#guys if your go-to for a 'demonic' look for a character is one seemingly inspired by central asian fashion. maybe ask yourself why | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

delicrieux · 4 years ago

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☆ﾐ 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚊𝚢 “𝚘𝚑”

PART 13: ...O-OH?

it’s the night of the big stream. y/n uncovers a strange, albeit deep, bond with charlie. corpse interrupts her garden date with sykkuno quite unceremoniously. tensions are high as ever; proximity chat reveals internal monologues and stray thoughts. y/n’s “batshit insane” energy affects everyone. this is, quite literally, the best game of among us bretman has ever played.

─── corpse husband x reader, sykkuno x reader (if you squint, it’s very one sided) ─── soc. media + written fiction! ─── word count: 6.1k oops ─── ❥ reqs: sum people requested some interaction w bretman + jealous corpse + flirty sykkuno

author’s note: guys....GUYS WE’RE ON THE 3RD “OH” hope ur excited cus i am!!! this was rly fun to write, but then again, everything is better than writing an essay lmao! this is extremely chaotic and a bit seggsy but like a minuscule bit u wont even notice it i swear xx there’s not much social media in this one, mostly written lol. as always lmk wat u think n thank u for all ur kind words n sooo manyyyy ideassss!!! love u lots

ultimate masterlist. ҉ myso masterlist ҉ previous. ҉ next.

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It’s happening, you think, picking the discreet, angelic white color for your astronaut - with a halo and all, truly, you are a seraph that stepped through the gates of heaven and descended onto earth to grace these morals with your presence...quite literally, you’re not only donning white in game, but also in real life, cute as a button or more like as a bunny. Cat girls are overrated - cat boys, on the other hand, you’ll ardently defend till your last breath - but bunny girls...Safe to say, your chat had been going feral. Your endless ego is fed well. You even swore on your heart that no devilish trickery would follow in this game - you had left your snake ways behind you.

No one believed you. The Roaches know you too fucking well.

The influx of new subs, however, do not. Look at this cute girl! She wouldn’t hurt a fly! You chuckle at the compliments. At the exact same moment, Rae pipes up on the discord call, “Y/n is leering and cackling evilly. No one trust her.”

Demon woman herself must be watching your stream before starting her own. You pout, all adorable and innocent, but your eyes gleam slyly. Truly, a mastermind of manipulation! Look at you go! The chat is swooning. The viewer number steadily climbs past 16K and you hum happily, welcoming all that decided to join your little clan, “Don’t listen to Rae. Wifey is mad because I said I’m not bringing her back a souvenir. Well guess what, bitch, I’m the gift.”

Your perfect image does not quite align with your tone, nor the affectionate nickname you call your roommate (bitch, not wifey). The new viewers are none the wiser though, just like your new stream mates.

There is laughter from people you don’t quite know. The lobby is almost full, but not everyone has trickled in yet.

“Filing divorce papers right now.” Rae mumbles, but you hear the smile in her voice. It makes you crack a grin, too.

More hello’s and shy introductions to the people in the lobby. Sykkuno’s green astronaut pops in with a upbeat, “Hey, everyone! Hi, Y/n!” as his character circles around yours. A collective awww echoes in your stream chat as you, quite breathless at the wholesomeness, reply with a “Hi! Hi hi!” as well.

Corpse is next to join, mysteriously ominous. The discord call is pure chaos, everyone screaming over the other variations of his name while stressing different syllables. Silent as a grave, he just stands there, his black astronaut seemingly eyeing everyone in the lobby.

Alas, when the noise dies down, he utters, “Whaddup, baby.” and it’s pandemonium all over again. You are screeching/laughing along with the rest. His astronaut swiftly glides to Sykkuno, still circling around you, “Hey, Sykkuno.” He says. The latter abruptly stops. The game hasn’t even started, and already - betrayal! Sykkuno starts circling around Corpse now, leaving you in the dust.

“Hey, dude!”

“Yo,” You interrupt, “I’m like here too, yeah?”

“Fight, fight, fight!” Pokimane jeers. You can’t see her, but you’re certain she’s pumping her fists in the air.

“Let’s leave the bloodshed for the game, yeah?” Dream offers past her laugh ridden urging.

“No, fuck that, let’s start this shit right now,” Charlie declares - his monotone is strangely pleasant to the ear, and you lean back in your chair with a thoughtful hum. Something about his energy just clicks with yours instantly, but perhaps you’re judging too quickly- “Got my fucking knife ready to slit some throats. You can all pretend you aren’t ready to kill on sight, but that’s not me. I’ll teabag your dead fucking body.”

-yeah, no, your initial estimate had been correct! What a pleasant surprise, you feel like you and he will get along beautifully.

“Way to be subtle, Charles.” Rae snorts.

“Subtle doesn’t make an interesting game, Rae,” He’s quick to bite back, “and if I’m Impostor, you bet your fucking ass I’m going after you first.”

“Noooooo!” She shrieks, rushing to your astronaut, which is still just standing there, abandoned, like the equivalent of that one emoji, “Y/n, protect me.”

“Of course, baby.” You purr.

There’s mumbling in the discord call, though it’s barely audible. Corpse seems to be repeating the word to himself: Baby...Baby?...Baby...

“You’re gonna stab me in the back the first chance you get, won’t you?” She questions, already painfully aware of the answer.

“You know it!”

“Finally, someone that’s not fucking cowering in their boots and flaunting their real nature.” Charlie says, “Y/n, form a Big Dick Alliance with me.”

“Oh for sure, man.” You agree immediately, trailing to his in game figure, “Let’s show these virgins how it’s done.”

“This is going to be a mess, isn’t it?” Sean’s voice rings with a cheerful laugh, making you flustered. Yes, you’re actually playing with THE JacksepticeyeTM. You still haven’t fully wrapped your head around that part, “I’m very excited to see where this will go.”

“Nowhere good.” You say with unparalleled sincerity - every word you speak to him, the icon, the legend, the one of the few youtubers you actually actively follow, must be genuine. You doubt you can lie to him. He’s too good of a person. You admire him too much. Stuck between wanting to be a shady bitch and an absolute saint, you refrain from addressing him more - you are simply not worthy.

its the y/n trying to act like a normal person in front of jack for me

ikr she looks ready to join the monastery

each day we stray closer to gods light???

Your viewers are snide as always. Gosh, you love them.

The last player pops in, fashionably late, “Hey, y’all.”

“Hey, Bretman!” The call choruses somewhat harmoniously.

“Hi, daddy.” He’s speaking to Corpse now, a smile in his voice - you can hear it even past the static of his atrocious mic. Your eyes widen, eyebrows shooting up. Your friends are cackling, but confusion refrains you from doing the same - were you not the only one Corpse offered, seemingly so long ago!, to be his sugar baby?

One betrayal after the other. You’re glad for the Big Dick Alliance. The name has a nice right to it, too.

Corpse laughs, “...Hey, Bretman. How are you today?”

Damn, two sentences for him, but not even a word spoken to you!? You’re already scripting a very melodramatic paragraph you will text him after the stream. With poorly masked discontent, you mutter, “Wow, thanks for such a warm welcome, Corpse, my day’s going great, yeah, loving the company.”

“Now now miss girl,” Bretman chimes, “we can’t be all daddy’s favorite.”

“Careful,” Charlie drones, “I think you just got yourself onto Y/n’s shit list.”

“Right next to Corpse Husband and Valkyrae.” You agree, “Sykkuno!” You suddenly call him.

“Uhm-Uh-Yes?” Is his nervous reply.

“You’re safe.” You state coldly, “For now.”

“You are not going after Sykkuno on my watch.” It must be a belated holiday miracle because Corpse finally decides to address you. His words seem to awake something in him, “Hey-Hey-Hey-” He swiftly glides to you, standing right next to your minute virtuous angel, “When are you coming back to Cali?”

corpse stop acting weird challenge

literally omg lmao

he does bring up a good point y/n y u not in cali yet?!

^pack it up corpse simp he disrespected the queen when he didnt say hi

“Back off, buddy,” Charlie interjects, “this spot is for Big Dick Alliance members only.”

“I’m never returning.” You inform him, your voice cold like the Arctic snow, and the look in your eyes is no kinder. You feel like you’re having a stare down through screen.

Silence stretches. Is this an intimidation tactic? Because if it is, it’s a paltry one. Your conviction to be petty is stronger than any vulnerability you might feel.

“Then I have nothing to say to you.” He admits and fucks right off with that. Fine, go join Sykkuno and Rae in their little corner of betrayal! Friendship ended with Corpse, now Charlie is your best friend.

“Okay, guys, guys, guys-” Toast, noting this is going to spiral any minute now, tries to catch their attention, “Let’s start?!”

You look into your camera, and the roaches know what you’re thinking. You’re twins like that, communicating telepathically. You are taking back your tender promise of not being a conniving bastard. It’s fucking on. You will destroy everyone in your path, starting with the guy you have a stupid crush on - maybe?! Feelings are confusing, you’d rather just not think point blank period.

With no objections from the cast, the counter ticks away seconds and, for the first round, you’re stuck as CREW MATE.

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Charlie is a gift. Truly, you had not expected such a sudden, wonderful relationship to bloom. How have you not known of him sooner?! It’s a crime that you hadn’t spoken to him earlier. You are a 100% certain if you had found him before you started streaming, he would’ve been a big inspiration.

The two of you do your silly little tasks and curse like sailors, commenting about this and that thanks to proximity chat. You wouldn’t have been able to stand the claustrophobic silence if it was just a normal Among Us game - to think, missing out on all his foully worded quips! It almost springs a tear into your eye. He’s just as unhinged as you.

worried about this dynamic

its a trainwreck lol i love it plz collab more plz

Caught in a headed discussion in Electrical - TikTok trends, or audios specifically - you defend the app the best you can. Charlie thinks it’s super cringe, and you insist it’s part of the charm as you connect wires.

“I mean, have...-do you know that one audio, the one that goes, like,” You’re spilling your words, heated, frustrated that he’s so dismissive of the app that literally saved 2020, “it goes like, uhm,” You clear your throat, prep your voice - even take a sip of your favorite drink. Drawing the syllables, you try your best to make it drop an octave - it must sound like you’re doing an atrociously bad and nauseatingly scratchy Corpse impression with an extra dramatic flair, “My assssssss, your cockkk, you do the mathhh.”

“Did-Did I just-” You freeze hearing Corpse’s voice, finally done with your task. Charlie is muffling his laughter behind his palm; Corpse’s astronaut stands in the doorway, “What the fuck did I just walk into?” He seems genuinely confused, though a strangely winded. You’re mortified. Your shoulders are shaking. You look at the stream chat but it’s going too fast for you to follow. Manic laughter bubbles in your chest and you squeeze your eyes shut, mouth split into a toothy grin, lowering your head and trying to hide the blush dusting your cheeks.

“Hey? Guys? What the fuck are you talking about?” He questions again.

“Honestly?” Charlie chimes, “No fucking clue. TikTok, I think. Ask Y/n.”

You can’t reply. You’re crying. You cover your face with your palms, muttering a soft oh my god before bursting into a full blow laugh, throwing your head back, the motion accidentally knocking your headphones off.

“Y/n.” Corpse calls you, “Fuck was that?”

You’re howling. Your stomach hurts. There are literal tears in your eyes. You think Charlie might be laughing too, but you can’t really tell over your loud screeching. Hastily fixing your headphones, you wipe away the tears stuck to your lower lashes, heaving, “S-Sorry, I-” You stutter, breaking into another fit of giggles. Corpse patiently waits you to calm down. Catching your breath, you start again with a sniffle, “TikTok, yeah.” You idly fix your hair, trying to bite down a smile, “It’s an audio.”

“What- What kind of videos are you watching?”

“The good kind.” Your reply is instant, merciless, “Also, why are you here? We’re having a BDA meeting, you know.”

“I-I...” He trails off, “I...I heard people talking and...I just came here to check it out, but...I’m regretting it.” There’s a lilt in his voice, and you know he doesn’t regret jack shit. You bet he’s smiling. You wish you could see it.

“Bitch, then leave!” You huff. You aren’t sure what is with him today, and you don’t want to stick around and find out - his playfulness makes your stomach flip at the most inappropriate times! Like when you’re trying to sound threatening. You must retreat posthaste, “No, wait, I’ll do it for you.” You say, brushing past his character. Charlie follows after you.

“Dude, you’re so fucking lucky neither of us are the Impostor because you’d be deader than I’ve been feeling since I was 10.” Your favorite companion comments. Charlie is truly a modern wordsmith. You’re pretty sure you adore him, because you’re nodding your head, so quick to agree with him that even you’re surprised.

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A meeting is called. You spare a glance at your fallen crew mates. They will be missed. Sean most of all, God, why does heaven always take the good ones?! The game feels emptier without him, even if you really only passed him once on your trek to Cafeteria with Charlie.

You may or may not have been avoiding him, afraid you’d accidentally say something horrible and he would hate you. It’s a silly fear, though a deep one. And with Charlie keeping you company, you had not uttered a single objectively good, or even coherent, sentence. Your parents can’t watch this stream once it’s uploaded onto your Youtube channel. They know you’re barely keeping it together in most of your videos, but here, now? Yeah, no. Charlie is already hard to listen to on his own for sensitive viewers, and hearing you agree with literally everything he says with your own chaotic ideas? Your dad would stumble into an early grave.

Mom probably wouldn’t mind too much, but you’d have to explain your relationship status again. She is under the assumption that everyone you collab with is your significant other. You’d say it began with Sykkuno, though the exclamation of “Finally! My daughter isn’t pathetically single! We need to celebrate.” had started with Rae. Truly, a scandal.

Speaking of which, Sykkuno is gone, too, but you had time to mourn him already. You found his body roughly ten minutes ago; so torn with the fresh agony of heartbreak, you could not do anything else but cry. It was Charlie, bless his heart, that reported it.

“Someone killed Jack,” You say, voice dripping with venom, “court is now in session. I’m ready to vote the fucker out.”

People speak all at once. Toast roars over them, “ORDER! ODER IN COURT!” as he slams his hand onto his desk repeatedly. That seems to work, though briefly.

“I think it’s Y/n.” Corpse says. You stare at him, hand gripping your heart, mouth falling open in surprise.

flame him

corpse boutta be a corpse fr

beat his ass queen!!!!!

“Pardon my french,” You grumble, “but nani the fuck?!”

“It’s definitely Y/n, I found her and Charlie conspiring in Electrical. Surrealist experience of my fucking life, but it’s definitely her.”

“Dude, we’ve been over this,” Charlie sighs, shushing Rae who was about to comment something - knowing your luck, it was probably in favor of the man throwing you under the bus, “we would’ve snapped your fucking neck the moment you walked in. But we didn’t.”

“Yeah, we didn’t.” Corpse notes, “I said nothing about you, I’m just saying it’s definitely her. She probably didn’t kill in front of you because of your stupid alliance-”

“Someone sounds salty because he wasn’t invited.” Pokimane snickers.

“-or possibly she did tell you and you won’t betray her for the exact same reason.”

“That’s some big brain logic you pulled there, genius,” Charlie says, absolutely unimpressed, “sure you didn’t have an aneurysm trying to connect all of that together?”

“Well,” Rae pipes up, “Y/n and Charlie did say they will kill right before the game started. If you ask me, it’s not unbelievable. And Sykkuno was sorta on the shit list.”

“I’m writing down your name twice, Rachell.” You spit.

“Not helping your case at all, Y/n...” Dream worries, “And Rae makes a good point. Charlie and you have professed desire for murder. I’m just saying! It’s a bit suspicious, you know?”

The next words to leave Corpse’s lips sound incredibly smug, “See?” He drawls. The pressure is getting to you - you don’t understand where this beguiling talent of his to convince literally everyone comes from, but it doesn’t inspire any confidence. Your fist suddenly feels incredibly lonely, so useless - oh, how you long to swing at him, “It’s definitely Y/n.”

“I dunno...” Toast mumbles.

“It’s Y/n.”

“Corpse-” You try, but he's ignoring you - shocker, as if he hadn’t been doing that from the very start of this stupid game - and chanting your name like it’s a fucking mantra or something, a smile in his voice, knowing, relishing in the fact that he’s grating on your nerves, “FIRST OF ALL,” You scream into the mic, successfully cutting him off; catching your breath, you exhale, and continue, calmly, lowly, “get my pretty name out of your mouth.”

There’s a pause full of tense silence.

Then, there’s a sound, seemingly stuck in the back of his throat, “...O-Oh...?”

“Second of all,” You continue, words like honey dipped in arsenic, “This is the clearest smear campaign I have ever witnessed. By how hard you’re trying to frame me for fuck knows what reason, I’m led to believe it’s you that killed them. You’re the Impostor.”

“Corpse wouldn’t kill Sykkuno, though.” Rae comments, skeptical.

“Then the other Impostor did it.” You counter.

“Maybe you’re both Impostors.” Pokimane chirps.

“Y/n would never betray the Big Dick Alliance like that.” Charlie states.

You grin, “Charlie, I literally love you.”

“Wait hold up now,” Corpse seems to get his bearings together, “what’s this about love I’m hearing?”

“I have none for you, dick.” You snap, flipping him off. Your chat cheers. While he can’t see it, you hope he senses it through the screen, “I officially hate you.”

“No, wait-”

“Boo, Corpse, you suck.” Toast laughs.

“Y/n, please-”

“Let’s all vote for Corpse Husband, okay?” You say it like it’s his full official name with an encouraging smile and multiple soft nods. Sykkuno can’t be here to nod, so you’ll do it for him. You eye the rapidly decreasing timer before clicking on Corpse’s figure and voting for him. The VOTED icon instantly pops up beside your adorable astronaut.

“Baby, I-” It slips past his lips so easily, as if he’s not even thinking about it, like it’s only natural to call you that and a spike of anxiety shoots up, making you glare. It’s only halfhearted. You try your best to ignore the rapid and uncoordinated pulses of your heart. Replace unwanted feelings with anger and hate - works like a charm, every time.

“You are not allowed to call me that.” You hiss. The chat spams snake emojis.

“Wait-” Bretman chimes, “Hold up, y’all, slow down a minute. Why does Corpse never call me baby?”

“Yeah!” Pokimane agrees, “I want to be baby, too!”

Pokimane may not have been called baby, but you just single-handedly decided her nickname for her - Target 4. Welcome to the shit list, she is officially your public enemy number 1. You aren’t sure why the thought of Corpse ever referring to anyone else as baby makes you sick to your stomach (you actually do know why, but brain no think at the moment), but you wish this whole conversation never happened. You don’t like it.

20 seconds left. More VOTED icons appear by your friends. Corpse is the last one to cast his ballot at, you assume, you, as the rest wait for his quick explanation before everyone (or not) returns to the game, “...Because she’s my baby.”

Goodbye. Life had been sweet, and there was sorrow, though the amount of embarrassment you feel now is worse than when the internet found your cringe worthy high school pictures on your mom’s Facebook. It’s a mixture of dread and excitement - the pleasure of being noticed, cherished even, though anxious from vulnerability. Someone is screaming a very prolonged “WHAAAAT?!”, or maybe multiple people are, you aren’t sure, your ears start to hurt from the loud, conflicting cacophony of voices as you stare blankly at the screen. You received two votes, just like Corpse, Charlie got one, the rest skipped. With no one flung out, you all find yourself back in Cafeteria again.

Baby. My baby? My baby. My baby. The sentence is playing ping-pong in your mind, reverberating louder each time. You’re actually speechless for the first time in your life; your chest hurts, your heart beating so fast your hands start shaking. Had he meant it? Or was this a some joke? Was he trying to get a rise out of you again? You might just go insane from so many questions. My baby. Holy shit, this is a heart attack, this is what a heart attack feels like, dear God, you figured you at least had ten years before you get one!

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First round ends with IMPOSTORS raining victorious. Your sixth sense had been working wonders since, true to you previous estimate, it had been Corpse. His companion was Pokimane. For absolutely no reason what’s so ever, you change her name once more from Target 4 to Target 1. Normally, you’re all for girls supporting girls. Men don’t deserve anything, really, but now you’re so flustered and still reeling from what you are 80% sure was cardiac arrest that you genuinely don’t care about your established morals.

Round two starts without much deliberation. You get CREW MATE again; the game must sense your growing bloodlust, making sure that once you do get IMPOSTOR, you will not hold back. True power is granted to those who are ready and strong enough to wield it. You wait for your moment with bated breath.

Charlie is taken from you too early. The two of you were once again caught in a discussion - God knows about what, Minecraft, hentai, oh! your server! - as you tried to card swipe for the umpteenth time. The lights blew out and you just knew one of you was getting murdered there and then. Charlie’s voice abruptly cut off, and you think a part of you died with him.

It’s a cold meeting; with your new best friend being the first to go, everyone decides to skip. You proclaim you seek vengeance. When the meeting comes to an end, Sykkuno is the first to offer his condolences.

“I’m sorry, Y/n.” He says, and while he’s not in Brooklyn, you somehow feel him patting your back. You feign a sniffle.

“There’s nothing to apologize for...” You murmur sadly, “Unless...” Your voice turns sharp as the knife that was surely twisted into Charlie’s back, “It was you?”

“NO!” He exclaims, “I would never-you gotta believe me! I would never kill him. I know he’s important to you. I wouldn’t do that, I swear.”

“He was like a brother to me.” You admit, solemn, “Charlie, if you’re haunting me right now, know I will avenge you. I will not let this go.”

Sykkuno hums, circling around you, “Hey, I have a task in Greenhouse. Would you, uh--Would like to, uhm, join me?” Despite the shaky start, he finishes on a firm, pleasant note. He’s trying to cheer you up. Having lost your closest friend, he’s offering you his company. You accept with a soft smile and a cute “Yes, please!” and he releases an airy little laugh. The two of you make your way to your favorite place in map MIRA.

It’s difficult to stay sad for long when Sykkuno’s so sweet; the atmosphere of the Greenhouse is strangely calming; your problems seem to be left behind the shut doors. If you tried hard enough, you could imagine being in an actual Greenhouse - the warm, damp air clinging to your skin, the unmistakable smell of earth and vegetation, the pleasant silence broken only by yours and his hushed voices and clumsy footsteps.

The two of you are talking. Mainly about your choice of attire. Cat first, Sykkuno ponders aloud, doing his task as you watch the plants grow, now bunny, what’s next? You affirm that you will most likely dress up in cow-print next, or as an adorable sheep. He laughs, admitting you’ll look good in anything before he trails off. His awkwardness is really endearing.

“Or!” You chirp happily, content with being locked away with him for the whole game. The idea must be playing in his mind, too, because he seems in no rush to leave, “I could, like, dress as someone from My Hero Academia. I watched the stream you did with Stella, the one where she made you look like Todoroki. It was really cute. You were really cute.”

“Oh, uhm-well, uh, thank you, thanks, I, uhm-” He clears his throat, and despite his stutter, you hear the smile in his voice, “I-I think you’d look better, though. Not as Todoroki. Or, probably as Todoroki, too. But, uhm, what character are you thinking about?”

“Maybe Momo?”

“Momo!” He yeps, “Momo is good. Yeah, she’s great. You’ll-uhm-you’ll look amazing. Really. Momo is awesome. Very pretty. Just like you.”

You are blushing. A stupid, toothy grin makes your cheeks hurt. Your eyes flicker to the chat, but again, it’s going wild. Giggling, you thank him for his sweet words, so giddy it’s honestly embarrassing. Why can’t you stop smiling? This is incriminating. You hide your lips behind your palm.

“...What’s this?” Corpse question. You had failed to note his sudden appearance, too busy gushing. “Am I interrupting?”

“Hey, Corpse!” Sykkuno greets. For someone so awkward and shy, he sure is good at hiding it when he wants to. Perhaps it’s all an act and you had been deviously tricked! Probably not, but you can’t help but narrow your eyes suspiciously, finally able to calm down. You definitely underestimated him, you just haven’t figured out how yet, “Not really! Y/n was sad Charlie died so I took her here.”

“You interrupted our date, dipshit.” You deadpan.

“...Fuck you say?” Corpse dares, his voice low and somewhat menacing - for someone who exclusively portrays his emotions through only his voice, he’s incredibly hard to read. This is payback. Your love for wreaking havoc resurfaces suddenly. Serves him right for pulling all this ignoring shit at the start. Maybe you’ll make him say oh again.

Your sly smirk is promptly wiped. Fuck. He said oh, he literally said oh out loud. The Teruhashi fangirl in you is screaming. You had been so caught up in defending yourself you didn’t even register it at first. Alarmed, you look at the camera, then at the chat. First oh, then my baby. There’s no way he had been teasing you, and this proves it. Holy shit. You mouth the words “HE SAID OH!” for your audience only.

now she notices

snail pace baby we’ve been loosing our shit for the past hour

corpse x y/n saikik au enemies to lovers 500k words slow burn im here for it

opening wattpad rn^

Your heart races in your chest - it might be considered an Olympic medalist at this point; flustered yet again, you wish you could cave into yourself. You should’ve brought your bright blue wig with you to Brooklyn. Turns out it would have been perfect for this stream. Yes, yes thinking about unnecessary details always works in distracting you from the butterflies throwing a fucking rave in your stomach.

“I guess it is a date!” Sykkuno admits, “Kinda after a funeral, but still.”

Corpse hums. You’re still too stunned to say anything. The black astronaut with adorable cat ears approaches Sykkuno.

“It’s not.” He states. Your mouth falls open in shock as your date, your companion, the Shoto to your Momo is murdered in cold blood right in front of you. His lifeless body, cut in half, lays on the tiles by the growing flowers, right beside you, “You didn’t see shit.”

“...I didn’t see shit.” Is all you can utter, breathless and terrified.

“Thaaaat’s fucking right, baby.” Corpse coos, “Now I’m gonna report it, and I’ll say we found Sykkuno together. Better stick close to me after the meeting, got it?”

If Sykkuno is Shoto, then Corpse is definitely Dabi.

why is that kinda hot tho omg

didn’t know i needed dom corpse since now but i do

y/n looks like shes boutta throw up lmao

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You follow him around like a lost puppy - because what else is left for you to do!? You’re helpless in this situation. He’s got you in the palm of his hand, successfully eliminating everyone you had previously interacted with. First it was Charlie, then Sykkuno, even Sean, who said hello in passing, was shot instantly. Real Sangwoo behavior. You almost want to scream warnings at everyone to not approach you. You cannot mourn another lost crew mate, you don’t think your conscience can take it. But words fail to form. You’re too weak. You fake cry to your audience. They’re quick to remind you to stop acting like a little bitch.

“Mean.” Is all you say, eyeing the comments.

“Hm?”

“Was talking to the roaches.”

“What are they saying?”

“That I should betray you.”

“...Better not.”

A shiver shoots up your spine and you half believe he will bust down your door and drag you into his basement for real. A nervous laugh slips past your lips, “I won’t, I won’t.” You reassure him, “Don’t worry, I’m sticking with you. I haven’t seen shit.”

“I like that you listen to me. You always this agreeable?”

“You’re kinda not giving me a choice right now.” You grumble, vending yourself a drink while he looms behind you, protecting you. From who?! Himself?!

“Oh my fucking God, finally,” Bretman exclaims, “girl, I’ve been running around the whole map trynna find someone, is everyone like, dead?”

You’re scared to reply. Corpse does it for you, “Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, maybe? Not sure. Where have you been?”

“Oh you know,” Bretman grins, “doing tasks, talking shit, the usual. You two are not, like, Impostors right?”

You shoot a look at Corpse, but he obviously can’t see it. Biting your lip, you murmur, “Nope.”

“Just your regular crew mates doing regular crew mate things.” Corpse says, no, purrs. Because that’s not suspicious at all. You’d recommend Bretman to run, and not only because that sounded shady as fuck. But he seems to enjoy danger, or he just doesn’t care.

“Hmmmm, crew mates, sure. Miss girl Y/n,” He’s addressing you now; you smile anxiously, “How come every time I see you, you’re with a different man?! Like damn, leave some for the rest of us, for real!”

You like Bretman. You like his high-pitched whine and drawl. You would like him even more if not for the complex situation at hand. You fear for his life. Chewing at your bottom lip, you snicker, “Sorry, Bret. I can leave you Corpse if you want?”

He laughs, “Girl, I’d say yes so fucking quick, but I know he wouldn’t want that. Normally I wouldn’t care, but y’all are such a cute couple it’s making me not want to be a shady motherfucking bitch. Changing my ways, embracing the lord. Love it.”

Corpse doesn’t correct him that you are, in fact, not dating. His lack of reaction unnerves you slightly. Does he...? No! No think! Only exist! You catch that train of thought and steer it away from forbidden territory. Looks like it’s up to you to clear the air, and that is exactly what you do after trying to swallow down the lump in your throat, “Uh, we’re not together, actually. We’re just really good friends.”

“Bitch, then move over,” Bretman says snappily,”go like, back to your other boyfriends. Or find another one. I think I saw Dream near Navigation.”

“Near Navigation, huh?” Corpse hums thoughtfully. It’s a subtle warning, but you catch it. Yeah, even if you try running, Dream’s going to join your other ‘boyfriends’ in the afterlife. Granted, killing someone by just talking with them is kind of cool. Or maybe Stockholm Syndrome is finally kicking in, “Bret, the thing is, Y/n’s scared of dying, so she asked me to stay with her.”

It’s disturbing how good at lying he is. It is also really really attractive, as bizarre as that is.

y/n stop being in a toxic relationship with corpse challenge

making fanart of this omg her face

its the blushing for me girl get your head outta the gutter!

^she cant, it lives there

“Baby, you’re gonna fucking die if you stick with her,” Bretman points out, “have you noticed the mortality rate of her partners? Rest in peace, daddy.”

“He’s right, you know.” You mutter, dramatically looking to the side, “I’m no good, Corpse.”

“Not leaving you, end of discussion. Bretman, join us?” Corpse offers, catching you by surprise. He might still be lying, though. Creating a false sense of security before eliminating Bretman. Probably would laugh while doing it, too. Wow, he truly is evil.

Turns out he doesn’t have to do any of that, because when Dream strolls into Cafeteria, he kills Bretman instead. The two Impostors are finally revealed. You promised not to snitch on Corpse, but you didn’t say shit about not exposing Dream. You press the REPORT button and say just that: “Dream just murdered Bret right in front of me and Corpse.”

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

The last meeting is called. Dream had been voted out with the help of Corpse, and now only you, he, and Rae remain.

“Baby, you know what to do.”

The VOTED icon pops up beside Corpse’s astronaut. Rae wheezes, “No! Y/n, it’s not me, you gotta believe me, I swear it’s not me!”

“...I really don’t know,” You murmur, “I’ve been with Corpse a lot, and...Rae, I’m not sure...”

“Please! I swear it on my Kagayama cardboard cut out, I’m not the Impostor, please! You know me, I’d never lie to you like this.”

“She’s definitely lying.” Corpse says, sounding pleased.

“Don’t listen to him! Remember, during the first round, when he tried to convince us that you were the Impostor? He’s doing the same shit to me!”

“I also remember you agreeing with him.” You remind her.

“I was stupid! Small dumb brain moment! He was using us to win! He’s using you right now!” She votes, “Please, Y/n, make the right choice.”

You’re silent for a moment.

“I’m gonna...I’m gonna vote for who I think it is.” You lastly say.

A slow, lazy grin makes it’s way onto your lips, eyes gleaming mischievously. You had not forgotten your promise to your brother from another mother, you had not forgotten the pride of the BDA, you had not forgotten your beautiful friendship. Two miniature astronauts pop up by Corpse’s at the exact moment Rae screeches “YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!”

“Fuck.” Is all Corpse says with a laugh.

The screen changes, informing of the first CREW MATE victory.

Your ears are assaulted with different voices as you appear in the lobby.

“Now that’s what I’m fucking talking about.” Charlie raves, “I swear to fucking God, Y/n, you even got me going for a second. Pulled some 1000 IQ shit right there. It was fucking amazing. Best back stabbing I’ve seen in a while, and I’ve seen a lot.”

“That was absolutely fantastic, Y/n.” Sean applauds, “I really thought you joined Corpse like some crew mate accomplice or something. Can’t believe you switched on him at the last second.”

“That’s my wifey!” Rae cheers, strolling to you, “Love you, mwah.”

“Hey, Corpse,” Charlie calls him, “How does it feel to be a fucking loser?”

“I’m surprisingly fine with it.”

yeah he would be lmao

mom is the best snake ever i love you sm y/n

rae and y/n’s friendship....the feeeeeels

As the rest sing your praises for another solid minute or two, the third round begins. CREW MATE again. Though, just because you’re stuck as an underpaid worker in a dying spaceship, it doesn’t mean you’re innocent. Your last round proved that quite well. You can’t help but silently snicker.

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

TAGLIST IS CLOSED!

tags (in italics is those i couldn’t tag! make sure all’s ok w your settings!) : @littlebabysandboxburritos - @fairywriter-oracle - @tsukishimawh0re - @ofstarsanddreams - @bbecc-a - @annshit - @leahh19 - @letsloveimagines - @bellomi-clarke - @wineandionysus - @guiltydols - @onephootinfrontoftheother - @liamakorn - @thirstyfangirl - @lilysdaydreams - @pan-ini - @mxqicshxp - @tanchosanke - @yoshinorecommends - @flightsandfantasy - @liljennyx3 - @bingusmode - @unknown-and-invisible - @sinister-sleep - @fivedicksinatrenchcoat - @mercury--moon - @peterparkerspjsuit - @unstableye - @simonsbluee - @shinyshimaagain - @ppopty - @siriuslystupid - @crapimahuman - @ofthedewthesunlight - @mythicalamphitrite - @artsyally - @corpsesimpp - @corpsewhitetee - @corpse-husbandsimp - @hyp-oh-critical - @roses-and-grasses - @rhyrhy462 - @sparklylandflaplawyer - @charbkgo - @airwaveee - @creativedogs - @kaitlyn2907 - @loxbbg - @afuckingunicornn - @fleurmoon - @yeolliedokai

more tags are in the comments bcs tumblr only allows me to tag 50 people max 💙

#corpse husband #corpse #corpse husband x reader #corpse x reader #corpse social media au #corpse husband x y/n #corpse husband fanfic #social media au #corpse husband imagine #myso #make you say oh #sykkuno x reader #if ya squint #imagine #imagines #reader #reader insert

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brawltogethernow · 3 years ago

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@mirrorfalls submitted: Came across this while searching for James Bond’s scrambled-eggs recipe (long story). Your thoughts?

But did you find James Bond’s scrambled eggs recipe?

In this article, Scocca laments his inability to find accessible, lighthearted superhero comics suitable to read with his young son, while also demonstrating a mysterious aversion to looking at DC and Marvel’s lines of comics for children, which is where the accessible, lighthearted superhero comics suitable for reading with young children are. He wants his elementary schooler to be able to safely have the run of all superhero media so he doesn’t have to touch the yucky baby books.

This is not an industry-wide crisis. This is just one dude who got paid to write an article where he accidentally exposed one of his personal hangups.

The child headed toward the trade paperbacks of Marvel and D.C. superhero titles on the side wall […] a few steps in front of me. […] Is he with you? a clerk asked me. I said he was. You know, the clerk said, we have a kids’ section. The clerk gestured backward, at a few shelves near the entrance. I said, Thanks, we know and tried throwing in a little shrug, as the kid kept going.

You can’t just turn a seven-year-old child loose in a comic-book store to look at the superhero comic books. […] My seven-year-old really wanted to see that last Avengers movie […] that is, he wished it were a movie he could see, but he understood that it was, instead, a movie designed to scare and sadden him—a movie actively hostile to people like him.

They have a children’s section. Because comics are a medium suitable for stories for everybody, and they are sold in comic book shops, which have sections, like bookstores. You can use this organization to find books that you know in advance are suitable for children. What goes in that category is determined by industry professionals. This area will be bigger the bigger the shop is. These comics are not lower quality that titles from the main lines. They are actually slightly better-written on average.

Your local comic book shop has considerately wrapped Empowered in a plastic bag, so your child will not be drawn in by a colorful superhero and accidentally read a graphic scene. If you think your kid might find a memoir about internment camps upsetting, it is your job to notice them picking up They Called Us Enemy and read the blurb on the back before you let them have it. This comic adults are meant to read is in a comic book shop because that is where comics are sold. Not every public place is supposed to be Disneyland.

Movies have ratings systems. If you do not want your child to watch a PG-13 movie, you will find that most superhero cartoons are for children. They are about the same characters. Some are quite good! I really enjoyed Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Your child may like Avengers Assemble. At least I think that’s right. I’m always mixing those titles around.

This is a deeply weird bias for Scocca to casually demonstrate, because he identifies in the article that real childishness is striving for empty maturity.

He compares an old comic,

[…]a 1966 Spider-Man comic in which Spider-Man meets, fights, and defeats the Rhino; participates in a running argument between John Jameson and J. Jonah Jameson about his heroism; buys a motorcycle; breaks up with his first girlfriend, Betty Brant; flirts with Gwen Stacy; and reluctantly agrees to let Aunt May take him to meet her friend Mrs. Watson’s niece, Mary Jane.

and a new comic,

[…]a 21st century comic book in which Thor, brooding in a Katrina-destroyed New Orleans, beats up Iron Man. He also yells at Iron Man a lot about some incomprehensibly convoluted set of grievances, including involuntary cloning, that he believes Iron Man perpetrated against him while he was dead(?), and then summons some other Norse god from the beyond somehow for reasons having something to do with real estate. I think. Where the 1966 comic is zippy and fun and complete, the whole contemporary one is muddled and lugubrious and seems to constitute a tiny piece of a seemingly endless plot arc—simultaneously apocalyptic and inert.

and concludes that the edgier comic is actually less mature. This is true. (This is not news about mediocre comics.)

It also has nothing to do with either comic being child-friendly, the article’s nominal thesis, except in the sense that ASM #41 (yes, I eyeballed that from that summary, yes I am just showing off now) is better written, making it more everyone-friendly. It also has practically more space dedicated to word balloons than art and is about a college student juggling girl problems and a part-time job with a tyrannical boss. But the immature one, as Scocca points out, is dour.

These are both teenagery issues, separated only by quality. It’s true that lots of new comics published by the big 2 are bad in the specific way Scocca describes here, taking themselves too seriously and hauled down by associated stories instead of buoyed by them. Some are not! Some titles from these companies’ main continuities are zippy, contained, and child friendly. Give your child The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl! Or if you like vintage comics so much better, why don’t you…buy some?

The books on the kid’s rack are good and fun and totally suitable for parents to read with their children without wanting to scoop their eyeballs out. Scocca cites the Batman ‘66 comics as the brightly colored, tightly written all ages solution to his problem about sharing superhero stories with his son. My local comic shop stores this title in the kid’s section. I am glad that Scocca’s does not, as he seems to have a peculiar aversion to looking for comics to read with his son there.

Scocca cites Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as a superhero movie he could watch with his kids. (I was surprised when this line made it sound like he has several. I don’t want to assume the other one isn’t in this article because they’re a girl, but I very much am assuming that.) Great! Go to the kid’s section and look for Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man. It’s a fun, zippy title directly inspired by ITSV where Miles, Gwen, and Peter superhero together. It’s much more tightly written than most of the various Spider-Verse comics, which are ambitiously messy ubercrossovers. You may not want to give those to children because they include murder and so on, but also you just have the choice between the two as an adult reader deciding how much continuity you want to deal with. Adventures is one of the only titles I would buy on sight before corona. The kid comic rack is a reliable place to take a break from How Comics Get Sometimes regardless of how old you are.

This article makes me feel quarrelsome. Maybe it’s that it doesn’t seem like exploration of a single idea so much as a loosely grouped bundle of things to kvetch about. Maybe it’s that the experience of getting into superheroes that Scocca describes experiencing, projects his seven-year-old son will experience, and from which he extrapolates a metaphorical microcosm of the history of the genre is completely alien to me.

Comic books [and] comic-book movies—are […] trapped in their imagined audience’s own awful passage from childhood to adolescence. A seven-year-old has a clean […] appreciation of superheroes. They like hero comics because the comics have heroes: bold, strong, vividly colored good guys to fight off the bad guys and make the world safe.

But seven-year-olds stop being seven. […] They become 13-year-olds, defensively trying to learn how to develop tastes about tastes.

The 13-year-old wants many things from comics, but the overarching one is that they want to prove that they’re not some seven-year-old baby anymore. They want gloomy heroes, miserable heroes, heroes who would make a seven-year-old feel bad. (Also boobs. They want boobs.)

Not because of the boobs line, although that does illicit an eyeroll that this gloomy thinkpiece is fretting over preserving the superhero experience of little boys who resemble the little boy the writer was while casually dismissing everyone else. I was one of those unlikable little seven-year-olds with a college reading level and the impression that maintaining it was the crux of my worth. I only read Books - distinguished media you could club someone with. I have a formative memory of pausing, enraptured, in front of a poster for Spider-Man 3, preparing to say that it looked pretty cool, and being beaten to the punch by my mother making a disparaging comment about how the movie was trash. It wasn’t out yet, but it was a superhero movie. That meant it was for loud, brainless children.

That was the total of my childhood experience with superheroes, excluding being the unwilling audience to incessant renditions of “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” that left me wondering why in god’s name Batman’s sidekick was named Robin. I certainly never visited a comic book shop. I got into TvTropes, which got me into webcomics, which got me following David Willis, who got me into Ask Chris at ComicsAlliance, which led to me rewarding myself for studying like a demon for the AP tests with three volumes of Waid’s Daredevil, pitched as a return to the character being colorful and swashbuckling. I was seven…teen.

This is of the same thread as Scocca’s point that immaturity is running from childish things. It leaves me baffled that he doesn’t follow that maturity is embracing them.

I will disclose here that while I think it was dumb I had to overcome my upbringing’s deeply embedded shame associated with enjoying arbitrarily defined lowbrow media and children being childish, I think it’s fine that I was allowed largely unchecked access to technically age-inappropriate content. In my limited experience, content small children are too young for is also content they’re too young to understand, so it kind of just bounces off of them, and what actually ends up terrorizing them is unpredictable collages of impressions that strike out at them from content deemed perfectly child-friendly. I would not forbid a seven-year-old I was in charge of from seeing an MCU movie unless I had a reason to believe that specific child would not take it well. These are emotionally low-stakes bubblegum films. It will probably be easier to socialize with other kids if they have seen them.

But then, when I picture being in charge of a hypothetical child, I usually imagine this being the case because they are related to me, and the pupal stage in my family strongly resembles Wednesday Addams. ALL children love death and violence, though, right?? This isn’t a joke point. I know it looks like a joke point.

The MCU thing seems especially weird in light of the article’s particular focus on Spider-Man, which is the kiddie line of the MCU, even if they refused to waver from their usual formula enough to get a lower rating. Though I am more inclined to describe it as “preying on the young” than “child-friendly”.

(MCU movies are increasingly dubious propaganda, but I would not judge them in front of a child who wanted to watch them for that reason, just in case this led to them partaking of them without me the second they were old enough to and then they grew up to run a blog about them while our relationship suffered because they didn’t feel like it was safe to talk to me about their interests…Mom.)

I tried to overcome the philosophy of letting anyone read anything while compiling this handful of mostly-newish superhero recs for the road that anyone can read. (Handily, I have been in spitting distance of being hired as a comic shop clerk enough to have thought about it before):

For actual children:

Marvel Adventures Spider-Man (the new one is reminiscent of ITSV, the old one is more like 616) any DC/Archie crossover, Archie’s Superteens The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (for bookish children who think they’re too good for comics and adults afraid of the kid’s section) Teen Titans Go (even if you hate the show) Superman Smashes the Klan

For teens:

Ms. Marvel Young Avengers (volume 2) Unbelievable Gwenpool Batman: Gotham Adventures Teen Titans Go (the tie-in comic based off the old show was also called this)

Here are a bunch of relevant C. S. Lewis quotes.

#me every time i read a comic book article by a rag not exclusively about comic books: i know more than you.#marvel #spidey #DCU #MCU critical #mirrorfalls #asks answered #submission #unearthed this and bashed it out in one sitting ... i have not been working on it since you sent it last year XD

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blind-rats · 4 years ago

Text

The Rise & Fall of Joss Whedon; the Myth of the Hollywood Feminist Hero

By Kelly Faircloth

“I hate ‘feminist.’ Is this a good time to bring that up?” Joss Whedon asked. He paused knowingly, waiting for the laughs he knew would come at the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer making such a statement.

It was 2013, and Whedon was onstage at a fundraiser for Equality Now, a human rights organization dedicated to legal equality for women. Though Buffy had been off the air for more than a decade, its legacy still loomed large; Whedon was widely respected as a man with a predilection for making science fiction with strong women for protagonists. Whedon went on to outline why, precisely, he hated the term: “You can’t be born an ‘ist,’” he argued, therefore, “‘feminist’ includes the idea that believing men and women to be equal, believing all people to be people, is not a natural state, that we don’t emerge assuming that everybody in the human race is a human, that the idea of equality is just an idea that’s imposed on us.”

The speech was widely praised and helped cement his pop-cultural reputation as a feminist, in an era that was very keen on celebrity feminists. But it was also, in retrospect, perhaps the high water mark for Whedon’s ability to claim the title, and now, almost a decade later, that reputation is finally in tatters, prompting a reevaluation of not just Whedon’s work, but the narrative he sold about himself.

In July 2020, actor Ray Fisher accused Whedon of being “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” on the Justice League set when Whedon took over for Zach Synder as director to finish the project. Charisma Carpenter then described her own experiences with Whedon in a long post to Twitter, hashtagged #IStandWithRayFisher.

On Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Carpenter played Cordelia, a popular character who morphed from snob to hero—one of those strong female characters that made Whedon’s feminist reputation—before being unceremoniously written off the show in a plot that saw her thrust into a coma after getting pregnant with a demon. For years, fans have suspected that her disappearance was related to her real-life pregnancy. In her statement, Carpenter appeared to confirm the rumors. “Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working on the sets of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Angel,’” she wrote, describing Fisher’s firing as the last straw that inspired her to go public.

Buffy was a landmark of late 1990s popular culture, beloved by many a burgeoning feminist, grad student, gender studies professor, and television critic for the heroine at the heart of the show, the beautiful blonde girl who balanced monster-killing with high school homework alongside ancillary characters like the shy, geeky Willow. Buffy was very nearly one of a kind, an icon of her era who spawned a generation of leather-pants-wearing urban fantasy badasses and women action heroes.

Buffy was so beloved, in fact, that she earned Whedon a similarly privileged place in fans’ hearts and a broader reputation as a man who championed empowered women characters. In the desert of late ’90s and early 2000s popular culture, Whedon was heralded as that rarest of birds—the feminist Hollywood man. For many, he was an example of what more equitable storytelling might look like, a model for how to create compelling women protagonists who were also very, very fun to watch. But Carpenter’s accusations appear to have finally imploded that particular bit of branding, revealing a different reality behind the scenes and prompting a reevaluation of the entire arc of Whedon’s career: who he was and what he was selling all along.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered March 1997, midseason, on The WB, a two-year-old network targeting teens with shows like 7th Heaven. Its beginnings were not necessarily auspicious; it was a reboot of a not-particularly-blockbuster 1992 movie written by third-generation screenwriter Joss Whedon. (His grandfather wrote for The Donna Reed Show; his father wrote for Golden Girls.) The show followed the trials of a stereotypical teenage California girl who moved to a new town and a new school after her parents’ divorce—only, in a deliberate inversion of horror tropes, the entire town sat on top of the entrance to Hell and hence was overrun with demons. Buffy was a slayer, a young woman with the power and immense responsibility to fight them. After the movie turned out very differently than Whedon had originally envisioned, the show was a chance for a do-over, more of a Valley girl comedy than serious horror.

It was layered, it was campy, it was ironic and self-aware. It looked like it belonged on the WB rather than one of the bigger broadcast networks, unlike the slickly produced prestige TV that would follow a few years later. Buffy didn’t fixate on the gory glory of killing vampires—really, the monsters were metaphors for the entire experience of adolescence, in all its complicated misery. Almost immediately, a broad cross-section of viewers responded enthusiastically. Critics loved it, and it would be hugely influential on Whedon’s colleagues in television; many argue that it broke ground in terms of what you could do with a television show in terms of serialized storytelling, setting the stage for the modern TV era. Academics took it up, with the show attracting a tremendous amount of attention and discussion.

In 2002, the New York Times covered the first academic conference dedicated to the show. The organizer called Buffy “a tremendously rich text,” hence the flood of papers with titles like “Pain as Bright as Steel: The Monomyth and Light in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’” which only gathered speed as the years passed. And while it was never the highest-rated show on television, it attracted an ardent core of fans.

But what stood out the most was the show’s protagonist: a young woman who stereotypically would have been a monster movie victim, with the script flipped: instead of screaming and swooning, she staked the vampires. This was deliberate, the core conceit of the concept, as Whedon said in many, many interviews. The helpless horror movie girl killed in the dark alley instead walks out victorious. He told Time in 1997 that the concept was born from the thought, “I would love to see a movie in which a blond wanders into a dark alley, takes care of herself and deploys her powers.” In Whedon’s framing, it was particularly important that it was a woman who walked out of that alley. He told another publication in 2002 that “the very first mission statement of the show” was “the joy of female power: having it, using it, sharing it.”

In 2021, when seemingly every new streaming property with a woman as its central character makes some half-baked claim to feminism, it’s easy to forget just how much Buffy stood out among its against its contemporaries. Action movies—with exceptions like Alien’s Ripley and Terminator 2's Sarah Conner—were ruled by hulking tough guys with macho swagger. When women appeared on screen opposite vampires, their primary job was to expose long, lovely, vulnerable necks. Stories and characters that bucked these larger currents inspired intense devotion, from Angela Chase of My So-Called Life to Dana Scully of The X-Files.

The broader landscape, too, was dismal. It was the conflicted era of girl power, a concept that sprang up in the wake of the successes of the second-wave feminist movement and the backlash that followed. Young women were constantly exposed to you-can-do-it messaging that juxtaposed uneasily with the reality of the world around them. This was the era of shitty, sexist jokes about every woman who came into Bill Clinton’s orbit and the leering response to the arrival of Britney Spears; Rush Limbaugh was a fairly mainstream figure.

At one point, Buffy competed against Ally McBeal, a show that dedicated an entire episode to a dancing computer-generated baby following around its lawyer main character, her biological clock made zanily literal. Consider this line from a New York Times review of the Buffy’s 1997 premiere: “Given to hot pants and boots that should guarantee the close attention of Humbert Humberts all over America, Buffy is just your average teen-ager, poutily obsessed with clothes and boys.”

Against that background, Buffy was a landmark. Besides the simple fact of its woman protagonist, there were unique plots, like the coming-out story for her friend Willow. An ambivalent 1999 piece in Bitch magazine, even as it explored the show’s tank-top heavy marketing, ultimately concluded, “In the end, it’s precisely this contextual conflict that sets Buffy apart from the rest and makes her an appealing icon. Frustrating as her contradictions may be, annoying as her babe quotient may be, Buffy still offers up a prime-time heroine like no other.”

A 2016 Atlantic piece, adapted from a book excerpt, makes the case that Buffy is perhaps best understood as an icon of third-wave feminism: “In its examination of individual and collective empowerment, its ambiguous politics of racial representation and its willing embrace of contradiction, Buffy is a quintessentially third-wave cultural production.” The show was vested with all the era’s longing for something better than what was available, something different, a champion for a conflicted “post-feminist” era—even if she was an imperfect or somewhat incongruous vessel. It wasn’t just Sunnydale that needed a chosen Slayer, it was an entire generation of women. That fact became intricately intertwined with Whedon himself.

Seemingly every interview involved a discussion of his fondness for stories about strong women. “I’ve always found strong women interesting, because they are not overly represented in the cinema,” he told New York for a 1997 piece that notes he studied both film and “gender and feminist issues” at Wesleyan; “I seem to be the guy for strong action women,’’ he told the New York Times in 1997 with an aw-shucks sort of shrug. ‘’A lot of writers are just terrible when it comes to writing female characters. They forget that they are people.’’ He often cited the influence of his strong, “hardcore feminist” mother, and even suggested that his protagonists served feminist ends in and of themselves: “If I can make teenage boys comfortable with a girl who takes charge of a situation without their knowing that’s what’s happening, it’s better than sitting down and selling them on feminism,” he told Time in 1997.

When he was honored by the organization Equality Now in 2006 for his “outstanding contribution to equality in film and television,” Whedon made his speech an extended riff on the fact that people just kept asking him about it, concluding with the ultimate answer: “Because you’re still asking me that question.” He presented strong women as a simple no-brainer, and he was seemingly always happy to say so, at a time when the entertainment business still seemed ruled by unapologetic misogynists. The internet of the mid-2010s only intensified Whedon’s anointment as a prototypical Hollywood ally, with reporters asking him things like how men could best support the feminist movement.

Whedon’s response: “A guy who goes around saying ‘I’m a feminist’ usually has an agenda that is not feminist. A guy who behaves like one, who actually becomes involved in the movement, generally speaking, you can trust that. And it doesn’t just apply to the action that is activist. It applies to the way they treat the women they work with and they live with and they see on the street.” This remark takes on a great deal of irony in light of Carpenter’s statement.

In recent years, Whedon’s reputation as an ally began to wane. Partly, it was because of the work itself, which revealed more and more cracks as Buffy receded in the rearview mirror. Maybe it all started to sour with Dollhouse, a TV show that imagined Eliza Dushku as a young woman rented out to the rich and powerful, her mind wiped after every assignment, a concept that sat poorly with fans. (Though Whedon, while he was publicly unhappy with how the show had turned out after much push-and-pull with the corporate bosses at Fox, still argued the conceit was “the most pure feminist and empowering statement I’d ever made—somebody building themselves from nothing,” in a 2012 interview with Wired.)

After years of loud disappointment with the TV bosses at Fox on Firefly and Dollhouse, Whedon moved into big-budget Hollywood blockbusters. He helped birth the Marvel-dominated era of movies with his work as director of The Avengers. But his second Avengers movie, Age of Ultron, was heavily criticized for a moment in which Black Widow laid out her personal reproductive history for the Hulk, suggesting her sterilization somehow made her a “monster.” In June 2017, his un-filmed script for a Wonder Woman adaptation leaked, to widespread mockery. The script’s introduction of Diana was almost leering: “To say she is beautiful is almost to miss the point. She is elemental, as natural and wild as the luminous flora surrounding. Her dark hair waterfalls to her shoulders in soft arcs and curls. Her body is curvaceous, but taut as a drawn bow.”

But Whedon’s real fall from grace began in 2017, right before MeToo spurred a cultural reckoning. His ex-wife, Kai Cole, published a piece in The Wrap accusing him of cheating off and on throughout their relationship and calling him a hypocrite:

“Despite understanding, on some level, that what he was doing was wrong, he never conceded the hypocrisy of being out in the world preaching feminist ideals, while at the same time, taking away my right to make choices for my life and my body based on the truth. He deceived me for 15 years, so he could have everything he wanted. I believed, everyone believed, that he was one of the good guys, committed to fighting for women’s rights, committed to our marriage, and to the women he worked with. But I now see how he used his relationship with me as a shield, both during and after our marriage, so no one would question his relationships with other women or scrutinize his writing as anything other than feminist.”

But his reputation was just too strong; the accusation that he didn’t practice what he preached didn’t quite stick. A spokesperson for Whedon told the Wrap: “While this account includes inaccuracies and misrepresentations which can be harmful to their family, Joss is not commenting, out of concern for his children and out of respect for his ex-wife. Many minimized the essay on the basis that adultery doesn’t necessarily make you a bad feminist or erase a legacy. Whedon similarly seemed to shrug off Ray Fisher’s accusations of creating a toxic workplace; instead, Warner Media fired Fisher.

But Carpenter’s statement—which struck right at the heart of his Buffy-based legacy for progressivism—may finally change things. Even at the time, the plotline in which Charisma Carpenter was written off Angel—carrying a demon child that turned her into “Evil Cordelia,” ending the season in a coma, and quite simply never reappearing—was unpopular. Asked about what had happened in a 2009 panel at DragonCon, she said that “my relationship with Joss became strained,” continuing: “We all go through our stuff in general [behind the scenes], and I was going through my stuff, and then I became pregnant. And I guess in his mind, he had a different way of seeing the season go… in the fourth season.”

“I think Joss was, honestly, mad. I think he was mad at me and I say that in a loving way, which is—it’s a very complicated dynamic working for somebody for so many years, and expectations, and also being on a show for eight years, you gotta live your life. And sometimes living your life gets in the way of maybe the creator’s vision for the future. And that becomes conflict, and that was my experience.”

In her statement on Twitter, Carpenter alleged that after Whedon was informed of her pregnancy, he called her into a closed-door meeting and “asked me if I was ‘going to keep it,’ and manipulatively weaponized my womanhood and faith against me.” She added that “he proceeded to attack my character, mock my religious beliefs, accuse me of sabotaging the show, and then unceremoniously fired me following the season once I gave birth.” Carpenter said that he called her fat while she was four months pregnant and scheduled her to work at 1 a.m. while six months pregnant after her doctor had recommended shortening her hours, a move she describes as retaliatory. What Carpenter describes, in other words, is an absolutely textbook case of pregnancy discrimination in the workplace, the type of bullshit the feminist movement exists to fight—at the hands of the man who was for years lauded as a Hollywood feminist for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

Many of Carpenter’s colleagues from Buffy and Angel spoke out in support, including Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar. “While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon,” she said in a statement. Just shy of a decade after that 2013 speech, many of the cast members on the show that put him on that stage are cutting ties.

Whedon garnered a reputation as pop culture’s ultimate feminist man because Buffy did stand out so much, an oasis in a wasteland. But in 2021, the idea of a lone man being responsible for creating women’s stories—one who told the New York Times, “I seem to be the guy for strong action women”—seems like a relic. It’s depressing to consider how many years Hollywood’s first instinct for “strong action women” wasn’t a woman, and to think about what other people could have done with those resources. When Wonder Woman finally reached the screen, to great acclaim, it was with a woman as director.

Besides, Whedon didn’t make Buffy all by himself—many, many women contributed, from the actresses to the writers to the stunt workers, and his reputation grew so large it eclipsed their part in the show’s creation. Even as he preached feminism, Whedon benefitted from one of the oldest, most sexist stereotypes: the man who’s a benevolent, creative genius. And Buffy, too, overshadowed all the other contributors who redefined who could be a hero on television and in speculative fiction, from individual actors like Gillian Anderson to the determined, creative women who wrote science fiction and fantasy over the last several decades to—perhaps most of all—the fans who craved different, better stories. Buffy helped change what you could put on TV, but it didn’t create the desire to see a character like her. It was that desire, as much as Whedon himself, that gave Buffy the Vampire Slayer her power.

#Joss Whedon #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #Ray Fisher #Charisma Carpenter #Feminist

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aquilamage · 3 years ago

Text

Day 5 - memory/future of prosecutor week aka one of my big ones! considering that it’s in the 7 year gap, it technically counts for both prompts since it’s post-game sebastian and (mostly) pre-game klavier.

Anyway, I’ve been sitting on this for a while sort of almost-finished, but this week made me decide to actually put out the first chapter of this fic wherein I explore an idea of mine for how Sebastian comes to be a member of the gavinners. Extra big shoutout to @unnecessarygayfeelings for helping inspire a lot of this. The gavinners ocs boys in this really feel like our characters

ao3 and ff.n links, as usual ^^

Stepping past the security post, Sebastian turned his ID badge over in his hand as he frantically looked for a place out of the crowds of people. Finally, he ducked into a corner. Retrieving his phone from his pocket, he typed a quick message – I’m here – before shoving it and his badge back in his pockets. He took a few deep breaths. Then, he set off.

The backstage was, as said before, quite crowded – and busy too. People moving here and there in every direction down the halls in a crushing flow, the atmosphere thick with harried tension and the noise of everyone seemingly talking at once. Even with directions, Sebastian found himself turned around a few times until he got to the right door.

He let out a sigh of relief as it shut behind him. Some of the ambient sound leaked through, but so much more manageable. That was much better. Then, he looked around.

There were three people in the dressing room, all guys, seeming about his age or a little older. None of them were Klavier, but on his entrance, they all turned to stare at him.

“Uh...hi!”

The guy closest to him, who had curly dark brown hair that went down past the collar of his leather jacket, and big thick boots, shifted in his chair (which he had been sitting backwards in). “Hey. Do you, uh, need help with anything?”

His gut twisted around. Fighting the urge to run, he attempted to put the energy into his words instead. “I’m here for the performance?”

“Well, yeah.” A low laugh accompanied the words. The one who’d spoken ran his hand through his black pompadour, the other stuck in the pocket of his equally dark jeans. “But, uh,” he looked Sebastian up and down, head moving along with his gaze in a way that had to be so that what he was doing was unmissable. “I think you have the wrong room.”

Sebastian looked down at himself. What...did that have to do with anything, other than the fact that he wasn’t someone they knew? Did he forget something Klavier had told him? He swung his hands at his side, lightly. “No, I demons- definitely...” Tension built behind his eyes. This was the spot he’d been told (and he checked the sign – twice), “I’m helping with the Gavinners performance.”

They all exchanged a look. (Sebastian really wished he had thought to ask Klavier or at least look up the rest of the band. He’d been so busy with the music over the past couple days, but having taken a minute out of that would have really helped him now. Or at least given him a chance at recognizing anyone else.) The same guy from before stepped forward. “Look, kid, you had your fun. We’re not going to call security on you as long as you go before this turns to trouble.”

At the other’s movement, he stumbled back without even thinking. Oh, he was not going to start crying, please, not now. “I-”

“Dude, chill out.” The third guy, who was sitting on the makeup counter, crossed his arms.

“I’m just saying-”

“We know, but,” the first one stood up fully from his chair, “let me handle this, okay?” He was even taller than Sebastian, but understated in it. Looking at Sebastian, he smiled warmly, continuing to talk in his even, calm voice, as if they were friends. “I’ll walk you back to where you need to be. Alright?”

If he had actually been lost, or whatever, he would have appreciated it, and been comfortable going. But he wasn’t, and he didn’t know how else to explain that, especially with pompadour guy still staring him down, and...

The door swung open behind him. “Ach, there’s been an issue with one of the other groups, so everything’s been rearr- There you are!” Klavier lifted his sunglasses to on top of his head, positively beaming as he caught sight of Sebastian.

“What is this, Gavin?”

But the sharp remark seemed to slide off of him completely. “Daryan, remember when I told you that I found a substitute keyboardist? This is Sebastian.”

Klavier’s mood was infectious, or at least the relief seeping through him was. “Hey.” He waved shyly at the rest of the band.

“Mein Freund, this is Daryan,” he indicated the guy he’d been talking to, “Todd,” the nice one, who gave a little salute, “and Evri,” who nodded, his bright blue hair (shaved down on one side, the rest flipped over to the other and disappearing behind his back) swaying in front of his face. Once Klavier had finished, his expression grew more serious. “Alright, it’s time to go. Sound check in five.”

Outside it was just as crowded, but much easier to move through now that he was part of a group. Especially since the others were much more decisive with their motions, presumably knowing where they were going.

And then they were on stage. Basically all of Sebastian’s free time in the last week had been dedicated to learning the handful of Gavinners songs they would be performing, with the help of recordings, the sheet music, and some notes (Klavier had sent him many, many notes about each of the songs). Sebastian was pretty confident in his ability to play, but this was different. Practicing had been in his living room; the most intimidating thing there had been when Kay had startled him out of his concentration to ask what he wanted for dinner. This was unfamiliar equipment, on stage, even if the only ‘audience’ at the moment was the crew.

He sat down at his bench, legs trembling. The next time he would be here, all of those seats out there would be filled. He’d just started prosecuting, so that counted for something. But performing? Sebastian had done that exactly once before – and this was a lot bigger than Themis’s stage.

Plus, he thought as he watched the others get situated, he’d never played with anyone before, much less this group. The Gavinners had just come off a tour, so hadn’t seen a reason to schedule rehearsal for this. By the time whatever had happened with their old keyboardist to necessitate Klavier calling him Monday night in a mild panic, everyone’s schedules had been too booked to coordinate a meetup. This was the closest he would get to a practice run, and since that wasn’t what sound checks were for, he would just have to not mess up. He couldn’t let Klavier down.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he flapped his hands. As Klavier started to talk, he tried to focus on just that, and on breathing regularly.

“Ready?” When sound gave him the ok, Klavier glanced over his shoulder to check on everyone, and as his eyes met Sebastian’s, he smiled.

---

Okay, so, technically speaking, Sebastian had practiced with someone. Two days after the initial call, Klavier had called him again because he’d had a change in his schedule and if they could maybe go over things? So a few hours after that, Sebastian had showed up on Klavier’s doorstep with his notes and a nervous smile.

“I appreciate you helping on such a short notice,” he said as her led him inside.

He shrugged, repeating a phrase Kay used whenever he thanked her for something she thought he didn’t need to. “Of course.”

Klavier looked at him for a moment, then pushed his hair back (seemed like he’d been growing it out – it went almost to his shoulders now). “Ja, besides,” he smirked, “now you have to listen to my music. Have I changed your mind yet?”

“It��s good,” and he meant that; going through the sheet music and picking the sound apart by ear he’d noticed how well-written they were, technically speaking. And you didn’t need a trained ear to hear how much care and emotion Klavier put into them. “but I still don’t like it.”

“Ach, you wound me.” He grabbed his chest, leaning dramatically in the stairwell. (They’d had some version of this conversation many times before, so Sebastian knew he was joking). “Well, I still have more time to convince you.”

Since he’d still been in the late stages of figuring out and getting used to the music, the session ended up being mostly him playing while Klavier listened and then talked over the music with him, although by the end he’d pulled out his guitar to play along. “You’re quite good at this, you know.”

Sebastian just shrugged.

“I’m serious; it still needs a bit of work, but” he leaned in, smiling warmly. “Keep it up, and I have no doubts about how amazing you’ll do at the concert.”

---

With that memory, Sebastian was able to keep himself together and play. And it didn’t sound bad all together, from what he could hear. It was actually pretty cool.

If it wasn’t for how loud everything was. He kept playing through it, but he could feel the sound with his whole body and it hurt. The quiet that happened when they finally finished was a relief.

Evri leaned over his drum kit. “Hey, nice playing.”

“Yeah!” Todd said.

Even Daryan was nodding appreciatively. “He’s not bad at all. Especially for-” He trailed off, muttering something that seconds later had Klavier whipping his head toward him and shouting “Daryan!”

Sebastian did his best to smile. Not that he didn’t appreciate it, but all he wanted to do right now was crawl into a dark hole and stay there.

Backstage was quieter than before, but not empty. Every sound felt amplified, grating, and everyone was too close too loud too much too much too much. By the time they closed the door on their dressing room, he was barely able to register the others’ conversation with everything in his head.

“...Sebastian?

He opened his eyes to see Klavier standing in front of him, a look of deep concern on his face. He hadn’t even realized he’d closed them.

“Sebastian, what’s wrong?” His voice was soft, but still a little too much.

His body wasn’t letting him talk, so he put his hands over his ears. At this point, tears were falling freely down his face.

“Oh.” Klavier put a hand over his mouth. In a whisper, he continued, “the noise? I’m sorry, I should have- Come here?” He led Sebastian to the far side of the room, where a pile of boxes partially obscured a bend in the room that created its own little area. “We have a while until the actual performance. Is there anything else I can do to help?”

He shook his head. If he tried to think – but there was too much going on in his head, too much screaming for things to stop – he would be pretty sure there was something, but he didn’t remember, didn’t have the energy.

“Alright. Would you like me to stay with you?”

It had been something he’d done for Sebastian a few times at school. But he shook his head again. Right now, it would just make him feel worse.

Klavier nodded, and left him alone.

Pulling his t-shirt up to cover his head, Sebastian sat down in the corner. He could hear voices from the other side of the room, but faintly. And it was dark, so it was the best he was going to get right now. He curled up and tried to shut everything off.

---

Sebastian didn’t quite fall asleep, but he still found himself rousing some...indeterminate amount of time later. His head felt a little fuzzy, but he didn’t want to put his hands over his ears and scream at every little sensation, so that was a massive improvement. Taking a moment to stretch and get his bearings, he then made his way back into the main area.

“...been over this. The tempo is fine, Gavin.”

Klavier frowned, hands on his hips. “That’s not the point! You can’t change things on a whim or it’s all going to fall apart!”

Rolling his eyes, Daryan leaned back against the door. “Yeah, sure, Mx. ‘changes the bridge literally as we’re going onstage’.”

Sebastian found himself backing up slowly. He felt like he should say something, but he didn’t know what, and that only made him feel worse. Maybe they hadn’t noticed him yet, and he could step back to reappear once things calmed down.

“Don’t worry, he’s not usually like this.” Evri came up next to him. When Sebastian flinched away from him, he took a half step away, hands behind him. “Sorry,” he whispered. Then, tilting his head at Klavier, “He just gets agitated when an event’s this out of his control.”

“Which is why we don’t usually do these,” Todd added, approaching from the other side, more in Sebastian’s view. He sighed. “Hey.” When the other two looked over, he indicated Sebastian.

Klavier instantly switched his attention, getting up to move towards him. “Are you feeling better?” he asked gently.

“Yeah.” Even though he knew what happened wasn’t his fault, he still felt bad about it, since he must have derailed whatever plan Klavier had for them and added to his stress. Not to mention what the others must think of him (certainly most of his classmates hadn’t appreciated when he had these moments). It was embarrassing.

Not that Klavier said or did anything to that effect. “That’s good to hear. Well, since we have everyone together, I have a few things to go over about the performance.”

Apparently, the others hadn’t just been being nice when they complimented his playing (and he had actually heard things right). Sure, there were spots where he needed to fix something in his playing, but not much more than anyone else. And as they went (Klavier leading discussion with an impressive memory of the songs without having to look at anything), there were a few compliments chipped in with each song.

Evri chewed thoughtfully on his pen. “You don’t play like anyone I’ve worked with before. What genre do you usually work in?”

“Oh! I’m sorry! I don’t know how much I can fix it, but-”

“No, it sounds cool! We’d have to change the songs around a bit to make it really mesh,” he glanced over at Klavier who was nodding, “but I think it could really bring a new dimension to our music.”

Sebastian ducked his head. “Oh. Thanks.”

Although he didn’t know exactly what he meant by that – they didn’t exactly have time to rewrite any music before the performance. He kept waiting for someone else to bring it up in any way, but they didn’t.

“Now that we have all that settled, there’s a few more things, including, ah…” He trailed off, looking Sebastian up and down.

He tugged on his shirt, checking it. Had he got something on himself? “What?”

“Ach, nein. Nothing.” Klavier ran a hand through his bangs. “It’s just…”

“You stick out like a sore thumb.” When Klavier glared at him, Daryan shrugged. “What? We were all thinking it. I mean,” he gestured to all of Sebastian.

He looked around and oh. The band didn’t have an exact look, but they were all black, dark purples and blues, silver jewelry, and makeup (again, dark colors, with some glitter). Meanwhile he had a light pink t-shirt over a blue long sleeved one, jeans so light they were basically pastels, and teal sneakers. How had he not noticed that before, he was- He squeezed his eyes shut, letting the one tear that had already collected spill down his face, and focused on his breaths. It was fine. He hadn’t noticed because there was a lot going on and he was stressed.

What he didn’t have as easy a reassurance for, as he opened his eyes to see Klavier starting to frown, was dressing wrong in the first place. Somehow, he just hadn’t thought about it, which in hindsight was st- No, what was a more helpful way of putting it...

“Hey, chill, guys.” Evri put a hand on Klavier’s shoulder. “We’ve gotta have something extra we can throw together, right? Just leave it to me.”

And then he was led back to the other part of the dressing room. The next few minutes were a blur of Evri holding things up to him, shaking his head, trying something else, and eventually handing things at him to try and pick from.

Evri tapped his finger against the side of his face, studying Sebastian, who was wearing a silver chain necklace and a black t-shirt that he’d pulled over his clothes but was still a bit baggy in the shoulders. “Don’t think there’s much we can do about the pants, but…” he snapped his fingers. “The necklace, and just the pink shirt. I think I know where to get some boots, and we can find something for over or under the top.” He went around to the rest of the room but zipped back into view. “Keep the gloves, though. I would’ve gone for something dark but...,” he shrugged. “They’ll work well enough.”

Sebastian didn’t bother to say he wouldn’t have taken them off anyway, just nodded. He changed quickly, waiting for Evri to return. But the place had to be air conditioned, or something, and the longer he sat the more he couldn’t not notice the cold pricking at his arms. Eventually he got up, picked out the first jacket he could reach, and threw it over his shoulders. It wouldn’t be worth the effort of putting it on properly if he was just taking it off again, and besides, the weight of it hanging on his shoulders was soothing.

“Alright, so I think these are even your size- oh.” Boots in hand, he paused to examine Sebastian’s new look. A grin appeared on his face. “Oh, keep that just like it is. And these shoes.”

They reappeared in the main dressing room area, Sebastian a tad unsteady from the extra weight of the boots.

“I’m telling you, Gavin, I know how it’s supposed to be set up!” Daryan huffed, standing directly in front of the door. “And it’s going to go much easier if you let us take care of it and you just stay here and-”

“And do what?” His voice didn’t quite reach a snap, but it was thinning out.

“And make finishing wardrobe touches for me.” Evri grabbed at Sebastian’s arm and stopped when he flinched. “Sorry,” he said. “Are you…?” When Sebastian nodded – he wasn’t great, but he didn’t want to dwell on it here – he strode over and grabbed Daryan instead, dragging him over toward Sebastian.

“What are you doing?”

He held Daryan’s arm next to Sebastian’s. “Comparing undertones. Hm,” he looked up at Sebastian, “you are like, right in the middle of us.” Letting go, he walked past Klavier to the counter and grabbed a box that he then tossed at him. “Eh, just use mine. I’ve got more colors and since we’re only on stage it’s not going to matter as much.”

Klavier glared between his bandmates, but sighed. “Ja. Alright. Go before I change my mind.”

Sebastian waited until the rest of them had left before approaching him. “Sorry I’m causing you all this trouble.”

“Ach.” His voice softened. “Don’t be; it’s just pre-concert stress. You’re being far more a help than-” He paused as he’d looked up. Eyes wide and mouth just slightly open, it was an expression Sebastian couldn’t place. Then, he smiled. “That’s my jacket you have there.”

He started. “Oh, sorry! I can take it off!”

“Nein! Ah-” he recovered from whatever had caused his hurried response. “It looks nice on you.”

A moment passed with the two of them just standing there. Sebastian adjusted the jacket. He’d almost expected Klavier to make a comment about it reminding him of when they were in school, but maybe he didn’t want to touch that. Which was fair. Despite nearly two years passing, they’d hardly ever broached the subject of Themis, and now wasn’t the best time for that.

Then Klavier shook his head lightly. “Well then, how do you feel about makeup?”

He gave a little half-shrug. Kay only used dark lipsticks and vibrant colors over her eyes, and even then just ‘special occasions’ (or he supposed, if nail polish counted, she seemed to have every color in that). She’d only talked him into trying it once, though. “...If you think it’s a good idea.” That came out in more of the strained tone of a question than he meant. “I mean, I don’t know how to.”

“That’s alright. Fortunately, I am very good at it.” He pulled a chair out from the mirror wall. “Sit? Und we’ll see what I can do.”

So, he sat.

Klavier scooted another chair over, facing Sebastian’s, and sat. As he opened the box, he murmured, “Evri is correct; since the audience will only be seeing us from a distance, we don’t have to bother with fine detail work, but,” he tossed his head back, “I still think you should look nice.” He leaned in, and suddenly he was very close to Sebastian’s face. But noticing the way his friend tensed, sat back. “Ach, I’m sorry, I forgot. Are you going to be alright with me…?” he motioned with his hand.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” That part didn’t bother him, Klavier was on the shortlist of people he was comfortable with contact, but he’d gotten so close, and it was unfair, being reminded how pretty he was.

He smiled. “Okay. Close your eyes, then?”

The next few minutes were quiet, Klavier only speaking in low tones to let him know what to expect, and himself not at all, trying to stay as still as he could. Initially he’d been relieved about not having to see, but then – knowing that Klavier was right there, the soft brushes against his face, Klavier putting a hand on him every once in a while to tilt his head to the right angle, his voice right in his ear – it seemed much worse. He really hoped his face wasn’t getting red like it felt it was.

“Und...there we are. How does that look?”

Sebastian checked the mirror. Mostly there was glitter. A lot of glitter – purple with hints of pink – over his eyes, across his forehead, down the sides of his face – but as he turned his head, the light seemed to catch flecks of it everywhere. He didn’t know the technical terms for any of it, but it looked neat. Even more importantly, when he glanced over at Klavier, he saw that it was the same style to match with the band. “I love it.”

“Wunderbar.” Klavier almost whispered it, smiling softly.

The moment was interrupted by a heavy knock at the door. “Is it safe to come in?”

Sebastian was too startled to do more than stare in that direction, but Klavier got up.

“Daryan, I told you, we’re-” he shook his head. “Is everything ready?”

The door swung open and he stuck his head in. “Yeah. Let’s get.”

The walk to the stage felt infinitely shorter, but maybe that was just him not processing anything around him. Nerves were starting to rouse in his stomach. Sure, he’d done alright before, but this counted. As they reached the backstage, he could hear the roar of the crowd, and he thought about all of those empty seats he’d seen earlier��

“Sebastian?” Klavier stepped beside him, close enough to be understood even with everything going on. (Which was very nearly as much as when he’d done his makeup.) “I should have given you these earlier.” With a sigh that was more felt than heard, he held a pair of earplugs. “They’re professional-grade, so they should do the trick.”

Sebastian put his hand out, and it wasn’t until Klavier’s closed over it that he realized it was shaking.

Klavier lingered for just a moment. Then he squeezed his hand and let go, slow enough that he could feel the brush of movement even through his gloves.

As he put them in, he noticed Evri nudge Todd and whisper something in his ear, which he laughed at. He quickly gave a thumbs-up and a smile when he noticed him looking, so Sebastian told himself it wasn’t about him.

One of the stage crew put a hand over their headphones, nodded, and then gave them the signal. They were up.

The earplugs did work very nicely, muting sound but keeping it comprehensible. Which he was even more grateful for as they made their way on stage – if he thought the audience was loud before, it was nothing compared to the screams of excitement that erupted once the Gavinners appeared. At least the lights made it hard to really see them, even if the brightness was also a bit disorienting.

Once everyone was in their places, Klavier approached the center mic. He raised his arm, and the crowd went quiet. “Guten abend.” Someone whooped, sending off a chain reaction, which he laughed at – a low, rich sound. “We’re the Gavinners, und I hope I’m not being presumptive in saying we need no other introduction.” A lot of screaming. “This first song is Love With No Chance of Parole. Let’s rock!” He dropped his arm, and they started playing.

The first song was an anxious blur of making sure he was getting everything right, all focus on his playing, but by the second he started to loosen up, really feeling the energy of the music and the crowd. When Klavier started talking again, Sebastian didn’t absorb any of the words, too mesmerized by watching him. He practically radiated joy, speaking with a posture so easy and so natural that it was like he’d been born there. And his smile! Sebastian felt like he’d seen Klavier smile like that before – at least, something like it – but his mind didn’t seem capable of a single thought.

The next song came up so fast he almost tripped over the beginning, but he caught himself.

And when that one ended, it seemed Klavier had a bit more to say.

“This next one will be our last song for the evening. Ach, I know,” he sighed in sympathy to the audience response. “But before that, I wanted to thank my bandmates.”

Tension spiked in him as Klavier continued. The thought of people paying attention to him – not as the keyboard player but as Sebastian Debeste – hadn’t even occurred to him until now. Klavier was just doing first names, but what if they recognized him? The thought of a sudden, disgusted silence, the kind of cold stare he was used to from the older lawyers and detectives, multiplied so many times over…

“...which is why I am so grateful for my friend who agreed to be our keyboardist for tonight; bitte, give a thanks to Sebastian!” Klavier practically spun around to gesture at him with the microphone, positively beaming right in his direction.

The attention startled him, but not as much as the burst of applause that followed. Right. He was fine. Of course he was fine, no one was close enough to see him, really, even if they would recognize him. These were just regular people.

As they finished the set, Sebastian was grinning, practically lightheaded from excitement. He’d never realized how much fun it was to play music with other people, feeding off each others’ energy and making something together that you couldn’t do on your own. And playing live, for this enthusiastic of an audience, also felt really good.

Getting up to exit the stage, he took about two steps before he tripped and fell right into Daryan. (Ok so, maybe actually lightheaded).

“Hey, watch it!” he snapped.

“I’m sorry.” More dizziness, and he was having a hard time coordinating himself well enough to actually get up.

Klavier appeared at their side. “Ach, are you alright?”

He went to nod, but stopped himself. Too dizzy. Instead, he shrugged.

Frowning, he immediately held out an arm and after helping Sebastian up, insisted on giving him balance assistance all the way back.

Which Sebastian appreciated, even if the continued touch did make him want to scream. It wasn’t as bad as before, but he was still overstimulated and the combination of Klavier’s arm with the jacket brushing over his bare skin (which he did manage to slide off as they went) and sweat everywhere but especially his hands with his gloves (which he could not take off now) was sensory torment.

And then they were once again in the dressing room. Klavier sat him in one of the chairs. Then he turned around, leaning against the counter beside Sebastian. “Well, despite everything, that was a great performance!” Excitement radiated from him in a way Sebastian would have admired much more were he more in it. “It rocked, and I appreciate you all being here for it. Now, let’s pack up.”

The others dispersed around the room. As Sebastian made to move, though, Klavier stopped him. “Sebastian, you rest,” he said, voice soft. “I can grab your things for you and- oh. Before you leave, would you like help getting the makeup off?”

“No, I’ll be fine!” Being able to feel it on his face was also not doing him any favors right now, but it wasn’t the worst one, and besides, he didn’t want to make Klavier do that much more work for him. “I can ask Kay when I get home. She knows how to do that.”

At that, Evri glanced over towards them.

“Um, do you need something?” Sebastian asked.

“I’m good, thanks!” he said, and immediately turned and walked away.

Huh. Okay. When he looked back at Klavier, he was frowning. “What’s...wrong?”

He let out a sigh. “I’m not comfortable letting you drive home like this, but I’m trying to figure out what to do with your vehicle, since they don’t like people keeping them here overnight.”

“Oh! No, Kay dropped me off, so that’s not…” He stuck his hand in his pocket, then remembered he’d left his phone in here. “I can let her know to come get me.”

Klavier was already halfway toward Sebastian’s things. “Nein, tell her I’ll give you a ride. I live close enough, it’s no bother,” he said as he placed everything carefully in his lap.

“Uh, okay.” Turning his phone back on, he saw that he had four messages. One was from Justine about dinner tomorrow. The others were from Kay: a good-luck text shortly after he’d gotten there, and a photo of a black cat and an orange cat sitting in a box with simply “us.” He told her what was happening.

About three minutes later she responded with “chill.” Then, “but tell him if he takes too long I /will/ be calling Gummy + co on him.” “:P”

As he sat waiting for Klavier, someone plopped down next to him, prompting him to look up from cradling his head in the darkness of his arms against the counter.

It was the drummer. He examined himself in the mirror, tugging at his hair. As he did, he muttered something in Japanese that Sebastian only caught a few words of.

“I’m sorry, what about your hair?”

He looked away from his reflection, seeming to just notice Sebastian there. “Oh, no, I wasn’t- Am I being too loud?” he said in a soft voice, trace of a frown as he watched Sebastian. When he shook his head, he continued “you speak Japanese?”

Frowning, he wobbled his hand. “A little.” He’d been practicing with Kay ever since they found out they’d both been conversational in it as kids, but he wouldn’t say it was great yet. (A frightening amount of what she’d initially remembered had been swear words that apparently her babysitter had bribed her into not repeating or telling her dad about. “To be fair,” Kay had said, “she only said them if she did something like drop a wrench on her foot or burn herself cooking.”)

Evri made a little interested noise and then held up a section of hair. “I was just trying to figure out what style I’m going to go for next.” As he turned back to the mirror, he said casually, “So what is it that you do when you’re not moonlighting for a rock group?”

“School. And-” He remembered then, about Klavier telling him all the Gavinners were in law; mentioning his studying with Mr. Edgeworth and Ms. Von Karma would lead into too many other things. And he doubted this guy wanted to hear about campus dining job. “other stuff.”

A small laugh. “Yeah, same. It’s all online, because of the tours and such, so it’s fine, but not the same. Should I ask what you’re studying or is that too much like every relative at a holiday party?”

He didn’t quite get the reference, but laughed to be polite. “I’m going to be a prosecutor.”

“So you and Klavier will be coworkers eventually. Nice.” He took a long breath. “Well, I should get to helping before Daryan glares a hole through my head. See you later.”

Sebastian made a vague noise, and let himself drift off into grogginess.

It was a little while longer until they were ready to leave, since Klavier had to get everything settled with the event staff and everything – Sebastian didn’t know the details because he was busy decompressing again. On the bright side, though, that meant by the time they headed out into the parking lot, he was just tired and sweaty. It was a nice night, not too warm because of the slight breeze, and comfortably dark. And the lot had mostly emptied out.

Klavier opened the door for him and then circled around to the driver’s side. “Feel free to change the settings if you get uncomfortable,” he said, starting up the car and then immediately switching the speakers off. For a moment, he was quiet, but as they pulled onto the street, he said, “I really can’t thank you enough for your help tonight. Especially,” he sighed, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, “since it ended up bothering you so much.”

“It’s fine, really.” Certainly nothing that a shower and going to sleep wouldn’t fix. Sebastian hugged his knees to his chest. He kind of wanted to take his shoes and socks off, but didn’t know if that would be weird. Glancing over, it was hard to read Klavier’s expression in profile with only the ever-shifting streetlights, but it seemed somewhere in the ‘upset’ family. “It’s not your fault. If I’d known before, I would’ve been able to handle it better, but you didn’t know.”

They pulled up at a red light, and Klavier glanced over. “Ah, mausi,” he murmured, smiling sadly, “that’s not the point. I-”

The car behind honked. Jumping, he started moving again. After a few blocks, he started again. “I don’t want to be responsible for hurting you, even if it was unintentional. You deserve better than that.”

Oh. Sebastian had heard that sentiment before, but still. He blinked away a handful of tears and nodded, before remembering Klavier wasn’t looking at him. “That’s really nice of you.”

Now Klavier was smiling in earnest. “I wasn’t saying it to be nice; it’s merely the truth. But I suppose it doesn’t hurt if they’re one and the same, ja?”

He laughed. Now this was more of Klavier as he knew him: inexplicably nice all the time and easy to talk with.

“Und next time we hang out, I’ll make sure it’s something you would actually enjoy.”

Crossing his arms, he pouted. “Hey, I didn’t completely hate this.”

Klavier’s posture stiffened (and Sebastian had a moment of oh wait that was too mean wasn’t it), but then he let out an airy laugh. “That’s...that makes me very happy to hear. Ah, what part of the music was it that finally convinced you?”

“It wasn’t the music.” Honestly, he’d barely given the songs actual thought beyond what it took to play them. “It was you, and everyone else, and...it was just, nice? I had fun,” he said, trailing off quietly. A moment later, he perked up. “Oh, you want to turn right here.”

“Ah!” Klavier sprung into movement, making the turn a little late, jerking the car forcefully as he did so.

Was it just him, or was Klavier spacing out a bit? He did that, Sebastian knew, but he’d driven with him once before and it hadn’t seemed to be a problem then. “Are you okay?”

“Ja, of course,” he said, brushing hair out of his face with his free hand. “It’s one of these, ja?”

They pulled up in front of the apartments. “Thanks for the ride. And, uh,” he leaned against the open passenger door frame, “talk to you later?”

“I’m already looking forward to it.”

When he got to the door, he waved back at Klavier, then headed inside.

Kay was sprawled out across the couch, tapping idly at her phone. Seeing him, she grinned. “You look like you had fun.”

He smiled back. “Yeah.” He took a few steps forward, prepared to collapse right next to her.

“Sebi, no!” A hand pressed on each of his shoulders, she pushed him back. “If you sit now, we are never gonna get the glitter out of the cushions, you have…” She cautiously touched the very top of his hair. “Oh that’s so much,” she breathed excitedly. Then she spun him around. “Ok, go shower, but don’t move until you get there.”

He smirked. “What, like this?” and he shook his head.

“Noo!” She whined, although it was half laughter. A little unsteadily, Kay shove-guided him into the bathroom. “And you’re sweeping that up when you’re done!” she called through the door.

“Love you too.”

#aaprosecutorweek2021 #ace attorney #Sebastian Debeste #Klavier Gavin #Daryan Crescend #Kay Faraday #I need proper tags for the gavinners ocs boys now huh. unfortunately we still don't have last names so...placeholder tags it is #Evri #todd gavinners #klavbastian #an aquila original #fanfiction #my writing #oh also there are definitely aai2 spoilers in here

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osmiumamygdala · 3 years ago

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Well while you're here ☺️

What's your thoughts on Piotr just being a big metal guy???? Like yes, he's stronk, durable, and all that but he is just a big metal guy VS his siblings.

Mikhail: he literally can manipulate matter at a subatomic level, he has his own pocket dimension, he can shoot lasers (I guess lol), and he can "teleport via portal to different dimensions)

Illyana: she's Magik, leader of Limbo (I guess) , and can create stepping disc to anywhere

Then there's Piotr 😆 who yes is powerful but I mean...he really got the creative short end of the stick of mutant abilities.

I guess that's not the only sibling to get the short end. Quicksilver sucks too, his siblings are literal powerhouses AND his nephews (well one of them cause the other is just fast..)

Ooh I have a lot of thoughts on this. One is, I actually really love Colossus' simple power set. It's cool looking, easy to remember, and effective. He just armors up and is impervious to things, simplicity itself. He also strikes me as the sort who wouldn't know what to do with a massive amount of power. If he were a reality warper, I can't see him ever actually using that? At least not often, not without thinking himself sick with the morality of it.

And then, as for his power set versus those of his siblings, there's some interesting stuff there, too. Starting with Magik, I want to say the only ability she has that is inherent to her being a mutant is teleportation, and the rest come from her time in Limbo. Mikhail, of course, really won the power lottery out of his siblings. But if we look closer, these seemingly unrelated powers can look more related.

The Rasputin clan have mastery in the transition of matter. Illyana, from one place to the next. Mikhail, through changing its state and location. And then we come to Piotr, which seems like an outlier at first, but during the Claremont days, his power was described as "coming from a dimension of pure energy." (Which, yeah, I know, it sounds a little silly, but Cyclops' beams also come from the Punch Dimension soooo...). When we think about it this way, it's just another transition of matter, albeit on a much smaller and more personal scale.

But I completely understand if people don't buy into that conclusion.

While we're here, I do want to go into the effects Piotr's ability has. Colossus, historically, is impervious to forms of magic while armored, or can at least repel certain magical creatures/demons, doesn't need to eat or breath and can survive in hostile environments, including ballistic and nuclear blast zones, space (temporarily), the bottom of the ocean, high heat or extreme cold (but not at the same time, and up to a point), can walk off bullets, bombs, missiles, collapsing buildings. His biggest weakness is telepathy (and magnets lol).

In the face of new characters being created or updated, I understand the need/want to update him as well, so he can keep up with the competition.

So, as for power boosting him, I could see someone using that old X-Men Arcade game for inspiration and giving him an area of effect attack that shoots energy when he armors up. Other suggestions I've heard are giving him the ability to grow more when armored, slight metal manipulation, or even just have him master some form of weapon. And though I can't see much use in it, because Colossus isn't a teleporter, it would be interesting if that dimension he draws energy from were an actual, visitable place. I also don't imagine that revealing some new power would be too much of a stretch for him; it could be called his secondary mutation, or he could have been repressing it all this time through his subconscious fear of hurting others.

This turned into a ramble I'm so sorry lol

#colossus #piotr rasputin #long #ish #ramble #bug chitters into the void #thiccboinbackpack

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petitelepus · 3 years ago

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Hello lovely! Could I get a dead by daylight matchup? Could you match me with a killer please, thank you 🥺

I’m non-binary with they/them pronouns <3 I’m pansexual with a preference for males 👉👈

Appearance: I’m 5’6, slightly fluffy right now, but overall strong. I have icy blue eyes, short fluffy hair (originally my hair is dirty blonde/ ginger, but I dye it crazy colours constantly) right now its white & brown. My hairstyle looks very much like Quentin Smith’s. I’m extremely pale, I practically glow in the sunlight. I have a birthmark in the middle of my cheek, and smile lines. My lips are naturally very full and rosy, but my smile is odd and literally goes “w” 😭 I have birthmarks all over actually nvhchfb shh-

Fashion: I wear darker clothes, mostly with a red and black aesthetic. My usual shoes are my black, lace-up doc martens, accompanied with black high waisted jeans and a t-shirt with a design on it or a button-up shirt. I’ll change my style depending on my mood really. My other favourite outfit is of course my boots and jeans then a fluffy lighter coloured sweater like pastel yellow or periwinkle. I’ll wear outfits inspired by characters occasionally!

Hobbies: I enjoy skateboarding, hikes, swimming, reading, listening to music, singing (I’ve been told I’m good at it?), writing, cooking, watching horror movies, videogaming, and doing photography! I spend most of my time with my pets! A dog, cat, and two lizards :D

I’ll sometimes write notes on human anatomy/psychology since I’m a forensics student and its my main interest :)

Personality: I’m naturally very quiet and tend to be shy around strangers. I’m a very caring person, if I see someone get hurt my first instinct will be to see if they’re ok. I’m also very loyal, I’ll be there for my friends and people I love no matter what. I’m very creative, I occupy myself with artistic hobbies and problems are usually easy for me to work through because of it. I can empathise with people quite easily, thats how I make friends very quick! I’m very observant, I find it simple to figure out people’s personalities quickly. Finding someone’s true intentions is never an issue. I’m very polite, even if I don’t find someone particularly pleasing, I won’t be rude to them. Don’t let my outside personality fool you.. I’m quite silly and love to joke around and tease friends! I “revert to being a five year old” once in a while and will get very loud, puppy-like energy. (Sometimes I’ll grab onto my friend’s arms and hide behind them when i’m like this lol). I’ll blabber on for hours about random things and get distracted by a dog or other animal and then have to talk about that hfhfhfb. I’m generally just friendly and will make friends easily.. I’m the one to make friends with the kid who no one talks to 👉👈

The downfalls to my personality? I have horrible social anxiety and have panic attacks around large crowds. Sometimes if I feel like i’m annoying or a bother I become very distant/quiet. I’m very clingy and get distressed if my friends seemingly “ignore me”. I’m super touch starved and will literally beg for hugs or attention from my friends. I can also get a bit temperamental if I get overworked or stressed. I try not to snap at people, and friends know to leave me alone for a bit. (Hugs or tea will fix this issue)

Likes: Animals, music, art, true crime, horror, psychological horror, books, Victorian era styling, Halloween, sweets, sweaters, cuddles!, affection, rain, fall, naps, warm tea, the outdoors, plushies, and wacky earrings.

Dislikes: Hot weather, rude people, being alone for long periods of time, being misunderstood, spicy things, and deep murky waters (other than a pool).

Weird facts: I can name any dog’s breed if you show me a picture :D! I speak Italian. Uhm I squeak when I’m excited lol. I am extremely flexible, and have accidentally scared people like that…

Thats all! Thank you so much and I hope you have a lovely day! <3

I match you with Frank, Julie, Susie, and Joey aka Legion!

Your attire caught Julie's and Susie's attention. You obviously had good taste, and they could tell by how you took care of your hair also. Not to mention, your smile was SO cute, but they couldn't just go and suggest to the guys that they should all secure you merely by your style.

Little did the girls know, the guys had taken notice of your interests. Not only are you cute when you act all shy, but Frank sees potential in you when you rush to save David from the hook and you manage to lift the huge man and patch his shoulder. Joey appreciates the loyalty you show.

You emphasize four of them. Frank how badly he was usually treated in foster homes. Joey came from a rich family but wanted to be a person of his own and not just the heir of a rich family. Julie wanted freedom and a bigger more meaningful life while Susie just wanted the gang to stick together and always be friends.

You see past their walls, lies, and sweet talk so it's hard for Frank to manipulate you, but the rest of the gang just suggests that they should all be honest with you. So when they approach you and ask if you would be interested to be with them, you blink before blushing and asking if you could learn to know them first. Which is totally okay with them.

You're shy, they get it and they do their best not to alarm you. Julie and Susie told the guys to be more sensitive around you, but the young men just laughed and told the girls that you are tougher than you let them see.

These four Killers absolutely LOVE IT when you cling to them in fear or out of shyness. They feel like you trust them.

Frank and Susie are huge dog fans. Frank likes how loyal they and he bonded with this misunderstood Pitbull in one of his foster families. Sadly, he had to move to another home and leave the dog he bonded with behind. Susie loves cute dogs, but her taste is a little funny. Not everyone thinks Bull Terriers are that cute as she says they are.

They love watching old horror movies with you, because you tend to analyze the killers or ghosts or demons and it's honestly fun for them to hear your take on things.

#matchup #dbd #dead by daylight #frank morrison #frank #joey #susie #julie kostenko #legion #the legion #legion susie #legion joey

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ladyloveandjustice · 4 years ago

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Fall 2020 Anime Overview

I started out watching the a ton of anime for the Fall 2020 season, but then ended up not being caught up with most of them by the the time the end rolled around. I still pretty much intend to catch up with Yashahime Princess Half Demon someday (I do like the three leads, it just the plot’s been dull as dirt and the fights aren’t very inspired either) and though I dropped Wandering Witch after bad press started rolling in (I CANNOT deal with pointless tragedy in my current state of mind) I might check out a few more episodes someday just to from my own opinion. For now, let’s just quickly review the anime I DID manage to finish on time this season.

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is exactly what it says on the tin: Princess Syalis isn’t too bothered about being captured by demons and locked in their castle, but she does value a good night’s sleep, and she is absolutely ruthless when it comes to getting it- so ruthless, in fact, that the demons realized it might not be that she’s trapped in here with them, but that they’re trapped in here with her.

Sleepy Princess is top tier comedy comfort food. It rarely got a huge belly laugh, but it always but a smile on my face and was a great thing to watch before going to bed. Syalis’s single-minded search for some shut eye is a joke that could have gotten old very quickly, but the show consistently found creative ways to expand on the gags and build it’s world and a fun cast of characters along the way.

Though Syalis is downright brutal to the demons when it comes to getting what she wants (and has a knack for getting herself killed at well), thanks to a demon cleric that offers easy resurrections, you never feel too bad for anyone involved. In fact, the demons and Syalis form a strangely heartwarming bond over the course of the show , and it’s clear by the end that Syalis definitely has the ability to come and go if she damn well pleases and just finds this castle a fun place where she can find respite from her princessly responsibilities.

A nice bonus for those of us who like a little subversion is that the show has a lot of fun playing with standard adventure tropes- the demons often lament that Syalis is not at all what they expected from a captive princess, for one, but my favorite fun little twist is how Syalis feels about the hero currently on a (seemingly endless) quest to rescue her- she manages to both hold him in contempt AND consistently fail to remember his name. That level of disregard takes some impressive effort.

The show has the same director as the Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun anime and as such has a similarly nice comic and visual flourishes throughout. It definitely gets two sleepy thumbs up for me.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Jujutsu Kaisen follows a young man named Yuuji Itadori who, after tangling with a demon, ends up with one inside him. With a death sentence hanging over his head, he’s inducted into a school for “jujutsu sorcerers”, and begins training to use his newfound powers to defeat demons and curses.

Jujutsu Kaisen quickly tells you on no uncertain terms it is Action Shonen, introducing a huge cast of a characters and powers and super high stakes and hey there’s even gonna be a tournament arc soon. It is really, really pretty to look at, with a killer opening and ending, some seriously great animation and cool visuals for the fights especially. But is it particularly memorable otherwise? Noooooot really, so far. The sea of technobabble it tends to descend into when trying to explain how the various powers work often has me zoning out and wishing they’d just let me watch the pretty punches. The villains and the general plot isn’t particularly compelling. The characters are nice enough, but haven’t given me much to be attached to so far. Though I do appreciate this one dude who is the embodiment of millennial ennui:

I’ll keep watching though, because it is a visually stunning, action-y thing to my turn your brain off to and god knows I want to turn my brain off all the time lately.

And the characters do have potential- the One Girl of the main group, Nobara, has a really fun personality in that she’s a total shitlord doofus brawler who can thus doof around with our equally dumbass protagonist, which is an pretty fun, unusual personality for the One Girl to have! Her interactions with Maki, the weapons expert senpai girl, are promising too. I’m just waiting for her to actually, you know, DO something that really shows off her skills- I’m told she DOES eventually get to (gasp) win fights on her own and do cool stuff, but so far show has kind at that of failed miserably and underused her like most action shonen underuse their girls. Plus, taking Yuuji out of the group for such a long stretch seems like a weird choice, we’ve been deprived really seeing him for relationships with his peers. The pacing seems off. But maybe the upcoming tournament arc will make up for that and actually be worthwhile!

Talentless Nana

In a world where kids with superpowers are sent to island schools to fight mysterious “enemies of humanity”, one class of such kids is thrown into chaos when they find themselves targeted by a deadly force.

It’s pretty much impossible to talk about Talentless Nana without discussing how it deviates dramatically from what its premise appears to be in episode one, so I’ll just say if you like stories with superpowers and intrigue, you should definitely sit through that first episode and see if the plot that’s eventually revealed is something that you’re here for. But if you want to avoid spoilers, DON’T GO BELOW THE CUT, because I’m about to get very spoilery.

Basically, Talentless Nana pulls a bait and switch, starting it’s first episode posing as generic superhero anime where the protagonist appears to be your standard meek-but-powerful anime boy (Nanao) who just needs some support and encouragement from a pink haired mind reading manic pixie dream girl (Nana) to unlock his self-confidence and ~true power~ (ugh)...only to take SHARP swerve when Nana ruthlessly murders Nanao and reveals she’s been sent by the government to take out the superpowered kids one by one because THEY are the considered the true enemies of humanity. Oh, and she doesn’t have any superpowers, or “talents”- she was just able to sus out everything Nanao was thinking through basic deductive reasoning because he was so flippin’ obvious and basic.

As my love for a certain character in a certain game may have clued people into, I am ALWAYS delighted when what appears to be a generic, underwritten girlfriend character is then revealed to be an interesting, ruthless mastermind. And having an anime appear to be about a bland boy with a Dream Girlfriend but then actually turn into a show about a deeply cynical, morally dubious girl who’s clearly holding down a lot of messy feelings as she considers everyone her enemy...well, it may be a cheap trick to some, but it also feels a little bit like justice for all the underwritten female characters sacrificed to bland male leads. It’s still rare enough that I dig it when it happens. And the metatext of Nana zeroing in on this kid as the most standard of main character boys, assessing him as the biggest threat because of it and knowing the perfect way to take him out, is pretty inherently funny to me.

But if the show JUST banked on that twist and was about Nana brutally and cynically slaughtering these kids, it would get boring quickly and Nana would be a bland character herself. Fortunately, it doesn’t go that route. Nana struggles and grows a lot over the course of the show. She finds opposition in transfer student Kyoya, a stoic (and socially awkward) young man who pretty quickly becomes suspicious of her. A lot of the tension from the early episodes comes from her sweating as she tries to outmaneuver him and she makes plenty of mistakes along the way. She also slowly but surely starts to question her mission, and we get an idea of her backstory and how the government specifically has groomed her into believing people with powers to be evil. That belief is one that’s challenged by her friendship with another girl, and it’s pretty rewarding to watch Nana’s feelings and world expand little by little.

The show is definitely a little schlocky-some of the plots (as well as the general premise of the government thinking this is the optimal way to get rid of their superpowered kids problem) fall apart if you think too much about them, and some of the kids Nana goes up against are sleazy and unlikeable in over the top ways (which makes it easy for her to stick to her convictions all these kids deserve to die at first). In particular, I have to give a heads up for some sleazy guys doing and saying sleazy things, though the show never gets too overbearing or graphic with it (and the gore is generally PG-13 level as well).

Basically. There are some truly ridiculous happenings in this show. But how ridiculous and pulpy and over the top it is can be part of the appeal, and it’s fun to just sit back and watch the spectacle of Nana and her peers head-scratching machinations.

So, while certainly not an anime with airtight construction or flawless quality and depth, I found Nana an overall entertaining watch, especially as a fan of cat-and-mouse murder-y shenanigans, and thought it has a very compelling main character and managed to end on a heartwrenching (but earned) note. I definitely wouldn’t say no to a second season and would be interested to see where things go from here.

#anime overview #sleepy princess in the demon castle #jujutsu kaisen #talentless nana #munou na nana #maoujo de oyasumi #fall 2020 anime #anime #my reviews

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abysstwins · 4 years ago

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sebastian michaelis x reader songfic (epiphany)

[ inspired by the cover song epiphany by the piano guys - i encourage you to listen to it while you read ! ]

this had been plaguing you for days now, you realized as you laid in the neatly made bed, your (e/c) eyes gazing out the window a few feet from where you lay. the trees swayed ever-so softly in the breeze, a few leaves being carried off by the soft wind. the calmness of the manor almost calmed your nerves

it felt weird, you had to admit that much. when you first woke up here, things seemed so exciting, as if you were finally living out your fangirl dreams. that’s what every anime fan dreams of, right? waking up in their favorite anime, falling in love with their favorite anime character... but truly being here had begun to lose it’s charm. sure, you had some excitement seeing as you’d seemed to appear a good bit before the beginning of the first season, though that didn’t cause your excitement to falter. it was only after season one had begun that you began to grow weary. you already knew what was going to happen, how it would happen and when it would happen. rewatching black butler multiple times had seemingly ruined the genuine experience for you.

a familiar sinking feeling began to settle in your stomach. you weren’t surprised; it was made clear a long time ago that this serenity had never been your cup of tea. you thrived being kept on your toes, and laying in your bed at the phantomhive manor wasn’t doing a damn thing for you. so with all of your strength, you hoisted yourself up and out of bed before getting dressed in a simple beige dress accompanied by some white heels. you busied yourself with pulling your hair into a low, messy bun as you exited your room. maybe walking around for a bit might help.

as you passed ciel’s study, your attention was caught by some chatter.

“no, sebastian, i am not going to have you as my dance instructor.” ciel’s voice pierced the silence.

“but, my lord, it’s far too short-notice to request one of your usual teachers. the ball is tomorrow night,” sebastian reasoned, his voice causing a small smile to fall onto your lips.

“there isn’t even any music,” ciel huffed. suddenly filled with energy, you knocked on the already open door.

“i can help with that,” you giggled.

“ah, (Y/N), good afternoon,” sebastian said, physically relaxing as his eyes caught yours.

“good afternoon, lady (Y/N). how exactly would you like to be of assistance?” ciel inquired, obviously hoping to get out of going to another ball.

you slyly pull your phone from one of your dress’s side pockets. “i can play instrumental music on my phone and sebastian can lead you through the dance.”

“why don’t you and sebastian demonstrate?” ciel asked, his face as stoic as ever, though there was a playful glint in his cerulean blue eye. you glanced at sebastian as he let out a soft chuckle before extending his gloved hand to you. opening your phone and pressing play on your music app, you then took his hand as the calming sound of one of your favorite instrumental songs filled the air.

sebastian pulled you close to him, his warm and inviting smell calming your aching nerves as he held you. you gently placed your hand on his shoulder while the other slipped into his smoothly, as if two puzzle pieces had finally fallen into place once more. having been so lost in your own memories of your home and everything that you’d felt as though you’d left behind, you’d almost forgotten just how right it felt to be in sebastian’s arms.

moving as fluidly as the ocean, and each step as soft as a falling feather, sebastian led the dance, your elegance almost matching his. the dance lasted for a few more minutes before the song faded out, leaving you both in a comfortable silence.

ciel cleared his throat in a polite manner, glancing away from the two of you.

“right then,” he said in his usual business tone. “thank you for demonstrating, sebastian, (Y/N).”

“of course,” you responded softly as you both stepped away from one another.

“there is no need to thank me, my lord.” sebastian smiled at you before returning his eyes to ciel.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the day had went by as quickly as most days do in the phantomhive manor - you helped the servants around as you could, enjoying chatting with bardroy as you helped him make dinner. though, sebastian didn’t seem to be all that happy with how close you had seemingly become with the chef, which is something he brought up after ciel had been put to bed.

“may i come in?” sebastian asked after knocking on your bedroom door.

“yeah, of course, come in,” you replied, sitting up on your bed.

“what’s up?” you asked as sebastian shut the door behind him. a slow moment of silence followed your question as he kept his back turned to you.

“do you like it here?” sebastian inquired, a small hint of fear evident in his voice.

“of course i do,” you replied softly as you stood up. “sebastian, what’s wrong?”

“you’ve seemed so distant recently. i assumed i may have done something - or not done something - that caused you to begin to become so shut off. i saw how animatedly you were conversing with bardroy and i became... afraid.”

“afraid of what?” you asked as you now stood beside the tall butler.

“afraid that you have begun to no longer care for me as i care for you...”

“sebastian...” you breathed out before gently taking his hand, causing him to look you in the eyes. “i love it here, more than anything. i’ve never felt so safe somewhere in my life. you make me feel so safe. i love you more than anything in this world or the next. i’m so sorry for being so distant, it’s just easy to feel guilty for leaving everyone behind...” another moment of silence followed before sebastian spoke up once more.

“if you... wish to return home, i will not be the one to stop you.”

“sebastian... i don’t want to ever leave here without you, okay? you’re not getting rid of me that easily,” you teased the demon, causing a small smile to show on his lips.

“will you dance with me?” you blurted out. sebastian chuckled before taking your hand in his.

“nothing would make me happier.”

pulling out your phone, you once again played the same song you’d both danced to only hours before. this time, the dance was much more intimate than formal, however. sebastian loosely wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you against his broad chest as you draped your arms around his neck, leaning your head against his shoulder as you both danced elegantly across the floor of your bedroom.

as the moonlight spilled into the room in whispers, you couldn’t help but look up at sebastian, his maroon eyes fixated lovingly on your form. having been caught staring, the male could only smile before placing a soft kiss on your forehead. you sighed in content before resuming your position, your eyes closing as he held you. the song had long faded out before sebastian picked you up, carrying you to your bed and pulling you close to him once more under the inviting warmth of the covers.

a realization hit you as you began drifting off to sleep in the arms of your love, a realization that was much overdue. you may miss your friends back home, and even the life you’d grown so accustomed to... but nothing in that world could have ever felt as right as being wrapped in sebastian’s arms.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

okay hi ,, i promise i don’t write often ........ i’ve been feeling v down in the dumps emotionally and man oh man alive i needed to write something comforting ..... nyways the cover song epiphany by the piano guys makes me think of this kind of scenario SO MUCH gods i just wanna be held by sebby okay <//3

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foxymoxynoona · 3 years ago

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Okay, Foxy, I was going to space out the characterization asks, but you answer so quickly and honestly i can't help myself 😜 Next to be subjected to your characterization dissection is the one and only baby mochi, Jimin!

A different anon: Aaaaaah I love the character analyses!!! Can you do Jimin next? <3

OK, I know I made you both wait after all haha, SORRY! I just answered another ask that included a bit about why is Jimin single in the story and that touches on some of these things too, but I'll gladly talk more about this dude in Little Bea/Flux.

In the stories, I see Jimin as a little bit lost about who he is and where he is right now. Middle child syndrome, if you will. He wears a lot of hats but battles some pretty serious demons in terms of self worth, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome. I see him as caring and loving to a fault, so eager to be supportive of those around him that he forgets to support himself. He thinks so highly of those around him that it leaves him wondering how he can possibly keep up with them. What may have started as modest phrases and suggestions (I'll do my best not to hold you back; I'll practice until I deserve your love; etc.) have become actual voices in his head. This isn't necessarily new, but they come and go throughout his life, and right now they are getting a little louder.

I think he's the embodiment of that idea of "our good traits are on our backs, so we can't see them when we look in the mirror."

I don't mean that to sound like he's in a terrible, horribly place. But I do think it means he latches on heavily to what's going on with the other members to avoid digging too deeply into his own pains --something that will come up more in Flux. I think it means he could get to a very lonely place if he doesn't correct or if something externally doesn't correct.

Some of this may sound similar to what I was saying about JK's insecurities. To me that's one of the strengths of their friendship in LB/Flux, this shared understanding of external pressure and the need for validation and how difficult it is not to internalize the wrong voices. Sort of how to define themselves when the world has a very strong idea of who they are/should be. Both thinks the other has it much better figured out, and so they each look to the other for guidance and inspiration. This is a super safe, low-conflict friendship for them both, though they do sometimes push too hard or in a painful place; you may have noticed the guys usually send Jimin to talk to JK though, because he's more likely to quickly forgive Jimin.

Jimin has an incredibly high emotional IQ, I think. So it means he's better than JK (or nearly anyone) in noticing someone else's hardship and comforting them, even drawing upon his own struggles without necessarily admitting to them. Or framing his struggles in a way that still protects his heart a little from the vulnerability. This increase in his emotional observation and his own introspection leave him a little less feisty than he used to be, so he doesn't have as many arguments but it also leaves him feeling like he's lost some of his own fire.

I think Jimin in the story suffers too from the identity problem everyone has: what do I want to do? What is my One True Passion (it's a lie, most people don't have One True Passion... but he's still growing up too!) He's good at so many things but is not sure what or who he can be without BTS. He finds joy in so many things, but they often aren't the things you make a career out of (travel, socializing, sleeping, playing with animals). He'll try to improve on the things he 'should' but doesn't find the joy in those the way the others do, so he loses interest, but then feels bad about it... So his life is full of joy but he's not sure if he's good enough for the purpose he's seemingly presented with (BTS).

I think Jimin and Maxi have a LOT in common in the story, except that Jimin is extroverted and Maxi is incredibly introverted. So it extra amused me when some readers picked up on that too, these two brothers for Sasha. I think Jimin and Sasha could have a very similar sibling-esque relationship, with both close love and bickering.

#asks #anonymous #flux #littlebean #mywriting

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rubik-ashala · 4 years ago

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Let Alucard have nice things!

This doubles as both a headcanon description and a rant so here goes:

I just got done watching the 3rd season of Castlevania and I am not happy. I have two things two say about it. This contains spoilers for the series so you have been warned.

First complaint and observation:

Did anybody get the feeling that the show was supposed to end after the second season but didn't? That everything was wrapped up nicely, Dracula was dead, the big world destruction war was halted, we were shown what the trio would be doing after everything etc. Like it was meant to end there but then a conversation like this happened:

Castlevania team: And that’s a wrap everybody! The good guys took down Dracula in an epic fight, the world was saved, Job Done! Time to move on to new things.

Shareholders, producers, etc: Uhh, actually we already signed you up for a 3rd season. So you might want to get on that.

Castlevania Team: What! But we weren't prepared for a third season! The whole plot is wrapped up! What are we supposed to do?

Shareholders, producers, etc: Don’t know but you better get to figuring it out.

Castlevania: I guess we will just game of thrones it terribly then and hope we make it through.

Because that is what it felt like happened. There seemed to be no overarching plot, just four separate ones and only two of them is even remotely together. They take two side characters Issac and Hector and give them there own plotlines. Issac gets the Denarius treatment for no real reason other than to seemingly follow in Dracula’s footsteps and Hector gets dragged to Camilla’s realm because, she needs a forge master to grow an army so she can take over what has been fractured. They split up the trio, suddenly giving Serphia and Trevor a romantic relationship with little to nothing building up to it and throw them in a quest to keep Dracula from coming back after some crazy monks due some occult doctor who style shenanigans to open a portal to other worlds. And while that is going on, Alucard aka Adrian Tepes gets left alone guarding his fathers now broken castle and the Belmont’s treasure trove for months after everything has happened.

Which flows into my Second point:

Alucard got done dirty in the third season!

We watch as Alucard deals with the mental repercussions of what he did, alone. We watch as he deals with the loneliness of being out in the middle of nowhere alone for months with none to talk too. And we see the toll it is taking on him albeit comedically.

Then the siblings come in.

They come to him for help and education on fighting vampires back in their homeland, something that Alucard is more than happy to help with. One, because he has company again and Two, passing on the knowledge to the new generation seemed fitting.

During the time they stay he grows fond of them and they him. You see them training and horsing around, eating meals together and other wholesome shenanigans.

You get to see a conversation where the sibling talk about how they notice how lonely he has been and how they believe he stays out here to punish himself and maybe they should do something for him before they move on. And it’s all like “aww that is so sweet!”

Then you see Alucard trying to sleep and failing miserably in his bed. Even so far as wondering if he should get a coffin to sleep in. Then you see the siblings show up in the door way and begin walking towards him in the bed saying , in a very sultry voice, how alone he must have been, how he should deserve a reward, ectera. Followed by them getting all hot and steamy with him.

The scene makes a point to show how much Alucard is enjoying this attention, and how happy it is making him. Your watching it and it’s like “Maybe it's gonna be one of those fond memories he will be able to look back on after their gone.” or “Maybe they will become some Badass monster hunting thruple and Alucard wont be alone anymore.”

Nope! Not today in my Grim Dark Gothic Fantasy World!

They instead, after giving Alucard the night of his life, put these metal cuffs on him that shoot out a bunch of ropes that tie him in classic Jesus on a cross position and then proceed to try and kill him.

Why?

Because the were under the belief he was lying and holding things back from them, and in particular about the castle not being able to move. And they were tired of being lied to.

Luckily for Alucard they didn't realize his sword could move on its own and they weren’t alive for much longer because of it but...Really?

Why? Why do this to him?

He lost his mother to a witch hunt, he had to kill his own father and now this? All in little over a year? What the Hell man!?

Let the Dhampire have nice things! He deserves better than this!

So, I made a headcannon to soothe me angry brain.

I took a fantasy race of mine that was inspired by the Crusnics of Trinity Blood and added them in to Castlevania. In Particular one specific one.

Name: Floki

Age: Around Adrian’s age give or take a few months.

Hair: Black

Eyes: Mismatched blue/green

Height: About the same as Adrien’s perhaps a little taller.

Personality: Mischevious, HArdworking, Loves deeply, Fiercly but wisely protective, loves to work with his hands, loves to learn more about the world and how it works. Deeply fond of Adrian even though he hasn’t seen him in a few years. Also, a smidge psychotic, but just a smidge.

Floki is part of a race of beings referred to as “The Old Ones”. They are a race similar in habit to the Vampire but they feed off vampires, night creatures and other supernatural beings over humans. They are immensely powerful, even at young ages and have been rumored to be the source of some of the gods of Ancient Mythology.

Floki’s father (Yet named) was Dracula’s mentor and where he got much of his scientific knowledge from in his early years. They became friends during his teaching and even after parting ways, would still occasionally see each other every few half centuries or so to trade information and chat.

During this time, Floki’s father was desperately trying to have children of his own and failing. At one point believing that he was sterile and unable to father children. Something Dracula knew as well and so hid Lisa’s pregnancy from him for fear of making his sadness worse.

However, a few months later, It was revealed that his current love was with child and Floki was born accompanied by much drunken Norse revelry.

When the two men met again a few years later, Floki was brought with his father to show to Dracula that he finally had a child. A moment where Dracula also revealed his son and Where Floki met Adrian.

Floki showed Adrian what it was like to play and horse around. They would play pretend out in the woods, get dirty, skin thier knees, the works. And where one was, you would find the other close by.

The visits between the two powerful men became more frequent due to the boys wish to see each other, not that the parents minded all that much.

Over time Floki’s affection for Adrian would change and deepen. His longing to stay by his friends side would get stronger and one fateful afternoon when Adrian got hurt, FLoki would realize how he had fallen in love with him.

Adrian would never know this however, due to Floki’s unstable powers at the time, his sub par control of his hunger and the fear of hurting him.

As they got older, and partly to the above, their visits to see each other would lessen and by the time they were full grown, had stopped entirely.

That is until Floki Heard of Lisa’s death at the hands of the church.

Even with his incredible power to teleport far distances it took him several months to reach Wallachia. He didn’t seek out Adrian immediately though, too curious to see the truth of what happened.

Each of “The Old Ones” Has a unique skill that is developed and evolved over time, according to personality, interest, skill and homeland. Due to Floki’s curiosity, his love for history and his desire to see how it all works together, he developed what he liked to call, memory recall.

His skill allowed him to see memories of the past through people, objects or locations where something that evoked strong emotional or magical reactions in the area happened. And if there was no such thing, if the event was more recent, if he had access to people that were there and stood on the location, he could see and feel the event as if he lived it.

Lisa’s death held him up in an inn for several days trying to chase the feeling of flames on his skin. Dracula’s anger and grief laid him up for even longer as he cried himself sick.

Gregit was better though, seeing the man who did the deed getting called out by a demon and then eaten gave him a bit of satisfaction.

Briela was fascinating though. He had to meet whomever managed to capture the ever moving castle.

By the Time Floki would arrive at the now defunk castle and underground hold, the siblings bodies are already outside on pikes.

This doesn't scare him away of course, and to find out why they were there he uses his memory recall. Where he sees through there eyes what they did to Adrian, albeit a little fuzzy. But is able to hear what the twins were thinking in that moment and see, just for a short time, Adrian tied to the bed afraid and hurt.

This causes him to snap his fingers and cause the corpses to burst into flames.

An action that draws Adrian’s attention causing a little bit of a fight before they recognize each other.

Over the next while Adrian allows Floki to stay and fix the castle as well as the Belmont estate and work towards getting the transportation engine online again. Eventually.

Overtime, all of Floki’s feelings come back with a vengeance and he gives as much attention and TLC to Adrian as he allows. Eventually getting Adrian to allow him close enough to see though his memory what the siblings had done to him

A scene that will either start a few revelations with both Adrian and FLoki or lead to a very steamy situation. Possibly both.

But it all ends in Adrian getting all the Love and TLC that man deserves after the hell he was put through.

I just hope they aren’t trying to set him up to become an antagonist later...

#castlevania #adriandeservesbetter #adrian tepes

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altumvidetur · 5 years ago

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Haikyuu!! Fic Recs (BokuAka)

Fic Recs Masterpost

So, I was thinking about the coronavirus pandemic and what I could do to help people out. I’m isolated because I’m at higher risk, so I can’t really offer to go out for my elderly neighbors or my family… but I thought I could try to help keep people entertained.

Because I don’t have an AO3 account right now, I’ve been compiling fic recs for my own amusement for a year or so. And I thought – maybe that’s the time to share these with everyone? So everyone will have plenty of things to read while they have to stay at home, or even to escape anxiety a little bit if you’re forced to go out.

Of course, these cater to my own tastes, so you may find stuff you don’t like around here. I never include works in progress. The Mature and Explicit works will be in italic. I ask you to READ THE WORK’S TAGS before continuing, so you won’t find anything that makes you uncomfortable.

I’ve decided to split it in a series of posts, starting with my OTPs. This time it’s BokuAka’s turn!

cookies and cream, by norio

Some people might tell Akaashi that he couldn't bake his worries away.

But some people haven't dated Bokuto Koutarou.

dozens of red roses, by norio

“And what’s the boyfriend getting for Bokuto’s birthday?” Kuroo asked, mirthful grin on his face.

“Oh,” Akaashi said, distracted by the magazine. “The next time he visits the dentist, I’ll pay for half what the insurance doesn’t cover.”

The silence dropped around the store like a chilling and killing frost.

i put my hand out, unfolded, into the sunlight, by carafin

In which Bokuto Kotarou is woefully inept at conveying his feelings, and Akaashi Keiji has a sort-of superpower. Sort of.

Next to him, Komi is chewing his cupcake dutifully, albeit with obvious effort. Washio has assumed a completely neutral expression on his face, although Akaashi thinks that his eyes might be watering. Sarukui, having seemingly demolished the entire thing out of sheer willpower alone, looks like he deeply regrets every single choice that has led to this precise moment in his life.

‘It isn’t too bad, huh?’ Bokuto says, grinning. ‘I made them in our school colours, so they’re like, marbled black and white chocolate swirls! Do you guys want more?’

Sarukui looks like he might pass out at the thought alone. Komi pauses mid-chew to shake his head weakly.

‘I’ll have more,’ Akaashi says, to the general astonishment of everyone.

better than spy films, by dalyeau

Akaashi knocks Bokuto out and Bokuto falls in love. Kuroo laughs about it.

Maybe We’re Airborne, Baby, by fathomfive

Realizing he's got it bad for his setter is the easy part. But getting his feelings across might be Bokuto's biggest endeavor yet, not counting his literature final or putting out the flames on that birthday cake he tried to bake for Akaashi last year, or—or a lot of things, actually.

But the point still stands. Reaching out to Akaashi is a leap in the dark, and Bokuto wants it more than he's ever wanted anything. He's an expert at seizing his perfect moment, at bringing victory home against the odds. So he's got this, right? It's gonna go great, right? Right?

(After all, it's what you attempt with your own two hands that matters.)

heavy heart, a love apart, by drifloon

(802): Our sex has gotten so much better since we broke up.

Character Development, by silvercistern

"That’s some kinda gratitude. What happened to my painfully polite little brother? I get the ideal guy to take you to prom, and you act like he's not even here!"

"I doubt I’d let him take me to the hospital if I were bleeding to death."

Keiji needs a date. Bokuto needs dating lessons. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

prepare for rain, by norio

“First you must make a delicious bowl of tea; lay the charcoal so the water boils; arrange the flowers as they are in the field; in the summer suggest coolness, in the winter, warmth; do everything ahead of time; prepare for rain; and give those with whom you find yourself every consideration.”

- Sen no Rikyu

cracks in the pavement will lead you home, by deusreks

Bokuto often thinks about Akaashi, especially when he’s running. It’s like his legs know where they’re supposed to take him. He grows into a habit of running a lot, just to keep that feeling going. Cracks and holes in the pavement aren’t fun to jump over if the final reward isn’t seeing Akaashi’s face.

An alternate universe with a little bit of magic and a lot of growing up.

il mio ragazzo falso, by Karasuno Volleygays

With his grandparents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary looming fast and large, Akaashi finds himself urged to bring a date and not quite to the point where his family knows that said date will not be of the female variety.

At some point, he has to decide which will be the least frightening prospect — braving coming out to his family or endure Operation: Find Keiji A Girlfriend 2k15.

And why is the only person he can think of to drag along to this thing his overly-spirited volleyball captain?

#someonepleasesaveakaashi

right in the head, by Mysecretfanmoments

That was the other thing: when Keiji had said he wanted to make his way home, Bokuto had agreed—as if it didn’t matter where they went. He hadn’t said "we should look for a community" or "there’s probably nothing there anymore".

He’d just asked which way.

((the bokuaka zombie au literally no one asked for))

how to become a birder, by norio

“Since I’m Bokuto,” Bokuto said, giving an unnecessarily meaningful look, “You know what I want, right? It’ll be easy! You take pictures of me, I turn them in, my professor says I’m the smartest genius, I graduate, I go play pro, I win the Olympics.”

The World’s Best Kept Secret, by kythen

The struggles of keeping a relationship a secret (when it really isn't a secret at all).

third wheel, by arsenicjay

"So you and Bokuto, huh?"

Akaashi's attention snaps back to Kuroo and he gives the other boy a blank stare. "What about us?"

Or, Kuroo figures out that Bokuto is interested in Akaashi long before Bokuto does himself and being the kind friend that he is, tries to help them along.

cherished, by gabstar

Bokuto tends to panic when Akaashi expresses discomfort or concern. Akaashi didn't need that. Akaashi was better off handling this alone.

((In which Bokuto's love sick, Akaashi's sick-sick, and together they feel a little better))

Kissing Ace, by Karasuno Volleygays

It happens right after training camp.

Akaashi Keiji has a secret he has guarded since he was a child. He won’t go so far as to call it a fear, but more of an aspect of himself of which he is horribly mortified. No one on the team knows about it, and Akaashi does his best to keep it that way. But years of dodging hugs and casual contact come to naught in the blink of an eye and the swipe of a hand.

legs killed the owl, by dalyeau

He's not smiling anymore an hour later, after he's fucked up four perfect spikes that Akaashi tossed carefully for him because he's too distracted by the lean, elegant line of Akaashi's legs, kneepads dark against the white of Fukurodani's gym.

tea-stained polaroids, by dalyeau

“I'm gonna date that,” Bokuto declares solemnly, and Kuroo throws a plastic spoon at his head.

owls, by ThinkingCAPSLOCK

It was no secret that Bokuto genuinely loved owls, considering his locker was full of them, but Akaashi kept his own like of the animal very low key.

How Bokuto found out otherwise, he didn't know.

all lost souls, by norio

Not again, Akaashi thought. But he had never seen this sight before.

run rabbit run, by norio

Rule #1: Don't hurt Akaashi. Rule #2: Don't taint Akaashi. Rule #3: Don't involve Akaashi. Rule #4: Don't damage Akaashi. Rule #5 (optional): Try not to destroy yourself.

gwah, bam and swoosh, by dalyeau

When Bokuto meets Kageyama the first thing he thinks is, No five year old should be able to scowl like that.

Or be that tall.

Then, Shit, his dad is really hot.

Spoiled, by gabstar

Akaashi desperately needs a new mattress and he drags his loyal, loving, and very loud boyfriend with him.

omam verse, by shionsheart

Though some may believe they're monsters, those closest to them know they're just men learning how to love in this world of magic, demons, and faeries.

i’ll return home one day, by awkwardedgeworth

"Bro," He asks Kuroo out of the blue one day when they're toweling their hair dry, "What if Sawamura is halfway across the world and he only comes home seven times a year for around four days each?"

"I would consider every moment a blessing. You got it bad for Akaashi already?"

"I just wish you would introduce us sooner."

Or, wherein Akaashi is a world famous violinist, Kuroo introduces him to future Olympian-to-be Bokuto Koutarou. And Bokuto pines. A lot.

morning owls, by norio

Most of the time, if Bokuto woke up first, he would shake Akaashi awake. Sometimes he would bake sloppy pancakes for breakfast in bed, and sometimes he would sit on Akaashi's waist.

And sometimes he did not.

Insomniac Olympics, by Aetherdrive

Akaashi never thought he could inspire anyone, let alone an artist -- and then he met Bokuto.

counterclockwise, by miiniwa

How they had gone from point a to point b in such a short amount of time, he doesn't know. But as he dwells on it, he realizes that he doesn't exactly mind.

if kisses were fishes, then i’d be an ocean, by norio

Akaashi needs a fake date partner, so he grabs the first person he sees.

the way you look at me, by ThinkingCAPSLOCK

Bokuto sees him every day, every commute, at the final train. The stranger he only knows as Train Guy. Wrapped in coats, mystery, and distance - that is, until Bokuto breaks their familiar silence. He struggles with the hardest part of befriending someone he thinks he already knows: taking a step back to reevaluate all his assumptions.

He finds the easiest part is getting to learn about Train Guy all over again.

#haikyuu!!#bokuaka #bokuto koutarou #akaashi keiji #fic recs #please warn me if any links are broken #and reblog it if you can so more people will see it #otp: we are the protagonists of the world

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teaganhastings · 4 years ago

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( BARBARA PALVIN, 27, CIS FEMALE ) I just bumped into [ TEAGAN HASTINGS ] the other day while walking down [ WEST ] Kingsboro, where [ SHE/HER ] live. I hear they can be [ HOSPITABLE ] and [ INDETERMINATE ], but when I think of them I immediately think about [ RUNNING YOUR FINGERS THROUGH BEADED CURTAINS, CRYSTAL FISHNETS GLISTENING UNDER NEON LIGHTS, THE FAINT SCENT OF BROWN SUGAR AND VANILLA ] ( saxon, 26, she/her, cst )

Out Of Character

Hello bbies! 🥰 My name is Saxon and I’d like you to meet my little boss ass lady, Teagan! We are always open for connections, ideas or plots so please, please, please do not hesitate to hit me up if you want to conjure something up with this absolute sinnamon roll. I look forward to roleplaying with you and your children!

Basic Information

Full Name: Teagan Elizabeth Hastings.

Nickname(s): Tea.

Birthday: October 8th, 1993.

Orientation: Pansexual.

Language(s) Spoken: English, French.

Background

Teagan Elizabeth Hastings was not born as such, in fact, she remains unsure as to whether or not she had ever held a different name. The girl was adopted as an infant, this life being the only one she had ever known and at the end of the day, one that she has no qualms about keeping as such.

Despite having the same starts to their stories and being raised by the same parents, Teagan and her sister were nearly as different as they looked but their bond was unbreakable, the yin to her yang. The girls were seemingly as linked together as twins despite the fact that it was clear they weren’t such.

Their one shared interest was rather a shared passion, art, Teagan with dance and Tierney with music, both prodigies in their own rights and able to catch the eye of people with an appreciation for the craft.

At one of her performances, her family was approached with an offer for her to attend the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School in New York, which despite her being only sixteen, her parents agreed to. There was a fear that came with leaving everything she knew behind, with being away from her sister, but the desire to pursue her passion was strong and Tierney encouraged her to follow it.

TW: ABORTION & MENTIONS OF AN ATTACK Teagan excelled in school and was catching the eye of nearby performing arts colleges, her future looked promising until she ended up pregnant after spending a prom night with someone she had connected with. She was only seventeen and already afraid when one of her classmates warned that the school would kick her out if they were to find out. In a state of panic, she booked an appointment, the night before which she had attempted to call Tierney if only to get confirmation that she was making the right decision but instead, she was greeted by the news of her sister’s attack. The teenager proceeded to follow through with the appointment and took the first available flight home afterwards, with no plans of turning back.

Every day of the next few months was spent at the hospital, at her sisters side, choosing to get a GED online during the time rather than go back to school. And when her sister decided to leave home for Paris, she was in the seat next to her.

There was a light within Teagan that had dimmed reasonably within this time, a refusal to confront her own demons plaguing her mind, she struggled to feel like a person much less a woman and there was a loss of knowing who she was or where she was meant to be.

It was a random, quiet night in Paris that they decided to visit the Moulin Rouge and before the clock struck midnight, Teagan felt changed inside. It was as if the show had sparked a fire inside her that had been lying in wait. The dramatics and theatrics of ballet had always intrigued her but there had been a connection missing and now, she felt she knew why.

The next two years were spent taking aerial, burlesque and cabaret classes, she felt alive in a way that she never had, finding herself and her womanhood and taking claim of it. There was a shift, from the reserved girl she once was to someone confident, sultry images posted to Instagram eventually leading to a blossoming OnlyFans account.

Even though years had passed, Teagan struggled with separating herself from her sister again, as their only time spent apart had ended disastrously for both of them, but when the two returned to New York City, she was reminded her of her love for it so this time when Tierney returned to Paris, she took the trip alone.

Teagan applied and was hired at three different burlesque clubs yet none held atmospheres that was was comfortable within. She accepted a job at what felt like the best of the options, but quickly hated the male dominated atmosphere and the low payment of the performers despite how much money the place took in. There was so much growth available and within months, she knew what she wanted - if there wasn’t a good enough place, she would open her own.

Five years were spent, hustling and studying, honing her performance skills while educating herself in business before finally, she was able to bring her dream to life.

As of now, Teagan currently owns, runs and stars in performances at her very own Burlesque club (inspiration here) as well as still running her succeful OnlyFans, both of which have made her name rather notable. (Think Dita von Teese, not famous per se but known in that area. She travels for show and performances and classes and has done interviews and photoshoots, the works.) She’s very feminist and inclusive and her club and it’s staff are a note of that. Despite having the money and ability to live and place her club in North Kingsboro, her and her club both reside in the West instead, a preference for the atmosphere it offers.

Personality

Okay, so basically, look up ‘sinnamon roll’ in the dictionary and you get this baby! She’s an absolute sweetheart, okay? Total cutesy little charmer who just loves life and people and love but like also...a complete and utter flirt and tease. Her performances may be full of theatrics and dramatics but it’s the soul of who she is, mad Dita von Teese vibes. (Honestly if you want to watch this, it’s a pretty good roundup of her; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jAFB-ZCHlA)

Desired Connections

High school friends; could have attended Arts High School with her or just none each other through mutual friends/parties/events.

Exes; serious relationship that ended well and simply didn’t work out, serious relationship that ended badly, hookups, one night stands.

OnlyFans collabs...guys or girls...because we here for the spice.

Coworkers/employees; her club needs everything okay performers, chefs, waitstaff, bartenders, hosts. Hit me with any of these.

Customers; could be from the club, could be from OnlyFans, could be both.

Literally anything you can think of, please hit me with it, okay!!

#it's been 84 years.....#seriously tho im the worst at writing intros dear lord #kingsboro.intro #idk i hope this makes any sense #abortion tw

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pixelgrotto · 4 years ago

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Remixing a tomb plus a highway to hell

Last month I finished DMing Tomb of Annihilation for one of my D&D groups. It’s a campaign that sees heroes adventuring to the land of Chult to stop big bad lich Acererak, who’s made a device known as the Soulmonger that’s emanating a Death Curse and screwing up the world’s resurrection magic. It’s also a spiritual successor to Tomb of Horrors, one of the classic deathtrap dungeons of tabletop RPG history that came about because D&D creator Gary Gygax wanted to screw his players over for opening doors wrong. In short, it’s certainly one of the more memorable adventures for D&D 5e, but the version of Tomb of Annihilation that I ran for my players was actually extremely remixed and hacked apart, as is the case with every official Wizards of the Coast module that I run.

There were a few reasons for this - my players were coming into this campaign fresh out of Curse of Strahd, and everyone was level 8. One of the players had died early on in Curse of Strahd - in the very first session we played, hilariously enough - and was temporarily sustained by the mists of the Shadowfell only to collapse upon returning to the material plane. With this in mind, I felt that it would be a great twist to have the party venture on a quest of resurrection only to learn that resurrection magic throughout the world had stopped working due to Acererak’s nefarious plans.

Additionally, I wanted to give my players the chance to try out alternate characters if they so desired. In the name of grand ambition, I decided to have my players create two sets of characters, and wove a homebrew story, dubbed “Fiends in Waterdeep,” that would run analogous to and eventually intertwine with Tomb of Annihilation. The first set of characters - consisting of some of the veterans who had survived Curse of Strahd - would investigate the streets of Waterdeep, which was suffering from an invasion of devils and demons that seemed unconnected to Acererark’s dark doings. The second set, consisting of new level 8s, would venture to Chult, the vaguely African-inspired landmass in the south of the Forgotten Realms, to track down the source of the Death Curse. After progressing through seemingly unconnected storylines, at the end of the campaign the disparate plot threads would mesh. The Waterdeep explorers would travel to the Nine Hells only to learn that the fiend invasion was caused by the abduction of the Queen of Hell’s newly born infant - a soul-devouring mass of flesh that could open portals into other worlds with its burps and farts - while the Chult expedition would delve into the jungle to find Acererark, smash the Soulmonger and free the aforementioned child.

In short, I basically made a complicated D&D adventure even more complicated by layering my own story on top of it and running two campaigns at once. I think I was looking for a challenge, and oh boy, I got one. I probably won’t be undertaking something like this ever again, because it required a lot of planning hurdles on my part. For instance, my players and I usually gamed for about 5-6 hours at most, which meant devoting 2 and a half or 3 hours to both sets of characters. If one battle lasted too long or a social interaction went south, I’d have to adjust this timeframe accordingly, and every DM knows that players will always defy your expectations in one way or another, so there was a lot of improv on the fly to make sure that our sessions stayed well-paced.

In the name of pacing, I also stripped much of the fat out of Tomb of Annihilation, which is largely composed of a really long hexcrawl. D&D 5e’s hexcrawl exploration and survival rules have never been particularly good, in my opinion, and the rules in the book expect you to roll LOTS of random encounters and deal with stuff like inclement weather, mosquito attacks, hunting, getting lost, etc. I incorporated some of this stuff (the hunting, since we had two rangers in the party), but I pre-rolled all of the random encounters and potential locations the party could go ahead of time, getting rid of some of the ones I didn’t like, and largely handwaved stuff like getting hopelessly lost. Reddit explorations have revealed that by far and large, everyone running this campaign does the same thing - particularly for higher level players trying to get through the jungle without feeling like they’re wasting time. (And from my firsthand experience with Out of the Abyss, there’s nothing worse than going through multiple D&D sessions and feeling like you haven’t accomplished much.)

My approach to streamlining Acererak’s deathtrap lair at the end of the campaign was similar. I skimmed through the entire dungeon with all of its bajillion floors (which could take an average group months to get through) in favor of using the 10 rooms that I liked the most, which was more than enough. Tomb of Annihilation, while probably fairer than Gary Gygax’s Tomb of Horrors, is still in my opinion full of wacky stuff in the final dungeon that just isn’t my cup of tea for D&D, including one trap that can get characters stuck in real-world Victorian London. (Okay, that’s cool on paper, but to actually run it as a DM, especially when your players are in the final hours of their adventure? I’ll pass.)

Additionally, I made Ras Nsi - the warlord-turned-yuan-ti - into more of a developed NPC who was actually willing to help the players slay Acererak. In the book, he’s very much a Darth Maul-type bad guy who looks cool but has a minimum of characterization. This is because Tomb of Annihilation leans into the stereotype that Ras Nsi and the rest of the yuan-ti are all merciless bastards with inscrutable plans, and while this may be fine if you’re familiar with the Conan the Barbarian serpentfolk tropes that inspired the yuan-ti, it’s not great if you’re trying to build a believable world with compelling characters. Much has been written about how Chult stumbles at portraying a fantasy Africa - largely by depicting the characters as foreign saviors and the Chultans as relatively helpless - and while some of this was alleviated in my game by the fact that one player’s character actually was Chultan, I still felt it was necessary to give some of the indigenous races a chance to help undo the curse that, after all, was first and foremost affecting their land.

Switching gears, when it came to the accompanying Fiends in Waterdeep homebrew story, I recycled some material from Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, which I’d previously run for two different groups, and also took inspiration from the Wizards of the Coast module Descent into Avernus. At the time of planning, Descent Into Avernus was the most recent D&D hardcover, and all the reviews I’d read painted it as cool in concept but a major pain in the butt to run in reality. So, I decided to use only the nifty bits - a journey into the first layer of the Nine Hells via Mad Max-style tanks powered by souls - and mixed it with my own tale that was influenced by a profile of Fury, the dragon queen of hell, that I’d read in the third-party 5e supplement Legendary Dragons. It turned into a mildly amusing story about Fury warring against her ex-husband Asmodeus, and the players ended up serving as therapists in what amounted to an interplanar lover’s spat. I’d recently started therapy when I came up with the campaign concept, so this is probably one of those unique instances where real life truly influenced art. And hey, the unpredictable whims of all-powerful, world-shaping deities make for great adventure hooks, and judging by how Greek mythology seems to have re-entered the modern zeitgeist these days (I’m thinking about Hades, one of the most popular indie rougelikes out there, as well as that Netflix series Blood of Zeus) it seems like I was on the nose!

In the end, this two-tiered campaign lasted roughly 70 hours and climaxed with all sets of characters reaching level 10. Acererark’s Soulmonger was smashed, the feud between Fury and Asmodeus smoothed over, and after enduring the eerie mists of the Shadowfell, the hot temperatures of Chult and the flames of Avernus, the story of these motley players - who’d started questing with me back in 2018, and endured a move to online games in the era of COVID - came to a gentle end. I’m a believer in the reality that campaigns don’t necessarily need to last forever, and with real life throwing some of my players (and myself) a few recent curveballs, this seemed like a solid finale point. A consistent campaign running over two years is in many ways a dream for a lot of D&D players and DMs, and I’m glad I got the chance to make it happen.

#pixel grotto #musings #tabletop gaming #dungeons & dragons #d&d #tomb of annihilation

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