#but that's integral to the story nevertheless

[queenlucythevaliant]

"Foolish One" is a Scarlett O'Hara song

[gofancyninjaworld]

just peopling

I don't think Murata knows what he does for me when he draws characters showing their more unguarded, vulnerable moments. And I don't mean when they're undergoing a profound emotional experience. Just the mundane, everyday activities.

It's not easy to depict mundanity in a story: real estate is precious, and Everything Has To Mean Something. So Murata finding space both within and around the chapters to ground the characters as people despite their abilities is precious.

Something that comes to mind is Scott McCloud's comment in his excellent book 'Understanding Comics', where he notes that depicting a superhero going to the bathroom is funny as we don't see these characters as human and it breaks our immersion. In One-Punch Man, the characters may be incredible and in a fantastic setting, but ONE and Murata have pulled off their also being so human there's nothing remarkable about them eating, sleeping, going to the bathroom, or having a recycling schedule on the wall. It's not easy to do.

ONE does get mileage out of making superhumans doing ordinary things hilarious, but he does it by making the context funny. Sure, Sonic on the shitter is funny, but it's not funny because he's an impossible ninja having a shit as if he were human. We accept his humanity. It's why he's crapping his guts out that's hilarious: there's both the schadenfreude of seeing him hoisted by his own petard and the relief that because he's screwed up, he will stay human. Sure, Genos using his arm cannon to dry the dishes is funny, but not because he's a combat cyborg that probably costs the same as a fighter jet. He and Saitama ate. Of course the dishes need doing. It's that he's abusing a million-dollar piece of equipment to do something ordinary that's hilarious -- like an engineer abusing a high-powered laser to heat coffee [1].

Often, the context isn't funny for the sake of being funny. Genos cleaning the house? Not funny. Genos ignoring the sounds of battle outside because he can't bring himself to leave the house until he's cleaned up all traces of the previous night's party? Hilarious. However, it's not just funny: it's the setup for us seeing later the pots and bowls set out as the apartment is destroyed, all ready to start dinner as soon as Saitama comes back. He's prepared for a meal that neither will ever eat. We carry out our routines as if life will never change, even though we're aware it can be cut short at any time and in ways we cannot anticipate, and no amount of power or privilege changes that. In the meantime, we live.

Why do they go so far as to humanize the characters? Other than it being nice to see, it also allows the story to land points that otherwise couldn't work. Points such as everything takes time, effort, and attention and no one can do everything, but must needs choose, and these choices have consequences. That we need others to be human. That even the best relationships take work. That fulfilling yourself as a human being is a work in progress. That the idea of there being a 'thing' or 'state' that will make one happy is nonsense. That we can go too far. That we don't deserve second chances, but no one's counting.

Being human is complicated and frustrating and boring but oh so worth it. That's a big point that ONE wants to get across. And he can't do that if the very idea of a character needing the bathroom is hilarious.

[1] Obligatory health warning: do not fuck with lasers. A laser capable of warming your coffee in a useful time is both invisible and more likely to set you on fire than give you a warm beverage.

[mizushidokoro]

can we as a society stop pretending that jjk does not have a misogyny problem? there are many shitty and unfair criticisms of gege's writing and I understand the instinct to push back against that, but let's not pretend gege has invested the same effort into, and/or has the same aptitude for, writing women as for writing men

[planetaryupscaled]

Disenchanted 2: Love Affair

Male Reader x Karina

Tags: 8k, anal, cheating, creampie, oral

The story is not ours, we alternate the original story to match our desired settings.

The next couple of days were a bit of a blur as the final tweaks were done to our presentation preventing me from having a proper talk with Karina about what transpired in my office the other night. The Friday of the big presentation, dressed in a fitted cream dress, Karina strode into the board room with an air of sophistication about her.

The team had already laid out printout packs on all of the senior leader’s seats prior to today as they waited patiently outside. Karina and I were to lead the proceedings with myself giving the grittier details of our proposed launch with timelines all mapped out in the slides. Sitting at the head of the table, I was situated quite close to the right of her, driving the slides with my laptop. Karina greeted me good morning, shaking my hand and wishing me luck. Her smile was not as fully fledged as usual, maybe it was her nerves, but most likely it was due to our chance encounter the other night. I could feel the slight awkwardness in the air between us, The senior directors started entering the board room. Filled with a bunch of seasoned veterans, it was quite an intimidating environment. Nevertheless, it is what I had worked so hard for all these years, a chance to sit with the big boys as I took a deep breath and kicked things off.

“Good morning All, I am pleased to announce our plans to successfully launch our great new products into the market. In front of you all are the details regarding our target demographic, how we are going to capture their attention and hopefully break into new sectors.” I said, my voice steady as a rock, but heart beat rising fast as I took my seat, letting Karina takeover for the bigger picture view.

Karina could sense this, lightly squeezing my hand under the table giving me a nod of encouragement before standing up and powerfully delivering her piece. The remainder of the meeting went according to plan as we both gradually eased up, due to the positivity in the room regarding our pitch. At the half time break the senior directors sat around by themselves drinking coffee while Karina and I prepped the short fifteen-minute video that we planned with the team going over the different products.

“Hey, is everything cool?” I asked, in hushed tones as Karina enlarged the window on screen.

She smiled ever so slightly nodding her head.

“Off course we are, why do you ask?” She replied.

“No reason, I think it’s going well though.” I said.

“Totally, we are nailing it so hard.” Karina replied.

Hearing her say that got me all riled up, thinking about our steamy exchange the other night as she gave the thumbs up to the rest of the room, dimming the lights as the clip began to play. We both had our backs to the room as everybody went quiet watching the products presented on screen with interest. It was then I noticed Karina’s hand laying idle by her leg, her fingers nervously tapping away. I could hear the faint strikes of her fingers on the plastic seat, probably nervous about the uptake by the senior bosses as they had not seen any of the new products in this much detail before.

Grabbing her hand, I gently settled her fingers down to avoid causing a distraction for the rest of the room. Karina continued watching the video, smiling ever so slightly by the side of her mouth. This was more like it, the tension in the morning was now a distant memory as I played with her soft hands. She never pulled away, instead accepting my hand in hers as I gently stroked her wrist. Looking sideways I could see her swallow hard as my hand continued to dance on her wrist. This sudden sexual electricity between us spurred me to be bolder, even though both our integrities was on the line, I pushed forward.

“Open your legs.” I said, whispering in her ear.

There was a slight pause in her reaction as if to inwardly think if this was the right thing to do. Never the less, Karina complied lust taking over, parting her thighs just enough for me to slip my hands between her legs. Just like when she was on the phone to her husband, I started off slow, gliding my digits across her silky lingerie cupping her sex. A few gentle squeezes later had Karina creaming in my palms, her mouth parted slightly as she began to stifle her groans by sipping some water. Easing her underwear a side I could feel the warmth emanating from her cunt as I pierced her folds in one fluid motion, filling her pussy with two fingers as I began to stroke her from the inside with deep curls of my fingers. From this angle, her g-spot was not attainable, settling for clitoral stimulation instead, rubbing circles around her sensitive parts as I felt her buck slightly in her seat.

“Tell me when you’re close.” I whispered, as she nodded in agreement, gripping my hand between her legs as I finger fucked her cunt in a room full of senior directors.

The contractions from her walls were now so intense, it hurt my fingers at times as I fed her cunt more of my digits, filling her cunt with my hand as she leaked copious amounts of sex juice on to the seat. The video was coming to an end as the room began to clap, Karina now nodding, giving me the signal as I doubled my efforts fingering her tight married slit as hard and deep as I could, pinching her clit sharply as Karina climaxed in my grasp, biting down into her forearm to hide her pleasurable excitement. Slipping out from between her legs I wiped my face in her juices before dabbing myself dry with a tissue. Her scent was delectable as we both turned around slightly flushed.

“I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as we did.” She said beaming, her cheeks slightly red.

They all applauded with gusto, as we gave our closing speech and wrapped up the proceedings collapsing in our chairs as they left the room.

“Phew...that was intense.” I said with a smile.

“Really…was it? was it intense?” Karina said sarcastically punching me in the arm.

“I cannot believe you did that.” She said.

“Did you like it?” I asked smiling.

“That’s not the point...” She started.

“Yes, yes, you are married and such...” I chimed in.

“It’s NOT funny.” she said, holding back a smirk.

“Seriously.” She followed up, regaining some sort of composure.

“I have a favor to ask.” Karina said grinning.

“You have a favor to ask me?” I replied mockingly.

“Yes, Jaewook wants me to invite you over for dinner tomorrow night to celebrate the successful launch of our products.” She said.

“Sounds ominous.” I replied, scratching my head.

“Yeah, I don’t buy it either, he has always felt a little threatened with other guys.” Karina replied.

“Do you blame him?” I said raising my eyes and smelling my hand, still fresh from between her legs.

“That’s not fair...” Karina replied not finding my quip funny.

“Just behave...ok?” She said, her eyes pleading.

I nodded, taking down her address and walking out to tell the team of our success. Treating them to a lunch out, the three nattered endlessly about how it was the hardest they had ever worked and how proud they were. It was good team bonding, yet all I could think about was Karina and my up-and-coming visit to the residence.

—

That night of the dinner came around soon enough, fixing myself up last minute style in the office toilet.

“Hey man, heard you are off to the Boss’s house today?” Yeonjun said from behind me.

“Ehem.” I replied.

He had a major thing for Karina, but then again so did most red-blooded males. If only he knew what we had been up to, it would have blown his mind. I liked Yeonjun, very comical, a bit like Nayoung but with less sting in his tail. Smiling I nodded, running my fingers through my hair as I pondered tonight’s events.

“Hey boss...don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Yeonjun called out as I left.

“I’m a Saint.” I called back, walking down the stairs and into the carpark.

Karina was already there, as she popped the passenger lock open and welcomed me with her trademark smile.

“You good?” She said, backing the car up and exiting onto the main road.

“I’m great, you?” I said with a slight chuckle.

“Don’t laugh...this is a big deal, we rarely have guests over.” Karina said.

“God, does he plan to kill me and get rid of the body?” I said sarcastically.

“It’s not him you should be worried about.” Karina hit back in jest.

“Ohh kinky.” I replied.

“Seriously Minho, you said you would behave.” Karina said pleading with me.

“Ok ok...best behavior...promise.” I said smiling.

To be honest, I had no idea what she was so worried about. Jaewook and I got on like a house on fire the moment I stepped in. It almost made me feel bad about my relationship with Karina...almost. After getting introduced to the kids during dinner we played a family friendly boardgames before the adults retired to the study and talked all things...well, adult.

Part of me wanted to carry on with the boardgames, teasing Karina under the table with my hands was a delight as I watched her hold her nerve in front of the family. It did not go without consequence however as after the games her warm demeanor was slightly icy towards me, breaking my promise so early into the evening. The couple sat on the couch all snuggled up with a bottle of wine while I sat in the armchair perusing the family album. Jaewook gave me the lowdown of how the two met and even showed me a few pictures form their recent family holiday. I tried my best to stay engage, nodding and smiling when required as we necked down yet another bottle of wine.

“Hey man, why don’t you stay the night?” Jaewook said, his words slightly slurred at this point.

I looked at Karina slightly taken aback, almost waiting for the green light.

“Why are you looking at her, I am the boss here.” He said laughing.

Karina punched his arm clearly not liking his derogatory statement.

“You guys do what you want, I’m going to put the kids to bed.” She said, without making eye contact with either of us.

“Ok...” I said chuckling.

“Eh she gets like that sometimes, I think work is stressing her out a bit.” Jaewook said.

“Yeah, it has been busy, she is really thorough.” I replied.

I could not help slipping in innuendos here and there as Jaewook showed me to the guest bedroom. It was bigger than my flat, literally.

“Hey, tomorrow, we can shoot some hoops out back, have a good evening.” He said closing the door behind him.

I did not see Karina again till around 12 midnight. I had just finished up in the bathroom when I heard light whisperings from the hallway. Feeling a little curious I turned off my bedroom light sneaking a peak outside. It was coming from the couple’s bedroom which was tantalizingly ajar. I felt a sudden jolt of jealousy as my over active imagination pictured what was going on in there.

“Jaewook...seriously not tonight.” I heard Karina say.

“Seriously you’re drunk.” She followed up.

“Babe c’mon, just a quickie, you promised.” Jaewook replied, his words barely coherent.

“C’mon Karina...” He said.

I peeked in seeing Karina reluctantly take off her nightgown to reveal a matching brown set of underwear. Part of me wanted to step in there and stop the whole thing as she clearly wasn’t interested.

“Bend over for me...” Jaewook slurred.

Karina scrunched her face up slightly, giving up in defeat as she bent over on all fours on the side of the bed. Despite my jealousy, the view from her was exquisite. I could perfectly make out the lips of her pussy surrounded by her tight tanned rear as she jutted it out and stared forward. At this angle I could see the expressionless look on Karina’s face as Jaewook unzipped his trousers and eased himself forward.

“Jaewook...be gentle.” Karina said.

Her face screwed up the moment Jaewook penetrated her folds, grunting awkwardly as he thrust himself deep inside her cunt. Jaewook gripped her by hips gently rocking back and forth as he impaled his wife on his length, gritting his teeth as he bottomed out. I could see Karina close her eyes, a slight groan escaping her lips as I felt my own cock grow in my trousers. Watching the elicit scene pan out in front of me gave me a wicked idea. My pangs of envy were over turned by how aroused I was in the moment watching Jaewook raise one of Karina’s legs up in his arms and fuck her long and deep with steady strokes, his balls slapping hard against her rear as she yelped in muffled moans. Sweat was now forming on my brow as I went for my phone, flipping the camera on and filming the whole ordeal. Karina’s breast now exposed as I stared at her tight frame in the mirror, swaying with each pump of her husband’s cock.

“Babe...I’m gonna cum...” Jaewook moaned, his voice now ragged and slurred as he slipped out of her entrance.

She was moist, her slit now glimmering in the moonlight as her husband motioned for her to suck his straining cock. Karina shook her head, instead pushing back on his length taking his cock back inside her slick womb.

“Jaewook we spoke about this...I don’t like that.” Karina frowned looking back.

It was at this point she saw me standing in the doorway, her mouth ready to say something before Jaewook moaned in protest at not getting what he wanted, shoving his spurting length deep inside her once more.

“Babe...ohh...” Jaewook moaned, releasing his pent up load inside his wife.

Karina stared at me in utter shock as I stayed a few moments more, watching Jaewook twitch his hips while releasing his load deep inside her cunt. I had seen enough, my arousal now turning back to jealousy as I walked back to my room. I could slight mumblings coming from the couple’s bedroom as I settled into bed, my mind racing at what I had just seen and done. It took a couple of moments to realize that someone was opening the door. The creak of the hinges giving it away as I sat up in the bed. It was Karina, a look of fury on her face.

“Did you have a good look?” She asked, clearly displeased with my actions.

“Looked like you were enjoying yourself.” I replied curtly.

“Are you actually mad at me?” Karina hit back, picking up on my tone.

I shrugged, flicking through my phone.

“You better delete that, delete it right now!” She said in anger, walking over to me and snatching my phone.

She was quick, managing to wrestle it from my grasp as she pressed delete on my phone.

“For god sake.” I said in frustration.

“I am the one who should be pissed...for filming me.” She said.

She was right, but I had too much envy to care, pushing her of me as I walked to the bathroom.

“Are you not going to talk to me now?” She asked.

“No, I just need a pee.” I replied.

“Ha ha...” Karina said sarcastically.

It was hard to be mad at her for too long, I knew she could not really say no in that moment. Shrugging my shoulders I looked at her.

“That was hard to watch.” I said, hanging my head.

“Look- he’s my husband...I can’t...” Karina started.

“No I mean, I got really hard watching all that.” I said smirking.

“Pff...you are such an ass.” Karina replied, a smile appearing before breaking into a laugh.

“I see you were telling the truth about not swallowing.” I said smiling longingly at her.

“I... can be quite selective.” She said, closing the gap.

Karina had changed into a purple nightie, her black lingerie visible underneath, hugging her pert breasts.

“You up for swallowing now?” I asked stroking her face.

She looked at me with the same seductive stare that she had on her face moments before taking me into her mouth in my office that fate full night.

“Is that a yes? I followed up, unclasping her nightie and letting it fall to the ground.

Karina shrugged her shoulders smirking at me as I massaged her soft breasts, rolling her nipples between my fingers as she shut her eyes, resting her head on my chest.

“What if I film it?” I said.

Her eyes shot open, her head about to shake before I cut her off with a kiss.

“You owe me a video.” I said, massaging her pussy through her laced underwear as I set up the camera to oversee the bed.

Karina wore a less then impressed look, staring at me with raised eyebrows as I took a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Dance for me...” I whispered.

Just on cue, her momentary hesitation was over ridden by her inner desires, swaying her hips as she stood in front of my face legs shoulder width apart. I watched in awe as she turned her tight frame around and bent over at the waist, slapping her hands across her pussy and ass for me as I watched in wonder.

“Fuck me Karina.” I said under my breath as she turned around to face me, straddling my lap as the camera continued rolling.

Gripping her hips I clawed at her underwear, ripping a hole in her panties, much to the pleasure of Karina, yelping at the forced intrusion of my fingers into her wanting snatch.

“Ughhh...” Karina moaned under her breath.

She rocked her hips on my hands as I fed her more of my fingers, taking her erect areola between my lips and suckling on her breasts. The smell of her perfume invaded my nostrils again as I threw her on the bed, easing open her smooth pale legs. We locked eyes, knowing full well what each other wanted as she reached forward, freeing my cock. Staring at my tip for a few seconds, Karina speared her pink tongue out, licking up my slit before sucking me deep into her moist mouth. The warmth of her oral cavity was mind blowing, feeling her breath flow across my sensitive cock while she slathered the underside of my shaft with her saliva. My dick glistened in the light as I slipped out from between her perfect lips.

“I’m gonna- fuck you so hard...” I said, whispering in her ear as I eased myself between her legs.

Karina responded by locking her thighs around my waist, pulling my ass into her as I penetrated her cunt in one fluid motion.

“Ughhh...” Karina moaned, her teeth digging into my shoulder as I began to thrust into her moist depths with hard pumps.

Karina was a sight to behold, watching her pert tits bounce up with each push of my hips. My cock spearing her wet folds as I bottomed out in her married cunt, my tip rubbing tantalizingly against her cervix smearing her pink walls with my pre cum. Gripping my back even harder, she pulled me in for a deep kiss, our tongues clashing as she sucked on my bottom lip, eyes rolling back into her head as we mated passionately on the brushed cotton covers. I could feel her pussy closing in on my shaft as I pumped my slick shaft inside her moist pussy, repeatedly slapping my balls against her inner thighs.

“Fuckk- Harder...Harder.” Karina screamed into my shoulder.

“Ughhh...Right...There...” She chanted in my ear.

Her screams now laced in desperation as we rolled over so she was on top, legs spread wide as the once an idol rode my straining cock like her life depended on it.

Sweat was streaming down her face as she gyrated her hips feeding her wanting pussy more of my meat as I gripped her supple hips and thrust myself upwards, stuffing her married cunt with as much meat as possible. Running her hands through her hair, Karina wailed in hushed ecstasy, desperate to get off as I felt her tremble on top of me. She was close, writhing in pleasure as she dipped her slick pussy deeper onto my length, swallowing me whole as her entire body convulsed, squeezing down on my shaft as I began to pulse.

As if perfectly timed, Karina held me tight, her hips still rolling in my lap as I spurt my load inside her marital cunt. Each spurt growing in strength as I painted her insides with my thick, sticky seed, my warmth spreading to every corner of her womb as my sperm dribbled out from the sides of her slit. Her lips tasted like sex as Karina rolled off me, immediately taking my semi spurting cock between her lips and sucking down my excess spunk. I could see her actively swallow down gulps of my seed, as she increased pressure around my crown with her mouth, hoovering me up with her perfectly full lips. We stayed like this for the next ten minutes as Karina continued giving me her expertly executed fellatio, making me grow in her mouth before popping me out and fisting my shaft with her soft hands.

“Have you ever taken it in the ass?” I asked, kissing her, slipping my tongue into her wanting mouth.

Karina smiled seductively, shaking her head as I eased her onto her front, running my hands down her back.

“Face down...ass up...” I said, whispering in her ear.

Karina complied, moaning into the covers as I speared her cunt with one long deep thrust, coating my shaft with enough of her pussy cream to lubricate my cock for her virgin ass hole. Hovering the tip just above her rosebud I pushed forward, my crown breaking through and into her tight ass. She felt sensational, the way her anal walls sucked at my shaft as I penetrated her asshole was almost as good as releasing my seed inside her married pussy. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, I gently pulled her up, fucking into her ass with hard thrusts. My balls were slapping up against her rear, now red raw as I stuffed my cock deep into her anal cavity while frigging her slippery sex. Karina joined my hands, attacking her sex with circular rubs of her clit while I fingered her slit with deep strokes, reaching her g-spot as I pumped her rump full of cock.

“Fuck... nghhh…unhhh...” She wailed.

I had to cover her mouth now smeared with her cream as I fucked her up her tender ass, stretching her anal cavity out with my meat as my sack began to churn. Karina was cumming, writhing and flexing around my shaft as her groans became more pronounced, wild, feral feeling me violate her tightest hole over and over again. It was getting too much for her as she buried her face down into the pillow screaming as her climax hit.

“Ughh...nghhh...Fuckk...” Karina wailed into the sheets.

I could not hold on much longer.

“Karina...I’m- I’m close...” I moaned.

“Ass...cum in my ass...” She replied breathlessly, grinding her rump against my hips as she felt me pulse inside her.

It was the point of no return as the tightness of her ass tipped me over the edge as a torrent of spunk exploded from my tip, peppering her anal cavity in my sticky salty mess. I continued to thrust my cock deep inside her bowls, pumping more of my sperm into her asshole as we collapsed on the bed exhausted. We lay like this for a while, our combined juices leaking out her spent crack, milking the last bits of my pearly seed from my cock as she tensed her anal cavity one last time.

“Fuck… me...” I replied, worn out.

Karina turned around, smiling, kissing me softly on the lips as she sunk back down into the bed and shut her eyes.

“Thats quite the director’s debut.” She said smiling, falling asleep beside me as my camera continued to roll.

—

There was a faint rustling sound the next morning emanating from the far corner of the room. Opening my eyes to adjust to the sunlight piercing through the window a tall man stood up with some fabric in his hands. I rubbed my face to get a clearer view, was it Jaewook coming in to take me out due to railing his wife in his own house. That idea seemed preposterous even by my standards as the figure came into focus.

“Hey man, sorry for barging in like this, I store some of my clothes in here, the missus has a lot if you catch my drift.” Jaewook said with a grin.

“Did you sleep well?” He asked.

“Yeah...it was- very nice, thanks...” I replied smiling.

I could still feel the faint stickiness on my crotch from last night’s events, probably a concoction of Karina’s pussy cream and my pent up load coalesced into one thick mess now smeared all over my inner thighs. Flashes of Karina writhing in my arms were on playback in my mind as Jaewook went on about some charity event of sorts.

“So, are you in?” He asked with a smile.

“Emm...” I replied, before Karina knocked on the door and entered.

“Breakfast is ready, if you guys want to come down.” She said smiling at both of us.

Our gaze knowingly connected for a split second, her eyes sending me subliminal messages of our passionate fuck fest a few hours ago. Hobbling out slightly she shut the door behind her leaving me alone with Jaewook.

“She’s a bit worn out.” He said.

“Got lucky last night if you know what I mean.” He followed up with a laugh.

I don’t know if it was just me, but Jaewook had seemed to take a liking to me, almost as if we were best buds. I mean I thought it was kind of strange, maybe he did not have many male friends, nevertheless it wouldn’t hurt to keep him close, especially with what Karina and I were up to. I feigned a laugh, good enough not to sound fake to appease Jaewook’s lack of comment.

“So, the Charity event today, you in? It would be good to have someone to chat to, these things Karina sponsors can get a little dry.” He said.

“I- well...it’s weekend...I was planning to...” I started.

“C'mon man, do me a favor and I will put in a good word for you with the missus, put you in good stead for work.” He said.

“Ok...ok...fine...just let me get fixed up and I will meet you guys there.” I replied, to a relieved Jaewook.

It boggled my mind as to why he was so desperate for me to come as I finished washing my face and descended the stairs into the kitchen.

“Breakfast?” Karina said, pouring me a cup of coffee as I took a seat.

“Sure, that would be good.” I replied eyeing her up in her flattering summer dress.

Karina caught my stares, shooing me away playfully while the kids were watching TV. Our little moment disrupted the moment Jaewook walked in kissing Karina on the cheek, discretely squeezing her rear as he walked by. I caught the distaste in Karina’s face as she handed me a plate with some toast.

“Sorry.” she mouthed.

There was a distinct smell of freshly baked bread in the air, reminding me of my holiday in France the previous year. At which point I was engaged at the time. Not many people knew about this, in many respects, Karina and I were quite similar like that, guarded when it came to our personal lives. In the end it did not work out due to my work schedule taking more and more of my time away from her, in the end we went our separate ways, just a few months before landing this new job.

“So Jaewook tells me you are joining us today.” Karina said.

“Yeah...is that OK? I replied.

“Sure, the more the merrier, plus it will give Jaewook someone to talk to, he doesn’t really like these things.” Karina said.

It made it seem that Karina would be pretty busy at this event which was in support for a charity that her kids school led. I was assured it was not a big deal as my attempts to get changed at home into something more fitting was rebuffed by Karina, insisting we had no time. She kindly let me borrow an old tee she must have been given from SM Company all those years ago. It was a guy top so fitted fine, quite low key in black with a small insignia in the top left-hand side.

I sat up front with Jaewook as Karina and the kids were in the back. The aroma from Karina’s perfume wafted upstream in the car as I took in a deep hit of her scent. I could see her grinning at me in the back seat on occasion while her husband and I talked about real estate. It was one of those conversations that you have to burn time, a bit like talking about the weather.

“So guys, we will take the kids around the Carnival while you do your charity stuff, OK babe?” Jaewook said as he parked the SUV up front.

“Jaewook I told you I need you for the photo op.” Karina said slightly irritated.

“Can’t you take Minho over there spin it as some company thing?” He said.

“Well no, it’s meant to be a school led thing Jaewook.” Karina said frowning.

“Fine fine.” Jaewook replied getting out the car and walking with the kids to the entrance.

“Are you ok?” I asked, Sensing her irritation.

“Ahh he’s always like this, all he has to do is take a picture and be done with it.” She replied huffing.

“To be fair some people are camera shy.” I replied whipping out my phone and taking a quick selfie with her behind the car.

We kissed momentarily, like a teenage couple hiding their affections from their parents, sneaking in a quick squeeze of her ass under her flowing dress.

“Hey...hands...Mister...we might get caught.” Karina protested meekly.

I smiled kissing her and previewing the photo we just took.

“So... how did the video come out?” Karina asked, her voice laced in curiosity.

“Ahem...it came out well...maybe I can show you later?” I replied with a wink.

Karina smiled seductively, nodding her head as we joined the rest at the front. Jaewook had already splashed out on cotton candy waving us over as he fed Karina a hand full of the pink stuff. I milled around, letting the Lee family do their thing as they were descended upon immediately by important looking school officials and the like. Come to think of it I could see what Jaewook was talking about, neither he or the kids looked like they enjoyed the attention, Karina didn’t either but she was well versed by now in how to handle these things.

Watching on as they took their mandatory pictures while shaking important people’s hands in the process, I caught the gaze of Jaewook making his way through the crowd. He had left the kids with the family of one of their close friends to jump on some of the rides while me and him hit the bar for a quick drink.

“You ok to drink with driving us back and all?” I asked.

The previous night did not inspire me with confidence as he necked down a few bottles of wine a few hours ago. Shrugging it off we clinked glasses.

“Just one, it won’t hurt.” He said, taking a long sip from his cup.

“So, tell me about you, you seeing anyone? I have been to a few of Karina’s work do’s and that Nayoung girl is quite something.” Jaewook said.

“Yeah, she is in my team, she is nice.” I replied, making conversation.

“Too right.” Jaewook replied, his mind wondering off in the distance.

Downing the rest of the cup, he ordered another pint and took a sip.

“Mate I think, maybe we should slow down with the drinking.” I said, concerned about getting in the car with an intoxicated driver.

“God you sound like Karina.” He replied.

Something in his voice giving off a little bit of resentment.

“That doesn’t sound well...are you guys ok?” I asked.

It was obvious to me that everything was not great, given the fact that I was balls deep inside Karina the night before, how could they be? It was just interesting for lack of a better word to see his point of view.

“Well, we have hit a rocky patch for the past...I would say year and a half.” Jaewook said glumly.

I just nodded, giving him time to reflect as he continued his monologue.

“I dunno...over the past months or so Karina and I have drifted apart, almost like we are going through the motions. We have talked about it but she keeps saying she is fine, it almost makes me think if there is another guy.” He said.

I sighed, resting my hand on his shoulder, knowing full well I was that other guy. It was a dick move on my part but I had no other option but to try and ease his fears, even if I knew they were well warranted.

“You know, it’s probably the stresses of work, she has a demanding job.” I replied.

“Yeah I know, it’s just- maybe it’s me...maybe I need to spice things up a bit.” He said, looking at me for answers.

I shrugged my shoulders and gave that awkward half smile with mouth closed look.

“Maybe...or maybe you just need to give her more time to get through all these product launches and what not, I am sure it will work out in the end mate.” I said patting him on the back.

“Thanks Minho...for the chat, it means a lot.” Jaewook replied.

I did feel horrible in that moment as he downed the last bit of his pint only to catch the eye of Karina behind us, her expression less than impressed.

“Seriously Jaewook, beer, right now?” Her tone hushed but livid.

I gave the signal to tone it down a bit and drop the issue to no avail as the two argued by the stall ramping up to the point that Karina stormed off.

“For god sake.” She said, brushing past me in a hurry.

“Jaewook...is everything...I mean...” I started.

“Yeah...its fine, I will ask our friends to drop the kids back home later, do you want a lift with them too?” He asked.

“Its fine, I can take a cab...what about you two?” I asked.

“Ahh I will give her some time to cool off then we can drive back later.” He said.

“Listen, can you keep everything I said between us?” Jaewook followed up, his face quite sombre and downbeat.

“Yeah sure...and I mean if there is anything I can do, just give me a shout.” I said.

“I appreciate it, sorry again for this mess you have walked in on.” Jaewook said apologizing.

I waved my arm making no big deal of it before shaking his hand and giving my thanks for having me over. We parted ways a few moments after, me saying my goodbyes as I made my way to the cab ranks. Jaewook stayed at the bar for another pint before saying he was going to look for Karina. I had advised him not to have another but he just shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head, ordering another round.

The situation was a bit messy to be honest and it looked like I was the catalyst for this shit storm as walked past the carrousel. I saw Karina’s kids on it having fun, their faces not showing any care in the world, yet all the while their parents were at war, with me in the middle stoking the fire.

“Hey...” A familiar voice said.

It was Karina, she was watching the kids from one of the quieter stalls as they enjoyed themselves on the ride.

“Is everything...” I started, before she started sobbing in my arms.

“It’s a mess Minho.” She said, tears flowing onto my chest as I inadvertently took in another hit of her sweet perfume.

“Listen- I know...it’s complicated” I replied, taking her around back so her kids would not see their mother crying.

Karina dabbed at her cheeks with a tissue, smiling at me as she hit my arm.

“You have not helped the situation.” She said, half smiling.

“I am so sorry.” I replied, cupping her face.

“Gosh no- you’re not.” She said, her smile turning into a grin.

“Well- I mean...it really, really feels good to be with you.” I replied in jest.

“It has its perks.” Karina replied, coming in for another hug.

I held her in my arms stroking her hair as the kids moved onto another ride being chaperoned by the family friend. It felt great holding Karina in my arms as her breathing returned to normal, tears all dried up, pulling me in for a deep kiss.

“Thank you.” She said, holding my hand.

“No worries, besides tears don’t look good on you.” I said, making light of the matter.

“Is it not selfie material?” Karina said laughing.

“Speaking of which selfie?” I asked, snapping away as we stared at the camera.

I snuck in a few kisses while we took the picture, turning into a fully-fledged kiss.

“Wait- wait...the kids.” Karina said breathlessly.

We checked around the corner, seeing them on the bumper cars.

“Its fine they are having fun.” I said.

“But- we can’t...what if we get caught? Karina said.

It was funny as she said those words because her mouth was saying one thing but her body say another thing entirely as she rested her hands on my crotch.

“Why don’t we check out the video from last night?” I suggested, diverting her attention from our public make out session.

She raised her eyebrows, letting me have my way as she rested in my arms and pressed play. The first few minutes were of her dancing, grinding on my lap before escalating into a heated exchange. I noticed her breathing deepen as the video continued, a bead of sweat trickling down her neck as she began to perspire. The combination of her perfume and natural scent sending me into a primal mode as I drifted my hands down her waist and along the outside of her thighs. Karina, yelped at the intrusion but didn’t move away, instead staring at the screen intently as I penetrated the shit out of her ass on screen. The video Karina looking directly into the camera lens as she came hard on my cock buried deep in her rump.

Watching the sordid affair unfold on screen set something off within her as she leant back on me and guided my hand between her legs, sighing at my touch as my fingers gently rubbed at her sex.

She was wearing a cheeky thong as I eased the silky fabric aside, making a beeline for her now moist slit. She was still watching the video, moaning gently as her eyes stayed glued to my phone, watching herself suckle on my spurting cock as she drank down the last few drops of my essence.

Karina was now over the edge, dropping my phone in the grass as she rubbed her ass on my crotch. My shaft nestled nicely in between her cheeks as she reached back, unzipping my trousers and fishing out my cock. Her hands were cold to the touch, jacking my warm dick in her palms as I pierced her labia with my fingers. It was my go-to, slide as far as I could go inside her cunt to reach her sacred g-spot. I rubbed at it like there was no tomorrow, the sloshing noises Karina made from between her legs was such a turn on as I rubbed at her clit with my other hand.

“Fuck...Minho...” She moaned into my ear, shutting her eyes as I penetrated her sex with my fingers.

I dug my fingers in deeper, making her yelp as I continued to stretch her tight walls out with my hands, adding a third finger as I cupped her sex with long, hard penetrative strokes.

Her eyes were a haze now, gripping my cock with ferocity and pumping me hard behind her back, I wanted to be inside her so bad, but her climax was approaching. I could feel it in the way her body tensed up, her chest heaving, taking in the spring air as she began to hyper ventilate, bucking her hips as I fingered her pussy. It was a mess, her cream was all over my palm as I gave her one last deep fuck with my fingers, making her scream into my neck as her thighs shook, cunt convulsing around my digits her orgasm overwhelming her entire body.

“Ohhh...Shittt...” Karina screamed.

I basically gave her no time to rest as I flipped her around and bent her over at the waist as she assumed position.

“Where do you want me?” I asked her, rubbing my leaking tip along her slit, encircling her rosebud.

Karina looked back, biting her lips, our eyes locking onto each other as she seductively whispered.

“Both...”

It was music to my ears as the mother of three bent forward, grasping a large metal pole in the ground. It was a sign that said, entry here which made me chuckle as I rammed my cock forward, spearing her tight cunt in one fluid motion. Her tightness was unparalleled as Karina flexed her pussy walls to engulf my cock with each thrust of my hips. She was creaming all over my shaft as my balls slapped up against the underside of her thighs, making her jump each time I made contact. Slipping my hands around her tight rear, I inserted my thumb into her delectable ass, feeling her anal cavity hug my finger as I gripped her ass and penetrated her married cunt.

“Ughhh- don’t stop...don’t- stop…give it to me.” Karina wailed, biting her arm to mask her screams.

I could feel her cervix rubbing up against my crown each time I pumped into her wanting pussy, stretching her out as I pounded her with my slick. She was close, clawing at the metal pole as I mercilessly rammed my dick inside her pink walls, her moans now cries as the public walked by unknowingly, the risk of it all making our heated fuck even more of a turn on.

“Cum- i’m...cumming...” Karina moaned, her back tensing as she braced her core, pushing back on me as I felt her spasm on my crotch.

It was like a wave of pleasure hit her, her hips twitching continuously as her pussy juice leaked profusely down her pale thighs. The smell of Karina’s perfume, now replaced with the scent of sex and sweat, hair now stuck to the front of her forehead as I doubled down, not letting her recover. Slipping out of her sopping wet pussy with a pop, I reached under her left leg lifting it up.

She knew what was coming, my cock now suitably lubricated in her natural juices I pressed my tip against her rosebud, pushing forward until all of my cock was buried in her tight ass hole.

“ohh- ughh...fuckk…” Karina moaned as the intrusion.

My cock nestled snugly in her asshole as I began to pump my hips. Each thrust allowing me to get deeper into her anal cavity as I held her leg high, hitting her nice and deep, filling her out. It felt better than last night, watching her rump now red raw as each slap of my pelvis against her rump caused shockwaves to travel across her body, so much so that her right breast popped out of her dress. Taking full advantage of this I reached forward, pinching her pert nipples while massaging her perfect breasts. We were fucking in unison, her rear accepting my cock with ease as I violated her anally. The mother of three rolling her head back to accept my tongue into her mouth, clenching her ass muscles each time I filled her.

“God Karina, you feel amazing... “ I moaned into her mouth.

“Do it- fucking...do…it- shove it in...harder- harder...” Karina chanted.

It was getting hard to keep the force of my thrusts up as I dropped her legs and gripped her hips, fucking my cock deep into her bowels as Karina went onto her tip toes. We were a mess of sweaty limbs as I felt my balls pulse, it was nearly time as I leant forward kissing her nape with my lips before licking the entirety of her nape.

“Where- where do you want it, Babe.” I asked.

“Babe...?” She replied smiling.

“I want it in my mouth- I want you in my mouth.” Karina said, underlining the fact.

I was in the thralls of euphoria, giving her ass one final pump, stuffing her ass with as much meat as she could take before withdrawing with a pop and easing the brunette to her knees. She wasted no time at all, pumping my cock with both hands while her lips encapsulated my tip. Her tongue ran up and down my slit taking in my pre cum before sucking my length down whole with her mouth, deep throating me as I brushed her tonsils. It was a seedy sightseeing Karina, a married woman with three kids, feed on my cock like her life depended on it. Her children must be a mere few feet away from us, but she didn’t stop, extending her tongue as she focused in on my balls, sucking at my sack with her tender lips, my shaft now coated in her sticky saliva. I was close, tipping over the edge the moment Karina sucked on both of my balls at the same time, filling her mouth with my sack as she pumped my cock.

“Karina...” I exclaimed.

The first spurt hit her in the forehead, dribbling down her cheek before she recovered and managed to slip me into her mouth. My cum flowing in full force, giving her what she wanted, what she needed as my seed showered her oral cavity in all its sticky and salty goodness. It was if as could not stop cumming, my cock kept spraying her warm mouth with my sperm as she looked up at me, my seed now covering her left eye as she swallowed everything I could give.

“Mmmm...Uhmm” Karina hummed on my shaft, sucking me bone dry before wiping the excess from her face and slurping that down too.

“Lush...” Was all she could say, getting up to her feet as she kissed me up my body.

“Feel better?” I asked, putting my dick back into my pants.

“Hundred times...” She replied, pulling me into a deep embrace.

The saltiness of my spunk was still present on her lips as I took in the sodium hit, biting her bottom lip as I grabbed a hand full of her ass.

“Mum...!” One of her kids shouted.

She gave me a knowing look, kissing my cheek as she emerged sneakily from behind the stall.

“Hey honey...Mama’s here, where’s daddy?” Karina said.

Daddy is right here, I thought, as I pictured the ravishing woman bent over on my wanting cock once more. Turning the corner, I made my way to the cab rank, a smile of satisfaction written all over my face. Until I see her again...

[p0orbaby]

Hidden in Plain Sight

summary: a secret relationship? who’d have thunk it? not your teammates

warnings: suggestive themes

a/n: i started this months ago, i hate it, enjoy

word count: 2.4k

-

Alessia is a good girl.

You’re not.

Alessia wouldn’t hurt a fly.

You’d punch someone in the face if provoked.

On paper it never should have worked. You with your hot head and her with her kindness and smiles. It was a contrast of temperaments that, to most observers, would have appeared incompatible. And it was. To a degree.

“The coast is clear” you assess. “You go first and I’ll hang back so it doesn’t look like we’ve left together”

The two of you have honed the art of sneaking around. Having mastered the delicate balance of staying close without arousing any unwanted attention. It has become an integral part of your daily routine.

Bringing your head back into the storage cupboard you had meticulously scouted, you find Alessia pulling her t-shirt over her head. In turn hiding the blooming bruises on her collar bones you had gifted her only minutes ago.

She looks in your direction, your silhouette barely discernible in the dim light of the weak bulb. Nevertheless, even in this low light, she can sense your intense gaze sweeping over her body. It makes her skin tingle even now.

“Remember not to be too loud when you get back,” she cautions, her voice hushed, laden with the weight of your secrets.

You let out a soft chuckle and nod. “You worry too much,” you tease. “I know the drill”

“But last time-“

You cut her off with a tender kiss, your lips silencing her. And when she hums against you, you can’t help but smirk. “Last time was a mistake. It won’t happen again, I promise” you whisper between kisses. Your hands gently squeeze her waist reassuringly as you hold her close.

Last time was, unfortunate. And in hindsight, staying back to ‘catch up’ in the showers after training was a terrible idea. Especially when it was glaringly obvious that the two of you were both conspicuously absent from lunch. You had managed to explain it away, albeit with raised eyebrows, knowing looks, and indiscreet whispers behind your backs.

The showers had served as a potent warning, a moment of realisation that you couldn't afford to be as reckless as before. This had prompted your shift in tactics, opting for more clandestine meetings in storage cupboards and carefully timed returns to your respective rooms.

"See you tomorrow in training," she whispers, and you can't resist pulling her in for another lingering kiss before she gracefully slips out of the shadows and makes her way back to her room.

-

“And where have you been?”

A pointed question was asked from across the room as soon as the door clicked shut. You groan internally and roll your eyes in the dark before answering.

“Just getting food” you lie. “I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d go and get something to eat”

Before you knew it, the room was instantly flooded with a harsh, unrelenting white light. It forced you to squint your eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden, glaring beacon that illuminated every nook and cranny of the space.

“Do you mind?” You ask, your hand coming up to shield your eyes.

“You’re a terrible liar, you know that right?”

“I’d love to know what you’re talking about, Greenwood. But I don’t”

Alex was clearly not going to let this go. And if the look on her face told you anything, it was that she was having a very hard time believing you.

You sighed, trying to maintain your composure and stick to the cover story. “I was just feeling restless, so I decided to grab a snack. Promise.” You said, a little harsher than intended. The tension and prying getting to you.

She didn’t buy it for a second, her eyes narrowing. “At,” she looks at the time on her phone, “half past midnight? Couldn’t you have just had the snacks I know you keep in your bag?”

Your heart raced as you struggled to come up with an excuse. “Well, I didn’t want to wake you up with my rummaging around. Thought I’d be considerate”

She still didn’t seem convinced. “Considerate? You’ve never been this considerate before”

You snort at her brutal honesty and shrug. “I just thought it’d be a good idea tonight, you know, change things up a bit”

Alex kept her eyes firmly on you, making you squirm under her penetrating gaze. “So, nothing else?”

“Like what?” You ask knowing full well what she was alluding to. Your heart skipped a beat, and you forced a chuckle to mask your anxiety. “You watch too many spy movies. It was just food, no biggie”

She finally leaned back, seemingly satisfied with your explanation. “Alright, alright, just hurry up and get to sleep will you? We have to be up soon”

You let out a silent breath of relief, grateful that she had finally let it go. “We have to be up in seven hours, you mean?”

“Whatever. I’m cranky if I don’t get my self allocated eight”

-

Downtime was always hard.

You didn’t want to spend too much time together and make things more obvious than they needed to be. So you chose to distance yourselves when you could. Sitting at different tables when you ate. Splitting up into different groups when you were on rest.

However, this time you had chosen the wrong group to settle down with.

“Russo came back late last night, you know?”

The group of girls all went silent at Tooney’s gossip.

The mention of Alessia’s late return sent a wave of discomfort through you. Your eyes fell on each person, trying to gauge their reactions. You couldn’t afford any slip-ups or suspicious behavior. Ella had unknowingly opened a door to your world of secrets, so you needed to handle this situation delicately.

Millie leaned in closer, eager to hear more. “Late, huh? Wonder what she was up to,” she commented.

You quickly tried to change the topic, “People have their own reasons for being up late sometimes. It’s not that exciting, surely”

Rach, however, wasn’t ready to drop it “like what?” she asked, her curiosity piqued as she nudged Esme and smirked.

Your heart raced, and you glanced at the girl in question. Eating her breakfast a few tables away and none the wiser to how she was the center of this conversation. You cringed at the position you were in. You couldn’t reveal anything without risking your own secret. “I don’t know,” you replied, feigning your indifference with a practiced grimace. “Maybe she was just out for a walk or something”

“In the middle of the night?” Ella chimed in again.

You swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the secret becoming almost unbearable. You needed to change the subject quickly and divert the conversation away from yours and Alessia’s late-night activities. “You know,” you said between bites of food, “I’ve been thinking about suggesting a movie night for all of us sometime. Morgan over here hasn’t even seen The Devil Wears Prada”

You use your fork to point at her, earning a chuckle from the group. The idea of a movie night seemed to be well-received, and they started discussing their favorite films and the logistics of organizing such an event.

Relieved, you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in.

-

“They’re onto us” you whisper as Alessia marks you on the field. “Alex and Tooney both caught us getting in. It’s only a matter of time before they connect the dots”

Her only response was to block you from rolling past her to catch a through ball. You let it trickle out of play to gain some time.

“Maybe we should lay low for a while” you suggest.

The idea of distancing yourselves further from each other doesn’t sit well with either of you, but it might be a necessary sacrifice to protect your secret and avoid further suspicion.

You both jog back to your positions, your breath slightly elevated from the quick exchange. Alessia’s voice is low, and she contemplates, “Laying low for a while does sound like the safest option. Hempo saw the marks you left. I had to tell her the barbell slipped in conditioning the other day”

“Shit, I’m sorry”

“No it’s fine” she promises, placing a hand in front of you again to keep you back from the ball once more. “I like that you did that”

You weren’t a very bashful person. though your trademark stormy face now blushed uncharacteristically pink at her words.

“Liked that who did what?”

A voice from behind you made you both jump apart. Turning on your heels to find Mary looking between the two of you.

Caught off guard, she stammered “I, that uh, that Y/N finally decided to adopt a dog”

Your eyes bulged at Alessia's excuse whilst Mary’s narrowed as she eyed you suspiciously.

“But you hate dogs”

“No I don’t” you scoff. “Why would you say that?”

Her features twist with confusion. “Because you always complain about pet hair and how they smell”

“Well, I changed my mind” you stated matter of factly.

Alessia chimed in, trying to reinforce the ruse, “It’s true. Y/N had a change of heart after spending time with a friend’s puppy last weekend”

Mary smirked teasingly, “Well, miracles do happen. Maybe having a furry friend will teach you to care about someone other than yourself for a change”

“That’s just rude”

She chuckled back, “I call it like I see it. Anyway, enough with the dog tales. We’re here to train, not discuss pets. Let’s get back into focus mode, shall we? The least amount of goals I have to save the better”

You waited a beat, letting Mary retreat back between the posts before turning to a guilty looking Alessia.

“A dog? Seriously? Now I have to make inquiries at the local shelter just to make sure people don’t think I’m adopting a furball as a cover for getting in your pants”

“I’m sorry. I panicked!”

“This isn’t working” you concluded, running a stressed hand over your face. “We need a better plan, or different roommates. Do you think it’s too late to swap?”

-

It was dark the next time you saw Alessia.

Lie.

It was dark the next time you spoke to Alessia.

And by spoke you meant you had your tongues down each other's throats.

You were both terrible at keeping your word. You’d agreed, only hours ago, that you’d let the dust settle a little before you made any more sudden movements.

But here you were, Alessia perched on the edge of a conference room table, while you stood between her long legs pulling noises from her as you kissed and sucked at her mouth.

The room was bathed in a soft glow, neither of you deeming it appropriate to meet in the shadows or the dark when you were deep in the belly of the building. The world around you fading away as you succumbed to each other, enough so that the creak of a door evaded the two of you altogether.

“I knew it!” The shrill voice from behind you both made you pull apart from each other. Breathless and on your way to a state of undress. “I told you!”

Caught with your tongues down each other’s throats, and, surprise, the teammates walked in on the clandestine conference room rendezvous. You’re looking breathless, on the brink of undress, and Mary, Alex, and Tooney are grinning like they just uncovered the juiciest gossip of the season.

Which they probably did.

You and Alessia exchange a look, a non-verbal conversation that screams, ‘Well, this just got awkward’.

Mary, the chief investigator of the squad, steps forward, wearing a smirk. “Alright, spill it. How long hm? How long have you been sneaking around?” She demands, as if interrogating prime suspects.

“No! Get out, all of you!” You insist, using as much of you body as you could to cover the blondes dignity.

Alex chuckles, thoroughly enjoying the dramatic turn of her probable evening plans. “Oh, come on, we’re all teammates here. It’s nothing we haven’t, almost, all seen before”

Letting out a groan, you let your head drop to Alessia’s shoulder in defeat. You wanted to floor to swallow you up.

“You didn’t answer her question” Tooney prompts as the three of them wait for details they’re definitely not entitled to.

You turn and square your shoulders, ready to take whatever teasing comes your way. “Long enough to stop pretending that we’re not into each other” you snap.

Alex leans in, her eyes dancing with mischief. “Let’s not kid ourselves. We all knew this was bound to happen”

Tooney adds, “Yeah, the black sheep and the golden girl, what a pair”

You roll your eyes, knowing you can’t escape the judgment.

Mary, though, takes a more serious tone, her eyes narrowing. “Alright, cut the crap. Why’d you drag Alessia into this mess? She’s the only innocent one left on the team, and you, well, you’re the resident wild card”

You scoff, “No one dragged her into anything. She’s not as innocent as you think”

Alessia interjects, he head popping up from behind you. “Guys, stop. I chose this. I made the first move. So back off, yeah?”

The room goes silent momentarily. No one, including yourself, expected Alessia to stand up for you like that. She wasn’t shy, you knew that more than anyone, but she also was never one to dive head first into conflict.

If you were being honest, it was turning you on a little.

Mary smirks, “Well, I’ll be damned. The angel actually has backbone”

You shoot them an exasperated look. “Out! Now!”

In a wave of laughs and whistles, the three of them finally stumble out of the room. The door clicks shut, leaving you and Alessia in a moment of awkward silence.

Alessia breaks into a giggle, “Well, that went well”

You shake your head with a smile, “If by well you mean I’m never going to live this down, then yes, it went exceptionally well”

She wraps her arms around you, “They’ll get over it. Eventually”

You chuckle, your hands coming up to brush hair out of her face, “Yeah, when the next scandal rolls around”

Feeling your tenstion, Alessia leans in, pressing her lips against yours in a calming, distracting kiss. Smiling into it when she feels you melt into her.

Just as you run your tongue over her bottom lip, there’s a sudden knock on the door. Mary’s voice calls out through the wood, “Enough with the love fest, you two. Weve got training tomorrow and we need you both fighting fit”

You share a slightly frustrated glance with Alessia, the interruption breaking the spell once agai. “Alright, alright,” you call back, trying to regain composure. “We’re coming!”

Well, you would be if they left you alone.

[yannights]

The Caged Truth

Yandere male X winged reader

A/n: Hi, it has been a while, sorry for being absent but I am back with a new story. You can imagine any male character for this story, feel free to choose your favourite.

"A caged bird isn't a real bird. A real bird can fly. Those that are trapped lose all that makes them a bird."

Your statement came as a surprise, so surprising that it caught the attention of your captor as he was reaching to open the bedroom door and leave. He stopped, all movements faltered, and a deafening silence created a sense of unease that could almost make you sick. But you refused to show such emotions and patiently awaited his response. A few seconds went by, and the air started to thicken, as if it was warning you. Had you made a mistake? Had you spilled the wrong words? But you had only spoken the most honest truth. Surely he would understand, given the situation.

He slightly turned his head to the side, showing he was thinking about the words he was going to say in response.

"A bird with one wing chopped off cannot fly as well. Does that not make it a bird then?" He asked.

Those words were definitely ones you were not expecting. A simple question that nearly contradicted your own words. You felt stress rise as you tried to find a way to answer without leaving another opening, hoping to make a better point. You realized that the bedroom had now become an arena, where one of you would come out as the victor, and the other as the loser. Your mind raced desperately. If you gave no answer soon, then he would win, and you would face pure humiliation.

"But at least it is still free. Regardless of its disability, it may not fly, but it is outside, living and not confined..."

"But vulnerable." He interrupted.

Your form moved slightly backward as your eyes widened in shock. He turned around, and by doing so, you could have sworn the room darkened. He faced you with a stoic expression that nevertheless had an apologetic tint to it, as if he understood where you were getting at but was still convinced by his own ideal. He adavnced slowly. You instinctively backed away. He watched you while you avoided his gaze.

This lasted until your wings made contact with the cold wall behind you, which signified that it was short-lived. He finally came to a grounding halt as his chest was millimeters away from your form. He leaned forward and slowly reached his hand out towards you. You flinched, not knowing what he was going to do. You closed your eyes tightly but reopened them as soon as you felt the rough hand caress your left wing.

"A one-winged bird can never survive in this cruel world. It would die as soon as it is born," he said as his other hand reached out to touch your other wing, leaving you completely trapped in his hold, too afraid to move.

"Even a bird in its integrity can fly, eat, sleep, but can also die so easily as it has many predators hungrily watching it, as it has many arrows pointing ready to shoot it down, as it has ways to fall and die."

His hand movements stopped, and he let go of your wings. He moved one to your face and tilted it upwards to look into his stone-cold eyes.

"That is the price of freedom, a price I will not allow you to pay. That is why cages were made, to keep it safe."

The word "it" really meant "you," and you could see the sincerity behind his words. His stern expression softened ever so slightly, but yours only grew sadder.

"But at what cost?" you whispered, your voice trembling. "A life without freedom isn't a life at all. Can't you see that?"

His grip on your face tightened momentarily before he let out a long, weary sigh. "I can see it, but I cannot risk losing you. The world out there is merciless and unforgiving. Here, in this cage, you are safe. With me, you are safe."

Tears welled up in your eyes as you searched his face for any sign of relenting, and in the end, they only spilt down your face. He kissed your forehead as soon as he saw your sadness but did not wipe your tears away. Because tears are a sign of realization...

A realization that you would never leave his cage...

[joaofelix70]

MISS DIPLOMAT & MR. CHARMING |

dominik szoboszlai x female reader.

author's note: this handsome man's living rent-free in my head. he's a freaking masterpiece. talented, funny, charismatic, attractive. i watched interviews, tiktok videos made by supporters and much more to understand a little bit of his language, personality and what he does towards friends and loved ones. laughed a lot! i made my homework as a writer, hope you enjoy it! (compliments and any kind of retributions are more than welcomed).

summary: your job is involving the commitment of unify the population and create interrelations to another countries, using the eurocup qualifiers and the hungary national team executions. you just didn't expect to fall in love with the no. 10's captain player.

words and characters: 1,811/11,223. it was three days working too hard on this story. i'm begging for your consideration, lol.

────

sports diplomacy: it's the unique power of sport to bring people, nations, and communities closer together via a shared love of physical pursuits. this responsibility is the reason of a transition between strangers to connected individuals, advancing foreign policy goals and augmenting sport for development initiatives. the complex landscape where sport, politics, and diplomacy overlap become clearer, as do the pitfalls of using sport as a tool for overcoming and mediating separation between people, nonstate actors, and states. the power of sport has never been more important. so far, the 21st century has been dominated by disintegration, introspection, and the retreat of the nation-state from the globalization agenda. in such an environment, scholars, students, and practitioners of international relations are beginning to rethink how sport might be used to tackle climate change, gender inequality, and the united nations sustainable development goals, for example. to boost these integrative, positive efforts is to focus on the means as well as the ends, that is, the diplomacy, plural networks, and processes involved in the role sport can play in tackling the monumental traditional and human security challenges of our time. credits: international studies association and oxford university press.

────

MLSZ (hungarian football federation) ──

new training ground at telki.

"i can't believe that being in places like this made up my most theoretically utopian childhood dreams. what a progress in front of me!" you still witness exciting moments where you pinch yourself, trying to believe in the reality that surrounds you: visiting the new training center of the players who are just a few meters away from you, getting ready to represent an entire country.

"your presence is our privilege. a voice of the spread of eurocup to our nation, right here…" the technical director gives you deference, obtaining a measure of humbleness and respect by you.

"the honor belongs to me in its entirety. grateful for having me, sir. while the view is immersive and captivating — my fervent congratulations to everyone involved — could we retreat from the pleasant glass-enclosed room and see everything closer, on the outside? please? i will never get used to this atmosphere." you pour politeness and charisma to the staffs around you, being directed to the proximity of the field and saluting the employees who pass through your path.

meet dominik — your szobo — instigates the nostalgic combination of detailed moments in which your thoughts display as photographic retrospectives. you're incapable to oppose the little enthusiastic laughs, fidgeting the rings between your fingers and avoiding possible suspicious glances from others. however, for you, this wouldn't actually work. the lives of you both are correlated, but different.

the training session is finished. clapping your hands and celebrating the performances, you greet the athletes and recognize some familiar people. nevertheless, reality slows down after those dark woody eyes capture through your soul. his arms tattoos are glorified by the sun's rays, the same illuminated smile is offered to you: that one you got during the very first time you saw him — instantly knowing he made you testimony the accuracy of freedom, catharsis and emotional amorous complement. that he'd be the one to introduce you what you never experienced, what you thought you'd never receive or deserve. what love truly is. when you were novices in your actual professions, not even imagining the future gifts of your unreal purposes.

"there you are!" intimately, dominik points at you, being reciprocated by vibrant nods and your old sort of secret — not that mysterious or serious — handshake. "még mindig emlékszel rá? (still remembering it?). you're a real one!"

"hogy tudnám elfelejteni? alábecsülsz engem. (how could i forget it? you're underestimating me)". your defensive actions demonstrate purposeful falseness. masking any sensitive, verbal or figurative communicative fragment from him is a difficulty that makes you give in over time. honestly, you never complain about this. it's like he wants to understand the factors and layers of you.

"a te kézfogás fickó. ne merészelj lecserélni engem. (your handshake man… don't you dare to replace me)". a shameless wink is send to you, butterflies acquiring space in your stomach.

"és hivatalosan is a szavamat adom rá. (and you officially have my word on it)." your gloss is pigmented against your fingers while you raise it up, displaying an oath, wondering if szoboszlai comprehends that his replacement in your life would be blasphemous.

"diplomata kisasszony, (miss diplomat)…" the hungarian fingerprints are shared and you recognize the sign to hold them, ready to perform your typical fashion icon moment. "gorgeous as always. go ahead! you know what to do!".

amusement surrounds you with the nickname's citation. although, you could feel some curious glances, from the outsiders, about the intimacy between you and him. "i appreciate, our top-class national bless…" you move your body in rotations to exclaim the outfit's characteristics, lifting your feet to show off the specificities of your heels. "how is your hair so well-groomed after sweating, though?" your arms cross and you raise an eyebrow in questioning, trying to hide your fascination.

"thank you, my number-one fan, but don't change the subject. finish our inside joke, c'mon!" dominik grabs his water bottle and spreads the cooling liquid on his forehead, wiping the glowing droplets across his face as he lifted his jersey high enough to exhibits his fortified abs.

your attention is directed to any surrounding scenery, throat being piked. szoboszlai pretends he doesn't notice, preventing to embarrass you.

"alright, alright! you've won, bájos úr… (mr. charming)". your final comment escapes as, practically, a whisper. you can't control the shy laughter, coupled with the considerable redness invading your cheeks.

"that's the secret to make my day!" using his tongue to reproduce a sharp noise, he matches your humorous reactions. "would you like me to show you the infrastructure changes? i'm just gonna take a shower!"

"i've already been granted a tour around here, but in case you insist…" during the dialogue, some athletes cross your space, wishing them good luck for the competition. your concentration on the activity is significant, at the point that dominik's silent admiration goes unnoticed.

"i mean, you know me! i'm gonna insist anyway, so…" he reaches your captivity, bringing you jollification.

"i'll rate you as a personal tour guide. now, go there!" jesting each other, you both exchange exaggerated reverences, like a challenge of who makes the most chaotic one.

────

walking around the area, various subjects are explored, informations entrusted. you ask and are updated about his ethereal younger sister.

portraits of the generations are framed. you magnifies his presence in celebratory pictures, dedicated to find him in the memories and achievements on that wall. pride shines from you and the hungarian finds it lovely.

"you know i'm a sucker for accents… they're much more than mere verbal characteristics, they're stories: life experiences, marks and scars. identities and cultural integrations." the topic is random. through generalized opinions, you're explaining conceptions and dominik is retaining mental observations. he exalts every scrap of your identity, like a faithful worshiper.

"basically, you're admitting being enchanted by my accent. i can see the stars in your eyes. a win is a win!" szoboszlai and his frequent attribute to physical touch, tickling your ears and playing with them. it doesn't bother you, actually: adoring the affection exuded by you and him. you feel like a little girl dealing with your one and only love.

"it's beautiful, how can you blame me? and hey, i know mine's making you grin too." he holds your arm, shivers running down your spine, the two of you being euphoric in the midst of your own enthusiasm.

"putting me against the wall? okay, hum… what were you saying before?" he's changing the subject and you have a natural wit to boo him. lifting his shoulders as a surrender, the hungarian focuses on the specific loose strands of his simple bracelet, which you get used to help him tie it again, willingly.

"trying to avoid the truth? fine! let me take care of you while i talk about my admiration towards globalization and communication. like, with every fiber of me…" you accept the conversation's direction and utter a 'voilà' towards the accessory's new appearance.

"that's why you're the best person i've ever seen doing this job." dominik compliments you, an act full of honesty.

"thanks a lot, mate. but which job? as your bracelet helper or my real one?" you provide tenderness, looking amused.

"i mean… both of them." szoboszlai chuckles, revealing courtesy by your continuous helpfulness.

"literally? because i know you know a lot of people. you're so young and already is the national team's captain." you nudge him in a form of tease. he's a starboy, it's undeniable.

"flattered! literally, thought. you were born for this, believe me." vulnerability collides to you, as his words are deliberated: emotions embracing you and warming your insides.

"dominik szoboszlai, my dear friend, you're gonna make me cry, right here. i'm sorry, i need to do it…"

innocent satisfaction builds strength over you and executes unthought-of approach to the tangibility of your gratitude — his colony enrapturing your sensitive olfaction — in the most out-of-control way. the sounds reach your hearing: a choir of angels singing hallelujah. he reciprocates the contact, laughing at your juvenile excitement. joining him and doing the same thing, harmonizing the triumph. in the separation of the touch, you both remain close to each other and the hungarian doesn't miss the opportunity to feel the softness of your side face, caressing the skin. appreciation and satisfaction invade your structure, delighting on the palm of his hand.

"just a dear friend? why are we pretending all this time?" dominik's reading you. the intimidation at the sight of him overhanging you is paralyzing. you don't usually back down, but in that instant — superior than your most repressed desires — your gasps are escaped.

"who is putting who against the wall now?" insisting and failing on your witty answers, shyness and uncertainty corrodes you.

"please, look at me! i'm not kidding anymore." his voice is questioning, intrigued — contradictorily vulnerable and calm — your rationality being fragmented, fragile.

"you know i'm not the kind of woman you're surrounding by, domi. i'm not an influencer, bikini model. i'm not a public figure. i don't live for the cameras and gossip platforms. i live to work hard. i didn't achieve any of this with some type of perk. my routine and your routine are based on traveling..." who could deny it? szoboszlai's always been all that you see. it's much more than a mere passion. your attraction to him is magnetic, intense, vivid. consequently, terrifying.

"i'm just asking for a chance, (your nickname). i don't lie when i say i've never met someone like you. i may be surrounded by a crowd and you'll still be the one to steal my attention, because nobody compares to you."

your eyelids are closed and the exhalation of his sigh penetrates your lungs with the numbing breath of life you've never experienced before. it's happening: the rare situation where thinking carefully about the pros and cons is unworthy, dumbness. your decision is made and the privilege's resolution unify your lips. the beginning demonstrates slowness and patience — the intensification through the concluded wait of the longed-for reality, transforming light and magical kisses into open mouths discovering each other and witnessing the endearment that both offer — hairs, necks, shoulders and waists captured.

"you're the first to create a meaningful presence in my mind and heart. i want you to be the last one too. i love you, kincs (my treasure). i'm finally brave enough to demonstrate it with no fears." dominik's forearm covers your upper torso. your back against his chest, noses resting on each others. rejoicing at the miraculous, incomparable circumstance.

"i love you, drágám (my precious). you're finally mine and it was so fucking worth waiting." his whisper: the living proof of celestial existence.

"how blessed we are…" intertwined bodies, coalesced essences. solitary melodies turning into the sweetest and most complete symphony.

[smol-n-smol]

Odd One Out: Chapter 1

A/N: Finally banged out the first chapter for this story based on this idea I came up with a little while ago. I hope y'all enjoy! I'll make a proper blurb at some point

Also I'm gonna be so fr, I've never done a tag list for a story before, so I'm just pulling this based on people from comments/tags who sounded like they wanted an update? If you want to be added or removed, just let me know :)

Tag List: @axolotlsdreams @seasonschange32 @tthevoic3s @kgonbeiden @coffehbeans

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With its multilevel Roman-inspired buildings and wide cobblestone paths, the Kingston Academy campus is practically a work of art in and of itself. The early morning air carries the scent of prestige and erudition along a crisp autumn breeze.

Eriel stands before the glimmering gates of the academy, building up the nerve to walk through. He’s intimidated by the size of it all, though probably not for the same reason as most new students. It’s less that he’s afraid of getting lost in such a large place, and more that he’s scared of accidentally crushing something beneath his feet.

As the first giant to attend Kingston, it’s obvious that the school was never designed with his kind in mind. Most of the three story buildings don’t even reach the height of his shoulders. Even the monumental clocktower in the center of the courtyard just barely passes his 46 ft frame. 

If Eriel really wanted to, he could probably  jump right over the entrance gate in front of him. Not that he would ever do such a thing of course!! The thought alone of accidentally damaging something (or worse, someone!) is enough to send a wave of goosebumps down his spine.

Thankfully or unfortunately — Eriel is still trying to decide whether his enrollment here is a good or bad thing — the gilded gates part, at last inviting him onto the campus. There aren’t many students out yet, which makes sense. It’s barely past 7 AM on a Monday. Given the choice, Eriel wouldn’t be up this early either. Even so, the giant’s eyes stay focused on the ground as he navigates to the gymnasium on the other side of campus.

Usually students receive their orientation packets inside the administration building, but given his impressive size, there are only a handful of buildings that Eriel can fit into at all. The gym doubles as an auditorium and a venue for special events. The high ceilings were probably originally meant for improved ventilation and added elegance, but now the only benefit Eriel cares about is that he can at least sit inside without feeling overly claustrophobic.

He enters the building through a modified loading dock door. While he still has to crouch to fit through, it’s much better than having to crawl on his hands and knees like the first time he visited the building for interviews and psychological evaluations. Now that was a humiliating experience. He had been poked and prodded, and asked the most demeaning questions. Eriel shoves those memories back into a mental box. He needs to stay focused on the present moment.

Once he reaches the main area of the gymnasium, Eriel is finally able to sit down properly. The sunlight from the windows warms his skin. While he may not feel hot and cold the way that humans do, it's  a comforting sensation nevertheless. If he closes his eyes, he can almost pretend that he’s back in the forest with his family.

He misses them, despite it only being the first day. If the integration program goes well over the next year, maybe his little sister will be able to join as well. She’d probably learn much more easily in a school than from the limited knowledge that Eriel is able to share with her every so often. It was difficult enough to teach himself most of what he knows — his knowledge a hodgepodge of information from the occasional abandoned books that sometimes wound up in the forest.

He doubts that Lora will keep up with his studies while he’s away, but a big brother is allowed to hope, right?

Just the thought of the young girl falling asleep while poring over a human textbook is enough to make Eriel chuckle aloud.

“I’m glad to see you in bright spirits today,” a voice says, bringing Eriel back to the present moment. 

Mr. Leeway, the head administrator and school guidance counselor, now stands on a walkway that wraps around the walls of the room. Eriel meets his gaze nervously, though less eye-to-eye and more eye-to-full-body. Thankfully with a giant’s enhanced vision, Eriel has no trouble with making out the details of the man before him.

“Good morning, sir,” Eriel greets in response, his back straightening as he now sits in a human’s presence. “Thank you again for allowing me to attend school here.”

The counselor  waves a hand, brushing aside Eriel’s politeness. “No need to be so formal now,” Mr. Leeway responds kindly. “You’ve more than earned your spot here after all.”

Immediately, the giant’s shoulders drop. In retrospect, those were the words he’s been hoping to hear. The ones he needed most for today.

He’s grateful that Mr. Leeway is so accepting of him. Hopefully the rest of the staff are as well. Eriel has yet to meet any of the professors at the academy. While it’s unrealistic to expect everyone to be this friendly, hopefully no one is too afraid or mean. 

As Mr. Leeway patiently talks him through the school handbook, the dorm system, and the giant accommodations scattered across the campus, Eriel can’t help but feel like maybe things will be okay.

“Any other questions?” the counselor asks, pausing long enough for Eriel to shake his head before continuing. “Perfect. Well in that case, I’ll let you get a head start towards your first class. Best of luck, kid.”

Eriel sits still until the human leaves before at last rising stiffly to exit the building.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

The campus is much livelier now than it was less than an hour ago. Students walk in small groups to different destinations — some dressed in uniform and heading to classes, while other folks are still in pajamas, clearly in search of their first meal.

Eriel is one of the less fortunate folks, his first class starting at 9 AM. He’s always been a bit of an early riser, as most giants tend to be, but part of him wishes that he opted for a schedule with a later start time. He’d appreciate a bit more time before having to face his new peers.

Mr. Leeway assured him that all the students received a special training and information session on interacting with giants. In theory, everyone should be prepared for this transition. And yet, as Eriel rises to a standing position, stretching slightly to relieve his back of some of its stiffness,  it’s as if the whole world holds its breath.

Everyone stops whatever they’re doing once Eriel reaches his full height. The slight crack of his joints resounds throughout the quiet air, unintentionally drawing even more attention to the giant. 

The poor students closest to him quickly back away, and one especially frightened soul even faints. Eriel winces at that. The reception makes sense, and honestly, it could be a lot worse.

Slowly, the giant takes a step, just a small one in the direction of his class. Immediately, a group of nearby students begins to run away, despite the ample space Eriel makes sure to leave between himself and any humans. The giant sighs but continues on his way. What else can he do?

It takes only a couple of minutes for Eriel to cross the campus to his destination. The English building stands before him, just barely reaching his chest. There’s no chance that Eriel is going to be able to squeeze into the building itself, much less one of the classrooms inside. For pretty much all of his classes, he’ll have to sit outside and listen in through the windows. 

Eriel follows the instructions in his handbook packet to find the window for his first class. A large awning has been set up along that side of the building — big enough for Eriel to be able to sit beneath for protection from the weather. He’s used to sitting outside for prolonged periods of time, but he appreciates the cover anyways. It will certainly help to keep his notes neat at least.

With the few minutes he has before class begins, Eriel puts down his backpack and digs out his notebook and pencil. The set was a gift from his mom — the pages were re-usable and the pencil was designed to provide more or less endless writing. Once he settles down in his dorm, he’ll be able to type everything up on the computer that the school provided him with, but this combination is much more efficient for carrying between classes.

Intro to English Literature, Eriel writes on the first page, taking his time in making the headline look pretty. It gives him an excuse to keep his head down and avoid the watchful gaze of the other students around him.

It’s only when the bell rings that he at last looks up, positioning his face so he can clearly see the blackboard through the window.

“Good morning, class,” the professor says as she enters the room. Her brown hair is done up in a bun and a pair of quirky glasses accentuate her wide grin. Her smile falters as her eyes meet Eriel’s, but props to her for managing to keep up the expression at all. The same can’t be said for the other ten or so students sitting in the classroom, who look back at him with expressions ranging from fear to disgust to cold interest.

“I’m Professor Dockerty,” the teacher continues, her introduction regaining the attention of most of the students. One boy is a bit slower to turn away, his blue gaze unabashedly staring right at Eriel. And then, the boy — Ashton, based on his response as Professor Dockerty takes attendance — smiles at him.

Okay, it’s more of a smirk, but even that’s better than the other looks.

“Did I miss anyone?” the professor asks.

Eriel gulps but shyly raises a hand, limbs tense and heart pounding as he draws additional attention to himself. A few of the students flinch as his fingers come into view of the window, and upon seeing that reaction, Eriel immediately puts his hand back down. Hot shame rises in his chest and his cheeks burn as he realizes the fear that a simple one of his actions could cause.

“I don’t think I heard my name, ma’am,” the giant all but whispers, desperately wishing for this moment to be over already.

Professor Dockerty laughs nervously, glancing down at her papers again. “Oh my, I must have missed it. Eriel, correct? Our giant student? Great! Well, if that's everyone then let’s start by going over the syllabus.”

Eriel doesn’t get a chance to say anything throughout her ramble, but the professor is already handing out paper packets to the students.. There are just enough for everyone in the room. Eriel doesn’t even bother asking if there are any extras for him.

[savagewildnerness]

O Earthly Lestat, I see now the trouble I’m going to have with S3 is I may have to defend Nicolas a lot…. And I don’t even know how he’ll be written for TV. But I know he means too much to me, and that’s just that. In a way Nicolas means the most to me. Not that he means more to me than Lestat. But that the elements of Nicolas that I relate to (& importantly as you can never get over this feeling - that I related to as a 12-year-old) I cannot think of any other instance in literature or any other fictional character I could relate to or who so exactly articulated something about me. And so I cannot help but always fight for Nicki 100% (even though I am not like Nicki in all ways.)

I want to CLARIFY! This is not some “Nicolas was Lestat’s actual great love” point of view in ANY WAY! LOUIS, is Lestat’s great love!

But this is: Nicolas loved Lestat. It wasn’t only Lestat who loved Nicki. And Nicolas loving Lestat enabled Lestat to love Louis.

I find it beautiful. YES, Nickistat ended AWFULLY! (And that there was mutual love makes it all the more tragic and beautiful to me!) But I just need to say here…

People acknowledge how much of Louis’ words in IWTV are shaded by his own struggles…. So I can’t understand why so many people seem to take Nicolas’ words in his final argument with Lestat (by which point, with whatever nuance you cut it, Nicolas is as described by EVERYONE as a mad vampire, his mind lost!) as 100% his always-truth!!!?! I just cannot comprehend it!!!?! I’d love if anyone would like to explain how you can see it that way, especially after reading the actual way Nicolas was pre-Paris, in Paris, when Lestat was stolen away… all until the moment he witnesses Lestat be shot. THEN it shifts for Nicki!

I’m also not one for blaming Armand for Nicki’s demise. The tragedy of Nicolas is, Lestat is very responsible for Nicolas’ demise, and simultaneously all Lestat did, he did through love. There are a thousand ways Nicki’s tragic demise is Shakespearean inevitable resonance… and yet…

But yeah, it’s actually primarily because of his music & things around his music that Nicki matters so much to me. But nevertheless, he matters & I shall fight for him!!! Lestat and Nicki's conversation matters deeply to me too, and what Nicki is for Lestat in that conversation. But where I connect with Nicki is in his music and how he feels about his music. I personally connect with Lestat's worldview on the other hand. Although in my personality, I am my self, of course, I also relate to some elements of each of them.

The thing with Nicolas I suppose for me though is there are various aspects of his self I relate to that I have never felt anywhere else except in my own self. Not in fiction & not in anyone I have ever known in reality either. And I guess that’s why I will always fight for him. Also, because most people should understand Lestat - we’re so in his heart & head 💛. But we don’t hear the story from Nicolas’ point of view, yet for me, at times it is like he is absolutely in my own mind & heart or I am in his, or it’s the same thing in some odd way I can’t quite articulate. I feel seen by him, and I see him. I understand some parts of him, reflecting how by existing in fiction, he has understood me.

Back to Nicolas. He kept Lestat’s dressing room at Renaud’s as a literal shrine to Lestat. He fought with his friends over Lestat’s moral integrity after Lestat went missing. Even when Lestat was gone, Nicki was still loving him, fighting for him, staying at Renaud’s, wearing rings Lestat sent him. If he felt as he said in his final argument, why did Nicolas even stay working at Renaud's at all? Why was Nicolas so distressed when Lestat sent him lots of money and gifts but didn't ever contact him?

I just list these things, which are just a few ways we see Nicki's feelings through his concrete actions. Nicolas truly did resent Lestat in the end. Just as Lestat couldn’t stand the sight of vampire Nicolas. But even that doesn’t negate love.

Mortal Nicolas DESPERATELY needed Lestat’s light. Vampire Nicki doesn’t. And I see his cruelty in the final argument (while not being entirely absent of truth) as being partly founded in love…. Nicki knows the dark thing he now is & he knows, even in his addled mind Lestat won’t leave him… and he knows Lestat. He knows Lestat must leave him or he’ll take Lestat to his death with him.

It’s ok that love was once & isn’t eternal. It’s ok that Nicki’s love for Lestat did exist, but turned to hate & yet was never entirely lost. It’s ok that Lestat’s love for Nicki never diminished even though he couldn’t stand the sight of him as a vampire. These things don’t negate love. Hate can be part of love. It’s ok that their worldviews were fundamentally different. It’s ok they were not each other’s eternal loves. There was love. Deep and mutual love.

As I see it, we can accept & enjoy that they BOTH loved each other, and that fact only deepens Loustat.

By which time, Nicolas is long dead.

But I genuinely believe when they were mortal, Nicolas’ love for all of Lestat (even when envying him too!) meant Lestat could later love the all of Louis so unconditionally, as he had been loved that way before.

It’s an unpopular opinion, I know. But it’s mine. I express it with acknowledgment I can’t be objective about Nicolas. But that doesn’t lessen the strength of my truth!

In all honesty… we are all subjective humans. Can we be objective about any fictional character we have an emotional connection with?

And that’s the crux of it: when you CARE so much, ultimately it’s about whatever truth you need.

Maybe we ought to think on this on all of our favourite characters & imagine how it might apply to others for any character we love less unconditionally ourselves…?

[mariacallous]

The target is you, voter. Russia, China, Iran, and other bad actors sought to interfere in the run-up to today’s US elections, according to research by the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), which has been monitoring online trends along with statements by governments, private companies, and civil society in its Foreign Interference Attribution Tracker. As DFRLab experts detail below, this year’s malign efforts in many ways surpass previous influence campaigns in sophistication and scope, if not in impact—and they are expected to continue well after the polls close.

Tipping the scale

“By sheer volume, foreign interference in the 2024 US election has already surpassed the scale of adversarial operations in both 2016 and 2020,” Emerson says.

Dina notes that each US adversary played to its strengths. For example, Iran and China “attempted to breach presidential campaigns in hack-and-leak operations that raise concerns about their cyber capabilities during and after the elections,” she tells us.

At the same time, the United States is more prepared than it was in previous election cycles. Russian efforts in 2016 “made foreign interference a vivid fear for millions of Americans,” Emerson notes. “Eight years later, the US government is denouncing and neutralizing these efforts, sometimes in real time.”

In fact, Graham tells us, “the combined actions by the US departments of Justice, Treasury, and State against two known Russian interference efforts was the largest proactive government action taken against election influence efforts before an election.”

Doppelgangers and down-ballot races

US officials this week called Russia “the most active threat,” and it’s easy to understand why. Emerson notes Russia’s “ten-million-dollar effort to infiltrate and influence far-right American media,” alongside the “Doppelganger” network, which has spread “tens of thousands of false stories and staged videos intended to undermine election integrity in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona.” Increasingly desperate, Russian actors have even sought to shut down individual polling places with fake bomb threats, he adds.

Meanwhile, China has focused on “down-ballot races instead of the presidential election to target specific anti-China politicians,” Kenton explains. Using fake American personas and generative artificial intelligence, China-linked operations have appeared across more than fifty platforms. Perhaps surprisingly, Kenton adds, “attributed campaigns appeared sparingly” on the Chinese-owned platform TikTok and far more often on Facebook and X.

Faith, fakes, and falsehoods 

“The primary aim is to erode Americans’ faith in democratic institutions and heighten chaos and social division,” Kenton explains, and thus to undermine the ability of the US government to function so it will have less bandwidth to contain adversarial powers.

“Some of the fake and already debunked narratives and footage circulating before the elections will likely continue to be amplified by foreign threat actors well after November 5,” Dina predicts. Expect to see activity around the submission of certificates of ascertainment on December 11, the December 17 meeting of the electors to formally cast their votes, and through inauguration day on January 20.

And in a post-election period where the results will likely be contested, Graham thinks there’s a “high likelihood” that foreign actors will “cross a serious threshold” from pre-election attempts to broadly influence American public opinion in service of their geopolitical interests to “direct interference” by trying to mobilize Americans to engage in protests or even violence.

Nevertheless, Graham points out that the high volume of foreign-influence efforts observed during this year’s election cycle so far does not appear to have had a significant impact in terms of changing Americans’ opinions or behavior.  

The consequences of foreign disinformation, Emerson adds, should be assessed against “the far more viral, sophisticated, and dangerous election-day falsehoods that Americans spread among themselves.”

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hey there!! I hope this question isn't too morbid, but im writing a story where prisoners are often sold to this circus who puts on shows for aristocrats/basically anyone else who can afford it but the prisoners are like....literally torturing each other and being tortured for entertainment. I've never really been someone whos into horror/thrillers, so im not sure where to look to research it. I was wondering if you had any suggestions for performances which would be morbidly entertaining for a fucked up audience, but also lethal and deadly for the "entertainers" themselves? (Or if it'd be easier to suggest media to research this type of topic, i'd love that as well!)

Thank you so much, i love your blog!!

Writing Notes: Dangerous Performances

Hi! You could draw inspiration from dangerous types of performances throughout history, some of which were for the entertainment of the ruling class. You can consider altering them to better fit your story. Here are some examples I found for you:

Though many ancient Romans lived very hard lives, there were still plenty of options for entertainment. This ranged from music and theatre to more bloody past times like the gladiator arena.

One of the famous figures associated with ancient Rome was the gladiator. The image of brawny warriors battling to death in gigantic marble amphitheaters for the amusement of a rabidly cheering crowd was indeed powerful.

The Roman Arena was a place of entertainment for Romans. The games were often brutal and bloody. At first they were mostly put on for memorials or funerals, but later they were put on for many occasions including birthdays and victories. The games were paid for by wealthy individuals and were used for that person to gain popularity with the people. Julius Caesar became very popular by putting on large public games and theatre.

Animals in the Arena: Sometimes the games would last all day. At the start of the day they would use exotic wild animals such as bears, lions, rhinos and elephants. Sometimes the animals would fight each other, sometimes the animals would be hunted by huntsmen, and sometimes criminals would be thrown into the arena to be killed by wild animals.

The ordered beauty of the Colosseum is in stark contrast to the murderous encounters that took place within it. Bloody Spectacles at Ancient Rome’s Colosseum:

Staged Naval Battles

Exotic Animal Fights

Forest Hunting

Human Executions

Gladiator Battles

Roman boxing. Far different than the boxing developed by the Greeks, was considered more of a gladiatorial show than an athletic contest. While the crowds were smaller than at the amphitheater and circus, boxing was an important part of public entertainment. Unlike Greek boxers, who wore leather thongs around their knuckles for protection and performed for prizes at the prestigious Panhellenic games, Romans used gloves with pieces of metal placed around the knuckles (caestus) to inflict the most damage possible. Moreover, there was no time limit or weight classification. Proclaiming a winner resulted from either a knockout or the conceding of defeat by one of the boxers.

The oldest games in Rome were the chariot races. Typical chariots used for the races were drawn by a team of four horses (quadriga). The races required two long tracks and two 180-degree turns. Like gladiatorial shows and boxing, races were extremely dangerous, since chariots often collided or went out of control. If a driver fell out of his chariot, he could easily be dragged along or trampled to death by the horses. Nevertheless, there was no shortage of drivers, as eager young charioteers risked their lives for reward and recognition.

Spectacle was an integral part of life in the Roman world. Some forms of spectacle—triumphal processions, aristocratic funerals, and public banquets, for example—took as their backdrop the city itself.

Others were held in purpose-built spectator buildings: theatres for plays and other scenic entertainment, amphitheaters for gladiatorial combats and wild beast shows, stadia for athletic competitions, and circuses for chariot races. As a whole, this pervasive culture of spectacle served both as a vehicle for self-advertisement by the sociopolitical elite and as a means of reinforcing the shared values and institutions of the entire community.

“In the end, the games were about othering people and dehumanizing them,” Nathan Elkins says, deputy director of the American Numismatic Society. “It was about watching and enjoying somebody else suffer because Romans felt they were better and more privileged.”

Thanks to their favoured position in life and the labour of the peasants on their estates, nobles in an English medieval castle had plenty of leisure hours.

Tournaments

Gave knights the chance to hone their skills with horses and weapons in a relatively safe and controlled environment, although there could be injuries and fatalities despite the precautions.

The competitions took two formats, either a mêlée, which was a mock cavalry battle where knights had to capture each other for a ransom or the joust where a single rider armed with a lance charged at an opponent who was similarly armed.

To minimise the risk of injury, weapons were adapted such as the fitting of a three-pointed head to the lance in order to reduce the impact and swords were blunted (rebated). Such weapons became known as 'arms of courtesy' or à plaisance.

The popular Round Table tournaments involved knights dressing up as characters from the legends of King Arthur who then jousted and feasted in costume.

Watched by an audience which included the local aristocratic ladies, motivation to perform and display chivalry was high.

There were also prizes such as a gold crown, jewels, or a prized hawk so that many knights made a living doing a tour of tournament events across Europe.

Even if a local tournament was not perhaps a regular event, one could at least practice for them.

A common device to hone one's lancing skills was the quintain - a rotating arm with a shield at one end and a weight at the other. A knight had to hit the shield and keep riding on to avoid being hit in the back by the weight as it swung around.

Another device was a suspended ring which the knight had to catch and remove with the tip of his lance.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References

Previous posts you might find useful: Horror ⚜ Psychological Thriller ⚜ Book Genres

[olekciy]

    A short reminder that Russia is imperialist, has been imperialist for a long time, and there's no way around that fact.

Sections of the Western left have developed a narrative according to which Russia has been gradually surrounded by NATO and that supposedly "provoked" Putin. It's increasingly difficult to sustain the notion that Russia is simply "defending itself" after 24 February 2022, but the thing is - the invasion did not come out of the blue. One needs a different narrative to understand what Russia actually is: an aggressive imperialist power alongside other imperialisms.

So, a different narrative:

- 1994: Russia, with US support, acquires Ukrainian nuclear arsenal in exchange for the assurances to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity

- 1997: Russia acquires the Sevastopol naval base and almost all of the ships (82%, to be exact)... in exchange for the assurances to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity!

- 2004: Russia meddles in Ukrainian presidential elections, fighting hard to force an undemocratic fraudulent outcome, but fails

- Mid-to-late 2000s: As punishment for Ukraine electing Yushchenko, Russia uses energy blackmail, a form of economic coercion not very different from the IMF and World Bank lending and conditionality

- 2008: NATO refuses to adopt a roadmap towards Ukraine's membership and in effect postpones the decision indefinitely. Ukraine's security is in no way guaranteed, while Russia has already demonstrated the propensity to use coercion to force Ukraine to do its bidding

- 2009: Dmitry Medvedev, then president, writes to Yushchenko that "Russia does not pose and cannot pose any kind of threat to Ukraine", so seeking NATO membership is stupid. Yea, sure

- 2014: Russia, which "does not pose and cannot pose a threat to Ukraine"... annexes Crimea. Really, Dima?? I thought you were for real??

Of course, by annexing Crimea Russia not only makes all the previous statements that it "can never pose a threat to Ukraine" a ridiculous lie, but also breaks the 1994 memorandum and 1997 treaty. "We are the Kremlin. Our word is worth nothing"

- Crimea's annexation provokes armed separatism in Donbas that Russia supports and coordinates, including direct military command and control, and then completely subordinates Donbas "authorities", in effect occupying the region

- Ukraine's still not in NATO, its security is still in no way guaranteed, and the supplies of US weapons only begin in 2018. They are kept to a minimum... out of fear of provoking Russia!

- Nevertheless, on 24 February 2022 Russia launches a full-scale invasion to establish 100% control over all of Ukraine in one way or another. There is literally no military development on the ground that could have provoked the invasion. On Russia's part, it's a war of choice in exactly the same way the invasion of Iraq was a war of choice for the US in 2003.

Now, this is only the general outline. One should add Russia's drowning of Ukraine with spies and agents of influence, money to corrupt Ukrainian politicians and massive acquisition of Ukrainian assets to impose economic and political dependency.

These are well-known facts, but so many on the left refuse to see the story behind them. It's a story of decades of imperialist aggression, culminating in a war that cost 150,000 lives in 2022 alone. Any discussion of left-wing internationalism should begin with recognizing the reality of what Russia is and what it did.

[askpiratedash]

It been a while, aye. But I had t' be seein' ye all on Talk Like A Pirate Day. Let's not be makin' the next visit so long. YARR!

((So yeah, it's been a while. How many of you still remember the running pirate? Or even realize you were still following this blog?

Is this the start or a comeback for PD in a world where there are far fewer eyes on it than 5 years ago? Well...yes and no. Let's address the no part first.

You'll notice this is just a sketch. I never really liked posting just sketches on this blog, unless it's fanart that deserves the spotlight. But in order to give PD the comeback she deserves, we need full color here. And I just don't have that capability right now with the computers I have. So until I get a better computer, all I can really post here are sketches. But a few guys are fine with that...

There's also life. A lot has happened in the past five years. A lot of bad has happened, but so has a lot of good. I'm finally in a spot where I want to be in my career. But it takes a lot out of me each day. So the sporadic and random updates from before would become less than what it was. Does that mean there's going to be another gap of five years between posts? No, but this blog may not update as much as you and I would like upon a return. Nevertheless...

Now to the yes part. Pirate Dash and this blog have been an integral part of Tumblrpon and the MLP fandom community as a whole. And she does not deserve an ending where it's radio silence and you wonder if you'll ever hear from her again. There will be an ending. I don't know what that looks like right now. But there is a dedication to put a final chapter and a bow on this blog and her story.

Ideally, the goal is to crank out updates again in the new year. Kind of getting back into the groove. And maybe that does include sketch posts until I can get to full color. But there will be effort to bring PD back. I promise you that.))

[ananke-xiii]

About Sam Winchester.

[This post has been edited after my discussion with @samjgirl , @sam-winchester-admiration-league and after @adaav 's comment to my post. I really want to thank them for their time and for pointing many interesting points out. I wasn't well informed about the techniques of storytelling and I believe I lost a bit of focus after season 11. Now I'm actually happier as I've started to even more appreciate this character, so win-win for me!]

The character of Sam Winchester was my biggest surprise and my biggest disappointment while watching Supernatural (but it's not his fault). [EDIT: while I still don't particularly like (for now) s12-15, I've realized that my disappoint was more due to my ignonorance of storytelling techniques rather than by the way the character was written]

It was my biggest surprise because I had never related to a fictional character this much before. I think you just have to both be the younger sibling of a dysfunctional nuclear family and be trauma-bonded to your elder sibling to get it. I won't go into further details about it because it's a whole essay, but I have to mention it because I need to state that I feel a deep connection to Sam. We both made the same choices, the same "mistakes", the same sacrifices.

So I was astonished when I started Supernatural because of the way it felt true and real. I don't know if the writers lived similar experiences and were therefore able to tell this story truthfully, but they nevertheless did a hell of a job in describing the unique bond of two siblings trying their best to navigate their traumas.

From season 1 to 8-9ish, we see Sam morphing from being the hero of the story to one of the two main characters. [EDIT: this is incorrect, Sam has always been the hero of the story. I think I felt like he was "shifting" into a slightly less prominent role because Dean, as supporting protagonist, was given more space in order to proceed with the filler episodes]Slowly but surely, Dean also becomes the hero and I think that was fair. [EDIT: see above, technically this is incorrect, sorry lol!]You can't fully narrate the story of a bond withouth fully integrate one part of it. I loved all the parallels to Michael/Lucifer and Cain/Abel. I thought they were brilliant. The show allowed me to go deep inside and start sorting out some stuff I've lived. It really made me think a lot.

It's fair to say that the brothers' codependency was the crux of their problem. It was painful to watch and sometimed downright awkward but the writers got it all right: the otherwise unxeplicable and toxic jealousy they felt for one another, the inability to share their deepest feelings in way other than fighting, and hell yes, even Sam's decision to run away and not look for his brother after season 7. It was not OOC, it's exactly what he did when he was 18 and what John did as well 4 years after that. As a matter of fact, Sam is more similar to John than Dean could ever be.

It's definitely been a long journey but I find that the resolution of their codependency (in season ELEVEN!) was cleverly thought-out and brilliantly executed. It couldn't have happened before, the two bothers must have been either already in or close to their 30s to confront the knot, to acknwoledge the grip the trauma they've lived had on their life. Sometimes getting older does help and give you perspective. This might be why (as I've stated here) season 11 is my favourite one: it gives a sense of closure and hope.

However, here comes the biggest disappointment part. [EDIT: this is due to the fact that in part, I didn't fully get it]

After season 11 Sam morphs from one of the two main characters to a side character. [EDIT: incorrect, as per previous EDIT, Sam is always the hero and lead protagonist]The show must be about the brothers' bond and I'm okay with that. However, it looks like after season 11 the writers couldn't come up with new ideas to talk about this kind of bond. It felt like, other than co-dependency, the bond didn't have much to say. Therefore, both Sam and Dean almost go back to square one while they had all the possibilities to explore a new aspect of their relationship.

What could've been this new aspect? Easy: making them realize that the family they each wanted was, simply, different. This is just my opinion on the subject and how I've felt about season 12-15 so it's okay if you disagree. [EDIT: well, this is still my opinion, although it has nothing to do with Sam's narrative role in the story and more about my personal preference, so I think this is where I got confused]

In my opinion, from season 12 Sam is just a part of Dean's family. It's not "Sam&Dean"'s family. It's just Dean's. And I think the writers could've explored that in a more meaningful way. Let me explain: let's take Cas since he makes the perfect example for this scenario. Dean has repeatedly included Cas in the "family", he's called him not just his brother but "our brother". He includes Sam in the equation but I personally don't think Sam feels the same way. Sure, Sam cares for Cas and thinks he's family, but I think his idea of family is "Cas is my brother's husbandbest friend and therefore he's part of the family". He's extended family, kind of. [EDIT: this is still just my opinion and has nothing to do with Sam's narrative role. Although "family" is one of the themes of the show, it was not the only one]

My opinion is canonically backed because, aside from Rowena, all the members of the Winchesters Found Family are part of the family because Dean has allowed them, Dean has a deeper relatioship to them and ultimately because Dean decides who can enter the circle. This is totally in character and I love Dean for his ability to care and form deep bonds. [EDIT: this was also needed for Dean as a character because he's not the lead protagonist so he had to have something else in the story that was not necessarily connected to the mytharc]

However, this is not in Sam's character: Sam is the one who runs away, the one who wants to create his own family, the one who really needs to emancipate himself from his older brother. I truly wished the writers explored his passivity in "accepting" the status quo and made him, if not rebel, at least express his wants.

It would have been a moment in Sam's growth if he could've just, instead of running away, confronted his brother and stated that his desires were different, that he was part of Dean's family but it was not his family. Instead, we only have glimpes of what Sam really feels: he doesn't think of the bunker as his home, he doesn't ever say that he has a family (not surprisingly it's Dean that in "Lebanon" tells John "I have a family" and not Sam), he doesn't really have any other meaningful relationship aside from his brother.

Supernatural ending did him dirty, too. Not just for the awful wig and make-up but because the ending framed Sam as a two-dimensional character: "freed" from his brother and his brother's family, he finds a blurry wife, a dog, a son, a white picket fence. How sad is that? We never get to see Sam really connecting with anyone: all (and by all I really mean ALL) the women in his life, from his mother to one-night-stands while on the road passing through Ruby, end up dead (RIP Sarah Blake). Of course his wife at the end had to be a blurry figure in the backfround (she was not even besides him on his deathbed!): she was a testament to all of his past relationships. Like, seriously, apart from Dean, the ONLY lasting relationship Sam has throughout the whole series is with LUCIFER and this alone, I think, speaks volume. [EDIT: again this just relates to the fact that I'm not particularly fond of s12-15 and of the overall ending. Technically speaking, the ending makes sense. Whether I liked it or not is another issue]

In conclusion, after season 11 Sam is no longer an interesting character because the writers both downright refused to give him another substantial character to interact with and insisted once again on his codependency with Dean (which was already resolved). [EDIT, tbh it was a weak ending to begin with, LOL, I didn't like it even after I wrote it hahahhaa, but yeah, as this whole post proves Sam Winchester is far from being an uninteresting character because I just spent a frigging afternoon learning new things thanks to him so I guess he's like the gift that keeps on giving!]

Having said that, in my heart of hearts, Sam Winchester will always have a special place because I get him, I really do.

[sideprince]

A movie question I wanted to throw your way: what do you think about the decision to use a decent amount of physical acting on Rickman’s part for comic effect? I’m thinking his snatch of thin air in Philosopher's Stone, his creeping along the table towards Ron and Harry in Chamber, his dramatic point in that same scene, his walk up to the stage for Dueling Club, his whacking students in Goblet and Order, etc.

On one hand, I feel like this does match the tone of the books; he canonically lurks and prowls and points and snatches at the air, and his menace is often undercut by a physical description that’s meant to be some level of comedic. On the other hand, we don't see Snape nearly as much in the movies as we do in the books, so this aspect of his character seems somewhat overinflated by the movies?

TLDR I don’t think these decisions in the movie were completely out of left field, but it also feels off for some reason. Idk I don’t know how exactly to verbalize my feelings on the matter and wanted to hear your thoughts!

It will probably come as no surprise that I feel like any answer to this question is inseparable from the absolute hatchet jobs that are Steve Kloves' screenplays for the HP franchise. This reply is going to end up inevitably long (you ask me about my favorite subject, you suffer the consequences), but all of it is ultimately framed by the problem of having to make the best of a badly written script. (**edit: This post is way too long. Run away. Don't look back.)

The writing doesn't support the story

The first thing that jumps out to me is that there's a separation between where and how these comedic moments are used, up until the end of GoF and after. They're more a part of the story only until Harry's story arc reaches the point of Cedric's death, when he first witnesses death in the way that allows him to see thestrals after. GoF is when the story takes its first dark turn, and up until then the tone and story is much more in line with children's literature, so it makes more sense that Snape is portrayed in a bit of a playful way. After GoF - even though the films reveal it as an aside and much later than the original story does - Snape resumes his role as spy and becomes more integral to the story as a key character and is thus no longer just a foil in a children's story. I think what doesn't work about it is the inconsistency. The books have comedic moments with Snape too, which are cartoonish, up until the end of DH - I feel those are also out of place, but at least their existence gives a basis to what's done in the films.

Nevertheless, one of the biggest problems with the films is that they're badly edited. I'll leave that analysis for another post (you're welcome), but essentially these comedic moments feel inconsistent in part because there's often a disconnect between the performance a director has asked of his actors and the tone that's established in the editing room once pacing and a soundtrack are added. Any vision a director had for these films was muddled by the involvement of big studio producers and limitations. This is made more jarring by the way that Kloves has interjected light, funny moments in awkward ways throughout the scripts. He struggles overall to convey the world that Rowling has created, and if it weren't for the brilliant production design of Stuart Craig, Kloves' failures would be much more obvious (again, worthy of its own roast post).

Take the scene where Snape whacks Harry and Ron on the head in Gof: why are the students all studying in the Great Hall? Why are various years sitting together? Why is Snape overseeing them? It's a scene almost verbatim out of the book (Fred asks Angelina to the ball casually, he and George tell Ron and Harry to get dates "before all the good ones are gone," we find out Hermione already has a date), but like pretty much every scene that originally takes place in the Gryffindor common room, this one is moved to another location for no discernible reason. The main difference in the change is how restrictive it is: in the common room the children are free to be themselves, but in the Great Hall, under a strict teacher's nose, they have to be quiet and restrained. Another subject that would need its own post is the myriad of ways Kloves goes out of his way to rewrite settings and characters to avoid allowing them to express themselves or grow as characters, and how hard he works to stifle and limit them in ways that are convoluted and work against the story, as if he himself couldn't deal with any kind of emotional vulnerability (in a way, his scripts are a desperate cry for help). This directly contributes to why so many of Snape's comedic moments feel off.

The changes in the scene in GoF don't even make sense from a production perspective, as they required more actors, more lighting, and more setups. Instead of using the cozy setting of the common room to establish camaraderie between the students, Kloves replaced that energy and lightheartedness with Snape in a way that's uncharacteristic. The scene, as he wrote it, is already light and has humor, but Kloves doesn't trust it - he feels the need to exaggerate it and the casualties, as always, are the characters and their portrayal. It's as though he's following a formula and saying, "this page number/scene number must provide relief from the tension of the story" and then doesn't consider how following that directive fits into the rhythm of the narrative. It's closer to being an isolated scene akin to a comedy sketch than to a scene that's part of an act that's part of a film. It's worth noting that, in GoF, Kloves interjects this scene as if he's forcing this moment of comic relief into a story that didn't require it and then relies on playing off of Snape's usual seriousness as its crux. In OOtP, when there's a callback to it as Snape smacks Ron with a book again, it's no longer the point of the scene, but an aside in a comical montage focused on Umbridge (OOtP was also the only film not written by Kloves, so this moment is more likely the result of Michael Goldenberg trying to maintain a consistency with Kloves' work). Overall, I think that feeling of something being off is, again, more rooted in the writing than the performance.

Rickman as an actor playing Snape

There's a lot of criticism in the Snapedom of how Alan Rickman portrays Snape, but not enough acknowledgment that none of the characters are portrayed well, and most of it comes down to Kloves' writing of them. Book!McGonagall insists that all students under 17 are evacuated before the Battle of Hogwarts, where Movie!McGonagall only cares that the Slytherin students are locked in the dungeon, everyone else can stay, what does she care if first years die? Book!Hermione is intelligent and empathetic while Movie!Hermione is a two dimensional maternalistic harpy whose main job is to be a mouthpiece for plot exposition. Book!Ron is funny and brave and fiercely loyal, while Movie!Ron throws Hermione under the bus, is cowardly, and is reduced to a flatly written sidekick. Book!Harry is complex and while I could list a million examples, I'll stick to this one: in PoA when he finds out Sirius betrayed his parents, he's enraged but has no reply when asked if he'd want to kill Sirius. Movie!Harry says with conviction, and without prompting, that he wants to find Sirius with the explicit purpose of killing him. Every single character takes a hit because of how Steve Kloves writes them, and Snape is, sadly, no exception.

While some film shoots allow for improvisation, a big budget production on a tight schedule with scenes that require a lot of prep work can't afford to make many changes. So, for example, while Ralph Fiennes was asked to improvise his scene as Voldemort at the end of DH2 when he re-enters Hogwarts victorious (and that's why the dialogue is redundant and that weird hug with Draco continues to plague us), it could be done because the wardrobe and set and cast were already in place and the time required had already been scheduled in. It wouldn't be possible, though, to add an additional scene - like Snape going feral in the hospital wing at the end of PoA - unless it was written into the script. Additional actors would be required, which would mean coordinating with their schedules and adding them to the budget, not to mention scheduling in additional days with the crew who may already have other work lined up. It would require either pushing every other shooting day back - which is near impossible - in order to use the hospital wing set while it's still up, or tacking on production days to the end of the shooting schedule and rebuilding the set on those days. This can be done for necessary pickups that round out existing scenes, but you can't really say, "hey I decided we need a scene here that didn't exist before" without causing huge problems. Because of how contracts work, any significant scene changes would have to be sent back to Kloves who would have to write alternate scenes and/or dialogue, and even then if you wanted to fix a specific character's arc - like Snape's - you would have to add in so much that it just wouldn't be feasible. Screenplay lengths have to fall within a certain number of pages, because each page is approximately a minute of screen time, so adding a few more to a finished script mid-production is very difficult. The actors have to make the best of what's on the page. Which brings us to Alan Rickman, his choices as an actor, and what informed both him and the character of Snape.

Alan Rickman was a RADA trained actor, so his approach to a character involved a lot of physical work as well as character analysis. As far as I know, he was the only actor to contact JK Rowling directly to ask about his character, because he wanted to make an informed decision about how to play him since Snape was so nuanced and gray. Unlike some of the other actors (like Michael "DIDYAPUTYANAMEINDAGOBLETOFFIYAH" Gambon) Rickman read the books - those that were available when he took on the role, and each as they came out afterwards - and used them to inform his understanding of his character beyond what Kloves wrote (presumably in crayon with all the e's backwards). In interviews and Q&A's it's clear Rickman was fond of the HP books and story, and had a thoughtful process taking on Snape's character. He did not see him as a villain, because, as he's said, he didn't approach characters with that kind of judgment. And while I'm sure the egregious amounts of cash Warner Brothers threw at the actors was inevitably a factor for all of them, several of the ones playing teachers or other adults have said that they took on their role because a child in their life insisted on it, despite them being unfamiliar with the books, whereas Rickman's process was to read Rowling's books in order to decide whether to take the role. Again, he was a RADA trained actor, and thus had a meticulous approach to his work that followed a thoughtful, considered process and a decision based on whether he felt he could embody a character in a way that did them justice/if they were interesting enough to him. By the time he started shooting PS, he also had experience directing a film and was working as a director in theatre as well as still acting, so he understood the process from the perspective of not just an actor, but also as someone behind the camera, someone working with actors both as a peer and director, and someone sitting in an editing room.

We know from his diaries that he became increasingly frustrated with how his own process and expectations clashed with that of the producers on Harry Potter. He wasn't interested in renewing his contract after the first few films (goodness knows how much money they offered him in the end - his wife has said that he never let anyone else pick up a tab in a restaurant and if they argued, he would just say "Harry Potter."). He writes about seeing the films at premieres and being frustrated with how little story and development there is (especially for Snape), which makes me think there are deleted scenes somewhere that haven't been released. At one point he writes about a premiere party where he had internally lost patience with the three Davids (Yates, Heyman, and Barron). It's obvious that there's a discord between the work he wanted to do with Snape's character and what choices the production made:

He describes how, during the filming of the Yule Ball scene in GoF, there was an attempt to get him to dance but he refused because he didn't think Snape would dance:

It was a rare moment of potential for improvisation because, again, the set and cast and timing were already accounted for, and in this case there wasn't even dialogue. The scene where he smacks the boys with the notebook - as far as I know - was scripted. So there's a difference there in how much freedom he had, as an actor, to say no to what he was asked to do. Even in the above diary entry it's clear that, given his way, he felt the character wouldn't even be present in that scene, but he had no choice. This tells me that when he had more freedom to make choices, he did so based on his understanding of Snape as a character and, given that he was an actor who was both very respected (and got away with more than most) and also someone who could get argumentative about his character choices, I think this is the most apt lens to examine his physical work with Snape through.

Knowing that he wasn't interested in continuing the role of Snape after the first couple of films and that he was often frustrated with the lack of characterization and story arc, his physicality in his first scene in CoS (when he reprimands Harry and Ron for flying the car) says a lot. (Caveat that one of the reasons he didn't want to renew his contract was that the shooting schedule restricted his schedule and he wanted work on other projects, but I can't help but wonder if that had been the case had HP provided a more satisfying process.) It's almost certain that he had read all the available books by the time the scene in CoS was filmed, including PoA where Snape becomes apoplectic with rage in a way that, to a child reader, is comical (and intended to be) and to someone analyzing Snape is clearly rooted in triggered trauma.

Alan Rickman knew from the outset that Snape's motivation was his love for Lily, so he would have understood the dynamic between his character and Sirius re: who Snape thought sold Lily out to Voldemort. He would also have understood that Snape's reaction in PoA was more about distress and anxiety, and that this was connected to the promise Snape had made to protect Harry for Lily's sake. This would have therefore informed his portrayal of Snape's anger at Harry in CoS, and it's reasonable to assume that Rickman was trying to walk the line between the way Rowling portrayed Snape in full unhinged rage in PoA, what this tells him about this character when angered, and the connection between the moments in PoA and CoS when it comes to Snape's anxiety over Harry's safety. Unlike the author of a book however, who has full control of how they tell a story, Rickman was an actor in a film - an inevitably collaborative medium which therefore made his portrayal reliant on the decisions of others as well.

Chris Columbus, the HP movies, and feral Snape

PS and CoS were directed by Chris Columbus, the guy who directed both Home Alone and Home Alone II and Mrs. Doubtfire. He was a successful director from the 90s tradition of children's movies whose sensibility was informed by the era's attitude towards children's media: kids wanting to see themselves in narratives, in ways that felt empowering and allowed them to process the confusion of a world run by adults in playful, quasi-cartoonish ways within a 3 act structure where the villains - mean adults - get their comeuppance because it feels fair. One thing that set Harry Potter apart was that the villain was not the mean adult; Snape, the mean adult, is a character kids can hate and project their own experiences onto, but Voldemort is a true villain who represents evil and is vanquished by the hero. Chris Columbus established a tone for the first two films that was no longer apt by PoA, not only because it didn't work for the story, but because that 90s era of children's movies had ended and the culture moved on to more complex narratives (and Columbus has focused more on producing than directing since, because his style doesn't work for audiences anymore).

What's ironic about the way Snape's scene at the start of CoS comes off is that, in the book, there's a great comedic moment that's left out:

This is cut from the film, and instead it's Filch waiting at the top of the marble stairs who catches Ron and Harry being late and delivers them to Snape (I don't know why, the scene in the book is much more dynamic and would have taken up about as much time on screen). Rickman, meanwhile, is using the information he's gotten on who Snape is from the books, and imbuing some of that feral Snape energy into his portrayal of a Snape who is genuinely angry:

(Thank you for making these gifs @smilingformoney , they are truly the gift that keeps on giving.)

The thing is, no matter how much of feral Snape Rickman brought to this, no matter how menacing his performance is, this moment still lives within the dynamics of a Chris Columbus children's film. It gets cut off by Dumbledore's entrance - meant to be a comeuppance for Snape, since Dumbledore (being the voice of wisdom and fairness in this world) prevents him from punishing Harry and Ron (you know what, at least in the books they got detention, but ok). Despite Rickman's performance, Columbus as a director has framed this scene in the same context as the one Kloves cut. The tension is brief, and the focus is on Snape being foiled, because it's what children want to see - a mean adult experiencing consequences. It's down to the editing and soundtrack, choices Columbus made in the editing room. In addition, we don't know how many different ways an actor tries a scene, only what ends up in the final cut of a film. The process of the work done on a set is often much richer and more diverse than what an audience sees in the finished film.

Tbh I think this is also why Snape's feral moments were cut from PoA: it's a darker film, but had to straddle the line between being for both children and tweens and not getting too playful, nor too intense. As much as I want to see feral Snape on screen, it's extremely difficult to make work in a narrative that is about Harry and his friends. It either skews too intense, making the audience uncomfortable because seeing an adult becoming unhinged and in pain is difficult and frightening for most young people, even adults, and would therefore take away from Harry's goals and narrative as well as his changing relationship to Sirius (all of which is already barely supported by Kloves' writing). Alternately, it could also skew too comical and over the top, which takes the audience out of the tension of the film's climactic moments.

If Snape's story had gotten more focus and screen time, an unhinged moment would be better justified because the audience would have been more invested in the character and their arc. PoA sidesteps pretty much all of the most compelling parts of the book, which is the realization that Harry is not only connected to Sirius personally, but that his dad, Sirius, Lupin, and Pettigrew created the Marauders Map, that they were animagi, that Harry's patronus takes the form of his father's stag, and that Snape was initimately connected to all of them as well. For me, reading the end of PoA was what cemented Snape as someone who would be crucial to the narrative and whose role would increase as the series went on. As a result of Kloves skimming over these essential plot twists, Snape is a minor character in the film, showing up mostly as a foil who tries to expose Lupin and then catches him and Black in the Shrieking Shack (this also sets his character up to be minimized in every film down the line, which has a worsening impact as Snape becomes increasingly integral to the plot).

One thing I find interesting is that Snape's comical physicality changes over the films. In PS and CoS he's menacing, a looming, larger than life figure the children fear and easily assume to be a full-fledged villain. By GoF there's a relationship embedded in how he interacts with Harry and his friends. He's no longer terrifying, just intimidating, more of an adult Harry challenges than someone he must defeat. The comedic effect now comes from a rapport within an established dynamic between characters. By HBP, the only comical moment is at Slughorn's party, and it's no longer Rickman who uses physicality - the action happens around him, and the comedic effect is in his lack of reaction to any of it. In other words, he's no longer the comic one, he's become the straight man in a (badly written) comedy sketch (with abysmal timing, what even).

Ultimately, as with most of the characters in the HP films, Snape is undermined by the writing. Rickman was stuck working within the confines he was given. No matter how well he may have understood the character, the limited screen time and character development were always going to stifle how Snape was portrayed on screen. I'm very much pro Let Snape Be Feral but I also don't fault Rickman in how little we saw of that.

How Feral is Snape?

If I'm honest, I feel like the Snapedom has taken the Let Snape Be Feral thing and has started forgetting that he wasn't all-feral-all-the-time. The point of Feral Snape is that it's a heightened state of tension in a character whose trauma is being triggered. Apoplectic Snape wouldn't have an impact at the end of PoA if that was his usual way of being. And, as you so brilliantly showed @said-snape-softly Snape's speech patterns are primarily quiet and controlled, his speech gets softer the more dangerous his mood, and it's only after he reassumes his role as a spy that the description of his speech becomes increasingly volatile (but is still controlled). Feral Snape's definitive aspect is the lack of control shown by a character who usually is so exceptionally capable of self restraint and compartmentalization. So again, while I would have loved to see Feral Snape on screen, I think it's also important to acknowledge that this is not the defining feature of his character and is more about what those moments mean to his arc. Their absence is primarily due to poor writing that didn't create space for them (including what leads up to them), and the direction that didn't carve out any kind of niche for them, not Rickman's choices as an actor.

In fact, Snape as a character is defined by descriptors of his voice more than any other character by far. I have my own theory about why this is, and it has to do with Alan Rickman being inextricably connected with how Snape is written. Chris Columbus said that Alan Rickman was always Snape as far as he was concerned, because when JK Rowling showed him a sketch of Snape she had made, it looked exactly like Rickman. I don't think this is accidental.

Alan Rickman was always intended to be Snape

First, what's important to remember is that before Harry Potter, Alan Rickman was best known in the 90s for playing both villains and sad romantic leads. His signature defining feature was his voice. I think it was Ang Lee who described the casting choice of Greg Wise and Alan Rickman in Sense and Sensibility as wanting Willoughby (Wise) to be dashing and Brandon (Rickman) to be sexy (if this was Emma Thompson and not Ang Lee, my apologies, I can't remember where I read this and can't find the source). This is how Rickman was perceived by audiences up until Harry Potter. And I know a lot of the Snapedom considers him to be sexy as Snape too, but the general audiences of the films don't, so please don't @ me, I'm just setting up a point here.

This is relevant because, as we find out in the end of the books, Rowling wrote Snape's motivations to be rooted in romantic love (I'm very nobly putting aside, for the sake of focusing on Rowling's intentions, my personal interpretation that Snape's feelings for Lily were platonic, please acknowledge how brave I am for this). She pulls a lot from gothic tropes into how he's written, and as much as she's talked about the character having been inspired by a chemistry teacher she disliked, and as much as she's talked about Snape being both morally grey and someone she personally dislikes, she also romanticized him. Between this and what Chris Columbus said about her sketch of him, it's hard for me to ignore that this character, conceived of in the 90s, wasn't written with Alan Rickman in mind from the beginning, especially since Rowling herself has said that she envisioned him in the role. Whether or not he lived up to Rowling's imagination is, frankly, his choice and Rowling's problem.

The story of how Harry Potter was written according to JK Rowling is that it started with the idea coming to her on a train ride in 1990. She completed the PS manuscript in 1995. While everything I'm about to say is absolute conjecture, I can't help but wonder at the connection between these films and the way Snape was written (spoilers ahead, no regrets, these films have been out for over a quarter of a century - forgive my reviews, I can't help myself):

1988: Die Hard comes out. Alan Rickman plays Hans Gruber, a villain who is a genius, composed, controlled, and soft-spoken. (Great film, a classic, the only valid Christmas movie.)

1990: Truly, Madly, Deeply. Rickman plays a man whose wife can't get over his tragic death, nor can his own ghost, who comes back to spend more time with her. No one else can see him, and they can't really share a life anymore. She eventually lets him go as she realizes that his spirit doesn't belong in the mortal world and her own life can't move on as long as she clings to it. (Beautiful film, will break your heart and put it through a shredder.)

1991: Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. Rickman is the Sheriff of Nottingham, an unhinged, feral villain who wears all black complete with billowing cape. (Terrible film, disaster of a period piece, Rickman's performance is the only redeeming thing about it. Halfway through its press tour talk shows started booking Rickman instead of the lead, Kevin Costner, because Rickman stole every scene.)

1995: An Awfully Big Adventure. Rickman is an actor who comes back to his hometown to revive his role as Captain Hook in a local theatre production of Peter Pan. In the process he has an affair with a young ginger stagehand who reminds him of his lost love, a vivacious woman named Stella with bright red hair who, as far as he knows, birthed his child - a son - before she died. It turns out the girl he has an affair with is his daughter, which he realizes when he visits her home where she lives in the care of her aunt and uncle - whose name is Vernon - and connects the dots of who this girl's mother was. (He then rides his motorcycle out to the pier, screams "Stella" at the heavens like he's in a revival production of Streetcar Named Desire, trips and hits his head on the edge of the pier and falls into the water, drowning. I can't make this up. Mike Newell directed this. The same guy who directed GoF. As if following in the vein of the 90s movie obsession with incest as the controversial-trope-du-jour wasn't enough. I don't even need to review this, just sum it up.)

1995: Sense and Sensibility. Rickman plays Colonel Brandon, a forlorn, grieving man who lost his first love at a young age and spends most of the film pining for the only other woman he's ever had a romantic interest in. Wears all black, rides a black horse.

Given what a well-known actor Rickman was in the 90s - especially in England - and how connected his characters all seem to be to various aspects of Snape, it's hard not to see a connection. The entire premise of Truly, Madly, Deeply sounds like the inspiration for the Resurrection Stone in Deathly Hallows. The redheaded lost love whose child is left in the care of an Uncle Vernon in An Awfully Big Adventure is difficult to look past. All of these characters either exude menacingly soft-spoken Snape energy, feral Snape energy, or forlorn because of his lost love Snape energy. As a result, I feel like it's almost inevitable that Rickman inspired Snape, especially when you consider how known he was for his voice and how frequently Snape's voice is used to describe him. When Rowling said that she envisioned him in the role, it makes me wonder if she meant during the casting process for the first film, or well before it. I think his previous roles were a contributing factor in how the character was written in the books. After Tim Roth - who was originally cast in the role - had to back out due to scheduling conflicts, she got her way. Authors don't often get to choose who plays their characters, but in this case it worked out as the production thought Rickman was a good fit as well.

I'm done, I promise

So where does this leave things at the end of this horrendously long post? Rickman's choices of how he physicalized Snape - comedic or not - are only part of a larger whole. He was playing a character who was written based on his other roles, and limited by the shortcomings of how Steve Kloves translated that character from Rowling's books into his own screenplays. Whatever Rickman did on set was limited by that writing, by the directors he worked with, and by the choices made in the editing room.

I'm fascinated by the idea that Rickman was playing a character written with him in mind - but not really him, the him who embodied other characters whose echoes show up in Snape. It's difficult enough to contend with an actor playing a character in a screenplay you wrote with them in mind when you're directing your own script, because they'll never be what you imagined in your head. But for that process to get filtered through several directors, a team of producers, another writer who changes your work, and an editor, let alone throughout a decade of films - that's downright wild. The original intention gets lost and reinterpreted like a game of telephone, and I think that a lot of the consistencies between Movie!Snape and Book!Snape are down to Alan Rickman's nuanced and generous nature as an actor. If I'm honest, I'm not convinced that every Snape moment that comes off comical was meant to be so by Rickman. But again, film is such a collaborative medium that his intentions aren't the only ones that matter, ultimately, at least they aren't the only thing that ends up in the final cut.

My take, personally, is that I'm more interested in critical analysis than personal criticism. I respect that everyone has their own vision of a character and fandom is absolutely here for, among other things, having a place to share those thoughts and feelings. But a character is rarely going to appear on screen the same way you see them in your head, and that's not always going to be a fault, even if it's a disappointment to you. It's interesting to hear different people's perceptions, but there isn't that much to discuss there - you can't refute how someone feels, and you can't argue that their truth is what it is, to them. Whereas with critical analysis there's a lot more to talk about and examine, so it's where my own interest is much more invested.

[erazonpo3]

Erazon's Characterisation Essay (Part 1 - Cynthia Edition)

General preface; This is me snowballing on a thought I had earlier about canon v fanon trends given that it's a pretty evergreen topic. Without getting too much into the subject itself, I made the point that you can use the source material as a starting point for analysing characterisation, but in a lot of cases it's highly interpretive; using Pokemon as an example, most of the non-player characters exist to enable the player's autonomy throughout the game's storyline, and only a small handful have their own detailed arcs and backstories.

Therefore if you want to build on characterisation for them for transformative fanworks, you only have a handful of dialogue lines and some environmental storytelling that borders on olympic levels of mental gymnastics. Things like backstory and character motivation needs to be invented, to which end the concept of 'canon' characterisation becomes pretty insignificant in comparison to the story you are trying to tell, and whether or not that characterisation is thematically appropriate and compelling. Everyone is going to have a subjective opinion about the 'essence' of a character, the core traits that make them who they are, and how integral those traits are for it to be a 'canon' or 'fanon' interpretation.

And yet there's still ways to analyse the games to draw some conclusions that aren't always obvious straight away.

I'm going to go into how I draw characterisation for Cynthia for Way Out, but keep in mind that I don't consider my characterisation perfect or the One True Depiction To End All Others etc and so on and so forth. There's things I need to discard in favour of the story– adults in the Pokemon games, including Cynthia, have a pretty laissez-faire attitude when it comes to kids handling crises so that the target audience (kids) can feel acutalised as they play through the story, but it's not always what I consider a core character trait so much as a function of the medium.

I play up a sense of responsibility and duty that isn't really depicted in the games but is nevertheless an easy takeaway in order to give her character a bit more depth and relateability. And when other people take her character in a different direction, I try to keep an open mind about what they're saying about her character in their story, because their story is not a video game for children nor a webcomic, and they will need to do different things depending on her narrative role.

(I don't have to like it, but I'm no less a subjective soul than anyone else).

I also pull here and there from other sources of inspiration, one I've mentioned before is a meta-analysis of how she's treated by the fandom in general, assuming she'd be treated a similar way as a public figure in-universe. A lot of my character work is about peeling back that legendary status and asking who the person underneath is and how she might deal with the pressures of being expected to consistently meet other people's high standards, and how to balance a healthy competitive streak without it becoming toxic.

But more to the point– here's some material exclusively from Platinum that I think collates to a pretty consistent depiction of her character, to keep in mind and interpret any which way, arranged into some key traits.

She is the granddaughter of a village elder in a traditional rural town.

"My grandma has this sort of bossy atmosphere about her. I think you'll recognize her right away. Yes, I'm sure you will. She's the elder of Celestic Town"

An overlooked aspect of her character that I think holds some of the ripest potential for her character is that we know a fair deal about where her family is from, potentially where she was raised. My personal conclusions are:

It is likely she has an ingrained sense of cultural values of humility, respect, duty, and tradition. While she may not be ruled by these traits, they would influence the way she interacts with the world.

Her interest in mythology is likely inspired the mural in Celestic town, and reflects a value of heritage and history.

It's a common 'fanon' that her grandmother was her primary guardian through much of her childhood, which isn't substantiated anywhere (just because we don't meet her parents as NPCs doesn't mean they don't exist) but this idea strengthens the connection she has to Celestic town and emphasises her position as the elder's heir.

Cynthia introducing herself as a trainer and not a Champion suggests humility; she positions herself as an equal to the player as opposed to a superior.

2. She is earnest and sincere

"...The places we are born. The time we spend living... The languages we speak... We are all different. But the presence of Pokémon unites us. We share our lives with our Pokémon and our happiness grows as we all become greater than we were alone. That is why we can battle and trade with anyone we choose..."

This is a reflection of her position as a narrative foil to Cyrus; where he dismisses the importance of emotion and 'spirit', she holds it in high regard. Thus;

She sees strong emotions as the source of her bond to her Pokemon and therefore the source of her success. While it's not to say she's an overly empathetic person, I think it follows easily that is generally emotionally intelligent (generally).

I think she's self-aware about how emotional she can be too, which is to say it's something she consciously embraces despite knowing she comes across a little overly earnest (and cheesy) sometimes.

"I love the sound a piano makes. I savor every note with my entire being. It's not only my ears; my spirit hears the music it makes... Ehehe, I made myself cringe saying that."

3. She is intelligent

"I think I let myself get carried away and talked for far too long. I'm sorry, and thank you"

This feels like a no brainer (ha) but it's also easy to take someone who comes across as emotional and write them off as being illogical or not having the depth for complex thought. To me, her emotional intelligence goes hand in hand with her analytical intelligence.

Her fascination with mythology is one of her defining traits, and her dialogue is the source of much of the lore surrounding the Sinnoh legendary Pokemon.

Her pursuit of knowledge is one of her defining traits; her interest in mythology and the distant past is referenced more frequently by herself and other NPCs than the fact of her being Champion. "My big sister is studying the myths of Sinnoh. She wants to know how people and Pokemon interacted in the days of myths."

As a Champion, I consider that she's very calculating and analytical. Even without the strategic held items given to her in BDSP, her Pokemon have perfect stats and have solid type coverage. It's not something she would accidentally stumble onto.

"When you are facing a Trainer in battle, you can learn everything about them. What Pokemon they have. What moves they've taught. What items they make Pokemon hold."

4. She is kind

"I want you to keep traveling to many far-off places. I want you to keep meeting all kinds of people and Pokémon. I came all the way here just so I could say that to you!"

A Champion in this game being kind isn't really a revolutionary idea, but it's still something I consider very integral, particularly in conjunction with the prior traits; there is diplomacy and there is compassion, and to me Cynthia balances both.

She is something of a mentor figure to the player, giving them the solution to obstacles on multiple occasissions (HM Cut, the Secret Medicine), and imparts a lot of lore to them. Notably she gives them an egg which hatches into a Togepi; while this event doesn't happen in BDSP and Platinum doesn't have the Fairy type, it's still retroactively made more interesting for the fact that Togekiss' modern Fairy/Flying type grants perfect immunity to her Garchomp's Dragon/Ground typing.

Some of the few interactions the player will have with her is giving medicine to the Psyduck blocking the route to Celestic town, and then delivering a charm to her grandmother– it gives an impression that she is regularly invested in small acts of kindness.

5. Other tidbits

Every time she interacts with you as the player, it is always through the lens of an adult with a public position speaking to a child; I take it as a given that all her interactions have a slight amount of professional distance, and a formality she wouldn't have if speaking to an adult friend.

She reveals that she went on a similar journey as the player character after being given a Pokedex by Professor Rowan, which could imply she experienced similar experiences to the established protagonist journey formula.

There's a slight goofiness to some of her dialogue that suggests she doesn't always take herself too seriously. "You've seen that group of Psyduck huddled with their heads in their, uh, hands...?"

It's a pretty common 'fanon' for Cynthia to have known Cyrus in her childhood, but this isn't really substantiated in text; her dialogue towards him would be a lot colder with that context as opposed to a stranger. It's a common headcanon because giving them a history together strengthens their position as foils, but in my opinion it's equally as interesting that Cyrus succeeds as far as he does because he exists in Cynthia's blind spot- she admits she didn't pay enough attention to what Team Galactic was up to, and can only stand in opposition to him ideologically, unwilling to entertain (or empathise with) his perspective. It hints at a certain stubbornness she has when she believes she's right and someone else is wrong.

This is just what I personally glean from the text; it's possible I've missed something that somebody else considers ultimately integral. But I hope that my writing in Way Out speaks for itself in how I apply all this to her character in the story, and why I feel it's important to do so. Cynthia is the character I second-guess the most in her characterisation because she should always be recognisable, even while going through different arcs. Her values, her intelligence, her sincerity, and her kindness are all things that need to be balanced with the needs of the story; how strong she is is just a relative thing to what any particular scene demands.

There's a lot I could still elaborate on but for the sake of at least attempting to keep this (relatively) concise, I wrote all this to highlight how I try to stay on track with consistent characterisation, which may not be the perfect ideal for this character but nevertheless is the best version for my story. There's nobody I hold to a higher writing standard than myself, and I try to constantly ask myself if I'm really writing what's best for the narrative or if I can do something better. I'm not interested in the most canon depiction that exists for another story, I'm interested in what's right for my story.

And uhhhh peace ✌️