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wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

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Stark Spangled Banner

Ch7: Eight Letters, Three Words, One Meaning

Summary: Katie and Steve’s relationship is blossoming, but they’ve still not come out to the rest of the team. Well, not yet anyway…

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Warnings: Bad language, spiders (yeah, okay, I need a warning for those eight legged freaks) Smut (NSFW, 18+)

A/N: More credit to my edit partner, @angrybirdcr

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 6

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

June 2013

Katie was trying to listen, she really was, but the warmth of the June sun was lulling her to sleep, despite the fact she had only gotten up two hours or so ago. She was trying to focus on the intelligence that had come out of the Department of Damage Control, that a Warehouse in Columbia was housing a load of the alien based weapons for sale on the black market.

Maybe if she just closed her eyes….

She found herself daydreaming. About her favourite thing to day dream about. Steve. It was now five weeks since they had started dating and two weeks since they had been caught by Tony. Since then they’d spent pretty much every other evening wrapped around one another post making out. Sometimes it would just be a bit of heavy kissing, sometimes there would be a little more. Like when he had lain over her on the bed, kissing her neck, lips, chest, before slipping his hands into her panties for the first time as he’d coaxed her to completion that way before she’d returned the favour, wrapping her palm around him, bringing him off.

And then yesterday had been her birthday, which had brought her one hell of a present.

Katie had been on at him for as long as she could remember for a ride on his motorbike so, amongst other presents, Steve had Clint help him research the best helmet he could get and he’d bought her one, much to her excitement. She’d squealed and then squealed some more when he had revealed they were off out for the afternoon. He’d packed an evening picnic and taken her up to Rock Creek Park where they’d eaten subs, muffins and were now laid back on the blanket, her head resting on his chest.

“Your hair smells different…nice different…” He nuzzled his nose into it.

“Oh, it’s a different shampoo…” She grinned “It was in the hamper of ridiculously expensive toiletries and make-up that Tony sent me. Or should I say Pepper, as he will have had no idea about any of that stuff…”

“Smells of cookies.”

“It has oatmeal in so you’re not far off.” She smiled, looking up at the sky.

The pair of them stayed still, his hand straying into her hair before he broke the calm silence.

“You know, when I was a kid…me and Bucky used to play a game, spotting shapes in the clouds” he said

“Tony used to do that with me.” she smiled, shifting her head so that the back of it still lay across his chest but she could see upwards “See, there’s a dog…”

“Looks more like a cow to me…” He cocked his head to one side.

“A cow?” she snorted, “Where have you ever seen a cow look like that?”

The two of them stayed like that for another hour or so, playing shapes and making conversations before the sun began to stray behind the trees. Reluctantly Katie agreed it was probably time to go home.

“I’ve had,” she undid the strap on her baby blue and silver helmet, pulling it off with a flourish as she stepped off the bike outside her apartment, “the most amazing birthday, thank you…”

She reached up and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it doll.” He said gently as she reached into her back pocket for her key card. Smiling he dropped his hand to her waist as they walked to the elevator. When the doors opened, Katie tugged on his hand gently and led him in after her. Once in her apartment, he allowed just enough time for them to remove their jackets and for Katie to hang her new helmet in pride of place on the hooks before his lips crashed onto hers, the kisses growing deeper, and he hooked his hands round the back of her thighs and easily picked her up. She giggled, wrapping her legs round his waist, her nose brushing against his as he carried her up the stairs, dropping her gently on the bed. She spread her legs making room for him so he could settle his hips in between the space they made as she wrapped her arms round his neck, his hands gently running up the side of her ribs, pulling off the t-shirt she was wearing, cupping her face in his hands. He let out a soft moan as her hands started to slide down his chest and it was clear she had intentions of using her hands, if not her mouth as well, on him again but that wouldn’t do, not on her birthday.

“Uh-uh not tonight baby girl.” He said, gently grabbing her wrists.

She frowned and looked genuinely pissed off that he was stopping her. As she pouted at him, he simply smiled “It’s your birthday, after all.” He whispered into her mouth before setting her hands down on the pillow on either side of her head before turning his attention to her chest, sucking and biting through her bra, listening to the sounds she made right by his ear. He continued his affections downwards, pressing small kisses all the way down her body until his nose was skimming along the waistband of her jeans. She let out a groan of delight as he brought his hands up to undo them and started guiding them down.

The idea of tasting her like this had been on his mind since she had first done it to him but he was utterly lost, with no idea on what to do next. He glanced up at her, swallowing slightly and instantly understanding that he needed encouragement, Katie reached down to tangle her fingers in his hair, raising her hips to help him remove the jeans and her underwear. She knew he had never done this before, but now, as she gently bent her knees to allow him access she heard him let out a soft moan of his own and watched him as he snuck one glance up at her and then set his mouth on her.

It took a while, her guiding him gently, telling him what she liked, what was working and what wasn’t but she didn’t really have to give him too much direction. What he lacked in skill he made up for with dogged determination and eventually, her breathy directions died in her throat and then she was moaning and writhing in pleasure as his mouth worked her over, one hand in his hair and the other gripping the sheets. Her sweet, salty tang on his tongue set every nerve in his body on edge and the more he tasted the more he wanted.

Katie could hear and feel him groaning with each lick and suck he gave her. He was aroused, really aroused and surprised to find the warm feeling across his stomach was getting harder to ignore the more he worked her. When he focused his attention back on her little bundle of nerves, licking at it before closing his lips around it and sucking it into his mouth she was done. Her body convulsed, her back arched and she let out a strangled cry, his name on her lips and it made him slightly smug to hear. Steve held her down gently, one strong arm over her small waist and as her hand gripped his hair harder and she groaned brokenly once more, he felt himself go, tipping over the edge and he shuddered gently as his own release washed over him. Katie pushed her hand into his hair, having become too sensitive, gently moving his mouth away from her. Taking the hint, he obliged, kissing his way back up her body, pressing his mouth onto hers.

“Good?” He asked breathlessly, staring at her, seeking confirmation despite the fact she lay completely and utterly undone beneath him.

“God, yes.” Her voice was gruff, as she kissed him, the fact that he could still clearly taste her on his tongue meant that she would be able to too, and the fact that she didn’t care made him shudder, though that also might have something to do with the mess he’d once again made in his pants like a horny schoolboy.

As they kissed she began to trail her hand back down his chest reaching for his buckle but he stopped her again, pulling away.

“I err….” he trailed off, dropping his head slightly embarrassed. But he needn’t have been. The fact that he’d gotten off on giving Katie what was, frankly, the best orgasm she could remember having made her grin and she cocked her head to one side as she eyed him, tipping his head up to look at her.

“Best birthday present ever.” She smirked, drawing a laugh from him before he kissed her again.

“Agent Stark!” Fury barked, jerking her awake. Damned, had she actually fallen asleep in briefing? Steve was perched on the edge of Fury’s desk, and Katie could tell he was fighting to keep a smirk off his face.

“Sorry Sir, didn’t get much sleep last night.” She avoided looking at Steve as she spoke, her mouth tugged upwards at the corners.

Besides her she heard Clint give a snigger which he hastily turned into a cough. Of course he knew about the pair of them. Him, Natasha and Evans being the only people on the team that did although Katie and Steve had both admitted they didn’t really know how much longer they could keep it clandestine.

“So as I was saying,” Fury shot Katie another look as Natasha played along, patting Clint harshly on the back. “Salaad Ali.” Fury pointed at the picture of the main man responsible for the arms ring we had been tracking over the middle East . “Do we know much about him?”

“He’s a sick bastard” Clint sat up, suddenly all business. “Came across him on an op in 2009. Apparently when he was active as part of the regime under Sadam Hussein he was tasked with taking out a Kurdish fighter cell that was stockpiling munitions. He was undercover for a month. Then one night he kidnaps a guard, peels off the skin from his right hand, completely, and wore it like a glove to gain access to their stores using the biometric scanners.”

“That’s about power.” Katie took a breath as she rose from her seat. “Mocking and goading the people who he’s stealing off. Look at me, not only did I infiltrate your organisation, I maimed your security guard in the process.”

Fury invited her to take the floor and she stood up and spoke confidently. “From what I’ve read he’s obviously an organised offender.” Steve had to smile, before she had trained as a sniper after Clint had discovered she had a natural eye for a shot, she had joined STRIKE as a Mission Analyst-slash- Target Profiler. And she was good at it. “He’s sophisticated in his approach, and is a meticulous planner.”

“You have to be to pull off the sort of crimes he has, these are big jobs.” Clint said. Katie nodded as she paced slightly, the way she always did when she was thinking.

“I also believe from the other things he has allegedly done, the murders, rapes…he’s a control freak, a sadist, type of person who will always want the last word in the argument so to speak. Therefore, if he knows someone is on to him, he won’t come quietly.” She stopped by Steve and looked at Fury, then round the room at the assembled team. “We should be prepared for a fight. And they’ll be fighting to kill, not wound.”

“Can’t the air force just blow the place up?” Rumlow asked as Steve adjusted his stance slightly, his hand’s dropping to the buckle on his belt as he studied the man before his attention turned to Fury.

“If it was that simple we would have already sent in an air strike.” The Director shook his head, pushing a button to show a map. Besides him, Steve felt Kate shift a little and he stole a glance at her to see she was concentrating on the screen, her chin resting on the closed fist of her left hand, elbow supported on her right arm which was crossed over the front of her body. Steve watched as her eyes flicked over the details and he turned to the screen as well, immediately spotting what the problem was.

“There’s a civilian village less than five hundred yards away.” He sighed. “That place goes up so do they.”

“Exactly.” Fury nodded.

“Not to mention those weapons are really volatile.” Katie took a deep breath. “If they have as many as we suspect, then if they go up, it’s gonna leave one hell of a hole.”

“Which is why you need take the base and clear out the weapons.” Fury nodded. “And bring Ali in, I have some questions for him before we turn him over to the Authorities.”

*****

They decided to operate under the cover of darkness, to give them the element of surprise. Once they had some form of plan- a heat scan as they hovered over the building told them how many people were in the building and once they had established that they moved in. They operated as a well-organised unit, quickly and meticulously flushing out the hostiles.

It was all going too smoothly, especially as Ali was still in the building. Capturing him was surprisingly easy, even if it was Natasha that found him. In hindsight, that should have been a warning sign they probably should have spotted. As Rumlow and Natasha were leading him away, the team already having dispatched the rest of the hostiles, Steve, Clint and Katie headed deeper into the warehouse to locate the weapons themselves when, just as they found a hidden room off the main service corridor, there was a loud clicking noise and Clint stopped dead.

“Shit.” He muttered and Katie wheeled round and he held his hand up to her. “Don’t move.”

“What…” Katie followed his gaze and swallowed when she saw his foot resting over a small metal pad on the creaking floor boards of the first floor room they were in.

“Yeah…we have a problem.” Clint sighed, looking at her then to the Captain “Should have seen that one coming.”

He’s the type of guy that will want the last laugh, so if he knows someone is on to him, he aint coming quietly

Steve scanned the floor and spotted another trigger a few feet away from Katie. Pulling her to the left away from it he looked around the room.

“What’s going on?” Rumlow asked over the coms.

“The son of a bitch has the place rigged.” Clint wiped his brow “ I’ve triggered some kind of sensor pad.”

“If he’s laying traps in here then the weapons have to be nearby…” Steve said, as Katie dropped to her hands and knees, torch shining through the dirty, well-worn floorboards.

“The device has to be under here…” she said, and she began to follow the wire across the floor, keeping her eyes peeled for more booby-traps, as Steve carefully made his way into a small room off to their right avoiding another trigger as he went. His eyes scanned the various crates of the familiar shining metal weapons and he sighed.

“Found the jackpot…”

“So have I.” Katie said, stopping crawling as the wire ended. She could just about make out the metal box, a red light flashing ominously through the gaps.

“Ok, we’re coming to you.” Rumlow spoke again

“No!” Steve hastily turned and walked back into the main room. “We don’t know how many of these he has laid around the place. Wait for my instructions.”

He glanced over at Clint who was stood, motionless, his eyes focussed on his foot.

“Barton, you okay?”

“Peachy, Cap” he said, looking up “Guess my Hawk eyes let me down”

“Happens to the best of us.” Steve looked at him as Katie stood up, pointing to her foot.

“It’s under there.”

“How big is it?” Steve asked.

“It doesn’t matter how big”. She said gently “It explodes then those weapons go up…” She trailed off.

And Clint dies no matter what, and as they wouldn’t ever leave a man behind, so did they.

"We need to start evacuating civilians.” Steve took a deep breath, “Rumlow…”

“We can start clearing the village but how many we’ll clear before-“

“Do what you can.” Steve cut him off. “Romanoff, have a chat with our prisoner, see if you can get him to talk, tell us how we turn this thing off”

“Yeah, not gonna happen.” She replied, not a trace of her usual biting sarcasm in her voice. “He’s out cold. Suddenly decided he didn’t fancy being captured after all and got a bit rough on the way up. I had to take him out.”

“Shit.” Katie muttered as Steve let out a long sigh, turning to face her as she stood, thinking something over. It wasn’t a great idea, but was the only chance they really had. So she decided to roll with it.

“Can you help me get the floor boards up?”

“Won’t that disturb the bomb?” He asked, frowning a little.

“Not if you do it here.” she moved about six foot to her left. “I can get underneath, see if I can disable it.”

Steve looked at her, then to Clint before sighing. It didn’t look like they had a choice.

“Alright.”

A minute later, Vibranium shield and steel knives had worked their magic as Katie and Steve had prised a space big enough for Katie to lower herself into, head first, torch in her mouth, phone held in front of her, on her stomach. She crawled over to the bomb and looked at it.

“It’s on a fucking timer too!” she sighed, swallowing as the timer had less than 5 minutes on it.

“How long?” Steve asked.

“Long enough…” she said, deciding not to tell them. She snapped a photo before dropping the torch to the boards beneath her so that it illuminated the dark space in front of her.

“Someone patch me through to Lawson …now.” she spoke

Less than forty seconds later Lawson’s British accent hit her ear.

“Nova.” he said.

“We have a situation.” She spoke calmly, although she was anything but. She didn’t like tight spaces at the best of times and there was a huge spider sitting to her right. And she fucking hated spiders. And she was facing a bomb, now with three minutes left on the clock. Swallowing her fear she sent the photo to Lawson’s computer, her hands shaking “Hawkeye triggered this, can we disarm it?”

A moment’s pause.

“Yeah, we can. I can talk you through this…”

Steve swallowed and looked at Clint, the man seemed surprisingly calm considering, but then he was used to staying still for long periods of time on stakeouts. He gave Steve a slight shrug and the Captain looked back to the hole Katie had shimmied into.

“You’re gonna need a knife or something sharp to cut the wires”

“Got it.” Katie wriggle to free the standard issue Swiss Army Knife which contained every single gadget known to man from her thigh pocket.

“Ok so first thing is first, you’re going to need to lift it out slightly to get to the wires ok. There should be 3…blue, white and red….but this is important Stark so listen.”

“Listening”

“The blue wire has to remain intact and in contact with the sensor under Hawkeye’s foot. So don’t cut it or pull it ok?”

“Don’t pull or cut blue, right.”

“You need to gently lift it out towards you, watching that blue wire, and turn it to the side so you can see the red and white wires…”

Taking a deep breath, with trembling hands she gently reached out and slowly, carefully turned the bomb to the side, letting out a small squeak of fear as the huge black spider moved closer.

“You okay?” Steve asked, hearing her noise.

“There’s a spider in here the size of a fucking Chihuahua.” Her voice was a slightly higher pitch than normal. Steve sighed, any other time her fear of spiders would amuse him. Not now.

“It’s gonna be more scared of you than you are of it.” He tried to placate her, but as he spoke he knew that was utter bullshit.

“ Lawson…I’ve got it…what now?”

“Cut the white wire first and then the red.”

Katie took a deep breath, her hands really where shaking now, and she took a deep breath trying to focus, ignoring the timer which was now counting down from one minute thirty. She reached out with her left to hold the white still and her right clutched the knife as she went to work. The wire was tough but in 3 cuts it was severed. She moved to do the same to the red, but on the third cut the knife slipped and slashed into the palm of her left.

She let out a yell of pain. “Shit”

“Katie?” Steve dropped to his knees, trying to see into the space but all he could see was her back.

“My hand slipped, I’m okay.” She assured him. Taking another breath she took another three slashes at the wire and eventually it gave. The light on the bomb went out and the timer stopped on twenty-five seconds.

“Boom.” She exhaled, her head dropping in relief, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Nice work Nova.” Lawson let out a breath.

Katie swallowed, “Thanks Lawson…errr boys, a little help?”

Steve moved first as she shuffled backwards and managed to get one strong arm round her waist and gently she folded herself up so that he could lift her out.

“You alright?” He asked and she nodded, breathing heavily, but he could see from the tears in her eyes she wasn’t. Before he could say anything, Clint had pulled her into a hug as Steve instructed the team to move in for extraction of the weapons.

“Thanks Nova.” Clint said as she stepped back.

Steve gently moved towards her and turned her to face him, “It’s okay, Doll, you did it.”

“Guess I did.” Katie’s breathing was still deep as the magnitude of what just happened overwhelmed her. She began to shake and Steve simply wrapped her in his large arms and she pressed her face into his Kevlar clad chest and he rest his chin on her head, looking at Clint who gave him a little jerk of the head, before he wandered out into the corridor to find the team.

Steve pulled back and gently took her hand, looking at the place her knife had gashed through the leather on her palm gloves. It looked fairly superficial, the leather having protected her in the main “That doesn’t look too deep but we’ll get the medic to look at it.”

Katie couldn’t feel it. She was numb, numb from how close that bomb had been from going up.

“Seconds…” she said, swallowing “Seconds, that’s it, we were seconds away from going up.”

“Hey…” Steve moved back slightly so he could look at his girl. “That doesn’t matter now, you stopped it. Everyone’s okay.”

The blood was pounding in her ears as she looked up at his helmet clad face, his eyes warm as they locked onto hers. She was starting to lose it, and if she didn’t find a way to ground herself she knew she was going to break down into sobs, and she didn’t want that. Not on a mission. Steve watched as she reached up to undo the clasp at the side of his chin strap and before he could say anything, although he really didn’t have anything to say, she’d pulled his helmet off. She looked at him, hair tousled, bottom half of his face slightly grubby compared to the top.

“Baby,” he said quietly but his words died as she ran her non-injured hand up the side of his jaw and then leaned up, catching his lips, hand on the back of his neck. Steve was surprised, but didn’t push her away, he never could. His arms instinctively pulled her closer as he kissed her back, everything else zoning out, until they heard footsteps and a voice which was slightly amused.

“Ok, nothing to see here.” Clint spoke. Steve instantly pulled back and looked over Katie’s head at the assembled team of STRIKE agents, Rumlow, Rollins, Evans and Nat stood at the front. Rumlow’s face was a picture and Steve, despite the fact he was kind of embarrassed about being caught snogging his girl in the middle of a mission, felt a smug sense of satisfaction.

My girl, asshole.

“Told you Rumlow.” Rollins was next to speak as Katie closed her eyes and pressed her forehead into Steve’s chest, the moment of adrenaline fuelled passion ebbed away and was replaced by a sudden worry of her effectively outing them without asking him first.

“Fuck me sideways.” Rumlow muttered “Didn’t see that one coming.”

“Rumlow, you’re an idiot.” Lawson’s voice hit their ears “I aint even there and even I could see that a mile off. Mate, Fury only has one eye and I bet he could see it all the way from DC.”

Steve let out an exasperated sigh, but his arms didn’t let go of his precious charge as he issued an instruction. “Alright, wrap it up. Let’s get those weapons and move it out.”

His grip on Katie released as the team bustled into the room and he stopped to pick up both their helmets, handing Katie hers.

“I’m sorry…” she stuttered. “I didn’t mean to do that, I didn’t know they’d see.”

“Sweetheart, it’s okay.” He spoke gently, brushing her face with his gloved palm

“You’re not mad?”

“No.” He shook his head as she took her helmet off him with an air of surprise. “I mean they had to find out eventually, right. Maybe it isn’t exactly how I would have chosen to do it but…”

Katie snorted “Better or worse than being caught in the kitchen?”

He gave a small laugh “Undecided. Come on, let’s help them pack up those weapons and we can go home.”

******

The two of them were careful to keep a distance for the rest of the mission and trip home, a professional front was imperative to Steve and Katie was also keen to keep it that way too. She didn’t want anyone saying that either of them were impartial or unable to keep themselves objective. That said, on the flight home they took the inevitable teasing that naturally was always going to come their way when the team found out that its Captain and Sniper were together on the chin. It was all well natured though, and there were no smutty remarks beyond Evans asking Katie if she’d had her bed reinforced now she was sharing it with a super-soldier. In response, she hit him square in the face with a well-aimed granola bar, as Steve flushed at the back of the jet when he overheard. The Captain’s sharp eyes, however, clocked that one person who wasn’t joining in the joking and teasing was Rumlow. He looked like he’d been slapped in the face, and all Steve could do was hope he wasn’t going to be a complete prick going forward.

At the debrief Fury was pleased they had gotten a result and surprised the entire team by handing Steve a wad of notes and instructing them to go celebrate a job well done, but the wink he gave the Captain as he left the room before looking at Katie in that way he did, with a smirk on his face left them both in no uncertainty that he knew what had gone down.

The team hit their favoured bar, Loris. Katie and Steve sat together, Steve casually resting his arm round the back of the bench they sat on, as the drinks flowed, food arrived and Clint and Rumlow organised a pool tournament. Pool was one thing, along with art, that Steve had been pretty good at before he got the serum so after a bit of coaxing he joined in, eventually winning after thrashing Lawson in the final. Declining the money, he told Clint to use it to get the team another round of drinks, but they were drinks he had no intention of partaking in. He wanted to take his girl home because he could tell she was still a little shaken from the day’s events.

He wasn’t wrong. Whilst she had sat and eaten and drinking, she wasn’t really listening. The sight of that bomb timer in front of her eyes, and that fucking spider… she gave an involuntary shudder and looked up to see the tournament was now over and Steve was making his way to the table she was sat at, Natasha nodding to him as she headed to the bar.

He dropped onto the seat next to her, leaned forward and whispered “Wanna get out of here?”

She looked around, glancing over at the bar where Rumlow and Rollins were chatting up a group of girls. Clint and Natasha were sat a few seats down, in discussion with Lawson about something whilst Evans was leaning on the bar talking to a few of the other STRIKE team. She nodded. Steve stood up, took her hand and pulled her off the bench, the pair of them making their exit quickly and quietly, jumping into a perfectly timed free cab.

They sat in silence, his thumb skating over the back of her knuckles on the short ride home, his hand releasing hers only when he had to pay the driver. He caught up with her inside the lobby, just as the elevator door was opening and he stepped in behind her, her breath catching as he dropped his head, nose nuzzling into the side of her neck below her ear before he placed a single, soft kiss on her neck. Her arousal was obvious as she bit her bottom lip and let her eyes fall closed as his lips grazed her neck a bit higher. Then higher still until they placed a chaste kiss on her jawline, and that was all she could take.

She turned round, eyes dark with lust and lips met his gently at first before the kiss grew more urgent and she brought her hands up to his face, sliding them back to tangle her fingers into his hair. The way she did that set every one of his nerves on edge and he found himself pressing closer and moved quickly so that he had her pinned against the metal wall of the elevator. His left hand gripped her hip tight, his right winding its way into her hair giving a gentle tug as he pressed his lips against hers, causing the kiss to deepen, a small whimper escaping her mouth. The doors opened to the elevator, and the two of them stumbled out, lips locked, her hands clawing at his hair still, the pair groaning as they went.

His lips started to stray, kissing the corners of her mouth, dipping down to her jaw and neck but she always pulled his face back to hers, kissing him encouragingly, and he knew there and then that there was only one way this was going to end. Which right now was absolutely fine with him, but he needed to know it was with her too. He pulled away and looked down at her, his eyes bouncing between hers.

“You sure?” He whispered, wetting his lips slightly.

“Stevie…” she replied, her voice barely audible over her deep breathing. “Shut up and take me to bed.”

And he knew then he was a goner.

He surged forward again, spinning them both round, pinning her to the panel in the wall which hid the closed elevator doors with his body. His mouth trailed down to her neck, softly kissing, drawing a sigh from her at the sensation as he continued to skate his mouth gently across her collarbone which was exposed on one side due to the slouching top she was wearing. His hands reached down to her thighs and he effortlessly hoisted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, nuzzling into his neck before kissing across his jawline and his cheek as he carried her across the apartment and up the stairs. He was aware vaguely of two small thuds as she shucked off her boots as they went, before he reached the bedroom his lips back on hers, urgently kissing her as he carried her inside, kicking the door shut before he crossed the room and gently fell forwards, depositing them both onto the bed.

His lips claimed hers again, a moan of his own escaping into her mouth and his hands strayed to the bottom of her top. She nodded eagerly, hands going to run through his hair, before she shifted and held her arms up so that he could pull the top over her head. He tossed it to the floor as she reached for his before he pulled back, allowing her to slide it up and over his head, both of them smiling into the kiss as he settled back down on top of her, his hand running up the side of her torso.

She pulled away from him this time and he watched as her eyes followed her hands downwards before she looked back up at him as her fingers gently grazed his stomach, lingering there before moving down to his jeans. He bucked at the touch as she slowly undid his belt, taking her time as she locked her eyes onto his again, lust had turned into softness as she looked at him. He stared right back at her, her eyes reminding him of emeralds, deep green, speckled with dots of brown, the slight ring of amber surrounding her pupil reminded him of the sun. Telling him of the power she exuded over him and the warmth she brought to his life.

He was aware that his breathing had quickened and he let out a low growl before he kissed her, harder and his hands moved down to her jeans, deftly undoing the button at the front. He moved, pulling them down in one go over her legs before he stood slightly, ridding himself of his, the sensation of finally being free was a God send. Katie sat up, eyes trained on him and he swallowed thickly as she undid her bra. He took a second to take her in, he loved her tits, he’d always had a thing for a good “rack” as Bucky put it, and she was a sight to behold. All soft pink curves and rose bud nipples. He was achingly hard now, and he needed to do something about it. In a flash he was on her again, mouth hungrily covered hers as his hands trailed up her legs, to her hips, up the side of her body and then onto her breasts teasing gently. She groaned, rolling her head back on the pillow at the sensation, her hips bucking upwards.

“Fuck.” He seethed out at the feeling of her grinding up against his rock hard crotch, and he nuzzled at her neck with his nose again. She dragged her fingers up his spine as he buried his face in the side of her neck working at the pulse spot beneath her ear, the little noises of pleasure she was making were music in his ear. Her hips moved again and he decided to help her out, his hand moving down and dropping below the waistband of her panties making her gasp as his fingers worked her. She was warm, wet, and he loved the fact he had this effect on her.

Her hips began to move in time with his motions, groans falling from her lips at the sensations lancing through her body as he nipped slightly at her neck and then moved his mouth to her chest, taking her right nipple in. Her groans were growing louder now and Steve couldn’t take it anymore. He wanted to be in her, surrounded by her, feel her. His hands both shot to the side of her panties, completely forgetting his strength and he heard them tear. He dropped his forehead onto her sternum, letting out a groan at his stupidity before he heard a laugh, his head shooting up in surprise at the fact she found it funny.

“I’m sorry…” he blurted out as she continued to giggle.

“You literally just ripped my pants off”

“Guess I forgot my own strength.” he offered as explanation, looking at her, an apologetic look on his face.

“You know they were Victoria Secrets?” She quipped, looking at him. Steve had no idea what that meant, but he assumed it was some kind of expensive lingerie shop. A sudden joke popped into his head and before he could stop himself he shot it out.

“Sucks to be Victoria then.” and this made her laugh even more.

Eventually their laughter died down, and they shared another quick glance, and then her lips were back on his, still smiling as she flipped the waistband of his boxers down, and he shimmied out of them, before settling into the space in between her hips. She moved underneath him, telling him exactly what she wanted and he was so ready to oblige. He kissed her hard, his right hand tangling into her left as she reached down with her right, grasping him in her hand causing him to hiss slightly. She guided him to where she wanted him and he gently pushed into her. The feeling caused both of them to gasp and groan, Katie leaning back against the pillows as he stretched her, his girth and length filling her completely.

“God,” Steve breathed, temporarily paralysed by the way her tightness gripped him. His arms shook and he dropped down to his elbows, the hand around hers tightening as his entire body felt coiled tight like snake ready to strike.

The stillness gave Katie time to adjust to his size, but one she had she was aching for him to move, needing to feel him. She whimpered a little, her fingers digging into his lower back urging him on. “Stevie, please?”

He started moving his hips, slowly at first, building up speed as he gained more confidence, their hips rubbing together with every thrust. With every rock into her, moans of delight and pure pleasure filled his ear as his head rest in the crook of her neck, every inch of their bodies pressed as close as they could get. When she groaned his name, Stevie, the pet name that sounded so much sweeter coming from her, it was like a hot wire to his groin and he felt the tell-tale heat striking across his lower stomach he groaned again, wanting to hold out longer, wanting to get her there first. He brought his lips back to hers plunging his tongue into her mouth and she dug the tips of her nails into his back and he was completely overwhelmed by her. Not the sex, but her.

“Katie, I’m not sure how long I’m gonna…” He began to try and explain but then groaned again as she pushed up against him, his head dropping slightly as he struggled to fight it.

“Let me see you.” she said, nudging his nose with hers, her voice ragged. “Wanna see you let go baby…”

At her words he groaned and raised his head to look at her, her eyes soft and shining. He managed a few more shallow thrusts before he lost himself, stiffening and groaning as Katie watched him, his lips slightly parted as he bit his bottom lip, and then the eyes that had been locked on hers fluttered shut before he pitched forward to bury his face into her neck.

She held him running a hand through his hair as a final shudder ran down his body, the waves of pleasure finally began to subside. Her own heart was pounding with affection for her man. She didn’t particularly care that she hadn’t gotten off, nor did she care that it hadn’t lasted very long either, but he had made her feel good. He took his time, had tenderly caressed and loved every part of her, had appreciated her in a way no one else had before.

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out before he could stop himself, “You didn’t even – I’m sorry.” He said again still kicking himself.

“Steve, stop. Just enjoy the moment. Please.” She whispered, kissing his temple.

Steve sighed as dropped his head to her chest, still inside her, as she ran her hand through his hair and down his neck. He stayed still for a while before he rolled off her and onto his back, pulling her with him so she could lie her head across his chest.

“It doesn’t matter you know” she spoke again, hand running through the soft smattering of dark blond and light brown hair on his chest “It was perfect because I was with you.”

“I just wish it had lasted longer.” he said, her words like a talisman in his chest as he cradled her close.

“It didn’t need to.” she looked up at him and felt her cheeks burning. She wanted to explain to him, exactly how she felt, but wasn’t sure she could find the words. She dropped her gaze from his face and he gently reached out with his spare hand.

“What is it?” HHhe asked, gently reaching out to tilt her face up to look at him.

“Just…no one’s ever made me feel like that, like this before” she said gently, her eyes shining. “You were so soft and gentle and…well I don’t think I’ve ever felt so wanted…” she trailed off, shrugging.

The band tightened across his chest slightly, how could anyone not want her? Gently he dropped a kiss to her lips.

“I like being your first.” he said, and she smiled.

They lay still for a while, his fingers gently combing through her soft hair before an idea suddenly hit him and it made him swallow nervously.

“We err…we didn’t… you know, use any…protection?” he said, stilling and Katie turned her head up to look at him.

“I got that covered, don’t worry…”

“How?” he frowned, confusion filling his features.

“Stuff has moved on since the 40s Steve.” she said, simply.

Her head returned to its spot on his chest and she gave a soft yawn. He dropped a kiss to her head and closed his eyes, pulling her closer, relishing the feel of her skin against his as their legs tangled together, the pair of them satiated and completely at peace

****

He was aware of her moving. He had his face pressed into the back of her hair, breathing in her gorgeous smell, revelling in her warmth and softness as her bare back was pressed to his chest, his arm wrapping around her, laying just under her breasts. It was all he could do not to moan as she untangled herself and he cracked an eye open, watching her bare ass and back as she made her way into the en-suite. Smiling softly through his tiredness he rolled onto his back, one hand straying to his hair as he lay still. Eventually he heard her make her way back into the room and felt the bed dip again. He could feel her eyes on him, simply watching. And it was all he could do to keep the smirk off his face.

“You get a good look?” he mumbled, shifting slightly, voice thick from sleep, eyes still closed.

“Sorry…” she said softly and he felt her finger gently tracing his jaw. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Well he was awake now, her touch igniting that desire once more. He shifted onto his side and cracked one eye open, taking in her appearance. Her long hair was cascading in slightly tangled waves round her face, and she looked absolutely stunning.

“I can think of worse things to wake up to.” he said honestly before he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. She responded willingly, his hand dropping to her hip before moving to her back and pulling her closer to him, the other arm snaking under her neck and angling her head to deepen the kiss. He rolled her over onto her back, one leg positioning itself between hers and he dropped his lips to her neck, nipping at that magical spot again. She let out a soft moan before she sat up slightly, pushing on his shoulders. It was just a hard enough shove to make him understand she wanted him lay on his back, and he was more than happy to let her take control this time. As she straddled him his hands tangled in her hair, pulling her face down to kiss him and as he did so she reached down between them, taking him in her hand and stroking him into full hardness which didn’t take much. He groaned but didn’t release her mouth as she adjusted position to take him in.

Slowly she slid down onto him, groaning into the kiss as she stayed pressed against him, and she began to work herself on top of him. She was quick to find a rhythm and her mouth fell open against his lips and she let out a shaky moan before sitting up fully.

This was another first for him and the sight of her on top, illuminated by the early morning sun sneaking in through her curtains was divine. He wanted to touch her, so he did, bringing her hands up to run them up her sides until his hands cupped her breasts, thumbs running over her nipples as she let out another moan. As she picked up the pace his hands went to her hips, pulling her down onto him harder, thrusting upwards to meet her for every move she made. She continued to move, quickening, her eyes never leaving his.

“Steve…”she groaned, as he tilted his hips up harder and he let out a groan himself, increasingly determined to get her there this time. As he felt himself beginning to tip over the edge, his hand moved from her hip to stroke at that spot between her legs and that did it. He felt her tense up and tighten around him, crying out loudly and unbridled as she shook. The sight of her coming undone on top of him, her cheeks flushed, lips pink, mouth open in a now silent scream, was simply incredible and quite possibly the single most exquisite thing he had ever seen. All of that, coupled with the force of her heat tightening even more made him lose himself again.

“Fuck, Doll…” the curse fell from his lips as he thrust upwards, before he spilled himself inside her again, the wave of pleasure deeper than anything he’d felt before. Katie collapsed forward onto his chest, her tremors subsided, both of them panting. He held her close, his fingers running up and down her spine as she let out a soft “hum” of contentment and he sat up, wanting to see her face to face. Still cradling her close he pushed the hair that had fallen over her face back behind her ears and she reached up, running her hands through his, causing him to close his eyes at the sensation of her nails on his scalp.

When he opened them again and looked at her something flashed in her eyes as the slight gleam of light through the curtains caught her face. She was looking at him, features soft, almost as if she was seeing him for the first time. His breath quickened slightly and he knew then that he was head over heels in love with her. No one had come close to ever making him feel like this and as he gazed at her, seeing the adoration in her eyes, he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Katie,” he said quietly, almost nervously, as he pulled her closer, his nose rubbing up against hers, “I love you.”

She didn’t hesitate to reply, she didn’t need to. If she was honest she’d loved him now way before they’d even started any of this. So without missing a single beat, she spoke in return as their noses continued their lazy dance, the words coming easily.

“I love you too, Stevie.”

Her reply lit a fire in his chest and he kissed her softly, grinning like a total idiot as she was smiling too, the kisses growing softer and shorter until she pulled away completely, her hand on his cheek, her eyelids heavy. He glanced at the clock, it was little past 6 and they could sleep in today. He had no desire to run, no desire to leave at all, so he set them both and slid a hand under her neck and pulled her to him, chest pressing into her back. He swept her hair to one side and placed a soft kiss on the back of her neck before he pulled the covers back up over them and closed his eyes.

Right there Steve would have challenged any man on the planet to prove they were happier than him.

**** O/S Phobias

Chapter 8

**Original Posting**

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #katie stark #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fic #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #chris evans #chris evans characters

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ironhusband · 4 years ago

Text

5 Times Tony Said I Know A Place + 1 Time Rhodey Said It

-1-

It started small, which, contrary to popular belief, is something Tony can start with. Maybe only when he was a fifteen year old kid with no experience or confidence, and not the billionaire persona Tony developed, but still. When it first happened, Rhodey and him didn’t know each other very well, but still felt concocted due to their early admissions and having to shout to be heard. But they weren’t best friends who knew each other so intimately back then. They were just roommates slowly going through becoming friends.

So it started with Rhodey frowning at his C.

“What’s the matter, sourpatch?” Tony asked, and unconsciously, Rhodey hid the paper away from his eyes. Tony glanced at the paper Rhodey hid. “You seem… concerned?”

“It’s nothing,” Rhodey dismissed, not wanting to admit to getting a bad mark, “do you want to get take out tonight?”

“It’s not nothing!” Tony ignored his question, “you’re upset!”

Rhodey pursed his lips, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Tony’s shoulders slumped, “oh. Okay.”

Rhodey folded the paper neatly and put it in his drawer, trying to put the mark and conversation behind him, “okay, so do you want take out?”

“Actually, I know a place,” Tony said and then offered him a hand for Rhodey to take, “let’s eat out.”

~~~

In the next half an hour, Tony actually managed to bring a smile to his face, “I can’t believe you took me to Chuck E. Cheese!”

“Hey, say what you want about my methods, but I get results,” Tony grinned back at him, “I-I get to see that beautiful smile.”

Rhodey couldn’t help but have his smile spread at Tony’s downright adorable attempt at flirting. Then his smile dimmed slightly, as he brought his hand to his mouth in curiosity, realizing what that meant, “you did this to cheer me up?”

Tony snorted, “no, this is where I bring all my dates to.”

“Shut up,” Rhodey shoved him but didn’t object to this being called a date, “why here?”

Tony shrugged, “it’s where my butler used to bring me as a kid when I was upset. Always managed to make me forget what made me cry. Thought you could use this place too.”

Rhodey shook his head. It didn’t make sense how Tony managed to effortlessly understand him. Some people might have forced him to talk about what made him upset or took him anywhere else that wasn’t used to cheer a child up. But not Tony. Tony knew just what he needed.

“You’re ridiculous,” is what he told Tony and brought into a one armed hug.

-2-

“Hey, you’re back!” Tony cheered, “how was the test?”

“Good, I think,” Rhodey shrugged, “c’mon, you know me. And it’s physics. I’m good at it.”

Tony stuck his tongue at him, “don’t rub it in.”

Rhodey only smirked in response. “Okay, I'm studying for chem now, so be quiet.”

“What did you just say to me?” Tony gasped.

Rhodey chuckled, “I’ve only got a window for an hour. I gotta use it.”

“You just aced a test and you’re studying again?” Tony shook his head and stood up detremindly, “unacceptable. We, Rhodey Rhodes, are going out to celebrate. And I know just the place.”

“Tony, I can’t-”

Tony put a hand over his mouth, “I won’t hear it.”

Rhodey rolled his eyes but didn’t try objecting again.

~~~

“No, you’re wrong, the pool is way better than the beach!”

“I can’t believe you’re standing in front of this beauty and saying this!”

Rhodey glanced at the beach, “but the water is salty.”

Tony snorted and he sarcastically drawled, “okay, you win.”

“You know, you should be taking my side,” Rhodey pointed out, “out of the two of us you’re more likely to get a visible sunburn.”

Tony bristled, “yeah, but waves.”

“That’s a con.”

“No, it’s not!”

Rhodey smiled at him, “I’m not having a yes no argument with you.”

“Okay, then I win.”

Rhodey laughed. Rhodey went on to ace both of his tests and Tony grinned and said, “I take credit for giving you a much needed break.” Rhodey pinched him playfully but didn’t tell Tony how he was running on only coffee at that point.

-3-

“Honeybear, you’re gonna love me,” Tony announced to him.

“I already love you,” Rhodey told him and showed his point by rubbing his nose against Tony and briefly pressing a kiss to his lips.

Tony giggled, and what a wonderful sound it was. “No, I mean really love me. Like trying out that thing I keep suggesting love me.”

“Impossible,” Rhodey said and dropped what he was doing.

Tony smirked and said, “I got us two tickets to Guns n’ Roses.”

Rhodey gasped, “no!”

“Yes!”

Rhodey lunged at him and cupped Tony’s face in his hands, “oh my God, I do love you.”

Tony pecked him, “told you.”

“But wait,” Rhodey paused, “they’re all sold out. I made my sister camp out. How did you…?”

Tony bit his lip, “yeah, about that...”

Rhodey looked at him suspiciously, “what did you do?”

“Don’t worry, I just know a place.”

~~~

Tony ended up finding them the best car to drive them to the concert almost halfway across the country. He told their teachers they were sick with a high fever. Rhodey chastised him for it, but it was still the best concert he ever went to so it was half hearted. He was forever grateful to Tony for letting him see his favorite band live.

-4-

Rhodey felt like crying his eyes out with frustration. His CO wouldn’t let him do anything important, his CO didn’t believe he could do anything important and most importantly, his CO wasn’t letting him prove he could do anything important. He didn’t know what to do and he felt helpless and at loss. Rhodey hated feeling like that.

He burrowed his face into his boyfriend’s neck, the safest, most comforting place on Earth, “will you still date me if I quit MIT?”

“No actually, I have three other back ups I know won’t flunk,” Tony quipped but at the way Rhodey’s hands tightened around his middle he said, “just kidding, honeybear. You know you’re the only one for me. MIT or no MIT.”

Rhodey hummed, feeling warmer at the praise, “what if I go to CalTech?”

“Don’t even joke, Rhodes,” he rubbed his hands comfortingly around the arms on his waist, “why do you think you’re flunking?”

“I’m not flunking,” Rhodey mumbled, “but my CO sure wants me to.”

Tony groaned, “that guy’s a jerk. He doesn’t know what he has in his hands.”

Rhodey smiled into his neck, but he didn’t feel any less frustrated or any more hopeful.

“Hey, I think I have something that might cheer you up,” Tony said, “I was saving it for your birthday, but I think you might want it now.”

“I’m not in the mood,” Rhodey grumbled.

Tony chuckled, “get your mind out of the gutter. I know a place.”

~~~

Tony took him to a small airport. All through the drive Tony teased him about wearing a blindfold, so to not ruin the surprise, which did not ease Rhodey’s anxiety one bit. But when they got there… Tony showed him the most amazing plane. “It’s your favorite model, right?” Tony asked, “you told me so.”

Rhodey started at him and then at the plane and then back at Tony, “you remembered that?”

“Course I did,” Tony scoffed at him, “I needed something for your birthday. Come, this isn’t all.” Then Tony took him by the hand and introduced him to the pilot, “he’s gonna take you for a spin.”

Rhodey couldn’t believe what Tony was offering him, and it took him a while to recover enough to nod and get into the plane. The pilot flew him, twisting and turning and going upside down with the aircraft, making Rhodey shriek in delight. When they were done, the pilot allowed any and all questions, even letting Rhodey touch the controls to “test fly” the plane while it was turned off.

When he came to land Tony told him, “you’re not going to flunk.” He cupped Rhodey’s face gently, “you’re going to pass ROTC with flying colors, go on to get an amazing position that will make your CO jealous and fly a plane just like this one day. Just you wait.”

Little did Rhodey know by then, but Tony was right.

Rhodey kissed Tony with a smile still stretched on his face, “I don’t think you can find another gift for my birthday to top this.”

-5-

Rhodey was homesick. He hadn’t seen his family in a long time and he was starting to miss them. What put him in an especially sour mood was when his sister got a part in a play she was excited about, and Rhodey couldn’t come and watch it.

“I hate you when you’re in this mood,” Tony complained, “just want to make you feel better.”

Rhodey sighed, “I know this is hard for you to understand because your dad is an asshole. But I don’t know… I just miss them. And Philly too. God, I miss Philly.”

Tony looked thoughtful before a grin showed on his face, “I have an idea.”

“Oh no,” Rhodey teased.

Tony stuck his tongue out at him, “I think I know a place that will cheer you up. You trust me?”

Rhodey wanted to say something teasing but what he ended up saying was, “with my life.”

~~~

Tony took him to the Charles Hayden Planetarium because Rhodey once told him it reminded him of the Franklin Institute back at home. They watched the stars together and Rhodey nuzzled his neck and told him, “the stars in your eyes are more beautiful.” By the end of the night, Rhodey still missed home but he felt he was just as lucky to be with his other home, with Tony.

-+1-

Tony wiped the tears from his face, embarrassed that Rhodey saw his outburst of emotional weakness. Voice shaky and watery, Tony looked away from Rhodey’s concerned gaze. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Rhodey didn’t say anything and Tony didn’t watch for his reaction. Eventually, Rhodey sat beside, pressed himself against Tony and nudged him gently. “I think I know a place,” he joked.

Tony laughed quietly, the laugh coming out broken. The line had long since become an inside joke for them, as Tony had a habit of repeating it too much. Rhodey usually wasn’t serious when he said it, but this seemed like more than a joke. He wondered what place Rhodey could be talking about. A burger joint? A robotics lab? Maybe a music store?

But instead, Rhodey brought him to his arms and hugged him tightly, hands on Tony’s back drawing comforting circles.

Tony frowned, confused, “what’s the place?”

Rhodey hugged him tighter, “right here,” he said, kissing the top of Tony’s head, “home.”

#userpavi #userduckyy #usersae #ironhusbands #iron husbands #rhfe #rhodeytony #tonyrhodey #james rhodes #james rhodey rhodes #rhodey #tony stark #druwrites #ironhusbands fic #rhodeytony fic #Iron Man #war machine #iron patriot #Tony is 15 at the start but rhodey is just one year older than him in this fic. some parts are when they're 18

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fortes-fortuna-iogurtum · 4 years ago

Text

an incomplete list of Thoughts on Gallifrey: Time War 4

will probably be added to as time goes on because my brain is in a fog this morning and I’m really struggling to be coherent

this is already so long and I don’t know how to stop oh no

- Time War could’ve very easily been a 5-boxset arc, and I really wish it would’ve been. I think it would’ve cleared up a lot of the issues that I and others have with the arc, especially in terms of pacing and character and relationship development.

- alternatively, they could’ve returned to the original format of 5 chapters per season, which I personally liked a lot and think works a little better for Gallifrey.

- this is technically about Time War 2 and 3, but it’s connected to 4, so: I think some stories should’ve been shifted around a bit so that things flowed along more smoothly and the transition from Mother Tongue to Unity made more sense, and then from Unity to Homecoming. because as it stands, it feels to me like making Romana and Leela and Narvin “break up” after Leela spends all that time away from them was just done for drama and wasn’t fleshed out well enough to completely work like I’m assuming the writers wanted it to.

- I have come to the conclusion that, while David Llewellyn is a good writer whose Gallifrey stories I generally enjoy a lot, he just doesn’t understand Brax very well.

- actually I feel like Brax’s writing in Gallifrey has just been a little *off* since his last appearance in Gally4. (with the exception of Solider Obscura, which I love, even though I ALSO question the writers’ decision to essentially reverse Brax’s character development there; again, this is another thing that I think could’ve been just fine if there had been more time to deal with it, say a fifth boxset or five stories in every boxset)

- and this makes sense -- because David Llewellyn doesn’t fully grasp some really core aspects of who Brax is and his motivations, but is generally a pretty good writer and seems to get the other main characters of Gallifrey well, we’re left with a sense of good writing for Brax... but when it really comes down to it in the end, everything sorta falls apart because he doesn’t understand the deeper workings of the character and why he does the things he does.

- basically I really really wish Justin Richards could’ve written Beyond, because I think he would’ve done an amazing job with it and the ending wouldn’t have felt so bizarre

- (also I wonder if they had to cut a scene last minute because honestly that whole last sequence feels incredibly weird somehow??? not only does it feel OOC for Romana--like come on. I’m sorry, I know that he’s mistreated her and people she cares about a lot and she has a right to be done with him, but we know her. her responding that way to seeing him brutally killed in front of her after all their conversations in the earlier parts of the story feels so incredibly wrong and I cannot articulate just how much I dislike it--but there’s also an incredibly rough scene transition there and a music transition that sounds really bad, to be blunt. like they had to chop out a scene the morning before release and had no time to fix it, so they just did what they had to and hoped no one would notice)

- gotta be honest, I’m pretty salty about Beyond and probably will be talking about it for a while. maybe I should make a tag specifically for it so y’all can mute that one, because I hate being so negative about things I actually do enjoy, but I had a Lot of issues with that story and I just....

- yeah anyway, moving on 😅

- I did, on the whole, enjoy Homecoming, however

- again with the pacing, I think it would’ve been a lot better if they had been able to lead up to it more, especially with the emotional relationships between the Trio. Leela and Romana was ok, Romana and Narvin was ok, and Leela and Narvin was ok, but they really could’ve gone harder on the emotions I think?

- actually that’s a big thing about this boxset overall, and it’s especially evident in Homecoming-- I feel like they were holding back for some reason, and they really really didn’t have to. Especially as this is being advertised (at least in an unspoken way) as The Big Finale.

- (I mean for one they definitely could’ve had Leela and Narvin kiss at the end of that last interaction and it would’ve been fine and super fitting but ya know)

- also I do want to draw attention to the fact that this is most certainly not the absolute and final end of Gallifrey. I mean, perhaps of Gallifrey proper? But I’m going to be incredibly shocked if this it just. it. for these storylines and these characters. especially with where they left things at the end of Homecoming.

- actually, this might be the root of this problem: that the writers were simultaneously trying to write the Big Finish (no pun intended) for Gallifrey, but at the same time, they wanted to keep it very open-ended and ready to be picked up again when the time comes. So it ends up just feeling kind of... muddled, and noncommittal. Because they want this huge, heartrending, emotional finale, but at the same time it’s not a finale, and so they can’t do anything too big and heartrending and emotional and final with the characters, because the story needs to be able to continue. and so we’re stuck with an “ending” that’s probably not really an ending, and it simultaneously feels just a little underdone and like a big lead-up into nowhere.

- I mentioned to @spicydinosaurwings948 right after listening to it that the end reminded me of that thing a lot of big film/TV franchises do now, where they lay threads throughout one film and at the very end there’s an after-credits scene and some sort of announcement that ushers in the next era or spin-off of the franchise (sort of like what they did in the end of the most reason season of The Mandalorian, where they’re using Boba Fett’s involvement in that show to launch his own series). The problem is, as far as we know right now, they aren’t planning anything to follow up on this (unless they’re really great at keeping secrets and telling half-truths and are planning to shock us all in a few weeks, which wouldn’t entirely surprise me even tho I’m not counting on it happening).

- I have seen people say that they think some of the problem with the finale was that the writers were too occupied with trying to tie things into other existing storylines, like the show itself and the DW audios, which is also valid. I don’t personally think that is the root of the problem, but I definitely understand where that idea is coming from and I agree that it could’ve contributed to the issues.

- now might also be a time to mention that I can totally see some of these things from Gally:TW being brought up in the young War Doctor stories they’re doing soon? obviously not too much, but I can see characters like Eris showing up there, or maybe a reference to the Doctor not knowing where Romana is, or maybe even Armitage!Rassilon being the first Rassilon of those stories.

- annnnnd speaking of Hot Rassilon: the “ascension”. I have no idea what was going on with all that but it definitely felt like Something Big and now I’m really puzzled as to what there were doing with it?? is this going to be picked up somewhere else?? is it just another thing they introduced that needed to be fleshed-out better?? hello Big Finish and Scott Handcock and anyone else who can help me, I really need answers because?????? (I mean surely, surely it doesn’t tie into Ascension of the Cybermen???????)

#more to come #because I still have more thoughts but getting them out of my head in any sort of logical order is tough today #gallifrey time war 4 #gallifrey spoilers #gallifandom #big finish gallifrey #leela #narvin #romana #braxiatel #gallifrey: homecoming #also if anyone wants to reply to any of these thoughts please feel free??#I'd love to talk to more people about their thoughts and get more perspectives!

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mangobilorian · 5 years ago

Text

Desert | (mature) iv

Pairing: The Mandalorian x Reader

Words: 6615

read chapters one, two, three

check out my AO3 here

You’re sweating. Which shouldn’t be concerning, but space is cold. The Razor Crest becomes especially cold, the metal walls cool to the touch. You move a bit, and find that you’re trapped under a heavy arm. Mando. With a grunt, you try to wiggle out of his grasp, but he only pulls you tighter to his chest.

“Where are you going?” His voice is… so attractive like this. Deep, raspy, unfiltered.

“You’re heavy,” you say, still trying to free yourself. “Why aren’t you flying? Did we land?” Mando groans.

“Yeah. We’re on Tatooine already.” Oh. That’s why you’re sweating. Of course, the extremely hot bounty hunter contributed most of the heat, but it’s usually not this warm in the Crest.

“How long-” Mando cuts you off by loosening his hold, only to roll over and brace himself on top of you. He supports the majority of his own weight, but your chests still touch.

Mando leans over and presses a kiss to your lips and you reciprocate with fervor. You feel a hand caress your sides, drawing slow circles across your waist.

“You up for another round?” The idea is arousing, but… no.

“I’m too sore,” you pout even though he can’t see. Already, the ache between your legs is noticeable and annoying enough that you don’t want to worsen it. When Mando said that Tatooine wasn’t far, it was an understatement. The trip took about three and a half days. Most of which was spent underneath (and sometimes on top) of Mando, learning about how your bodies worked together and figuring out what you liked. It also meant that while your experience increased tenfold, you were now extremely sore and needed a little break.

Mando sighs disappointedly and kisses you again. It’s comforting to have his body pressed against yours, just kissing slowly and languidly like you’re two people in the galaxy who like each other.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Mando pushes off from you, and gets off the bed. You hear the clang of clothes and metal. You close your eyes again, content to stay on the verge of sleep. With Mando gone, the oppressive heat from before lessens, and you let the relief wash over you. The lulling pull of sleep sings at you, and you’re tempted to accept.

Except the lights in the Razor Crest turn on, and your sleep is shattered. Mando steps into view, his underclothes and helmet on, but nothing else. He stares at you, and you realize that you’re still naked. You fumble to cover yourself—a useless endeavor—when he turns around to give you some privacy.

“I’m heading out soon. Want to come?” What? Mando never asks you to tag along with him, always claiming that it’s too dangerous. And it is dangerous. Tatooine is in Hutt space, and for him to invite you along is suspicious. However, the idea of seeing another planet is alluring. You realize that Tatooine would be the second planet you’ve ever been on, another step into finding out about your brother. And while the odds are slim that you’ll get any clue at all, you have a good feeling about the whole trip.

“I asked because you had cabin fever. Now come on,” he gestures in mock irritation, not waiting for a reply. You smile and reach for some clothes.

*****

Tatooine is a brutal place. Sand gets everywhere—in your hair, your clothes, even in your eyes. You have to pull the top of your shirt over your lips to stop sand from entering your mouth and nose too. For the first time, you envy the Mandalorian. His helmet protects him from the slap of sand that rides the winds. However, wearing all that armor in the heat evens it out. He’s probably baking underneath.

Mos Eisley is both exactly the same and completely different from your home city. The familiar feeling of crime and villainy permeates the air, and there’s a buzzing tension in your bones. Call it nerves or excitement or maybe fear, but you feel different. Like something big is about to happen or the status quo will snap and the galaxy will be upturned. The first time you had this feeling, you received news of your brother’s death. The second time, the Empire collapsed.

Upon arriving at the spaceport, rows of bloody Stormtrooper helmets impaled on sticks greet you. The visceral sight reminds you, for a brief second, that violence and bloodshed are very real in the galaxy, and they’re very real on Tatooine. If you pay attention, you notice the small collars around young women, the scarred faces of old men. Slaves, you realize. Tatooine still had slaves— all Hutt planets did. Of all the planets Mando had to drag you to, did it really have to be this?

You enter a cantina, and Mando ushers you into a booth. He talks to the bartender for a little bit, probably gathering some information. The place reminds you of your parents’ bar, much dirtier and cheaper but the concept stands. If you squint, you can see hands ready on blasters, women whispering in men’s ears. Mando looks like he belongs, his very stance screaming confidence and threat. Everyone parts for him, fear evident in their eyes, and you realize that this is the first time you’ve seen him working. Granted, your first interaction involved spilling information about Ras Drun, but the Mando then is different from the Mando now. At least you think so.

The band plays some jaunty tune, one you haven’t heard since you were young. People chatter about, already drunk despite it being midday. The air smells musty and feels slightly sticky. But right in the midst of it all, you can feel the stringy tension of anticipation.

Mando slides in next to you with a drink in hand. He pushes it over, and you glance at it. It’s some orange drink— bubbly and cold. Hesitantly, you bring the glass to your lips. You try not to cringe, but… it tastes awful. Bitter and salty at the same time. It tasted like something pissed in your mouth. At least it’s cold.

“How much did this even cost?” You sputter, pushing the drink away. Mando chuckles. “Please tell me it wasn’t more than three credits?” Paying any money at all for the drink seems like a bad idea.

“Imperial credits don’t work here. Besides, it’s cold. Enjoy it.” He grabs the glass and sets it directly in front of you. You give him the biggest pout you can muster and take another sip, wincing the whole time. If you ignore the taste, you can enjoy the cooling, refreshing effect. Except the taste can not be ignored, so you were stuck with a piss drink. Despite the atrocious taste, part of you relishes in the fact that Mando bought the drink for you.

“Thank you,” you say, wishing you had shown some gratitude before you insulted his gift. The bounty hunter simply snorts, the sound distorted and tinny, looking away to observe the busy cantina. “What about you? Are you gonna get something?”

“Helmet,” he says, and points at his head. Oh. Right…

Your face grows even hotter, and a traitorous bead of sweat slides down your spine. You laugh off your mistake, and Mando places an arm around your shoulder, helmet tilted away from you. The weight and added heat of his body would be enough for you to complain, but you don’t. You… kind of like it. It feels comfortable to be like this— pressed against the bounty hunter’s side, protected by the most dangerous man in the cantina. He looks so intimidating and strong that it hurts your chest. You decide to pity his enemies; you can’t imagine having to face him on a hunt.

Without any words, you survive another sip of the disgusting drink and press further into Mando. He jolts for a brief second and tightens his grip around you. A flicker of confidence surges through you, and you place a hand on his armor-plated thigh. He tenses under your touch, a small sound of surprise filtering through his helmet.

Emboldened, you drag your hand upwards— to the space above the armor plate where thick fabric is the only thing between you and the bounty hunter. Just as you touch him, Mando shoots out and grabs your hand.

“What are you doing?” You turn your head away from Mando and towards the wall. His fingers still grip your wrist, but he lets go when you don’t respond. Once your hand returns to its initial position, you squeeze gently.

The strong muscle is still tense, and you don’t think anything you do will make him relax. Slowly, you curve your hands inwards, toward the apex of his thighs. You see Mando raise a hand, preparing to stop you, but he doesn’t.

It’s exciting, you think, as you edge closer to the fabric covering Mando’s cock. The idea of touching him, stroking him in a place as public and dirty as a Tatooine cantina should be embarrassing and disturbing. But it’s not. The idea excites you very much, and it probably excites Mando too if his lack of complaint is anything to go by. You wonder what he would do if you slip underneath the table. Would he stop you then? Or would he tangle his gloved fingers in your hair and watch as you graze a tongue over his head and suck his length into your mouth?

For now, you settle with gentle touches. Mando doesn’t move, even when you squeeze a little bit. His cock hardens under your touch, and he drops his arm around your shoulders to nestle around your waist, gloved fingers tracing circles and random shapes.

This feels right, you realize. As dirty as it is—really, you would never entertain the idea of giving Mando a handjob in a crowded cantina— you enjoy the ordeal, the teasing. You apply harder pressure on his cock, not enough to hurt but enough to show that you were eager. It’s a Mando thing, you decide. He’s the reason you’re acting so different from the girl he found a month ago.

You sneak a look at the bounty hunter, fingers already reaching for his zipper. Your hand touches metal, and you’re ready to pull down. But something catches your eye, and you look past Mando. There, sitting in a booth on the opposite side of the cantina, is a man. He’s handsome in a dark, rugged way, probably a local. And he’s staring at you with open recognition, and you shiver despite the heat.

You take your hand away, deciding to look elsewhere and rub your arms for some warmth. Mando jostles around and looks to where you were staring at moments ago. You expect to see the man sitting there and hope his gaze is somewhere else. But he’s gone. As if he was a figment of your imagination.

“What’s wrong?” Mando asks, squeezing your waist. “Everything all right?” You nod, eyes transfixed on the now-empty booth. The drive to pleasure Mando is completely gone now as well as your budding arousal, and you hope he isn’t too put off by being teased. Thankfully, Mando takes your silence and doesn’t push.

Something in your gut tells you to move. Tells you that the anticipation in the air is so close to reaching a conclusion. You take one last sip of the drink and shimmy away from Mando.

“Going to the ‘fresher,” you say, as normally as you can. Mando nods and gestures at the refresher’s direction. He starts to step out of the booth, but you stop him. With careful movements, you manage to squeeze between Mando and the table. After one last look at his helmet, you head to the ‘fresher.

It’s down some dark hallway, illuminated by one flickering light source embedded into the wall. You want to run away and go back to Mando, but you need to figure something out. You need answers.

“I can’t believe you’re here.”

You whip around and see the man from earlier. He’s older than you by a few years probably, but he would still be considered young. Yet he looks like someone who suffered through war and other tragedies. You should be scared, you think. You’re a girl by herself and he’s an older man yet…

“Who are you?” He shakes his head, lips set in a grim line.

“A friend of a friend. I… I never would’ve expected to see you here.” You frown. Who is this man? Scared or not, you’re creeped out by the fact that he knows you.

“What do you mean?” He sighs, and walks forward. You realize that he’s been walking ahead the whole time, and your back almost touches the back wall. He looks dazed, staring in your direction but not exactly at you. “Please. I don’t know who you are.”

Over his shoulder, you see Mando’s looming silhouette. He storms over and grabs the man by the back of his shirt, a blaster pressed to his head.

“Who are you?” Mando growls. The sheer aggression makes you back further into the wall. You have to remind yourself that Mando is not here to hurt you. He’s here for-

“Wait! Mando, don’t-” But the bounty hunter doesn’t listen, and he slams the man into the wall. Before Mando can do anymore harm, the man gasps, forced out of his earlier daze.

“I knew your brother!” He says, and everything stills. The air crackles like static, and the string of anticipation snaps with fervor. At your paralyzed state, Mando releases the man who sags against the wall. “He is- was a good friend of mine. I know who you are because he showed me holos of you. I never thought I’d see you. H-he always talked about you. He loved you very much. He was my best friend,” the man blabbers. The words wash over you. He knew your brother. He knew your brother.

“Were you there? When he died?” The man stops talking and looks at you with a certain kind of heavy sadness.

“Yes,” he whispers. “I was there when the Empire shot down your brother. He sacrificed many things for the Rebel Alliance.” Your brother… was a rebel? The Empire killed him? No, that’s not possible. He was just a simple pilot who traveled for fun or carried cargo sometimes. He wasn’t a rebel.

But he was, a traitorous voice whispers. And this man knew him.

*****

When the man, Crix Kilis, brought you and Mando to his house, you didn’t expect it to be a farm. A moisture farm actually. The idea boggled you for a bit—you’ve never thought about planets where people had to harvest water from the air. The farm itself is quite small, with architecture you’ve never seen before.

The ride to his farm was uneventful. Mando had glared at Crix when he suggested going to his place and even dragged you aside for a moment.

“You really trust this guy?”

“He knew my brother. Our meeting wasn’t a coincidence.” He grumbled something that you couldn’t hear, but you weren’t really paying attention. Most of your mind was set on the fact that you finally had a clue to your brother’s life. Granted, you weren’t searching very hard. You thought you’d know how to fly and be out of Mandos’s care before you would start searching. And on your first stop, you met Crix. Maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe the galaxy is being weird.

Crix offered for you a ride on his speeder bike, but Mando refused and rented one for the both of you instead. The rebel shrugged and carried on. The trip was spent in silence, Mando driving the speeder right behind Crix. The rational part of your brain told you to be more cautious. But your brain was a little too frazzled to be thinking rationally.

“Here, sit down. You want some tea?” You nod, and Crix rifles through a cabinet. Mando sits next to you, legs spread wide, one arm over your shoulder. He doesn’t look at you, electing to observe the small house instead. As he watches Crix, you watch him. Mando’s been tense since Crix arrived in your life. Of course, he’s a bounty hunter; it’s part of the job to be suspicious. But he keeps touching you, on your shoulders, back, waist. You don’t mind. It feels good to have his attention on you. A small part of you considers that he’s being protective. After all, this is the first time you’ve been off the Crest in weeks, and you suddenly meet your brother’s rebel friend? But no, you’re not important enough to him for him to protect. Right?

Crix sets the tea on the table, and you take a sip. You expected something hot, so when the cold liquid touches your lips, you almost choke.

“What did you do?” Mando growls, and Crix backs up. The hand on you tightens, and you wave the question away.

“It’s fine. I thought the tea would be hot, not cold.” His helmet turns to you then to the drink.

“She’s right. Why have hot drinks on a desert planet?” Mando relents and slowly relaxes his hold, but the tension doesn’t fade all the way. You hear a hiss from outside, and Crix looks up in mild alarm. He gestures for you to relax; it’s just a piece of farming equipment that got loose. He exits the house with a bag of tools in hand.

You and Mando sit quietly, and you sometimes take sips of the cold tea. It’s refreshing and a welcome upgrade from the nasty orange drink in the cantina. Sighing, you lean your head to rest on Mando’s shoulder. Your cheek grazes his pauldron, but the majority of your face nestles into the crook of his neck. He jolts at the contact then reigns you closer. The position is slightly uncomfortable since your head is pressed into his neck. He’s in full armor and wearing heavy fabric and his body heat alone makes you sweat. But he warms you up in another way—in a cheesy, jittery, totally ridiculous way.

“Do you feel… safe here?” You burrow deeper into his embrace.

“Yeah. I had this feeling earlier that something big was gonna happen. And it did.” It’s comforting to have your instincts be right. You don’t know what you’d do if you never got answers for your strange feeling.

“Doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.” You hum in response and trace a gentle circle into the armorless part of Mando’s thigh. If Crix hadn’t been watching, how far would you have gone with Mando in the cantina? Surely, you wouldn’t have actually given him a handjob or blowjob right? The hornier, dirtier part of you disagrees. And Mando, for all his conservative clothes, would enjoy your boldness. Did enjoy your boldness.

“I have to go soon.” You break away from his hold to peer into his visor. “I came here for a bounty.” Right. You forgot you’re on Tatooine because it was Mando’s choice and not because of fate.

“So you want me to go back to the Crest?” He sighs, and you can feel the movement through the armor.

“If you want to, then yes. If you feel safe here, then you can stay too.” You try to reply but he cuts you off. “Look, I don’t like the guy. But if he knows your brother, then you deserve to talk to him.” He turns away from you, but you reach a hand out to stop him.

“Thank you,” you say. “I think I’ll stay then. When will you be back?” He shrugs.

“Once I get the bounty. Tell the guy that I can pay him for his services.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Crix says from the doorway. There’s a strange look on his face, and you realize the position you’re in. You clear your throat and separate a bit, but Mando doesn’t bother to move.

“She’s my best friend’s sister,” he addresses Mando. “And you are here as a guest,” he nods at you. “I’ll be back in a few,” he says heading out the way he came.

“When are you leaving?”

“Now.” Oh. All right.. You both stand up, and you take a moment to register just how big he is. In the dark, you can map out every muscle, every scar, every imperfection through touch alone. But with the searing Tatooine suns, you wonder if you even know him. If you’ll ever know him. That won’t stop your feelings though, however foolish they might be.

You expect him to walk out right away, but he pauses and lays a hand on your shoulder. You want him to hug you. You want him to hold you tight and whisper sweet words in your ear.

But he doesn’t hug you or whisper anything. He simply rubs your shoulder. It should be comforting. Instead, it’s a reminder of how close you can be to him, but he’ll always put himself farther away.

“Stay safe,” you say, wishing one last time for him to hug you. He gives you a single nod, releases your shoulder, and heads out. You watch his back disappear through the door and hear the gentle roar of a speeder. A minute later, Crix enters with his tools.

“Hungry?”

“Yeah,” you say, eyes still trained on the door.

*****

Tatooine has beautiful sunsets. The suns cast a certain glow the neon signs on your home planet could never hope to achieve. Crix sits next to you, hands propping him upright. With an almost empty glass of cold tea in hand (your third cup since arriving), you let yourself relax. You didn’t think that being off the Crest would make a difference, but you definitely feel better. The atmosphere of relaxation does wonders for physical and mental health, after all.

“Tell me about my brother,” you say, breaking the silence. Crix releases a wistful sigh, still staring ahead.

“He was amazing. A pretty darn good pilot too. He was so good that Luke Skywalker complimented him once.” He glances at you, but your lack of response at the name makes him frown. “You don’t know Luke Skywalker?” You shake your head. Why would you? Your planet wasn’t too affected by the Empire, so there was no difference when it fell. What’s one rebel to you?

“Skywalker is the pilot who brought down the first Death Star. He’s actually the best pilot in the rebellion, maybe the galaxy,” he chuckles. “There were also rumors that he was a Jedi.” He whispers the last word, still waiting for some sort of reaction. You give him none.

“Seriously? You don’t know anything?” You shrug.

“This is the first time I’ve ever been off planet. What is a… Jedi?” Crix moves a bit, and settles into a more comfortable position.

“Before the Empire, the Jedi were the peacekeepers of the Republic. The Empire purged all Jedi when it came to power. It’s rumoured that Skywalker is a Jedi because he’s so amazing. The things he does, the things I’ve seen him do… are nothing short of miracles. Even if he’s not a Jedi, it’s poetic. A Jedi restoring the Republic and ending the Empire’s oppression. Now that’s a good campaign,” he smiles softly. Right. Like any of those words meant anything to you. You barely register what he said.

“What do Jedi do exactly?” You ask for the sake of it. In actuality, you want to get away from the off-topic situation and back to your brother, but Crix seems too appalled at your lack of knowledge.

“They can move stuff with their mind, plant suggestions in people’s heads, and use lightsabers.” It sounds like a whole bunch of magic. “At least, that’s what it said in the secret volumes at the Great Library of Alderaan,” he trails off, glancing away from you.

“You’re from Alderaan?” You’d heard the news years ago. The whole tavern had watched the news show Alderaan’s destruction. All channels coming from Alderaan ended, no evidence left behind except for space debris. An entire planet wiped from existence.

“Yeah,” he smiles bitterly. “That’s where I met your brother actually. Seven years ago.” You straighten. “He really was a simple cargo pilot. I was a lousy rebel pilot in disguise. We became friends, and he grew more interested in the Alliance. A month after meeting him, he pledged allegiance to the cause in the backroom of a bar.”

“My brother died seven years ago. You said the Empire killed him.” None of this makes sense. He must have a rebel for longer than that. You remember the news reaching your family. You remember the little slip of paper saying that your brother died.

“No he didn’t.” You also remember that there was never a body. The small hope of him being alive always lingered. If there was no body, there was no proof. You always imagined finding him, happy and whole, living on some nice, temperate planet. Maybe that could still happen. But if Crix is here and your brothers isn’t then-

“So he’s alive?” Crix turns and takes your hand in his. The gentle squeeze tells everything.

“I’m sorry. He died defending Beta Group. He- do you want to know the story?” You nod. Your chest hurt like battery fuel on fire. Your tiny hope crushed before it could grow any further. “We were in the Beta Group under Commander Lajaie. The ships were in the Mako-Ta Space Docks. I remember it like yesterday,” he chuckles without humor. “The ships failed when we tried to enter hyperspace, and Vader arrived with the Death Squadron.” He glances at you, but you look away, staring into the bleeding suns. “The Commander told us to go to the escape pods, but Vader went to attack those first. Your brother, against orders, led enough of Vader’s fighters away from the escape pods. He saved many lives, sacrificing himself in the process.”

“When?”

“Three years ago after the Battle of Yavin.”

Everything stops. The slight wind, the hot sand, everything. You thought he was dead for seven years. You lived with the grief of losing your best friend, your confidant. You cried for so many nights, aching for him back. You had centered so much of your kriffing identity around your brother that-

“He didn’t want to endanger you.” You jerk your head to Crix. “If the Empire knew he was a rebel, they might go after his family too. It’s happened before. Better to pretend that he’s dead than risk your life. I faked my death too.” You don’t understand. The Empire never affected your life very much. Why would your brother even join the rebellion? Why? His life, your life, your parents’ lives: the Empire never mattered as long as you had each other. As if he can see the questions on your face, Crix speaks up.

“He believed in the cause. In the Republic. In democracy.”

“Fuck democracy,” you seethe. He says your name, but you yank your hand away from his. “Your damn democracy is the reason my brother died! Fuck the rebellion, fuck Skywalker, and fuck you. You probably didn’t even care-”

“You don’t know me,” he says calmly. But you don’t listen. You don’t want to listen. “He was my best friend. He was there when I realized the Death Star vaporized my planet,” he continues and you stay quiet, heart still fuming. “I was there when he talked about his family, about you. He loved you. And I loved him,” he says. You freeze and he looks at you with such raw, vulnerable eyes.

“Were you…”

“Yes. We were lovers,” he whispers.

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.” You try to search for something to say, anything to say. But the words die on your tongue and you reach for his hand. So much grief to process in so little time.

“I was a scholar on Alderaan,” Crix says after minutes of silence. “The Empire destroyed most texts about Jedi but not all. They gave me hope to join the Alliance. I never thought I’d be a pilot. I wanted to help in other ways, but they needed more pilots, even bad ones. I considered dropping out. But your brother convinced me to stay in the same way I convinced him to join.”

“Why Tatooine?”

“I had a feeling. Besides, Luke and his father, Anakin, were from here. If this planet can produce two heroes, why not settle here? Of course, slavery and Hutts aren’t very good, but… I had a feeling. Maybe the Force knew I’d meet you,” he shrugs. After a few beats of silence, he stands up and brushes the sand off his pants, hand still in yours. “Let’s get some food then sleep.”

“Thank you,” you squeeze his hand, “for everything.”

*****

After eating some classic bantha steak for dinner and drinking it down with blue milk (an odd but tasty treat), you settle down on the couch with Crix in front of you on another chair.

You tell Crix about life back home. About your parents working hard to provide for you. How they loved you and cared for you, and you were too blind to see it because all their attention was spent on their business, their employees. Because if you learned anything from staying with Mando, it’s that some people show their affection silently or roughly, but it never detracts from the intent.

You ask Crix if he would like to come to your home planet and meet your parents. He says he’d love to.

Crix tells you all about the adventures he had with your brother. How a simple Alderanian scholar like him became a rebel pilot— the story involved espionage, betrayal, and gambling—or how their first mission together failed. Or even how your brother first reacted to being kissed.

“It was like the concept of a guy kissing another guy was foreign to him,” Crix says.

“We were very sheltered growing up despite owning a… prostitution bar.” He shakes his head in disbelief.

“Sheltered alright. He became a rebel and you’re dating a Mandalorian bounty hunter.”

“We’re not dating.” Crix gives you a sure, yeah sure look. You yawn in response.

You know you should sleep, but the buzzing excitement of questions stops you. Mando said you deserved to talk to Crix, so you will. Besides, conversation with Crix flows easier than a tap of beer. In the same way your brother was your best friend, Crix could be too. If they loved and trusted each other enough to consider marriage after the Empire collapses— a revelation that stings and bites and makes you cry— then you can love and trust Crix too.

Of course, the Empire and Rebel Alliance’s role in your brother’s death still haunts the back of your mind. If he had never joined, he wouldn’t have died. At least, that’s what you tell yourself. The galaxy is too large and too dangerous to ever guarantee someone’s life. In this galaxy, a Queen of Alderaan and her planet were vaporized, and a Tatooine farm boy destroyed the Empire. Crix told you that ‘it was the will of the Force’ but you don’t really believe it.

How could you believe that an order of wizard monks that were purged to almost extinction? But if your brother believed in Luke Skywalker— something that Crix made sure to tell you often—then maybe you could too. Except-

A large part of you feels betrayed. Sure, faking his death was for your safety. It still doesn’t erase the years of mourning and grief. It doesn’t erase how you poured so much of yourself into the idea of tracing his steps and living his journey. Finding clues about your brother was supposed to be your big adventure, your ‘coming of age’ tale. Yet…

He should’ve told you. You would’ve joined him too. You would become a rebel if it meant being with your best friend despite being a young teenager. You’d be by his and Crix’s side, helping to save the galaxy. Maybe he knew that you would follow. You were young and impressionable and idolized him too much.

“It’s getting late. You can sleep in the bedroom; I’ll be out here.”

“This is your place, Crix. Not mine.”

“And you’re my lover’s sister. He would smite me,” you both laugh. It’s comfortable and soothing. You can imagine living here, on Tatooine, and helping Crix farm water. Crix would definitely welcome you. Your brother would like it too. The two people he cared for, taking care of each other.

But you know your place is with Mando. At least for now. When you think of home, it was always the tavern. The Crest isn’t comfortable. It isn’t a home. Yet, being around Mando feels right. Like it’s meant to be. Of course, the cheesy romantic side of you swoons and does all the talking. The rational part scoffs. A life with a bounty hunter doesn’t seem like the life you want or could enjoy. Besides, you have your answers. You’ve accomplished your goals. There’s nothing left to learn from Mando.

“Let’s just share the bed, yeah?”

“Your Mando won’t mind?” You shrug.

“It’s not like we’re together, you know. And you’re basically my new brother now.” Crix smiles, a wide, happy, smile. You return the favor.

When you wake up, hours later, Crix has already left. Groaning, you stretch your arms and back. A real bed did wonders for your physical state. Of course, Crix’s warmth was nothing like Mando’s. Sleeping next to Crix was like cuddling alongside your brother. Familial. Platonic. Mando, on the other hand, made you think sinful, unutterable things.

A glass of milk waits for you when you emerge from the room. You glance around at the empty living room, and conclude that Crix must be outside. You decide to lounge on the couch with the cold milk and take little sips. There isn’t anything for you to do; when you tried to help yesterday, Crix shooed you away with fervor. Your skills also don’t apply to farming; you’re better off with managing finances.

You settle for stretching on the floor, taking the time to hold the positions. It’s hot as usual, and you already build up a sweat. You stretched regularly at home, more out of boredom than a desire to stay healthy. There’s room to exercise on the Crest; you see Mando doing it when he has the chance, but it’s still a little awkward for you to stretch around the ship. The Crest isn’t yours, and you don’t know how long Mando will allow you to stay. The thought of your temporary status makes you feel… a little inadequate, so you push that to the back of your mind.

After an hour or so, Crix invites you outside. He asks if you’ll join him on a little trip to Tosche Station since he’s missing some parts he needs for repairs. You agree, excited for a mini adventure, and strap into the speeder bike. Hopefully Mando won’t get worried if he arrives at an empty house. Some part of you wants Mando to miss you and get worried, as selfish as the thought is.

Anchorhead is quite boring. Aside from leering males and brute criminals, nothing exciting happens. Of course, you and Crix were mistaken for husband and wife—something the both of you laugh at— so you pretend to be in-laws instead which isn’t that far from the truth. After Crix buys all his parts and some extra supplies, you head back to his homestead.

The rest of the hot day is spent talking about your brother. How he was a great pilot and an even greater friend. How he had to be an absolutely amazing person to catch the attention of a Jedi. Crix seems to hold an idol complex for the near-extinct wizard religion, so your brother talking to Luke was momentous for him. He offers to tell you stories about the Jedi Order, but you’re not really interested. It’s probably your poor, uneducated, Outer Rim self speaking, but the Jedi of the Republic are so fantastical that it’s hard to believe they’re real. Besides, why would you listen to tales about them when you can learn more about your brother?

The day passes quicker than you realize, and the gentle chill of the night arrives. Like the previous night, you and Crix sit outside to watch the suns set. It’s calming, and you find yourself getting used to the routine. You can see a future, a life here with Crix. A simple life, far from the dangers of space and accompanied by your brother’s lover.

“He likes you,” Crix says, nudging you out of your thoughts. At your confused face, he continues. “The Mandalorian.” You scoff.

“As if. I don’t even know his name or face.” Crix shakes his head.

“It wasn’t like that before. My mom told me that Mandos could take off their helmets and say their names anytime they wanted. I think yours is just super strict,” Crix shrugs. Huh. You’ve always wondered about the Mandalorian culture and how strong warriors are hardly seen anymore. Maybe they’re like the Jedi: from a time before the Empire, forever hiding in the shadows, content to lay low and survive.

“Maybe,” you say and turn to face the lowering suns. From the corner of your eye, you see a dark figure speeding closer. Crix notices too and squints at the approaching speeder bike. The person parks right in front of you and hops off. Mando.

He drags a gagged and blindfolded person off the bike and onto the sand below. The human male struggles for a bit, but Mando presses a button on the vambrace, and the man shudders before falling unconscious. It’s a disturbing sight, and you shiver. You can’t imagine the feeling of getting electrocuted to sleep.

“Well, he’s a bounty hunter for sure,” Crix mutters. You jump to your feet and approach Mando. He looks tired. The tension in his shoulders, the stiff stance of his legs, and the heavier breathing point to growing signs of fatigue. A pang of guilt stabs your heart.

While you were lounging around, drinking milk, and watching the sunset, Mando was working his ass off for a bounty. For just a few credits to fuel his ship and feed himself while providing for you. You haven’t even done anything useful except cleaning and providing a warm body.

Maybe that’s all he needs you for.

As excited as you are to see him, you also feel a little dread. Crix nods at Mando, and they enter the house along with the bounty. As Mando passes the threshold, he holds a hand out towards you. The little action makes you smile, and you scurry over to take his hand. Together, you go inside the house. Despite the air being hot as usual, you relish in the warmth of Mando’s gloved hand, in the heat his metal armor retains.

You’ll talk to him later about ways you can help out and ease the burden of his job. Possibly figure out what your relationship really is. If it even needs a label. You need clarity eventually, some even ground at least.

For now, you settle next to Mando on the couch as Crix prepares some food. Mando will have to eat in a separate room and clean his armor and blasters there too. And you’ll be waiting for him when he’s done.

read chapter five

#mandalorian x reader #mandalorian x you #the mandalorian #din djarin #star wars fanfiction #a way out

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callioope · 5 years ago

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@twiceihavelived prompted me on Dreamwidth last year:

Didn't I just read that you were taking prompts for your birthday? Maybe I'll prompt you this: Cassian and Jyn were both trained by the best, they just didn't realize that what they were learning ran in the family (Cassian is trained by Steela, Jyn by Saw. They only find out after Scarif). (Feel free to write this only if you wish, you will not hurt my feelings if I missed the prompting!)

I am so sorry for the wait! Thank you for the prompt and thank you for your patience. This was a fantastic prompt. Definitely the story I’d been looking for at the time (oof, I see this prompt came just after I finished watching the Onderon arc in The Clone Wars, wow). I do so love the idea of sharpshooter!Steela training Cassian.

You know, I claimed my word limit for these was supposed to be 1,500. Well this is only 500 more than that O:-) Oops. I got carried away. Actually no. This is the prompt I cheated on. My friend Andy prompted me to use the word “droop” in a story (a tribute to a beloved NPC in one of our D&D games whose name is Droop. we used to call ourselves Droop’s Troup). So I used the word here. So. Justification. It’s two-in-one so of course it’s longer. *awkward laugh* *sweats*

anyways here we go

“And what about you, Jyn?” Bodhi says, a quiet, contented smile on his face as he collects a mouthful of meat, vegetables, and rice onto his fork.

Cassian and Jyn had gone to great lengths to find the closest ingredients to Jedhan cuisine they could. But it had been Baze who’d overseen it’s preparation. For once, he’d commandeered the position as master chef from Cassian and had taken a surprising amount of joy directing the rest of them about the kitchen. Even he had been excited to share the traditional fare of a particularly special Jedhan holiday.

“Hmm?” Jyn stuffs her own forkful into her mouth. She knows exactly what Bodhi is asking.

“What traditions run in your family?”

Annoyance flares in her heart. Bodhi knew Galen. He should know — she doesn’t have an answer. But it’s Bodhi, and he always means well. Which means he doesn’t know. She chews slowly.

The problem is, Jyn never even knew she was missing anything until she’d had to confront it every day on Home One, as thousands of beings across the galaxy mingled around her. All of them hailed from different regions, different planets, different cultures and traditions.

She’d once glimpsed General Syndulla’s Kalikori during a mission debriefing in her small office. Sabine Wren’s armor spoke enough of Mandalorian tradition on its own, but she’d also covered it with all kinds of symbols, colors, and pictures that no doubt held some kind of special meaning. And just two weeks ago, Cara Dune had attended that Alderaanian winter service Leia had held.

Jyn has lived on more planets in her twenty-two years than some people ever visit in a lifetime. But to achieve that kind of record, she’d never spent too much time in more than one place. She’d never had the time to adopt particular habits or rituals or palates. Sure, she had her favorite dish in every local cuisine, but no particular food tasted like home.

Especially not the homes that had preceded those planets. She doesn’t remember Coruscant, beyond fleeting memories of dancing characters in holovids and a sprawl of toys and papa carrying her to bed—

She does remember bits of Lah’mu: the feel of the salty, wet air in her face; the smell of grass; and mud-stained hands marching Stormie around through the dirt. And other things, of course.

But she doesn’t have traditions that stick. Did mama and papa celebrate any particular holidays? She doesn’t even remember (not until Cassian tells her, reads the info from her files) what planets her parents actually came from. She reads about the traditions there, but feels no connection or draw to any of the traditions or celebrations there. They don’t sound familiar.

She’s about to answer and gruffly admit she has none, when Cassian intercedes.

“What about Restoration Day?”

She shakes her head and her shoulders droop. It was nice of Cassian to try, but no, she’s not familiar with that either.

“It’s an Onderonian holiday,” he explains. “I thought Saw might have celebrated it.”

Onderon — a good try on his part. The jungle planet keeps cropping up between the two of them, and they hadn’t even noticed it at first.

It’d started with particular phrases, idioms that Jyn had always assumed were military vernacular, so it never surprised her to hear Cassian saying them, too. It also hadn’t surprised her that Bodhi, Chirrut, and Baze didn’t recognize them. But Cara would occasionally look at her in incomprehension. She’d try them out around other soldiers, and while they might humor her, they never actually recognized them.

Finally, a particular curse word slipped out around Rex. He squinted at her. “Been awhile since I heard that,” he’d said. After a moment, he’d added, “You used to work with Saw Gerrera, didn’t you?”

She’d nodded, and he’d gone on to talk about the days he’d served on Onderon with Saw and his sister. She’d been all ears then, eager to hear of the sister Saw would barely speak of, let alone to.

“You never met her?” Rex had finally asked, and Jyn shook her head. As far as she could understand, their competing ideologies had clashed too much. They could never agree enough to work together, but their separation hurt him enough that he refused to talk about it with Jyn.

“Ah, well, she’d’ve loved you,” Rex said.

She’d never asked Cassian how he knew the words, but then, Cassian always seemed to know a little about everything, so she put it out of mind.

Until one day, when she’d caught some plague going around Home One, and the soup Cassian had made her tasted familiar. “What is this?” she’d asked, slurping a steaming spoonful. “I think I recognize it, but I can’t remember having it.”

“It’s called ‘King’s stew’,” he’d said. “It’s an Onderonian delicacy.”

And then she’d felt nine-years-old, sniffling and wrapped in raggedy blankets, perched on a cold bench and hunched over a bowl of warm soup that Saw had just placed in front of her.

“How do you know so much about Onderon, anyways?” she’d asked.

“I knew someone from there,” Cassian had answered, and she made a point never to pry about his past. He’d tell her, if he felt like talking, and besides, that soup was doing its magic and luring her to a restful sleep.

“Jyn?” Cassian asks and she shakes from the memory.

“Saw only celebrated battles won,” she says. And even then…

“But it is,” Cassian explains. “It’s the celebration of when they defeated the Separatist army during the Clone Wars. Not that they stayed free...” He looks down at his food and hesitates for a second before gathering himself. “But… my commander used to celebrate it as a — glimpse of hope. For something that had been achieved once before and could be achieved once again.”

“Sounds fitting,” Bodhi says.

Cassian nods, and then smiles. “Well, at the time, I mostly looked forward to the food. We never ate so much, usually. But our commander would cook up an entire spread.”

Jyn looks up in surprise as Cassian continues, listing all varieties of meat skewers, roasted vegetables, dips and spreads, palm fruits, specific spices that all sound familiar.

“Oh,” she says, when he’s finished. “We never made a big deal about it, but — yeah. Every now and then, not even every year, if we could, we’d have a nice feast. All those foods. And Saw used to say, when he broke the first roll, he used to say — “

“Blessings of the royal house of Unifar,” they say at the same time.

They both grin.

“When do we celebrate?” Chirrut asks.

Baze shakes his head. “We’re not even done with this celebration.”

“I think it’d be nice,” Bodh says. “To have — to look forward to something, again.”

“Well, we’ll need the time to gather all the supplies…”

It turns into a great way to pass the next three months. While out on missions, they idly shop for the appropriate seasonings and decorations. They’d done much the same before the Jedhan holiday, and while that had certainly felt special, this feels different to Jyn. Her Rogue One crew — they’re most certainly family, and there are traditions she’s happy to share with them. But there’s something about Restoration Day that sings a little in her heart. That feels distinctly like a part of the family she used to know, a family she misses despite the hardships they endured together.

It also, strangely, feels like something that belongs to both her and Cassian. He must have been close to that Onderonian woman, for him to carry so much of their culture to his heart.

“You know I hate to pry,” she starts, long into their feast.

They’re seated at one end of the long table, and most of the rest of their party — they’d invited many of their friends — are fully appreciating the effects of a rare Onderonian wine Han Solo (of all people) had managed to locate for them. Beside her, Bodhi is totally enthralled by a red-faced Luke Skywalker, deep into a narrative about Beggar’s Canyon. Across from her, next to Cassian, Shara Bey and Kes Dameron listen to Rex’s stories of Onderon, the ones he’d already told Jyn.

To his credit, Cassian doesn’t tense in anticipation of her question. Just lowers his fork and watches her, curious.

At that moment, a shadow falls across the table and they both look up to see a dark-skinned, figure standing by Cassian’s seat. Gray streaks run through her dreads, and Jyn can tell by the way she holds herself and regards the room that she’s probably fought as many battles as Rex. She looks incredibly familiar to Jyn, though she couldn’t name her. Maybe she’s a friend of Rex’s.

But then Cassian’s face breaks into a rare grin as he stands up and envelopes this woman in an even more rare hug.

“Steela!” he says. “It’s been so long.”

Jyn’s fork clatters against her tray.

Steela Gerrera. The sister Saw never talked about. Except once, when she was still quite young, and had accidentally uncovered her holo when snooping about some old crates.

Neither Cassian nor Steela glance her way, though she knows Cassian will have noticed. They’re more focused on each other.

“Too long this time,” she agrees solemnly. “I heard what you did on Scarif. Not your usual style...”

“Yeah, well…”

“...but very brave. I’m very proud of you.”

Cassian looks as uncomfortable with the praise as he ever does. He finally looks at her, holds out a hand towards her. “It was really Jyn’s mission.”

“It was a team effort,” Jyn says slowly, standing. She and Steela regard each other carefully.

“I’m sorry, let me introduce you—” Cassian starts to say.

“Jyn Erso,” Steela says. And why does Jyn feel suddenly nervous? Unbidden, the story Zeb had been telling earlier, of the time Jacen’s father met Cham Syndulla, comes to mind. “Your reputation precedes you.”

“Steela,” Jyn nods. She decides to voice the question that’s been bothering her. The gears have been turning in her head this whole time, and she’s pretty sure she already knows the answer, but she wants to hear it.

“How do you two know each other?” Jyn asks — surprised to find her voice in sync with Cassian asking the same.

Jyn glances at Cassian, puzzled. He knows her history with Saw.

Steela sighs. “This is my fault.” She answers Jyn first. “I trained Cassian, when he was younger. Before he got promoted to Draven’s team.”

Jyn nods; that’s what she anticipated. It clicks into place now — every obscure saying and tradition she and Cassian had had in common. They had, it turned out, been raised separately by siblings. Her chest aches at the idea that in some other universe, one where Saw and Steela had gotten over their ideological differences, that she and Cassian could have met earlier.

He turns to her now, subtle creases along his brows and eyes. Why are you looking at me like that? she reads on his face.

“And Cassian,” Steela says, reluctantly, abashedly. “I’m afraid there’s something I never told you.”

The wrinkles in his face shift as, she assumes, his mind races to catch up with the situation. He glances between Jyn and Steela.

“Onderon,” he says. “You’re related to Saw, aren’t you?”

“He’s my brother,” she says. She drops her head, eyes focused on the Onderonian food in front of them. “By the time I met you, I’d taken Lux’s name. To distance myself.”

The final mystery revealed. So that’s why Cassian hadn’t realized.

“I’m sorry to both of you,” she says. “I should have tried harder to reconcile with Saw.”

“Reconciliation requires efforts on both sides,” Jyn says.

Something in Steela’s gaze softens, and she nods appreciatively. “How did you recognize me?”

“Saw had a holo of you. I found it once.”

“You found it,” Cassian murmurs, a knowing glint in his eye.

“Yeah, it wasn’t a happy day.” She clears her throat and holds out her hand. “Anyways. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.” And Steela moves right past her hand and envelops her in a hug. “Thanks for looking after him,” she whispers in Jyn’s ear, and Jyn isn’t sure if she is referring to Saw or Cassian.

Steela pulls away and glances at their table with misty eyes. “Might I join you? It’d be a pleasure to share this meal with two honorary Onderonians.”

“Of course,” Jyn says. “Please. The pleasure is all ours.”

#liz replies #my writing #steela lives au #steela gerrera #rebelcaptain #twiceihavelived

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j-exclamationmark-l · 6 years ago

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Kiryu Youtube video synopses

From November 2018 - December 2018 These are synopses, not direct translations, despite the fact I began to forget that during the top one, which I wrote last.

【本人解説】己龍最新アルバム「転生輪廻」マル秘トーク！ Kiryu talks about their new album Tenshou Rinne!

Synopsis: The five members gather together and give their thoughts about their new album.

Tsurushi Mitsuki: This is an older song I wrote, back in 2017. I made Mahiro sing in a very low register. Mahiro: I like the distortion effect in doubling my voice. Junji: I was surprised by this song, it has a nice balance between quiet and movement. Muku Mitsuki: This is the song where I began using a seven-string guitar. Hiyorin: The balance is very difficult to achieve, but once you get it, it's incredible. Junji: Between quiet and movement... THIS SONG IS DEFINITELY MOVEMENT. Oborodzukiyo Hiyorin: This kind of sounds like the kind of song we would have written in our early days. Takemasa: I think this song is more popular with our male fans since it's kind of R-rated. Mitsuki: I wanted to make a song that was dark and disturbing. Mahiro: I like this song. Junji: Between sun and shadow, this song is shadow. Ibitsu Mitsuki: This is maybe the prettiest song on the album, and a bonus track. It's a song about pain. Hiyori: The bass solo is very significant. Takemasa: After having written some hundred songs together, we've yet to have made a song like this. I'm glad we put it out now. Junji: Between strength and gentleness, this song is gentle. Hansuu Mitsuki: This is a song Takemasa wrote for us. It has a nice balance and it's really fun to play. Hiyori: It's fast and busy. Takemasa: I wrote it mostly on my iPhone. Mahiro: The speed and rhythm of it really makes it a unique song. Junji: This isn't a normal rhythmic pattern for Takemasa. It's all... (sings the pattern). That's it. That's all it is for me. [Then Junji compares it to some manga thing I'm not familiar with]. Tenshou Rinne Mitsuki: This is the kind of song that people who like Kiryu will enjoy. It's a very Kiryu song. We don't use normal phrases for us, though. Hiyori: It's really nice to hear you singing for us, Mitsuki. Mahiro: That was my idea. I thought it would add a nice kind of unique sparkle to it. Junji: This is a fast song. Watashi ha Kairai, Sarugutsuwa no Ningyou Mitsuki: This is a rather slow song for us. Hiyori: I felt like this song was a sort of turning point for us, that this is the song that shows we're no longer kids. Like we grew beards for this song. Mitsuki: I don't understand what on earth you're talking about. Hiyorin: Don't you feel like you finally grew pubic hair? Mitsuki: What? Like in junior high school, weirdo. How old are you, do you still not have hair there? Mahiro: I really like the balance and sound of this song. Basara Mitsuki: This song is called "Basara," AKA Take-punk. Takemasa: WHAT? WHY?? Mitsuki: Every time you submitted a demo of this song, the feeling of it was very uncertain. But the underlying sound was always kind of punk. Hiyorin: Thank you for all the deep feelings held in this song! Mahiro: I like this. Junji: I hate the rhythm. It's the same thing over and over again. Nopperabou Mitsuki: This song was born out of my want to write a song that had this sort of bass rhythm. For you, Hiyorin, it's all bass slaps. Hiyorin: Oh yeah! This is the most difficult song to play on this album! The rhythm is hard, and when I was recording, you kept asking for more and more. Mitsuki: And the lyrics, I really felt like I was able to write something significant and deep... Hiyorin: It is a sufficiently Micchan song. Junji: When you sent it to me, I couldn't even begin to imagine what the chorus would be like. Takemasa: We had to do so much reamping and such, this was also the most expensive song to make. Mahiro: There were just so many levels to making it. But in the end, it was fun. Mitsuki: How about it, Hiyorin? Can you go more? Hiyorin: ..I'm going to have to say for now, I'd like to stay at this level. Gekkabijin Mitsuki: This is the most Japanese-sounding track on the album. It's like Kiryu-pop. Takemasa: I had absolutely no idea where to insert this song in the album. Mitsuki: Maybe we should have made it a bonus track? Mahiro: Sometimes I forget we have songs like this, too. Junji: It's Mitsu-punk. Basara is Take-punk and Gekkabijin is Mitsu-punk. Harushigure Hiyorin: This song really conveys the feeling of now. This is really Takemasa's song. Kairai is Mitsuki's song of growth, and Harushigure is -- Takemasa: HAIR? HAIR? HAIR? Hiyorin: Your beard. Mitsuki: This is the world's beard. Mahiro: From the start, I knew this would be a good song. Junji: Takemasa wrote the music and Mitsuki wrote the lyrics, so it kind of feels like a thing you both peed on together. (Everyone laughs). No, it's a good song. It's good. I just hate it. I only play TAN-TAN-TA OVER AND OVER. Except at the end, I play DO-DO-DO. Then tan-tan-ta. But it sounds nice and sparkly. Jou no Ka Mitsuki: This is THE single Junji: The song that charmed the world. Mitsuki: We used this song in an anime. The concept came from trying to tackle something we couldn't do before. I wanted to do that. Everyone: Thank you. Hiyorin: I didn't cry, but I felt as though I might. It's a moving song. Junji: But then, seeing your name appear on the opening credits as the writer was kind of a blow. This song... between light and dark, this song is light. Mahiro: I really like this song. Kuroyami ni Madou Esoragoto Mitsuki: This song is "Kuroyami ni Madou Esoragoto," AKA the Take-ballad. Junji: This sounds like something he wrote when he was in school. This is back when it was just us in a Take-band. Prince Take hasn't changed a bit. Mitsuki: This song is just so heavy. Takemasa: I thought about all the things I wanted to say, the messages I wanted to get across. But I wasn't the one singing it, so I knew if Mahiro couldn't feel it, this song wouldn't resonate. Mahiro: It was really difficult to sing. Every line felt like a wound. Hiyorin: Usually songs feel like a journey. You hit this place, then return. Then you hit this place and return. This song starts with an intro that I expect to come back to, but you never come back to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4Rv-pyuEXE

5000万円以上⁉コンビニATMに入金できる額の限界を調査 Over ￥500,000,000!? Let's see how much money a convenience store ATM can take.

Synopsis: Takemasa gathers a TON of money and tries to break the ATM by putting too much in at once. Result: Eventually, the ATM does stop accepting the money after depositing ￥305,000,000. Notable: Holding THAT MUCH money at once is genuinely terrifying. Takemasa tries to make a joke about it, but you can tell he's truly nervous to be holding that much in public.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4SRtOUadMs

【黒崎眞弥を観察する会】サイン書き Watch Kurosaki Mahiro write his signature

Synopsis: Mahiro announces he will now sign posters. He then begins silently signing posters. Result: Posters have been signed. Notable: That one time he moved a poster. It was magical.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tmRaTSFRys

己龍九条武政より、今までありがとう。 Thank you for everything up until now. -Kujou Takemasa, Kiryu

Synopsis: Takemasa talks about his past in an overly dramatic way, how he decided that as long as he's in public, he will always wear his mask. As long as he has his mask, he is Kujou Takemasa. Result: In Macau, while bungee jumping, his mask flies off, and he pretends he died the moment the mask came off his face. Notable: OVER THE TOP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNb_NqnO9Fs

【初体験】まだ見ぬ仙台の味を求めて【雑談有り】 [First Experience] We found a new flavor of Sendai (chat included)

Synopsis: Mitsuki and Hiyorin go to Sendai and talk about the kinds of food it's famous for: gyuutan, zunda, sasakama... but NO! They will not try these foods today! Instead, they'll try the first hamburger shop that was opened in Japan. Result: The two agree the hamburgers are good. Notable: Mitsuki relays a story. "Sometimes, when I go buy food, an old lady will say, 'please enjoy this with ketchup.' Sometimes the kids will write their names on their food in ketchup, too. And young couples will write each other's names." "That's sweet," Hiyoin comments. "They even draw a heart around it... the little shitheads," Mitsuki laughs. "GROW UP, MITSUKI!" Hiyorin manages through his own laughter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CEiLBSyab8

メントスコーラリベンジ Mentos-Cola Revenge

Synopsis: Mitsuki analyzes what went wrong in the first mentos and cola video and decides to try again. Result: A huge mess explosion. Notable: Mitsuki isn't sure about trying by himself, and wonders if someone very special will hear him call out for help, no matter where they are... he calls out, "HIYOOOORIIIIIIINNN!" and surely enough, Hiyorin sweeps in to save the day. Notable 2: It's rather humanizing to see Mitsuki and Hiyorin cleaning up their own mess.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an_JFW6ck3o

【企画会議】みんなでネタ考えよう！ [Meeting Regarding Future Plans] Let's all think of ideas for videos!

Synopsis: Chamu (Codomo Dragon) and Mitsuki ask for help thinking of Youtube videos people would like to see. Mitsuki claims he's only good at thinking of food-related things. Later, Mitsuki recruits Zero Hertz's Gaga and Rio to help him try different toast toppings while Chamu films them. Result: Nori tsukudani (seaweed simmered in soy sauce) Mitsuki: Too salty, but otherwise good. Rio: It's like jelly. Gaga: Salty, but good. Ume gonomi (pickled plum) Mitsuki: Too sour. Rio: Too sour. Gaga: (feigns vomiting) Ika shiokara (salted and fermented squid) Mitsuki: SALTY!! Rio: (makes a face and groans while Mitsuki asks "is it that bad?") Gaga: Yum! Delicious! The best one we've tried so far. Salmon flakes Mitsuki: It tastes like margarine. Rio: (no comment) Gaga: It tastes like normal bread. Tarako flakes Mitsuki: Where did the tarako go? Rio: It's bread! Gaga: It's like eating sand. The ensuing laughter sounds like agreement from everyone. Minorusaki menma (fermented bamboo shoots) Mitsuki: It's good! Rio: Good! Gaga: Yum. Tastes like something sold at a ramen shop. Nametake (enoki mushroom) Mitsuki: I don't taste it. It's good, but it doesn't taste like nametake. Rio: (makes a face) Gaga: (nods) Natto (slimy fermented soybeans) Mitsuki: DELICIOUS! Rio: Yum! Gaga: It's good! Mitsuki's conclusion: Everything needs more mayonnaise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29Z1sMuQQxM

【武道館ドラマーが】ドンキーコングトロピカルフリーズをまったりプレイ Part.2 A Drummer Who Has Performed at Budoukan plays Donkey Kong Tropical Breeze part 2

Synopsis: Junji plays Donkey Kong. Result: Junji plays Donkey Kong. Notable: Nothing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNUb1GWaEg8

おまえは誰だ "Who are you?"

Synopsis: Hiyorin tests the urban legend about going insane from asking your reflection in the mirror "Who are you?" repeatedly. Result: Nothing happens. Notable: A weird tapping around the 64th time Hiyorin asks his reflection "Who are you?" Hiyorin says that this must be the spirits coming after him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWNJvrJO2V8

【悶絶】辛味の奥に眠る旨味は見つけ出せるのか！？ [Watch as we pass out in pain] Can we bring out a dormant, delicious new flavor from spicy foods?

Premise: Mitsuki and Hiyorin try mixing a number of spicy soups together, despite both hating spicy food, in their quest to find something new and delicious. Result: Mitsuki decides, after getting over the initial pain, that it really does taste kind of good. Hiyorin dies from agony and says he can't tell if it tastes good or not because it's too painful to eat. Notable: Mitsuki flailing in pain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E6vfta-eF8

#kiryu #kiryu youtube #english kiryu #sakai mitsuki #kurosaki mahiro #kujou takemasa #isshiki hiyori #tokai junji #chamu #codomo dragon #zero hertz #gaga #rio

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one-ishmael · 6 years ago

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Chapter 9: The Sermon

And here we are, at the climax of the most overtly religious section of Moby-Dick; or, the Whale. Now that the church itself, the pulpit, and Father Mapple have all been introduced, it’s time for the main event!

SUMMARY: Father Mapple gives a sermon on the Book of Jonah.

This chapter starts off with a little taste of the way that Mapple is going to mix in colloquial salty, sailor-ish phrases into his serious religious teachings. He calls everyone from starboard and larboard to come midships, or to gather in the middle of the church, closer to the pulpit.

“Larboard?” you may be wondering, “I thought it was port and starboard”. You would be right, even at the time this book was written, but only just. It was starboard and larboard until the 1840s, when naval captains in Britain got tired of people mishearing and going to the wrong side of the ship. They changed larboard to port, to cut down on that confusion, and the American navy followed suit a few years later. This change was probably just filtering down to merchant ships around the time Melville was writing this book, so it’s hard to blame him.

And, anyway, this book is actually set in the past, having been written by a modern, older Ishmael, so it’s not a mistake even within the fiction!

Fun fact: “Port” isn’t actually much of a change in meaning from “larboard”. It comes from Old English meaning “load board”, or the side of the boat that you load things onto, from the port. “Starboard” comes from “steer board”, or the side you steer from, using an oar, before rudders were invented.

Let’s get into this sermon! It concerns, as you could probably guess, the story of Jonah, from the relatively short Book of Jonah, of the Old Testament of the Bible. The gist of it is that Jonah is ordered by God to go tell the city of Nineveh that they’re acting terribly and God is going to destroy them, but Jonah refuses because he is afraid of what the Ninevites will do it him.

Instead, he tries to run away. This part is wonderfully embellished by Mapple, who really brings life to the sailors and captain of the ship who Jonah books passage with. He emphasizes how guilty Jonah looks, but how he tries to act as though nothing is wrong. There’s a fun bit where the captain suspects him, and so charges him triple the usual rate, and has his suspicions confirmed when Jonah doesn’t even try to haggle. But hey, money is money, so off they go.

You know how this part goes, I’m sure. A storm appears, and will not relent. The sailors cast lots for who to throw overboard to appease the storm, and Jonah gets it. He confesses then and there that he is defying God. Interestingly, the sailors don’t throw him over immediately, but still try to make it through the storm, only finally tossing him as they are on the brink of destruction. Then, the storm goes away, instantly, and Jonah gets eaten by a whale.

In the original text, it actually only says “big fish”, but that came to mean the same thing as whale in Latin, so it’s a whale. We’ll get into some Discourse on whales w/r/t their status as fish or now at a later point.

Jonah finally asks for forgiveness from God, and is spat up on a beach, and goes off to prophesize against the Ninevites.

Mapple draws two lessons from this:

First: If you sin, you have to repent. You have to apologize, and ask for forgiveness, even knowing that some horrible fate may await you. This is one of the sins that Jonah commits, he defies God and then, on the ship in the storm, refuses to repent. That is why he’s swallowed up and taken to the depths of the ocean, until he does finally admit his wrongdoing. And then, even from those same abyssal depths, God hears his plea, and has mercy upon him.

Secondly: It is important to speak truth to falsehood, especially for those who know the truth. Mapple applies this lesson to himself, rather than the congregation. Jonah was told that he was to go tell the Ninevites that they were doing evil, and would be destroyed. But he feared their reaction, and so hid himself away. He was told the truth directly by God, but couldn’t bring himself to tell others. So, it is a great sin to hide your knowledge of the truth, especially as it pertains to God and sin.

Of course, this latter lesson is built on the notion that you know what the truth is, and a major theme of this book is that that’s kind of a questionable business. Ishmael is constantly doubting that anyone can ever know the truth about anything. So this seems like a bit of a moot point, but it applies more to Ishmael’s philosophical opposite, who we have not yet met.

The sermon ends with some bog standard stuff leading off of that, about speaking truth the power and how your reward will be eternal for following the will of God, and so on. Then Mapple simply kneels down in prayer, in the high, lonely fortress of a pulpit remember, and waits there silently until everyone has left.

Something that’s hard to get across with this chapter, and you may not notice even if you read it, is that it is definitely written to be an actual oratory, a speech that you give out loud. It simply flows better if spoken aloud, preferably in a loud voice, perhaps standing or sitting in a huge armchair next to a great roaring fire. Take this passage, and notice the rhythm of it, the ebb and flow, and try saying it aloud to yourself:

Miserable man! Oh! most contemptible and worthy of all scorn; with slouched hat and guilty eye, skulking from his God; prowling among the shipping like a vile burglar hastening to cross the seas. So disordered, self-condemning is his look, that had there been policemen in those days, Jonah, on the mere suspicion of something wrong, had been arrested ere he touched a deck. How plainly he’s a fugitive! no baggage, not a hat-box, valise, or carpet-bag,—no friends accompany him to the wharf with their adieux. At last, after much dodging search, he finds the Tarshish ship receiving the last items of her cargo; and as he steps on board to see its Captain in the cabin, all the sailors for the moment desist from hoisting in the goods, to mark the stranger’s evil eye.

It’s just great. Honestly, this chapter may be one of the most influential on my own style of writing. I try to simply write how I would speak, most of the time. It works pretty well, keeps the energy up, gives it more of an easy, readable flow.

Oratory was a much more important thing in the 19th century, and before. Many people made their livings going around giving speeches, especially authors. In the ages before mass communication through radio, being able to give a powerful, persuasive speech in person was a very valuable skill. This kind of sermon would be very common, and in fact they were often transcribed and sold later, in printed form.

There are many themes introduced here that will come back many times. The idea of a man struggling to comprehend the will of God is a big one. We see again an idea of disregarding petty physical things in favor of actually important spiritual concerns, although from a very different angle. Mapple says that you’ll have a true, better reward if you do the right thing, and that any physical torment you suffer will be worth it, as opposed to Ishmael thinking that none of this physical stuff even matters at all, as it’s only a small part of his true existence.

This is kind of the introduction, then, of another major theme: Destroying your body in service to another. In this case, it’s in service of God, telling Jonah to go do a thing that might get him hurt, but is scary. We’re going to get some stronger, more direct versions of this once we actually get on a whaling ship.

The style of this chapter is so strikingly different from all the others, it’s definitely one of my favorites. Melville is able to really show off his gift for writing prose here. Try not to skim over it, it’s worth it to take in all that good nautical language.

Ah, that was a fun one. Lots of stuff to talk about there, and I really only scratched the surface. We’re still planting the seeds for a lot of big themes that will only come into full bloom much later in the book.

The next chapter is A Bosom Friend, and is an interesting counterpoint to this one. A bit less on the overt religious themes, and a bit more down to earth and heartwarming.

Until next time, shipmates!

Image credits, in order:

Jonah and the giant fish (1400), Jami al-tawarikh, by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani.

Jonah and the Whale (1621), by Pieter Lastman.

Jonah Cast Forth By the Whale & Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites (1866), by Gustave Dore.

#Moby-Dick; or The Whale #moby dick #herman melville #19th century literature #ishmael #father mapple #jonah #book of jonah #philosophy #theology

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archangelsanonymous · 7 years ago

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Interlude 13×21

A/N: Post Gabriel and Rowena. Fyi, this is not meant to be ship hate. I just needed a fix it for my own OTP because I'm selfish. :P

“Alright, so we have our plan, right?” Dean looked at everyone gathered around the table and nodded at every one of them.

“A little rickety, but we don’t have much of a choice,” Gabriel sighed, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

“Do you have any better ideas?” Sam sneered.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at Sam. The hunter had been acting super salty ever since the golden trio had walked in on him and Rowena. Yeah, it was awkward, but that still didn’t account for how aggressive Sam was being. “No. I don’t.”

“Then, let’s just get what we need and get it over with,” Sam stood up and walked to the kitchen.

“What’s his damage?” Gabriel asked Dean, who was double checking his backpack.

“Maybe you should ask him,” Dean huffed. “Hell if I know.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes and stood up, following Sam into the kitchen. He was probably just nervous about facing Lucifer again, which was understandable. Maybe since Gabriel had gone through some of his own torture-trauma, he could help ease Sam’s mind. When he walked into the kitchen, he saw Sam pouring himself a glass of whiskey with a few cubes of ice in the glass.

“Wow, day-drinking without me? Rude,” Gabriel teased.

Sam ignored him and took a drink. “You weren’t invited for a reason.”

“What’s that?” Gabriel walked forward and grabbed the bottle off the counter, taking a swig without a glass.

“You just…” Sam frowned. “How could you do that? With Rowena?”

Gabriel’s brow furrowed in confusion. “That’s what this is about? Kiddo, we were bored. You guys were taking forever.”

“I just thought that…” Sam trailed off, shaking his head and staring at his drink.

“You can’t really blame me,” Gabriel shrugged. “Last time I got laid was seven years ago before Loki sold me off, and Rowena is a tight piece of witchy a—“

Sam slammed his hand down on the counter, interrupting Gabriel. “What about me?!”

Gabriel stared at Sam, jaw hanging slightly open at the hunter’s admission. “What?”

“Ever since you came back it just seemed like you…” Sam looked up and ran a hand through his hair. “You know what? Never mind. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Hey,” Gabriel came closer and pushed Sam’s shoulder so that the hunter was facing him, “don’t you dare give me that passive aggressive bullshit. Spit it out.”

Sam glared at Gabriel. “Fine. I like you, Gabriel. A lot. I’ve been dropping hints the past couple weeks, but obviously, you aren’t interested.”

“I…” Gabriel’s face reddened. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

“Is it so hard to believe that I’m queer?” Sam huffed.

“No, it’s hard to believe that you’re such an oblivious idiot!” Gabriel shouted. “I called your face pretty, for fuck’s sake!”

“Yeah? Well, I stood up to Dean for you!”

“I stepped in and killed Narfi because he was hurting you!”

“I told you I needed you!”

“I came back because it was you that needed me!”

Sam and Gabriel stopped shouting and stared at each other, chest heaving and faces flushed. The air in the kitchen was charged, Gabriel’s grace causing their surroundings to have an added weight and scent of ozone.

“Do you still need me?” Gabriel asked softly.

“Of course we do,” Sam sighed. “For Michael and—“

“No, Sam,” Gabriel stepped forward, into Sam’s space. “Do you still need me?”

Sam’s breath hitched for a moment. “I—I don’t know. You slept with Rowena.”

“So what?” Gabriel asked. “We’ve both slept with lots of people. You can’t actually believe that hooking up with her really meant anything.”

“Maybe?” Sam shrugged. “It’s just that I don’t really do that. I can’t just…fuck people cuz I’m bored or something. Maybe it makes me weird or whatever, but I need to have that connection with the other person. I thought maybe you and I might have that.”

Gabriel reached out and grabbed Sam’s hand, stroking the top of it with his thumb. “You’re not weird. Meaningless sex isn’t all that great, honestly. It’s like playing a tap-tap game on your phone. Something to pass the time for a bit, but not really fulfilling in the slightest.”

Sam gave Gabriel a small smile. “How many have you gone through since I got you a new phone?”

“Oh gosh, at least fifty,” Gabriel replied, causing Sam to chuckle. “Point is...you’re not a tap-tap game for me. You’re way more than that.”

“So, I’m…what?” Sam raised an eyebrow. “Candy Crush?”

“Only because I’m gonna invest a shit ton of time and money into you,” Gabriel grinned. “If you’ll let me, that is.”

Sam bit his bottom lip, and looked down at Gabriel’s hand holding onto his. “It really was nothing, then?”

“I promise,” Gabriel used his other hand to draw an ‘x’ over his heart. “You can even ask her.”

“No, I believe you,” Sam nodded. “I wanna do this. With you.”

Gabriel smiled. “Good, because I do, too.”

Sam pulled Gabriel to him and hugged him tight. He was glad that the tryst with Rowena was nothing. There were already strong feelings developing inside of him for Gabriel, and he couldn’t ignore them anymore. It was even more incredible that Gabriel felt the same way.

“So, how much have you spent on Candy Crush?”

“You know, it’s not about how much I’ve spent, but the enjoyment, right?”

“I have to apply for a new credit card, don’t I?”

“Yes, maybe.”

A/N: Sam Winchester is demisexual fight me

#sabriel #ficlet #fanfiction #supernatural #13x21 beat the devil

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home-sticking · 7 years ago

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Ok before i start this rant, please note i do not want people messaging this person hate. However, this will be a salt rant so buckle up. Okay, so while i agree with stuff like "seal your body paint" and "respect ships" and "watch your actions at cons", there are things in this list that just... Make me grind my teeth a little. One of which being "the kids are underage". We all know that's the new wave of antis speaking. You know, the ones tht say "if you ship this you're a pedophile!!!". Listen, im not gonna go in depth, as I've explained this so many times (im in the voltron and yoi fandom, please sweetie i know my shit) so im gonna put it simply: canon age does not dictate ships. Canon age means nothing because it's fiction. The characters in the game aren't real. That means you can take the character (an literal idea portrayed through art or words) and age them up!!! So you can draw whatever fanart you want!!! As long as you aren't drawing porn of them and saying they're their canon age in the picture!!!! Fiction is cool because!!! Its so flexible!!!!!!!!! That's the point!!!!!!!!! Im also a little salty about the "don't repeat the 2012 cringe!!!" Listen. Cringe culture is flawed and kinda disgusting honestly. A lot of times people will use cringe compilations and other things like "cringy memes" to either bully people, or embarrass people into hating/being against something. Honestly, if a kid likes the "2012 bucketstucks" or "cringey part of the fandom" why is it your business? Its called policing others interests and that lowers you to the same level as antis. And its not hurting anyone, either. You could complain like "but its this same as that whole fujoshi thing!!!!" But the thing is, thinking buckets and all that is funny is not the same as fetishising gay men. They're literally not hurting anyone. Let them like something and you can go cringe in your room if you want. Just don't police them :/ Another thing. I keep seeing people getting pissed about the whole "undertale kids are gonna come and ruin hiveswap!!! Undertale is so cringey stop it kids!!!!1" Listen fucker. I see you. And you need to stop. Yes, they should acknowledge that undertale and hiveswap are not the same. That's a given. Yes, act 7 had a little cross over in the final battle but that doesn't mean its the same. That being said, why tf do you care if the undertale fans come to hiveswap???? Yall keep saying shit like "they're gonna ruin it!!!' But with what??? Their "cringey" 2012 humor??? Im sorry but last time i checked people could like what they want and its none of ur business who likes what. People don't give undertale enough credit and it's genuinely a fun game. I had my run with the fandom and it was a cool place to be while i was into it. Ill probably never be obsessed, but it was a good go. The only reason you're all complaining is because younger people play the game and they'll come over to hiveswap and make the fandom "cringey". Listen sweetie, the moment you decided to hate on it is the moment it became cringey. Honestly everyone wants everyone to be perfect, but when you're growing up or when you're a little different you are gonna be "cringey" at times. And those people don't deserve to feel horrible about themselves for harmlessly liking something. Can you imagine being in middleschool or something and being called cringey all the time because you think saying "buckets" as a dirty joke is cringey? I went through something similar, and it was horrible. It made me lose my personal confidence, and to this day i cant say i like something without seeking out others opinions to decide to share that i lile the thing or not. Someone liking something you think is cringey is not a crime. But policing their interests is. Thats about it. Sorry if i seemed to repeat some stuff. I do that when im salty at times and its hard for me to just write a little bit. Anyway, just be respectful to everyone. Homestuck is fun. Its my first major fandom and im so excited that the younger generation can enjoy it as well! I just dont want the fandom to become a whole fuckfest like yoi and voltron.

#homestuck #hiveswap #undertale #rant #max talks

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talbottomann-blog · 6 years ago

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Maria Ali: Artist Questionnaire

Jenifer Bryan

I wanted to do my Artist interview on Jenifer Bryan, a photographer who enjoys working with her hands, especially with historical processes. She currently resides in Texas, and has a BFA in Fine Arts Photographer, and Communication Design from Texas State University-San Marcos. She states that she has been crafting and working with her hands since she was little, as she spent majority of her childhood sewing, crocheting, and doing embroidery with her grandmother. She works with a wide range of creative mediums, including cyanotype, which inspired me to ahead and interview her.

A few of her works can be seen throughout the page. I hope her works inspire you as much as they’ve inspired me!

More can be seen at her website at: https://www.lucybluestudio.com

More photographs can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lucybluestudio/collections/72157644329812376

1. Why cyanotype? What inspired you to delve into the world of cyanotype, and how long have you been doing this? I understand it takes 3x the amount of time (taking the photo, editing and printing on pictorico, and finally letting it bathe in the sun), so why go through this tedious process? What about is different from traditional forms photography, do you think?

I didn't pick up a camera until 2003, which to you probably seems like a long time ago LOL but I was in my late 20s and decided to go back to college. My friend wanted me to take the school summer program in Italy with her and one of the credits was for photography so I figured I'd better learn.

The next semester after the trip, I took an Alternative Photography class. Back then, all it did was frustrate me even though it appealed to my need to get my hands dirty. Digital printing doesn't have the same satisfaction even though it can actually take just as much time to get right as any of the historical processes. It's just fiddly in a different way. I was actually majoring in Fine Art Photography and in Graphic Design and my design teachers were insanely picky about prints. I'd argue more than my photography teachers.

Anyway, after that class, I dabbled in cyanotypes at workshops or friends' events but didn't touch anything beyond digital for years. I'd argue that the historical processes are just as traditional as silver prints. They were the stepping stones after all. I think that with cell phones pretty much being cameras now and most images never becoming physical prints, that historical processes offer a lovely balance. I amuse myself when I turn a cell phone image into a cyanotype. Anyway, I ramble a bit but I think I answered that question :)

2. Cyanotype on fabric with embroidery is something I have been delving into recently. In fact, bought 7 new embroidery hoops, 100+ pack of floss, and am using an old bed sheet as fabric. What tips do you have for a newbie with little to no experience in embroidery? What type of fabrics do you personally use in your cyanotype, and through your experience, what works best? I notice you also use felt, have you ever considered incorporating that into your cyanotype works?

My biggest advice starting down the cyanotype/embroidery road is to use natural fabrics. Make sure that bedsheet is cotton. I would also probably spray or soak the chemicals as opposed to brushing. Fabric takes a lot.

As far as the embroidery, I looked up stitches on Pinterest at first. My aunt taught me to cross stitch when I was a kid and my grandmother taught me to sew. I had some basics already. Now I sometimes just wing it. My French knots still have issues if I'm not paying attention. Felt is so easy to play with. I always seem to straddle the line between art and craft. I was actually about to make a cyanotype embroidery with a felt backing as a banner.

3. I notice that you also have so many passions, including embroidery, cooking, jewelry making, and painting. You truly are multi-talented. What made you pick up photography, cyanotypes no less?

ADD. Seriously, I like to learn new things and I hate not being good at something so not mastering cyanotypes, vandykes, gums, tintypes, and the other techniques we learned in class bugged me. I think I answered why I picked up photography in the first section :) Cameras always intimidated me so I wouldn't touch them until I got talked into it. Italy is a great motivator. And for the longest time, I made every excuse I could to only shoot digitally. For some reason, I was already versed in Photoshop and I was convinced film was a pain in the butt. Now, I only shoot digitally when I travel because I have had too many rolls have issues after going through the security machines. TSA agents can get salty when you ask them to hand check your film.

My preference is to shoot with my 1950s Rolleiflex 3.5f. Once I got addicted to film I started noticing other people making prints that were obviously not just a typical print. I hate to say it but the Lomography website had me looking for alternatives to what everyone else was doing. Save me from people that think leaving dust on your negatives and printing it shows "authenticity." Ack.

At this point, I also started going back to Belize to help a friend work on her project. She was recreating the Mayan methods for making pottery. Whole other discussion but as I was helping her grind clay and pigments and going that far into a craft it made me look at my photography differently. I wanted to get into making images at that level. But I didn't start with cyanotypes again like I did in class. Someone posted a salted paper print somewhere and it had this dreamy quality I couldn't get out of my head. That is like chasing paper airplane in a wind storm LOL. So finicky. Even with the same negative, same paper, same chemicals, your prints sometimes just don't work. But wow, they look so wonderful. I wandered back into cyanotypes after needing a break from salt prints. I think salt prints made cyanotypes seem much easier. And at first that was the appeal. But the wonderful thing about cyanotypes is they are also more flexible.

I did salt prints on wood and other substrates, covered them in wax, played with them, but cyanotypes can be worked with wet. That blew my mind. Wet cyanotypes are an addiction of another kind. I've been waiting all winter and now through this rainy season to be able to do them again.

4. I absolutely love your cyanotype portraitures. Any tips on how to get my own photos to look like yours, with the right tonalities? What camera do you use to take your photos (film or digital)? If you use film, how do you develop your them? I have read that it’s important to under contrast your photos, are there any other tips to getting them just right?

I use a light meter with my film camera but once I get a reading or two I kind of just shoot. With my digital I can see what I'll be getting on my screen so I still shoot manually but I can adjust as a shoot easily. I send my film off to get developed. I have 3 dogs. I hate dust. Not a good thing for a home darkroom.

The historical printing can be done here easily but keeping dust off my negatives is too hard if I do the developing, too. I do scan my film negatives myself but photoshop all the dust out. I'm sure some people would be annoyed at my workflow but in the end, the image is all that matters. Everything is just a tool. I mix and match digital and analog to suit my needs. What is "just right" changes. I do what I like and don't worry much about anyone else. But I never stop looking at how to push myself further and learn something new.

5. Do you think from cyanotypes, you could possibly delve into other forms of alternative processes? Are you open to the idea of branching off into, say, photograms or photogenic drawings?

Technically, a cyanotype is a photogram ;) I've done lumens, salt prints, transfers, wet plate, and liquid light. I need to try gums again. I remember those being particularly difficult for me.

I'll always be trying something new but cyanotypes will always appeal to me. They are so simple, which is why most people start there with alternative processes. But they can also do so much. They are truly only limited by your imagination.

I've dumped almost everything from my pantry onto my prints to add color or tone them. I've layered negatives and found objects, done multiple exposures, manipulated the shape of the chemical application to become part of the image. These aren't original things. I'm in several active groups that encourage sharing and trying each others' techniques. One person does one thing and another takes it and transforms that into something new and the next person takes it further. It's fun to watch and participate in. It's a great substitute for the classroom.

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topfygad · 5 years ago

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15 Underrated Cities and Hidden Gems for your Great US Road Trip

When it comes time to plan any US road trip, there are cities and landmarks that immediately leap out as ‘must see’ inclusions.

The likes of New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Washington DC, and Philadelphia automatically earn their place on your itinerary just as surely as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite claim a day or three.

While these cities and landmarks are sure to be highlights of any US road trip, there is a host of other cities that are just begging to be explored and experienced.

From hipster-friendly craft beer heavens to hiker’s paradises to charming New England escapes, there is far more to any US road trip than the obvious. Below, you’ll find fifteen underrated cities worthy of a day, a weekend, or even a week on your itinerary.

15 Underrated Cities for Your US Road Trip

There’s never a dull moment on a road trip.

Some of the most memorable experiences on my 2016 Great US Road Trip occurred in towns I never even thought about in planning the trip.

From getting the death stare in a West Texas burger joint to visiting the Roswell Museum to boozy wine tour days in southern California, even the shortest pit stop made for an unforgettable memory.

Looking for a hidden gem to add to your US road trip? Here, you’ll find fifteen cities that don’t get the credit they deserve.

Image courtesy of James Willamor.

#15 – Greenville, South Carolina

The Carolinas don’t tend to get a lot of love when it comes time to plan a US road trip. Without the world-famous landmarks or bustling cities to draw people’s attention, both North and South Carolina are often missed, and it’s a crying shame.

Take Greenville, for example. A dynamic foodie city with small town charm in spades, Greenville well and truly lives up to its name with an abundance of nearby hiking trails and the famous Swamp Rabbit Trail – a former stretch of rail that has been converted into a stunning cycling route.

But it’s as a food destination that Greenville has earned its plaudits, and every ‘reasons to visit Greenville’ article you’re likely to find will rattle off so many restaurants that you’ll want to devote a week to this charming corner of the States.

While I haven’t made it to Greenville myself, Feast and West has a great piece on why you’ll love Greenville.

Image courtesy of m01229

#14 – Annapolis, Maryland

Maryland is often overlooked in favour of its more prestigious neighbours such as Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and New York.

The allure of a day in the Big Apple, the City of Brotherly Love, or the US Capitol is obvious, and I would never suggest something as crazy as cutting one of the East Coast Three to make room for Maryland.

While many might favour Baltimore, I found myself just a little bit in love with Maryland’s capital, Annapolis.

Why Annapolis?

Located on the shores of the mighty Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis is a city that well and truly embraces its proud naval tradition.

Whether you’re out on the water sailing, paying a visit to the US Naval Academy, feasting on blue crab at Cantler’s, or just soaking in the capital’s rich history, Annapolis is a cute little city that is a great break from the bigger and busier cities you’ll doubtless visit while on the East Coast.

The city might not be awash with landmarks you’ve daydreamed about since your youth, but it’s possessed of a quiet charm that is hard not to love.

I spent two sunny weeks in 2012 exploring Annapolis with a local; soaking in the sun on the waterfront, eating my fill of Maryland’s signature blue crab (with lots of Old Bay), and enjoying its laid back nightlife.

While I never wrote about my experience in Annapolis, it’s also a short drive from the East Coast’s popular seaside playground, Ocean City.

Bixby Bridge has got to be right up there with the Golden Gate and Sydney Harbour as one of the most visually stunning bridges on earth.

#13 – Monterey, California

The drive down California’s Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most breathtaking stretches of road you’re likely to ever encounter.

Stretch from San Francisco all the way down the windswept, craggy coast, Route 1 has featured on two of my previous US road trips and stands out as one of the absolute highlights.

Located not too far from San Francisco, quaint Monterey is a seaside town with a lot of charm.

From the world-famous Monterey Aquarium to saltwater taffy and fresh seafood on the waterfront to gorgeous Carmel-by-the-Sea to its proximity to picturesque Bixby Bridge, Monterey is a stop every Pacific Coast road trip should include.

Interested in Monterey? You can read more about how to spend two days in Monterey.

Image courtesy of Nicholas A Tonelll

#12 – Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff doubtless makes it on to a lot of US Road Trip itineraries due to its proximity to the Grand Canyon.

A popular base from which to explore the iconic Grand Canyon, Flagstaff is a charming city of its own. It has a great hipster mountain town vibe to it that is hard not to love, and it would be criminal to leave Arizona without having given a little time to Flagstaff.

More than just the Grand Canyon

Many picture Arizona as dry desert, but Flagstaff’s location in the mountains means it gets downright chilly in the winter. The cool mountain air makes for world-class stargazing, and the Lowell Observatory is a must for anyone with a love of the night sky.

The town itself is awash with brew pubs and brunch joints (my personal favourites are Beaver Street Brewery and the Toasted Owl Cafe, and it’s perfectly located to visit a number of national parks and landscapes such as Petrified Forest National Park, Meteor Crater, and Walnut Creek Canyon.

Everybody has been to the Grand Canyon, but have you ever explored the Indian cave dwellings at Walnut Creek Canyon? I have, and it was fascinating.

Image courtesy of Larry and Linda

#11 – Albuquerque, New Mexico

ABQ might be best known for its role as the backdrop to Walter White’s crystal meth empire on Breaking Bad, but there’s a lot more to the New Mexico city than the often oppressive way it was portrayed in the AMC hit.

While my own US road trip featured Sante Fe instead of ABQ, there are plenty of reasons to visit Albuquerque including their world-famous Hot Air Balloon Festival.

Located along iconic Route 66 and home to some of a unique melting pot of Hispanic, Native American, Latino, and Anglo culture, this is truly the US Southwest epitomised.

Whether you’re hiking the surrounding desert, visiting Native American desert dwellings, eating your fill of delicious chili, or just taking a spin out on America’s most famous stretch of road, Albuquerque is more than just a quick stop for gas.

Lonely Planet has plenty of ideas when it comes to things to do in ABQ.

Image courtesy of Karah Levely-Rinaldi

#10 – Moab, Utah

The name might not immediately leap to mind when you’re thinking of dream US destinations, but take a look at Moab’s location on a map and you’ll see why it’s a must have in my eyes.

Located at the crossroads between Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park, Moab is the perfect launching point from which to explore these two stunning national parks. For those with a love of the great outdoors, there are few places better suited.

For adrenaline junkies, you’ve got white water rafting, rock climbing, skydiving, ATVing, and mountain biking to keep you occupied. For the more sedate, simply hiking these iconic parks is a once in a lifetime experience.

Utah was a last-minute cut from my most recent US road trip, but Hike Bike Travel has a fantastic Moab itinerary that ought to inspire.

Image courtesy of Jeff Gunn

#9 – Asheville, North Carolina

It’s probably not a well-kept secret anymore, but Asheville in North Carolina is the one city I was most disappointed I missed in my most recent road trip. Named as Lonely Planet’s #1 destination in the US in 2017, Asheville is a city on the rise.

A foodie and beer lover’s heaven, Asheville has captured the hearts of most anybody who has had the wherewithal to add it to their itinerary.

With a thriving arts scene and access to the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains for hiking and day trips, Asheville is a city I am determined to get to and thoroughly explore just as soon as I can.

You can read a little bit more about Asheville and seven other cities I was sad to miss in my article 8 Places I’m Sorry I Missed on my US Road Trip.

Image courtesy of Roger Goun

#8 – Portland, Maine

I’ve had an enduring fascination with the New England ever since I got my hands on my first Stephen King book. The seminal horror writer has based a great many of his novels in his home state of Maine, and Portland perhaps best exemplifies the New England aesthetic.

Cobblestone streets, salty breezes, a lonely lighthouse, clam chowder, ice cold beers, and that unmistakable New Englander personality all blend together to make Portland the quintessential coastal New England town.

You half expect a haunted mist or time-eating Langoliers to come looming up out of the morning fog…

The New England continues to elude me, but Travel and Leisure has a great three day Portland itinerary to get you inspired.

Image courtesy of Predl

#7 – Savannah, Georgia

My own US road trip featured the underwhelming city of Atlanta, so I’m a little disappointed when I read more and more about why Savannah is the best place to go to experience true Southern comfort and hospitality.

Shaded by gorgeous oak trees, the classic Colonial architecture of this fading Southern Belle speaks of a different time in American history. With amazing food, oodles of history, and that all-important southern hospitality, Savannah is a city I am dying to visit and you should be too.

While I was busy being disappointed by Atlanta, Adventurous Kate was falling in love with Savannah. You can read her reasons to love Savannah here.

Image courtesy of Petr Melssner

#6 – Page, Arizona

On the shores of gorgeous Lake Powell and set amid some of the most stunning scenery the American west has to offer, Page is your gateway to unforgettable sights such as Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend – two of the most photographed landscapes in all of America.

Whether you choose to take in this remarkable scenery on foot, on a Colorado River cruise, or from a kayak – it’s a corner of the US that should be on any respectable cross-country road trip.

With a huge variety of Page hotels to choose from, visitors can do the backpacker thing or live in the lap of luxury as they explore the canyons, cliffs, and windswept desert at their own pace.

Page was another last-minute cut from my Great US Road Trip, but you can read plenty of reasons to visit Page, AZ over at Miss HappyFeet.

Image courtesy of Greg Knapp

#5 – Buffalo, New York

New York State inevitably ends up on every US road trip, but more often than not, it’s just New York City that gets a few days assigned to it.

The American gateway to Niagara Falls, Buffalo is more than just a place to base yourself ahead of a ride on the Maiden of the Mists. Like the other underrated US cities on this list, it’s a thriving foodie scene that has plenty to keep your taste buds occupied for a weekend or more.

Travel and Leisure named Buffalo as America’s third most underrated city in 2016, citing the city’s thriving craft beer scene, it’s perfect pizza, vibrant arts scene, and jam-packed festival calendar as reasons why the city warrants a visit.

The Crazy Tourist has fifteen reasons to visit Buffalo that might get your imagination in overdrive.

Image courtesy of Russell Harrison

#4 – Raleigh, North Carolina

You’ve got to be a pretty remarkable city to capture the hearts of Caz & Craig from yTravel, but that’s exactly what Raleigh, North Carolina has done. The jet-setting family of four have singled out Raleigh as their favourite spot in the US and even have a fantastic guide on how to move to Raleigh.

Why do they love it so? It’s a cruisy, green, modern, hip city with stunning natural beauty to pair with its thriving food, beer, and arts scene – the kind of place whose charm is apparent from the moment you enter its city limits.

To me, Raleigh’s food and beer scene is one of its biggest appeals, and it might be best for my waistline that I wasn’t able to make it in my 2009, 2012, or 2016 road trips…

A city with small town charm, there are plenty of cheap Raleigh hotels to make it a good stop on your trip north (or south), but why not spend a few days between Raleigh and Asheville to really see what North Carolina has to offer?

Rebel Heart Travel has come up with fifteen things to do in Raleigh that ought to inspire. Go check them out!

Image courtesy of spablab

#3 – Nashville, Tennessee

Music City is a must-see for country music lovers, but the Tennessee city is an often overlooked gem when it comes to US road trips.

While it may not have the same drawcard appeal as New Orleans or Florida, there’s plenty of reasons why Nashville should feature in your exploration of the US South.

Country music may not be your cup of tea, but you haven’t partied until you’ve spent a night sipping Bud Lite and bouncing from honky tonky to honky tonk in Nashville. With live music in every bar and people singing along to their old favourites, it’s hard not to get swept up in the atmosphere.

Just steer clear of those cheap Fireball shots…

I recently discussed whether Nashville or Memphis is the more deserving road trip destination.

Image courtesy of Twelvizm

#2 – Portland, Oregon

The premier hipster haven in North America, Portland is a city that well and truly embraces its weirdness.

One of the only places I’ve made a point of visiting on multiple occasions, Portland’s craft beer scene, food scene, and overall atmosphere of general weirdness makes it the kind of city I’d love to call home someday.

Why Portland?

Beer lovers will be spoiled for choice by the city’s dizzying array of craft beers, and the opportunity to design your own Portland brewery tour is a fun way to get out and explore.

Add in the presence of the nearby Colombia River Gorge and the gorgeous Pacific Northwest coastal towns such as Astoria and Tillamook, and you’ve got a recipe for a city that well and truly surpasses all expectations.

I’ve waxed lyrical about Portland on many occasions, most recently when I compared it to Seattle and Austin in my Hipster City Showdown.

My friend, Kait takes the wheel during a SLO wine tour. I’m really stoked with how this photo turned out.

#1 – San Luis Obispo, California

I’d never even heard of San Luis Obispo (henceforth known as SLO) until my friend, Kait suggested I swing by on my way from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

I certainly never would have guessed that SLO would go down as one of my favourite stops on the entire road trip.

Wine tasting, bar crawling, and delicious food devouring were all on the agenda in this sunny, youthful college town.

If you’re looking to fully embrace Southern Californian life in a hidden gem that hasn’t been ruined by tourists yet, you could do a lot worse than SLO.

I’ve written before about the many reasons to visit SLO.

What are your favourite underrated cities in the United States?

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topfygad · 5 years ago

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15 Underrated Cities and Hidden Gems for your Great US Road Trip

When it comes time to plan any US road trip, there are cities and landmarks that immediately leap out as ‘must see’ inclusions.

While these cities and landmarks are sure to be highlights of any US road trip, there is a host of other cities that are just begging to be explored and experienced.

15 Underrated Cities for Your US Road Trip

There’s never a dull moment on a road trip.

Some of the most memorable experiences on my 2016 Great US Road Trip occurred in towns I never even thought about in planning the trip.

From getting the death stare in a West Texas burger joint to visiting the Roswell Museum to boozy wine tour days in southern California, even the shortest pit stop made for an unforgettable memory.

Looking for a hidden gem to add to your US road trip? Here, you’ll find fifteen cities that don’t get the credit they deserve.

Image courtesy of James Willamor.

#15 – Greenville, South Carolina

While I haven’t made it to Greenville myself, Feast and West has a great piece on why you’ll love Greenville.

Image courtesy of m01229

#14 – Annapolis, Maryland

Maryland is often overlooked in favour of its more prestigious neighbours such as Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and New York.

While many might favour Baltimore, I found myself just a little bit in love with Maryland’s capital, Annapolis.

Why Annapolis?

Located on the shores of the mighty Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis is a city that well and truly embraces its proud naval tradition.

The city might not be awash with landmarks you’ve daydreamed about since your youth, but it’s possessed of a quiet charm that is hard not to love.

While I never wrote about my experience in Annapolis, it’s also a short drive from the East Coast’s popular seaside playground, Ocean City.

Bixby Bridge has got to be right up there with the Golden Gate and Sydney Harbour as one of the most visually stunning bridges on earth.

#13 – Monterey, California

The drive down California’s Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most breathtaking stretches of road you’re likely to ever encounter.

Stretch from San Francisco all the way down the windswept, craggy coast, Route 1 has featured on two of my previous US road trips and stands out as one of the absolute highlights.

Located not too far from San Francisco, quaint Monterey is a seaside town with a lot of charm.

Interested in Monterey? You can read more about how to spend two days in Monterey.

Image courtesy of Nicholas A Tonelll

#12 – Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff doubtless makes it on to a lot of US Road Trip itineraries due to its proximity to the Grand Canyon.

More than just the Grand Canyon

Everybody has been to the Grand Canyon, but have you ever explored the Indian cave dwellings at Walnut Creek Canyon? I have, and it was fascinating.

Image courtesy of Larry and Linda

#11 – Albuquerque, New Mexico

While my own US road trip featured Sante Fe instead of ABQ, there are plenty of reasons to visit Albuquerque including their world-famous Hot Air Balloon Festival.

Located along iconic Route 66 and home to some of a unique melting pot of Hispanic, Native American, Latino, and Anglo culture, this is truly the US Southwest epitomised.

Lonely Planet has plenty of ideas when it comes to things to do in ABQ.

Image courtesy of Karah Levely-Rinaldi

#10 – Moab, Utah

The name might not immediately leap to mind when you’re thinking of dream US destinations, but take a look at Moab’s location on a map and you’ll see why it’s a must have in my eyes.

Utah was a last-minute cut from my most recent US road trip, but Hike Bike Travel has a fantastic Moab itinerary that ought to inspire.

Image courtesy of Jeff Gunn

#9 – Asheville, North Carolina

A foodie and beer lover’s heaven, Asheville has captured the hearts of most anybody who has had the wherewithal to add it to their itinerary.

With a thriving arts scene and access to the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains for hiking and day trips, Asheville is a city I am determined to get to and thoroughly explore just as soon as I can.

You can read a little bit more about Asheville and seven other cities I was sad to miss in my article 8 Places I’m Sorry I Missed on my US Road Trip.

Image courtesy of Roger Goun

#8 – Portland, Maine

You half expect a haunted mist or time-eating Langoliers to come looming up out of the morning fog…

The New England continues to elude me, but Travel and Leisure has a great three day Portland itinerary to get you inspired.

Image courtesy of Predl

#7 – Savannah, Georgia

While I was busy being disappointed by Atlanta, Adventurous Kate was falling in love with Savannah. You can read her reasons to love Savannah here.

Image courtesy of Petr Melssner

#6 – Page, Arizona

Whether you choose to take in this remarkable scenery on foot, on a Colorado River cruise, or from a kayak – it’s a corner of the US that should be on any respectable cross-country road trip.

With a huge variety of Page hotels to choose from, visitors can do the backpacker thing or live in the lap of luxury as they explore the canyons, cliffs, and windswept desert at their own pace.

Page was another last-minute cut from my Great US Road Trip, but you can read plenty of reasons to visit Page, AZ over at Miss HappyFeet.

Image courtesy of Greg Knapp

#5 – Buffalo, New York

New York State inevitably ends up on every US road trip, but more often than not, it’s just New York City that gets a few days assigned to it.

The Crazy Tourist has fifteen reasons to visit Buffalo that might get your imagination in overdrive.

Image courtesy of Russell Harrison

#4 – Raleigh, North Carolina

To me, Raleigh’s food and beer scene is one of its biggest appeals, and it might be best for my waistline that I wasn’t able to make it in my 2009, 2012, or 2016 road trips…

Rebel Heart Travel has come up with fifteen things to do in Raleigh that ought to inspire. Go check them out!

Image courtesy of spablab

#3 – Nashville, Tennessee

Music City is a must-see for country music lovers, but the Tennessee city is an often overlooked gem when it comes to US road trips.

While it may not have the same drawcard appeal as New Orleans or Florida, there’s plenty of reasons why Nashville should feature in your exploration of the US South.

Just steer clear of those cheap Fireball shots…

I recently discussed whether Nashville or Memphis is the more deserving road trip destination.

Image courtesy of Twelvizm

#2 – Portland, Oregon

The premier hipster haven in North America, Portland is a city that well and truly embraces its weirdness.

Why Portland?

Beer lovers will be spoiled for choice by the city’s dizzying array of craft beers, and the opportunity to design your own Portland brewery tour is a fun way to get out and explore.

I’ve waxed lyrical about Portland on many occasions, most recently when I compared it to Seattle and Austin in my Hipster City Showdown.

My friend, Kait takes the wheel during a SLO wine tour. I’m really stoked with how this photo turned out.

#1 – San Luis Obispo, California

I’d never even heard of San Luis Obispo (henceforth known as SLO) until my friend, Kait suggested I swing by on my way from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

I certainly never would have guessed that SLO would go down as one of my favourite stops on the entire road trip.

Wine tasting, bar crawling, and delicious food devouring were all on the agenda in this sunny, youthful college town.

If you’re looking to fully embrace Southern Californian life in a hidden gem that hasn’t been ruined by tourists yet, you could do a lot worse than SLO.

I’ve written before about the many reasons to visit SLO.

What are your favourite underrated cities in the United States?

Want an Aussie in your inbox?

Cheers! Now you’ve just got to confirm your subscription.

Like this:

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From Facebook

source http://cheaprtravels.com/15-underrated-cities-and-hidden-gems-for-your-great-us-road-trip-2/

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topfygad · 5 years ago

Text

15 Underrated Cities and Hidden Gems for your Great US Road Trip

When it comes time to plan any US road trip, there are cities and landmarks that immediately leap out as ‘must see’ inclusions.

While these cities and landmarks are sure to be highlights of any US road trip, there is a host of other cities that are just begging to be explored and experienced.

15 Underrated Cities for Your US Road Trip

There’s never a dull moment on a road trip.

Some of the most memorable experiences on my 2016 Great US Road Trip occurred in towns I never even thought about in planning the trip.

From getting the death stare in a West Texas burger joint to visiting the Roswell Museum to boozy wine tour days in southern California, even the shortest pit stop made for an unforgettable memory.

Looking for a hidden gem to add to your US road trip? Here, you’ll find fifteen cities that don’t get the credit they deserve.

Image courtesy of James Willamor.

#15 – Greenville, South Carolina

While I haven’t made it to Greenville myself, Feast and West has a great piece on why you’ll love Greenville.

Image courtesy of m01229

#14 – Annapolis, Maryland

Maryland is often overlooked in favour of its more prestigious neighbours such as Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and New York.

While many might favour Baltimore, I found myself just a little bit in love with Maryland’s capital, Annapolis.

Why Annapolis?

Located on the shores of the mighty Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis is a city that well and truly embraces its proud naval tradition.

The city might not be awash with landmarks you’ve daydreamed about since your youth, but it’s possessed of a quiet charm that is hard not to love.

While I never wrote about my experience in Annapolis, it’s also a short drive from the East Coast’s popular seaside playground, Ocean City.

Bixby Bridge has got to be right up there with the Golden Gate and Sydney Harbour as one of the most visually stunning bridges on earth.

#13 – Monterey, California

The drive down California’s Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most breathtaking stretches of road you’re likely to ever encounter.

Stretch from San Francisco all the way down the windswept, craggy coast, Route 1 has featured on two of my previous US road trips and stands out as one of the absolute highlights.

Located not too far from San Francisco, quaint Monterey is a seaside town with a lot of charm.

Interested in Monterey? You can read more about how to spend two days in Monterey.

Image courtesy of Nicholas A Tonelll

#12 – Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff doubtless makes it on to a lot of US Road Trip itineraries due to its proximity to the Grand Canyon.

More than just the Grand Canyon

Everybody has been to the Grand Canyon, but have you ever explored the Indian cave dwellings at Walnut Creek Canyon? I have, and it was fascinating.

Image courtesy of Larry and Linda

#11 – Albuquerque, New Mexico

While my own US road trip featured Sante Fe instead of ABQ, there are plenty of reasons to visit Albuquerque including their world-famous Hot Air Balloon Festival.

Located along iconic Route 66 and home to some of a unique melting pot of Hispanic, Native American, Latino, and Anglo culture, this is truly the US Southwest epitomised.

Lonely Planet has plenty of ideas when it comes to things to do in ABQ.

Image courtesy of Karah Levely-Rinaldi

#10 – Moab, Utah

The name might not immediately leap to mind when you’re thinking of dream US destinations, but take a look at Moab’s location on a map and you’ll see why it’s a must have in my eyes.

Utah was a last-minute cut from my most recent US road trip, but Hike Bike Travel has a fantastic Moab itinerary that ought to inspire.

Image courtesy of Jeff Gunn

#9 – Asheville, North Carolina

A foodie and beer lover’s heaven, Asheville has captured the hearts of most anybody who has had the wherewithal to add it to their itinerary.

With a thriving arts scene and access to the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains for hiking and day trips, Asheville is a city I am determined to get to and thoroughly explore just as soon as I can.

You can read a little bit more about Asheville and seven other cities I was sad to miss in my article 8 Places I’m Sorry I Missed on my US Road Trip.

Image courtesy of Roger Goun

#8 – Portland, Maine

You half expect a haunted mist or time-eating Langoliers to come looming up out of the morning fog…

The New England continues to elude me, but Travel and Leisure has a great three day Portland itinerary to get you inspired.

Image courtesy of Predl

#7 – Savannah, Georgia

While I was busy being disappointed by Atlanta, Adventurous Kate was falling in love with Savannah. You can read her reasons to love Savannah here.

Image courtesy of Petr Melssner

#6 – Page, Arizona

Whether you choose to take in this remarkable scenery on foot, on a Colorado River cruise, or from a kayak – it’s a corner of the US that should be on any respectable cross-country road trip.

With a huge variety of Page hotels to choose from, visitors can do the backpacker thing or live in the lap of luxury as they explore the canyons, cliffs, and windswept desert at their own pace.

Page was another last-minute cut from my Great US Road Trip, but you can read plenty of reasons to visit Page, AZ over at Miss HappyFeet.

Image courtesy of Greg Knapp

#5 – Buffalo, New York

New York State inevitably ends up on every US road trip, but more often than not, it’s just New York City that gets a few days assigned to it.

The Crazy Tourist has fifteen reasons to visit Buffalo that might get your imagination in overdrive.

Image courtesy of Russell Harrison

#4 – Raleigh, North Carolina

To me, Raleigh’s food and beer scene is one of its biggest appeals, and it might be best for my waistline that I wasn’t able to make it in my 2009, 2012, or 2016 road trips…

Rebel Heart Travel has come up with fifteen things to do in Raleigh that ought to inspire. Go check them out!

Image courtesy of spablab

#3 – Nashville, Tennessee

Music City is a must-see for country music lovers, but the Tennessee city is an often overlooked gem when it comes to US road trips.

While it may not have the same drawcard appeal as New Orleans or Florida, there’s plenty of reasons why Nashville should feature in your exploration of the US South.

Just steer clear of those cheap Fireball shots…

I recently discussed whether Nashville or Memphis is the more deserving road trip destination.

Image courtesy of Twelvizm

#2 – Portland, Oregon

The premier hipster haven in North America, Portland is a city that well and truly embraces its weirdness.

Why Portland?

Beer lovers will be spoiled for choice by the city’s dizzying array of craft beers, and the opportunity to design your own Portland brewery tour is a fun way to get out and explore.

I’ve waxed lyrical about Portland on many occasions, most recently when I compared it to Seattle and Austin in my Hipster City Showdown.

My friend, Kait takes the wheel during a SLO wine tour. I’m really stoked with how this photo turned out.

#1 – San Luis Obispo, California

I’d never even heard of San Luis Obispo (henceforth known as SLO) until my friend, Kait suggested I swing by on my way from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

I certainly never would have guessed that SLO would go down as one of my favourite stops on the entire road trip.

Wine tasting, bar crawling, and delicious food devouring were all on the agenda in this sunny, youthful college town.

If you’re looking to fully embrace Southern Californian life in a hidden gem that hasn’t been ruined by tourists yet, you could do a lot worse than SLO.

I’ve written before about the many reasons to visit SLO.

What are your favourite underrated cities in the United States?

Want an Aussie in your inbox?

Cheers! Now you’ve just got to confirm your subscription.

Like this:

Like Loading…

From Facebook

from Cheapr Travels http://cheaprtravels.com/15-underrated-cities-and-hidden-gems-for-your-great-us-road-trip-2/ via http://cheaprtravels.com

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