#help I’ve never made a comic with this program before-

[stolaz-the-artist]

Hey I like your style, would you ever draw this chat of mine?

https://www.tumblr.com/yoshimickster/172019176472/a-conversation-that-shouldve-god-damned-happened?source=share

I’m back! And with this very nice request here.

I haven’t been too much on the Ninjago fandom in a while, but i do like the change of dialogue. That episode did bother me when i first saw it, so this was a nice idea with a new optional ending.

I also tried this minimal shading technique since im not used with making comics and shading my normal art pieces take hours, but im rather happy with how it turned out. I wanted to make a background but i know I’d get carried away and it’d just add another week or so until this would’ve been done.

I did however add tiny details here there. But i do apologise if i forgot any mayor details of any kind. But i do hope you like it regardless.

[smokescreenimusprime]

Bruh I’ve have this fanfiction idea for awhile in my head and haven’t had the motivation to write it and probably never will, but imagine, sparkling Smokescreen. Like I know Sparklings aren’t canon in Transformers, but it’s used enough that I like them and write about them. But when Smokescreen crash lands on Earth and stuff, the pod around him makes sort of a hologram for him, that builds around his younger body to make it seem as if he’s older than he is for protection. It makes him stronger, faster, smarter, everything. Idk who’d program the pod, maybe another cybertronian who doesn’t want to see the sparkling hurt and turned into a cold hearted killer, so they program the pod and send him off into deep space, and knowing that they’ll be killed at some point, give Smokescreen their memories so it’ll be like Smokescreen was actually a fully grown mech. The Autobots don’t suspect anything, as he has adult memories, he’s in an adult body, and despite acting younger, he acts just like Bumblebee, so why would anyone suspect anything? Maybe in a battle, a vehicon, or maybe when Arcee and Smokescreen were fighting Megatron, that one hit with the dark star saber, caused the program that the pod made to fail and turn back into his younger self. So of course, when he wakes up, he’s really confused and can barely use his limbs as in his older body, he never actually grew, so it’s basically a mech trapped in a Sparklings body, except Smokescreen is actually a sparkling but doesn’t truly know it as he was too young to remember before the bombing of Praxus, and the crash of the status pod probably rattled a few things in his processor.

So idk how this would go, haven’t really thought about it too much but here y’a go :D sparkling Smokescreen, very adorable

ooooooooooo that's a neat idea 👀👀👀

what if the pod sorta worked kinda like how Ultra Magnus did in the IDW comics? Like, "Smokescreen" was originally an armour used by various minicons/smaller bots to fight and this time around was Alpha Trion's guard, but when Iacon fell it wasn't just Trion who was hiding deep in the Archives. There were loads of other bots who seemed shelter within its walls and now were unfortunately trapped

so "Smokescreen," in an attempt to save at least one more life, ends up hiding a sparkling in the frame in their place. Unfortunately in all the chaos they didn't have time to let Trion know about this so the newly made Smokescreen ends up still getting Omega Key-d. When he wakes up he's super confused and is just barely able to shamble his way over to some escape pods and then goes into his multi millennia stasis

and when he wakes up..... well, it's certainly been long enough for his frame to have connected and the processors to have synced together. Smokescreen doesn't even fully realise what's going on because of just how disorienting everything is, and his memories are clashing and trying to fit together. Because of the rush, the Old Smokescreen didn't have time to fully disconnect, so maybe there are still some of their memories lingering in the system which transfer to Current Smokescreen

I'd imagine Smokescreen would be rather clumsy outside of battle. When he fights he can rely on the battle protocols and "muscle memory" of the armour (not that he realises), but outside of that he's a mess. Quite literally tripping over his own feet, misjudging distances and how far his reach is, not knowing his own strength, he's an absolute mess and it frustrates him to no end. He'll also have seemingly random bouts of really bad body dysphoria for no apparent reason

his emotional state is........ very complicated. He gets along GREAT with the kids, but the other Autobots? ehhhhhhhh it's a bit difficult at times, and it really doesn't help that he's consciously aware of how "irrational" his emotions are. He can't help it that he feels so much, but not knowing why he feels the way he does is frustrating at best. Not to mention his social skills are VERY lacking which makes actually communicating what he's feels so much harder, and this definitely creates a bit of a rift with the other Autobots

as for how the Autobots find out........ I had an angsty thought

what if it happens when Smokescreen's on the Nemesis

when Knockout uses the scanner to search for the Omega Key he does find it yes....... but he also sees something very very strange. Another frame inside, a very small one but..... it's different from a minicon......

and the second the Decepticons learn about this they start losing their goddamn minds

because this is a sparkling. A fragging SPARKLING. HERE. MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF YEARS AFTER THE WELL WENT DARK. ON E A R T H

naturally the Decepticons are horrified and do everything they can to safely remove the little thing as quick as possible. Knockout in particular is freaking out because he ripped out the Omega Key rIGHT NEXT TO THE SPARKLING!!!! WHO KNOWS WHAT DAMAGE I'VE CAUSED TO IT-

Smokescreen ofc is also confused and panicking since There's A Sparkling Inside Of Him?!?!?!?!!? but when it gets removed, suddenly things get even more chaotic

I'll admit I'm not super sure how exactly things go from here, but I do have three thoughts

1) Now without the battle protocols and armor stuff constantly yelling at him, Smokescreen's able to act way more like a child, however given how long he was in the armor he still has to deal with the memories from inside it and without the armors added processing power

tldr, the little bean now has Adult Trauma And Memories he's gotta work through while having the brain structure of a child

2) Smokescreen is younger than the kids, but older than a toddler. I was thinking maybe he was the Cybertronian equivilant of 8-9 years old

and 3) what is essentially a custody war starts between the Autobots and Decepticons

[veronicaleighauthor]

Barbara Howard

I’m a huge fan of Abbott Elementary. For those who may not be familiar with it, here’s a brief description:

A workplace comedy centered around a group of dedicated teachers – and an oblivious principal – in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life.

I started watching it not long after the show started, but recently I did a binge watch of it before Season 3 started and fell in love with it. One of the things I really appreciate about the show it’s character, Barbara Howard (portrayed by the brilliant Sheryl Lee Ralph). A veteran kindergarten teacher of over thirty years, you immediately fall in love with her. When we’re introduced to her, she declares she’s a “woman of God.” She’s a Christian and not ashamed of being so. Unlike other portrayals of Christians on comedy shows, even when Barbara says something comical or faith related, we’re never really laughing at her. As opposed to Glenn Sturgis on Superstore, who we laugh at all the time. Now I love Superstore and Glenn Sturgis and I enjoy laughing at him. And it’s perfectly fine for a Christian character to be ditzy, or hypocritical, or the villain; I’ve done it enough in my own stories. But Barbara Howard is one of the few positive portrayals of Christians out there.

The other characters on Abbott Elementary, Janine especially, highly respect Barbara and look to her for guidance since she’s one of the veteran teachers. She’s not perfect, but she’s never hypocritical, or cruel, or vicious. She is very open about her faith, yet she is never abrasive or judgmental. She never attempts to evangelize her coworkers. Others don’t share her beliefs, but they listen and understand her Christian beliefs are part of who she is. Ava, who is her polar opposite in personality and behavior, has referenced church and discussed beliefs and has even given Barbara some much needed advice, which Barbara took. Her closest friend is Melissa Schemmenti, who has some shady connections. Over the years she’s mentored the younger teachers, Janine, Gregory, and Jacob. Her students adore her and more than one has returned to tell her how much of an impact she’s made on their lives.

:: Spoilers from a Recent Episode ::

The recent episode of Abbott Elementary is fantastic. The school’s auditorium is lent out for Barbara’s choir group to sing in. Since Barbara is a talented singer, Ava encourages her to try out for the program. And Barbara does; it’s her wish to sing “Shackles” from MaryMary since in the past it inspired her. We see though that the church ladies don’t really like Barbara. We eventually find out they consider Barbara too “modern” for their tastes. They think she wears too much makeup; that she has too many piercings; that when she goes on cruises, she becomes Sea Barbara who is different from Land Barbara; they also object to her friendships with the more “colorful” teachers of the school.

Barbara isn’t accepted amongst those who are her brothers and sisters in Christ because in their eyes, she is “different.” She may never find acceptance in her church family. However, Abbott Elementary rallies around her and reminds her she will always have a place in their family.

:: Spoilers over ::

Anyway, the whole episode really inspired me because I’ve been struggling with some stuff. And in all honesty, I’ve drifted from God. He’s drawn me back, as He has in the past. But I was able to relate to Barbara and what she was going through – no matter how devout you are in your faith, there will always be another who thinks you aren’t truly living for Him. In the end, we’re only accountable to God and it’s His opinion that matters – not that person in your life giving you the side-eye for you not living up their expectations.

So, if you haven’t already, try Abbott Elementary. You’ll enjoy it, I swear! I can’t wait for tonight’s special episode.

[unhingedmarvelandclassicwhobuff]

I wish I was exaggerating, but I’ve seen a ton of people unironically call her a Nazi.

Anyway, I know a Wanda defense post was circulating through here just a few days ago, but screw it, I’ve had this on my drive for the longest time, so here y’all go. This is every argument I can think of for why Wanda deserved at least some mercy for her actions in Age of Ultron (some of these are taken from the prelude comics, which are canon):

Their parents were killed by a Stark Industries bomb at age 10. Such a horrific experience that young would make anyone hate Tony, even into adulthood. If Tony wasn’t a negligent warmonger, then this never would’ve happened. (Something I find funny is that the people who try to villainize Wanda for her hatred of Tony are often the same ones who think Tony was completely justified when he tried to murder Bucky in Siberia).

Sokovia was based on Eastern European countries that are full of anti-American propaganda, and no matter what age you are, that can be very persuasive.

Wanda and Pietro were approached by List for the experiments. They did not actively seek out Shieldra.

Steve’s conversation with Maria Hill offers some insight into their mindset as well; they just wanted to help their country and volunteered to be made into warriors the same way he was. (It will never not be hilarious to me that anti-Team Cap people claim that saying this means that "Steve is a Nazi sympathizer". Like... what?)

The riots they took part in were in fact orchestrated by Hydra to draw out potential candidates for the experiments. They were being manipulated.

Their motivation wasn't just petty revenge; it was to help their struggling country (hence why when Agatha asks Wanda about it years later, she says "we wanted to change the world". A lot of people took this to mean she was a loyal Hydra agent, when this could not be further from the truth). The possibility of vengeance for their parents was nothing but a silver lining.

The twins were told that they were working for SHIELD, not Hydra. As far as I know, it has never been confirmed if they knew the Avengers worked for SHIELD.

The very first time we see the twins, they are in prison cells. This alone should tell you that they are not equal members of Hydra.

This one is based on nothing but headcanon, but here we go: in the first Avengers film, the team was acting irrationally after just a few minutes in the same room as Loki’s scepter. Wanda and Pietro were exposed to it for a much longer time. I would argue that it amplified their desire for vengeance to the point where their judgement was impaired. It's not a coincidence that they only turned on Ultron after the scepter was dismantled.

After Strucker's base was destroyed, the twins did not try to carry on Hydra's agenda; they went back to living on the streets of Novi Grad and helping civilians (there is even a deleted scene where Pietro helps out some homeless children). They only got involved again because Ultron recruited them. Had he never come online they likely would have become heroes of Sokovia and eventually either joined the Avengers or at least made peace with them anyway.

What Wanda did to the Avengers is not mind-rape. What she did was show them their fears (or I guess in Steve and Nat’s case a glimpse of the past). How they responded to that is on them.

The Ultron program was in the works LONG before Wanda showed Tony his fears, so don’t you dare try to tell me that she planted the idea in his head. You also can’t tell me that she made him believe that “a suit of armor around the world” was a good idea, because he says the exact same thing at the start of Endgame with no prompting whatsoever. She didn’t even reawaken the idea like so many Tony stans love to claim; he thought of it 

As far as Wanda knew, the only thing the scepter did was either kill you or give you powers. She most likely expected Tony to try and recreate Strucker's experiments on her and get himself killed trying to get powers. She had absolutely no way of knowing the scepter would allow Ultron to exist as he did.

Wanda’s illusions incapacitated everyone she touched in Africa. She most likely expected the same thing to happen to Bruce. Also, Johannesburg is over 300 miles from the African Coast. I seriously doubt Wanda made him run that far (or even knew the city existed).

If we do accept the idea that she was a willing member of Hydra, even that doesn’t necessarily mean she doesn’t deserve mercy. There were a lot of former Nazis who were given amnesty after World War Two. And even failing that, like I said earlier there are times when real world logic just doesn’t work for superhero stories.

When Vision is born he is depicted as a being of pure goodness. If he approved of Wanda, that’s enough for me.

The textbook definition of a terrorist is “a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.” Wanda, even when she is serving Ultron, never goes out of her way to harm innocent people (I’ve already covered what she did with Bruce), and she has no political agenda (unless you count wanting to help her country generally), only a desire for vengeance.

You can argue all day about how feeling remorse for your actions doesn't make you better, but she very clearly feels terrible about everything; just watch her scene with Clint near the end of the movie; she has a fucking panic attack because the gravity of everything is finally hitting her, and she is overwhelmed with guilt.

I will admit, her AoU story does feel incomplete. At no point is there a scene where the Avengers debate what to do with her, or whether or not she even deserves mercy or can be trusted. After joining them out of necessity she is accepted as a permanent member without any sort of bridge. But then again, AoU is just not a very good film in general, so I’ll chalk it up to that.

TL;DR - Wanda and Pietro were victims of circumstance and manipulation, as well as a deep-seated hatred caused by severe trauma. Despite some messy writing in their introduction, they. Are. Not. Monsters.

[I know it’s silly to be over-analyzing actions that Wanda has already been narratively redeemed for, and all of this is kind of a moot point after what she has done recently, but to this day I see people arguing that she is a “mind-raping Nazi terrorist bitch who should’ve been depowered, imprisoned, and/or executed, so I felt the need to compile this.]

[asexualbookbird]

hi this is random but you reblogged something the other day about people saying clip studio paint is good for comics, which made me want to try it because I had never heard of it before and I’ve been really interested in learning how to make a webcomic/graphic novel type story

anyway I tried the free trial and it is literally life changing, I’ve been stuck in the adobe dark ages because it was all I knew and trying out new art programs is super overwhelming and intimidating for me. like I know the post was sort of poking fun at csp, but seriously thank you so much for reblogging it bc I never would have thought to try it otherwise and now I can make art that would have made my computer cry if I tried to make it in an adobe program

so anyway cancelling my adobe subscription so I can switch to csp bc an annual membership is like $3 more than just one month of adobe 😭 thank you for helping me see the light

HELL YEAH HELL YEAH!!!!!!!! You don't even nee dan annual membership for CSP! you can just one time buy the software and thats that!!!! sometimes people will sell their own assets in the CSP asset gallery but thats waaay different than "pay adobe 60$/month for enshittified ai garbage"

have fun! happy arting!!!!

[prozach27]

Personal rants; delete later

A common belief I was told growing up is that we choose this life before we live it. We write out our story, collaborate with others on theirs, and weave a novel worth reading. As unlikely as this may be, it’s one I hold dear because it reminds me to recognize that when something bad has happened, it may have been worth it for the good it will bring later in the story. So often something will feel like the end of the world and when you look back, you can see how that pain was necessary for experiences you couldn’t live without.

I had to leave my PhD program for two years, and I always saw this as a crystal clear case of me choosing the wrong program. There was one that I was SO interested in accepting an offer from, and I had devoted my whole LIFE to my career, so it was a devastating blow to attend this PhD and watch my progress fall apart due to faulty advising and a toxic environment.

However.

Because the environment was so COMICALLY bad, it led me to leave the program for two years. There was just about no circumstances that could do that to me, but this program did. In those two years, I got mental health help, I became a therapist, I got promoted to a mental health crisis responder, and I gained valuable life experience and stress management techniques. I was able to work with planned parenthood to pass city ordinances that would limit the disruption of far-right extremists on planned parenthood operations. I helped propel my city into taking a stand against the convicted SA offender in our queer nonprofit that was poised to take advantage of children. Most importantly, I was able to be the hospice provider my grandma needed during her last six months. My mom couldn’t have done that job alone. There is no doubt in my mind about that. But because I left the program, I was able to be in Spokane to be there for her.

I’ve spent years looking at that two-year period and thinking it was a failing on my part. I messed up and couldn’t cope with the stress of this toxic program and it ruined my life. Things were dark. But from that broken rock bottom, I was able to be there for moments in my life that I would give up my career for. I was the one who realized my grandma had dementia. I was the one who got to spend every day for six months with her, holding her hand and making her feel relaxed and taking care of her, and none of that would have happened if I wasn’t there. That was worth giving up my career in academia. I’m resilient. I’ll find something else. I can’t believe that never hit me until now.

I’m going to be fine. I’m happy. Having invested that much of my identity in my career was already incredibly toxic. This not only broke that cycle, it let me be there for the person I love and make their last moments perfect. I was able to protect my community from extremists and offenders. Looking back… if I knew then what I know now, and could see the path I took compared to the path of academic success and achievement… I would choose this path. I would choose it every time. Fully processing the decision, there’s zero doubt in my mind. I made the necessary choice.

And honestly? No matter what comes next, I’ll be fine.

[saintlike78]

Little one [L.M.]

A/N: This is an au where both Voldy (mr. no-nose) and Narcissa don’t exist. Lucius is just mean, but not evil, yk

Pairing: Lucius Malfoy x fem! reader

Words: 3.4k

Summary: You start your internship at the ministry, working for the infamous Lucius Malfoy. You’re scared after only having heard horrible things about the man, but will your opinion change. (Take a lucky guess)

Warnings: NSFW! 16+, vaginal sex, oral (fem receiving), overstimulation, mention of cum, soft dom! Lucius, slight implication of older man/younger woman, slight sir kink, intern reader. As always lmk if I missed anything.

Fixing and smoothing out your skirt, you took one last look in the mirror before releasing a long nervous sigh and headed out the door. Your internship at the ministry was starting today and you could feel the bubbles of anxiety in your stomach churning, your hands slightly clammy at the thought of who you were interning with - none other than the infamous Lucius Malfoy.

You had almost cried when you received the owl carrying the letter to inform you who you’d be interning with, having only heard horrible things about the man.

You’d heard that he was rude, mean, and had absolutely no patience, especially not with interns such as yourself, his last three interns having quit within the first week of working for him.

——

Your body was trembling slightly, your heart beating out of your chest as you stepped off the elevator and into the long hallway.

The doors were tall and dark, emphasizing that behind them sat important wizards, more important than you would ever be.

You walked past three doors before you were met with one with bold gold lettering spelling out ‘Lucius Malfoy’.

You took a deep breath, lifting your hand slowly before knocking on the door loud enough for it to be heard on the other side.

“Enter,” a dark voice announced from the opposite side of the door.

You took another breath before opening the large door with shaky hands; you almost toppled over from the weight of the door, but you managed to enter the office without embarrassing yourself.

The office was bigger than you could’ve ever imagined, the interior decorated with a black, green, and silver color scheme - the owner had obviously been a Slytherin during their time at Hogwarts.

Your eyes looked all around the room taking in all of the expensive detail such as a black marble fireplace and a reading area the size of a small library, lastly, your attention fell on the grand black wooden desk placed in front of the large window. Your breath hitched when your eyes finally landed on the man seated behind the desk; his long blond hair falling to rest upon his black coat, his figure proud and tall even in his seated form. His icy eyes burned into you, looking you over and raising an eyebrow.

“Are you done looking around, girl?” his unimpressed tone pulled you out of your trance, your heart pounding once more.

“Yes, I’m sorry, Mr. Malfoy,” you apologized, your fingers fiddling behind your back to keep away the anxiety.

“Hmm, and who might you be?” Even though he was the one asking the question, his slow bored tone made him seem less interested than if he’d kept quiet.

“My name is y/n… I’m an intern… I’m supposed to be taught by you, I got an owl explaining everything… maybe there’s been a mis-“ your rambling was cut off by a raise of Lucius’ hand, your mouth instantly clamping shut.

“I am well aware of the… internship program,” he said with disgust, “well get over here and make yourself useful.”

With a few quick steps, you were standing in front of his desk, looking at him and waiting for instructions.

“What you would you have me do, sir?”

He pointed at the chair beside you, then at a stack of paper on your side of the desk, “I’ll only be explaining how to do this once… I will not be disturbed when I am working, you will keep your mouth shut and do your work, and then maybe you’ll be able to get through the month.”

You nodded quickly and listened to him explain how to do your work; he explained slow and simple as if you were a child, his voice still unimpressed.

“Now, get on with it,” he dismissed you, your head quickly dipping to focus on the paperwork in front of you as he went back to his own work, silence soon filling the large office.

——

You were afraid to make even the tiniest of sounds, but you found that the silence was a comfortable one - Lucius wasn’t as scary in silence.

The silence was interrupted by a loud knock on the door, your head shooting up to look at the door, but Lucius’ focus was still on his work.

“What?” he grumbled, loud enough for the person on the other side to hear.

The door opened slowly, a young nervous-looking man, holding a cup, entered the office.

“Mr. Malfoy, s-sir, I’ve got your c-coffee,” he stuttered, his hands trembling as he reached the desk, giving you a glance and a sympathetic smile, before placing down the coffee.

Lucius didn’t say a word, only stopping his writing to grab the cup and bringing it to his lips as he took a small sip. You found yourself oddly mesmerized as you looked at him; you couldn’t deny that he was awfully attractive, but you quickly shook your head burying that thought deep down.

His naturally displeased face turned into one of disgust, his lips turned down in a scowl.

“Are you that incompetent that you cannot remember a simple order? Once again it is wrong,” his tone was laced with distaste, his right hand grabbing his cane before loudly banging it against the floor causing both you and the young assistant to jump.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t bother coming into work tomorrow or ever again,” he said calmly, but still with his naturally disgusted tone.

With another bang to the floor, he raised his voice, almost to a yell, “now… get out!”

The young man bowed, almost comically, before practically running out of the office, shutting the door behind him.

Lucius let out a displeased ‘humph’ before letting his focus go back to the work in front of him, his finger tapping gently on the wooden desk.

Your eyes were still trained on his face, not sure what to think, but knowing to not cross him.

“I’d advise you to get back to work and quit your staring, girl… unless you want to also not come back tomorrow,” Lucius said without even looking up at you.

You were slightly embarrassed to have been caught staring, but quickly went back to your work as to not agitate him further, mumbling an almost silent, “I’m sorry, sir.”

As your focus went back to your work, you missed the small smirk that played at Lucius’ lips.

——

A week had passed and already you felt much more comfortable in the presence of the tall intimidating man, the silence that filled the office every day comforting to you as you did your work.

Throughout the week you had dared to ask him for help a couple of times; the first time he had helped you with a displeased frown, but each time he helped he seemed less hostile and more willing. One of the times there had been a problem you were too inexperienced to fix by yourself and Lucius had made you move your chair to the opposite side of his desk to sit beside him, to look over you and help. You were surprised that when you went to move your chair back he stopped you with a raised hand, “you might need more help with this problem and I do not want to listen to the scraping of the chair again.”

You were even more surprised when you had moved the chair back, only to find it beside his chair the next morning, a small space cleared out for you on his desk, giving you enough room to work beside him.

——

More days passed and you found yourself in quiet conversation with the man, small fleeting smiles shared, much to your surprise and pleasure.

He was much more pleasant the more you conversed, the more time you spent with him in that office.

One day, you left the office with him to deliver some of your paperwork and grab some more for you, you having worked faster than anticipated and finished the prescribed paperwork before your deadline.

Stepping off of the full elevator you had to maneuver yourself between numerous amount of people, the ministry bustling with hard-working wizards.

Lucius had placed a large hand, the one not holding his cane, on the small of your back, guiding you through the crowd. You looked up at him in surprise, but his gaze was set forward, his icy composure never leaving him outside of the office, yet you felt the warmth from his hand and warmth on your cheeks from the blush.

You made your way through the ministry, successfully dropping off and gathering new paperwork.

On your way back to the office you ran into a pair of Lucius’ more respectable colleagues - respectable in the sense that it was the colleagues he respected enough to converse with.

You stood silently beside Lucius as he spoke with the two men about Merlin knows what, that was until one of the men acknowledged you.

“So is this a new one?”

Your head snapped up, confusion written on your face, having no idea what he meant. Lucius placed a hand on your shoulder, giving it a subtle squeeze only noticeable to you.

“Yes, but this one has at least lasted longer than a week,- not as incompetent as the last ones,” he grumbled and you understood that they were talking about the previous interns, feeling a little dumb for the quick feeling of jealousy that had passed through you.

You nodded slowly and smiled at the men before yourself and Lucius trudged the rest of the way back to his office.

You entered the office with Lucius close behind you, closing the door softly.

You made your way over to his desk to set down the paper, placing them gently down with your back to Lucius, not hearing as his steps came closer to you.

“What was that back there?” Lucius questioned, his tone as gentle as it could be.

You were about to answer, but your breath caught in your throat when you turned around and you were staring directly into the chest of Lucius Malfoy, your neck craning to look at his face.

“I-I… what do you mean?” You stuttered, trying to compose yourself and not focus on the closeness of his being.

“Don’t play dumb now, little one,” he smirked, “I know jealousy when I see it.”

He pressed you against his desk, cupping your cheek with one hand before leaning down to be level with your face.

“Why were you jealous, my girl?” he whispered, the smirk still evident on his much too smug face.

You shivered at the nickname, “I-I wasn’t,” your face was red, your voice was low almost a whisper.

“Hmm, don’t lie to me,” Lucius spoke, his tone reminding you of his superiority as he rested his cane against the desk and used his now free hand to squeeze your hip.

“I’m sorry,” you said as you broke your eye contact, feeling slightly embarrassed, cheeks burning under his intense gaze.

“Look at me, little one, no need to feel embarrassed,” he stroked your cheek softly.

You hesitated a moment before meeting his gaze once more, his eyes soft as he looked down upon you.

You swallowed down your nerves, your mind not fully being able to comprehend that this was happening, but you tried to ground yourself slightly by reaching your hands up to rest upon his shoulders.

“Lucius, please,” you whimpered, earning yourself another smug smirk from the man in front of you, but your whine was the only confirmation he needed before he leaned down to connect your lips.

The kiss was anything but slow, your mouths working hungrily against one another as your bodies melded together. Your arms were holding him close around his neck, your hands grabbing onto the black fabric of his jacket. His hands were placed firmly on your waist, his fingers digging into the soft flesh; he used the grip on you to lift you onto the desk, your legs instantly spreading for him to get in between.

Your whine broke the kiss, your hips bucking involuntarily into his for friction. He chuckled, both of you breathless, his grip on your hip tightening to keep you in place.

“So desperate, little one,” he taunted, lightly grinding his hips into yours, a gasping moan ripped from your throat.

He picked at the hem of your skirt, “you’ve been driving me mad with all these small skirts of yours,” he said as he slowly started hiking your skirt up enough for your soaked panties to be visible for him.

“Is this okay,” he asked, pecking your lips a couple of times, waiting for your consent to continue with what he had planned.

“Yes, more than okay, Lucius,” you nodded quickly, leaning in to reconnect your lips in another heated kiss.

Your hands ran through his hair, feeling the silky blond strands between your fingers as he snuck his tongue into your mouth to work against yours.

Lucius broke the kiss, too soon in your opinion, which you made clear with a whine.

“Patience, my sweet girl,” he said with a grin; you tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear as you stared into his eyes, waiting for him to continue.

Slowly he got down on his knees before you, hiking your skirt up with a lift of your hips, your heart was beating fast with anticipation.

He placed a thumb right on the center of your panties before releasing a pleased hum, “look at that, all wet for me.”

You let out a small whimper, “Lucius, please.”

“What do you want? Use your words, little one,” he smirked.

Your cheeks burned, “please, want you to… taste me.”

His smile was wide as he dragged your panties down your legs, “good girl, such good manners,” he praised.

Lucius wasted no time, leaning in to place a kiss on your aching clit, pulling the nub between his teeth gently sucking before using his tongue to put pressure on it.

Your breath caught in your throat at the actions and multiple moans could be heard throughout the large office, your hands gripping his hair while also keeping him in place. His arms reached under your thighs, holding you to his face, his hands squeezing at the smooth flesh.

“Oh, my gods, Lucius,” you moaned, head tipping back as his tongue went in circles around your clit occasionally stopping to put pressure on it or to softly kiss the nub.

Shutters ran up your spine as you grew closer to the familiar feeling of an orgasm, your eyes fluttering slightly at the effort of keeping them open. Your right hand had moved from his hair to grab onto the top of his hand on your thigh; his hand loosened its grip on you, letting you place your hand under his, holding onto it for comfort.

“Lucius, I’m gonna cum,” you announced through moans, but it only made Lucius pull away from your drenched, pulsing cunt, prompting a disapproving whine to leave your mouth.

“Remember to use your manners, little one, that’s not how we ask for the things we want,” he scolded lightly, leaning into kitten lick at your clit to keep you right on edge.

“I’m sorry… please, may I cum, sir?”

Lucius smirked and hummed in content, “go ahead love,” he gave his approval before he dove back in, suckling at your clit till you were shaking in pleasure.

The pressure snapped, a loud moan torn from your throat as you came all over Lucius’ tongue, which he used to lick up everything you produced for him. Your hand gripped his tighter as he worked you through your orgasm, your vision blurred and your cunt pulsing around the air.

He gave one last kiss to your clit, making you jolt before he unhooked his arms from under your thighs and stood up to tower over you once more. He used his thumb to wipe away the wetness on his chin before guiding it to your mouth prompting it to open for him, suckling your release off his finger.

“Are you ready to take my cock in that sweet little cunt of yours, my sweet?” he asked to which you nodded furiously, with his thumb still in your mouth.

“Ah ah, words, darling,” he said with a stern look, “tell me what you want.”

He removed his thumb from your mouth to let you answer him, “fuck me, please.”

He chuckled at your bluntness but chose to let it slide as he reached down to free his painfully hard cock from his trousers.

With it freed, he lifted you with his hands hooked under your arms; you immediately wrapped your legs around his hips and clung to him as he moved you over to a wall of the office. He placed you against it, wrapping an arm behind your back holding you to him, his other hand placed behind your head.

He maneuvered your body down, his cock sliding into you with ease, both of you releasing simultaneous breaths of satisfaction.

He waited a moment for you to permit him to move, but your impatient nature shone through when you started moving your hips, trying to bounce the best you could in the position you were in. Lucius chuckled but understood and started moving, bucking into you, taking over for you.

You moaned, the overstimulation running through you at every thrust of his hips to yours. The feeling of his cock sliding into you slowly to savor the moment, his arm keeping you close to him and his hand holding onto the back of your head to keep you from banging against the wall, it was all heaven.

“You’re taking me so well, little one,” Lucius grunted, his thrusts picking up speed, to bring you both closer to your release.

Your fingers gripped onto his jacket tightly as your whimpers and moans picked up the frequency, “L-Lucius.”

You fell forward, burying your face in the crook of his neck as you felt yourself grow closer after each thrust of his hips, his hand followed your head, holding onto you tightly.

The tip of his cock deliciously prodded at your g-spot, his pubic bone dragging over your clit creating mind-numbing friction and you clenched around him.

He understood and picked up his speed, leading you right to the edge.

“Lucius, please may I cum?” You pleaded between moans, wishing desperately to be tipped over the edge he had left you on.

“Go on, cum for me, my sweet girl.”

With his permission you were over the edge in seconds, your body shaking and twitching in his strong grasp; your cunt pulsed around him as he thrust you through your release, but the sounds of your moans and the feeling of your warm walls milking him prompted his release.

He gave a couple of hard thrusts before he stilled and released a long deep moan, filling you with his warm seed. You moaned at the feeling, unburying your head to be face to face with him once more, leaning in to connect your lips in a slow kiss as he worked you both through your orgasms.

After he was done filling you up, he walked you over to the desk again, pulling out and setting you down slowly on shaky legs, yet he kept his arms around you to make sure you didn’t collapse. He grabbed the cane resting against the desk to collect his wand and clean you and himself up before he tucked himself away and bent down to grab your panties that were thrown on the floor.

He helped you put them on, tapping each of your feet to get them through and up your legs; Lucius kissed your thigh before rising to his full height again to smile softly at you.

“I still have work to do,” he stated, but he regret his tone after seeing your face drop ever so slightly in your bleary headspace.

“Oh, of course… do you want me to leave?” you avoided his eyes as you asked the question, afraid that he would say yes.

Lucius let out a light chuckle and shook his head, “of course not, you’ll stay here, darling girl.”

He hooked his hands under your arms once more, lifting you up, making you wrap your limbs around him once again. He walked around the desk towards his chair, sitting down on it with you, he turned you sideways on his lap so you could watch him work if you wanted to, but also giving you the freedom to just rest on him.

You watched his face, memorizing his features, thinking back to how nervous he made you, how scary he seems to everyone else and how lucky you were to have been granted access to a whole other side of him, only for you.

Tags: @teenwolfbitches28, @emma67, @sprucewoodlover, @i-love-scott-mccall, @pottahishotasf, @mjoubertt-1, @methblinds, @maraudersbijj, @samaraaaaa,

[dreamkidddream]

Those Doll!anon fics were really amazing! I really wanna do something like it if you don’t mind. Could I maybe get a Yorkie!MC? Like, a really short, really friendly MC until they feel like they or one of the brothers/undateables are being threatened or insulted, then they try to pick a fight they’d obviously lose? I’m just laughing at the mental imagine of this short, unthreatening human yelling at and trying to square up against a demon lol.

Awww tysm!! 💙I missed writing for Obey Me (and we also hit 666 followers at this point 😈💜) and since this was so interesting I decided that I’m gonna do the Undateables first and then do the brothers cause I feel like I don’t show them enough love 😔 reader is gender neutral!

The Undateables with Yorkie!MC

Diavolo

He is LOVING your energy

Your happiness is so contagious, it just adds onto his already cheery demeanor. He honestly feels his cheeks hurting from smiling even more when you’re around (and he doesn’t even care!)

He’s gonna buy Lucifer so much Demonus as a thank you for picking you for the exchange program. Seriously, you’re PERFECT (for him)

As the President of Student Council and future King, he loves seeing you interact with the other students, and he’s glad that they’re reacting positive to you. At least some of them do

Now, no one is to foolish (or powerful) enough to threaten Diavolo or do anything to you that can bring you harm. They can try, but they won’t be getting the results that they hope for

But he can’t help it but find it amusing when you try to “defend his honor” when someone bad mouths him. He makes sure to not let it show (gotta be professional after all) but he does tease you about it later. You’re so small and seeing you just yelling square up to this demon is hilarious. He has no idea what geometry has to do with this, but he’s learned some new slang thanks to you!

He’s finally found someone who’ll go along with his antics and more. Whereas other people may complain about him wanting to do fun activities that seem basic, you just flash a big smile, grab his hand and tell him to lead the way

(You even made matching friendship bracelets and he refuses to take it off, ever)

You really make him happy MC. He doesn’t remember the last time he’s ever felt this lighthearted, and he doesn’t feel the sense of loneliness that he felt himself getting used too

Also Lucifer gets twice the headache now, but the Demonus helps it go away (temporarily)

Barbatos

Ah, so another Luke, except older and that you take your threats of violence very serious, if what he sees (both in the present and the future) holds true (which it does)

You’re still harmless in his eyes though

Your friendly personality makes it easy for you to be forgiven for a lot of things…even if your actions make him give you the side eye at times

Despite how energetic you are (which is something that he’ll never grow tired of) your presence has a relaxing effect on him. Even if he has to warn you sometimes to be careful with the way that you bounce around so much, especially when he’s in the kitchen

He unfortunately can’t be by your side as he is Lord Diavolo’s butler, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t keep watch on you, even without the use of his powers

With how outgoing you are, you’re bound to attract trouble, in which you do at a constant rate. What was comical however, is that it seemed like the trouble you attracted was on his behalf

“MC, what seems to be the issue here?”

“BARB! You won’t believe this! This jerk has the nerve to call you stuck up- well I can show you stuck up! After I stick my foot up your- Huh? Hey, why am I the one being dragged away?! W- count yourself lucky that Barb is saving you right now demon! But this isn’t over- MPH!”

“I hate to spoil you before our tea party, but you were already late and I have been meaning to have you try my new recipe that I’ve been working on…”

You were too busy trying to savor the delicious flavor to focus on what just happen, which was his plan all along. You get to try more of his delicious treats and he gets to enjoy your touch and company. Crisis averted!

He’s crafty enough to have plans to evade you “fighting” and you haven’t caught on yet (or maybe you did and just feign ignorance? Either way works for him)

It doesn’t bother him what people say about him, he doesn’t care in the slightest (and they’re not bold enough to say it to his face). What he cares about is making sure that you keep your carefree energy, and that he keeps to see you with your radiating smile on your face

Simeon

You remind him so much of Luke. Are you sure you’re not from the Celestial Realm too?

Don’t worry he’s only teasing you (kinda) but you do have just as much energy if not MORE than Luke

And you don’t mind helping him either, no matter how “silly” his requests may be

“You’re doing great Si! See, you didn’t even need my help!”

“MC, I couldn’t have gotten to this point without you. My pictures are still coming out a little blurry, but that could be because you wouldn’t stand still- but it does add special kind of charm to them…”

He’s keeping them btw

He was shook when he saw you go off the first time, like he really wasn’t expecting it (Solomon did try to warn him, he was laughing but he did try to warn him)

“Don’t think just because he’s an angel means I’m bout to act like one! I will end you!”

MC please don’t make this demon “catch these hands” violence isn’t necessary

He doesn’t know what that means but he’s scared that he’s gonna find out if he doesn’t hold you back

He has reprimanded you each time when you try to fight others. He knows that demons see him as weak and talk behind his back, but he chooses to ignore them, to turn the other cheek. But just because he does, doesn’t mean that you do, and he sees that now

Simeon really doesn’t want you to fight, and it’s not even because it’s against his nature (it’s part of the reason, just not the whole reason). Fighting leads to injury, and injury leads to distress, and that’s the last thing that he wants to happen to you. And he’s not going to let anything happen to you!

He truly believes it’s a waste of time and energy, and you could find better things to do. For example, by spending time with him!

Simeon may not be your guardian angel officially, but he’s your guardian angel. Always

Has definitely written a character based on you

Luke

Is immediately upset that you don’t stay in Purgatory Hall with him, and even more upset that you don’t live in the Celestial Realm

You’re like the best older sibling he’s never had! And you don’t treat him like a baby either!

Or he’s just admiring you too much to notice

You never hesitate to help him with anything; baking, homework, pretty much anything and everything. He may try to make it seem like you need his assistance, but we all know it’s the other way around (with the exception of Luke himself)

We all know that Luke gets teased by the brothers and even his roommates sometimes (looking at you Solomon), but it’s just harmless teasing (for the most part). It’s when he hears what the other students say about him that gets to him- he tries to show that it doesn’t bother him and he tries to stand up for himself but- their words really hurt him

And no one hurts Luke and gets away with it

You already get onto the brothers for their teasing when it starts to bother him, and now the brothers have to jump in to stop you from trying to rip this demon horns’ off

You can’t really reach them and they’re pretty sure you won’t do any damage, but they rather not take the chance of you getting hurt

It’s not the first or last time that you do this either, and it just makes him feel horrible. He’s the angel here, the one that’s suppose to protect you, not the other way around!

You help him out so much, either without defending him you do so much for him already. How can he ever repay you? He feels like whatever he does won’t be enough…WAIT- he figured out what he can do!

He can get stronger and protect you! He can go to Beel so that you don’t have to fight for him anymore, or maybe have Solomon make some potions that’s like demon repellent but only for those jerks. If those mean demons see how serious and strong he is, then they’re bound to leave you guys alone! Maybe he can show you some tricks too once he’s done. He has to hurry up and tell you the plan then, you guys can’t wait any longer!

Their words do hurt, but so does seeing you putting yourself in harms way to protect him. You can’t do all the protecting MC, he needs to watch out for you too, no if ands or buts about it!

You and Luke are the duo we never knew we needed

Solomon

Ah, it’s about time he found a human as interesting and adorable as you. Where having you been hiding all his lifetime?!

He has wayyyy more fun teasing you than Luke. Your pout just makes things x100 better and cuter

Congrats on becoming his new victim MC

Another one to find you very amusing when you try to fight and won’t stop you either

He will dead serious be recording you trying to fight on his DDD. He’ll make sure that it doesn’t escalate but who is he to stop such entertainment?

He has become tempted to cast a superhuman strength spell on you, and he ends up doing it “on accident” (which has happened more than once)

Lucifer has done the “I’m watching you” thing to him every time he has lmao

But no seriously, he won’t let you get hurt; he won’t even let the chance arise. He’s already pulling you away before you can get yourself worked up fully, dragging you to the library or his room to test some new spells (one that he tempts you can use on these demons). It’s enough to get your attention back on him

You’re a daily source of his amusement and someone that he wants MC, but that doesn’t mean he can afford his favorite human getting hurt on his watch!

He’s no stranger to the gossip about him, nor is he clueless. It’s just all talk anyway, he doesn’t care and neither should you. But it is touching to know that you care this much about him and how he feels…

But he doesn’t want you to do this for him. He’s a powerful sorcerer, he can easily solve this without breaking a sweat if he wanted to, but he doesn’t deem it worthy to even waste a drop of potions on. But since you’re so concerned, maybe a quick kiss would make him feel better?

He thought you were a little gullible, but that’s not the case. You just have a very open and bright personality, one that he finds himself getting attached to more and more as each day passes

If he’s not careful, he might get more enamored with you than he already is-

[faisdm]

The one downside to Tumblr, compared to say, Twitter, is that Tumblr just doesn’t care about your original works. It is painfully difficult to get people on Tumblr to give even a single shit about an original comic, story or game. It’s not a new thing, of course, it’s been like that for over a decade... but it’s always disappointing, and if you’re new here and thinking “maybe someday if I get really good and get published, or get really popular in a fandom, they’ll care!” No... sorry, they won’t, and you need to know that, or you’ll keep trying to please them and slowly get worn down by it as nothing you do seems to get you anywhere, even if you’re giving them everything they loudly proclaim they want.

It’s bizarre; people on Tumblr would rather invent an entire non-existent movie by rich cishet people and pretend it has gay subtext- subtext! Not even text!- than read original queer works by queer creators and discuss and celebrate them! Like, FFS, Tumblr, LOVE YOURSELVES. The best you can imagine for yourselves is hypothetically being queerbaited!?

And don’t get me wrong, I love the shared creativity of all the posters and things and the in-joke of the made up gangster movie, but coming back to Tumblr after a while on Twitter, hoping for a “better place” I’m inevitably reminded of why I always end up drifting off it. I want people to read my work; I put a lot of effort into it, and spending time on a platform that aggressively doesn’t give a shit while proclaiming “boy, I wish there were more things like [describes exactly my work]... but there aren’t, so we’ll just have to pretend the characters from this straight series by straight people might have maybe not been straight!” is just....EUGH. It’s tiresome! People on twitter will take a chance on it! People on Tiktok will give it a go, and even Facebook! It has thousands of subscribers, it’s on a Tapas program, it ran a pretty successful Kickstarter, and I’ve been published multiple times, so it’s clearly not a bad comic... and it has everything Tumblr claims to like in it! Sword lesbians, political metaphors, meme jokes, autistic and nonbinary representation, positive bisexual rep... AND it’s made by a long-time Tumblr person from the fucking Homestuck fandom! (over ten years as admin and VA on one of the biggest Homestuck projects that exists, an artist on not just fan albums, but two of the official albums!) What more can I give you to convince you this comic is for you, Tumblr!? I made it for you!

The problem with Tumblr is that everyone talks like they’re super open-minded and totally interested in supporting marginalised people... but they’re really not? They’re actually interested in curating an image, and if “supporting marginalised people” is part of that image, somebody will reblog content about the concept of supporting marginalised people. But you’re marginalised in publishing and hoping Tumblr will actually support your work focused on themes and groups underrepresented in media? Tumblr won’t help you, because people on Tumblr people only care about a thing if you can make it fit within the narrow band of “on brand” things that they’re already into. So you actually have to have a massive fandom already before Tumblr will feel like your fandom’s content has an audience and so is safe to share as part of the brand you’ve curated.

...and sadly, that’s why for original creators, Tumblr can never replace Twitter, even though Twitter is the worst; because we need to find people who will actually try new things, and Tumblr people don’t. They’ll just sit there, reblogging the same stuff about “what if these two canonically straight white men in suits cuddled a little bit?” And then make the tired excuse that “Well, I HAVE to do this because nobody provides the real queer content I would totally consume if it was real!” and waving that very real queer content in their faces will just result in them pretending not to see it.

[inksandpensblog]

Hello inks^-^

erm... dunno how to say it correctly but...

(AvA related) a few months ago, you posted an character analyse that you and your friend made for RGBY.

I wanted to thank you for this, that helped me a lot when I started to make my comics (even tho i put my own twist on the sticks' interpretation/personality so that doesnt follow 100% your analyse oops -u-') and i still use your analyse even now.

ANYWAY, i am very grateful for you sharing your ideas ^-^ Thank you.

but i was curious to know if you also had an analyse for Orange/The Second Coming character. I am curious ouo''

I am wishing you a very good day -u-'

(i love your fanfics by the way, i cant read them all in one go unfortunately, but I love how your interpretation is completely different to mine. Thats so interesting! I love it >w<)

-tulipsempai

Hi Tulip! I’m happy to share, and thank you for waiting so patiently!

One thing I always think of when it comes to Orange is actually something that’s more prevalent in his earlier videos than in his more recent ones: he seems to not…know the pc landscape as intuitively as Chosen One and Dark Lord did (Victim never left the animation program so I can’t really use him to contrast. Though interestingly, Victim and Orange do seem to share an intuitive understanding of the animation program). When Orange breaks RYGB out to play around, he acts like everything is as new for him as it is for them, even though he has a few more seconds (heh) of experience over them. In the early Minecraft videos (The Building Contest), he has to steal the letters from words that are already on the page to get the search result he wants, but by the current arc (Lush Caves) he’s apparently learned how to type it somehow, like Dark Lord does in Showdown.

Keeping that first point in mind, I’ve also noticed that in AvA4, Orange fought Alan in a way that none of the three sticks before him had, and I don’t just mean the “talking.” He’s the only stick whose actions would have consequences for Alan that concerned more than just the integrity of his computer. Impersonating Alan on Facebook and trying to call 911 from Alan’s phone are things that have consequences in the world completely beyond the pc, so I find it interesting that Orange even knew to try things like that when he wasn’t even ten minutes into sentience.

On multiple occasions (AvA4, AvLoL, AvPokemon, AvArcade) Orange is shown forgiving his opponents rather quickly. Once differences have been resolved, he doesn’t seem to hold grudges, and is even willing to initiate, and usually pursue, a friendship in the same instant. His anger doesn’t last long. At the same time, said anger tends to grow pretty rapidly once it starts. Orange goes from 0 to 100 real quick once he’s been upset (AvA4, PvP, AvPokemon, Note Block Battle, Lush Caves, The Ultimate Weapon). My friend Kitty had this to say about Orange’s unique flavor of anger:

@k1ttyadventurer: It feels like Red's anger is more erratic and impulsive (while keeping in mind that fighting is not always his go-to response when angry).

(Actually, it's not Orange's go-to response either. Funnily enough, it may very well be Green's go-to response, though. Green is less impulsive, but it feels like that would be his answer most of the time when angry.)

(Okay, tangent over-)

Meanwhile, if Orange is angry enough to take action, it's very focused. He singles out his target(s) with complete tunnel vision, it feels.

Oh, note that this only happens when he's alone against an enemy.

This is likely the reason why (as I've noticed) Orange performs better in combat when alone.

And even when it’s not real anger, he can still be a little petty when he isn’t getting his way (PvP, Redstone Academy, Texture Pack, Note Block Battle, Parkour), as long as he’s unaware of any danger that would make him feel too wary to be petty. On that note, my friend Jules had this to say:

@skala: It seems to me that he takes on a protective role when he's with the color gang in a new environment, but when he's on his own, or with the others on Alan's pc, the more mischievous aspects of his personality shine through.

I’ve also noticed that Orange is the most habitually domestic of the stickfigures. Many of his free-time activities are some form of simple relaxation (AvYT before the buffering started, Skyblock, The Piglin War, Lush Caves, Animation vs Trash), and he has by far the most basic-looking room in the Minecraft house (yeah Red’s room is tiny and sparsely decorated but he also built a decent-sized rooftop garden for his pets; Orange just has a single orange tulip, one in-game painting, and a fireplace we’ve never seen lit).

Lastly, my friend Kitty handed me an interesting observation on how Orange fights:

@k1ttyadventurer: When he fights the witch alone, he does really well, no mistakes.

When he fights the witch alongside the others, obviously they don't beat her, but more importantly for us, he trips up a few times, even with the others making up for his trip ups.

(Also, just look at him fighting the evil bunny. For some reason, I can't imagine him going that wild and relentless around his friends, and I'm not sure why exactly.)

That’s all I have on Orange for now! Good day (or night, whichever it is for you when you read this) to you!

(I’m so glad you like my fics ^_^ I honestly find the differences between our interpretations super intriguing. Especially with Victim)

[bakubungaloo]

Dying For A Hero

Breaking News: Quirk-related accidents are at an all-time high. Stay away from red zoned people-incredible danger.

According to the World Health Organization, "disastrous quirks are evolving at an unprecedented rate... not enough genetic variation to offset the DOOMSDAY Theory."

Pros Dying Before the Age of 30, Doing More Harm Than Good

Birthrate Decline: Overpowered Quirks, Too Dangerous for Offspring

Total population of Quirkless individuals 5% as of 3022-  Many nations implement Birth programs to produce balanced quirks

Quirk-repressors, high demand, low affordable costs,

Ten years ago, the war for quirk society, fought and won by the pro heroes and high school children, but that's the part the articles tend to omit. A story for another day. Bakugou can tell you more about that. 

Fortunately, the day was saved, and now we’re able to live our lives without fear of a genocidal demigod destroying the status quo. As if the status quo needed any help.

This pro-quirk society has its flaws: quirk reform and quirkless activism have yet to reach their fullest potential. Everyone who isn’t the picture perfect example of a good person, quirk or no, has to accept things as they are. Now, there are bigger things to fry, such as pro-quirks groups growing in power and the rising spikes of evidence supporting the Quirk-Doomsday Theory. The world is coming to heel and it seems that natural selection is working in the quirkless or "normal" people’s favor. Or so it seems. I wish all this quirk bullshit would keep its foot out of my ass. I’ve worked too hard to forge my own hero related path. 

The origins of quirks, superpowers, supernatural abilities, and the quirkless, powerless, weak, handicapped, and so on remain a mystery.We don’t know why it just happened with that bright night light, baby. I say it’s nothing but the straws Zeus and Hades drew. You can guess who is which. 

Like the agricultural revolution and industrial revolution, the quirk revolution happened fast: vigilantes, villains, vigilaintes becoming villains, capitalism + reform = pro heroes, mandated and regulated quirks. The police are antiquated, heroes' commissions are like the Justice League’s Watch Tower, and hero groups like the Avengers. Pro heros came straight out of the comic books I would read in the dead of the night. Always needing a hero, hoping to be one. Quirks continued to grow exponentially, and powers people had never even dreamed of were now realities. Children soon traded tag for superpower games of chase in the skies or mudslides with water-based powers. Quirks are stronger than people care to confess because they’re harder to control. 

The caveat to a majority quirk society: the quirkless. Quirks are your key to a better life; they are the sign of evolution as a species. For a long time, quirkless people were nothing but hindrances to society’s advancement; they couldn’t be heroes, like we haven't been saving lives, fighting wars, curing diseases before that baby who we helped bring into this world. But I’m being bitter and jealous. For a long time, we were not needed, discarded, and rejected. Now, that percentage of quirkless people since there’s only a recorded 5% of the total population who were given the short end of the stick. 5% are forced into hiding, servitude, or the inevitable fate of slavery. The world is suffering from the curse of abundance, biting more than it can chew.

All for One kept that Frankenstein doctor alive for decades. He lived way past his expiration date. They built Nomus and made bodies out of nothing but a few lifeless bodies and time. Even after his demise,his theory is scaring the everloving shit out of society. The more powerful the quirk, the more terrific and horrific the inevitable self destruction. Say there are 20 people lined up in a room, only one of them is quirkless. Ultimately, that means that one person is the one who can reset the clock on an otherwise doomed quirk’s legacy. Longevity and immortality, for those without a similar quirk to those feats of humanity, are all these people want, their egos to live on. The latest pseudoscientific and credible scientific genetic studies claim that producing offspring with a quirkless increases the mutated gene frequency for every child born. Once the occurrence of quirks is reduced, the dominant genes will be tagged off with recessive traits that reduce the quirk’s dangerous nature to one’s body.

I used to envy those with quirks. Flying, superstrength, super speed, mind reading, the whole nine yards. Now I pity them. They’ve been humbled and, in their humiliation, they look to hurt us for what once was  an undesirable trait for decades. This cycle of abuse is all that remains in this fragile facade of order. 

It’s true that "not all men are created equal." The strong will always persecute the weak. Fear: we’re being hunted by the very thing we wished we had. 

I will continue this cycle and give and give and give till I break.

Quirk marriages rarely occur; they are a thing of the past. Now, quirkless people are bartered as common goods. And some unlucky bachelor has found himself an unlucky bride. Mr. and Mrs. Bakugou, unhappily fucked up ever after. 

Monday is an odd day for a party—gala. But there are odder things, like making powerful mutants like people fight in tight spandex as a career. Or hosting Monday night galas for the few pros who reach celebrity status as well as top rankings with mansions and an OK pension that lasts until they do. Forgetting that there are more underpaid pro heroes with modest lives risking their lives every day, but they’re not cool enough to be commemorated while they’re breathing. And the working hours are as flexible as a lawabiding villain. Long nights on the streets, apprehending villains and wrongdoers, spending hours on paperwork for every miniscule thing that happened, watching money leave your paycheck for justified damage from trying to save lives. I imagine it sucks. They barely have time to spend being a regular person who does their chores, goes to the park, and calls their family. I know what it's like, so I prefer sleeping in most Mondays. I can work in the hospital from Tuesday to Friday, then break from exhaustion on Saturday, study for my medical license on Sunday, and rest again on Monday. Things change all the time, I guess. 

Last year, I was a super single woman. Now I’m married, and to a top pro hero at that. It’s not like I had to uproot my life in the States to start anew here in Japan. I can always call my family instead of driving to visit them, or facetime my friends when I could be meeting them for drinks. No, I spend my Monday nights with superficial, powerful, quirky people with a fake ass smile on my face... at a gala... televised gala. My pain is entertainment now. 

Frankly, I’m living the good life. We’ve been together for almost a year now and he barely comes to his home. Three cars: business, personal, and the last for our future kids. I always ride in his business car with my own personal driver, Ronin. He’s cool. Bakugou’s house is way bigger than my simple one back in the states. There are three stories plus a basement, and each room is better than the last. Maybe he used to entertain a lot of people before he met me, or he just liked to feel less alone. We haven’t had any guests, save for his parents. Not that it matters anyway, but he’s rarely home. By the time I walk to his room, the bed is neatly made, and when I grab my French Vanilla Cappuccino mix, the dishwasher is beeping from its completed cycle. 

My morning routine isn’t much: I wake up, stretch, shower, grab an OK outfit, and eat. Today, I grabbed a better outfit: black slacks, chunky heels, and a white blouse, chic and simple. Some makeup to make it look like I wasn’t trying when I was and a simple ponytail. I have an image to maintain now. I’m a pro hero’s wife. Two phones, personal and business, like my husband, I’ve got Ronin on both, "Hey Ronin, I’m ready when you are."

It takes 20 minutes to get to the Ground Zero Agency by car. Ronin lives 10 minutes away from us in his retirement home, built with his hard-earned money from years of service as a Hero commissions agent. He drives a small sedan, new in model, and leaves it by our house. I grab the housekeys, turning off the lights as I walk to the garage door; three cars, as usual. Maybe Bakugou likes to save gas. You don’t really need to drive around here anyway, and though his vintage Mustang is enticing, it isn’t mine to use. While the garage door opens, I open the passenger side while Ronin walks to the driver’s door. It’s a midsize car: five seats in the back, a partition, a high-tech control panel, heated seats, and hidden compartments for spare support items. "Hello, Ronin." "Hello, Nikita," Echo, our resident automated voice, says. The engine is silent, gently rumbling away as Ronin backs out of the driveway to our house. The road to it is even longer; it takes a good 5 minutes to find the right trail. The trees take the place of the houses that should be around them. They are trees that he owns. The land is his. Our closest neighbor is 20 minutes away, Kirishima Ejirou, a phone call away from living in the city. I’ve only met him once, recalling his vividly vibrant red hair as I cut his clothes off following his fight with a rank villain back home. He reminds me of a shark; his teeth are sharp, ragged, and pointed. Terrifyingly handsome with a smile, he loves to show off, smiling often and loudly. He’s also very attractive. I see him more on the covers of men's and health magazines. It’s a regular thing for me to deal with pro heroes, usually incapacitated and gravely wounded, as I take care of their most urgent injuries before performing surgery on them. Fortunately for them, the pro heroes here in Japan are too good at their job, even giving villains first aid, so there are fewer people we take care of, unfortunately. 

Ronin is a very vigilant man. He knows when eyes are on him, often already on you before you think to look away, so I look at him through the side mirror of the car. His purple eyes are laser focused on the road, switching from side to side as he examines the other cars around us. Both his calloused hands grip the steering wheel, and at the ready, his right elbow is more loose just in case he needs to switch gears or use the control panel. His posture was straight as ever, his head lifted high and sure. He’s an older man, late 50s, with salt and pepper showing in his slicked-back hair. He’s been working for Bakugou for 3 years, but they’ve known each other for longer. He drives like he came out of the womb with a steering wheel in hand and a race track at his feet. And he’s also exceptional in crash safety and evasive maneuvers for cars. He was most likely a professional hitman in another lifetime.

 Usually, there’d be more traffic, but the city hasn’t experienced any villain attacks since last month. Bakugou is most likely pissed. Not having anyone to punch has left him stuck in the office with stacks of paperwork. Ironically, his brutal assault on the "Devastator" was so effective that crime has decreased in the area by 15%. He'll be even more pissed. We’ve been stuck together for a little over a year. I’m still trying to figure him out, but 

The car starts slowing down as we near my destination. Ronin pulls up to the curb, parks the car, and exits the driver's seat. He comes to my side, opening the door and offering his hand as I place my heels on the ground.

"Thank you, Ronin," I say with a smile.

Ever the quiet one, he bows and tips his hat. I’ll be back around 5 this evening, ma’am. The young master has requested you leave early to prepare for the gala. " He finishes. Of course, the gala is where he lets the public know he’s married, and to a quirkless woman at that.

"4: 00 if you can. I still have some errands to do before then and I need to get extra work done!" I say, walking towards the entrance.

The doors open automatically, and the front desk assistant cheerfully greets me, "Good morning, ma’am! How may I help you? " She chirps.

"Hello, please tell your boss that Nikita’s here." I say, with a small polite grin on my face. 

The desk assistant looks at the screen, searching for my information. "Ah yes, mis-- Mrs. Bakugou," she corrects herself, her posture straighter and more proper. "I’ll send for him right away, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you! " She chirps, smiling. Her smile is not like I thought it would be, and I could've sworn the last time I was here she was wearing pink... and she was a he- 

"Pleasure’s all mine. And don’t bother calling, I’ll find him. " 

Ground Zero Agency , co-founded by Bakugou Katsuki and Kirishima Ejirou. Of course, they were financially supported by the previous top hero, Best Jeanist, my husband's mentor and benefactor. The building is like everything else in this damn city.  If “Everyone’s special so no one is” was a place it’d be this decrepit shell of a facility.  And if I have, I always forget how horribly tacky the interior design is. Whoever made this choice deserves a good firing, my grandmother had more life in her when she was in her coffin. 

[transformers-fan-continuities]

Spotlight: Ties That Bind

This one’s a doozy folks! If you missed the last spotlight you can go read it here, but strap in for The Ties That Bind, an absolutely brilliant take on humanformers. It’s hosted here at @tiesthatbind-tf​ created by @artsy-hobbitses​!

Q) Give us a run down of your cont! What's it about, what's it called, what's it like?

Ties That Bind is a humanformers-based original continuity which is part Science Fiction and part Alternate History where the invasion of Quintessons and introduction of their technology to Earth in 1920 sets the world and humankind on a completely different trajectory. The active narrative spans a period from 1920 to 2070, covering the First and Second Quintesson Wars, the interplanetary Antillan War (leading to the creation of Unicron on Mars) and the Great War which involves the Autobots, Decepticons and Functionist stalwarts, and how it affects the characters.

The cast is pretty sprawling and the narrative is mostly centred around human drama with bits of humor interspaced and a dash of horror (mostly centred around how the previous government often chose to utilize the technology left behind from the Quintesson Wars to create new systems of oppression, which affected many of the characters, in the name of worldwide rebuilding efforts).

Q) What characters take the lead here? Any personal favorites?

I will admit to this continuity being very much heavy on the relationship between Old Bastards  Optimus Prime and Megatron, which is given considerable weight as they were best friends who had known each other since childhood and were deeply intrinsic to each other’s growths as individuals, which makes it all the worse when guilt and betrayal enter the party. Despite being captains in two corners of this battle, there’s a part of them that just cannot let go of their pasts together and they need to reconcile with how this will affect their agenda (Megatron) and how they lead their team (Optimus) who don’t necessarily share their history.

Other characters with significant development include:

Starscream, a Cold Construct in a toxic working relationship with Megatron with whom he is hiding a dark secret, who struggles to balance the underhanded viciousness he believes he needs to gain power and his innate desire from his Senate days to make the world a better place. 

Windblade, a Camien native who fights her government’s apathy concerning the situation on Earth which they see as unsalvageable compared to their more Utopian society. 

Prowl, a Cold Construct raised from childhood to be a cop in a police state, who finds out that he was brainwashed several times  to ensure his obedience and efficacy as a government asset and is now working to reclaim some semblance of the humanity he was never allowed to feel and figure out how much of him is who he really is and how much is programming.

Hound, a sheltered Beastman who joined the fight to ensure that Beastmen the world over would have the same rights he did in his homeland of Shetland Isle, but is forcefully stripped of his humanity and faced with his animal side during the war and has to relearn what personhood means amid his trauma.

Q) Is there a bigger point to this, like a theme or some catharsis? Or is it just fluffy fun?

God with the amount of time I spent sleepless trying to figure out how the logistics of this or the semantics of that were supposed to work in universe, I cannot for the life of me say it’s fluffy fun, but I can’t exactly say it hasn’t been pretty engaging either!

There’s elements of war being messy for everyone involved where there doesn’t seem to be a clear line between friend and foe at times, but I think for most part it prescribes to  Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s belief that people are inherently good, but are corrupted by the evils of society. Despite its dark themes (Including but not limited to child abuse, torture, illegal experimenation  and brainwashing), love and friendships do prevail, kindness does beget kindness, found families are made, even the smallest actions matter, and things do get better because there are people on both sides who genuinely want to, and strive to make it better.

With Cold Constructs and Beastmen, it also delves heavily into what it means to be human; to have agency and personhood.

There’s also a strong undercurrent of taking responsibility for one’s actions, even if they were made with the best of intentions (Avoidance of this is what eats up Starscream and Megatron from the inside, and what Starscream eventually embraces).

Q) How long have you been working on it?

There’s two answers to this!

I’ve had a Humanformers-related universe going all the way back to 2007 around the time the first Bayformers came out---basically I had a choice between learning to draw cars or draw people (I was an anthro artist back then) and I immediately chose people.

The 2007 draft however had no worldbuilding or connective storylines and was mostly a fun little venture into character design and practice which were actually instrumental to me experimenting and learning how to draw humans properly.

I left the fandom for about a decade and when I came back to it in late 2020 around September via the War for Cybertron series on Netflix, I immediately got hooked on the 2005 IDW comics I missed out on and wanted to get around to updating my old designs as well find a way to translate several of the concepts I wanted to explore in a human sense, so the 2020 update became its own full-fledged original continuity with detailed worldbuilding and history.

You can see the artistic evolution of several characters from their original incarnation below!

Q) It’s incredible to see your artistic improvement too! Give us a behind-the-scenes look! Show us a secret ;))

Say hello to my workspace! I’ve been working exclusively on the Ipad Pro since late 2016, which is fantastic because I can basically whip up concepts and sketches on the go anywhere. Nowhere is too out of bounds to work on TTB!

Also, do enjoy this sneak peek at true!form Rung, whose synthezoid human body took years to perfect.

Q) YESSSSS alright I must admit this is one of my favorite Rungs, and certainly my fave within TTB. Amazing. Phew, anyway. Where did you draw inspiration from? What canons, what other fiction, what parts of real life?

TTB was initially conceived as a faithful retelling of the IDW 2005 narrative before it was transformed into its own continuity and as such, it borrows heavily from concepts and mirrored plot lines introduced in that run! I chose to have the series inspired off it specifically for the amount of history and worldbuilding it introduced to the franchise.

Anime like Gunslinger Girl and Beastars inspired the depictions of Cold Constructs, especially the more harrowing aspects of their upbringing as government assets instead of children, and Beastmen (Beastformers) in TTB.

I haven’t depicted the world itself in my art all too much, but the architecture from Tiger and Bunny, which has sort of a futuristic Art Deco feel to it, is what you’d usually see in major cities. There is an in-universe reason for that---with a Point Of Divergence set in 1920 followed by 25 years (an entire generation) of progress basically being kicked to the curb due to the Quintesson wars, mankind was basically in a time-locked bubble until the end of the wars, and by then their heroes were 1920s-style rebellion leaders, which lead to 1920s fashion (especially among the Manual Working Class---Megatron, Jazz and Optimus all rock 1920s fashion at some point of their lives) and architecture being celebrated and retained as sort of a reminder of how things were before The Invasion. This anime’s background design is also where I adopted the tiered system TTB’s major metropolises are often built on (with each tier being designated to a different working class) from.

The main artistic style itself is a love letter to 90s cartoons, in particular Gargoyles’ deep and drama-driven character narratives and designs as well as The Centurions’ take on body armor logistics.

I also take inspiration, especially armor-wise, from the characters’ given heritage and background. As an example, Hotrod who is depicted as Irish has the flames on his armor done up with Celtic knots. Welsh aristocrat Mirage’s armor bears olden knight-style filigree and has his Autobot logo designed as a coat of arms. Indonesian Soundwave’s armor and Decepticon logo takes cues from Batik and Wayang Kulit while their mask is based off the Barong.

Q) They are absolutely gorgeous! Show off something you're really proud of, a particular favorite part of your cont.

The worldbuilding in general! Most Humanformers I’ve seen tend to treat it like a fun exercise which it is and is definitely valid, but I found myself wanting a full-fledged world to lose myself in and I sought to try and make that world myself by drafting a detailed history and timeline of events which would affect ongoing narratives, having indepth worldbuilding to include almost all societal aspects of the universe and  expanding on the concept of Beastmen and Cold Constructs existing in a human setting.

I’m not so secretly proud of the research and diversity included to make the cast look like the multicultural, globally-based team that they were meant to be instead of being locked to a single region! My original draft from 2007 was, to put it simply, quite culturally monolithic and I wanted to improve on that aspect with TTB.

I’m also proud that I’ve kept to it this far! I’m a notoriously flaky person jumping from one idea/fandom to another and to have kept at this continuity for the better part of ten months is honestly a personal feat.

Art-wise, this scene depicting a young Megatron working alongside Terminus and Impactor (cameo by @weapon-up-wallflower​‘s OC Missit!)  is definitely one of my favorites since it helps build up the world they live in and plays to familial bonds and comfort found in one another despite their less than ideal circumstances.

Q) Everything has come together so beautifully, you absolutely should be proud. What other fan canons do you love and why? Would you like to see them interviewed?

I am dying to hear more from @iscaredspider​’s Sparkpulse continuity! Her designs are MIND-BLOWINGLY GORGEOUS and I want to hear more about what inspired her to work on it!

Also YOU. Yes YOU BLURRITO. LET ME HEAR MORE ABOUT SNAP.

Q) [wails and squirms away in the mortifying ordeal of being known but in a very flattered way] I WILL SOMEDAY I PROMISE aflghsdjg thank you QwQ

Well that was fantastic, Oni, thank you muchly! A magnificent continuity with so much to look forward to! Coming up next is another personal fave of mine, the first inspiration for SNAP, so stick around...

[allisonbaelfire]

NYX

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Nyx was a legend, others referred to her as a myth of a bygone era, but so was the Winter Soldier once. The two shared a common past and now a common mission. However, their feelings for one another could danger their goal.

Word Count: 4,403

Authors Note: This story is inspired by the Marvel Comics with Bucky Barnes and Natasha Romanoff and Falcon and the Winter Soldier Series.

+ nyx =  /Nýx/ - the Greek goddess (or personification) of the night. A shadowy figure.

____________________________________

“I was their secret weapon...or at least I was one of them. She was another. Something about her touched what was left of my humanity. Buried under all that programming.” Bucky touched the back of his neck. “A long time ago, Y/N made me remember what it was to feel human.” 

____________________________________

MADRIPOOR - Low Town:

After several weeks of looking for clues to the "Flag Smashers", your way brought you to Madripoor. One of the most criminal cities in the world. If you didn't want to be robbed or even die here immediately, you had to be someone and have made a name for yourself. It's good that you already had that.

“Nyx”, Your informant greeted you. “Where’s my money?”

You smirked. “Do I have to remind you what happens, if you keep talking to me in that tone?” 

You wanted to take a sip of the bourbon you had just ordered, but your informant knocked it out of your hand and the glass broke on the floor. Before the glass hit the floor, you grabbed him by his throat and pushed him down on the counter.

The bar owner, Jerry, wanted to interfere. His bar was the only one in Madripoor with zero tolerance against violence, if you wanted to fight you should do it outside.

You raised your finger and showed the owner that he should wait, he also knew who you were, which was why he repected you. 

“Do you know how hard it is to find a good bar with my favorite bourbon in Madripoor?” The guy shook his head while you gripped tighter. “No? now let me tell you - it's as hard as really doing anything with your expensive information.” You let go of him.

“I-I told you everything, I know.”

“I-I” You laughed. “Remembered who I am, huh?” You ordered another Bourbon. “So, first of all, this drink, you’ll pay for it.” You took a sip and smiled. “Next, you’re going to tell me all you know about Kali and then I’ll pay you.”

You didn't get an answer, but you realized he still knew something when he nervously looked at his phone. You rolled your eyes, stood up, and turned around. "Jerry, I'm really sorry but I tried the nice way." You slightly pulled your dress up and took out your gun, turned to the informant and released the fuse. 

“Phone,” You winded your eyes, “now!” 

You rolled your eyes, still pointing at the guy. “Zemo - High Town, you’ve got to be kidding me.”  You put your gun back and broke his phone. “I’m very disappointed and our Deal is over, don’t make a mistake - don’t follow me.” You spoke serious. “Or it's the last thing you'll ever do.”

____________________________________

MADRIPOOR - High Town - Brass Monkey Saloon:

High Town in Madripoor was way different than Low Town. More drugs, weapons sex, rich people and power. The petty criminals were no longer represented here; criminal elite were gathered here.

“Nyx,” The Bartender greeted you. “Long time no see even though you look stunning in that dress (X), thought you were done with this life.”

“Well, a girl has to eat,” You smirked. “And to drink.”

The bartender smiled and brought you your favorite bourbon. “Did you hear the rumors about Zemo?”

“Heard he’s back in town.” You took a sip of your glas.

He raised his eybrow. “This Bastard is accompanied by the Winter Soldier.”

You choked. He patted you on the shoulder. After you were sure you hadn't misheard, you inspected the club more closely.

You looked at the Bartender, “You never saw me.” he nodded.

You nervously went to the ladies' room. You’ve heard that James was still alive and that he now had a part of his memory back, so you thought he had stopped being the Winter Soldier and started a life of his own outside of H.Y.D.R.A.. But now that he was Zemo's company you thought about following them and finding out what that their Partnership was about.

You checked whether there was anyone else in the toilet besides you and when you were sure that you were alone, you took a deep breath and turned on the water. You suddenly got a slight headache and grabbed your head, when you looked at yourself in the mirror, your flashbacks started. 

____________________________________

Ages ago - Red Room:

You were one of the best and yet you always had to prove it. After you had defeated each of your fellow campaigners, your leaders were still not satisfied and they let you fight the Winter Soldier - again

“AGAIN!” The Winter Soldier shouted and you fell you arm would break if you’d hit him again.

“AGAIN!”

“AGAIN!”

“James, I-I need a break.”

“What did you just call me?” He asked as he noticed the penetrating looks of the other woman and you remembered that nobody should now.

The Winter Soldier knocked you out.

____________________________________

After James knocked you out, you were brought to your room, you woke up hours later. You touched your head and noticed the bump he gave you. 

"Stupid, bastard." You mumbled.

“I’m sorry, you know I had to.” You recognized his voice.

You looked around and saw his silhouette sitting in the corner, presumably he came through the window into your room again, like so many times before.

You shook your head, “No, I am sorry. I've put both of us in danger”

Bucky got up and went to you. He let his right hand slowly slide up over your arm to your neck and finally to your head, he too felt the bump. You felt his guilt, but you knew he would never really hurt you.

“Stop it.” You wrapped your arms around his neck. “James, you know I could’ve easily taken you down.” You smirked.

Because of him, you could endure the whole ordeal at all. If he just looked at you, you lost yourself in his blue eyes and if he held you in his arms he gave you a warm home. He was your anchor to carry on every day and you were his.

“I told you to call me Bucky.”

You pulled him closer to you, “I’m glad that you start to remember who you’re.”

He put his hands gently around your waist and pulled you closer as he slowly leaned in to kiss you.

____________________________________

After cooling your wrists and neck, your pulse calmed down and the flashbacks were gone.

“Thankfully I have often had to look out from above in this God-forsaken place.” 

You jumped on one of the sinks and pushed a panel of the roof aside. You pulled yourself up and crawled back to the dance floor so that no one could see you but you could see everyone.

You spotted Zemo, so it wasn't a rumor and he really was back, but you haven't been able to locate Bucky yet. But it was strange for Zemo that his companion was smiling Tiger.

You were a little rusty in lip reading but you understood that he wanted to talk to Shelby. This would have been your next step too. The mood in the club began to turn. People started staring at Zemo as one of Powerbroker's bodyguards made himself known.

“Зимний солдат атака” Zemo ordered.

“No” You covered your mouth with your hands.

Bucky stepped out of the shadows and was now clearly in your field of vision. He didn't see you, it seemed as if he only saw what he always saw first - an order and his mission. He was ready to comply. He attacked the men who were trying to get Zemo.

Elegant and graceful like a cat, you glide silently along the steel girders,  and watched every movement of James, did Zemo really manage to turn him into his personal puppet?

Bucky knocked down man after man as if they were nothing. Your pulse went faster and your movements on the steel beams became more uncontrolled as you followed his fight. Your heart felt the urge to intervene, you reminded Bucky so many times who he was - not any ones weapon, that you stopped counting and seeing him like this again felt like you had failed him. 

When you were almost about to fall, people simultaneously pulled out their guns. James stopped fighting and was called back by Zemo. You regained control of your heartbeat and your body relaxed, which helped you to find your balance again.

The bartender informed Zemo that the three would now be welcomed by Shelby. 

You couldn't follow them any further without getting into the line of fire. You waited until they left and slowly made your way down from the steel girders and landed on the floor. People looked at you questioningly.

“What? Lady’s stay out of meaningless fights.” And with that you left the bar.

____________________________________

After a few minutes outside the club you got a message, but it seemed you weren't the only one. Cell phones all around you started chiming, people were chatting and looking around. Shelby placed a pretty high bounty and now everyone would be looking for James

You heard gunshots, “Great.” 

Of course, instead of being smart and running away from the gunshots like every other person, you couldn't help but run to exactly where they came from. You hadn't seen Bucky in a long time, but everything in your body demanded to find him before someone could place a bullet between his beautiful ocean eyes.

You saw the bikers who drove behind Bucky and smiling Tiger, you pulled out your gun and fired at them. Two fell, thanks to you, the last one was taken out by a sniper.

“You seem to have a guardian Angel.” Zemo spoke breathless.

“Not quite.” 

Bucky recognized this voice, but couldn't place it exactly on a face. He was just sure she wasn't a threat.

A blond woman showed up, “Nice shot. I take it from here,” she looked behind the man. “and you can crawl back into the darkness.” You smirked and nodded. 

Before the men could turn around you had already disappeared into the shadows.

____________________________________

Within seconds you were on the roofs of Madripoor and on the way to your hotel. Being so close to Bucky clouded your mind and made you lose sight of your goal. 

It helped you to walk over the rooftops in the middle of the night, it was like a release for you. In the night, in the deepest darkness, it was easier to order your thoughts, this is how you had been taught, how he had taught you to focus in case you should lose your way - switch everything dark and only listen to your inner voice.

You remembered him saying those words to you, “Your voice is what makes me lose my focus.” you held your neck and climbed into your Hotelroom through an open window.

After you were in your room, you inspected every inch for cameras, microphones or intruders of any kind, after this you closed every window, every door and every curtain.

“Finally.” You sighed as you pulled of your dress.

You looked even more threatening under your dress. There were small knives on both sides of your ribs and two different guns on your legs. You took everything off and put your weapons aside, all but your favorite gun (X).

“Your place is here.” You spoke soft and placed it under your pillow.

You went to bed and closed your eyes. The room was dark and absolutely silent while your thoughts and memories yelled at you.

____________________________________

“Can we just stay here forever?” You asked while laying in Buckys arms on top of the roof the Academy.

You looked up, the stars merged with the dark night and they seemed to be in perfect harmony.

“Whenever we’re separated, I look at the stars and I think of you. You are my night and I'm your star, he looked at his metal arm,” He tried to make the gun on his body positive. “even if we are often apart from each other, I cannot be without you-” 

You lifted yourself up to look at him. “And I cannot be without you.”

____________________________________

MADRIPOOR - High Town - Unknown Place

It was already very late when Bucky, Sam and Zemo arrived at Sharon's apartment. They all wouldn’t have expected that Sharon had such a beautiful and safe hiding place in the middle of Madripoor, plus a successful business.

“How’s the new Cap?” She asked curious.

Bucky sat down on the couch, "Don’t get me started" he said with an annoyed voice.

Sharon scoffed. “Please. You buy into all that stars and stripes bullshit.” She sat next to him. “Before you were his pet psychopath, you were Mr. America!” Sharon chuckled as she noticed Zemo questioning look. “Cap’s best friend.”

Bucky was suprised by Sharon's words, none of them knew this side of her before.

“Wow. She’s kind of awful now.” Bucky mumbled.

Sam gave them an side eye, “Kali Morgenthau and at least seven others have taken the super soldier serum.” He sat down. “We won’t leave until we find the one who cracked the code.”

Sharon turned and stared out her window, “That’d explain her appearance. Either she wants to take it or destroy it.”

“Who?” Zemo asked.

“Nyx” Sharon stood up and got herself a drink.

Bucky stood up and he looked petrified. It was as if he had forgotten how to move or even show any kind of reaction within seconds. As he thought more and more about the day, he had felt her penetrating gaze, even though she was nowwhere to be seen. His heart was racing. Bucky’s eyes ran through the room, every dark corner was inspected, but she wasn’t called NYX for nothing.

Sam noticed Bucky's tense body, everything about him seemed like he was hopelessly overwhelmed with something that piercing his head.

“Hey man. You okay?” Sam gently touched his shoulder.

Zemo looked worried like Bucky would snap again any minute. “What is going on with him?” 

Bucky went to Sharon and got worryingly close in her space. “What do you know about her and how can I contact her?”

Bucky's posture was tense. For someone who didn't know him, they might have thought, he would attack Sharon at any moment. But Sharon didn’t step back. She recognized something in his eyes, that she had once seen before, as she looked in Steve Roger’s after her Aunts dead - pain and a broken heart.

“This can’t be.” Sharon raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms. “You’re her-”

“What the hell is going on?” Sam interrupted.

“-Star”

Bucky's eyes blurred, his head started to ache, and he held on to the wall to keep from falling.

“I know you’ll always be with me!” You chuckled and looked into the dark blue night. “You’re my star, you watch out for me.”

He remembered a feminine and warm voice.

“What if they catch us?” You asked him worried. 

Bucky gently touched your cheek, “Then I’ll fight them all.” he kissed you.

He remembered the texture of her soft skin and her gently touch.

“You’re not a Monster, no matter how many times they try to convince you - you’re not.”

He remembered how you tried to protect him.

“If you want him, you’ve to kill me first.”

He remembered how you fought for him...

...and how you lost the fight.

Bucky took a deep breath. He came back to himself. He remembered a part of his past that H.Y.D.R.A. left buried deep. A part that made him turn off the Winter Soldier again and again. 

His guilt grew. “I need to go.” He mumbled.

Sam came in his way, “Wait!” he sighed. “Talk to me, Buck.”

Sharon scoffed. “One Weapon wants to find the other. NYX is a Myth all around the world, like the Winter Soldier was.” She winked at him. “She’s as strong as an Army, fast like a cheetah, she knows the most diverse fighting techniques and speaks multiple languages-”

“-Okay and?” Zemo rolled his eyes.

“I was the secret weapon of H.Y.D.R.A. ...or at least I was one of them. She was another. Something about her touched what was left of my humanity. Buried under all that programming.” Bucky touched the back of his neck. “A long time ago, Y/N made me remember what it was to feel human.”

Sam held his head. “She saved us today. Well, saved you but-” he shrug with his shoulders. 

“And now she has become a shadow. She works alone, always clean leaving no hints behind. I don’t know how to find her but maybe I can contact some people who might know what her next mission is.”

____________________________________

MADRIPOOR - Next Morning:

Your alarm clock rang but you had been awake and still lying in bed for hours. That you would wake up before your alarm clock was nothing special, but it was unusual that you were lying there instead of going to work immediately.

Your heart beat irregularly, and a slight nausea came over you every now and then. Seeing Bucky again without him recognizing you hit your psyche more than you wanted to admit to yourself.

Your phone rang, a new hint for the super soldier serum.

You sighed. “Ohhh f*ck this.” you put your pillow on your face.

But a mission was a mission. You took the pillow from your face, sat up straight, and took a deep breath. Even before you knew that Bucky was back, the mission was important to you personally and Bucky wouldn't be able to prevent you from destroying the serum - no matter what.

Your cell phone rang again and one of your informants wrote you where you could find the scientist who had recreated the serum. Buccaneer Bay.

You looked at your gun. “Hopefully I won’t need you for him...” You spoke and put on your weapons.

____________________________________

MADRIPOOR -  Buccaneer Bay

Your body was still tense because of Bucky, but it was also he who learned to suppress your own emotions. When you arrived in Buccaneer Bay, your way led you to the top of the container. A better view and you wouldn't be noticed right away.

“With that bounty on your head, the longer you’re in Madripoor the less likely you’re ever leaving.” 

You rolled your eyes as you recognized a female voice. “I should’ve known.”

You leaned a little over the container you were standing on and noticed Sharon, Sam Wilson, Zemo and of course Bucky.

The four of them ran through the individual containers and it seemed as if they were looking for the same thing as you. Slowly and silently you went after them until-

Sharon stopped. “-Container four-two-six-one.” 

Bucky looked uncomfortable. He looked around in every direction. It was as if you could literally feel that someone was watching him.

“I’ll watch while you guys talk to Nagel.” Sharon handed them some earpods. “But hurry. We’re on borrowed time.”

“What’re you up to?” You asked yourself as you looked at her.

The container door cracked open, you waited until Sharon was far enough away to get to the next container and on to your destination.

The men went in and you heard them open another door inside. You waited 2 minutes, after all, Zemo and Sam were accompanied by the Winter Soldier, who would double-check everything. When you were sure that they were gone you went into the container.

____________________________________

As you followed them you heard how they drew their weapons. That wasn’t your way, while they first thought of pulling out their weapons, you thought of securing the container and waiting until the men thought they had nothing to worry about and were alone with the doctor.

“Doctor Nagel?” You heard Sam.

The doctor turned and went pale in the face. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“We know you created the super-soldier serum.”

You walked slowly into the room and decided to hide yourself first.

Nagel walked past them, “Get out of my lap.” until he noticed Bucky.

“You know who he is right?”

Nagel didn’t dare to move any further than looked deep into Bucky’s eyes and didn’t grimace. Sam grabbed Nagel by his jacket and pushed him at a wall.

“How about a counter proposal?” The Doctor grinned. “Make me a better offer and I talk.”

Bucky's body language spoke for him. He must have heard something, they weren't alone anymore. He pulled his gone and pointed at Nagel. You got nervous, was this Bucky Barnes or was it the Winter Soldier? Whoever he was, nothing should happen to Nagel.

Nagel began to explain how he managed to reproduce and modify the Super-Soldier serum. In your opinion, he was a bit arrogant.

“I was god.” He smiled and you rolled your eyes.

Zemo started walking around, you couldn't tell what he was going to do so you decided to get closer. He found a gun under a desk and went near Sam and Bucky. You heard the container door open again and you were ready to fight, but Sharon stormed in and for a second you couldn't keep an eye on Zemo, a shot went off - Nagel was dead.

You had to act immediately, you came out from behind Sharon and hit her hard on the head, she fell over like a stone. Sam held Zemo tight, his gun fell to the ground. You ran up to Sam, he was so surprised that it was easy for you to ram your elbow in his face and make him fall to the ground too. You pulled out your two guns, one aimed at Zemo and the other at Bucky.

“Y/N?” Bucky sounded confused.

“Its been a long time since I heard that Name,” She sighed. “Did you miss me, Soldier?” You gasped.

“Do you want the serum for yourself, my dear?” Zemo asked hands up.

Bucky shook his head, “She already has it.” He came closer to you.

“Ah-Ah-Ah, don’t make another move.” You were still aiming at Bucky. “I need the serums, I’ll destroy them so that no one can ever use it again, can use us like they please.”

Bucky's gaze softened. The whole time he was wondering what had become of you, but even if H.Y.D.R.A. or the KGB wanted to make you monsters, you were one of the monsters who worked for, instead of against, people.

He came closer and even without touching you he could feel how much your heart was beating. But what he didn't know, would you shoot him to get to your goal? 

He put his hand on yours with he gun, “Y/N...”

____________________________________

Before you could react to Bucky or even think about your next step, you were hit by a bomb that destroyed half the container and knocked you and the others to the ground.

“Y/N,” Bucky groans.

You heard heard the alarm blaring and glasses clicking, everything was shaking but you seemed unharmed as you could stand up on your own. But your eyes couldn't see that much, everything looked blurry. You could barely stand on your feet. 

“Did anyone see Zemo?”

Bucky helped the others up. You shook your head and slowly came to yourself. Bucky came and took your hand when another explosion destroyed the container, you all were lucky and made it out just in time.

“All right! Wait for my signal!” Bucky ordered.

You heard gunfire and placed yourself in front of him to take a shouter out. 

“Too slow old man.” You came out from behind the container and started shooting the other shooters. Sharon and Sam followed your example and helped.

“Damn it, Y/N!”

You could hear how one after the other fell to the ground but it seemed to get more and more.

“Hey?!” You looked at Bucky. “Do you remember Budapest?” You yelled.

Bucky did remember Budapest and shook his head. “Its too dangerous!”

Another explosion happened and smoke came up, it was perfect to cover you. You got out of your protection and Bucky ran behind you. You were standing back to back and started shooting around you and taking one by one until there was no one left.

Sam and Sharon were speechless after what they just witnessed. A super soldier and a spy who killed 20 people at once without even blinking. But it wasn't over yet, Madripoor was not known for criminals who would give up so easily.

“Okay come on!” Sharon spoke and you followed her into another container.

“So you two?” Sam started and Bucky and you gave him a death stare. “Okay, okay.” He grinned.

Bucky rammed open the door on the other side of the container and you could hear car tires screeching.

“Supercharged.” Zemo smiled.

“You’re going back to jail.” Sam replied.

“Do you want to find Karli or not?”

Bucky crossed his arms, “He’s right, we need him.” he opened the car door.

“Fine.” Sam clenched his teeth. “But if you try that shit again.” He placed himself on the backseat.

You looked at Bucky and he realized you weren't going to come with him. He took your hand and pulled you closer to himself. 

Everything in Bucky demanded to stroke you, kiss you and just feel you but he couldn't even find a word.

“I’ll find you.” You looked into his eyes and smiled soft. “even in the darkest nights.”

He placed a kiss on your forehead. “Don’t do anything stupid.” Then he went inside the car.

You nodded to Sam to show you trusted him to fight by Bucky's side. Then you turned around and walked past Sharon while you rammed her shoulder hard, once around the corner and you were gone.

Bucky put his head in his hands, wondering if he should have stayed with you or persuaded you to come with him. But it didn't seem to be the time for it yet. Sam touched his shoulder to comfort him. Zemo started the car and Bucky felt your gaze on him, he turned around and this time you allowed him to see you. 

He knew you’d see each other again, he still hoped for a better reason but the Serum was still out there - and your mission wasn't over yet.

_______________________________

Thank you for reading - Please share and leave some love here <3

[cosplayinamerica]

Edelgard von Hresvelg from Fire Emblem : el3phantbird // photo : @shanafeeleyphotography

Two, two and a half [years] The project went through a lot of iterations. First it was intended to be a quick project to bring with me when I studied abroad in France. Unfortunately, my study abroad program was set for March 2020... We all know how that went.

With nothing to do, no plans, and nothing to really look forward to, I filled the time with needlework. Small, repetitive tasks I could fill my days with to keep my hands busy that I didn't need to think too hard about. That's how I started incorporating things like goldwork and smocking. I was having a hard time concentrating on my actual schoolwork through all this, so it was really out of necessity that I turned it into a school project. It worked out well! The costume ended up being the centerpiece of my graduation portfolio. It was interesting to think about my cosplay in an academic and fine art context, try and explain cosplay as a legitimate creative art to a bunch of people that had never heard of it.

The most challenging aspect was definitely staying motivated. Making it into homework helped a lot, since it gave me hard deadlines and significantly freed up my time to work on it. Still, a lot of it had to be self motivated, especially after I graduated and still had a lot of work to do. I had to be very disciplined about making steady progress to finish a build this big. The pandemic was a blessing and a curse. No cons meant no deadlines, but it also meant I could take my time without worrying about missing out. Online communities of crafters kept me going.

Making regular updates to my build thread and seeing people get excited as the costume progressed was really incredible. I'd never gotten any sort of social media attention for my cosplay before this build, so that's been weird and wild. I've even gotten recognized at cons once or twice now that they're back! People tell me they followed my build thread, or that it inspired them to try embroidery. It means a lot to me.

Learning that I *can* do something big like this was a big motivation boost. I started and abandoned a lot of projects during college. I'm really proud that I finished that. But just technically, this was the biggest and most ambitious build I'd ever taken on. I learned a lot about pattern drafting and proportioning in trying to get the shape to look right on me. The sleeves especially were a huge challenge. I made my first corset and touched worbla for the first time. I'd be talking all day if I tried to list every new thing I learned.

More than anything, I've learned that I love these big, slow builds. They're just so rewarding. I also know I want to compete more-- I'd never competed before Edelgard. I'd always been too intimidated, but after two years of work I felt like I wanted that chance to show her off and put my skills to the test. New York Comic Con was especially exhilarating. Being on stage in front of a huge screaming crowd is the best adrenaline rush. Winning sure doesn't hurt! It's hard to move on from something that consumed my life for so long, but I'm excited for the next adventure.

https://www.instagram.com/el3phantbird/

[gamebunny-advance]

Grab Bag Doodles

Oh, it’s actually a grab bag this time instead of NSR and OC doodles! I’ve been working a lot more than usual this past week, so I haven’t had the energy to work on anything serious, but I just feel like I’ll explode if I don’t start posting at least something I’ve drawn once every few weeks, so here’s my doodles from last-last week.

1) Tabuu and Primid. Wanted to start drawing them again. I feel like I didn’t get as much out of Tabuu and his underlings as I wanted before my interests started shifting.

2) Mini Bosses. As I doodled this, I thought of a comic about how my human Tabuu, Galeem, and Dharkon seemingly have an aversion to clothes. Tabuu is like that for obvious reasons, he’s already a naked humanoid, so any clothing I gave him in this form was just for modesty. Galeem and Dharkon just don’t wear shoes because I feel like they’re more ethereal that way. I’m also trying to drop some of the religious imagery with them and make them more fantasy focused. It’s still a work in progress though.

3) Malt Shop Blue Sketch. He’s the next one up, but I’m not feeling the pose, so I’m probably gonna rework this. It doesn’t really lend itself to much interesting animation. I did however want to swap out his shades for regular glasses, so we can see his eyes through them.

4) Touhou!DJSS. I dunno, I just like the design I made for him and wanted to draw it again. It’s amazing how well DJSS lends himself to being a haughty anime girl.

5) Ex’s Meme. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, just so my feelings about this ship are a little more clear. I actually already filled it out, but I’ll wait until I actually finish the art to say anything about it. I wanna redo the art anyway. I think it’d be funnier if they’re interacting a little more directly.

6) Sizeshifter. A joke from the “Let’s do a science!” comic that might get cut. I dunno, think it’s a little low brow, but... it’s still kinda funny. Kliff’s here because he’s helping with the experiments as a part of his community service.

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

NJ + Kliff: So does it work on your pe-

DJSS: You’re both going to stop right there before I have a reason to kill you.

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

7) Kun3h0 Expressions. Just working on some expressions for Kun3. I didn’t label them all, but going clockwise, starting in the upper left corner: default, excited, annoyed, despondent, shocked, disappointed. I might rework “despondent” to be a little more interesting. I like making her puffs a little expressive though. Maybe the puffs should “inflate” when she’s mad?

8) Yomi redesign. I don’t think I ever posted about them, but Yomi was the character I came up with to test how HONK works. I was never really happy with their design, but I had to push through so I could focus on learning the program rather then get caught up in the art. They’re still not great, but I like them more than I did before. I might try a human version, because I think this is just serving to prove to myself that I’m really not good at doing more anthro furry stuff yet. We’ll see though~ I’m not too attached to them, so I might design a new avatar for testing.

[new-sandrafilter]

How Timothée Chalamet Channeled The Blockbuster Pressure of Leading Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ Back Into His Role – Venice Q&A

DEADLINE: In a few days Dune will premiere at the Venice Film Festival. You first met Denis Villeneuve about the role in May 2018 and started shooting in the early half of 2019. It was always going to be a long journey, but the pandemic stretched it even further. How does it feel to have finally arrived at this moment?

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET: You know, I like to think that with every film I’ve done, whether it’s Call Me by Your Name or Beautiful Boy, The King, or Little Women, the character you play is almost a piece of your flesh. And that’s always true, but simply from the perspective of how long the shoot for Dune was, and also the arc that Paul Atreides is on, as well as the huge love and almost biblical connection that so many people have for the book and the original film, it really felt… tectonic, if that’s the right word for it. Just getting to this finish line feels like: phew.

And independent of what the film is now, and what it has become, the experience of making it was I was put in such a safe environment, which you can never take for granted as a human, as an actor, but especially when you’re just starting your career, and when this is the first film of this size you’ve ever done.

To get to work with Denis on it, to get to work with someone of his caliber, let alone on a book that he considers the book of his youth and one of the things he has connected to the most… When he would have it in his hands on set, his body language would become that of a fan; of a kid who had fallen in love with the book at home in Montreal. And when all the kids around him were wearing hockey jerseys with their favorite players’ names on the back, this was a kid wearing a jersey that said ‘Spielberg’ on the back.

For it all to come together, especially with the added challenge of the pandemic, it has all combined to make this moment feel especially spicy [laughs].

DEADLINE: The entire ensemble will show up in Venice.

CHALAMET: Right. And I just can’t believe it; Jason Momoa has the number one film on Netflix right now with Sweet Girl, which I just watched. And since we shot, Zendaya has had all this success with Euphoria and Malcolm & Marie. Just to be part of this cast, period, let alone as one of the title characters, it’s really the shit you dream of.

And let me not forget, too—and I know I’ve told you this before—that The Dark Knight was the movie that made me want to act. That movie had a score by Hans Zimmer, and he has done the score for Dune. And it’s almost not what you’d think. It’s totally appropriate and excellent for the movie, but he has somehow managed to do something subversive, in my opinion. It’s a pinch-me moment all over.

DEADLINE: So, take me back to the start. Is it true you had a Google alert set up to track the latest news on this project before you were ever cast?

CHALAMET: Yeah, it’s true [laughs]. Not right away—Legendary had the rights and was developing it—but as soon as Denis got involved, I set up a Google alert and that’s when I got the book.

In total honesty, I think my understanding of Dune at that point was from a graphic novel I’d seen at Midtown Comics when I was shopping for Yu-Gi-Oh! cards when I was about 10. The year you and I first met, when I was there at Deadline Contenders with Call Me by Your Name, that would have been 2017 or early 2018, and Denis was there with Blade Runner. I remember I was trying to put myself in front of him as much as possible and set up a meeting with him. We had a night at the BAFTA where one of my good friends, Stéphane Bak—who’s also an actor—saw Denis across the room and was like, “Hey buddy, he’s right over there.” So, we went over to talk to him. I kept trying to put myself in front of him, but I didn’t really get a sense of the possibility [of working with him].

I was about halfway through the book when I got the call that he was going to be the president of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, and I was in London prepping The King. He asked me if I could come out there, so I quickly busted through the second half of the book as best I could. So, like, the first half of my copy is properly annotated and full of my thoughts, and then the second half I just raced through. And then I had that meeting with him, and it was such a joy.

I’m struggling with this even now, as I’m working with Paul King [on Wonka], because he’s another guy I have huge respect and admiration for, and it’s hard to feel on a level. Not that you ever are, because as an actor you’re a cog in the machine, and you’ve got to be humble to the vision of the director. But with Denis, he was pacing around the room, throwing ideas around, in some fancy suite in Cannes, and all I could think was that a year before I was just sat on a stoop on 9th Street in the East Village or something.

DEADLINE: Was that your first time in Cannes?

CHALAMET: Yeah. Well, bizarrely, my sister would do dance camps growing up. Ballet intensive programs in a town called Mougins, which is nearby Cannes, so I spent a lot of time there growing up, but never during the festival, and not on the Riviera. To get to be there for the festival was just nuts. I went to see the Romain Gavras movie, I think, and it was just a huge joy.

I got attached [to the role in Dune] a couple of months after that, and it was nerve-wracking from the announcement, because like I said before, the fans of the book, and the fans of David Lynch version, the computer game, and everything, there’s so much love and strength of feeling. And so much of our pop culture and films and books have been derived from Dune, and all the philosophy the book. I’ve been shocked to learn how many people have a next-level connection to the book. I compare it to how our generation grew up with Harry Potter, and that one makes sense to me. But it’s cool to see with Dune also, when you actually sit down and read it… It’s not that it’s a quote-unquote “hard read” or anything, but it’s not made to be consumed easily, I think that’s fair to say.

So, I was grateful to be working on something of this size not only with Denis Villeneuve leading it, who between Polytechnique, Incendies and Prisoners had nailed the smaller indie film across languages, and then had nailed Arrival and Blade Runner, but who, in his own words, he didn’t feel he’d made his greatest film yet. But also, to be working with this cast. I don’t know if there’s some nightmare version of a film where a young lead is not supported by the rest of his cast, where every one of them had been the leads in their own huge projects. But on this, everyone was there to support, and I think it’s because we all wanted to be foot soldiers for Denis, and I think we understood the potential, based on the script by Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts and Denis, that this could be something really special.

DEADLINE: I don’t have a connection to Dune; this movie is really my first experience of the story. What strikes me is this is clearly an enormous universe—a broad canvas being painted with various families and factions and politics and mythos—but that ultimately it comes down to very elemental, human themes, and we feel them through this character you play, Paul Atreides. Did those themes help ground the experience for you?

CHALAMET: Yes, and I would give the credit entirely to Denis. He would constantly say on set that he had some opposing drumbeat or something. In my diminished intellectual standing, I didn’t understand it, but it was like some vision for the movie based on how biblical the book is that tries to tackle so much that it doesn’t tackle anything. I think he felt the need to be close to a character in it, and Paul is that guy in the book. He’s a character that is still in formation, like a lump of clay, which makes him a great figure for the audience to mirror off.

It speaks, I think, to Denis’ premonition and his directing ability that there were times when we’d move on from a shot or move on from a scene, and I swear, literally, we’d go back because Denis wanted to get something over my shoulder, or push in on my reaction, just to make sure [it stayed on Paul].

And again, it’s something where I’m pinching myself. I had the best time on Interstellar, and that was one of my favorite films I’ve ever worked on, but it was very much something where I was aware of when I had the opportunity to do real acting. And on a movie like Dune, again, one could think it would get lost in the scale and scope. But I felt every day like my plate was full.

DEADLINE: One of those themes is fear, and Paul must overcome his to become the person he needs to be. When you are number one on the call sheet on a project of this scale, and the cast list reads like an address book of Hollywood in the 21st century, and Legendary has injected hundreds of millions of dollars into this production, and it’s all falling on your shoulders, I have to imagine fear is a theme you can readily relate to.

CHALAMET: Oh yeah, and they can bleed into each other for sure—not to diminish the other work that goes in. It’s great when your life experience can inform the role. That’s not at all to say I’m on some crusade in the universe or anything, but definitely… And I had that same good fortune with The King I think. My life is not nearly as significant or as exciting as Paul or Prince Hal, but we all share an unwitting needle in the haystack feeling. On The King that feeling was because I was so new to having a career. On Dune it’s because of, as you say, just feeling the pressure of the hugeness of the project in all those different ways. Those things can absolutely inform each other.

And then there are the moments of glee that come, too, like seeing Jason Momoa running at you at a hundred miles an hour, or just getting to shoot the shit with Josh Brolin, or getting to do a scene with Oscar Isaac. I felt so supported, whether it was Rebecca Fergusson or Charlotte Rampling. When Zendaya came, it was a total breath of fresh air, and she’s one of my favorite parts of the movie. I just got really lucky, and I can’t wait to see them all in Venice.

Denis split the book in half, and the hope is a second movie will get a greenlight. That’d expand Zendaya’s role in the story.

CHALAMET: Definitely, Chani will play a huge role in the next film. I don’t know if there’s a script yet, but just based on the book, along with Lady Jessica [Rebecca Fergusson], they have a lot to do together, let’s put it like that. And Zendaya was incredible in this movie; the moment she pulls the mask down, it felt properly showstopping and powerful. I was hiding behind the camera, counting my lucky starts, because I was there in month two of the shoot and here was a total powerhouse just coming in for the first time.

And as I said before, this was before I’d seen Euphoria and Malcolm & Marie. She’s doing such incredible work and is just trailblazing her own path, and she’s so, so cool. She also happens to be in the most-watched trailer of the moment, too, for Spider-Man: No Way Home. I cannot wait for that movie, and I was there, by the way, with everybody else, clicking through the trailer frame by frame looking for clues [laughs].