mother and All Might too. But he frowned at the face he did not see. The face he could not bear a reminder of.

Izuku flicked on the television in front of him as he continued to scarf down his noodles.

"...on the streets once again. All twenty people in the building were rescued in time thanks to his timely efforts."

He frowned and changed the channel. He needed no reminder of today's events.

An image of three people around a tightly packed table in a studio, one of them wildly flailing his arms.

"There can be no doubt. This is the list where Deku finally breaks into the top-five!"

He changed the channel again.

There he was. Standing tall, muscles rippling beneath his costume, striking a pose with his fists at his hips. He beamed for the camera, his smile almost blinding. He could hardly recognize himself.

"...Thankfully, heroes and emergency officials responded well. It was a good team effort!"

His false bravado was almost convincing. He flexed his thumb to change the channel again, but the next question gave him pause.

"You've been seen more solo over the past few weeks. Uravity has not been around you. Do you have any comment on the rumours that you two have broken up?"

In unison, he and his television counterpart furrowed their mouths into a deep frown.

But whereas Izuku sunk deeper into the minimal comfort of the couch, Deku let out a belly laugh, trying to throw people off from seeing between the cracks in his facade.

"The gossip scene is working hard as ever. Well, I'll say what I always do: I don't comment on my personal life and I speak even less about the personal lives of others."

Did he have to sound that unbelievable? Nobody knowledgeable in heroes would ever buy that excuse. He should know.

"But what about -"

"I'm sorry, I really must be off. All sorts of paperwork to get to after this, you understand!"

He watched himself zip out of the screen, a fierce gust of wind in his wake. He felt bad about leaving the reporter in an awkward spot, but he had no choice. He would be digging his own grave if he stayed in that interview.

Izuku switched the channel again. A flash of familiar pink caught his eye, staying his thumb. He could not bring himself to change the tormenting lights dancing before him.

There she was, carrying an injured man in her arms, floating downward. She looked so graceful, moving with ease brought of experience. Her face was just barely visible beneath the visor of her helmet, her brown eyes focused on the ground, intent on landing gently. She was just as fierce as she had ever been, with or without him by her side.

"...Uravity also declined comment today after completing a rescue operation."

The camera cut to her standing up close, mimicking how he had appeared on the screen moments before. Her brown locks swayed in the wind, still somehow framing her face perfectly. The sweat on her brow was prominent, but she maintained a calm exterior despite the exhaustion she was likely under.

"I'm not getting into it." She shook her head, making no effort to hide her frown. "That's private."

The reporter's narration cut in, interspersed with more clips of Uravity helping people out of the rubble.

"What this means for Uravity is uncertain. Many have speculated whether being alongside Deku served as a boon to her own popularity. But we will get a better idea when the hero rankings-"

He flicked the switch and let the screen fall to darkness, his desire to avoid the nonsense outweighing his thirst for knowledge. The idea that Uravity was riding his coattails was simply absurd, but it was a narrative the media and hero forums had seized on.

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, pinching at his temples. His weary limbs ached for the warmth of her touch to soothe him from the cries of the world.

But that could not be. The Symbol of Peace had to walk alone. He gave himself up to the world. It would be unfair to the world, and to her, to stretch himself any thinner.

The name she had changed would mark him forever. But their years of love were for naught against the ocean of villainy.

Izuku and Ochako could not be together while Deku and Uravity had a world to save.

A meteor streaked brilliantly across the sky, accentuating the long-perished stars. The world sang his praises, basking in him, as his image inspired their hearts.

"Deku! Deku! Deku!"

As he soared into the icy depths of space, they shouted the heroic name she had gifted him.

He beamed and waved at the crowd, his trademark smile large upon his face. He may be the world's greatest hero, looming on high above the populace, but he could still feel their warmth and adulation.

Deku did not bother blinking out the tears in his eyes. Their joy became his own. The world which had once stomped on his existence now loved him. The gravity of that shook him to his core.

But the cold grip of his shadows caressed him in his moment of triumph. The giants that had lifted him here loomed behind him, their might lifting him to the heavens. The torch they had passed him had taken so much sacrifice.

None of them were with him now. He had friends, family, and a world full of admirers. But his heart ached with untold loneliness, the weight of the world pushing him down as much as it lifted him up.

He wondered if this was how his predecessor felt. Was this feeling what it meant to be the world's greatest?

But as he looked out at the faces of the world, he knew this was an existence he would willingly bear. The Symbol of Peace was a lonely post, but if it meant happiness for them, he would gladly stand by it.

Izuku glanced backwards to the rest of the stage. His eyes wandered past the fuming Bakugo, the melancholic Todoroki, the polite applause of Tenya. His eyes fell on her, standing toward the end of the stage, clapping along with the rest of the world at the new number one.

Uravity had soared higher than anyone imagined, reaching number eight on the hero charts. She had beamed at the crowd as brightly as he had ever seen her, earning more applause than most of the heroes ahead of her. She too was amongst the stars now, enveloped by love, her light plastered on merchandise around the world.

Their eyes met. She gave him a familiar grin, this one meant just for him. Electricity sparked across his heart. His mind was suddenly pulled back into the pits of time, reminded of the day he had first fallen and glimpsed that smile. He blinked at her, just as nervous and confused as back then.

She had saved him from faltering that day. How much had that happened since they first met? How many times had he leaned on her? How often had she saved him?

Uravity was one with the power to lift anything to the skies, and she had certainly done that for him.

He had paid her back by casting her aside. But his gambit had worked. They both reached the pinnacle. The world's embrace blanketed them both in its warmth, while they acted as pillars to keep the world afloat.

Despite the millions of people he now held aloft, his hand longed for only one touch.

The branches of the trees had become barren as the season wore on, only a few scarce leaves clinging desperately to the branches. It was an ugly sight, so far from the beautiful red hues just a few short weeks ago.

Izuku walked the concrete path alone, his eyes lost amidst the spaces between the once vibrant treetops. How quickly beauty and warmth could fade, replaced by a bareness that reminded him far too much of the place he called home.

The path was devoid of any other signs of life, the stinging cold air scaring most people away this afternoon. It was the early days of real chill, where people were not yet accustomed to the end of summer. People would rather stay indoors, clinging to what warmth they could.

The bouquet of flowers in his arms weighed heavily on him, an artificial bloom amidst the dying leaves. This walk was never pleasant, especially alone, but Izuku felt compelled to make it just the same.

His eyes were focused on just one structure, towering high above the rest. It was fenced off and marked with a large statue, a familiar heroic figure towering above the rest. A rather peculiar monument for a grave, but one the world could hardly help giving their greatest hero.

Izuku made no fanfare as he walked to the monument. It was barren of flowers, but he knew it was cleaned regularly. All Might had no want of visitors, thanking him and hoping to find some inspiration.

He was no better a guest than any, placing the small bouquet gently in the placeholder in front of the grave.

Toshinori Yagi All Might 1956-2024 Symbol of Peace "Villainy shall never win So long as one can stand up for all Go beyond!"

"Plus Ultra," Izuku muttered in answer to the silent call, before standing up to look at the immortalized visage of his mentor.

"I did it, All Might. I finally made it to number one. I only wish you could have been there to see it. I couldn't have done it without you."

The wind howled around his ears, the petals of his bouquet rustling. There would be no other reply.

"I wonder…" his chilled lips pursed into a frown as he looked up at the larger-than-life image. "How did you feel when you finally got to this point? When you stood alone at the top?"

He sighed deeply as his questions fell to the blowing wind, doomed never to be answered.

"My hero agency is doing really well, too. There's a lot of great people I'm so proud of. And our class has really climbed fast, too. Kacchan is number two! He's still trying to surpass me every day."

He would always start rambling on in front of this statue. He was not sure why, but it was comforting. There was a nostalgia to it; it reminded him of his childhood when he so often had naught but the image of his hero to talk to.

"...Uraraka made it to number eight. She's…she's doing well too. She's been a lot better off since the split, I think."

Her name was strained on his tongue, the weight of the memories associated surging forward to pain him as he spoke.

"You never discouraged me from being with her."

The two of them, on their first date, awkward and fumbling. Fainting when it ended with a kiss. Waking to see All Might there, beaming.

"But I didn't see how I could anymore."

Stumbling through their shared apartment, muscles aching, eyes reddened with the tears of lost life. Her soft fingertips lifting him effortlessly. Finding solace with her in a nest of sheets and blankets.

"I made it to my dream. Every day, I am rewarded by the smiling faces of the people I help. It's what I always wanted, ever since I saw you."

Her smile towards him on the stage. His heart thrumming and his face flushing. She was so close, and yet a world away.

"So why do I feel this way? What would you do?"

The rush of the wind was his only answer. Scattered autumn leaves blew around in the air. One floated within arm's reach, and on an impulse, he grabbed hold of it.

It had a glorious red plumage, flaring wonderfully in its death. Its end was its most beautiful moment, even as it was cast aside from a tree's ritual of renewal. He took a moment to appreciate it: one of a kind, one of many.

He let it float gently to the ground, to become one with the Earth once more. It could be part of new life someday. There was hope in that.

"Midoriya?"

His eyes widened in shock as he spun around. There she was, adorned in a fluffy pink coat, holding her own bouquet of flowers and a small purse. She was stunning, as always.

It had been so long since he had talked to her.

"Ocha...Uraraka?" Izuku replied, catching his tongue on her first name. Old habits die hard. "What are you doing here?"

She glanced down at the flowers in her own hands, before moving her eyes back to his. She managed a small smile that made his heart beat just a little harder. "Same thing as you. I wanted to come and thank him."

She stepped forward and walked past him. Izuku felt the barest hint of something hit his heart as she trudged past him. Fear? Longing?

He watched as she stepped forward to lay her bouquet in a placeholder by the grave. She looked up at the statue, putting her hands together and closing her eyes. She remained still for a couple of minutes while Izuku watched, frozen in the cold air. She nodded and smiled silently, before springing back up.

"So…" she trailed off, approaching him with a warm smile. "Do you want to go get a coffee?"

He knew it could be the death of him. But how could he refuse?

"You should have seen how much all the fansites exploded that day!"

"Oh?"

"'Uravity pulled 20 people out of water at once and it was the coolest thing ever!'" Izuku enthusiastically recounted, pitching his voice down an octave to imitate one of the many reaction videos he saw out that day. "People were flipping out! And then when you ended that villain's monologue with one punch right after!"

Her soft laughter was nostalgic music to his ears. "I can't believe that was already a year ago."

"Time sure flies," Izuku agreed, taking a sip from his cup.

It was the most exquisite torture, being alone with her again. They fell easily into an imitation of their friendship. It stirred powerfully warm feelings within him, but the walls between them made those emotions hurt. Still, he enjoyed reminiscing about their exploits.

Of course, they had kept in touch over the years since they separated. Group outings made sure of that, and there were some events even buried feelings could not come between.

"How are your folks holding up since the move?" Izuku asked with a smile, recalling the joyous celebration when Ochako achieved her dream.

"Quite well, thank you," Ochako replied, the mention of her parents making her beam. "I actually convinced them to take a world tour. They just got into New York."

She pulled out her phone and quickly tapped her fingers onto it, swiping them across the screen. She held it out to him, showing an image of two elderly-looking people smiling for the camera, Statue of Liberty looming distantly in the background.

"Oh wow! That's awesome!"

"It is," she replied softly, pulling the phone back into her lap and smiling at the picture. "That they're able to do this…it's all I've ever dreamed of."

"I'm happy for them. For you."

There was a beat of silence between them as they both sipped their coffee in unison, the conversation starting to peter out. As their energy faltered, the walls seemed to loom ever higher between them.

"Hey...Deku?"

Izuku's ears perked at her old nickname for him. She had stopped referring to him that way since they parted, both of them choosing to regard each other with an icy formality.

"What is it?" he asked, glancing up to focus on her face. Her gorgeous smile had set, replaced with a serious frown that reminded him of darker days.

"Can I…" she stopped herself, taking a bracing breath. "I just...do you ever...do you ever think about when we were together anymore?"

His heart flew into a rushing freefall. He gulped in the wake of the poisonous question, poised to eviscerate his insides.

"Sometimes," he managed, darting his eyes to stare firmly at the tabletop. He was pretty sure looking at her face right now would end him.

There was another beat of deathly silence between them. Izuku tensed and he started trying to calculate a strategic excuse to end this conversation. Maybe he could quickly text someone from his agency, get them to call so he could have an escape.

As his hand moved to the phone in his pocket, Ochako spoke again.

"...I...I want to try something, Deku. But I need your help. Would...would you?"

He had to strain his ears to hear her over the bustle of the cafe around him. Her voice was so vulnerable and a part of him, small but growing louder by the second, desperately wanted to do everything in his power to bring her good spirits back.

"What is it?" It was the best answer he could manage.

"I need you to look at me. Then close your eyes." There was a spark of fierceness in her voice. It scared him.

Izuku dared to look up. Her eyes held a blazing intensity, the war face she wore contrasting strangely with the casual setting. She was leaning slightly over the table as if preparing to attack him. Or worse.

His brain shut down. Her eyes captivated him. He did not know what was happening, but he nodded. His body moved on autopilot, his eyes shutting closed, bracing himself for the worst.

The world seemed to fade around his eardrums. He could hear his heart, beating intensely. A screech of metal against tile. The table, moving slightly. A breath against his lips.

The press of lips to cheek.

An electric shock coursed through his system. He tensed at the familiar feeling of flesh on flesh and the memories that surged with it.

It was soft and innocent like the chaste kisses of their youth, products of the lovely fumbling of two clueless children. This kiss was most like that, but it stirred within him the passion he had done his best to suppress.

The familiar feeling of her lips somehow reminded him of the inferno that could rage between them, when love and desperation mixed together, nerve endings becoming live wires, threatening to turn him into a happy pile of ash.

In that endless instant, Izuku experienced the ferocity of a thousand such moments buried in his mind. It froze him in place, the fire burning him into a stony stillness.

She departed him again. He kept his eyes closed for a moment. There was no bliss when he finally opened his eyes; only a downcast woman, cheeks just a little rosier.

He wanted to say something meaningful, or witty, or anything to assuage her, but he found himself paralyzed. He could not give her the answers he did not know himself.

"I'm sorry, Deku. That must have been awkward for you. I...this was a bad idea, I don't know why…" she looked into his eyes, her mouth curling further downward. "I was being ridiculous."

It occurred to him she might be thinking he did not like what just transpired. Which, he realized, may not actually be inaccurate.

"I…Uraraka, I'm sorry but...I don't know."

He felt a strong urge to whack his own head for failing to speak anything more than that. The right words would not come.

"That's fine, Izuku. It wasn't fair of me to hope otherwise." She lifted her head up, her mouth twisting around into something resembling a smile. It was fake, he knew. But he lacked the courage to call it out.

"You know, all this time, even as we both kept climbing to the top, a part of me was always wondering. If I could have done something differently. If it was worth it, in the end. So many nagging questions."

"Me too. Uraraka…"

"But I didn't let that get in the way. I was never going to let my feelings get in the way of me accomplishing my dreams again. And neither were you. And we both did it, didn't we?" She flashed him a more genuine grin. He tried to do the same, but it was warbly, his mouth quivering.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking about where I want my life to be. What I want to work towards now. I'm still not sure." She pulled something small out of her purse and put it forward on the table. Izuku watched, not registering what it was she placed, so focused was he on her every word.

"A long time ago, my dad told me I shouldn't wait for things. If I wanted to make them happen, I had to seize the opportunity. You showed me that, more than anyone. I wouldn't have made it without you, Deku. I...I have to thank you, from the bottom of my heart for that."

He gulped. "You're welcome."

"I was so tired of waiting that I...well, I did something silly, back then. I never stopped holding onto this, you know. But it's weighing me down more and more."

Izuku glanced down at what exactly she had presented before him. His eyes opened wider at the soft, dark green square, a box wrapped in fine material.

"I was going to give you this a while ago, but never had the chance. And after what happened...I just kept it. But I don't think I can keep it anymore. And I don't know why, but I couldn't...I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. It would be like throwing away everything we went through together."

Izuku watched as she sat up higher in her seat, her fist rising up in front of her, her brown eyes blazing.

"And no matter how much it hurts, I never want to forget what we went through together. Even if it wasn't meant to be. Those memories mean a lot to me."

Her figure sagged after her brief burst of energy and she sighed again, looking up at him between her eyelashes.

"They mean a lot to me too, Uraraka. More than I can say."

She smiled at that.

"I'm sorry about all this, I just...I think I needed this. To sort things out. To close this door the last little way. To stop pretending we could be together again."

"Uraraka…?"

"No matter what, Deku, I want to stay friends." She beamed as she stood up, her features flashing brighter than the sun. "I-"

A sharp buzz from her pocket. She instinctively reached in to grab her phone, moving with practised precision. "Now, of all times?"

"What is it? Something happening?" He seized on the tone of her voice, pulling out his own phone to see if there were any emergency alerts. Duty often called at the worst times.

"Agency call. Intern got overzealous on a theft and they need me to run damage control." She groaned, letting herself slack in her chair. "Of all the rotten luck."

"When isn't it?" Deku joked. A frightened, weary part of him was desperately glad for the interruption. This was a conversation he could handle.

"I gotta go," she said, quickly getting up out of her seat and throwing change on the table. "Don't...we…"

She paused as she put her arms into her coat, looking down at his face. He shrunk a little under her gaze, unable to meet it head-on. His head was lost in a raging storm, her stare piercing him like lightning.

"Well, we can pick this up another time, maybe. If you want. See you later, Deku."

Without another word, Uraraka disappeared from his life once again. He watched as her figure disappeared through the doorway, her back growing ever farther away. She was impossible to reach.

Izuku closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose, trying to steady his heart rate. It would do him no good to get upset. He had not dealt with that conversation well. He had not dealt with that kiss well.

He cracked a deprecating smile at his own inadequacy. Maybe he had grown less than he thought.

Being with her had all stirred things deep within him he had been trying to forget. It bubbled into a harsh anxiety as he dared to reach a hand out to the mysterious case in front of him.

Izuku steeled himself against the emotions threatening to burst out of him. No matter how she made him feel, nothing was that simple. There were so many responsibilities he had to consider before even dreaming of rekindling his love. He had to stay logical. It was not meant to be.

He opened the box. He saw the glint of silver and the world faded around him.

Visions burst forward at the sight of the simple, practical, silver ring sitting in the box. Every feeling he had been holding back blasted through the walls erected in his mind.

Ochako walking toward him in a simple, white dress, arm-in-arm with her father.

Dancing with her while their friends and family watched, the rest of the world far away, the distance between them nothing.

Laughing with her on a beach, somewhere tropical, far away from prying eyes and cameras.

Fighting by her side, punching out villains, seamlessly coordinated in every motion.

Taking a baby from her arms, staring down at a tiny little human, his own eyes looking back up at him.

Scrambling to grab a camera as Ochako watched over their child taking her first steps. Ochako's cheery encouragement made the walls of their home sing.

Watching the television, grey-haired, her by his side, reminiscing about their days atop the hero world.

Walking with her, hand in hand, their children close behind. Their friends all waving to them happily, their own kids running around the grassy hills. They reunited under the brilliant colours of the autumn trees.

The images faded into the darkness of his mind. His eyes watered, forcing him to blink out the blurry focus of the world.

The blessed life he had surrendered faded from view. All of it twisted and collapsed into the piece of metal in front of him.

He clutched his right hand to his chest, shaking, feeling his heart racing intensely. He wanted what he imagined more than he could comprehend.

Izuku openly wept, not caring about any of the confused stares he earned by doing so. He wept at the time wasted alone. He wept at the life of possibilities, hanging on by the slimmest of threads. He wept, like that day with All Might so long ago, when the road to a dream once closed opened wide before him.

He reached a shaking hand out to the ring. Could he really take it? Nothing about their circumstances had changed. The world would still try to tear them apart. As the Symbol of Peace, there might be little peace for them. Being together would be very difficult.

Was this something he was really willing to do?

Izuku took another deep breath. He blinked the tears out of his eyes and stared intensely at the ring. Being together might be difficult, but he had faced worse. There was a new dream he desperately wanted in front of him. He had to seize it.

He had to go beyond.

Without thinking further, Izuku paid for his drink and grabbed the box, plunging it into his pocket. He sprinted out of the cafe before causing a stir by leaping up into the sky with his quirk. He had to get to her.

The questions swarmed in the back of the mind, stinging him for this insanity. Did he want this? Could he pay the price? Did he comprehend the sacrifices this would take? Could he commit to being with her?

Did he still love Ochako more than anyone?

I do. I do. I do. I do.

I do.

AN: Written for the IzuOcha Discord server's writing competition for the prompt "Autumn."

Thank you to Deadliest Sin Bin from there for editing this. This was a challenge to keep under 5,000 words, but a good challenge. Still, I’ll be posting two deleted scenes separately as a result.

Hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a like and a reblog if so!

#IzuOcha #midoriya izuku #uraraka ochako #Fanfiction #shipping #angst #IzuOchaTemple #romance #My Hero Academia #Boko no hero academia #This is angst as heck but I hope you liked it #One-shot

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lapofthemusicgods · 6 years ago

Text

I’m Going Slightly Mad - Chapter 3

Ben HardyXJoe Mazzello slow burn, also starring ultimate friendship goals! Cross-posted on AO3 (sn: ahopper84)

Ever since filming BoRhap together, Gwilym, Rami, Ben, and Joe have remained the closest of friends. One night someone makes a suggestion that’s totally insane, and yet makes complete sense.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! But here’s chapter 3... I apologize in advance, this story is going to be the SLOWEST of burns!

Read the rest here: Chapter 1 / Chapter 2

@guitarplayingastrophysicist lmk if you wanna be tagged!

Chapter 3

Joe meandered around his house, searching for any last-minute clutter that needed picking up. When he was satisfied the common areas were as clean as they were going to be, he took a seat on the couch and flipped channels. He’d just gotten to the two-hundreds when his doorbell rang, and he jumped up to answer it.

“Rami!” He pulled his friend into a tight hug, which the other returned. “Come on in, man, how was your flight?”

“Not bad. It’s great to see you; been too long.” Rami followed Joe into the living room, pulling his wheeled suitcase behind him. “How’ve you been?”

“Good, good. Here, just leave your bag there, I’ll bring it up to the guest room for you later. You want something to drink, coffee, tea, soda?”

“Coffee’s great, thanks.”

Joe nodded and headed into the kitchen, still talking over his shoulder.

“I’m so glad you’re here. We should catch a show while you’re here, have you seen Hamilton yet?”

“No, I haven’t, I’ve been wanting to, though. I’ve listened to the soundtrack, but that’s never really the same.”

“It’s really not,” Joe agreed from the kitchen. “Cream, sugar, both, neither?”

“Both, thanks.”

“Alright, here you go,” Joe said, coming back with two mugs; he handed one to Rami, then sat next to him, sipping the other. “Anyway, it won’t be the same, different cast and all that, but I’ve heard good things about this cast. I’ll see if I can snag us a couple tickets.”

“Sounds good.” rami grinned and sipped his coffee, nodding in appreciation. “So, how’s the practice going?”

“Really good,” Joe replied, sitting back and stretching an arm over the back of the couch. “I was just working on Liar earlier, actually. And I’ve been doing the vocal coaching sessions a couple times a week. Oh, I asked if he’d mind me bringing you along for the next few sessions, he said that’d be fine.”

“Great. I’ve been doing some work on my own, too, singing, piano, little bit of guitar. At least Freddie only ever played on a few songs,” he added with a laugh.

“God, I still can’t believe this is really happening, you know? I mean technically it’s still in the works, no dates or anything, but still… We’re really doing this, one way or another.” Joe grinned at his friend, who returned the smile.

“Yeah, I know. It’s so surreal, thinking about taking a break from acting to become a real musician. I never would’ve seen this coming, even while we were filming. You talk to Gwil or Ben lately?”

“We check in,” Joe said, looking down at his coffee. “Gwil’s kinda spearheading the logistics side, talking to Brian and Roger, making calls; I offered to help, but he said it’d help him from freaking out over it. And Ben…” Joe trailed off and smiled. “Ben’s as excited as the rest of us. He said he’s started drumming every day. Him and Gwil have been getting together pretty often, too.” Joe tried to swallow back the little bit of irrational jealousy; he was happy for them that they were able to hang out, living so much closer.

“They’re just a few hours from each other, right?” Rami spoke up, continuing when Joe nodded. “Must be nice. But hey, we’ll just have to let them know how much fun we’re having without them, right? Make them jealous for a change.” Rami chuckled and patted Joe’s knee.

“Damn right,” Joe laughed, clinking their mugs together and pulling Rami into a half-hug. “So, what else is new with you?”

The two spent the next couple hours catching up, channel surfing, and debating whether or not A Day At The Races was a better album than A Night At The Opera. Eventually they started to get hungry, so they decided to head out for some pizza.

“I’m sorry, but no. California does not have pizza. They have something vaguely resembling pizza, but nothing I’d willingly eat given the choice.”

“If you say so,” Rami laughed as they sat in the pizzeria, sipping a pair of beers and waiting for their pie. “But at least we’ve got decent sushi.”

“Yeah… I guess you win that one,” Joe laughed. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, grinning when he saw who it was.

“Girlfriend?” Rami asked, prompting his friend’s eyes to dart up with a shocked, confused expression. “You just lit up like Christmas morning.”

“What? No, it’s Ben.” Joe felt his cheeks heating up as he answered the call, still giving Rami a perplexed look. “Hey man, what’s up?”

“Hey, mate. Not a bad time, is it?”

“No, not at all. Rami’s here, we’re getting pizza. Here, let me put you on speaker.”

“Hi Benny,” Rami said in a slightly teasing tone, smirking at Joe. Joe just rolled his eyes, his brow still creased, and set the phone on the table between them.

“Rami, hey. That’s right, I forgot Joe said you were visiting him for a bit.”

“Yeah, for a couple weeks. You should come join us.”

“Maybe I will. Wouldn’t want you two getting into too much trouble without me, yeah?” Ben chuckled.

“Hey, you know you’re always welcome here,” Joe said. “You and Gwil. How is tall, dark, and nerdy, anyway?”

“He’s alright, we caught a play together last week. Went a bit over my head, but it was good.”

“Aw, you two had a date night,” Rami cooed, nudging Joe. “How sweet. Did he buy you dinner, too?”

“Maybe,” Ben replied, and Joe rolled his eyes and nudged Rami back.

“Yeah, well I’m buying Rami dinner, <i>and</i> we’re seeing Hamilton.”

“Lucky him,” Ben said, and Joe felt his cheeks heating up, a condition which only worsened when Rami leaned over to rest his head on his shoulder. “Well I’ll let you two lovebirds get back to your date.”

“Oh you know Joe only has eyes for you,” Rami teased.

“Him and Ben Cardi,” Joe corrected, and all three men laughed. “Anyway, text me tomorrow, maybe we can get some practice in over video chat?” He looked at Rami, who nodded.

“Yeah, mate, that sounds good. Have a good one.”

“Give Gwil our love,” Rami chimed in before the call disconnected. “So,” he said after Joe finished putting his phone away.

“So… what?” Joe stared at his friend, who just stared back with a coy smile.

“Nothing,” Rami said after a moment, shrugging. “Oh hey, here comes our pizza.”

“So how’s Lucy?” Joe asked, grabbing himself a slice.

“She’s good. She’s working a tv show right now, some political comedy thing. Says she’s having a blast.”

“That’s really great. You know, I’m just so happy for you guys. I think we all had a feeling about you two before either of you did.”

“Maybe,” Rami chuckled. “But yeah, things are… good. I’m really happy to have her. What about you?”

“What about me?” Joe echoed, one eyebrow up.

“Anything on the romantic horizon?”

“Oh, no,” Joe said, smiling and looking down. “Nah, been flying solo since what’s-her-name and I broke it off.”

“That was back when we were still filming, wasn’t it? Right after we started?”

“Something like that. Anyway, I’m just kinda focusing on myself for now, you know?”

Rami nodded, and the two fell into silence for a minute.

“Anyone you’ve got your eyes on, though?” Rami prodded, sipping his beer and pretending not to look at Joe. Joe shrugged and stared down at his own half-empty bottle.

“Not really. No one I’d have a shot with anyway.”

Rami raised an eyebrow at that, and Joe caught the look.

“I mean, you know, we’ve all got people like that. Faces in the crowd. Not anyone I know.”

“Right. Well maybe you’ll meet someone on the road.”

“Oh yeah, I’m gonna bang so many groupies,” Joe mocked, cracking up halfway through. He sighed and scratched the back of his neck. “Honestly, if it happens, it happens, but if not… I’m okay.”

“You’re too good a guy to think like that,” Ramy said, putting a hand on the other’s shoulder. “I think you don’t give yourself enough credit. Anyone would be lucky to have you.”

Joe felt himself blushing again, and rolled his eyes.

“Not that I’m applying for the position,” Rami added with a wink.

“Good. You know I’d never cheat on Ben Cardi,” Joe said, downing the rest of his beer.

“Ah yes, your faithful husband, how could I forget. Where’s he hanging around these days?”

“My bedroom, of course,” Joe scoffed, as if it was the most obvious answer. Both men laughed, and Rami gave Joe’s shoulder a squeeze before pulling his arm back.

“Of course. Truly a match made in heaven.”

#queen #queen fanfic #queen fanfiction #bohemian rhapsody #bohemian rhapsody cast #bohemian rhapsody actor #rpf #bohemian rhapsody fanfic #bohemian rhapsody fanfiction #hardzello #ben hardy/joe mazzello #ben hardy #joe mazzello #gwilym lee #rami malek

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seriouslycromulent · 6 years ago

Photo

OK. I originally started this post a week and a half ago. But between 2 trips out of town and the Hell in a Cell PPV, I’m only now getting around to finishing it. So I apologize if it sounds dated or odd. But I did want to share what I learned and experienced at HVFF, especially since it was so close to home.

Anywho … here we go:

I wasn’t planning on going to the Heroes and Villains Fan Fest in New Jersey, but lo and behold, on the Saturday night before, I realized I just might be able to go and spend a couple of hours fawning over some fandom favorites. Especially since they were so close to home (I live in Newark), and the last time Matt Ryan was supposed to come to HVFF, he cancelled at the last minute.

I can now officially forgive him. He didn’t know we were fighting, but I forgive him nonetheless. ;-)

Anyway, since I could only go on Sunday, I had a very specific agenda:

Enjoy Q&A with Ray Fisher

Meet Matt Ryan and get him to sign my Dangerous Habits graphic novel

Meet Ray Fisher and just bask in his awesomeness! (J/k I got his autograph too!)

Walk around and check out the vendors and artists at the show

Buy nerdy things for a reasonable price

Well, this post is only going to be about item #2 because for the brief time that I got to chat with Matt Ryan, I learned some interesting things about him and what may be on the horizon for his Constantine on the CW.

I’ll try to be quick. Well, I’ll try to try.

Matt Ryan is very chill and took his time talking to people for as long as they wanted while the rest of us waited in line. Some people were aware that others were just as excited as they were to talk to Matt, but a few took a really long time to chat with him. And at no point did I see Matt look bothered, frustrated or tired. He seemed very engaging and interested in everything everyone had to say to him. It could be an act, but even if it is, it’s still a nice thing to do.

He wore all black, but none of the different shades of black matched, which I kind of liked because that’s just something that Constantine wouldn’t care about either. Just add a leather jacket and you would get Mucous Membrane vibes.

I was surprised by the number of people in line who weren’t talking to each other. Sure, friends who walked up together talked to each other, but I’m used to fans who are willing to stand in line and meet one of their fandom favs just striking up a conversation with one another to pass the time. In Matt’s line, not so much. Or maybe it was just me. It didn’t look like anyone wanted to talk to anyone they didn’t already know.

Matt had a lot of headshots and images to choose from if people wanted an autograph, including some from the NBC series. I really wanted the one with the 4 main cast members (Manny, Zed, John, and Chas), but I had to stay focused.

When I finally got in front of Matt, I fell into this weird thing where I suddenly decide I’m going to overcompensate for my nerves by talking way too much and too fast. But I didn’t want to take up too much of his time and knew others were waiting so I forgave myself for being so effusive. I hope he picked up on my nervous vibes and didn’t hold it against me.

I told him that he was the representation of 2 worlds colliding because I’m a huge Hellblazer fan and a theater geek. And as a matter of fact, when I moved to the East Coast 3 years ago, his play, Therese Raquin, was the first Broadway play I had ever attended. He laughed at that and apologized. He said that that’s a rough one for a first-time Broadway experience. I said it was OK, and I enjoyed it.

I told him as a matter of fact, I was a part of the preview audience that he talked about in an interview that was deathly quiet after the play ended. I said I remember feeling like, “Oh shit! Was that it? Should we not have laughed at the things we laughed at throughout the play?” For those who don’t know, Emile Zola has a sense of humor, but the play is dark, and it involves a murder and 2 suicides. The lighter moments are needed to release some of the tension in the play, but that performance did not get a typical audience reaction to the end, I’m guessing.

Then, Matt launches into the story about how it’s interesting to learn what American theater audiences laugh at compared to British audiences. He had previously performed on Broadway in Hamlet a few years earlier, but it had transferred from the UK, and there weren’t any previews, just regular performances. He said there were times when the American audiences were rowdier or laughed at dialogue or scenes where British audiences didn’t. I recall a few other actors mentioning this before in interviews, but it was always in reference to movies or TV shows. So I thought it was interesting to hear that these differences also show up in the theater, especially since you get the benefit of having that immediate reaction on stage. Also, I think he may have just had some rowdy audiences for Hamlet.

I couldn’t tell if Matt liked or hated the differences in audience reactions, but I could tell he did find it strange and interesting.

He also told me about the differences in the previews process for theater in the UK is different. Now, I studied theater in London (academically), but I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to learn more about it from an actual actor, so I listened intently to his details. Apparently, in the UK, previews are for a very few performances, then the show is set and runs for X number of weeks. On Broadway (but perhaps not everywhere in the US), the previews can last up to 3 weeks, depending on the producer and theater company. I told him that I think the Off-Broadway theater productions may operate more like the UK theater industry. And the multiple weeks of previews seems more like a commercial Broadway thing, but I couldn’t be sure.

Then, I mentioned that I actually studied theater in London, but I immediately regretted it. Not because I’m ashamed or anything, but because I think he thought I was trying to impress him. So it just made me feel and look foolish. So I quickly moved on.

I told Matt that I really loved the NBC series, and I was devastated when it was cancelled because Hellblazer is my favorite comic book, and I thought for network television, NBC did a good job capturing the spirit and tone of the early John Constantine from Vertigo. To this, Matt frowned a little and said he understood, and that he’s happy to get a chance to play the character again. He knows it’s not quite the same on Legends as it was on the other series, but the role is such a pleasure to play.

Now this is the part that really stuck with me: Matt said he’s trying to work in a little more darkness to the character to make him more like the John from the comic books. It’s a bit difficult because the tone of Legends is very different, but he is working on it.

He also said that the hope is that if the season goes well, and fans really respond to Constantine, the CW hopes to relaunch the solo show on the CW network. That way, John can be more like the Constantine from the comics.

To this, I was beyond ecstatic because I wasn’t sure if I could make myself watch Legends of Tomorrow just for Matt. The show is just a little too “high” for me. That is, it feels like all the other Berlanti-verse shows, where it has this very light, every show has a message, after-school special feel to them. I wouldn’t say “camp” but it treads a bit close to it at times, and I like my comic book TV shows with a little more grit to them. I am a DC comics fan after all.

To that end, Matt quickly signed my copy of Dangerous Habits graphic novel. When I first set it down in front of him after walking over, he said, “Ah, my favorite one!” And I said “I know. Mine too.” I also let him know I wished his LoT Constantine could be darker, but I understood why he wasn’t.

While he was signing, I noticed he had a tattoo on the inside of his left arm, near the elbow joint. So I asked him what it said. He quoted the Polonius line from Hamlet: “This above all: To thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

It caught me off guard at first because I wasn’t expecting him to say all that. The tattoo is long, but I didn’t think it had that much text. Apparently it does. But when I said, “Excuse me” and leaned in because I didn’t catch all he said, he repeated it and explained where it was from. Of course, I recognized where it was from after I caught all of what he said. but I’m sure in his mind, I lost all credibility when I said I studied theater in London. sadly, the noise of the convention hall combined with years of headphones blasting music is starting to take their toll on my hearing. But it’s still a cool tattoo.

Btw, if you have trouble reading his autograph above, it says: “Candy, Lovely talking to you, Big Love”

OK. That’s it for now.

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fullmetalgunfire · 7 years ago

Text

The eighth and final-ish chapter of my gift fic for @blackwolfchimera. Final-ish because this shouldn’t be the final version... At all... Basically I got a bit sick and it’s turned my brain into utter mush, which has made this not only the worst chapter I’ve written but left me with basically no brainpower to fix it. I mean it doesn’t even really end properly it just sort of stops...

Anyway, Eurydice offered to do a rewrite so this actually has a proper ending, but unfortunately that’s not finished tonight and I’m not 100% positive when it will be (hopefully tomorrow, but she’s got other stuff to do so I’m not positive... And I don’t want to pressure her because boy does this need a lot of work...). It just feels wrong to leave the story where it’s at in the meantime, though, so I’m posting this... Basically unedited bad version just so there’s something. Promise to post the final version as soon as I can, though!

...And hey, handy links to the other chapters, I guess?

Chapter 1 (plus explanation) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The weekend passed in a blur, and so did the handful of school days until the callbacks. It was harder for them to meet with their friends once the weekend was over, but they still did their best to cram as much prep and practice into those few days as they could.

“Ready for this?” Roy asked as he and Ed met outside the theatre.

“More worried about you, you’re the one with a game to get to,” Ed answered, “How about you? You ready for this?”

“As I’ll ever be, I think...” he sighed, looking nervous, “I’ve got my uniform in my bag, all ready to go, just in case I have to run to the game.”

“Surprised you’re not already wearing it,” Ed replied with a slight laugh, grabbing him by the back of the neck and pulling him down into a brief kiss, “Relax. We can do this.”

“I know...” he murmured in reply, looking more relaxed when he pulled back, “Shall we?”

Ed just nodded in response, and they headed into the theatre. There wasn’t many people there... Ling and one other guy who were their competition for the leads, and a handful of others being tried for other parts. Ed doesn’t remember who’s who, except for their direct competition... He’d been too busy to pay much attention to the other people on the list.

He and Roy wandered in quietly, taking seats next to each other near the front just as Mr. Garfiel came out.

“Well, I’d like to welcome you all the the call backs...” he said, “All of you are in the running for some of the biggest roles in this production, but I need to decide which of you will be best for which role... I’m planning to start by pairing you up and having you each do a scene involving characters I think you’d do well with. When I call your names, please come up here and I will give both of you scripts to use...”

Ed waited, completely relaxed, for Garfiel to call him and Roy up... Then froze when, instead, he calls up Roy and Ling.

“What?” he said under his breath, looking to Roy, who looks just as surprised and panicked as he does. He wanted to ask why, he really did, but... They’re on thin ice as it is. If it seemed like they might be protesting in any way...

Luckily, Ling decided to ask for them. Ed’s almost grateful if he wasn’t sure Ling was behind their sabotage.

“Sir? Why aren’t we being paired with our previous partners? I was prepared for-”

“I might cast any combination of you in either role,” the teacher interrupted, giving Ling an unimpressed look, and Ed has to stifle a snicker at how the tables have turned, “I need to know you’re prepared for that, and to see which of you would work best in which role...”

“Guess that’s a valid reason...” Roy mumbled with a sigh, suddenly taking Ed’s hand. He blinked at him, confused by the sudden gesture, before realizing Roy’s seeking out some level of reassurance and squeezing his hand briefly before Roy stands and breaks away to get his script and meet Ling without another word. Ed and the guy who’d been practicing with Ling get called up a moment later, and he goes up to grab their scripts and meet up with the guy. He... Doesn’t look at that happy to be there, to be honest. More resigned than anything... Ed wonders why.

“So, uh... Who’ve you been practicing for?” Ed asked, deciding to just cut to the chase.

“Oh, uh... The tutor...”

Ed cringed. “Oh. Shit. So have I...”

“Oh,” the other boy said, looking toward the teacher with a thoughtful frown, “Maybe we should ask if we should switch partners with-”

“Nah,” Ed cuts off before that thought can get fully formed... He doesn’t want to risk his partner even thinking like that. “I’ll just switch roles. Shouldn’t be too hard, I’ve been reading the whole script, I can come up with something...”

“Oh. Thanks...” the guy says, offering him a small smile, “I’ve only been thinking about the one role...”

Ed eyes him for a moment. “Seems like that’d be a bad idea. I mean, if you want to get cast.”

“Well... I... Kind of don’t. Not really.”

Ed’s eyebrows shoot up. “Then why are you here?”

The boy shrugged. “Ling’s a friend, and... I guess he assumed he’d get lead, but he needed someone to be opposite him that wouldn’t be too terrible, and... Well, I tried theatre years ago and I was alright, I guess, though I don’t really like it much. Ling remembered, though, and... Well...”

“Asked you to audition as his partner,” Ed supplied, “To make him look good.”

“More or less.”

“Right...” Ed said slowly, “So... You want to go over the scene?”

They discussed what they were going to do for a bit, and went over the dialogue a couple times, but then it kind of dies out. It’s a simple scene, after all, and this guy isn’t exactly the type to offer a lot of ideas of what to do with it...

Ed let his attention wander, drifting around the room. They seemed to be taking their time getting through all the scenes... He can see Mei talking to Mr. Garfiel, pointing out little things and trying to get him to make the people on stage do the scene over. That was one of her little delays she’d planned, he figured... He winced, though, when a moment later the teacher clearly ran out of patience before she could draw things out any longer and called up the next pair.

It made him nervous, and he automatically looked over to Roy, who seemed to be arguing with Ling, looking frustrated. Oh that wasn’t good... Ed took a deep breath, trying not to think this was starting to turn into a disaster. There really wasn’t any evidence of that yet... Or not much, anyway.

They get called up to do their scenes a moment later, Roy and Ling going up first. It’s not bad, but it’s not great either, each of them clearly struggling to make their interpretation work with a new partner. But at least both of them were rough, so Ed doubts Roy will be knocked out of the running for it... He and his partner go up after them, and Ed thinks it goes slightly better, though really that’s only because his partner is so flat that Ed can pretty much do what he likes and it’ll work about the same.

“That went well...” Roy drawled sarcastically as they rejoined each other after Ed’s scene.

“Yeah... I mean, I know he’s trying to throw us off, but fuck, how would that help him decide anything?” Ed replied, keeping his voice low, “How was working with Ling, anyway?”

“He’s... Not as much of a diva as I was expecting, given what we’ve been hearing,” Roy said slowly, “But he’s got his own ideas about how to do everything, and trying to get my ideas in...”

“Yeah, you didn’t seem to be getting along that great,” Ed hummed before Mr. Garfiel cut off any more conversation.

“Alright, well, that was good... I’m going to move on to the next segment. This will only be four of you in the running for the leads, I want you each to sing a solo from the character you’d prefer to play...”

Ed freezes. That wasn’t something they’d expected... Judging from Mei’s reaction, she’s just as surprised, so this had to be a last minute addition. They were lucky she’d made them be familiar with. The whole script and all the songs, but...

She recovers though, and waves to get the teacher’s attention. “Sir, if we’re making the leads do that, why not everyone? It’d only be fair...”

Ed smiles a little at that, thinking it’s a perfect opportunity to delay the choreography a little more, but then there’s a chorus of protests across the theatre.

“Well, it doesn’t sound like anyone else is prepared for that, and it is admittedly a surprise...” Mr. Garfiel hums, then gives him and Roy a pointed look, “I hope our potential leads are prepared anyway?”

“I’m sure we can manage something,” Roy says smoothly a moment later.

They each get called up in turn, and it goes... Alright. He and Roy are unpolished, not having practiced the songs at or or decided how they’d interpret them, but thanks to Mei and her prep they’re far from bad. Ling does about the same as them, too, but the fourth guy... Well, it’s clear he just copies what Ed does, and not quite as well, which leaves the teacher grimacing and clearly displeased. The guy doesn’t seem to mind in the slightest, though... Ed hopes that, however the casting goes down, this kid gets to get out of it. He clearly doesn’t actually want to be there.

Unfortunately, even with making all four of them sing, it doesn’t take nearly as long as he’d have liked. He can see the girl who’s doing the choreography preparing to come out, and it just... Seems too soon. There’s still way too much time left where the teacher can wear Roy out...

“I know we’re waiting to do the duets until the end,” Mei pipes up suddenly, “See how they can handle it after the choreography, but maybe we should have them try a little piece of it first? With each possible combination. To make sure we have the best two pairs try at the end...”

Mr. Garfiel looks thoughtful, and Ed stiffens, waiting to see if he takes it. They need any kind of delay, any at all, right now...

“I think that would work,” he finally says, “If you could sing in the pairs that I assigned for the scenes, just the chorus will do...”

It’s not much, but he’ll take it. Each pair sings the chorus together and it’s... Well, it’s about as good as the scenes they did. And when the teacher makes Roy and Ed switch partners, it doesn’t go any better. Finally, he reluctantly tells them to go into the pairs they’d been practicing with, and it goes much, much better. Ed thinks that he and Roy sound fantastic, and way better than Ling and his partner, who still falls flat.

The teacher sighs, looking resigned, like he kind of hoped that a different set would be surprisingly good. “Well... Moving on then,” he said, gesturing the the choreographer, “We’re going to be doing a dance audition next, you’ll be taught a crowd dance from the show, and we’ll have you all perform at once...”

There were some scattered protests, but they were quickly silenced by one look from the intimidating looking girl doing the choreography. Still, it’s clear that a lot of people are unprepared, expressing confusion over why she’s leading them through stretches (she briskly explains that it’s to prevent them from hurting themselves) and some of them not quite doing them right.

The confusion gives Ed an idea. He starts doing some of the stretches slightly wrong himself... Not enough to make it obvious he’s doing it on purpose, but enough to add one more person to her pile of people she needs to correct.

Roy looks slightly annoyed with it... He seems anxious to prove himself. But the less time there is to wear him out, the better.

As they’re finishing up their stretches, he glances over to the table where Mei is sitting with the teacher, seeing her fiddling with her phone behind his back. Probably signaling Al to start with their other sabotages...

They move on to learning the choreography, and almost immediately Ed asks a question about some term she used. to be fair, it’s a genuine question, he doesn’t know what she’s referring to, though he could probably figure it out if he had to. It does exactly as he expected, though... All the other inexperienced students take the cue to start asking about anything they don’t understand, and Ed has to force himself not to grin at his own contribution to the sabotage.

A couple minutes later, as they’re working on learning the difficult dance moves, the lights start flickering, and then go off.

“Stop, stop,” Mr. Garfiel calls out, looking annoyed at the interruption, “It’s not safe to keep going with no lights... Can someone figure out what’s going on so we can keep going?”

There’s a bit of a careful scramble, but no answers, then the lights mysteriously come back on again. The teacher just tells them to resume the lesson, and they do for a minute... Until the lights flicker and go out again.

They come back on. Then go back off. Then come back on...

“Can you just teach them something simpler?” Mr Garfiel calls out in frustration after a few times.

“There’s a simpler dance from earlier in the show I have worked out...” the choreographer says, then starts leading them through that.

It’s still stop and go, but it goes faster now, everyone catching on to the steps easier. They get through the simpler choreography, and Ed relaxes... He can’t imagine there’s anything else the teacher will throw at them, there’s not really enough time for more anyway, and Roy is not nearly as tired as he’d feared. It looked like they were out of the woods, and had managed to handle-

“Alright, if I could have everyone but those in the running for the leads leave the stage,” Mr Garfiel called out, “I’m going to have you pair up and do a different choreography, just the two of you. It’s important our leads have the right chemistry...”

Ed stiffens in surprise, then starts to bristle angrily. They had been there for too long already! If the teacher insisted on them continuing with all the dancing, they were going to run into time that Roy needed to get to his game! Didn’t he understand that? “Hey-”

Roy put a hand on his shoulder before he could actually be heard, stopping him. “Ed, calm down, it’s alright, we’ll handle it... There’s always the last resort plan if it really starts running too long.”

Ed sighed, slumping. “This is just getting fucking stupid...”

“I know. But we’re almost through it...”

Ed manages to swallow down his anger, just barely, and refrains from vocally making his displeasure known. It’s a little easier now that he and Roy are working together again, being led through the beginning of a... Distractingly intimate dance.

They don’t get far into learning the steps, though, when the fire alarm suddenly goes out, and they’re forced to evacuate, the whole group standing outside in the parking lot.

“Shit, we weren’t finished,” Ed says to Roy, keeping his voice low, “What about the duet? We didn’t get to it...”

“I don’t know...” Roy replies softly, frowning, “I hope he doesn’t insist on waiting...”

Mr Garfiel, though, was apparently too frustrated to consider that option. “Alright, let’s just... Do the duet out here and be done with it. Can you four handle that?”

“Sure!” Ling said cheerfully, though his partner looked... Less than thrilled.

“Fine. Then you two go first.”

The two of them sound worse than usual. Apparently being forced to sing with no music behind him and out in the middle of the parking lot of zapping what little ability or confidence or whatever Ling’s partner had... Ling himself sounded alright, but without a decent partner it all fell apart.

“Alright,” the teacher said, turning to them with a resigned look, “And what about you two? Are you ready?”

Roy turns to look at him with a small smile, and Ed grins back. “Yeah. Totally.”

They perform the duet, just like they’d been practicing... It doesn’t sound quite as good without the music backing them up, but it’s still fantastic, and Ed can tell from the teacher’s increasingly satisfied expression it’s exactly what he was looking for.

“Well, I think that’s enough...” he said when they finished, nodding to everyone, “You’re all dismissed, I’ll post the cast list in the next couple days. Though... Ling? Could I speak to you privately for a moment?”

Ed wonders, for a moment, what that was about, but shakes it off and grabs Roy’s hand, dragging him off. “Come on, you’re going to be late!”

They get Roy where he needs to be just in time, so he’s not late at all, though only barely. Ed sticks around to watch the game... Roy isn’t quite the star of the show he’s been told he usually is, but he does alright, and the rest of the team easily picks up the slack, netting them a firm win.

Ed was grinning like an idiot after the game, when he finally manages to break through the crowd and get close enough to Roy to talk to him.

“Hey! Congrats!”

Roy blinks, turning to look at him, then immediately breaks into a huge grin and sweeps Ed up into a tight embrace and deep kiss.

Ed blushes at the exuberance, still not used to it, but still laughs when he pulls away for air. “Dork.”

“Can you blame me?” Roy laughs softly in response, still holding on to him, “I can’t believe we pulled this off...”

“Yeah, it was more on edge than I expected...” he hummed back, “Though I guess we won’t really know if we succeeded or not until the cast list gets posted...”

“I suppose not...” Roy replies, sighing a bit before giving him a sheepish smile, “Is it bad I wish we could know now?”

“Nah, I wish-”

“Congratulations!”

Ed whipped around, blinking as he spotted Ling approaching them with a cheerful expression.

“Uh... Hi?” He said, scowling confusedly, “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, well, I wanted to congratulate you on getting the parts!”

“Wait, what?” Ed gaped.

“How... Exactly do you know we got them?” Roy asked slowly, frowning at him.

“Oh, well, Mr. Garfiel told me he was going to cast you when he pulled me aside,” Ling explained, “He wanted me to do a sort of impromptu audition for one of the other parts, the romantic rival from act two? So he had to explain why...”

“And you’re not... Upset? That we got it instead of you?

Ling just frowned at them, confused. “No, why would I be? We could use some new talent... I’m a little upset that you’re going to be graduating before you can audition more, to be honest. Though I hope you’ll consider auditioning more next year, Ed.”

Ed just nods, a little numbly. “I... Guess I’ll consider it...”

“Great!” Ling exclaims cheerfully, “Oh, and congratulations on winning the game, too! It’s impressive you managed to balance it as the callbacks, I had to postpone a dentists appointment to manage myself... I don’t know why he decided to change the date like that...”

Ed and Roy exchanged glances, and Ed was fairly sure neither one of them knew what to say about that.

Ling seemed oblivious to the silent exchange, though, waving to them happily as he started walking off. “Well, I’ve got to go! I’ll see you two at auditions!”

They just stared after him for a moments, then Ed burst into laughter, Roy quickly following his lead.

“Well, guess we got the wrong idea about him,” Ed said, shaking his head a bit.

“Apparently...”

#fma secret santa 2017 #(since i sort of... stopped tagging all the chapters #since it seemed spammy #and this one has all the links even if it's terrible so... -erin)#royed #our stuff #our writing

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ineverhadmyinternetphase · 8 years ago

Text

Panacea

AO3 Link

Genre: Fantasy AU, fluff, sort of getting together, first meeting

Summary: Fiction. Dan is a potions master, one of the best in his field. Or he used to be. His last job a few months ago has left him tired and disillusioned, but a new job at work involving a certain Spellcaster Phil Lester might just be the thing he needs to turn his life back around.

Warnings: Like one swear work

Word Count: 7000ish

A/N: I was sick today, so I decided to ignore all my other projects in favour of writing something completely new and off-the-wall. Oops. xD Also, it's Elizajane's ( @snowbunnylester ) birthday! And I wanted to write her something. So here you go, my dear, some fantasy for you, especially as you were the first person who made me confident in posting fantasy fanfics in the first place <3

Might continue this verse, depending how I feel in the morning.

Reminder that I don’t know Dan or Phil at all and I’m not suggesting this in any way reflects reality. This is a work of fiction

---

“His name’s Phil Lester.”

PJ’s voice was loud on the phone, overly enthusiastic, hurting Dan’s ears in the early morning haze. Dan was still climbing out of dreams, blinking blearily. His dark grey covers were pulled right up to his chin. “And why are they making me do this?”

“I don’t know what the higher-ups think any more than you do,” PJ explained, which was a lie. They both knew that was a lie. PJ was far more in-the-loop than Dan was, on the fact that he actually turned up for work every day and read and responded to his emails regularly.

“My best guess is to get you back in the game,” PJ said bracingly. “New assignment. Something to get your blood running again.”

“Why couldn’t it have been a solo assignment,” Dan grumped. His head was still swimming with half-remembered thoughts, clinging to the vestiges of his dreams. Or his past. One or the other, it was sometimes hard to tell.

He rubbed his free hand across his quilt, his other loosely wrapped around his phone, pressed half-heartedly to his ear.

“Check your email,” PJ advised him. “Answer the report. Go to the meeting. It’ll be good for you.”

Dan sighed. PJ was right. PJ was always right when it came to advising Dan on what to do with his life, but right then Dan didn’t want to take the advice. He wanted to turn off his phone and dive back under his covers and stay there for the remainder of the day.

He’d been doing that for months.

Maybe today was time for a change.

“Alright,” he mumbled. Checking one email could count. Maybe sending one reply, if he was up to it. Then he could go back to his wallowing in peace.

“I’m calling back in an hour to make sure you’ve actually done it,” PJ told him, and then hung up.

Dan kept the phone to his ear for a moment, and then dropped it down to the duvet. Space-grey phone, space-grey blanket. Everything in his life was grey. That used to make him happy, he thought, once when it was nothing more than an aesthetic. Now it felt a little like his entire state of being was grey.

Dan closed his eyes and slid back beneath his blanket.

---

After exactly 57 minutes, Dan checked his emails.

He did this because he knew PJ would actually call him back after an hour, and he didn’t want to hear the disappointment in PJ’s voice if Dan had to tell him once again that he hadn’t done anything. His laptop was heavy on his thighs.

The email was a simple, straightforward one. A report from the Department of Health that there’d been reports of an outbreak in a local block of flats, could the agency send a team out immediately. The forward from Dan’s manager just said you + spellcaster, handle with urgency.

Ugh, not Spellcasters. Dan never got on very well with them. They were so… pretentious.

He answered the email in a spurt of motivation that he would probably come to regret later, but at least he could tell PJ that he’d done something when he called.

PJ did call. “Proud of you,” he said after Dan told him. “It’ll be easier than you think. I know Phil, he’s a nice guy.”

“Right,” Dan said uncertainly. He never would have classed a Spellcaster as a nice guy really. They just wandered around the place waving their arms around unnecessarily, Dan always avoided them when they came into the office.

“And the case shouldn’t be too difficult,” PJ added, obviously trying to sweeten the deal. “Just something to dip your toe back in the water. Come back to us after all this time. We’ve missed you.”

“You sound like a needy child,” Dan answered disapprovingly.

“Well then be a responsible parent and get out of bed.”

“You don’t know I’m still in bed,” Dan defended himself, from under his bedcovers. But PJ didn’t know that. He couldn’t see.

After they hung up, Dan played on his phone until the next email came through. From his manager, Excellent, given Spellcaster your details, you will receive a call. Dan tried not to pay attention to how ominous that sounded, and closed his laptop again decisively. That was enough of doing things for one day. He was going to hang out on his favourite reddit discussion thread until something from the outside world forced him to be active again.

---

His phone rang in the middle of the day.

Dan had been splayed out on his back, arms hanging off the end of the bed, facing the ceiling, when his ringtone burst loudly into the room. He grunted, debated ignoring it, then remembered the earlier email with you will receive a call and scrambled to grab for his phone where it was hiding under his pillow.

The voice that greeted him was low, but bright. “Hi! Is this Daniel Howell?”

“Call me Dan,” Dan answered instantly. “Please. Or you’ll sound like my grandmother.”

There was an answering chuckle. “I tried the office phone first. Thought mobile was a bit forward, you know? But then you weren’t there.”

“No,” Dan answered, trying not to feel guilty. He cast about for a way to explain himself, but grasped at nothing other than vague, feeble excuses he’d given a hundred times before. None of them sounded good enough.

“So,” the Spellcaster said, a little uncomfortably. “Will you be in your office tomorrow? I thought we could meet there, go over the case files. I’d suggest mine, but it’s never quiet enough over here. I guessed potion masters would be a bit more orderly.”

Dan snorted at that thought, thinking of the multiple explosions and clouds of smoke that were a part of his daily existence. Back when he used to go into work, anyway. But sure, let the Spellcaster go ahead and just assume things, it was in his nature probably.

“Sure,” Dan said.

“Ok, but can we meet at like, 11 or something, I don’t do mornings very well and I’m gonna need to grab some coffee.”

Dan smiled a little. “Trust me. 11 counts as early. We can make it 12 and I’d be fine.”

“Maybe 11:30,” the Spellcaster admitted, and chuckled again. “Wouldn’t want to invade your lunch plans. So I’ll come by then?”

“Yeah, sure,” Dan agreed, feeling marginally better about things. Of course that meant he actually had to go into the office tomorrow morning.

But maybe it was about time. His bedsheets needed changing anyway.

---

Louise nearly fell out of her chair when Dan turned up in the office in the morning.

“Oh,” she said, clutching at her coffee mug and staring at him. “Oh, you’re here. And you look—oh. But you’re here.”

“Thanks,” Dan answered dryly, sliding into the cubicle next to her. “Exactly the kind of welcome back I expected.”

She patted his arm. “I just wasn’t sure. PJ mentioned the job, but – well, no one really expected you to take it.”

Dan’s stomach sank a little at that. He should have known his actions over the past few months wouldn’t reflect well on his workmates, but the idea of being office gossip was quite possibly the worst thing in his life. He almost regretted coming in.

“PJ said it’s a good return job, though,” Louise said with that same forced smile that everyone around Dan seemed to wear these days. “Not too difficult. Just a banishment thing, and dealing with the damage – and you could do that in your sleep.”

Once upon a time, that would have been true. Now, Dan wasn’t so sure. His potions kit felt foreign in his fingers as he set the briefcase down on his desk, popping open the clasps to check his ingredients stash.

Anything fresh in there had dried up long ago. Even his staples were looking a bit weedy, and the fine dried grain looked worse for the wear, too. Maybe he should just throw the whole thing out and re-stock.

Maybe nothing was ever salvageable, and he just had to start everything over again, but Dan didn’t want to dwell too hard on that.

“It’ll be different this time,” Louise added in a low murmur, leaning in conspiratorially close to Dan’s desk.

Dan’s grip tightened around his mortar and pestle. He set them in place in his potions kit, carefully.

“There won’t be any surprises, it’s not a tricky diagnosis.” Louise’s voice was low, her tone comforting. Dan usually loved her, but just then he felt coddled. “Straightforward. I promise.”

Thankfully, Dan was saved from responding by the arrival of the Spellcaster.

He was impossible to miss. The door alarm going off wasn’t even necessary because who else would be wearing a cloak inside, honestly, and this guy wasn’t just wearing any cloak. No, it was bright blue, splattered with half-moons and weird symbols that looked like runes and some kind of glittery gold thing clinging to the material. Along with his black hair and glasses, he really couldn’t have stood out more.

Dan glanced down at his own outfit, black on black on black. Well. At least you’d be able to tell them apart.

The Spellcaster was looking around uncertainly, and when he stepped forward he nearly tripped over one of the cauldrons stacked up in a corner. Dan got to his feet for fear that this stranger would make a mess of the room if left alone, and he’d better not end up anywhere near the cauldrons bubbling away in the back.

Dan stepped out to greet him, but then realised he’d completely forgotten the Spellcaster’s name. PJ had told him, Dan was sure of it, but now… the name was completely gone. Which left Dan standing in the middle of his office gaping like a fish out of water.

Luckily, the Spellcaster came to his rescue. He tilted his head. “Daniel Howell?”

“Yeah, that’s me,” Dan found his voice quickly and strode forward, hand outstretched.

The Spellcaster grinned, shaking his hand firmly. His cloak billowed ridiculously with his every movement. “Phil Lester. Good to finally meet you, they said you were the best.”

“Yes, well,” Dan mumbled, and then backed over towards his desk, letting go of Phil Lester’s hand in favour of reaching for his kit. “They say a lot of things.”

Phil’s grin didn’t diminish. He looked around the office with interest, eyes keen. “Is there somewhere we could go over the case files together?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Dan answered, realising with a slow sense of panic that he hadn’t actually printed off any of the files he’d been sent. But luckily there was a brown folder under Phil’s arm – he must have come better equipped than Dan, maybe Dan would be able to leech off him for a while. “We can head to one of the conference rooms.”

“Room B is free,” Louise supplied helpfully from beside them.

Dan jumped, glancing down to see her smiling warmly between them. Like a doting mother. Dan held back a sigh, he didn’t need protection.

“Ok, well,” Phil looked back at Dan, a little uncertainly. “That sounds good?”

“It’ll do,” Dan agreed humourlessly, snapping his kit shut and tucking it under his arm. “It’s this way.”

Phil Lester was a Spellcaster through and through. He laid all the files out in perfect order for them to look through, but went through everything with a flighty kind of carelessness, jumping around from place to place without worrying about order or protocol. He waved his hands around when he got excited, too, and his stupid cloak took up half of his chair.

Dan couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed.

There was something charming about the way Phil pointed to the first victim of the case. “Female. 42. Came down with sudden migraines that quickly escalated to full-body aches, flu-like symptoms and general malaise also. Doesn’t seem like much, until you couple it with—” he leaned over dramatically, pointing at another victim, four along in the pile. “This guy. Sneezy McGee. Also flu-like symptoms, starting with a headache. His daughter, too, came down with sudden headache in the middle of maths class, taken home early. Then it spread to half the block. Classic inhabitant pattern, probably an imp, maybe a sprite, I’d say.”

Dan nodded along, his fingers itching to reach out and right the haphazard way Phil had sprawled the papers across the table. They weren’t even in straight lines. “I’d say imp, myself.”

“Same,” Phil agreed. “This smacks of a malignant aligning spell, probably bound to the building. I can dismiss it easily enough and put up a few defence mechanisms, but as for the victims – those I’ll leave up to you.”

Dan’s smile became a little more forced.

“I think we should head over there as quickly as possible, really,” Phil continued, oblivious to Dan’s stony silence. “Don’t want to leave the people worried, there was talk of evacuation but I don’t think that’ll be necessary. I could head over there now, but I hear potions sometimes take a while to brew, so – will you need more time?”

Dan blinked, coming back to himself. He thought back to his stale potions kit, his recipe lists hiding somewhere deep down in his phone notes, and guiltily nodded. “Yeah, sorry. Might take a little while, actually.”

Phil nodded understandingly, but he didn’t have that too-kind look on his face that surrounded Dan everywhere he went at the moment. He just looked… normal. Like a normal co-worker discussing a normal job on a normal day.

For some reason, that warmed Dan up a little.

“I’ll just need to refresh my stock,” Dan added, sitting up a little straighter. “And brew up a draught. General healing, probably, but a little bit of painkillers to settle the headaches. And actually, if we knew what kind of imp it was, I could add in an immunity – assuming it’s a local imp and not tropical, though I doubt one of those could have got into a city apartment block—”

“I could find that out,” Phil agreed, brightening even further. “I was going to pop over tonight, just get a feel for the building, I could totally find out what we’re dealing with here.”

Dan sent him a look. “You can detect imp types?”

“Given the right circumstances,” Phil shrugged, and then winked at Dan. Or tried to – it came out more like a failed blink. “We Spellcasters have our secrets, you know.”

Dan shook his head, trying not to be charmed. It was difficult. And he’d be lying if he didn’t say he was marginally impressed. Detecting different kinds of supernatural life forms was difficult, and determining anything specific was even more challenging. But if Phil Lester could do that, then Dan’s job would be much easier.

“So I’ll head over and see what’s there, and then text you my findings?” Phil offered with that same crinkly smile.

Dan looked over and smiled back, if only a small one. “Yeah. Sounds good. If you really can find out the imp’s classification then I can add immunity into the draught.”

“No problem, materino,” Phil promised, proving that he was indeed a complete dork.

But for the first time in a very long time, Dan was looking forward to making a potion again.

---

Dan spent that evening back in his study at home. (Well, it was supposed to be a study. Over the past few months it had slowly degraded into a place he shoved everything he didn’t want to think about, and as such was full of bank letters and important files and the reports of the last case he’d handled, which were directly shoved underneath a giant pile of piano sheet music he’d been trying to teach himself).

His cauldron was bubbling away again over the fire, the familiar smells of boiling ingredients satisfying something deep within him that he hadn’t realised had been missing. Smoke was billowing up the chimney again, probably adding to his output emissions bill, but he didn’t even care. This was part of his work, he could claim it back.

And he was working again, and it felt good.

A little while into making the potion, when Dan was sitting at his desk chopping up some monkfish roots, a text came through. Dan frowned, not recognising that number, but when he checked his history it was the same one that called him that morning.

Dan saved the number as Phil (Spellcaster) and then checked what the text said.

Phil (Spellcaster): Went to block of flats, situation is fairly dire. Put in a defence spell for the night but victims def need your draught. Meet there at 9am tomorrow?

Dan wrinkled his nose when he noted the earlier time, but at the same time, he could feel his stomach tightening. These people were suffering, they needed his help. His and Phil’s help. Phil must think it was bad if he was calling for an early morning, and the original email Dan had got from his supervisor was marked with urgency.

Maybe he should have gone with Phil today. Or at least worked up a draught faster.

He frowned, half-way through texting Phil back when another text buzzed through his phone.

Phil (Spellcaster): Oh, and the imp is an earth type. Climbed in through ivy on the outside of the building, got into a sixth floor window. Those people have been hit the hardest

Dan clucked his tongue. Defence on these buildings needed to be improved, the regulations weren’t tight enough. This building was privately owned, Dan remembered reading, surely there should have been more checks for this kind of thing. Now people were suffering needlessly.

He sighed, texting Phil back before going back to chopping up his roots.

Daniel Howell: ok am working on draught thanks will build in earth immunity

The next time his phone buzzed, Dan jumped, the knife slipping in his hand and slicing through part of his finger. He cursed softly, leaping up before any blood could contaminate his ingredients, and scurried haphazardly into his bathroom.

Cleaned up, and with a plaster on his finger, Dan checked his phone again to find three new texts sitting there.

Phil (Spellcaster): How do you even do that like I never understood how immunity works

Phil (Spellcaster): Well I never understood potions in general to be fair too much chemistry for me

Phil (Spellcaster): (I’m not stupid I promise I just find numbers hard to grasp)

Dan smiled a bit. He typed out a reply, biting his lip.

Daniel Howell: well it’s a bit too complicated to explain over texting and tbh if numbers aren’t your thing I doubt you’d find it very interesting

He left his phone on his desk as he went to stir his cauldron again, carefully adding in the chopped roots until they were fully dissolved and the clouds of smoke had turned a pleasing russet gold colour. Dan turned to browse his shelves then, looking through jars and jars of old dusty ingredients, some of the labels so yellowed they were barely readable, marked out in his own sloppy writing over the years and years of collecting interesting ingredients.

He’d had a love for this, once. And just now, scanning the shelves again, Dan felt a stirring of something within him that might have been close to love; an echo of a feeling he once knew well.

He picked out the things to build up an immunity to earth, and then turned back to the cauldron.

Hours of stirring later, Dan settled the cauldron on low heat to simmer overnight, and smiled. He felt tired, aching in his bones from unfamiliar movements, but he’d made an acceptable draught. It shone the correct light green colour, smooth and clear apart from the bubbles of the soft simmering. A night of simmering and it would be ready for consumption in the morning.

Dan set the lid on the cauldron and switched on the safety settings, and then retrieved his phone before leaving his study for the night, closing the door softly beside him.

He didn’t check his messages until he was curled back up under his bedcovers, so it took him a moment to understand the context, but sure enough there were a few new texts from Phil Lester.

Phil (Spellcaster): I don’t know, it was interesting hearing you talk about it earlier. You have a way about you

Phil (Spellcaster): Sorry that’s probably a bit strange to read, I meant like you make it sound interesting when you talk about potions

Phil (Spellcaster): What I’m trying to say (badly) is I would quite like to hear you talking about potions actually. I’ll ramble to you about spells in return, how about that?

Dan arched a brow at the texts. It had been a long, long time since anyone had been interested in his ramblings – even PJ and Louise got a bit tired of his talking about potions, it was more of just a job to them, but for Dan, it had always been a passion. Or it used to be. That feeling had dwindled over the past few months.

But just then, in the study making the draught for tomorrow – Dan had felt something like that passion stirring again. Something good, something warm. Perhaps if administering the draught the next day went well, then… then maybe.

And maybe Phil would be someone he could talk to about it. Strange cloak and strange manner and Spellcaster habits and everything, Phil was… interesting. Talking to him had made Dan smile. That had to stand for something, right?

There was a funny feeling in his chest when he thought about Phil. Something a little tight, a little warm, and very unfamiliar.

Dan shook it away as best he could, and tried his best to sleep.

---

The next morning, the first thing Dan did was scurry down to his study to check on his potion. It was still happily bubbling away, still a good clear green colour, all the safety settings on properly. He put the fire out and carefully spooned the green draught into several jars, stoppering each one up with a cork lid to make sure it remained as preserved as possible.

It felt good. Seeing something he’d made again. Dan actually caught himself humming a few times as he went about his work, and grew quickly embarrassed, even though there was nobody around to hear him.

As he left his flat, potions kit with draught included safely tucked up under his arm, Dan found his thoughts drifting back to the strange Spellcaster he was working with on this case. Phil wasn’t really what Dan expected a Spellcaster to be. Most of them were stuffy, scholarly types, who always gave the impression they knew more than you, and could hardly deign to be in your presence.

Maybe Dan just hadn’t met the right kind before, but Phil was different. Phil cracked (awful) jokes, he behaved quite childishly, and he was silly. But maybe he’d be different today. They were on the job today, after all.

Dan caught the bus to the address of the apartment block that had been stricken by the imp, and as he walked up the street towards the building, something close to nerves were stuttering away in his stomach. He hadn’t actually arranged a place to meet Phil, beyond the building where they would be working. He wondered if he’d have to go in alone.

Thankfully, Phil was not difficult to spot. He was standing outside the building on the lookout for Dan, apparently, still dressed in a ridiculous cloak. Dan noticed with slight horror that it was a shade of green today, though, not the same blue as yesterday. That meant Phil owned more than one of that monstrosity.

Dan shook his head in despair.

Phil grinned, lifting one hand in a wave as Dan got close enough to talk to. “Hey! You made it, then.”

“I did,” Dan grumbled in return, and wondered why everything he said had to come out so monotone. He sounded… grey, next to Phil.

“Sorry about the early start,” Phil apologised, eyes creasing up a bit. “I was just worried about the people living here, I don’t want any more victims – oh, oh, you’ve got – your hair—”

And before Dan knew what was happening, Phil’s hand was cupping his cheek, lightly brushing at his forehead.

Dan blinked, eyes widening. His stomach jumped, tightening and then relaxing again, and he could feel the fluttering of his pulse in his throat. No one ever touched him quite like this.

Phil pulled away after a moment – too soon, Dan thought, ridiculously – and flicked a bit of fluff away. “Sorry. Some white in your hair, it made you look like you were greying.”

“Excuse you,” Dan said, when he found his voice again. “I’m too young and pretty to be going grey.”

“Definitely too pretty,” Phil agreed, and fail-winked at him with both eyes. It was ridiculously endearing.

Dan’s stomach did that weird jumping thing again.

“Anyway,” Phil said briskly, turning and gesturing theatrically towards the entrance of the building. “Shall we, partner?”

“Are you always this theatrical about everything?” Dan asked tiredly, but there was a hint of a smile playing at his lips. Phil’s actions were infectious. Dan was finding it difficult to stand near him and be miserable.

Phil shot him another bright grin. “Probably. Come on. We’ve got work to do.”

Dan gestured him ahead, giving an overly-theatrical bow, and Phil just laughed at him as he strode forward.

The apartment building was in a sorry state of disrepair. A good quarter of the windows were boarded up, and the paint on the corridor walls was scratched and peeling in several places. The staircase was narrow and winding, difficult to navigate, and the long corridors full of doors were dark and eerie. Phil had the numbers of apartments with people who had been taken ill by the imp’s magic, which Dan took off him, scanning quickly. Seven apartments in total, twelve inhabitants injured.

“I’ll still administer the draught to everyone,” Dan decided. “I’ll just go to these people first. But the whole building should take it, we don’t know who might have been affected and just not be showing any symptoms yet.”

“Sounds very sensible,” Phil agreed. “If it’s alright with you, I’ll tag along. I set defensive spells along where the imp broke in yesterday, but I could do with checking each individual flat for residues.”

“Sure,” Dan agreed, secretly very pleased that he wouldn’t have to face all these people alone. Plus, being in Phil’s presence somehow made everything feel more manageable.

The day went smoothly. Phil, it turned out, was an easy talker, and his winning manner and cheery grin had an instant effect on the occupants of the flats whose doors they knocked on. Phil would sit with them, each and every person living in this building, ask about their grandma’s health or their pet’s names, stroke their dogs and play with their children. The people seemed to take an instant liking to him.

Dan could see why, if he was honest. The more time he was spending around Phil, the more he realised that Phil was someone who set him at ease. The thoughts that tended to rush around Dan’s head settled with Phil, and whenever Phil shot him that grin, or a sidelong smirk, or threw his head back and laughed at something Dan said, Dan felt a little shot of something absurd spark through his chest.

He ignored it as best he could. It had been a long, long time since he’d felt any flutterings of the sort, and he wasn’t about to start feeling them for a co-worker he’d likely never see again after this job was over.

Dan wished he could borrow some of Phil’s easy manner, though. One of the sickest patients he had to deal with was a young girl, only seven years old, who was bedridden with the headaches and pains from the imp’s magic. He crouched by her bedside and clicked open his briefcase, reaching for a vial of the draught, unstoppering it carefully.

Unfortunately, the minute the girl caught sight of it, she started screaming.

Her father tried to help, but he lived alone with her and he was also stricken by the imp, his head sore and his body weak. He’d taken the draught as soon as Dan had given it to him, but it would take a few hours to begin to have an effect.

“I’m sorry,” Dan said helplessly to the screaming girl. “I don’t like taking medicine either. You know I still can’t swallow tablets?”

The girl just screamed louder.

Dan looked at her, his insides twisting. He had no idea how to handle this. He’d never been much good at this side of potion magic, much better suited to sitting in a study alone coming up with recipes than actually interacting with people to give the medicines to.

Phil, of course, swept in to the rescue.

He crouched down beside where Dan was sitting helplessly next to her bedside, leaning in a little closer. “Hey, now. This is a nice bed. Have you had it long?”

The girl blinked at him, hiccoughing.

“I think it’s a very nice bed,” Phil said encouragingly, knocking his elbow into Dan’s side, and almost sending Dan sideways in surprise. “Don’t you agree? I’m sure the scary man next to me agrees that your bed is nice.”

“I’m not scary,” Dan responded indignantly, and got another elbow to the ribs. He rubbed his side, glaring sidelong at Phil. “But, uh, yes, it’s a very nice bed.”

The girl snivelled.

“I think he’s scary,” Phil added in a conspiratorial whisper to the girl. “Dressed all in black like that, and holding out a scary green potion. Not nice, is it?”

Whimpering, the girl shook her head.

“But I’ll tell you what,” Phil added, “You know what defeats scary men?”

The girl shook her head, spellbound.

Phil beckoned her closer, and she craned her head as much as possible. He whispered, “Wizards. And you know what I am?”

The girl’s eyes widened. “A wizard?”

“Yep!” Phil nodded, and turned to Dan, waving his hands menacingly. “So don’t worry. I can fight this one off no problem, and then you can have the medicine from me, because I’m safe. Yes?”

The girl nodded, eyes still wide.

Dan was giving Phil a very unimpressed look, but Phil just tapped his nose and then stood up, almost matching Dan’s towering height. He lifted both hands and sort of wriggled them in Dan’s direction, mouthing ‘play along’.

Dan rolled his eyes, but held out the draught and clutched a hand to his chest, giving a theatrical scream.

“Begone, foul demon!” Phil proclaimed, and Dan took that as his cue to fall to the ground with another long scream, as dramatically as possible.

Phil leaned over and plucked the draught from his grip, and then turned to (presumably) give it to the girl.

Dan lay on the floor, staring speculatively up at the ceiling, and wondered just what his life had turned to.

Phil ended up having to drag him out of the flat by his wrists, which tugged rather uncomfortably on Dan’s elbows, who had to continue acting like he’d been knocked out for the sake of the little girl who had, eventually, taken her potion. Her father thanked them both profusely, and offered them a cup of tea if they were ever in the area again.

Once back out in the corridor, Dan got to his feet and brushed off his clothes, saying mildly, “Did you really have to call me a foul demon?”

“Sorry,” Phil apologised, though his wide grin didn’t look like he was much sorry. “Couldn’t think of any other way to help her.”

“I’m sure you could,” Dan grumbled, “But you did better than me, so. Can’t complain.”

Phil grinned at him again, and then took his wrist to drag him along to the stairs so they could get up to the next floor. “You still have to tell me what exactly is in that draught, by the way. I’ve never seen a potion look so smooth.”

Dan flushed a little. He could never take being complimented very well. “Oh. It’s, uh, not very complicated really.”

“whose recipes do you use?” Phil asked, hopping up the steps before him.

“Oh, I don’t.”

Phil stopped dead in the middle of the staircase, spinning to regard Dan with one brow arched. “You make your own recipes?”

“Erm.” Dan scratched at the back of his head, suddenly very unsure what to do with the feelings swimming around in his stomach from having Phil looking at him like that. “Yeah?”

Phil stayed looking at him, and then shook his head with a low whistle. “I mean, they said you were the best, but still.”

Dan’s lips twitched. He folded his arms awkwardly around his potions kit. “It’s not that impressive. Loads of potions masters do it.”

“Not like that,” Phil disagreed. “I know I said I don’t know much about chemistry, but I know enough magic to recognise a good potion when I see one. Your draught is so smooth, how do you do that.”

“I’ll show you at some point, if you like,” Dan said before he realised what he was saying. His eyes widened a little. “Uh, not that, like – you don’t have to spend more time with me, I just meant—”

“Would you really show me?” Phil interrupted, his whole expression brightening.

Dan shifted awkwardly, something getting stuck in his throat. He swallowed. “Uh. Yeah? I mean, if you really wanted – I kind of like making potions, and I haven’t done it in a really long time, but – yeah, I could show you.”

Phil beamed. “That’d be amazing. You never answered my text last night, I wasn’t sure if you’d be up for something like that.”

“Oh.” Dan realised, belatedly, that he still had Phil’s texts sitting on his phone in his pocket. “Sorry. I’m shit at replying to things.”

“That’s ok,” Phil answered benignly, still grinning. “I know I can be a bit much. I’d love to see what you do, though, if that really was ok.”

“Yeah, totally,” Dan agreed, wondering how he could say you’re not too much, you’re wonderful, without sounding strange. He coughed. “Maybe you could show me some of your stuff too, like, you know—” he trailed off, making a strange wiggly-arm motion in the air.

Phil laughed at him. “I’ll have to, if you think that’s what I do. You look like a windmill.”

“Excuse you,” Dan huffed, putting his arms down again quickly, embarrassed. “I was just repeating what you look like. You wander around the apartment waving your hands around while I administer actual helpful magic.”

“Rude,” Phil argued, turning to continue up the stairs, Dan trailing along in his wake. Phil’s ridiculous cloak was making it a little difficult not to trip, the staircase was really very narrow. “I’ll have you know I’m putting important defences in place.”

“Yes, well, you could maybe look a little less ridiculous about it,” Dan answered, but he was biting back a smile.

“I do not look ridiculous,” Phil muttered, huffing. “We can’t all look good in black.”

Dan felt his face flushing again. He looked away quickly, down at his all-black outfit, his black briefcase clutched against his chest. Quietly, almost too quietly to hear, he murmured, “Yes, well, I definitely couldn’t pull of a cloak like you do.”

If Phil heard him, he didn’t react. Dan couldn’t decide if was relieved or disappointed.

---

Getting through the rest of the apartment block took several hours, and by the end of it, Dan felt like a sweaty, disgusting mess. The lift in the building had been out of service for weeks, apparently, so they’d had to climb all eight floors of the building, and pop into every flat to check the defences and administer the draughts.

But, eventually, they were done, and Dan collapsed in the entrance foyer, his briefcase dropping by his side. He tipped his head back against the wall where he was sitting on the floor. “That’s it. I’m never moving again.”

“Agreed,” Phil panted from beside him, sprawled out, ungainly and uncaring about it. “That was my workout for the week. Month. Year.”

Dan chuckled from beside him. The ceiling was cracked, tiles a little loose. The whole place looked about a strong puff of wind away from falling down. He thought over the people they’d met, all the faces, everyone they had spoken to. Those people deserved something better than this.

“At least this building is protected from further imp attacks now,” Phil said from beside him, apparently on the same train of thought.

Dan turned to him, brow furrowing a little. “How did you do that?”

“Spellcasting,” Phil answered mysteriously, and grinned at him. “All the weird hand-waving I do has a purpose, you know.”

“No, I get it,” Dan agreed, shoving lightly at Phil’s side. “I meant, like. I never studied Spellcasting, it’s higher level than I went to. How does it work? Are you, like, bending reality, or what?”

“Not quite,” Phil chuckled. “It’s complicated.”

Dan’s face fell a little. “Spellcaster secrets?” He wouldn’t be surprised. Every other Spellcaster he’d ever encountered had been closed off and annoying, unwilling to let slip about anything beyond their magic. Dan shouldn’t be surprised if Phil was the same, didn’t know why he’d expected anything different, really.

“No,” Phil disagreed, reaching out to lay a hand on Dan’s shoulder. “It’s just complicated. I’ll show you when you show me your potions – or if we work together sometime, of course. I’d like that. A lot.”

Dan’s stomach did the funny jumping thing again. He swallowed, tension building in him. “Oh, uh. Yeah. Work. I don’t – I don’t actually do much of that.”

Phil tilted his head inquisitively.

Dan let out a breath. He pulled his knees up into his chest, wrapped his arms around them, wondered how exactly he go about explaining the pull in his chest at the thought of his office, the idea of doing more trips when the last one had gone… so very badly wrong.

Sure, this one had been ok, but that was largely down to Phil. Dan wouldn’t even have taken this job if it wasn’t for him, and for PJ’s insistence.

“They probably told you, anyway,” Dan mumbled, looking down at the floor, all too aware of Phil’s gaze trapped on him.

“Not much,” Phil answered gently. “Just that this was your first one in a while.”

Dan bit his lip. He didn’t need to elaborate, didn’t need to say anymore. But something about Phil was making him want to open up. Maybe it was Phil’s easy manner, maybe it was because he was exhausted after a long day. Or maybe it was because this job was the first thing that felt close to having fun Dan had experienced in a long time.

“My lost job,” Dan started, “It went bad. Very bad. Outbreak, but not imps, it was boggarts. Three. They occupied a hotel, so I went on a solo mission. Louise tried to come help me – my co-worker – but I insisted she didn’t need to, it involved a lot of travel and stuff. So anyway. I went off, only… it didn’t go to plan.”

“How bad?” Phil asked gently. His hand landed on Dan’s shoulder, jerking Dan for a moment. Phil sucked in a breath, but didn’t move his hand. “Sorry. You don’t have to say.”

“It wasn’t just boggarts,” Dan explained slowly, something tight in his chest winding up and up and up. “I could handle those fine, but. Then. I uncovered a faerie nest.”

Phil inhaled sharply.

“Yeah,” Dan responded wryly. There was a lump in his throat. “A lot of people died. They got in the street, the whole village had to be cordoned off in the end. My draughts weren’t made to combat faeries, and I didn’t have any ingredients with me, I was worse than useless. Since then I’ve just kind of. Floated. Not worked much.”

“Until today,” Phil said wonderingly.

“Until today,” Dan agreed, tone much more morose.

Silence settled over them for a moment. Phil’s hand was still heavy on Dan’s shoulder, Dan wondered if he’d forgotten it was there. He hoped Phil wouldn’t move it.

“I couldn’t tell,” Phil spoke up suddenly. “I mean, you’re so professional. And like I said, your potion looked incredible. Perfect texture, perfect colour, it even smelled appetising. I swear all the draughts I got given as a child tasted disgusting.”

“That’s just shoddy workmanship,” Dan disagreed. “Potions get bad press. They deserve to be beautiful, too.”

“They do,” Phil agreed softly.

Dan turned his head. Phil was looking directly at him.

Dan felt like the air had been punched out of his lungs. Phil’s eyes were tinged with just a hint of green, his expression soft, calm. Something was flickering in the depths of those eyes, something Dan felt echoing deep within his own chest.

It was suddenly very difficult to breathe.

Phil’s hand on Dan’s shoulder tightened, sliding down a little until it was wrapped around Dan’s arm. Dan’s own hand lifted involuntarily, gripping onto Phil’s knee where he was sitting beside Dan, just looking. Those flutterings inside Dan’s chest were turning into clangings, beating against the edge of his lungs, dancing around his abdomen. It had been a long, long time since he’d felt anything like this.

There was a noise from the stairwell. Something clattering down to the bottom, a piece of litter, meaningless, but it was enough to start them both out of whatever spell they’d fallen under. Dan’s hand retracted from Phil’s knee, Phil’s hand left Dan’s arm, but they stayed looking at each other.

Phil’s face relaxed into a smile. He ran one hand through his hair, laughing, pushing his glasses up his nose. “So. We’ll meet again. You’ll show me how you make fantastic potions, and I’ll teach you that Spellcasting isn’t all meaningless waving hands around everywhere.”

Dan snorted. “It’ll take a lot to prove that to me.” He appreciated it, though, what Phil was doing. Saying they’d meet again. Saying this wasn’t the end, somehow.

Phil shook his head. “I’ll show you, Dan Howell.” It was a statement, a promise, proving something to the future. They would meet again. This wouldn’t be the end.

Dan clambered up to his feet, offered Phil his hand. Phil didn’t let go once he was on his feet, not all the way out of the building until they were back on the street, where they’d met that morning.

Dan tucked his briefcase under his arm. Phil swung his cloak about his shoulders.

“I’ll see you again?” Dan said, meaning it as a statement. It came out as a question.

Phil flashed him another brilliant smile, attempted another fail-wink, just ended up blinking at him. “I’ll see you again.” When Phil said it, it was a statement.

Dan turned to go back to his flat, an ache in his chest as he walked away from Phil. But it didn’t feel like an ending.

No. If anything, it felt like a beginning.

#phanfiction #phanfic #phan fluff #iwritephanthings #phan fantasy AU

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sleepyverstappens · 7 years ago

Text

Winner Of The Night

Title: Winner Of The Night

Pairing: Ryan Hawley/Danny Miller

Rating: M

Word Count: ~3.5k

Warnings: Light Bondage, Dom/Sub Undertones (more tags on AO3)

Summary: Ryan Hawley wins the TV Choice Award for best soap actor and he has a bet to cash in.

(Read on AO3)

A/N: I thought of most of this before Ryan won the award and said I might write it if he actually won and guess what Ryan did win :DDD, so here it is some very self-indulgent dryan award celebrations ;P.

He has won, he has actually won an award. He’s stood in the backstage area where the winners go after they leave the stage, the stage he almost left on the wrong side (he’s new to this okay). He’d been so nervous on that stage, seeing the sea of people sitting there, so many of whom he had and still looked up to. He’d fumbled over his words slightly, but couldn’t help but laugh as he heard Danny’s whoops from their table, grounding him slightly as he rambled on before getting whisked away.

He looks around himself slightly lost, not knowing where to go now. There aren’t a lot of people in the room, interviews not being held until the show is fully over. He sees Sally leave from the other side of the room and starts to follow her, gets a nod from the lady by the door telling him it’s alright for him to go back into the ceremony room.

He hears the tail end of Charlotte’s speech as he makes his way back to their table and a grin spreads on his face, happy that she had won as well. He sits back down at the table and Danny is grinning at him as he pats his back in congratulations again.

The next thing he knows he hears ‘Emmerdale’ being called out for the next category and they’re flooding towards the stage, a grin still plastered on his face, they’d gotten a full sweep. He’s glad Charlotte is making the speech, because one was enough for him. She’s saying something about taking the award back to Yorkshire and they they’re off again, Danny slinging an arm across his shoulders as they leave the stage.

Before they even get to any press for interviews Danny is on him, phone already opened to the Instagram app, a drink already in his other hand.

“Come on Ry, let’s give the fans a shout.”

“Alright, alright,” he laughs and Danny is already angling his phone to start the video while Ryan quickly tries to come up with something to say.

He can’t help but notice the way Danny is staring at him as he’s thanking the fans, like he’s hung the moon or something. And it’s a good thing Danny is known to give him some love online, because otherwise people would definitely know they were more. He manages to say something about sharing the award with Danny and John, while Danny is talking about getting the shots in, raising his glass as he ends the video.

They’re quickly swooped away to do the press rounds, but Danny doesn’t leave his side for long, joining him in most of the interviews. He misses his presence in his solo interviews as he’s stumbling over his words. They fall into joined interviews so easily, switching off the answers to questions between them, that it always feels like something is missing when he’s on his own. They tease some stuff about the upcoming storylines and then they’re done. The room is still buzzing with noise as the other winners are still giving their interviews, but Danny is already leading him to the room where the party is being held, swiping two glasses of champagne from the first waiter that passes them.

Danny’s just finished posting the video of him thanking the fans and the video of the speech he took, when he speaks up.

“You should go thank the fans outside, there’s probably still a few there. You know people have been begging me to take pictures and videos all day right? They love you so much, they will be so pleased to know you’ve won,” Danny grins.

“I know. I’m still not getting any social media though,” he jokes. His lack of social media has become a bit of an inside joke, Danny pretending to be annoyed that he has to do all the ‘hard work’ of getting pictures online. “We should definitely go see the fans though, you can even film it.”

There’s a small group of fans still waiting outside and their cheers as they come outside are a delight. They get told off as Danny makes them cheer for him again and he sends an apologetic look towards the doorman trying to keep everyone calm, while his boyfriend just looks at the man sheepishly as he says sorry.

Once they’re back inside Danny is fully set on getting them drunk, already on his way to order shots. And while he likes the idea of celebrating his win by getting drunk he has other plans for tonight. He walks up to Danny as he’s ordering their shots at the bar and leans in to whisper in his ear. “Take it easy yeah. I won remember,” he says suggestively before downing one of the shots. He sees the way Danny’s eyes flicker in recognition, he’s remembered their deal.

“Whoever wins gets to fuck the other,” Danny says out of nowhere, as he’s buttoning the buttons of his waistcoat.

“Huh?” Ryan questions, he’d been focussed on getting the knot in his tie right not paying attention to Danny as he was getting ready at the other side of the room.

“Whoever wins tonight gets to fuck the other,” Danny says again, like it’s the most normal thing to suggest before going to an award show.

“What if John wins?”

“Uh, we get pissed instead?” Danny says, clearly not having thought of that option yet, but satisfied with his solution.

“Okay deal,” Ryan says, holding his hand out to Danny jokingly, but the other man quickly shakes it to seal the deal.

Ryan had won, so Ryan’s gets to fuck Danny tonight and he needs Danny sober enough for what he has planned. They mingle for a little while longer, happy to celebrate the soap’s win with the rest of the cast that had come down to London. They’re certainly not the first to leave, Sally leaving first to go and study her lines, John leaving not long after. They’d been chatting to Charlotte and Gaynor for a while when, both of them delighting in the fact that they didn’t have to go into work tomorrow – Danny and him weren’t that lucky- Gaynor had suggested another round of shots.

“Think I better call it a night ladies, some of us do still have scenes to film tomorrow,” he says, sending a pointed look to Danny before he could start agreeing to more shots.

“Yeah, think I better head off as well,” Danny agrees, his eyes twinkling with excitement for the night’s events already.

“Oh come on Danny, I’d thought you’d be the last to leave as per,” Gaynor chimes in.

“I’m trying to be better, don’t want to get a reputation now do I. Anyway I still remember the hangover from the day after the BAFTAS, I think I’ll pass.”

“Okay, well goodnight then boys, see you on set soon,” Charlotte smiled kindly at them, before she turned back to Gaynor, both women quickly forgetting them as they jumped into a conversation about their kids going back into school that week.

---

Danny gets keyed up during the taxi ride back to the hotel, he’s squirming in the leather seats sending meaningful glances towards Ryan. Ryan just focusses on the messages on his phone from his cast mates and friends, ignoring the other man on purpose. He knew what he wanted tonight, but he wasn’t planning on letting Danny know just yet.

He fishes the room key out of his inside pocket as they make their way into the lift up to their room, eager to get behind closed doors.

Danny is on him the second the door closes behind them, kissing him with fervour as he presses Ryan back against the door. Ryan sags into it, can’t ever deny Danny a kiss, not when those lips feel so good on his. Danny’s hands are firmly on his cheeks as he opens his mouth and runs his tongue over Ryan’s top lip. His mouth falls open slightly, enough for Danny to slip his tongue in and Ryan forgets his plan for a second as Danny runs his tongue over the roof of his mouth.

Danny’s hands leave his face to make their way down to his jacket, opening up the button blindly before slipping his hands underneath the material at his shoulder and pushing it off. The jacket slips off easily, falling to the ground in a lump. He should really pick it up and put it over the back of a chair at least, but then Danny’s hands are fumbling with the button on his trousers and he remembers that he had a plan for tonight.

He grabs hold of Danny’s wrist to stop him.

“Come on babe, want ya. Want you to fuck me. Please babe, fuck me,” Danny whines against his lips as Ryan keeps a firm hold on his wrist. And that just won’t do. He twists his hand into the hair at the back of Danny’s head, pulling his head back, making Danny look up at him. Danny’s eyes are wide, flicking over Ryan’s face as if he doesn’t know where to look, head tugged back and Ryan’s grip on his wrist keeping him firmly in place.

Ryan tugs on the short strands of hair, before pulling him close to him, his mouth right next to Danny’s ear. “Want, want, want? Are you forgetting who won tonight? Who’s in charge?”

“Fuck yes!”

And Ryan just tsks at him disapprovingly, tightens the grip on Danny’s hair and asks him again, “Who’s in charge tonight?”

Danny’s mouth falls open slightly, eyes open wide again as he gasps in a breath trying to calm himself down enough to answer Ryan. Once he finally gets it out it hits Ryan even harder. “You, you’re in charge Ryan.”

And the look in his eyes tells him all he needs to know, the trust there as Danny submits to him. His body slacking in Ryan grip slightly as he waits for Ryan’s next move. It leaves him breathless for a second. They didn’t get like this very often, but ever since Danny had brought up the idea earlier it’s been festering in the back of his mind. His mind providing him with images he wants to see become reality and having Danny at his mercy like this fits in with that perfectly.

He leans forward slightly, close enough to press a soft kiss to Danny’s temple and waits for Danny to let out a soft sigh before loosening the grip on his hair, the grip on his wrist making sure he doesn’t lose his footing.

Once he knows Danny will keep upright he let’s go of his wrist as well, instead reaching for Danny’s suit jacket, letting it fall on the floor next to his own. His waistcoat is next, the four buttons coming undone easily under Ryan’s deft fingers. He takes his time, removing each layer with reverence until he has Danny naked, a complete contrast to his own still fully dressed self.

He runs his hand over stubble on Danny’s cheek gently, thumb rubbing over his bottom lip before tugging it down. He leans in a kisses him again, feels Danny’s body leaning in closer trying to get some friction on his already straining cock, but Ryan just bites down on his bottom lip and tugs it with him as he steps back.

“Hands and knees.” Is all he says as he gestures at the pristinely made bed, waits for Danny to do as he’s told. He pushes his dress shoes off as he waits for Danny to settle himself on the bed, shoving them off to the side.

He climbs onto the bed behind Danny, runs a hand through his curls gently as he bends his body over Danny’s back and presses his lips to the side of his neck, eliciting a cut off whine from Danny. He presses another kiss against Danny’s skin just an inch lower and slowly he makes his way down his back, pressing a kiss to the dip of his arse, tonguing at the top of the cleft of his arse for a minute.

The noises coming from Danny are already sending a thrill down his spine and he’s barely even started, he can’t imagine what Danny will be like when he’s done with him.

He kisses back up slightly to the dip of his arse again, licks the skin there, leaving a slightly salty taste on his tongue. He kisses the same spot over and over again, adding a little more pressure each time he sucks on the skin and bites at it, until a perfect purple bruise is left.

He leans back until no part of their bodies are touching anymore and admires his work. And then he waits as Danny whines at the lack of contact, waits until he finally twists his head around to look back at Ryan. Then he slowly tugs his tie loose reaches for Danny's hands that are still twisted into the sheets and slowly lowers them so he can tie them together with the tie. He hears Danny let out a soft gasp as the knot slips in place around his wrists.

He looks amazing, hands tied back, arse sticking up in the air and face pressed into the mattress. He has to take a deep breath to calm himself down, his body straining for more, but he has a plan and that doesn’t involve any rushing. He’s determined to take his time, worship every inch of Danny’s body splayed out for him.

He leans back down to Danny’s body, pressing his lips to the lowest vertebrae just above the first bruise. He takes his time, working the flesh over and over between his lips until another dark bruise is left. He runs his fingers over it softly, can feel the way Danny shudders as he presses at the skin around the bruise, his tied hands reaching for Ryan’s shirt and twisting into the material.

He makes his way up slowly, each vertebrae getting the same treatment, until finally there are bruises all across Danny’s spine. The purple of them a stark contrast against the pale white skin. He looks amazing, Ryan’s spit shining on his skin as he squirms for more while Ryan sits back and admires the view. The words coming from Danny’s lips had quickly become nonsensical, turning into guttural sounds when Ryan got halfway up his back.

They’re still falling from his lips as Ryan leans forward again, lips at his ear again. “You look so good. Spread out for me, marked up by my lips. Let me mark you some more,” he whispers into Danny’s ear, revels in the drawn out moan falling from Danny’s lips and the shiver running down his spine.

His lips find their way to the top of Danny’s left shoulder, sucking bruises into it. His lips making their way to the crook between his shoulder and neck leaving more bruises on their way. And then he’s working them up the side of Danny’s neck, finishing off with a large bruise behind Danny’s ear. His lips are bruised as he presses a final kiss to Danny’s lips, his fingers tangling in his curls and tugging him up towards his lips gently.

And only then does he step away from the bed to take off his own clothes, admiring his handiwork as he works his fingers over the buttons of his shirt. He gives his own straining cock a quick tug to take off a little bit of the edge as he walks over to his suitcase to find the small bottle of lube.

He hears Danny sigh as he settles back onto the bed, runs a hand over his back and leans over to press a gentle kiss to Danny’s cheek. The atmosphere changes again as he denies Danny a kiss on the lips as he tries to lean in for one, smacking his right arse cheek instead, the sound reverberating through the room with Danny’s gasp.

He rubs a dry thumb between Danny’s arse cheeks and over his hole, pressing down on it until the top of it slips in with another gasp from Danny. He flicks the lid off the bottle of lube with his other hand, drawing his other hand back to slick up his fingers. Danny hisses softly as he rubs the cold lube between his cheeks, fingers catching on the puckered skin.

Slowly he slips one of them in, waits for Danny to relax around the digit and then moves it out almost all the way just as slowly. Danny is squirming underneath him, trying to press back onto his finger, needing more. And Ryan gives him more… eventually. He draws it out, working in each finger slowly, pressing over Danny’s prostrate inconsistently, eliciting gasps from the other man each time. Danny tries to find a rhythm, but there isn’t one as Ryan switches between scissoring his fingers, pressing against nothing and pressing against his prostrate.

He hears when Danny is getting close, breaths coming in short hitched breaths as he tries to work his hips back onto Ryan’s fingers. That’s Ryan’s sign to withdraw, let him fall back down the hill on the wrong side. Once Danny has calmed down enough, he presses his fingers in again getting him to the edge again, but not letting him fall. He continues his ministrations a few more times. Danny now full on sobbing into the mattress as he’s once again denied his orgasm, his body twisting about in a tantrum, and it’s the best sight, seeing Danny unravel in front of him.

His own body is starting to protest though, screaming for contact, to be inside him already. So as Danny starts to calm down again he reaches for the bottle of lube again and rubs some of it over his aching cock, sighing out at the friction.

He can’t deny his body its release much longer, has to be inside Danny, so with a swift thrust he sinks down into Danny. Danny opens up for him easily after being worked over with his fingers for so long. Mutual groans fall from their lips as he bottoms out.

He sits back on his calves as he thrusts into Danny in a slow pace, before reaching down to Danny’s head, twisting his fingers in his hair again and pulling him up to his chest by it. Danny’s had lolls back against his shoulder as Ryan reaches for his still tied up wrists, holding him back by them as his other arms wraps around his chest.

He’s pressing kisses into the unbruised side of Danny’s neck as he starts to thrust into him faster, whispering words of praise into Danny’s ear. Their sweat slick bodies slide against each other easily as Ryan keeps picking up the pace, finding Danny’s swollen prostrate on each thrust.

He can feel his own orgasms creeping up and keeps on thrusting into Danny as he gasps out “Come,” right into Danny’s ear, shivering as Danny complies almost instantly. His untouched cock twitches violently as cum spurts out of it landing on Danny’s heaving chest. Ryan coming soon after as Danny’s body clenches around him tightly. It feels like he keeps coming for ages, his toes curling, his body twitching and twitching as cum keeps pulsing into Danny.

He presses another soft kiss against Danny’s temple as he gently lowers his slack body back against the mattress. His fingers work loose the knot around Danny’s wrists easily. He rubs the skin of his wrists softly, as he drops the tie to the bed, rubbing his hands over Danny’s trembling arms as well, before gently turning him around careful of his bruised back.

Danny’s looks at him hazily as Ryan rubs at his shoulders a little bit more, leaning in for a kiss as the fog in his eyes starts to clear up. He runs a gently hand over Danny’s cheek, before stepping off the bed and walking over to the bathroom. He fills up a glass of water, before turning the tap around so that he can run a cloth under some warm water.

He runs the cloth over Danny’s body gently to clean him up a little bit, before handing the glass of water to him as he sits up against the headboard.

“I feel like I won tonight after all,” Danny sighs out blissfully after a long drink of water. His voice is still broken from overuse as he speaks up, but there’s a soft smile on his face as he says it.

“Told you I’d share the award,” he grins back.

Danny smiles up at him as Ryan sits next to him, before his eyes widen.

“You better not do this with John!”

#my fic #dryan #dryan fic #danny miller #ryan hawley #posting this now because I won't be home tonight #so will schedule a reblog for then as well #self indulgent dryan smut after Ryan's tv choice award win :D

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silvokrent · 8 years ago

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Gears in Motion - 1

The seed of an idea is planted.

Part I: The Present

There was a jaunty bounce in his steps as Bluestreak walked down the hall. Upbeat rock music trailed from his speakers, encircling him in his own little bubble of sound. Apart from the electric guitar solo drifting from the gunner the halls were quiet.

The abnormal stillness was courtesy of the recent battle early that morning. Just as the sun crested the horizon an alert had come in from some important politician (Bluestreak couldn't remember his name) of a raid on the North Anna Power Plant in Virginia. Autobots had been dispatched, and by late noon the group had returned aboard Skyfire, thoroughly exhausted but still largely unharmed. Gears and Windcharger were both in the medbay, one for burn damage and the other for shrapnel in his upper torso. Blaster and his cassettes were also holed up there, keeping a close vigil on Ramhorn while one of the rhino's legs was being rebuilt.

With everyone else either on duty or in their quarters resting, Bluestreak found little else to do as he strolled through the halls. At least the quiet gave him the chance to catch up on a demo that Jazz had lent him.

So immersed was the gunner in his music that he was caught by surprise when he rounded a corner and found himself near one of the officer-only conference rooms. By the looks of it, a post-battle meeting had just ended, if the sliding-open doors and mass exodus of mechs were anything to go by. Optimus Prime exited first, Ironhide by his side as the two engaged each other in deep discussion. Jazz sprinted out and jogged after the two much bigger 'bots, doubling his pace to catch up as they turned down the corridor.

At a much more sedate pace emerged Ratchet, with Prowl in tow. Without noticing him they continued down the hall in the opposite direction.

At the sight of the Second-in-Command Bluestreak felt his spark do a happy little jig. It always pleased him to see his mentor return safe and sound, especially from a battle where Bluestreak himself hadn't been present. Suddenly eager to catch up, he hastily muted his speakers and trotted down the hall. Four meters away he'd neared enough to catch the tail-end of their conversation:

"…will have the post-op report on your desk tomorrow," Ratchet was saying. The medic sounded cranky, and he sure as the Pit looked it.

"Another datapad to add to the growing collection," sighed Prowl. At the odd inflection in his tone Bluestreak stilled, refraining from calling out and making his presence known. "Joy."

The medic tipped his helm to the side, enough to capture Prowl in his legendary periphery vision. "And here I thought you'd be throwing enough confetti to shame Mardi Gras."

The Praxian's spinal struts seemed to sink a little―a small gesture that few would have normally picked up on, but Bluestreak, so attuned to his mentor's mannerisms, recognized it for what it was. Exhaustion. "Enjoying one's job is one thing," Prowl explained in a voice that aimed for impassive, and fell a little short. "Unnecessary surplus work, however, is another matter entirely."

"So get someone else to do it for a change," Ratchet scoffed, in his usual blunt way. Sympathy for stupidity and the blatantly obvious was something he had yet to perfect, and probably never would. "Otherwise quit bitching about it."

A sharp look was cast on the medic, quickly morphing back into a look of immense self-control. "The only other mechs who can act as substitutes in my stead are Smokescreen, and Prime. As you are well aware, Smokescreen is still off-base in Vegas"―his tone made his opinion of his brother's choice abundantly clear―"doing 'reconnaissance' on alleged Decepticon activity. And Optimus already has his hands full dealing with the Attorney General. It would be unfair of me to impose."

Despite being able to only see the CMO's backside, Bluestreak had a shrewd suspicion that he was rolling his optics. "Then save it for when he gets back."

"Unfortunately, the paperwork needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later."

"It's not anything new," Ratchet reasoned with a light shrug of his broad shoulders. "I mean, it's not like it's high clearance slag. You just need a signature saying that the contents have been peer-reviewed, right?"

"Among other things," the tactician muttered.

To Bluestreak's faint amusement Ratchet moved to rib the black-and-white in the side. "Look at it this way," said the medic, the nonchalance in his tone causing Prowl's doorwings to flick in undisguised annoyance. "It could be worse."

That was apparently the wrong thing to say.

"Oh yes. Because Ultimate Minibot makes everything so much better," Prowl shot right back.

That garnered a true bit of sympathy from the medic. There was the briefest clenching of hands, as if Ratchet were entertaining the thought of a pair of necks choking in his grasp. Probably red and yellow, if Bluestreak knew any better. Which he did.

"Those little glitches are playing that game again?" Ratchet asked, his voice as smooth as a sword being drawn from its scabbard.

"If my sources are accurate, then yes, tomorrow," Prowl confirmed, in an ominous undertone. "As if my schedule weren't tedious enough without having to take the time out my day to issue disciplinary actions."

A sigh eased out of the medic's vents. "At least two of the usual victims are safe in the medbay."

Leaving just Cliffjumper, Huffer, and Brawn, Bluestreak wordlessly supplied. He himself had been invited several times by the twins and Aerialbots to join in on the "fun," yet always declined. Friends or not, the sniper never felt entirely comfortable with the game, even if he privately felt that Cliffjumper deserved being taken down a peg every now and then.

They were nearing a fork in the hall, where the barracks and medbay lay in their respective directions. Still largely unnoticed by the pair, Bluestreak let himself fall back several steps, still within hearing distance without drawing attention to himself. It wasn't really eavesdropping. “Not technically, anyway,” he’d heard Sideswipe say on more than one occasion.

Medic and tactician paused to exchange parting words.

"If you catch any of the little fraggers, make sure to send them my way." The promise of unholy wrath glittered like chips of ice in the medic's optics. Ratchet drew up his chin a fraction, the threat of dire retribution not lost in his posture. "I'll make sure to sort 'em out. They'll be right as rain by the time I'm done."

"If there is anything left of them once I've caught them," Prowl vowed, expression unnaturally vexed. He gave a deep, calming breath, and the ageless tranquility Bluestreak associated with his mentor returned once more. "I will be retiring to my quarters for the evening. Should you require me for anything…"

Ratchet offered a wry smirk. "I'll know where to find you. Good night, Prowl."

The SIC dipped his head. "Good night, Ratchet."

With that said and done, the two 'bots turned and left.

His good mood feeling suddenly unsettled by what he'd overheard, the gunner backtracked in the direction of the rec room. If Prowl was tired enough to retreat to his room, then Bluestreak knew better than to disturb him.

The depressing turn his thoughts had taken was interrupted by the sounds of playful bickering and good-natured laughter. Intrigued, Bluestreak quickened his pace.

Spike, Carly, and Bumblebee were huddled in the center of the rec room. There were several rolls of colorful duct tape around the humans' arms like gaudy bangles. A dozen empty tubes of wrapping paper were strewn about the space at their feet, with another tube in the yellow minibot's hands. He was attempting to, and struggling with, wrapping the sheet over a massive brown box that easily came up to Carly's shoulders. All three of them were adorned in Scotch tape and pieces of discarded paper, and there was a vaguely handprint-shaped glitter patch on Bumblebee's aft.

"You've got to cut it first, 'Bee," Spike was saying to the scout. "If the sheet's not the right size, then it won't sit right or fold correctly."

"I've never wrapped a present before," protested Bumblebee as he tried, and failed, to redo the crease. He stuck his glossa out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. "And the scissors are too big for me to use."

"Maybe we should use a chainsaw," Carly joked, her attention half on the strips of tape she was storing on her left arm for later use. "That should be big enough. And it'll certainly cut through the paper."

"And the box, and the gifts in the box, and maybe our arms, too," Spike snorted. "Besides, we already wrapped the chainsaw. Do you have any idea how long it'll take us to rewrap it?"

The little spy lifted his head, about to reply, only to catch sight of Bluestreak lingering in the entranceway. "Hey, Blue!" he called cheerfully. Carly and Spike turned, and waved the gunner over when they spotted him. Bluestreak strode over, his optics riveted to the half-wrapped carton.

"What are you guys doing up so late? I mean, I know your curfew isn't for another hour so you don't have to drive home just yet, but it's awfully late by human standards, and I know Sparkplug doesn't like it when you're on the roads after dark." He tipped his head to the side. "What's with all the paper and tape? And why do you need a chainsaw?"

It spoke volumes of the kids' familiarity with the Autobots that they could sift through the ceaseless jabber with barely a bat of their eyes. "Dad's still at work. He's pulling a late shift, so I can stay out a bit longer," Spike answered. "And the chainsaw's not for us―it's for Dad."

"For Father's Day," Carly explained, when the sniper merely stared in bemusement. "We got him a new toolkit, too."

"And a fishing rod, since he loves going out to Bull Run Lake," Spike added. He had resumed trying to flatten the stubborn wrapping paper against the surface of the box. He was rewarded with a noise of exasperation when the paper merely sprung back up like a belligerent weed.

"And I'm helping them, since the box is so big." Giddy excitement lit up Bumblebee's optics. He looked beside himself to have been included in this obviously important human tradition.

"But if you're only wrapping a few things, then why do you need a five foot high box? Couldn't you just individually wrap them all?"

At that, the boy gave a rueful laugh. "Well, it's sort of a joke." He scratched his hair. "You see, we sort of wrapped his gifts in one box, and then put that box in another box…"

"Like nesting dolls," Carly said. "Only without the creepy faces painted on them."

"I don’t know if we can call the wrapping paper a trade-off anymore, though." For emphasis Bumblebee flailed his arms, showing off the scraps of paper that had inevitably found their way across his frame.

There was a soft thump as Bluestreak settled in to watch. "I know I’ve heard it before but could you remind me what Father's Day is again?'" Despite having lived on Earth for years he was still encountering new aspects of human culture. He supposed, he consoled himself, that it made sense he didn't remember this one. Christmas overshadowed just about every festivity, with Halloween, Fourth of July, and (oddly enough) Valentine's Day making close runner-ups. The rest of the holidays out there were either too religious in nature or just downright bizarre for most of the Autobots to concern themselves with.

At that Spike tapped his chin. "Well," he began, clearly trying to put it in a way that would make sense to a species that didn't have biological progenitors, "in most societies family is a pretty important concept. If it weren't for our parents, we wouldn't be here right now. Someone had to raise you, even if they weren't necessarily the people that helped make you. Everyone has a mom and a dad, or two moms or two dads. Or any combination of parents, really." He shrugged. "But anyway, we owe it to our parents for taking care of us as kids. Or just my dad, in this case," Spike noted. A shadow of some darker emotion briefly crossed his face.

"And since my dad is dead, Spike's letting me share his," Carly added. She gave her friend a playful swat on the shoulder, snapping Spike out of whatever fog he’d settled into.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Basically, Father's Day is for celebrating dads and doing nice stuff for them, as a way of saying thanks for everything they do for you."

The gunner gave an absent nod, his optics distant as he thought. "And it's tomorrow?"

"Yup.” Bumblebee jumped into the conversation. "That's why we're trying to get this done as fast as we can.” He regarded Spike and Carly with bright optics. “You’ll let me be there when he opens this, right? I am helping with the wrapping, so surely that means I get to watch too.”

Spike shrugged again. “He’s already got a semi-adopted daughter. I don’t see why he’d object to having a giant alien robot for a foster son.”

Bumblebee snorted. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far…”

“Too late,” Carly said.

With a flex of his doorwings Bluestreak hauled himself to his feet. “I just remembered I really need to go take care of something important, so I'll just leave you guys to your wrapping so you can get it done in time." He hesitated, then bent down and picked up a roll. "Can I borrow this?"

"Sure," Spike said. "I think we're almost done, anyway."

Bumblebee huffed as the wrapping paper once again defied him, getting further crinkled in the process. "Not at this rate, we're not."

"That’s the spirit, ’Bee.”

Unbeknownst to the laughing trio, Bluestreak had quit the room. As the gray mech hurried toward the command deck a single image kept popping up in his processor, of black-and-white armor and a resigned expression. Without slowing his pace he strode directly past his quarters, ignoring his own comment about the late hour.

He had a lot of work to do.

#transformers #transformers: g1 #transformers fic #gears in motion #my posts #bluestreak #prowl #ratchet #bumblebee #spike witwicky #carly

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