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cameronspecial · 9 months ago

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A New Kind Of Normal (Part 3)

Pairing: Dad!Rafe Cameron x Reader

Warnings: Fight With A Parent, Swearing, and Fear of Relapse

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 3.0K

Summary: Rafe has accomplished his goals and is now able to meet his daughter for the first time.

Masterlist

Over the past month, Rafe has gotten a chance to learn more about Stella from his weekly meetings with Y/N. Stella was born on May 17th, 2020 at 10:59 A.M. Her first word was Joshy, said at eleven months old when she was calling for help from her uncle Josh when her uncle Benedict would mercilessly tickle her. At two years old, she became obsessed with witches after her mother read her a book about them and it has been her favourite topic of conversation since. Her favourite colour is dark purple and her favourite food is any soup in general because she likes to pretend she is drinking a witch's potion when she eats it. The most important fact of all to Rafe: Stella Rachel Y/L/N is his little girl’s full name. Y/N had tried her best to come up with a name close to Rafe, but all the names closer she found on the internet didn’t go with Stella. Nonetheless, the action still touched him when Y/N told him that was the reason.

And now, he’ll finally get to meet his little star. His hand fidgets with the small nob on his watch, making the hands go clockwise and counterclockwise. He watches as Y/N reads over his toxicology report. She didn’t require him to do a weekly toxicology report to prove that he was staying sober, but he wanted to show her she could trust him. The logical part of him knows she won’t say that he can’t meet Stella, yet a small part of him fears she might.

The small smile she gives him relieves him of his anxiety, “This is great, Button. I’m so proud of the work you put into staying sober.” Forming a friendship with Y/N was another amazing thing that happened this month. When she started using the nickname she gave him the night Stella was conceived, he felt the air leave his lungs just like it does now. “Thanks. I was really scared that I might relapse this week after I got into an argument with my dad, but I called Diana, did some breathing exercises and looked at my picture of Stella. It all helped me get through it,” he replies truthfully. He had truly felt fear that week when he found himself on the road towards Barry’s trailer. Luckily, he was able to fight through his desire and pull over the car before he got there. Y/N nods and reaches out to place a reassuring hand on his, “Well, I’m glad you were able to recognize your craving and reach out for help with managing it. So do you want to come over after we finish our coffee?”

His lips stretch so far apart that people would think he is the Joker. He pulls out his phone to check his schedule, “No, I won’t have enough time to go home and change if I come tonight. I also need to get her a few things before I meet her. How about tomorrow afternoon? Is that okay?” “You know you don’t have to make a big deal about this with the changing and the gifts. As long as you love her and show her that love, she is going to reciprocate those feelings,” Y/N argues.

“I know, I just… Meeting her is all I have been dreaming about for the last month and I want it to be perfect. Plus, it really couldn’t hurt to get her a few bribery toys.”

“I understand how you feel. When Benny came home the week before Stella was born with the wrong colour paint for her room, I almost threw a chair at him. I wanted Finch yellow, but he got funky yellow. It didn’t matter that they were virtually the same colour. I just need her room to be exactly how I planned it. So you can come over tomorrow. Just don’t buy her too many toys.”

“I can’t be held to a gift-buying limit. I have to make up for five years.”

——

Y/N watches as Stella tries to get ready by herself, thinking about what is going to happen in just ten minutes. “Mommy, help, please,” Stella cries out for help. Y/N’s focus returns to her daughter and she has to stop herself from laughing. Stella has gotten her shirt stuck on her head because she has been trying to get her head through the armhole. Y/N approaches the young girl and helps put her head through the right hole. “You were almost there, Stells. I’m proud of you,” she praises, giving the little girl a kiss on the head. Stella shouts a thank you as she runs into her mom’s room.

Y/N follows her daughter to her room and carries Stella over to the bed. Once Stella is safely on the bed, Y/N turns toward her dresser to get her perfume. “One tiny spray for this wrist,” Y/N pushes the top of the perfume so the scent falls on her daughter’s wrist. “And one tiny spray for the other. Now, you are ready to go. Why don’t you wait in the living room for Mommy’s special guest to arrive.” The little girl runs off as her mother suggested and Y/N is left alone in her room. She looks at herself in her mirror, wondering how her life is going to change once Stella meets her dad. It’s not that Y/N doesn’t trust Rafe, he has shown her that he really is trying. It’s that Stella isn’t going to be solely Y/N’s anymore. She will have to share some parenting duties with Rafe and it feels strange for her to do that. She is the one who stayed up with Stella when she was puking all night last year. She is the one who would read the little girl a bedtime story every day. She is the one Stella goes to when she is scared. Now, Y/N is going to have to learn to let Rafe do those things too.

Rafe nervously wipes the sweat off of his palm and adjusts the hat on his head. The time on the clock shows he is five minutes early, but he can’t wait any longer. He knocks on the door and rocks on the balls of his feet. The door creaks open, yet Rafe is met with an empty doorway. It is only when he looks down that he sees the perfect little star staring up at him with her brilliant blue eyes. “Stella Rachel Y/L/N, what have I told you about answering the door to strangers?” Y/N scolds, walking into the room with an adorable motherly look. Stella looks back at her mother with a pouty look, “I’m sorry, Mommy. But I knows we were going to have a special guest.”

Rafe is in awe at how adorable she is, but he takes this as his chance to do the first fatherly act he will ever do. “Your mother is right, Stella. What if I was a stranger?” he poses, kneeling down to her level. She gives him wide eyes, “But you weren’t. You are the man who Mommy yelled at.” Her words cause pain to shoot through his heart. The first memory his little girl has of him is his argument with her mother. Y/N can see the hurt that crosses Rafe’s face and beckons the pair away from the doorway. “Yes, he is, Baby. But he apologized to Mommy and we are friends again. Did you see his hat?” Y/N points out. The small blue eyes move from his face up to his head and her eyes turn to delight. “You’re wearing a witch’s hat!” she exclaims, reaching up to her father’s head to try it on. “Can I try it on, please?” Glad that his conversation start is working, he takes the hat off and places it on her tiny head. Everyone giggles as the big hat falls over her eyes.

Now, that the ice has been sufficiently broken, Y/N decides it is time to make the introduction Rafe has been waiting for. “Stella, do you know why I asked my special friend to come visit?” Y/N sits on the couch, bringing Stella on her lap. The little girl shakes her head and rests it on her mother’s chest. “He’s your Daddy, Baby.” The excitement in his daughter’s eyes as she turns toward him sends him over the moon. The tiny girl flings herself into her arms and screams his new name. He never thought someone would call him those words, but now it’s the only one he wants to hear. “Does that mean you can play witch with me? I have a hat you can borrow.” With her now in his arms, he can smell the familiar vanilla fragrance of Y/N’s perfume. It makes him smile that she wants to be just like her mommy. Before he can answer, she runs off to her room to get her toys. She returns dragging a big plastic cauldron behind her. Rafe feels his father's instinct kick in. He jumps off of the couch and runs over to pick her and the cauldron up in his arms. Stella looks at him in awe, “Wow, my Daddy is super strong.” This absolutely kills him and he kisses her on the cheek.

——

Y/N, Stella and Rafe have spent the afternoon playing various games their daughter wanted to play. When it got closer to dinner time, the three of them worked together to make something to eat. “Button, can you please pour me some more water?” Y/N asks, holding up her glass for him to do it. He picks up the water pitcher and pours it for her, “Of course, Buttercup.” Stella may be three and eleven months old, but she is very observant. Throughout the afternoon, she noticed the tiny glances Rafe would send Y/N’s way. She noticed how his hand would reach to find her skin, yet it never seemed to land. She noticed how he would always ask for Y/N’s approval. And just now, she saw how his lips formed a massive smile because of her mother’s attention.

The small girl starts to form a plan in her head; she can see how much her father is pining for her mother. He clearly needs her help. “Mommy, I like Daddy’s hair. Do you?” she questions, looking back and forward between her parents. Y/N looks up from her food to look at Rafe, “I do like his hair. It looks nice when the front of his hair falls down like a little curtain.” He stops mid-stab of the pasta to look up at her through his lashes. “I’ll take note of that then, Buttercup,” he brings his hand up to hide the blush on his cheeks. Stella is very satisfied with the results of the beginning of her plan. She feels like a genius. Y/N doesn’t know that she is going to regret letting Stella watch Hallmark movies with her.

——

After dinner, Rafe is preparing for the roughly hour-and-a-half drive back to the Outer Banks. Stella is holding on to Rafe for dear life because she isn’t ready for him to go. “Mommy, why can’t Daddy stay?” she begs, looking at her mother sadly. Y/N frowns at her daughter, “I’m sorry, Baby. Not yet, there is nowhere for him to sleep. Plus, Daddy has work tomorrow and you have daycare.” Rafe can see the struggle Y/N is having with saying no to Stella and he helps her out. “How about I go over to the diner on Friday? I’ll be there when you get back from daycare. Maybe I’ll even have a surprise,” he offers, whispering the last part in her ear.

The darling’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree and loosens her arms from his neck. “Okay! I can’t wait to see you. Bye, Daddy. I love you,” she bids adieu. She hops down from his arms and runs to get ready for bed. The quicker she goes to bed, the faster Friday comes. Rafe calls back I love you. The two adults laugh at the child as they watch her run off. The laughter dies down and Y/N turns her body toward Rafe. “It’s okay that I come by on Friday, right?” Rafe confirms with a hopeful smile.

“Of course, as long as you are sober, I won’t stop you from seeing her. The extra business is good too.”

“Haha, I’ll make sure to deposit my paycheck before I go in then. Also, please let me know if you need anything. Money for food, rent, toys, clothes, tuition. Anything, okay. I want to pull my weight. She’s my daughter too.”

“I will, I promise. Thank you for coming over tonight. You made her day.”

They both look at each other for a second and then notice the time. “I should probably get going. It’s getting late,” Rafe concludes, taking a step closer to the door. Y/N tries to hide her slight disappointment, “Uh, yeah. Drive safe. See you on Friday.” Rafe nods his head and opens the door. “See you on Friday.” Y/N stays by the door as she watches Rafe walk down her driveway. She waves goodbye to him as he gets into his car and drives away. Once he is out of sight, she closes the door and reflects on the day. It was strange to have Rafe there, but she doesn’t regret the decision. She saw how much he cared for Stella and it solidified the idea in her mind that he is meant to be a father. This is a new kind of normal that she can get used to.

——

Since Sarah and Rafe moved out of Tannyhill, Ward insisted on having family dinner every week. Everyone knows Sarah’s departure is the main reason why Ward wanted to do so, especially since Ward tried to have just Sarah come to dinner. However, thanks to Sarah, Ward gave in to inviting Rafe. Most dinners start with Ward getting small talk with Rafe about work out of the way before he moves on with asking Sarah about a full second-by-second breakdown of her week. And this Wednesday is not any different, but Rafe has something else other than work to talk to his dad about.

“Actually, Dad, there is something I want to talk to you about,” Rafe brings to the table, looking Ward dead in his eyes. Ward stops chewing, not really expecting Rafe to have anything else to say. Ward tilts the end of his fork toward Rafe, “Okay, what is it?” “I have a daughter. Her name is Stella. She is three years old, almost four. And she looks exactly like me,” Rafe gets everything out in one go. He may have known about Stella for a month now, but he didn’t want to tell his family until he knew he could step up and be the person his daughter needed. This causes everyone at the table to freeze and look at Rafe in surprise. Ward’s eyes narrow; his brows become one. “What do you mean?” he gets out in a rough tone.

“I mean that five years ago, I had sex with Y/N and she had a baby nine months after that. I didn’t know about Stella until last month. I didn’t want to tell you guys until I was a month sober and certain that I could be there for her.”

“You better tell me that this is a joke because I can’t believe that you could be that much of a screw-up. How do you even know she is your daughter?”

“I told you, she looks exactly like me.”

“How do you know that’s not because you want to believe she does? How do you know that bitch isn’t lying to you? You were so useless that you didn’t even get a paternity.”

Rafe stands up at what Ward calls Y/N and points a finger at his father. “You have no right to call her that. I know she isn’t lying because I trust her. I won’t make her get a paternity test,” he yells. Ward lets out a low chuckle, “Okay, fine. Do whatever you want. But I’m going to need you to get a lawyer and write up a contract for child support if that’s what the bitch is after. There is no way you are actually going to raise that kid.” “You need to stop calling the mother of your granddaughter a bitch. And why can’t I raise my daughter? You are always telling me I need to take responsibility and I am. Why can’t you just be proud of me?” he argues, his anger getting to a whole other level. The other members of the dinner see that this fight is not about to end any time soon, so Sarah steps in. “Dad, stop. This isn’t going anywhere. And you should be proud of Rafe. He overcame his addiction just so that he could be a better father. That’s amazing and I’m proud of him for that. I, for one, am excited to meet my niece,” Sarah reasons. Wheezie butts in too, “I want to meet Stella too.” Rafe gives them a thankful smile but gets up angrily.

“Thank you guys for your support. I’ll talk to Y/N to find out when you can meet Stells. Dad, I wish I could say that I am surprised but I’m not,” he begins. “No matter what I do, I will never compare to Sarah and I won’t force you to meet your granddaughter. I think I’m going to go. Goodbye.” Rafe storms out of the house and slams the door. He gets to his truck and is about to drive away, yet he knows he shouldn’t. If he goes now, he is scared it will lead him to Barry’s. Instead, he pulls out his phone and dials a number that recently entered his contacts. “Hey, Button. Is everything okay?” Her voice is like a light guiding him back to home base. He vehemently shakes his head, “No, I’m not. Do you have time to talk?” Y/N immediately stops what she is doing and gives him her full attention for the whole night.

Taglist: @loves0phelia @thelomlisrafecameron @wickedlovely121 @thepatriarchykeychain @drewsmusee @starkowswife @maybankslover @forstarkey @loving-and-dreaming @drewstarkeyswifehoe @kisstaya @magicalyoura @mp-littlebit @loverfu55ii @dark1paradise @sublimepenguinpeach-blog @alyisdead @emeloyy @js-a-writer

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phoenix-fell · 2 years ago

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Anti-Bumbleby criticisms answered with BB analysis - Big post

As expected, as Bumbleby gets more attention from the show, the anti-BB crowd have surfed in on their tidal wave of bitter lemons. So, I’d like to put my degree, job and training to use and compile my thoughts down in one place - a one-stop shop if you will - it’s long and will be largely unfiltered as I tackle the weirdest and most common criticisms and BB analysis. (I kinda miss Bumbleby analysis Megaposts, I might make one sometime to go alongside this as a point of reference as most I’ve seen end around Vol 6).

TIA for anyone who actually takes the time to read my ramblings and please feel free to give your thoughts/analysis and I’ll edit it in. FIRST EDIT - 8th Mar 2023 presenting labels and sexuality in Remnant - 4th from end.

Credentials: Double major 1st class grad in Literature and Creative Writing, specialising in fairy tales and WLW representation in media. Recipient of dissertation award exploring character psyche and the presentation of psychological themes. Literary critic, writer and content specialist.

Let’s start off with a cracker from Reddit!

“Why couldn’t the BB scenes be more of a background thing? Why do they need to focus on them like they’re a main plot or something?”

Is... Is it stuffy under all that homophobia? I could easily rhyme off a string of sarcastic quips like ‘gee, I wonder why, it’s almost like it’s important to the development of two of the main characters or something.’ But it’s so lost on some people that I’mma spell it out:

We’ve seen Blake and Yang’s trauma painted across the screen from ‘Burning the Candle’ when Yang first confesses her abandonment issues, to the White Fang / Adam arcs that gave us a picture of the abuse Blake has endured - not just as a Faunus, but from her partner (“Adam used to get into my head, make me feel small.”), right through to their separation that dealt with their respective issues with running away/being abandoned and the shared trauma which has tied them both together indefinitely. They’ve been apart, they’ve repaired their relationship, they’ve grown together. In a current volume that’s so inherently focused on character’s individual development, seeing Blake and Yang together was almost inevitable as they’ve been so completely involved in one another’s development throughout the entire series. This is without going into their fairy tale allusions that tie them together which I’ll go into further down or the references to Yin/Yang and numerous romantic tropes that show how integral they are to one another’s characters. Contrary to belief, it’s not romance for the sake of romance - in this instance, the romance very much strengthens their development individually.

Asides from all of this, it was decided from the very beginning that Yang would lose her arm (foreshadowed in the Yellow trailer). The moment they decided that Yang would lose her arm protecting Blake, was the moment a decision was made to invariably tie these two narratives together on a very fundamental level.

But also, don’t clown yourself into thinking you’re not a homophobe if you think any LGBT content belongs in the background whilst also rejoicing any onscreen developments between straight ships.

“If BB was meant to be a thing then they wouldn’t have had Sun as a romantic interest.”

Is there a universe where love triangles and bisexuals are a foreign concept?

But in all seriousness, I think that certain corners of fanbases seem to struggle with any concepts that are non-linear; something I often see with anime. By ‘linear’, I mean: love interest introduced > build up > canon > together forever. As opposed to ‘non-linear’; a character that goes on their own journey of discovery and, through which, has more than one interest and path over time and has the ability to change their mind. The show was never a ‘romance’ as a primary theme; it’s an action/adventure which has some romantic subplots. But to honest, Blake changing her mind shouldn’t really be this much of a shock to the fanbase given that our FIRST ever interaction with Blake, in her TRAILER, is her changing her mind about her partner (and first romantic interest) and deciding to pursue a new journey. A scene which is actually referred back to in the Season 6 opener when Blake uncouples the train and sees what she believes to be a hallucination of a hooded Adam on the opposite carriage, foreshadowing the importance of that original decision later in the series (“you didn’t leave scars, you just left me, alone”).

The arc that follows Blake thereafter is inherently tied to Adam (amongst other important themes), who is predominantly based off Gaston and the rose (or curse of the rose) from Beauty and the Beast. Blake and Yang are interchangeably alluded to as both Belle and the Beast throughout their character arcs from as early as the Red Trailer: “Black the beast descends from shadows / Yellow beauty burns gold.” and as recently as Blake describing Yang to the Hunter Mice in Vol. 9 Chapter 1. I can rhyme off these allusions until I’m blue, but again, I may save this for a master post.

The story that Blake is based on is a love triangle - she was never meant to have one set path from the beginning and romantic interests were always meant to play a huge part in Blake’s story/development; she was always going to have a romantic decision to make after conquering the curse / Gaston. Blake being haunted by her first romantic interest is foreshadowed in the ending of her trailer and first referenced in her conversation (with Yang) at Mountain Glen, and becomes an undeniable path of exploration once Yang loses her arm to Adam at the end of Volume 3. Let it be noted that Sun was present when Yang announced she was going to find Blake at the Battle of Beacon - a decision was made here for Yang to be the one to lose her arm protecting Blake, as was Adam’s poignant promise to take away everything Blake loves - “starting with [Yang]” or, otherwise, the solidifying of this romantic subplot. Which, again, is called back to with the infamous line: “What does she even see in you?” besides the obvious subtext, it’s setting the stage for these parallels between Adam and Yang, past and future, the previous love interest identifying something in Blake that used to be reserved for him, now directed towards Yang.

This season began with Blake declaring that Yang “seems scary, but isn’t”. Because, once Belle knows the Beast isn’t scary, she allows herself to fall in love (conveniently, this is said whilst walking through a fairy tale).

I could go into a big post about romantic foils and the ways in which Yang, Adam and Blake are all foils to each other but I might make a separate post instead for anyone new to the FNDM. Either way, I feel it’s worth mentioning as it’s Blake who directly compares Yang to a past love interest who was designed with semblances and characteristics that mirror each other. Point being, no one should be shocked that Blake has multiple interests given the character and fairy tale she’s based off and heavy allusions where Yang is concerned.

“Oh yeah, because Yang ‘literally purred at guys in their underwear’ Xiao Long and Blake ‘literally kissed a boy’ Belladonna are clearly bisexual because of [insert out of context reasons]” and “yes but Monty said...”

1. You mean... the one, and only one scene in 9 entire volumes where Yang shows any interest (albeit jokingly) in a guy, and the literal scene directly before she sees Blake from across the crowded room and proceeds to never express interest in men again? (Ignoring the very obvious implied trope here). And, in fact, only expresses interest in a woman from this point onwards? This is your frame of reference? Personally, I find it quite lovely that Yang’s perspective is never the same from the moment she sees Blake. Asides from this, while ‘bisexual’ is the label that these guys have gone with, Yang’s sexuality hasn’t been confirmed outside of being sapphic - it’s not outside the realm of possibility that she is, in all likelihood, lesbian. It’s important to note here that any young character expressing an interest in a man would not invalidate that same character being a lesbian. In fact, if we apply this to real life, it’s not uncommon for people not to realise that they’re queer immediately (I myself didn’t until I was 21). But in the opening episodes of the series especially, I’d very much chalk this up to writers exploring the characters.

2. As for Blake - there are, from what I remember, three kisses in the entire show so far. The one between Jaune and Pyrrha - on the lips after prolonged romantic allusions between the two (their romance is explicitly referenced by Nora - “practice what you preach, Pyrrha.” - almost fitting that it’s Nora to call out the Bees in Season 7 - A Night Off, no? Neat little parallel for y’all). The one between Ren and Nora after trying to work out the status of their romantic relationship - again, on the lips. And the one where Blake says goodbye (and thank you) to Sun by kissing him... On the cheek. (So hot, I know). Which is immediately followed up with Sun telling Neptune “it was never about that”. One of these is not like the other, can you guess which? I’ll wait.

As for referencing Monty - I could go on all day about this one, and the quote most notoriously used is ‘they’re a sisterhood’. Firstly, let me just say that I find it disturbing that anyone would use the show’s deceased creator as ammunition, whilst also disregarding his other comments on LGBT rep - specifically, ‘maybe there are LGBT characters there now / they’re just kids rn and figuring it out / it needs to be earned’. But also, it’s really disturbing and egotistical that anybody would pretend to know what Monty wanted better than the crew he handpicked, worked with, collaborated with and was friends with (special mention to the fact that his own brother is one of the cast). If you truly want to honour his legacy, then show respect to the people he put his trust in.

“I don’t have an issue with BB, but why does it always have to take away from Yang’s moments with Ruby?” / “All Yang’s feelings for her sister transferred to Blake.”

One from the hall of fame. The age old question of ‘can a girl have a romantic partner and still care about her family?’ I wish this wasn’t a serious question, but there are actual sides of the Fandom that seem to think that Yang’s forgotten about her sister that she raised because she has feelings for someone and that the sole purpose of Yang’s existence is to be her sister’s keeper.

I’mma address this on 3 fronts. 1 - Logistically, the episodes for RWBY, excluding the intros, are 15-20 mins long currently and typically oversee several different storylines particularly as the cast grows larger, leaving us with... What? About 5 minutes of team RWBY interactions? It’s not a lot of time to pack in character development, relationship development, plotline, strategy etc. so often if they’re wanting to develop more than one relationship, they will alternate between putting these themes in the background (such as the yellow in Blake’s sword, references from other characters etc.) and foreground, and some developments have to be shoulder-to-shoulder to fit them in. This isn’t an indicator of how much one character cares for one another and is more a demon created by people’s perception of how they ‘think’ a protective sister should act.

Additionally, it should be noted that Yang fawning over Ruby and not allowing her to develop other relationships outside of her sister, would actually offer us nothing from a development perspective for both Yang and Ruby’s characters and would, instead, steer these two strong female characters down a path of co-dependency.

2 - It feels like a very easy excuse for Anti-BB folk to throw out there, conveniently forgetting how great of a sister Yang actually is (contrary to the number of RWDE videos I’ve seen arguing otherwise, as this is an essay I could write in itself). These very often take isolated incidents out of context and conveniently forget important information like Yang 1. Literally sacrificing herself twice to protect her sister 2. Sacrificing her entire childhood to raise her sister and 3. Importantly, the fact that Ruby is her (self-sufficient) Team Leader needs to be factored into their dynamic, as Yang gives her space to find herself as a leader and steps in when her sister actually needs her - not when the audience thinks she does. People hear ‘protectiveness’ and seem to think that this should mean that Yang should be overbearing.

3 - Anyone who says this doesn’t have siblings. I have older and younger siblings and, having largely raised my younger sibling, I can safely say that I still love them even when I’m in a relationship. I also feel extremely secure in arguing/disagreeing with any of my siblings because I inherently know they will still be there at the end of the day - a sibling love goes deep (referencing ‘Fault’ from Volume 8). However, in a romantic relationship that is not established and very new... you will feel insecure, that’s normal, it doesn’t have the luxury of established stability that siblings do, and therefore you will overtly express more anxiety about this as a result. It’s a very strange concept that if you have a sibling, you need to give them all of your attention and ignore any love interests. Yang has gone through her own traumas, she has every right to care about others, heal herself, and have a life that isn’t defined by being a caretaker for her sister. ESPECIALLY as she already gave up her childhood to fulfil this role, unselfishly AND as the person she’s bonding with is best poised to understand Yang’s trauma. Yang as a character deserves to receive the love she constantly gives out. Again, this is a demon born from the fact that it either doesn’t reflect the relationship commentors have with their siblings, or the fact that they’re *imagining* how that relationship should be.

Bonus picture below: Yang putting aside her anguish for Summer Rose, who she considered to be her mother, to prioritise comforting her sister about that same loss.

“I hate BB shippers because they pass off BS interactions as platonic. BS made more sense, there was no build-up to BB until Vol 6 and they let the BS build-up go to waste to force BB.”

First off, there’s nothing wrong with BlackSun as a ship. Shipping shouldn’t be dictated by canonicity and people have the right to ship it and to their opinions. And while a few of these seem to have referenced BS, I don’t actually think that BS shippers are at fault for the hatred coming this way, but rather that the ship seems to get used as ammunition from the Anti-BB crowd - to summarise, Anti-BB and BS shippers are not synonymous. I personally don’t ship BS, but I do enjoy the debate and actually think that Sun is a very important part of Blake’s development and arc. There did seem to be some form of mutual attraction between Blake and Sun. Had they gone down that route, I wouldn’t have hated it, I just never felt excited by it, which seems to be a large consensus amongst BB fans. An appreciation whilst feeling there was a better alternative.

Believing all the development between Sun and Blake was ‘wasted’ is also very closed-minded given how much he helped Blake in the White Fang arc and also disregards the importance of their friendship. BS has the potential to be one of the best and most supportive friendships in the series, I stand by that.

That said, I don’t think it’s entirely wrong to acknowledge that a lot of (not all) interactions between BS were platonic from Blake’s pov while Sun’s feelings were more explicit. The only real hint I saw of Blake reciprocating was a blush at the Vytal festival. Maybe the dance at a stretch, but there’s hints at both BS and BB and I will fight you on it. Now, it might be a question of timing; Adam was still a prevalent threat during this time which will have been weighing on Blake given the resurgence of the White Fang, and is clear when Adam rocks up seeking vengeance in Volume 3. For this reason, I honestly think it would have been disingenuous to have explored Blake in a full relationship with anyone at this point given these loose ends, and Blake undergoes a lot of development over volumes 4-6 as a direct result of this.

Additionally, if BB didn’t begin until Volume 6 then that means that BS had 4-5 volumes to happen - 2 of which where they were in their own arc, separated from the main cast. It didn’t happen. What happens instead is Blake’s guilt over Yang weighs heavily on her while she deals with her arc and Sun helps her come to terms with this, ultimately redirecting her back to her team, and Yang, while Sun’s interactions with her become increasingly platonic from his side.

Lastly, the only way you don’t see build up for BB, is if you actively will yourself not to see build-up. If you replace Blake and Yang’s moments with Sun, I don’t feel there’d be any misunderstandings on how these moments are supposed to be interpreted. Take off the hetero goggles, and we’re cool.

But on a sidenote and personal pet peeve of mine, the cries of ‘BB is forced while BS had build-up’ will forever irritate me - BB has a slow burn, a full arc, developed from a friendship and partnership as well as several tropes and allusions without going into too much detail. BS, firstly, never ended up happening, but it starts when Sun runs past, winks at Blake, magically knows she’s a faunus, then proceeds to follow around a girl he doesn’t know for two days who, at his own admission, didn’t speak that whole time. But... BB is forced? I’d say it’s subjective, but logic defies when this is the barometer for a natural introduction of a romantic pair.

“BB is ‘queerbait’”

Let’s address the ‘Goliath’ in the room, shall we? ‘Queerbaiting’ gets thrown around like a reflex at the moment by pseudo-fans who I don’t believe actually know the gravity of their statements or the meaning behind the word. I often see this slur paired with BB being strung out to keep the shippers watching. Now, there’s an essay in itself that could exist in this section, but are people really still clowning themselves that a show that’s explicitly shown that it wants to have queer representation in the cast and foreground is ‘queerbaiting’ it’s audience? Even weirder for me is the part of the FNDM saying that it’ll be baiting if they make BB canon. Please stop this nonsense and do some research.

Now, one thing I would like to tackle is that, sadly, some will still see pairings on the show through heteronormative glasses, so let me use that here. If the pair were a m/f couple and had several seasons of development and increasingly intimate moments, there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that 1. It was heading in the direction of canon and 2. That it was a slow burn romance that’s building to its’ climax. Interestingly, the show actually does use the hetero goggles to frame BB on several occasions by paralleling this budding romance with several straight ships such as Arkos and Renora. Why? Because this is a narrative technique often used by writers to frame LGBT romances to separate them from ‘just friendships’ and, let’s face it, use an unconscious heteronormative bias to their advantage.

“BB is badly written, they barely interacted in volumes 1-3 then didn’t speak for two volumes.”

Tickle me pink. Volumes 1-3 are a very strange reference point for ‘in-depth’ development between characters. Crumbs, sure. The odd scene, absolutely. But let’s be real here - the show started as a low budget web series with an onus on cool fighting scenes and, most importantly, the episodes were around 5 minutes long whilst entertaining teams RWBY and JNPR, the White Fang, the Vytal tournament and several other plots. Nobody particularly interacted much but the writers did the best they could with what they had and the rest is left to us, the audience, to interpret that relationships are developing off-screen. Though from a critique POV in the interest of fairness, I would say the current season is a breath of fresh air by re-focusing the plot on the central characters as I think the show can sometimes be guilty of taking on too many plotlines.

As for volumes 4-5, while they’re in different continents, it’s obvious that they’re prevalent in each other’s arcs. Whether it’s Yang admitting she’s struggling with Blake’s abandonment - in the same episode the first lesbian character is revealed confessing their feelings to Blake (sidenote, all of team RWBY left Yang, and it’s Blake she’s mad at, this was always meant to be framed differently to her other teammates and IMO the struggle they go through is meant to frame the characters coming to terms with the depth of what they mean to each other), the parallels of them both getting onto the ship (named ‘Pride’ - wink wink), or Blake actively struggling to talk about Yang, yet referencing it when Sun is hurt (“Not again!”) showing it’s at the forefront of her mind. All of which culminates in their reunion in the Vol 5 finale.

Is it the best writing ever? No, nothing’s perfect. But they do explicitly use parallels throughout the series to drive the narrative forward as a foreshadowing tool to strengthen subplots.

“Blake being bisexual makes no sense - she was interested in Sun, it just seems so out of the blue, she and Yang just seemed like friends to me.”

Funny, because she and Sun seemed like friends to me too.

There are so many things I wanted to fire back at this, from the insinuation that if a woman first shows interest in a man then it’s out of the blue that she’s bisexual now that she’s showing interest in a woman... Like, how do you think it happens for bisexuals IRL?! Did you want her to burst onto the scene in Volume 1, announce she likes men and women, and then express explicit simultaneous interest in both of them? Start a harem? Proposition a throuple?

This particular take amuses me most of all as someone who is very openly bisexual. Yes, she and Yang seemed like friends. Great friends, in fact. That hold hands and blush and want to spend all their time together. And check each other out when the other isn’t looking. And make excuses for casual physical contact and flirt and giggle like a couple of giddy teenagers. Just like me and my ‘best friend’ did, before I realised I was bi. I’m sure that a lot of people thought it came out of the blue for me too. Blake being oblivious to being bisexual until it becomes too obvious to ignore is actually a very realistic scenario.

Bonus headline - just because you don’t understand/identify with something, doesn’t mean that it’s not good representation or realistic. I feel it’s also important to mention Blake’s VA, Arryn Zech, is bisexual and has spoken numerous times on the matter. The reason I bring this up is because it’s clear that the way in which the bisexuality of her character is presented on the show is actually something that’s incredibly important to Arryn - because good representation is significant.

Presenting labels and sexuality on Remnant: A Theory and - “BB is a terrible representation of LGBT and your critique ignores the female and LGBT people that have spoken out against it.”

They say, to someone who is both female and LGBT. Credit to the Anon who charged into my inbox to accuse me of the above - hope you enjoy. Now, there’s a couple of things I’d like to cover before I go into how sexuality is perceived in-universe. The first is that if you use this argument against someone who is queer without seeing the belligerent hypocrisy of your statement, please check yourself as, clearly, you only care about LGBT voices on representation when it aligns with your own rhetoric and ready to dismiss any narrative to the contrary from that same community.

Secondly, the queer/LGBT community is a vast and vibrant community of *individuals* with their own opinions and own voices. I didn’t nominate anyone to speak on my behalf, just as I don’t speak on the behalf of the rest of the community. Moreover, any art is open to interpretation. My opinion does not override theirs, nor does their opinion erase my own. And, believe it or not, it’s quite possible to have two or more differing opinions within one community without being at war with one another. I respect their opinion, just as I hope they respect mine.

We clear? Great. Onto the analysis! Huge shoutout to @crimsonxe for the brilliant discussion and assistance with the analysis in the comments that helped me construct this section! You’re awesome.

Let’s dive in with the headline - Homophobia doesn’t appear to be an issue on Remnant and labels don’t appear to exist, in the sense that it doesn’t appear anywhere in-universe. Now just to pre-emptively disclaimer: this may change, but in 9 volumes and however many supplementary materials, we’ve not heard any labels or had any representation of this type of discrimination. If that changes, I’ll happily remove this.

So why is this important, you ask? Ultimately, when you take away the inherent ‘fear’ that a lot of the LGBT community face IRL along with prevalent ignorance towards the community and society’s insistence on labelling sexualities and gender identity, it creates a world divorced from our own and is, from a narrative point of view, a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it allows the characters to explore themselves in a non-discriminatory environment that is inherently more fluid and free, whilst the audience will inevitably want to compare that to their own experiences. But we can’t - not properly - due to the still very real stigma and discrimination that exists in our own world. Instead, what we see are characters who express an interest in other characters and find other ways to allude to their preferences or identity. A prime example of this would be May, canonically a trans character, who does not use this term in-world but instead says, “To the Marigolds that meant I wasn’t their son, and I made sure everyone knew I wasn’t their daughter.” This is a theme that is poignantly reflected in the accompanying media for the series - such as the books; for instance, Coco, canonically lesbian, referring to “breaking the hearts of many women.”

How does this tie into the relationship with Blake and Yang? Glad you asked. If you bear in mind that Remnant has a very fluid outlook on sexuality and more of a ‘love who you love’ ethos which is blind to gender norms, it immediately subverts the assumption that interactions between m/f are romantic while f/f are platonic. It’s an open field, if you will. BB is a steady build from partner/best friend (though I’d argue that at least Yang had an immediate attraction, with Blake figuring herself out) with interactions that become increasing more intimate. Eye rolls and jokes become winks and innuendo (“I love it when you’re feisty!”), nudges become intimate hugs (Burning the Candle), become hand-holding (it isn’t coincidence that these two have held hands more than any other pair in the series), becomes pining, blushing, forehead touches (BB and Renora - remember those parallels), which evolves into flirting and... More. And yes, some of their interactions will still resemble the friendship they built their foundations on. But in a world where labels don’t exist, that journey from friend-to-lover is much more subtle and embedded in a gentle upwards curve of increasing intimacy.

“BB is only happening because the horrible BB fans demanded it, the show caved and gave in to the toxic fanbase, it wasn’t planned from the beginning.”

I’ve seen this in so many places, like a broken record. I have no doubt that there are BB fans that are fanatical, and I’d never justify the behaviour of any so-called fan that resorts to death threats or violence in any way. I’m hoping this surely must be a minority that has, hopefully, shrunk over the years as the audience has matured. However, this also really isn’t how shows work...

As many have pointed out in recent weeks, the show would be a very different landscape altogether if CRWBY were, in fact, that easily swayed by fans; namely, I’m thinking of Clover/Qrow, Pyrrha, Penny etc. While I don’t doubt that show-makers pay attention to the fanbase where needed and where it’ll be beneficial (seeing how fans react to developments, if allusions are clear etc.), sending death threats or whatever is actually much more counterproductive than anything else. But also... You’re not on the crew, you’re not part of those discussions. I feel confident that Miles, Kiersi and Kerry aren’t writing BB content with a gun to their head.

Lastly, the ‘it wasn’t planned from the beginning’ war cry is a tale as old as time. Like Beauty and the Beast. (See what I did there?) Asides from the fact that 1. Yang and Blake were actually the first created out of the team, and made with each other in mind, regardless of in what context (check out the original character designs/concepts) 2. Even if it wasn’t planned from the beginning, what difference does it make? There are tonnes of examples where the writers have felt the chemistry between two characters as the story’s gone on and decided to put them together (case-in-point from outside the anime world.. Chandler and Monica from Friends). In fact, while some writers like to plan every element of their plot from the beginning, there’s a great many writers who allow the characters to steer the plot as they grow - especially arcs with romantic undertones. The series was made predominantly for the action - it’s not a romantic series, so if they didn’t plan it from the beginning that wouldn’t be unusual, especially given that the episodes of the first few volumes are literally 5-10 minutes long. But regardless of whether the romance of the two was planned or not planned, it does not make it any less meaningful.

But let’s be real, the issue at heart isn’t that they weren’t sucking face in the first 3 seasons, it’s that they thought Blake would be with a guy, and she chose a girl. To which I say... Get over your bruised ego, and move on.

“BB fans deserve the hate they get because of x, y, z and cos it has toxic shippers.”

And you’re... Not... Toxic? If you’re an Anti-BB shipper and go out of your way to stalk and comment on BB tags/accounts just to harass shippers etc, then are you any better than the toxic fans you supposedly hate? To me, following BB tags and looking at BB content whilst being an Anti-BB shipper is so weird, why you trying to hurt your own feelings?

Also, saying that innocent shippers who are just living their best life should bear the burden of the toxic FNDM, is literally the definition of tarring everyone with the same brush. Some of us just want to eat our crumbs in peace, and from our POV, you’re the toxic ones being disrespectful. Bonus point: others being toxic does not give you licence to be hateful to anyone you come across that doesn’t agree with you.

“I’m no longer watching the show cos it’s trying too hard to be ‘woke’”

This ain’t an airport, you don’t need to announce your departure. But since you are, if your issue is the gay representation in the show then wake up and look around... We’re everywhere. The show is literally just reflecting the diversity you see day-to-day; but you keep sipping that haterade, my dude, we’re here to stay.

#anti rwde #rwby analysis #bumbleby #rwby

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celebtf · 11 months ago

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Dylan and The Extra

So I got cast as an Extra in this movie, didn't really know what it is about but it's extra cash and right now I take everything I can get. As an Extra you really don't meet the stars on set, you just do your job and they come do their scen and leave. I just to think every actor/movie star was a bart, acting all snobby, arrogant.

I was going in to Studio 17 to see the scene they were shooting right now and I also wanted to get a sandwich from the snack table, I have been here since 4am, I'm getting hungry at this point.

I got into the studio and see they are running through a scene and somebody yells

" Dylan, we need to in hair and makeup right now, to fix up the wig and some other stuff"

I saw Dylan Minnette run from place A to B and for the first time i started to find him attractive.

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" Hey Dylan, I'm sorry I had to rush you out of the scene so fast, we just needed to check the wig really fast " the makeup girl said, Dylan just looked at her and smiled a big smile. He actually loved this trailer because it was very quiet. " Can you please take of your shirt, just quick so it dosen't get messy before the scene " Dylan changed out of the yellow shirt and put it on a hanger.

" I'm so sorry Theresa, I need to run to the bathroom very fast before we start " Dylan said with a sad undertone and left the trailer

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I had been listening outside the trailer when Dylan and his Makeup person talked so I knew he was going to the bathroom, I quietly opened the door in to the trailer, his makeup artist was not there at the moment, so I took the shirt of the hanger and hide it and run towards the bathrooms.

I was in the bathroom and went in to a booth and I tried Dylans shirt on, and I heard the door open from the other booth.

I opened my door and I saw dylan drop to his knees in pain but I still tried on the shirt, it smelled so good, if I could get high on a smell, it would've been this.

Thankfully I couldn’t feel the pain myself, but I could feel a small light pleasure in my now too-tight pants, my dick was growing.

I went over to the mirror and saw my face changing, the hair went light brown, my stubble grew back. The Transformation made me sweat, I needed to get this shirt of right now.

" I look so hot, don't I, Dylan" I looked at the old Dylan who was in pain with a smile. " I would love to chat, but the makeup girl is waiting on me" I took the weak Dylan by his collar and locked him in the bathroom. I took the shirt in my hand and went out.

" One last check " I look so hot, I know what I will be doing later " I laughed and went back to the trailer.

" Hey Theresa, I'm sorry, I have a bad stomach today" I said, hoping she wouldn't notice the change in actor.

" It's okay Dylan, we all have those days, now sit in the chair so we can put the wig on, and then put the yellow shirt on again "

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Hii it's me, I'm hoping you guys understood the POV shift, it makes it easier for me too, even if it's a bit basic. Hope you liked this story, I try uploading every 2-5 days.

#celebrity tf #body swap #celebtf #transformation #gay #male body suit #malebody swap #male shapeshift #dylan minnette #wallows #actor

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5and3nevermind · 6 months ago

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Visual ties between SGMB and yoonmin

Sometimes people look so hard for ship-related visual clues that it ventures too far into the realm of speculation, in my opinion.

However, I saw some visual clues in the SGMB music video that I simply couldn’t ignore. I won’t try to persuade you with any theories. I’ll just put some screenshots here for you to consider. As I’ve said before, it’s ok for us to notice small details. This doesn’t mean we’re citing it as “evidence.” We’re just making observations. Others are free to conclude whatever they want!

• From SGMB:

So much yellow:

…and we know that Yoongi and Jimin agreed that yellow is the color that best captures their dynamic. We also know this has been a common trope among yoonminers for years, and possibly it’s a theory that the guys themselves are familiar with? (It seems reasonable to think they might be.)

A blue butterfly:

Which seems like it could be reminiscent of the one in the Never Mind Comeback Trailer:

Could it merely be a coincidence that there is imagery that connects Jimin’s new music video to the comeback trailer of the song he has tattooed forever on his body?

Ok, this one might be a bit of a stretch, but blue mushrooms? More than one? Blue? Seriously?

I’ll admit, I had to google this one, but yes, both mushrooms and mold (including blue mold or penicillium) are types of fungus. So, they aren’t identical, but they’re…cousins? 😂 Again, what an incredible coincidence that Jimin would sing a song (Serendipity) which referred to penicillium (blue mold), and the other members would refer to Yoongi as blue mold more than once and Jimin’s music video would include blue mushrooms!

Plus…Yoongi loves the color blue:

He has talked about it, he’s referenced the color blue in his lyrics. This is well-established. And then there’s this.

Anyway, those are just the things I’ve noticed so far. (And we haven’t even gotten to the song’s lyrics yet!) This is a hurried and somewhat haphazard post, but I’m excited and wanted to share some quick thoughts. I may edit this and/or change my mind once I’m well-rested. 😉

The song is so wonderful and Jimin is gorgeous!

#yoonmin #muse era #2024 #speculation #it’s all speculative #🍄#Nevermind

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lairofdragonagelore · 2 years ago

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Murals in DAI: The Destruction of the Veil

This mural is seen in Dragon Age Official Teaser Trailer - 2020 Game Awards

[This post is part of the series “ Murals in DAI ”]

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore]

Thanks to the trailer, we can assume this mural was painted by Solas, even though I think it was not made by the main artist who usually does his murals: Nick Thornborrow. I can’t find the author of this piece, as it happens with the majority of DA art, but the change in style is clear.

The centre: The Wolf and the City

The middle of the mural is very focused on the wolf which shows him like a falling star, collapsing and destroying the already weakened Barrier [faded yellow and dark line] that isolated this castle.

This castle seems to be the Black City, which now we can see contaminated with red lyrium crystals and red lyrium veins. Maybe they can be seen as dripping blood too, implying some involvement with blood magic. In the trailer, some parts of the city are painted in red, while the sphere that surrounds it is painted with gold, reinforcing the idea of “golden city/sphere”.

The style of the architecture looks very elvhen, with spires as it is described in [Homecoming]. It also has sections upside-down, as we saw in the Shattered Library. The shape of the windows and doors is very eluvian-like too, as elvhen architecture tends to display. We can assume with certainty that this castle is Elvhenan made.

The wolf has a strange shape. If we put it upside-down, he looks like a mountain. And It sounds weird, but in DA2, when we read The Emergent Compendium, the “twitter” that appears in it related to Fen’Harel is:

Two shadowed spheres among stars subtitled "An eclipse as Fen'Harel stirred"

Maybe it’s my English limitation, but I’ve seen use “stir” only with Titans in DAI. We also know that the “wolf will rise” implying, in another way of interpreting things, that he may come up from the underground. So these small details give me the idea that this Fen’Harel is associated with a Titan power now. Am I going to go further and claim Solas is a Titan? No. Not at all, simply because it’s nonsense. But it seems that the Dread Wolf will hit the Black City with the power and strength of a Titan [which potentially makes sense if we think that Mythal may have acquired the power of a titan when she struck down one [ Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads]; or she has a power equivalent to a titan’s, after all she killed some in her time, and all that power now belongs to Solas]. At least that’s a potential interpretation. This idea of Titan power is even reinforced when you see the Wolf’s eye colour: blue.

If we see the trailer we notice that they are more than merely “blue”, they are silvery-blue which has been associated in many previous posts like Fen’Harel’s mountain ruins with Lyrium [at this point, it’s rather standard to assume that intense blue is a representation of lyrium in most murals of DA]. The wolf has six asymmetrical blue-lyrium eyes, which reduce the effect of “rage” that we saw in the mural of “Red Lyrium Idol” but acquires a sense of madness. If we keep this strange interpretation that the Wolf has now titan-like powers, the presence of lyrium in its eyes is not exactly odd: lyrium is the blood of titans, so technically, this wolf has its eyes “injected with [titan] blood”. Maybe the wolf is carrying more “indirect” revenge than Mythal’s alone, maybe he is carrying also the fury of the Titans that were affected by whatever these Evanuris did in the past: we know that what the Evanuris unleashed in order to have more power has chance to be related to titans and to Myhtal’s death, as we concluded in the murals “The Death of a Titan” and in the “Red Lyrium Idol”.

If this interpretation of relating the wolf to a mountain is too nonsensical, we can still keep the interpretation in which Fen’Harel has blue-silvery eyes because it may be related to his new powers absorbed from Flemeth.

Every time Flemeth made some kind of powerful [elvhen related] magic, her eyes would shine in blue/silvery colour. Maybe this colouration in the wolf’s mad eyes is a way to represent the absorption of Flemeth’s powers. Mythal certainly will be avenged through the black wolf. The attack gives the impression of what Flemeth wanted for Mythal: "a reckoning that will shake the very heavens”.

However, his teeth are red, giving the impression that the rage/avenge of Mythal is performed through his mouth. Or it could mean that by destroying the city, which is infected with red lyrium, the guardian Fen’Harel will be contaminated as well [as a kind of last sacrifice?]. We know that Solas would never use The Blight or Red Lyrium to obtain power, simply because we have seen him along the game rejecting both elements in a stronger way than Blood Magic [more details in the post “ Solas sharing Lore”] . For him, blood magic is just another form of magic that he doesn’t like to use because it makes him difficult to enter the Fade, but he doesn’t condemn it as he does with the Blight and the Red Lyrium. However it’s true he takes the red lyrium idol in Tevinter Nights, but he says it’s part of a ritual. It’s not the red lyrium what he needs, but the relic per se [which we suspect is related to the Death of Mythal, and therefore, to whatever the Evanuris did that made him decide to banish them].

He despises so much the power that the Blight and Red Lyrium can give that he goes to the extend of killing Mythal [to whom he loves as, potentially, his own creator as Cole suggests in his line “He did not want a body. But she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face.“] to acquire the needed power. So I’m not fan of thinking Solas would use any of these diseases as an advantage in his fight. However, if the Black City is contaminated, and the Wolf will attack it, it seems likely that he will end up contaminated [according to this mural] given the contagious nature of the red lyrium. The red in his mouth sadly is of the same red colour than the red lyrium crystals that are spread in the Black City [see the trailer image, I made it a bit brighter to easily see it]. I know that this seems a bit ridiculous if we think that the inquisitor have been fighting for years the red lyrium spread and nobody got contaminated, but we can assume that the one inside the Black City is worse than the normal one, or this can potentially be an artistic license to add dramatic value to the story [I personally hated that DAI made of red lyrium such an infectious problem, yet nobody had accidental infections, but again.... this is a story, so some licenses are taken]

At the end of Trespasser, Solas also says to a romanced Inquisitor that wants to accompany him in his journey that he “doesn’t want her to see him in what he will became”.

Solas: I walk the din'anshiral. There is only death on this journey. I would not have you see what I become. It's my fight.

With the elven language given to us, we know the following equivalences: Din= dead, an= place, shiral= journey [as he says, a journey to a place of Death]. An ominous line that seems a foreshadowing of a lot of slaughter and a “last sacrifice” in a sense of turning into an “abomination” [metaphorically speaking].

The Left side: Meredith and the creature

On the bottom of the mural we see the previous enemies from DA2 and DAI who have caused a great weakness in the Veil [fading yellow barrier]. Meredith indirectly encouraging all the blood magic activity and red lyrium in Kirkwall [a place with an already very thin Veil according Kirkwall history and design] and Corypheus, who simply wanted to break it.

On the bottom left of the mural, we see Meredith: she is turned completely into red lyrium, her helm with a spike is clearly seen as well as the shape of the sword-idol she used in DA2. Her lower part shows red lyrium veins. In the trailer; however, the lines in her red-lyrium body are painted in gold [god-like power?]. When Varric speaks over this image, he uses the word “tyrant” in this part, fitting Meredith’s story.

The top left of this mural, and exactly over Meredith, we see the figure of a Moon-head creature. Undulating lines fall from her horns, being interpreted as potential algae, as she may be related to the seas as we saw in one of the concept arts:

But also she may be related to the The Horror of Hormak through the brine concept. The Horror of Hormak also allows us to connect the undulating lines with the elvhenan slavery iconography and the shape-control we already analysed in the mosaics of Fen’Harel’s mountain ruins, or in Murals in DAI: Basics. All these concepts seem to fit one another quite well at this point, so she may represent an important creature with control/shape-power living underwater. If we see her lower body in the mural, we will notice several tentacles, which brings back the old concept of the Old Gods as eldritch, tentacled creatures.

These tentacles are not in the concept art above, but it shows four arms that the old god statue of DAO had, while the creature in the mural only has two but presents tentacles.

She has a golden halo behind, so we know she is connected to a “divine”-like power due to the links we made already in the mural of “The Death of a Titan” and in the mural of the “Red Lyrium Idol”. We are quite confident that she is one of the last guardians that were part of “The Creation of the Veil” which allowed the world to peacefully exist isolated from the red and black sphere.

Unlike the other figure, her halo is cracked, probably implying her power is lesser or has been weakened [maybe tainted?].

The shape of her horns have a distant resemblance to Andraste’s crown in her old version [DAO] and to Flemeth’s staff. This staff was never seen in-game, but it appears in the presentation of the games and in concept art, or in the late game of Heroes of Dragon Age.

There is also a small detail that I’m not sure if it’s me seeing too much, but Flemeth’s torso has a similar shape to the torso of this creature. In this old mural of Flemeth [DA2], she looks like a figure/entity emerging from a mountain filled with normal Lyrium veins, which is a concept similar to what the wolf in this mural seems to represent in an alternative interpretation. In fact, her hair as some distant resemblance to the style in which the Fen’Harel is hitting the Black City. So I think there are some soft aesthetic hints that suggest linking Mythal with a mountain concept, and by extension, this interpretation also affects Fen’Harel since he absorbed Flemeth’s powers .

The Right side: Corypheus and the creature

On the lower right side of the mural, we see Corypheus. He has some red crystals in his face, so I guess we still can consider him as a creature half darkspawn, half contaminated with red lyrium. He has in his hands the elvhen orb, painted in halves, representing the moment when it was broken.

The orb is painted, once more, with a “golden” halo around it, reinforcing the idea that these artefacts were made of Titan’s hearts or using the power of a Titan’s heart which ends up being related to divinity [The Death of a Titan]. The gold effect is more noticeable in the trailer. Around it we see a second line, that may look like a ring.

There is a chance to associate the Golden Ring too with the orb, as we saw in other posts [follow the tag Golden Ring for a good tracking of this element]. When Varric speaks, he uses the word “would-be gods” in this part, which fits Corypheus’ story.

On the top right of the mural, and over Corypheus, we see the Beetle-head creature. It seems to have elvhen ears, and the mantle he wears makes it look more like a bug, or even like a creature coming out from its chrysalis. He also has tentacles below. This figure makes me think a lot in the codex Vir Dirthara: A Flowering Imago from the Ancient Elven codices; Vir Dirthara. He seems to be the imago, the last stage of a mature insect. Its horns also remind me of the strange but constant decoration that darkspwan used in DAO when they take control of a new place:

They would attach this unique shape of horns to all the monuments they find around. This symbol is also associated with The Architect: we can see it in two weapons already: in Architect's Legacy and in The Father's Hand

Both items are only obtainable by buying it from the Nexus golem, which seems to have a strange connection to the events happening underground [this golem will acknowledge the events of Amgarrak].

Like in the other case, this creature has a golden halo behind, implying he may be another guardian of the access to the barrier that has isolated the Black City so far.

His halo and part of his body seems to be stained with splashes of red, probably meaning taint? This is not the same effect than in the other creature, which has cracks instead of “splashed dirt”. Another interpretation is that this creature is particularly vicious, and these splashes of red are in fact blood.

What I like to highlight is that both figures have Tentacles below, which confirms a bit more the idea that these are the standard Old Gods we always knew since DAO. However, they don’t seem to have four arms. If they are tainted or not remains to be seen.

Integral conclusion

The main focus of the mural is the destruction of the Veil and the City by the Wolf, which is presented as a powerful, a bit mad, and ruthless entity. The energy that it produces gives the impression it may attack with the power of a Titan. His attack destroys the already weakened barrier that isolated the Black City, and since this place seems to be contaminated with Red Lyrium, there is a probability that the wolf--by attacking this city--will end up contaminated in what may look like as a last sacrifice. The image also makes us remember Flemeth’s line about avenging Mythal: "a reckoning that will shake the very heavens”. It’s worth noting that the eyes of the wolf stand out: they are coloured as if they were made of lyrium [reinforcing the idea that this wolf is hitting with the fury/power od the mountains/titans too] or they are merely a representation of Flemeth’s eyes [which sometimes shone in silvery-blue] in order to suggest how Mythal will be avenged in the process.

The attack to the shielded city is also done accompanied by two Old Gods. It’s not clear if they are tainted or not. Since they come in the same direction than the wolf, it seems reasonable to think that they may help against the big danger that has been sealed in the Black City for ages.

At the sides of the city, we see previous enemies that helped to weak the barrier or at least, provided the elements to reach this historical moment: Meredith and Corypheus.

#old gods #DAI murals #moon head creature #beetle head creature #Corypheus #meredith #black city #fen'harel #red lyrium

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kisskissbanggang · 2 years ago

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The Hatchet Man of Duckfoot's Grove pt. 1

[7k Words/~25 Min. Read - Carnie!Bang Chan x Female Reader - Non-Idol!au - SFW, Smut to Come - Unfolding Plot, Horror, Mystery, Thriller Disturbing Presences, Traveling Carnivals, Small Towns, Frightening Scenes, Emergency Room Trips, Ghosts, Sabotage]

It was oddly warm for fall, and for Halloween especially. You were sweeping when you finally admitted curiosity was getting the better of you. And even though you hadn’t been sweeping the sidewalk in front of the shop for very long, the telltale slip of perspiration was forming between your fingertips and the broom handle. You let go of the broom, resting it on your shoulder for a moment to inspect, and sure enough there was a sheen on your palms where sweat had apparently been pooling. The sheer amount would’ve been puzzling if you hadn’t already acknowledged to yourself that you’d been a bit distracted for a while.

The carnival had shown up only a couple afternoons previously, easily touching down in the empty lot where the old town hall used to be. A good number of trucks now occupied this, as well as the dead end that bordered the footprint of the former building. On the other end of the main street, a block or so away from your shop in the other direction, an overflow of more trucks and camper vans took up the event parking typically reserved for the Independence Day fireworks show and the Christmas craft festival. The carnival looked decent enough, drawing all the local kids and some young parents with their tots, but you could tell there was an odd tension going on between the business owners also stationed on the main street with you. You didn’t see what all the fuss was about, really. The Chamber of Commerce never did anything fun like bring in a carnival, and definitely not unannounced. This was a nice change.

Felix hurriedly busied himself when you reentered the shop to stow your broom, satisfied with the sweeping, which was funny considering he wasn’t even scheduled today. Then again, he came in on most days he wasn’t scheduled. Not like you had much of a formal schedule for that matter. But what else was there to do around town? At least here he could use the store’s electricity and internet. His bills were famously slight by now, to a point that you almost forgot he lived in the handsome trailer he inherited from his aunt and not in the reading nook at the back of the cafe space. Today, however, he was set up at the bar against the storefront window, also clearly distracted by the new carnival.

“You wanna check it out?” you teasingly asked. “We can try and win one of those giant plush dolls.”

Felix giggled under his breath, still gazing down the street. “Do you know what those things are made of? They’d light my trailer up like a firecracker if I so much as looked at one funny.”

The broom was placed back on its hook behind the counter when you noticed you’d run low on receipt paper on the shelf under the till. You stooped down and reached back for a new box to rip open, but the stupid little strip of tape on the cardboard was giving you trouble. Reaching overhead, something clunked over on the countertop as you fumbled around for a pair of scissors.

“I dunno,” Felix mused to himself up by the window. You could hear him swirl his iced coffee before taking a sip. “Looks fun still. Haven’t been to a carnival in ages.”

You nearly jumped out of your skin when the front door bell chimed. A pair of footfalls approached the counter and you finally grabbed the scissors. But it wasn’t because you found them yourself – they were placed in your hand. You scrambled up to your feet.

A couple of strangers – carnies, more than likely, judging by their matching yellow t-shirts – had entered the shop. Felix was trying very hard not to be caught staring behind them. The one on your left, the one who’d apparently put the scissors in your hand, mildly swayed on the balls of his feet with his hands in his pockets. Something smelled faintly of stale whiskey and beer. He blearily squinted at your menu board. Whether it was more so the deep circles under his eyes or the mess of fine, jet black, shag hanging down over his eyebrows that impeded his reading ability, you weren’t sure which.

“I’ll just have a ginger tea with lemon,” he ultimately decided, stroking the stubble on his jawline. A charming set of dimples punctuated the way he groggily pronounced tea. He glanced sideways at his compatriot before adding, “and an iced Americano, please.”

“Sure,” you nodded, before ringing up the order and setting about making their drinks. Scissors Guy’s friend stood a little taller than him, but was slouched in his black flannel over his t-shirt. A pair of black horn-rimmed sunglasses sat perched on the crown of his head, keeping his mop of dark, mahogany hued hair pushed back. Just as Scissors pulled out his chain wallet, Sunglasses valiantly stopped him and dug his hands in his own pockets, only to come up empty. Literally. His worn blue jeans apparently weren’t ripped in the knees and distressed just for fashion purposes. An actual hole was in the bottom of his pocket when he flipped it out. Sunglasses sheepishly offered a silent apology, and Scissors huffed out the smallest, heaviest sigh before finishing pulling out his wallet. They both nodded their gratitude, scooped up their drinks, and Scissors slapped down a $20 on the counter. You ogled the bill, dumbfounded and about to ask if he wanted all $1s for change or if he also wanted a $5 or even a $10 before the bell on the door ended the conversation for you.

Felix was gawking back at you, his curiosity only growing as you broke the $20, put the total in the till, and proceeded to stuff a $5 along with a bunch of $1s into the tip jar. “What the fuck…?” he finally wondered out loud. You nodded in staunch agreement when the door suddenly chimed again.

In blustered Seungmin, and now a knot tied in your gut. This sort of intensity was never good. Unlike Felix, you’d known Seungmin since high school. Back then, he’d been a bit of a quiet nerd, mostly keeping to himself. He’d since grown into his looks, and he even had a cushy job at the Chamber of Commerce to keep him set for the foreseeable future. However, the Chamber of Commerce was currently your problem. Seungmin smoothed out his suit jacket before shooting a look back over his shoulder outside. At the curb, parked in his ridiculous sports car, was Mr. Park.

Mr. Park wasn’t just the Board Director for the Chamber of Commerce, he was also the Chairman for the Main Street Board of Directors specifically. You were doubly fucked if he was here. The other day you received your “reminder notice” for the timing of autumn sidewalk decorations, not so subtly meant to scare off Jamie’s diner down the street that had put up their spookier spiderwebs and ghosts two weeks prior – early, according to the notice. And it wasn't like you hadn’t had your fair share of snide scare tactics aimed at you over the years, either. This simply didn't feel good.

“Hey,” Seungmin offered in a casually cheery greeting.

You suspiciously raised an eyebrow at him in response.

Seungmin immediately sighed, his shoulders drooping. “I need your help.”

“My help?” you laughed.

“Everyone likes you,” he quickly explained, knowing he only had so much of your patience. “You’re nice, and you’re the youngest business owner on the street, and you’re–”

“And I’m a pushover?” you teased accusingly. Seungmin, shocked, held up his hands in an innocent protest.

“Look,” he firmly refuted, “no one else wants to try and get the carnies to leave, and I don’t blame them. I asked Jamie and she nearly murdered me.”

You replied with a dismissive laugh. “You don’t think that has to do with your little love letter asking her to stop being festive?”

“I’m thinking it has more to do with how she was robbed the other day,” Seungmin stubbornly explained, “so tensions are already pretty high over there. But I didn’t ask you first, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Your stiff shoulders softened for a moment. “The diner was robbed?”

Seungmin couldn’t help the somewhat snide gleam of victory in his eye. “One of her waitresses must not have locked her cash drawer one night, and it was gone the next morning. That’s what it looks like, at least.”

A hard sigh cut past your lips. Seungmin tried not to look too proud of himself while you mulled it over. The street was firmly in two camps: for or against the current Chamber of Commerce. And while neither you or Jamie liked them as much as anyone else, you were the only two willing to ever go toe to toe with them. You glanced down the street.

“Petty crime has been down, you know,” Seungmin unhelpfully added while he nonchalantly messed with your small items for sale next to the register. “It spiked this week, literally since the carnival showed up. Litter and truancy increased. You’d really be giving us a hand–”

“Shut up, please,” you groaned. Truancy? They showed up on Friday and now it was Monday. Your head tipped back with the force of another sigh. “I’ll do it. Okay?”

Seungmin’s smile was annoyingly charming as he added a $5 to your tip jar. “Thank you. Seriously. I hate being the bad guy, you know? I like you, and Mr. Park was about to suspend me if I didn’t find someone to do this–”

“Seungmin,” you interrupted with a curt grin, “I said I’d do it.” You fished the bill back out of the jar and slid it across the counter. “You owe me, and I don’t mean a bribe.”

Seungmin brazenly put his hand on yours and pushed it, along with the bill, back over the counter in front of you. “Anything, anytime,” he assured you. “And this isn’t a bribe. I just think you’re worth it. Thanks again!”

Regardless of that dashing smile he had and the way he waved goodbye to you before strutting back outside, your heart was racing. You were fairly sure it was because you were annoyed. The bill crumpled in your hand as you fisted it off the counter and pushed it into the tip jar.

Felix’s gaze was set on you again, but this time as a firm glare as Mr. Park and Seungmin drove off. The iced coffee in front of him was fully perspiring.

You cocked an eyebrow. “What.”

“You don’t actually think those carnies are actually wreaking havoc,” Felix scolded you.

“No,” you grumbled, “but it’ll get the Chamber off my back. I’ll go over there, they’ll tell me to go fuck myself, and I’ll go ‘crying’ back to Seugmin. They’ll all either have to deal or get the Sheriff involved.”

Felix watched as you picked the knot on your apron loose and rolled your cardigan sleeves down. “You’re going now?”

“Yup,” you impatiently nodded. “You coming or what?”

He gawped back at you. “Me? No. Someone has to be responsible and watch the store.”

You pointed a finger at each other, touching fingertips in a silly little signal that you’d used forever to mean that one of you was picking up overtime. The bell chimed one more time on your way out.

For some reason, your heart hadn’t slowed down much since Seungmin got you all ruffled. You felt hotter in the curiously warm autumn sun as you walked down the street. On your right, you passed by Jamie’s diner, and only now you realized it was actually closed; not unusual for the late afternoon, but it was odd that the lights were off and her truck was nowhere to be seen. The carnival beckoned you closer, however, getting your attention back and drawing you in.

The operation wasn’t open yet for the assumedly busy evening ahead from what you could tell. Dad rock was bumping from a scratchy speaker somewhere off in a back corner, and indecipherable rap buzzed over pulsing techno beats from somewhere deep in the funhouse on the edge of the vacant lot. The signs of presence but the lack of activity set you on edge a little bit.

Finally, you actually came upon someone. Rounding about the perimeter of the charming carousel, you spotted a young carnie, judging by the telltale yellow shirt. He must’ve been college-age, barely old enough to drink from what you could tell, with killer cheekbones and a devilish grin as he chatted up the carnie beside him. She was tall and lithe, chestnut hair cascading down over her shoulders as she remained aloof. Her arms were folded across her chest, and she casually leaned back against the railing up to the ride platform before she spied you. The girl elbowed her suitor, who quickly took notice and straightened up.

“Hey,” he courteously greeted, friendly enough, “we’re not open for another hour or so–”

“No no no,” you politely assured him, “I’m not trying to sneak any free rides. I’m just looking for whoever’s in charge?”

The two young carnies looked warily to each other before shrugging in tandem. “I would check the Gravitron,” he simply directed, thumbing back over his shoulder. The ride in question loomed in the background, straight down the improvised main walkway.

You waved a casual thank you to the pair and made your way down to the UFO. Felix particularly hated these, you recalled him saying. You’d gotten a new mystery about a theme park back at the bookstore in early spring. He loved amusement and thrill rides, but he just couldn’t handle how dizzy this particular kind made him.

No one was around the Gravitron when you got closer. You circled the ride, leaning over the fence for the short queue outside it to get a better look. Not a person in sight, but the main door was open. You fumbled open the simple latch on the gate in front of the ride and snooped up the steps to peer inside. The interior of the ride was dark, but there was a dim light on in the back, behind the round booth that housed the ride operator’s controls. Curiosity got the better of you again.

You tiptoed around the control console, your nonslip shoes quiet on the steel floor, and caught a glance of a good supply of empty energy drink cans lining the bottom of the booth, barely lit by the light of the buttons and switches. Upon reaching the back of the circular room, you found the source of the brighter light. A cell phone lay on the ground, just outside of the control booth door. You stooped down to inspect it, until a clang made you spring up to your feet. The phone still made it into your palm despite your startling, and you took a moment to glance at it. A picture of the Gravitron itself was the wallpaper.

Weird.

But not as weird as what you realized had made that sudden noise in the first place.

The door had closed. Now the ride was completely dark, but only for a moment until the atmospheric lights lining the top and sides of the room lit aglow, a soft neon that didn’t really help anything. You stumbled back, your shoulders hitting one of the padded sliding panels that comprised the walls.

“Hello?” you called out, hoping your voice wasn’t as shaky as you felt.

Silence. All you could hear was your own breath, struggling to stay steady.

Until the ride rumbled to life.

You clutched onto the panel at your back as the ride started to get up to speed, and you fought to keep calm. The phone was still gripped tight in your other hand. It’d been an apparent lifetime since you last rode a ride like this, but you recalled it easily enough. The room would spin, and the panels were at enough of an incline that everyone would slide up and a few inches off the ground for a couple minutes until the ride was over.

But you’d never ridden a Gravitron by yourself, and definitely not without meaning to.

And definitely not with thrasher metal blaring in the background.

You didn’t recall music being a part of the ride experience, but you wouldn’t be surprised if you found out some ambient space tune had been piped in the last time you rode a similar ride as a kid. However, the pounding drum kit and wailing electric guitars roaring in the ride gave the whole experience a decidedly more dire edge. You were practically wheezing by now, trying to figure out if you should try to get down before the ride stopped.

Something caught your eye, though. Maybe your imagination was getting the better of you, but there was someone in the control booth.

And not just in the control booth – but headbanging.

So this was all a sick joke, then? Great.

You were fuming when you watched the figure stand up in the booth, a foot propped up on the short wall in a ridiculously proud pose, before they reached up to a passing support beam of the rotating arm and grabbed on. This would’ve been almost impressive if you weren’t so pissed.

The figure gracefully swung onto the wall of panels, and with progressively less grace managed to roll right up to you. In the dim lights, you could finally make him out.

Scissors guy.

“Hi there,” he valiantly greeted, right as the ride began to slow down.

“Hi there?!” you incredulously repeated back, all but screeching at him. His eyes blew up comically big in surprise, catching the neon lights in them as you were slowly carried back down to the floor and finally thunking all the way down onto the steel surface. It was like he had no idea you could possibly be made upset by his little stunt. Without meaning to, you fumbled off the panel with your residual dizziness.

“Whoa whoa whoa–” Scissors fretted, even clutching onto the sleeve of your cardigan in hopes of helping to steady you.

At least, that was his plan before you stamped on his foot. He yowled and let go of you immediately to grab his boot.

“Real cute, asshole,” you nagged him. You took the opportunity to shove the phone you found into his chest. “Genius move, scaring the shit out of me before trying to pick up on me.”

Scissors leaned over the wall of the control booth, and you heard a switch flip before some work lights turned on overhead, just in time for you to see him roll his eyes.

“Thanks for finding my phone, but would you lighten up? It was just a gag!” he groaned. “I didn't mean anything, and why the hell would I be picking you up?!”

“Just a gag!” you repeated. “That was reckless and you know it.”

“You’re fine, aren’t you?” he winced.

It was your turn to roll your eyes. “Like that’s even the point! Look, I don’t need you to waste more of my time. Can you please just tell me where I can find whoever’s in charge?”

The carnie stopped dead, suddenly realizing that you might be here for business, not pleasure. His hands closed into loose fists a couple times before he anxiously brushed his fingers back through his hair.

“Well, that’s me then,” he finally revealed. “I’m Chan.” He even held out his hand for you to shake. You just about laughed in his face.

“Really,” you facetiously gushed at him.

And you know what? Chan almost scowled at you, but clearly thought better of it. Instead, he flashed a crooked smirk at you, like this was a challenge more than anything.

“Really,” he confidently nodded in reply. “Sorry about that.”

“That’s fine,” you shrugged indignantly. “It doesn't help how everyone is convinced your little operation is wreaking havoc in town, but that’s fine.”

Chan sighed. “Of course they do. Is that why you’re here? Some harbinger of doom?”

“All I'm saying is you didn't have to choose our town,” you deflected, hands up like Seungmin’s were earlier.

“Right,” Chan nodded again, “it’s my fault I was charmed when we passed by and decided it was worth stopping, not like your wholesome little township with the silly name never had anything happen until we came along.”

“Petty crime is up from last year,” you flippantly added. It was pretty low of you, but this Chan guy was already testing your nerves.

He rolled his eyes so hard you were surprised they didn’t pop out. “Look, ma’am, I hate to be rude but we’re about to open for a pretty big night. How many times have I heard–”

The only thing that stopped your bickering in the Gravitron was a commotion from outside.

A rumble, calliope music, and a chilling scream.

Chan was already moving. He shoved past the control console, punching the button to pop open the ride’s door in the process, before rushing out. You warily followed, but hurried once you were able to better comprehend the shocking sight down the pathway.

Beyond the onlookers and commotion, the carousel was running out of control, at far faster a speed than you’d ever known one could even operate.

“Jeongin!” Chan frantically called out ahead of you. He was sprinting towards the young carnie who'd pointed you over here in the first place. Jeongin, apparently, was dazed and collapsed on the grass, clutching his arm, but he still managed to shove Chan off and point back at the carousel. You gasped when you figured out what he was referring to. The screams weren’t from some onlooker – the girl Jeongin had been chatting up was still on board, desperately hanging on to one of the stationary bench seats.

“Minho!” Chan called over one of the approaching carnies, likely a mechanic based on his tool belt that was bouncing on his hip. “We need to get Jeongin in the truck and out to the nearest hospital–”

“We need to get Tzuyu off the fucking carousel,” interrupted a third man joining Chan near where Jeongin still recovered on the ground.

“I know that, Changbin,” Chan argued, “but if we can get him moving while we figure this out then that’ll be better for everyone.”

“Then what’s stopping you, genius?” the shorter man shot back.

“Jisung has the fucking keys!” Chan snapped.

Changbin looked at Minho. “And where’s he?”

Minho shrugged helplessly.

You almost volunteered your help, nearly offered to load a stranger in your car and get him to the next town over in Mill Valley, except a flash in your peripheral caught your attention instead. It was so fast that you almost missed it, but you knew. A cloaked figure was fleeing up the street.

It wasn’t exactly apparent, just why you immediately sprinted out to the sidewalk to try and find out who this figure was and where they were headed, but you were fast on your feet regardless. The figure never once looked back over its shoulder, but it was tough to tell as the evening threatened to creep up on the remaining daylight. It hooked left and down an alleyway with you following right behind.

That’s what you thought, at least. You rounded the corner, only to find an empty and dark alley. Your eyes darted into each corner and crevice. It couldn’t have been your imagination playing tricks on you. A figure had been fleeing the scene, and surely after sabotaging the carousel. There was no way this could've been a freak accident.

Oh fuck, you remembered, the carousel.

You felt more than a little paranoid when you reentered the carnival, rushing back to where there were real and tangible stakes. An ambulance could be heard approaching by now. So much for helping, you realized, but there might actually still be help needed. Chan, Minho, and Changbin were apparently still trying to figure out how to safely get the young woman off the dangerous ride. At this point, she feebly clung to the bench seat with her remaining strength, practically limp. You jogged up to the three.

“– If we can slide under the platform,” Minho strategized, gesturing with a flat hand at the ride, “we can climb up into the controls at the center.”

“Good, fine,” nodded Changbin, nervously stroking his chin, “but who the hell can fit?”

“One of the girls?” proposed Minho.

Chan reflexively slapped the back of his hand against the mechanic's chest out of protest before he had his own idea. “Jisung? Or Hyunjin’s skinny as a rail too–”

“Yes,” Minho enthusiastically clutched Chan’s shoulder in agreement before running off.

Something was missing, though.

“What about the girl?” you finally, worriedly asked.

Changbin and Chan whipped around to look at you, and then back at each other.

It seemed, though, that further ideas weren’t needed. Everything happened at once. The young woman slumped over on the platform, everyone gasped, and she was ultimately thrown from the ride. It almost appeared as though she’d vanished, but it was far worse – a steel barricade helping form the queue in front of the fun house was dented with the force of the girl hitting it.

“Tzuyu!” yelled out Jeongin, now thrashing against his fellow carnies who had come to tend to him. Everything set in motion once more.

“Jisung–” Chan rigidly grumbled beside you, and you looked to see who he was referring to. Emerging from the fun house, gathering his bearings, and rushing to help Tzuyu crumpled on the grass in front of his attraction – Sunglasses guy, or Jisung as everyone kept moaning about.

The flashing lights finally stilled as the ambulance arrived, and all the madness was at full speed again. During all this, Minho’s crazy plan appeared to work, resulting in the ride thankfully slowing to a halt at last. Medics pored over the carnies, Chan fretfully looking on all the while, and they were carefully loaded into the ambulance. Chan looked at you for one second, almost confused to find you still here, and that was enough time for Changbin and Jisung to obliviously jump into the ambulance without him and speed off.

You watched Chan frantically take notice. His hands immediately went to pat his pockets.

“Fucking keys,” he cursed under his breath. “God dammit, Jisung.”

There was that immediate urge to help again. And wasn’t it the least you could do?

“Hey,” you gently greeted with a beckoning wave. “Come on. I'll give you a ride.”

Chan took a second, looking at you before his gaze fell down to his scuffed sneakers, his hands on his hips. He took a steadying breath. Defeat and acceptance.

“Yeah, okay.”

Chan followed your lead back up the street and you took a quick moment to wonder, once again, just where exactly that cloaked figure had disappeared to. Felix did a valiant job of not saying anything when you cut through the store with Chan in tow. You were barely in there anyway, just in and back out to the narrow alley behind your building where you kept your dumpy little sedan parked.

You almost apologized for the state of your car, except Chan didn't seem to mind at all. Actually, he all but made himself right at home, slouching down into the passenger seat. He was fiddling with a vape he'd magically produced from the breast pocket of his flannel. From here, you could tell his carnival shirt had been cut into a muscle tee.

“I'm sorry,” he preemptively apologized, “do you mind–”

“Roll down the window.”

You felt so compelled to cut this guy a break.

“Thanks,” Chan nodded profusely in gratitude, “I just know I won't be able to–”

“It's fine,” you reassured him. A painful silence settled down for a beat. For a minute there was only the whistle of the air rushing past the cracked window and Chan quietly sucking on his vape. You let out a small sigh. “So Jisung did have your keys like you said?”

Chan almost jumped when you spoke, but reaching out seemed to do the trick. His shoulders softened; the air in the car was markedly less tense as he let up a relaxed laugh. “I didn’t even get a chance to ask, but I'm sure he does. The guys keep giving me crap about shit like this, but – I dunno. It’s important to me. We hit a rough patch not too long ago and I want him to know I trust him. So it’s usually little stuff, you know? ‘Sure, pick up the tab.’ ‘Hey, you do inventory, okay?’ That sort of thing.”

“‘Can you hold my keys for me?’” you guessed, following his pattern.

“Yup,” he smirked with a surprising humility. “It was supposed to just be for a little bit. He was helping me change the oil in the truck and I sort of just forgot to ask for them back afterwards.”

Huh. Did this guy just look like more of a tool than he actually was? For that matter, he didn’t really even look that much like a tool anyway, you had to admit. He kind of just put out tool energy, and you’d been a bit caught up giving back that energy in kind.

“You’re a bit young to be running a shop like yours, you know that?” he bluntly observed.

Well, maybe he wasn’t that surprising.

“What?!” you scoffed, but you tried to hold back from being too mean. “What do you mean?”

Chan chuckled with a small shake of his head, an actually endearing gesture you noticed out of your peripheral as you drove. “Calm down! It’s not a bad thing,” he defended while laughing. “It just has a ton of personality to it, and it doesn’t exactly look like your personality, I guess I’m trying to say.”

You paused, taking a second to keep from reacting impulsively. If you were reading this guy right, he might not be a tool at all; he honestly might just have a bit of an attitude and a weird time with tone, things that were far more understandable, if not attributes you couldn't already apply to yourself, for what it was worth.

“I guess you have me pegged,” you relented. “It was my grandpa’s before he passed. I've barely changed anything, now that I think about it. He even helped me design the cafe area and get the permits and licenses when he asked me to take over. It’s all him.”

It was Chan’s turn to pause. The cloud he just exhaled almost missed the crack he made in the window. “That’s really sweet. I love that.”

“I could say the same thing, you know,” you pointed out. Chan almost jumped again. “You’re pretty young to be running a carnival like yours, aren't you?”

Chan snickered again. “You got me. My uncle got me started before he passed. He left me three things: the carousel, the truck, and the money he had left. And, I dunno, it just all made sense. We got close after I did a couple seasons operating a Gravitron, even though he was retired by then. I think it's just, like, I was able to keep him in the lifestyle despite the fact he wasn’t on the road anymore.”

“But you only had the carousel?” you wondered.

“Yeah,” Chan nodded, “and the money. I got a loan and set out on my own once I got a crew together. It was only Jisung and Changbin at first, but we kind of picked up speed pretty quick.”

“I mean,” you offered, “you look well established. But why Duckfoot's Grove?”

“I told you!” Chan smirked. “I don’t like staying in one place for too long. That’s why this lifestyle kind of works for me. There’s too much to see and do out there! So we don’t always have a set plan of where we’re heading. But I saw the sign, thought the name was cute, thought the town was cute when we passed through, so we set up shop.”

“And is it as cute as it first looked?” you teased.

Chan’s glance at you lasted a beat longer than you expected. “Yeah, it’s actually pretty cute.”

Finally you reached the county hospital on the outskirts of Mill Valley. Chan rolled your window back up and pocketed his vape before he stepped out. He bent back down to look at you. “Thanks,” he said, patting the breast pocket his rig sat in. “I'm quitting, but I appreciate it all the same. And thanks for the ride, of course.”

“Do you want company?”

You surprised yourself with that one. Had he really made that good of an impression during your drive?

Chan cracked a sideways grin. “You know what? Yes, please. Hospitals give me the creeps.”

Truth be told, you felt the same, but you were dreadfully nosy and growing painfully charmed by this random carnie. You sort of saw where he was coming from. It sounded familiar, not wanting to stay in one place for too long. The only difference was when you inherited your new life, it was right back in your tiny hometown.

The emergency room was hectic when you both entered, and you were quickly directed to get out of the way and take a seat in a bank of creaky chairs along the wall. The uneasy crackle of old leather compressing under you was a harbinger of the waiting to come.

And it was definitely a wait. Wherever Changbin and Jisung were, you weren’t sure, but Chan impatiently bounced his knee beside you. He pulled out his phone and breathed out a defeated laugh. “The girls are going to murder me if I don’t give them an update on Tzuyu.” On his screen was a barrage of messages in all caps, littered with exclamation points and emojis. He didn’t respond to anything before pocketing the phone again.

A young nurse rushed into a supply closet and came out with some nondescript medical supplies in crinkly packets before she ran into a co-worker.

“How’s the girl in 11?” asked the older nurse. You surreptitiously leaned, trying to hear better.

“Stable. Can you believe this is the third injury of this level from Duckfoot in maybe four or five days? What on earth is going on over there?”

You were so tempted to tell Chan what you saw, about the cloaked figure fleeing the scene, but you knew it sounded insane. Instead, you perked up at the news, ready to tell Chan, but Jisung and Changbin finally emerged from a room. Jisung looked a bit pale. And, cosmically, a shout behind you let you know that you weren’t the only ones to notice them. Two girls came raging in, a humorous contrast from the balloons and flowers in their hands. They were distractingly pretty. The one with the ashy black tresses looked markedly less angry than her partner with the dark brown waves. And, hilariously, it was Changbin’s turn to go pale.

“Sana–” he defensively squeaked.

“Ignoring me?!” she openly razzed him with a crazed smile before shoving a card and pen into his defined chest. “Chan? I understand, he never answers anyone. But you?!”

Changbin scribbled in the card before wordlessly passing it to Jisung, who did the same and quickly handed it back.

“Momo’s right,” Sana poked a finger under his chin. “I should delete your number and see what happens.”

The girl beside Sana winked. “Now can you tell us which room to go in, please?”

“Room 11,” Jisung instantly answered, pointing behind them.

“Thank you, Sungie.”

“You’re welcome, Momo.”

The girls breezed past Changbin, who shot Jisung a glare of betrayal. Behind them, the girls could be heard fretting in the room.

“Tzuyu! Oh, babe, I bet you're freezing. I brought you some socks–”

Thankfully, a nurse passed by and clicked the door shut. The two boys sighed in relief.

“How is she?” Chan finally asked. You wondered if the girls even noticed him on their way in.

“Good,” Changbin nodded. “Stable. Dazed as hell though, and definitely concussed. They want her to stay at least a night. Jeongin gave them the puppy eyes until they let him stay, too.”

He produced a clipboard you hadn’t seen yet and handed it to Chan.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Accident report,” Changbin firmly explained, with all the patience of a parent offering vegetables to a picky eater.

Chan wrinkled his nose. “Awh, fuck.”

“Calm down,” Changbin scolded. “I already filled it out. Just sign it.”

You watched as Chan skimmed everything. “Then why don’t you sign it? You're already the manager.”

Changbin rolled his eyes with a groan before he snatched the clipboard back and signed himself. He walked over to the reception desk, spoke graciously with the woman there, and handed it over before returning. There was a brief second of tension between the three men, none really looking at each other until Changbin clasped a hand onto Chan’s shoulder in understanding. In turn, Chan affectionately patted Jisung’s leg where he stood beside him before getting up to his feet.

“We good to go then?” Jisung asked. “Jeongin and Tzuyu are in good hands, I'm assuming.”

“About that,” Chan tiredly sighed out a laugh. “Jisung, where is my truck?”

“Back at the base camp,” he easily answered. “Why?”

“And how did you get here?”

“Ambulance,” Jisung answered again, proud of himself before he realized. “Oh, fuck.”

“So I got a ride,” Chan teased, “but I'm not sure about you–”

“Dude,” Jisung immediately whined, “come on–”

“What if,” you butted in, “you all have a ride? But Jisung should give you back your keys for the night. He held them for you all day, after all.”

All three men passed you grateful looks, all for different reasons.

The drive was thankfully calm. Jisung nodded off on Changbin’s shoulder, and Changbin was busily typing out message after message on his phone – maybe to Sana, you mused. Chan kept the window up this time. You glanced at him sitting by your side. It wasn't hard to get caught up in wondering what it was like living life on the road, stopping wherever made sense and getting to experience a little bit of living everywhere you went. It had to be nice.

You were surprised to find the carnival mostly dark, an unnatural idea for a Halloween night. It made sense, though. Most attractions were likely shut down considering all the commotion. It seemed only some of the kiddy rides and easier games of chance were still operating. Right in front of the carnival, it seemed the local band that liked to play at the dive bar were still casually plucking guitars, and the farm stand was cleaning up after having set up shop for the night. It was a shame the Chamber seemed to hate this so much. Times like this, the town actually seemed social.

Changbin nudged Jisung awake and the two thanked you before groggily heading back to their trailers. The sight of the two walking together, Changbin’s arm slung around Jisung’s shoulder, assured you that there were never any hard feelings between any of them despite everything that happened tonight.

Chan, on the other hand, lingered. He swayed on the balls of his feet, almost like he was ready to go back out. “Thanks again,” he sincerely said. “I hope you don’t have much of a drive.”

“Not at all,” you assured him. You pointed back up the street. “I have an apartment above the store.”

Funnily enough, he almost looked crushed. Had that somehow been another pickup attempt? You couldn’t even begin to figure out how that would've worked. “I’ll see you around though,” you consoled him. “You’re not leaving right away, are you?”

“What? No way,” Chan smirked. “We have to inspect and repair what we can before we leave now. Not to mention we missed out on a primo night for revenue.”

“Catch me before you leave,” you grinned. “You left me a stupidly big tip and you deserve a drink or two on the house.”

“I hate doing math and you’re worth it,” Chan humbly shrugged. “Don’t worry; you'll definitely see more of me before I go.”

“Sounds like a deal,” you replied, feeling your grin get bigger.

You parted ways, walking back up the street to the dark shop, Felix having already closed for the night and headed home. Begrudgingly, you had to admit you felt a little giddy. You fumbled your key in the lock and dropped it, only adding to your shock at actually being charmed by this random stranger. The pavement was cold as you scooped up your key, and you took a chance on one last parting look at the carnival for the night. The lights that remained on looked almost romantic, making you a bit nostalgic. It’d be fun, probably, going on one of those cheesy dates to play games and ride rides. You almost savored the sight as you scanned the street, enjoying how the carnival fit into your cozy little town.

Until you noticed a figure standing at the end of the road, near the ticket booth. A figure, dark enough to appear silhouetted in the meager lighting of the main street, didn't move. It merely stood, as if it were waiting.

You snapped straight up to standing fully upright, shoulders tense and the hair on the back of your neck prickling you in the night air. With a thick swallow, you blinked hard.

The figure was gone.

A shaky breath forced itself down your throat and rattled in your chest as you hurriedly let yourself into the store. You were only imagining things, just like earlier that evening.

#bang chan fic #stray kids fic #bang chan fanfic #stray kids fanfic #skz fanfic #happy Halloween babies 🎃💕#the crustiest chan known to humans and I LOVE HIM #all sorts of shenanigans happening in the sidelines here keep an eye out

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powdermelonkeg · 4 years ago

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BO2W: Photographic Evidence

In my first analysis, I pinpointed the sky isles' location as being above Thundra Plateau, then in my second, I tried to figure out what the exact direction Link was facing is. And that led me down a rabbit hole; where did everything else happen? And how much from the trailer can I compare to actual gameplay?

First off is this:

In the bottom right, you can see a bit of what we THINK is the Master Sword. It looks a little odd because of the corruption surrounding it, so in this post, I looked at it and thought it was a part of the broken blade, while a few of you guys thought it was the crossguard.

So I went and got screenshots and did some palette comparisons. To get as close to the coloration as possible, I put Link right up next to red lighting sources (malice, the castle columns) during a blood moon.

So we’ve got a very dark and washed out navy to a dark, low-saturation mulberry.

Then these are the colors shown in the trailer. It’s a little more red, but so is the corruption; I’m going to say that yes, this is definitely the hilt of the Master Sword.

Next is Zelda:

I took a shot from one of the Champion’s Ballad memories to compare it and see if there’s anything notably different with her outfit FOr the most part, no, but her cape interested me.

At first glance, it looks like the Hylian outfit’s cape:

However, the clasp and collar are different.

And, looking at the first trailer, so is the back.

So what’s this symbol?

To my knowledge, we’ve never seen it before. Is the flower in the middle a stylized Triforce?

Note: Image is free to use, requests for designs can be submitted here.

The next scene to analyze more critically is this one here:

Which I found with some serious help from @heda-kom-clexakru!

You can check the location out yourself here:

So, finding this location let me pinpoint a LOT of problems with this clip.

In the red, we have things that are missing from BO2W that are present in the original game. That’s Vah Ruta, every visible tower, and the branches of the Great Deku Tree, which we SHOULD be able to see at least a bit of from here.

In the blue, we have things that are in BO2W that aren’t present in BOTW, that being the weird geometric ruins, and a small clump of trees.

And then in yellow, we have an environmental change: in BOTW, Death Mountain is active, with visible lava. In BO2W, however, Death Mountain is dormant.

But what’s even weirder is the angle of the sun.

Here, we can see that the sun is BEHIND Link, and off to our right, towards the south. But I went up to this exact tree in the original game to try to figure out what time this was happening at.

As you can see, from 5 AM to 8 PM, the shadow of the tree NEVER falls into that position.

What does this mean, for us analyzing it?

Personally, I think it means that the section of the map they chose to film was a VERY limited instance, for show purposes. They put a light behind Link so he’d be visible for the audience. But that ALSO means that the lack of background shrines and towers might not be reliable intel; if they’re just using a specific part of the map for viewing, without using the proper in-game mechanics, then they might not have bothered loading in all the Sheikah structures to make it easier on the lighting engine.

Then there’s the clip I started this adventure for.

And our visible field is basically this:

I think I got about a third, maybe a quarter the height I needed to be, and this was taken using Revali’s Gale on top of the Rigeland Tower

I was going to leave it at that, but then I remembered something; I can glitch myself even higher.

It’s a little lower than I’d like, but this is the result of button mashing for about 30 minutes. But everything lines up perfectly; the mushroom trees, the landscape, everything. This is a little bit southwest of the Ridgeland Tower.

Then lastly, I got this shot

To parallel this one

It was taken just west of Crenel Peak, on a high platform, though I think the Zeldevs lowered their camera to about half its height. The time of this shot is 7:45 PM, so at least the sun is accurate here.

Again, we’re missing all our towers, beasts, and shrines, and the columns surrounding the castle. But I caught something interesting.

This right here.

I double checked in full daylight to see if I could find it, because I didn’t recognize it.

It doesn’t exist. It’s new.

What is it? A boss room? A conduit? A new sanctum? I don’t recognize the architecture or its purpose.

There’s one thing I wasn’t able to locate.

This area. It’s near Death Mountain, at least, and the blackened road means its closer to lava than not. But there’s a distinct lack of defining landmarks here (there are a LOT of spikes around Death Mountain), and the sun is unreliable, so I tried for about six hours before giving up. The lack of red sparks in the air and protective gear means it isn’t CLOSE-close to Death Mountain. If anyone can locate this, PLEASE tell me. I’d love to make comparisons.

You can find my blog here, my first analysis here, my second here, and my ask box here. I’d love to hear about any theories or thoughts you have about BO2W! Thanks for reading!

Edit: We found the pattern to Zelda’s cape! It’s the one on her royal dress, and we found it courtesy of @acaiis, @itcantbe, and @opheliasongs! You can see it here!

Fourth analysis! Mythbusting popular theories on Link’s and Gan’s appearance

#bo2w #botw2 #botw #breath of the wild #breath of the wild 2 #the breath just got wilder #theory #analysis #breakdown #evidence #loz #zelda #nintendo #e3

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z3nj3n · 2 years ago

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Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (Harvest Moon Remake)

I'm going to be talking about the remake to one of my favorite games. I put the link to the two trailers down below if you would like to watch before reading.

Direct trailer

Xseed trailer

I already love how this game looks it so cute! I can see that they bought back the different cows. Now it's hard to tell in this image is that the chicken coop has been moved closer to your house and it also has a bell on it as well. Which you will see in later photos. It looks like the silo has been moved to the other side of the barn.

Now we can better see the small patch of the garden on the left has been switch with the chicken coop. That way you are closer to the well and don't have to walk as far. There also seems to be two machines. Next to the gardens as well. Not sure what they could be used for. You can also see that they have goats back in the game. It looks like they went for a new design but kept a bit of the old one as well. Now this might be a me thing but Pony's ponytail is no longer doing the stupid animation when you run.

Edit: I have found more images that don’t add up with my theory here. Plus I forgot how one of the houses over there didn’t have a second floor only one to it. So this is later in game when the third house gets built. Sorry for the wrong information.

Now this guy right here I wasn't sure who he was a first. BUT THERE WAS A HUGE HINT! HIS GLOVES AND SHOES! THIS IS THE NEW CHARACTER MODEL FOR CODY! You can also marry Cody!

Now this image here shows the yellow machine again but it more clearer now. There is another machine in the back. I have two guesses; The seed maker or some kind of recycling machine. There are two wells now so it will make things so much easier when watering crops. There is a chicken in the image but I think there is a duck as well!

In this image here, it looks like they replace the storage building that you would ship your goods and store your food. Looks like it's all going to be stored outside now. Sorry this image doesn't show that there is a fridge outside next to the shed.

I want to point out the item in the tool bar. It looks like we are going to get a camera and take pictures of our farm animals.

It's hard to tell in this image but it looks like we can have baby sheep now in the game!

I'm going to be looking into more little details about this game and come up with my own ideas. I would love to hear what you all think about some of these changes.

Sorry for any misspelling and grammar mistakes.

#Harvest moon a wonderful life #nintendo #nintendo direct #hmawl #hmanwl #sosawl #sosanwl #story of seasons a wonderful life

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burnedbyshoto · 4 years ago

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good little omega

— He was an alpha, you were an omega. Can I make it anymore obvious? He was a crime boss and you were a movie star. What more can I say? Oh, he wanted you, really wanted you, but you swore you would never, ever need an alpha.

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pairing: alpha!shigaraki tomura x omega fem!reader

warnings: 18+, smut, abo/omegaverse, chad alpha!shiggy, virgin celeb!reader, kidnapping, drugging, sex slave auction, biting/marking, belly bulge, knotting, sex toys, heat, implied murder (lol rip shigsters last omegas), mind break, breeding, degradation, finger fucking, fucking in front of a crowd, modern world!au

word count: 6,174

a/n: this goes out to my shiggy stans. I never understood you until recently and now I blush like a schoolgirl when I see him. mondays are so busy, are they not? ive been home for 6 hours today wtf????

kinktober day 12 main kink: abo/omegaverse | kinktober masterlist

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You sat before the mirror, your eyes intently staring at your reflection. The people around you running around, chaotically bringing brushes and pencils to your face, the smell of chemicals in the air, tickling your overly sensitive nose.

“Are we ready?! Is Y/n ready?! I don’t think she’s ready?! We need to be out of here in five minutes, people, let’s hurry it up!”

Breaking your gaze from your reflection onto your agent in the background, you sighed softly at the growing sour and distressed omega pheromones. Oh, you realized suddenly, your nose unable to keep from scrunching at the mildewy detergent scent, they were really stressed out.

Today was the night of the biggest award show one could attend as a movie star celebrity in Japan. The Motion Picture Awards gave only the most prestigious and prodigious actors and actresses their due. A night of fashion, alcohol, and nervous pheromone pumping alphas and betas in a single room to reveal who was the best this year. Working in an industry such as your own, you had become quite the living legend already at the mere age of twenty-two.

As an omega, you grew up in a society that banned you from enlisting or attempting to join the ranks of the best in just about every field of focus or study. So that even included the area of acting. Casting Directors had always said the same thing each and every time you were forced to present your secondary gender to them all when being called back for auditions.

‘Omegas can’t be movie stars, your heats are too often and too long, they cause rifts in filming schedules this project cannot afford.’

‘We have too many prime alphas on set. Our film's projected main character is an alpha, we wouldn’t want to be caught up in a lawsuit should she find you to be too… fertile.’

‘Omegas can only be good, suitable nurtures and well, mothers. This movie just seems a bit too intense for a little omega like you!’

Omegas can’t do this, omegas can’t do that. Alphas, the pride of society, couldn’t be made to hold themselves back to your alluring scent and occasional heats. Betas, the majority of the population, didn’t feel a challenge when working alongside omegas. Omegas? Well, if there were any that actually existed within the film industry, they were for sure never heard from, or seen of.

At the age of eighteen, you had nearly given up on your long aspiring desire to become the first omega actor or actress to ever grace the scene. But just as you were ready to tell your agent that you were tired of all of the same, repetitive bullshit, a gentle alpha had approached you with an exciting role in mind for you.

Movies and cinematic films had always showcased omegas as sweet, nurturing individuals. For the most part, you agreed that that’s how you omegas were. You enjoyed hugging your close friends, scenting them softly as means of a small pack you had created as none of you were mated this young, yet didn’t ever wish to be bothered by self-righteous alphas or betas. Through many, many biology courses revolving around your secondary gender, you knew that the hormones that made you an omega also affected the brain to accept and view things in a… softer light. But unlike what they taught in school, and unlike what the alphas in society knew about omegas as they could never honestly watch an omega in heat while alone, was that omegas weren’t always the most nurturing or kind.

The week before your heat, the week of, and the week following your heat, you were always irritable, angry, almost cold. You’d flash your small fangs at anyone who dared to approach you with a scent you hated, your heat room never once escaping with everything torn to shreds, and you definitely did not wish to seek any fiber of soft love.

So when the alpha male sat in front of you, a single fang poking out of his lip as he exposed his neck in a motion of vulnerability and conceding to you — the omega — you knew he was serious.

He explained to you his plan on creating a more realistic movie surrounding the brutal truths of what being a single omega was like. Films had, after all, had always depicted omegas as being mated the moment they presented and going as far as saying that there were others means to be coupled to other alphas without actually being marked. It was atrociously wrong of the omega lifestyle, and it always made your stomach curl to see that it was an alpha or a beta actor putting on the role.

But he wanted to focus on the realities. The anger, sadness, and horrors you could face as a single, unmated omega. The director raved that you were the face for that movie and had a soul that made him come seek you out. And without so much as consultation from your agent, you agreed on the spot.

The title of the film had been an ironic one. Good Little Omega was what it was called in the end.

All in all, the movie had done poorly in the eyes of the critics. Many individuals — namely alphas and betas — claimed that the depiction of omegas within the film had been horribly wrong. Omegas were never sad, never homeless, never abandoned by society! That’s what they had all cried the moment the trailer flashed with bright letters:

AND INTRODUCING: Y/L/N Y/N (Ω)

Still, the movie made billions as many went to watch it because they ‘needed to see how horrible the movie was.’ They wanted proof that omegas weren’t cut as movie stars because how could someone who was out of commission for a week every two months be proactive on set. But all they got was a cinematic masterpiece.

You had taken a claim in the industry, one while small, that hadn’t hurt that much because you were much more focused on the fact that you now were a household name. Well, that is until you were nominated for the awards ceremony you were currently about to attend, only that it was the one from four years ago.

You were the first omega actress and now the first omega nominee. You hadn’t won, but that had solidified the step you had in the door. After that, the interests to hire you in omega roles came pouring through the door.

But you were brought back to reality when the setting spray splashed against your face, your eyes fluttering when they covered your scent glands with the flesh-colored band-aids they got for you. Alphas could never complain about you being a distraction if you smelled the same as betas.

Rising to your feet, you smiled graciously to your makeup and styling team, thanking them profusely as your agent placed her hand at the small of your back and began pushing you towards the exit.

“Goodluck!”

“Thank you!”

Shigaraki glared down the table of averted eyes, and his hands brought up under his chin twitched at his annoyance.

“Are you going to say anything, or are we going to remain silent?” he asked, his voice quiet yet heavy in all of their ears as they flinched. “Don’t think you’re going to get away without giving me an answer.”

The sour smell of fearful alphas should have corroded Shigaraki’s nose. It should have done something to unsettle the way that the young head sat on his black leather seat. But as a matter of fact, the young alpha had to resist the way he wanted to bare his teeth in a bloodied smile, his red eyes slit in his cruel lust for fear.

“O-Of course not, a-alpha!” croaked one of the smaller alphas down the table. Shigaraki snapped his eyes towards the yellow-haired croony, his neck exposed for the alpha, eyes refusing to look at his leader. “I-It’s just that, um, I — I mean, we don't know w-what happened to your mate!”

“I thought I gave clear and distinct instructions that you were supposed to have found them by this meeting,” Shigaraki stated, his voice somehow growing colder, meaner yet never once changing as his hands dropped from his chin to rest on the arms of his chair. He tilted his head, watching the pathetic alphas quiver like some scared, stupid omega. “Useless. Get out of here before I change my mind on killing you all where you sit.”

The crowd of alphas left quicker than Shigaraki could blink, leaving behind the reeking smell of scared alpha pheromones.

“Tomura-kun, you killed your mate,” came the singsong giggle from behind him, and Shigaraki didn’t bother turning around, his nose and ears sharp enough to pick up exactly it was behind him.

“They’re all a bunch of pissy lackeys,” Shigaraki simply stated, his eyes rolling as he slowly fell to the back of his chair, red eyes meeting golden ones that shone with mirth and joy. “What do you want, Toga?”

Toga leaned against the leather armrest, uncaring that Shigaraki hated his personal space invaded. The young female was an alpha, much like most of the people within this gang group, but unlike the others, she had a distinct, almost terrifying way to change the way she smelled. She could smell like anyone or any secondary gender. She often preferred to smell like an omega too.

“We have a guest visiting us today!” Toga chirped, her fingers clasping together. “I wanted to introduce him!”

“Bring Giran in,” Shigaraki snapped, his eyes narrowing with no real malice for the alpha next to him who simply pouted at the surprise — not a surprise — being ruined. Giran reeked of cigarettes and cheap body sprays that, when wafted with his distinct omega pheromones, made Shigaraki want to throw up. “Hurry up.”

“UGH!”

Shigaraki’s mouth was set in a firm line, his eyes watching as one of his most trusted allies walked to the table, and taking a seat in the abandoned chairs as Toga purred in happiness, sitting on the armchair of Giran’s chair, arms enveloping him.

“Shigaraki, how are you doing?” Giran smiled, the cigarette that seemed to take a permanent residence in his teeth moving with his words. “I came bearing some great news.”

“What do you have for me?” Shigaraki simply states, his eyes focusing on the letter that is unpocketed from Giran’s pockets and placed onto the table. “Don’t tell me you’re trying to sell me your omega niece again.”

Giran chuckled, looking at Toga, who was smirking softly, “I guess he still hates that joke, huh?”

“Absolutely livid!” Toga laughed.

Shigaraki growled, his mind and his inner alpha snarling at the lack of respect to the command of his question. He outranked them, outpowered them; they needed to respect his orders.

Giran took a deep inhale of his cigarette, sliding the card over to Shigaraki, his eyes averted, but his stance still firm. “I know you go through omegas faster than a teenage boy goes through a pack of tissues, but I think this can answer the pleas you have at night.”

Observing the card in his hand, Shigaraki scowls, unsure of how to feel about the print on the invitation.

“Say the word, and I’ll get you a seat,” Giran whispers, like a sinister god begging a mere mortal to sign over their life for something completely worthless. But Shigaraki knows his worth, and more importantly, he knows in this game he outranks Giran, who would never betray him. In the slightest. He huffs, his back hunched, and his eyes looking with subdued excitement.

“Who else is showing up?”

Giran knows the seat will be wanted that instant.

“No one who could hold a candle to you, alpha.”

“Don’t make me regret this.”

“Of course not, my liege.”

The award sitting in your hand feels almost fake as if the entire night was nothing more than a heat-driven fever dream. You had won, had actually won the most significant award of the night that an actress could win!

“Oh my gods, okay, okay,” your agent muttered beside you. Her eyes glued to the shiny gold statue between your legs. “Well, I know your heat starts tomorrow, and I’ll leave you alone for a week. But I swear, y/n, as soon as your mind isn’t a full-blown lusty heat brained bimbo, we’ll reconvene, and we will make sure you are nothing but the greatest!”

“Yeah,” you breathlessly state, eyes transfixed on the prize that felt like it could melt away any second right now. “That sounds wonderful.”

The car you were in pulled up to your front door, and you felt meek excited the car in nothing but a silk robe and slippers. The dress you had worn that night had already been put back into a plastic bag to be returned to the stylist who had offered to style you for the night. You waved with an almost transfixed look in your eyes as you closed your front door behind you, your heart hammering as adrenaline still coursed through your veins as if you had just been declared the victor of the category yet again.

Placing the trophy onto the table, you sighed in a wondrous, dreamy way.

You had done it.

You had won.

Fuck all those directors who had ever said anything different.

Still deep in your thoughts, you almost missed the knock on your door, and you figured that you must have left something in the car. Walking back over to the front door, your nose curled at the lack of scent, was it a beta?

Opening the door, you don’t remember seeing faces or even a scent of a pheromone. A single cloth wrapped over your head, and before you could send out your painful, fearful moments-from-heat omega pheromones, you were knocked out.

Cold and lifeless, you sunk against their arms, bile rising up to your throat as you know exactly what was going on. You were being kidnapped.

No… please not… not after all of this had happened.

You wake up to the sound of moving feet, sneering laughter, the feeling of coarse, hot, hands on your ass and wet, simmering tongues on your lubricated cunt. The sense is vivid. You can feel the very littlest touch on your body, the layer of scented pheromones on your glands, and slick from alphas — you know it's alphas imprinting themselves on you as a mark of a claim.

You knew about this from high school; it was an extremely outdated and frowned upon version of mating and claiming as it simply turned away any sort of pursuer who wasn’t the thick pheromone individual. You also knew it was frowned upon because if multiple individuals sought mateship with the typical omega individual, it would result in a massive, unsolvable death match. But these alphas, even with layering their scent on you so thick you thought you were turning crazy, didn’t attack. No, they took languid stripes of your fresh, intoxicating slick and growled to you, maybe, how that was how slick was supposed to be.

You wanted to move, to kick the stupid, demeaning alphas in the snout before running away, but in a twist of horrible realization, you soon figured out that despite your alert mind, you couldn’t move your body. Couldn’t shift it even the smallest of bits.

“I hope all you wonderful clients have been able to taste and smell your potential mates out here!” A loud, commanding introduction voice echoed from somewhere where you couldn’t see, his voice vibrating into the straps of your legs, but you couldn’t make a sound or even open your eyes. “As you know, we have such an arrangement for you all, the best of the best, really! We don’t wish to rush, but as always, all of these events are incredibly time-sensitive, so if you would, please alphas, please come and sit down, and we’ll begin bidding on our first of seven beautiful, fertile omegas tonight!”

The words sounded foreign in your ears yet at the same time, something so familiar because this was something you omegas were always warned about. This had to be some sort of omega mate auction, and by the stench of alphas who smelled like they owned millions and killed millions, you were in no doubt somehow caught up in one of the worst ones imagined.

Two long, completely hardened fingers suddenly entered your cunt, and as if for a single millisecond, your mind and your body were able to work in tangent, your hips bucked at the sweet feelings. Oh, your eyes tried to flutter, enjoying the way the two fingers circled the walls of your long lonely cunt.

“Please, alpha, please refrain from touching the merchandise for now, please join us so that we may begin!”

The two fingers buried within your cunt as if it was their right, slowly withdrew out of your pulsing walls, and you heard the sound of sneakers against the hardwood floor and felt relaxed and sickened at how you sort of liked it.

Heat brain, you reminded yourself. Just your stupid, horny heat brain.

You were a celebrity, you mantra, a dignified star who didn’t need a beta or an alpha unless you saw it fit. Right now, as you had repeated many times to the countless amounts of reporters who had asked, you had no interest in someone to share your heat with.

“Alright, and to start off our night in a rolling go! Please, everyone put your hands together for the fertile and beautiful thirteenth in-line the Princess of Cabodia: Dayanara!”

This auction was insane, all six omegas before you all sold from a price that ranged from 198 hundred million to the one right before you who sold for one billion dollars. You were a prideful omega, and you saw worth to your abilities, smell, and looks, but were you even worth anywhere in that range?

The entire time you had been set up in who knows what, the small, overwhelming pound of your heat sinking into the depths and pores of your body was becoming heavy. You couldn’t move a single muscle still, your body still refusing to respond to the call of your body, but the seep of your slick running down the innards of your thighs, undoubtedly beginning to pool on the ground, must be embarrassing of you.

Suddenly someone spread the skin below your ass out, and you couldn’t react as something sharp and prick stabbed into your flesh. You howled in the surprising pain, and you were fast to find that whatever they had injected you with had allowed systematic movement within your body. Your eyes fluttered open as two, impossibly huge alphas grabbed you by your forearm and hoisted you to your feet.

Your neck was far too weak to carry the weight of your head, so your eyes were transfixed on the white silk of the slutty dress they dressed you in. It showed off your cleavage with no regret, and by the feel and look of it, it barely passed the bottom of your ass. Your vision swam, the alphas all over the room distorted and melting within one another as you stepped onto a stage, the spotlight on you feeling deliriously hot and melting your skin.

Your hormones, already going crazy with your heat, seemed to intensify at the small of so many capable, potent, possessive alpha pheromones that suffocated the room. Handcuffs slapped onto your wrists, and you moaned pathetically at the sting of cold metal on your skin, and you obediently followed the command of one alpha to go on your knees.

A nail slammed between the metal links of the handcuffs, practically stapling you to the wooden floor, and you whimpered at the feeling of a stuffed pillow mount being placed beneath your lower stomach. You were in a forced and easily accessible mating position with your slick and cunt exposed for all the alphas to re-smell and see.

Moaning, you shifted against the mount, your body not able to have the full movement you needed to ward off that building, insufferable heat in your core, but nothing you could do seemed to satisfy it.

“And for our biggest prize of the night, we have the one, the only, the beautiful sensation Y/l/n Y/n!” the auctioneer roared. His voice echoing in your ear as he walked over to you, exposing your dripping cunt to the crowd of alphas who had all gotten a sweet taste of your essence already. His hand came down to slap your ass with a chuckle. “Where do we start the bidding on this one, alphas? She needs no introduction, and none of you better be pussies because we know this bitch of an omega won’t take any tiny cocks as her alpha! She needs to be broken in, fucked to submission. No one likes a trailblazer… someone needs to remind of what fucking trail she’s supposed to be on. Besides, the bitch is in fucking heat, and if you don’t claim her, I just might do it myself!”

“75 million!” someone started the bidding.

You stiffened.

“75 to the man in the back!”

“90 million!” someone challenged.

“We’re up to 90!”

“125 million!”

“Do I hear another offer?”

“250 million!”

The number climbed and climbed, the same voices coming to challenge each other until finally, they rounded out to a quantity that sounded bizarre even to you.

“950 million!”

If it had been possible for your knees to give out, you would have been collapsed onto the floor, the pool of slick that continued to lubricate your cunt without a doubt drowning you as you craved the need to be fucked by someone with undoubted alpha pheromones and cock in this room.

“950 million?” the auctioneer repeated, his voice for sure carrying a shark-like grin. “Going once, going twice—”

“Five billion.”

The gasp in the crowd was undeniable, and the omega in you crooned, knowing that this alpha valued you and your omega to be the price of five billion US dollars.

“Fuck!” screamed the man who had presented the 950 million deal.

“Wowee, five billion dollars, everyone! Anyone think they can beat that?! Going once! Going twice!” The crowd remained in silence, and you shook against your restraint, the heat emitting from your cunt almost demanding to be seen and fucked through this heat week. “SOLD! The virgin celebrity, Y/l/n Y/n sold to our own Shigaraki Tomura!”

The cheers of amaze weren’t nearly as loud as the smell of reeking petty alpha.

“Come and pay up, alpha, and then you can show us… a demonstration of how you’re going to break this omega.”

“Shut up.” Shigaraku growled, his footsteps heavy in your ear as you feel him climb up the stage, and you weakly tilted your head to look at the white-haired alpha boss hand over a simple credit card before walking over to you, his eyes unreadable as he looked you dead in the eye.

He reached out a finger that raised your chin up for him to study your face, moving and tilting your head as he pleased as a small, sinister smile pressed to his lips as he dropped your head. A sharp, uncomfortable pain fell on your chin as it crashed to the floor, and you shivered at the feeling of his calloused and rough fingers running down your exposed back.

“You’re such a small omega, still stupidly tiny. I bet you’ve never thought your first knot would come from someone like me,” Shigaraki laughed, his fingers and voice ice cold. His words were soft, spoken in a way that had your omega stupidly cooing for having secret conversations with your alpha who promised to fuck you till you were carrying a litter of pups. “I hope you realize that this is real life, that I will break you, and no hero in this world will be able to fucking save you.”

“Fuck the omega!” someone from the crowd screamed, and Shigaraki glared upwards. Still, you shivered in the thought of this alpha who spent five billion dollars to make you his claiming you, fucking your stupid heat brain into mush in front of these smaller, irrelevant alphas.

“I’ll do what I fucking please,” Shigaraki snapped, but the fingers you remembered to have been the last ones to enter your slicked crazy walls seemed to be his. They moved deep within you, curling and spreading your tight, sopping wet cavern apart, letting your pathetic, chirping cries echo powerfully in the room as lusting, near rutting alpha pheromones filled the room. “For fucks sake, omega, your pussy’s fucking tight as shit! Don’t you have any real knotted toys?”

You couldn’t respond back, your body on the road to a complete shut down at the feeling of something other than silicone deep within your body, fingering and dragging against your pheromone soaked walls.

“Alpha, y-your fingers feel so good!” you gasp, your hips thrusting backward, enjoying the way his fingernails press onto your warm velvet walls. “So good, you make me feel so good already.”

“I’ve seen you all over the news,” Shigaraki growled low into your ear. “Talking about how you didn’t want an alpha, how you never needed to feel the tightness that a fat knot could bring you, and look at you now. I’ve barely touched you, barely begun to make you mine, and yet you’re already begging for me, omega.”

Your arms tug at the handcuffs, pathetically wanting them off. Exasperatedly seeking more friction from your newly bought alpha. You can’t think straight, can’t come up with a single response except the stupid apologetic, “I’m so sorry alpha, I didn’t know i-it would be y-you!”

“Don’t be shy on her, Shigaraki! Fuck the slutty omega already! Fucking knot and claim her in front of us, I want to hear the omega whore scream. It’s always hotter when it’s the first claim ever!”

“You better learn how to shut the fuck up, or I’ll kill you for interrupting my fucking session here,” Shigaraki seethed, his red, smoldering eyes ripping from yours and glaring at some loser alpha behind you. You couldn’t care. You only wanted what looked like the growing cock in Shigaraki’s pants; you wanted to feel the cock fill up your cunt, and his knot to lock you both in place.

You drooled at the thought, your loud, whimpering cries unable to keep from pouring out as the slick from your core seemed to pour endlessly from your pussy, demanding attention and a knot. “Breed me, fill me with your pups,” you begged fingers taking in his dirty fingers in your mouth, tongue wildly and uncontrollably flicking across his fingers in hopes it would be a sinking prayer of your promise to be good. “I want your knot, alpha, I want these stupid alphas to know you’re so much better than them~!”

Shigaraki’s once snarl fell when he looked at you, a slowly growing smirk falling on his face as his lips spread into a cruel smirk, one that had you moaning around his fingers as he pinched the pink muscle in your mouth before disappearing before you.

“I smelled your distress when I put my fingers up your sloppy little cunt right before the auction happened; I could tell even with your growing heat that you hated the feeling of my fingers up your pretty pussy. But look at you now, I haven’t even set you on my goddamn knot, haven’t stretched that tiny cunt to its max. You’re smelling better than a bitch in heat,” Shigaraki growled in your ear. His clothed chest pressing deliriously into your exposed back, the huge cock outline in his pants grinding incessantly into your wet core, undoubtedly leaving a damp patch where his cock ground into you. “You’re an actress, aren’t you, little omega? I bet you just needed this audience cheering your name to break your mind over this. How. Pathetic.”

And the pressure on your tongue is gone, the drool and saliva sticky and cold on your chin as you whimper for your alpha. You promised that it wasn’t right, it was just that you had been scared before, but your alpha was so strong, his pheromones so scary and mean, he could protect you and fill you up with so many pups you couldn’t help but to be excited now.

The smell of Shigaraki seemed to brighten, and you moaned when his hands pressed the white dress up, allowing for your naked ass to be seen by him and everyone who stayed to watch. Shigaraki squeezed your asscheeks away, chuckling at the way your small asshole clenched in your embarrassment and pain at how your hormone-driven heat demanded that he fuck you and knot you now.

“So fucking wet,” Shigaraki observed, his fingertips tracing the slick on your folds before a small pop told you that he licked you clean from his fingers. “Such sweet slick too, you really are a prime omega, little one.”

You whimpered, ass shaking for him to continue to touch you, to continue to fuck you more.

“I don’t think you’re ready for my knot, precious omega,” Shigaraki taunted, and his words were a sealing deal in your lusting mind. Your hips knocking backward in some sort of desperation for more.

“She won’t,” commented the auctioneer.

“I will!” you scream, eyes filled with painful tears that could only be resolved with your alphas knot and claim. “I can take your knot, alpha!”

Shigaraki makes a small noise, and you choke at the feeling of something huge, nearly monstrous, shift into your cunt. You were a virgin, but even you knew that it was merely the head of his alpha thick cock, not enough for you to be satisfied, not far enough in you to breed or fuck you properly. All the moans in your throat were slightly painful, and the tears in your eyes continued to fall as you rocked your hips backward, trying to sink yourself further on his cock, wanting him deep in your womb.

You craved him.

“Ah, good, you can take more,” came the airy, almost insane driven coo of Shigaraki, the lack of humor making your cunt flutter against his thick, long cock. “Cry for your alpha, little omega.”

With that, Shigaraki slammed into you with no mercy, his cock bottoming out into you with a powerful, edging thrust. You screamed in pain, tears leaking from your eyes, and even with the pool of lubricating slick, his cock was far too big, incredibly thick that you felt your inner walls splitting in two as he fucked you as if you weren’t in delirious pain.

Drool and tears covered your arms, your painted fingers digging into the floorboards with crazy strength that you clawed scars on the floor as Shigaraki rutted deep within you.

Shigaraki commanded you with every thrust he gave, and soon the omega in you was cooing, howling for more, the pain of having your virginity ripped from right under you having become bubbling, glowing pleasure. You screamed in pleasure, Shigaraki grabbing onto your rolling hips to slam you back onto his cock, allowing for his thick cock to hit deep within you over and over again. The angle and power he possessed with every thrust were almost inhumane, nothing your lonely heat filled nights could ever dream of recreating ever. Shrill moans and pleas drowned out the annoying commentary of your onlookers, Shigaraki’s chest still flushed against your back, his hips landing heavily on your ass that was at this point raised because of the mount beneath you.

“My alpha,” you babble, eyes unfocused, hazy, and incredibly heavy as you stared at some point on the wall, overwhelmed with the feeling of Shigaraki’s hot cock pounding in you. “My alpha, such a good alpha. His cock is making my tummy feel funny, making my pussy feel so tight. Please fill me with your children, I’ll be a good omega to you and them, I promise! I promise — I — oh myyy goddd — I promise, alpha!!!”

Shigaraki puffs up with the praise, but he continued to fuck into you roughly, mercilessly, as if you were nothing more than the breeding whore omega that he had purchased you for. The wet slaps and satisfying squelches rang in the blazing heat room, the smell of the pleasured and heat insane omega saturating deeply within his nose, and in the other's nose, the prideful smell of a satisfied alpha.

Your spongy walls clenched and spasmed against his penetrating, pounding cock, sometimes even forcibly because, by god, it was hot when his cock would twitch within your womb, especially against your cervix.

“Fuck, you’re so damn annoying,” Shigaraki snarled into your ear, his teeth biting and scraping along your neck, and you wailed when his teeth dragged over the sweet scent gland on your neck. The one and only place for mating bites to go. His hand gripped your hair, tugging your head back so that you could feel his rough facial skin rub up against yours. “If you want me to fill you with my pups, you better be the best fucking omega on this goddamn planet.”

“I can be the best! I’ll be the best!” you cried, your ass shifting backward to meet his drilling hips.

The delirious sensation of his cock rocking against your cervix slowly begins to inflate the knot on his cock, restricting his still barbaric thrusting as he made to move faster. He wanted you to cum before he knotted entirely within you.

The pressure in your stomach is scorching and impossibly tight, and he takes another long stripe at your scent gland. You tremble with need, your fingers tearing into the wooden floors. You can feel the knot on his cock swelling up, catching onto the opening of your cunt with every successive cunt, and you begin to cry, shake, and tremble as the knot becomes too big.

Your eyes cross, your tongue falling out of your mouth as you babble his name. Your walls clamp around his knotted cock with the ferocity of a vice, and your body jerks violently as you cum hard around his cock. The slick essence of your orgasm slipping out of the few lasting places open before Shigaraki’s knot fills you out entirely. Despite his cock unable to move, the swollenness of his knot preventing him from moving out of you, Shigaraki still shoves his weight into his hips, the inflated knot stretching your cock out so widely, your vision went white, and you came yet a second time.

A small pop was heard, and suddenly with a rush of thick, hot, and heavy white cum exploded within your womb, his teeth sink around your scent gland, marking you — mating you. He filled you, filled you, and filled you. His cum wouldn’t stop until your belly was swollen with his hot cum, and he eventually fell off of you with a shaky, shallow breath.

You still remained on the mount, your eyes unfocused, breaths mumbling to your alpha, a promise to carry out every single pup he gave you and would give you. You were his omega, his good little omega, and you would never disappoint your alpha. Not now, not ever.

⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆

The next week, you opened your door with a broad smile, your usual clothes replaced with a dress Shigaraki had picked for you and a frilly white apron on as your agent was standing outside of your house, eyes wide, mouth gaped at the still bleeding mate wound on your shoulder.

“Ah, how funny!” you laughed, waving your hand as you sighed dreamily, your eyes fluttering at the thought of your alpha who was on a business call right now. “I’m actually going to be quitting! My alpha and I have many plans right now, I gotta produce as many litters as I can, being an actress would never give me this sort of meaning in life!”

“B-But, you’re doing so much?! You have so much to do! You can’t give up?!”

“Oh, my love, we both know that I look much cuter with a pregnant belly! Don’t worry,” you smile, taking your agent's hand, brightly smiling at her one last time. “I’m sure all omegas will eventually find their alpha so they won’t be so depressed and angry like I was!”

Your agent doesn’t get another word in.

You slam the door in her face, your hands already resting on your belly that you knew was already growing the life of your first litter of pups. It had been known the second Shigaraki filled you up anymore.

You were a good little omega, and your alpha needed you!

#shigaraki x reader #shigaraki tomura x reader #shigaraki smut #bnha #bnha x reader #mha #bbs kinktober 2020

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writingforfun0714 · 2 years ago

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Ok spoilers for the Bad Batch S2!!

So the new trailer has been out for a few days now and I’m surprised I haven’t seen a lot of talk about Cody. Like, yes, I’ve seen theories related to what will happen to Cody, but I’m specifically talking about Cody’s new armor.

In CW, Cody wore the traditional white and yellow/gold of the 212th. In the trailer, he wears white and gray armor. The only time we’ve seen an armor color change was the 104th (Wolffe and the Wolffepack). Master Plo Koon lost most of his original battalion during the Malevolence arc (in S1). They used to wear a rusty brown accented color but after that arc, they are shown to wear gray (in honor of those that died).

So what does that mean for Cody and his new armor? Is it gray just cuz the GAR is gone/disappearing or did something happen to the rest of the 212th?? They better leave the clone boys alone I swear. Filoni, you wanna mess someone up, use your new storm troopers—but leave the clones alone.

I don’t know anything about Legends/EU but do the clones keep their color after O66? I know the remaining 501st (those that stormed the Temple—not those w/ Ahsoka/Rex), after O66, is referred to as ‘Vader’s Fist’ or something. Do they still wear the blue of the 501st or do they wear gray like Cody in the new trailer?

Anyways, I was just curious about Cody’s armor. I hadn’t seen it mentioned (sorry if I missed something) so I figured I’d bring it up.

As for what’ll happen to Cody, I obviously hope he survives. Just cuz Filoni had plans for a Rex vs Cody thing/thought Cody would die doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll die this season. SW is pretty well-known for having characters disappear into hiding (Yoda, Obi-wan, Ahsoka, Cal, Ventress etc). SW also has brought back characters assumed to be dead like Gregor and Echo.

I’ve seen a few popular theories going around:

1: Cody’s gonna hunt down CF99 and Rex is gonna have to protect them by killing Cody.

2: Cody’s gonna hunt down CF99 w/ Crosshair and want to kill them. Crosshair, obviously not wanting his bros to die, will kill Cody himself.

3: Cody’s gonna have his ‘questioning moment’ like Rex did w/ Ahsoka during O66 (him hesitating and telling her to find Fives) and protect CF99 from the Empire/swarms of storm troopers, sacrificing himself.

What I’d like to see happen:

Cody and Crosshair hunt down CF99+Rex. The big group splits into 2–Crosshair+batchers and Rex/Echo/Cody. Crosshair has a convo w/ Hunter, Wrecker and Tech about the Empire while Rex+Echo talk w/ Cody, definitely bringing up Obiwan/Anakin/Ahsoka. Rex gets Cody to doubt himself/his loyalties to the Empire, but worries there’s nowhere to go/run. But it just so happens that Rex knows a certain senator (Bail Organa) that’s been helping remaining Jedi/clones/people still loyal to the Republic. Rex puts Bail in touch w/ Cody. Bail mentions a certain general on Tatooine and Cody starts crying cuz he thought he killed Obi and Rex and Cody HUG (like tight gripping/crying all of it). Cody’s relieved Obi’s still alive, but immediately thinks about Rex and Anakin and asks about General Skywalker and comforts Rex when he tells Cody ‘only Commander Tano survived’ or something (at this point not even Ahsoka knows Vader=Anakin, she doesn’t find out until Rebels).

Anyways, the episode/story would end and Crosshair decides to go off on his own (not w/ the Empire or w/ CF99–think Boba/Ventress in later seasons) and Cody (who gets his chip removed) decides to go w/ Rex to meet up w/ Bail (I imagine they would have talked through a communication device/hologram or something). Bail sets Cody up w/ a small ship that’s nondescript and ready to go to Tatooine. The last shot is of Cody’s ship heading towards a beige/tan planet w/ 2 suns with Cody’s voice saying ‘I’ll find you’ referring to Obi or something.

I also loved the idea that Dex (the diner owner from AotC) knows some of the 212th boys since he’s good friends w/ Obi and Cody walks in one day acting different (still chipped). Dex gets all suspicious and whacks Cody w/ a frying pan (think Rapunzel/Flynn from Tangled) and that messes w/ the chip (cuz Wrecker hit his head and made it worse). Cody gets it taken out and thanks Dex for helping and tells him if he sees any more clones, to ‘help them out’ so any time a clone comes in, Dex just smacks the shit out of them with a frying pan. Obviously this is more comedic/not really serious, but I saw that post going around and loved the idea. I loved that Obiwan had friends outside the Jedi/clones.

#star wars #star wars bad batch #bad batch #sw tbb #star wars tbb #bad batch analysis #bad batch trailer #bad batch trailer analysis #bad batch s2 #bad batch season 2 #tbb s2 #tbb spoilers #bad batch spoilers #dex whacking clones w/ a frying pan is hilarious #dex eyeing cody suspiciously #that boy ain’t right #WHACK #Boil-why are you so cold/stern?#SMACK!

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marianne-zemo · 4 years ago

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First race

So, I guess I'm doing it, this is the first fanfiction I've written in four years and my second time writing smut so please, bear that in mind, it might be awful 😅 Also, English is not my first language so I apologise for any mistakes. GIF not mine!

Warnings: smut, oral sex (f and m receiving), slight degradation, choking (light but still) unsafe sex (wrap it before you tap it kids!), probably bad writing, Niki being a little mean and a little ooc, cursing. Reader insert, no use of Y/N. (Also, I know nothing about racing so I'm sorry if the description of the race sucks 😅)

I think that's all, let me know if I missed something!

Standing near the entrance of the stadium, you were craning your neck, trying to find your friend in the crowd of people who came to watch the race. You weren't particularly thrilled at the idea of having to sit there for god knows how long watching the cars go by at top speed but your friend's been persistent and you've run out of excuses so you reluctantly agreed.

"Hey, there you are!" you've heard your friend's voice on your left so you turned around quickly, trying not to spill the drinks on your t-shirt. "Hey, yeah, I thought you were already up there", you said while pointing your unoccupied hand towards the seats. "Here, I bought some drinks."

"Well, I was trying to get to the trailers to see the racers but the security guard kicked me out." Your friend replied with a sour look on her face and reached for one of the cups. "Thanks for that, so, shall we?"

You nodded and started making your way through the mass of people blocking the stairs. The second you sat down you've heard one of the commentators announce that the race will begin shortly. You took out your phone to check the emails when you noticed the shirt your friend has put on. It was blue with yellow stripes and in the middle, there was an image of a young man in a racing suit. You looked at your friend and raised your eyebrow in a silent question. She blushed and quickly explained that she bought the shirt from one of the guys standing on the parking lot near the track.

"Do you even know who this guy is or did you just buy it to look like you support anyone down there?" She looked at you surprised.

"Did you do any kind of research before coming here with me?" She asked with disbelief. You just shook your head. "I told you, I know nothing about racing, I came because you asked me to."

She just sighed and quickly started explaining while watching the cars drive in their positions. "The man on my shirt is James Hunt, it's the one getting in the pole position right now," she said while pointing at the mostly blue car in the front. "He drives for McLaren and he's something of a novelty in racing. He won last year's Grand Prix so now he has a couple of points on Lauda and huge chances of winning this season as well."

She pointed at Lauda's red car just as the gun announced the beginning of the race. "Now, Niki Lauda races for Ferrari and he's a great driver but he had an accident last year and a lot of people say that this is the only reason why Hunt won that season. He's also a giant asshole, you should see some of the interviews, he changes publicists more often than James changes women." Your friend snickered and you both turned your attention to one of the screens around the stadium in time to see a black car spinning out of the track on the third bend with smoke coming from under the mask of the vehicle.

"So, Hunt is a womanizer?" You asked while the commentator explained who had to end the race and likely reasons for the smoking engine. "Yeah, he's young and handsome so fans are obviously tripping over themselves to get his attention and he gives it happily. He also invites a lot of them to the parties at his house, and, if you want to believe the rumors, more often than not at least one person gets to have a private tour around his bedroom."

Your friend explained with a small smirk and it was then that you've noticed the heels and a rather short for this kind of weather skirt that she chose to wear. "Mhm, so the way I see it, you invited me to watch the race just to ditch me, later on, to try and get an invitation to said party, yeah?"

She blushed and pretended to watch the screen while fiddling with her bracelet. "I mean, you could always come with me, a party is a party plus there are free drinks and food," she glanced at you with hope with her eyes.

"I make no promises but maybe if he wins-" you got cut off by the loud cheering that echoed around the track. Both of you looked at the screen and you were able to see Hunt's car passing the red Ferrari and beginning its third and last lap. You've spent the rest of the race listening to the commentators and throwing your comments here and there when something particularly unexpected happened.

Suddenly the whole stadium stood up screaming and cheering when the McLaren and Ferrari cars appeared on the screen, coming out of the last bend and into the home stretch before the finishing line. From the distance you couldn't make out who was leading, they were going neck and neck but then Hunt's engine whirled louder and he crossed the line a second before Lauda. The next couple of minutes were a blur, people cheering and running to the platform to meet the winner while the racers were on their cooling-off lap. You've lost your friend somewhere in the crowd but since you've decided not to go to the party, you wandered around the track, stopping next to the Ferrari, admiring its design and how well taken care of it looked.

"And what, pray tell, are you doing?" You quickly turned around and came face to face with Niki Lauda. His racing suit was slightly open, letting you see the silver medal hanging around his neck. Now, without his helmet, you were able to see where did the 'ratty' part of his nickname come from, although surprisingly enough you found him rather attractive. His eyes were a nice shade of brown and his slightly curly hair framed his face in a way that made him look almost like a little cupid. Pouty and dissatisfied but still adorable.

"I- I was just admiring your car, you take good care of it," you replied, your voice coming out somewhat shaky but you managed not to stumble backward despite his intimidating stare.

"Shouldn't you be with the rest of those screaming idiots, trying to get into Hunt's bed?" He asked, nodding his head in the direction of his opponent laughing and signing his autograph on one of the girl's cleavage.

"Hey, watch it! My friend is there," you said with indignation, slightly raising your voice. "And you don't need to be such an asshole, could've just told me to leave. Manners don't hurt you know?"

He raised his eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with your little outburst and you heard him mumble something under his nose before you could walk away.

"What was that?" You asked, expecting to hear yet another insult, this time thrown your way, however, you were surprised when he slightly louder repeated "I asked if you'd like to go for a ride, I assure you, it drives as good as it looks."

You glanced at him with disbelief noticing a slight blush on his face and, judging by the way he was avoiding your eyes, you knew you heard him correctly. You thought about this for a moment and after realizing that this is once in a lifetime opportunity, you shrugged your arms before answering him. "If you're serious, then yeah why not. But where am I supposed to sit?"

Lauda was already in the car holding up another helmet for you to put on and he smirked softly while pointing on his lap. "Well, there's a lot of space here," however, noticing your clear embarrassment he added softly "no need to be shy liebling, it's alright if you've changed your mind."

You shook your head slightly, putting on the helmet and sitting on his lap before you could change your mind. There's no way you were backing off now. It was a tight fit, the vehicle clearly not designed for more than one person but you pulled it off somehow and seconds later you've felt the engine whirl to life as Niki turned the key in the ignition.

He started slow, not wanting to scare you right away but after the first bend, you felt him press harder on the gas, speeding up and not losing the speed even on the sharp turns. The way he was driving, confident, and focused made you feel safe and you found yourself giggling with joy with every bend he took. You were still smiling when he finally parked in his trailer and took off both yours and his helmet.

"So, did you like it?" He asked with a small smile when he noticed the way your eyes sparkled with glee."Yeah, I did, thank you, Niki," you replied softly, reaching your hand to brush his locks away from his face. Something changed in his eyes at the small gesture and he pressed his cheek in your palm making you gasp and you focused on the way he quickly licked his lips, shifting beneath you. Before you could talk yourself out of this you leaned down to softly press your lips against his and he responded immediately, one of his hands going to the back of your neck while the other explored your side and the gentle curve of your breasts.

Niki dominated the kiss, making you moan and you shifted yourself, now fully straddling his lap and grinding against him. You felt more than heard the loud groan that came out of his throat, "come on, wrap your arms around me," you heard him mumble against your lips and quickly wound your arms around his neck. He stood up, somehow managing to maneuver you both out of the vehicle, and sat you down on the table while sucking hickeys on the side of your throat and making you whine.

He pulled away, admiring his work and you took that exact moment to go down on your knees in front of him and unzip his racing suit. He gave a choked moan once you've managed to pull his boxers enough to take him out and, not giving him a chance to say anything, you quickly took the tip of his cock in your mouth, humming at the slightly bitter taste.

"F- fuck, liebling, your mouth is a sin," you've heard him groan and you made eye contact while trying to take more of him into your mouth, swallowing once he reached the back of your throat. "Mein Gott, fuck!" He gave a small shout at the way you sucked him down and quickly pulled you off his cock and up to press a hard kiss to your mouth, tasting himself on your tongue. "You're something else schatz, but I need to fuck you."

He quickly got rid of your jeans while you took off your t-shirt and he kneeled in front of the table between your spread legs. Niki pulled your panties down and quickly swiped two fingers through your folds making you tremble with excitement. "Look at that darling, you're soaked. Did having my cock in your mouth make you so wet?"

You whined softly and canted your hips upwards trying to get him to touch you properly. "Niki...please," he chuckled softly and pushed his fingers inside you curling them in a come hitcher motion while his tongue started making circles around your clit causing you to moan loudly and clench around his digits. His answering groan sent vibrations through you and your hand made a home in his hair pressing him harder against your dripping folds. You've been on edge ever since that make out in his vehicle so you can already feel an intense heat spreading inside of you, making you arch your back.

"F-fuck, just like that, please baby - ah - don't stop, God, Niki!" You came with a drawn-out whine of his name, shaking and soaking his hand with your wetness. He got up with a smirk on his thin lips and put the fingers that were inside you seconds ago in your mouth and watched as you sucked on them, moaning at the taste of yourself on his skin.

Niki grabbed the base of his cock and ground against you, lubricating himself with your juices before pushing slowly inside you. You both groaned once he was fully in and he put his mouth around your nipple sucking and biting slowly while letting you get used to his size. "Mov - ah - please move", you whimpered and he slowly started moving his hips back and forth gaining the tempo with every sound you made.

One of his hands made its way to your thigh, squeezing so hard that it was sure to leave bruises but you didn't mind. His cock was hitting that perfect spot deep inside you, making you clench around him which in turn made him growl and fuck you harder. "Fuck, you feel so good around me schatz, so tight, so - fuck - so wet."

You moaned at the praise and grabbed his right hand, putting it around your throat. He looked at you surprised and gave an experimental squeeze groaning when he felt you clench around him. "Dirty girl, you like being choked? Fuck, look at you, moaning like a whore - ah - so desperate for my cock." He taunted while pistoning his hips in and out of you and squeezing your neck tighter as his left thumb made tight circles around your clit bringing you closer to the edge.

"Yes - fuck - I'm your whore Niki, please, 'm yours, just d-don't stop, plea-". He pressed his lips against yours cutting you off and growling in the kiss, "I'm not gonna last much longer Liebling, you feel too good - scheiße - gonna be a good girl for me? Come on, come around me, milk my cock like a good little cum slut".

His words combined with his hand around your throat and his thumb stroking your clit were what made you come. You felt the coil inside you snap and you let out a long moan, your back arched off the table and your legs were shaking around his waist as you let the pleasure consume you. Your heart was beating in your ears and you barely heard the way he groaned out your name, his hips stuttering and you felt his cock twitch inside you before you felt him painting your walls with his come.

Niki rested his head in the crook of your neck, panting harshly while you were coming down from your high. He looked up at you and you were surprised at the soft smile gracing his lips and he straightened himself kissing you gently and slowly pulling out of you. He made quick work of cleaning both of you up and put an arm around your waist, helping you stand. Your legs were still shaking slightly and you leaned into him for support as he pressed a kiss to your forehead looking down at you with adoration.

You felt your face heating up, not expecting to see this gentle side of him and he fished out a small card from the pocket of his suit, giving it to you with a hopeful look in his brown eyes.

"Join me for dinner tomorrow?" He asked, slightly uncertain and you beamed up at him. "I'd like that," you replied and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before making your way out of the garage. You turned around one last time catching him checking out your ass and laughed at his satisfied smirk, not even slightly embarrassed at being caught. You left the track, the card with his number in your hand and a huge grin on your face. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

#niki lauda x reader #daniel brühl x reader #daniel bruhl #daniel brühl fanfiction #niki lauda x you #niki lauda #daniel brühl x you #daniel bruhl x reader #oh god im not ready #can't believe i'm doing this #oh god oh fuck #it's smutty #i already regret this

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the-artistic-animal · 3 years ago

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Words Left Unsaid (part 2 / final)

Daryl x Reader

Reader pronouns: she/her Era: Alexandria/Sanctuary (set in seasons 7-8) Warnings: injury, blood, minimally implied sexual abuse, torture, death and a lot of fluffiness! Word count: 3391

Context: Daryl brings Y/N back to the Hilltop and hopes he will be able to say everything he has to say to her.

(If you haven’t read part 1, you can find it here)

The car was coming came to a stop, the people of Hilltop knew from the loud roar of the car’s engine that Jesus and Daryl were back. The curtain of dust it left behind made the everyone rush close to the vehicle, some curious and some preoccupied. Someone opened the back door where Daryl was, he didn’t take notice on who it was, focused on getting the girl to the infirmary. The crowd immediately opening a corridor for the archer to pass, his frenetic eyes looking straight ahead at Doctor Carson, who was standing at the doors of the improvised clinic trailer.

Like a hurricane Daryl entered the room, but his hands were gentle as he lowered the girl on the hospital-type bed. Dr. Carson and Enid took it as a sign to start acting, checking her pulse and looking for any major bruises or bleeding cuts. The archer told then little, as he didn’t know much of what happened to the girl, so he gave them space as they worked on her, never leaving the room. Enid unbuttoned Y/N’s flannel and Daryl’s stomach twisted at the sign of purple and yellow bruises, some shaped like hands hugged around her arms and pulse; but he didn’t allow himself to look away, taking it as punishment for not getting her out sooner.

Her legs matched the angry bruises of her chest, adding to some cuts and scratches on her knees, which she got from the fight she put up with the savior when they took her. Enid cleaned the dried blood, leaving the colored stains to go by themselves. Taking a clean shirt from the small drawer, they dressed her and pushed a thin blanket over her body; the archer analyzed everything, waiting for any sign that she was wake, but finding none.

“She gonna be alrigh’?” The archer’s voice was grave, deeper than usual, as the two finished working on Y/N. “She doesn’t seem to have any serious injuries, as far as we can see. She’s still out probably due to the trauma…” the Doctor’s words lingered in the air as he gave a final glance at her. Daryl felt a tight gulp go down his throat.

“Did they- was she… hum…” the archer didn’t dare to pronounce the remaining words, but the doctor cough on, the hypothesis having crossed his mind too. “I don’t know. All we can do is treat the outside; only her and God knows what kind of trauma she went through. All we can do now is wait.” The doctor patted Daryl’s shoulder before passing through the curtain, Enid was already gone.

Daryl moved to the side of the bed, sitting on the old chair resting there. He took her hand in his and rested his head on the thin mattress. The quietness was interrupted by Maggie and Sasha entering trailer, the metal door ranging loudly. “How is she?” Maggie’s voice was quiet, careful, but her eyes matched the apprehensive look of Sasha’s. Both the girls weren’t much familiar to Y/N but seeing how much she meant to Daryl was enough to make them sympathetic to her condition.

“Doc says we have ta wait. She’s all… bruised, I don’t…” The archer pressed his hands to his face, eyes closed, a tired sign escaping his lips. Maggie pressed her hand to his shoulder in a gesture of comfort, and Sasha offered to take his place for him to go eat something or just rest. Daryl was quick to reject the offer, even though his eyes showed how much he needed it.

After some more useless insisting, they both left, promising to bring lunch for him later. Throughout the day, Daryl watched people come and go through the infirmary trailer, some to see Y/N, some to see other people who were staying there too. The tight knot on his stomach didn’t undo itself for a single moment as he waited. When he got up to look out of the window, the dark of the night had already englobed the Hilltop, but still the girl showed no signs of waking up.

Daryl stayed by Y/N’s side through the whole night, at some moments the tiredness got the best of him, eyes closing for a couple of minutes, but never longer than that. The doctor came in at some point to check on a coughing patient at the bed behind the curtain that divided the room, taking some time to also check on Y/N. According to him, she was stable, but the words did nothing to calm Daryl down.

The next day washed away way too slowly for the likes of the archer, still no change on the girl’s condition, not even when he sprinted to the bathroom of the Barrington House to throw some water on his face, Enid taking his place for, as she said, ‘as long as he needed’. But he didn’t take more than five minutes to burst through the trailer doors, cursing at himself for even leaving. But still nothing had changed.

It was only the second night that Daryl felt some semblance of hope. His head rested on his hands, elbows on his knees and eyes moving from the girl’s eyes to her hands, and from hands to eyes, as if at any moment they would open, or her fingers would slightly move. That’s when he heard a low groan coming out from her throat, eyes not opened yet, but he noticed both of her hands closing in tight fists. The archer was immediately standing, a breath of excitement and fear was held as he waited. Until then, his mind was so caught on the fact that she was still unconscious, that he didn’t prepare for the moment when she would see him. Would he say he was sorry? Would he have the guts to ask her what exactly happened? Would she even want to tell him? To see him at all?

But none of those questions mattered, because when Y/N’s eyes locked on his all he could identify was fear. She was afraid – not of him – of everything, but he couldn’t hide the hurt he felt when she moved away from him on the limited space of the bed like a cornered animal. He raised his hands to show how he meant no harm, and as a reflex her eyes closed – that’s when his heart broke. “Y/N… I- ya’re safe…” his voice was shaky and uncertain, much for his dislike, as the archer wanted to assure her of the safety of the place. Her eyes were wide now, mouth slightly open drawing shallow breaths through her lips. When the girl blinked a few times, eyes never leaving Daryl, she seemed to finally come to reality, and her voice came out so raspy as she spoke his name in a whisper.

And then she was flying to his arms, and like they were made for her, his arms opened to capture her fragile body into his chest. Daryl was glad no one entered the trailer during the time they stayed like that, clinging to each other like their lives depended on it. Perhaps it did. Only when he felt her tears soaking his shirt, he gently pulled away to look into her eyes. Seeing her so close to him, he could not contain his own tears from dropping as he whispered how sorry he was.

“M’sorry- shit, m’sorry I let this happen to ya… I didn’t know-I didn’t…” Daryl couldn’t stand to look at her anymore, his trembling lips spilled the words quietly as a round of tears fell from his eyes. But the archer didn’t realize that the girl didn’t know he was alive, as the last time she saw him the saviors were loading him bleeding up into their trunk.

“You are alive… I thought I’d lost you.” Her bloodshot eyes were soft, and she searched for scars and bruises adorning his face. The moment her hands found his cheeks Daryl was frozen, and gently she was lifting his chin up so their eyes could meet. Both of her hands involved his face now, her soft fingers contrasting with the roughness of his sparse beard, and at that moment the archer swore he never felt closer to heaven. Y/N swallowed her tears before continuing, “that guy-Dwight… he kept saying- he talked about you and… and you weren’t there, I thought you were… gone.” The last word came out as a mere whisper.

She didn’t want to ask how he got out – even though she wished to know –, instead she just accepted the fact that he was there, at that very moment of time, and the girl surrendered to the need to hold the archer close. As Daryl held her, check pressed to her hair, he kept saying how he didn’t know she was at the Sanctuary, but Y/N didn’t pay attention to that, her eyes tightly closed, letting her body and soul sink into the lingering felling and sent of the archer..

“Listen,” Daryl removed himself from her embrace to look at her face. “I have to tell ya. When we lost the prison…”. Y/N was confused and about to interrupt him when the archer continued. “Nah, just listen, if I don’t tell ya now, I may never do.” His expression was so serious she didn’t dare to interrupt him anymore. When he opened his mouth, the door cracked open, slow at first, but when Doctor Carson saw Y/N had woken up, he rushed to her. After that, the afternoon was filled with visits from absolutely every person of Hilltop, even Gregory, whom Daryl made sure to keep an eye on at all times, a concentrated frown resting on his handsome face, Y/N noticed. The archer didn’t leave her side during the visits, keeping his distance but making sure his presence was known, by the girl and everyone else, like he was guarding her.

As much as the girl appreciated the attention she was getting from the community, she couldn’t help the anxiety that creeped up every time she would take a glance at Daryl – and every time he was already looking at her, examining. When it seemed like everyone had already paid their visit to the infirmary trailer, the Dr. was back to check on his patient, and after checking through vital signs and asking the same questions she had already answered, her hesitant eyes were expecting the final verdict.

“So, can I go now?” Carson’s eyes went from hers to the archer and them back to hers, Daryl was leaning on the trailer wall, arms intimidatingly crossed in front of his chest, but his eyes held an expression far from that – he was worried. “It’s best if you stay one more night, so we can keep an eye on you.” A pout was set on her lips, Daryl noticed the subtle trait of stubbornness that he knew so well and couldn’t avoid the smirk on his lips.

“I know you are the Doctor, but I know for a fact that I’ll feel much better after spending the night out of this bed.” Her tone was firm and defiant, but warm and pleading all the same. “Daryl will stay with me… won’t you?”. It’s was almost imperceptible, but the archer noticed the insecurity on her final words and he was quick to come stand next to her. “’Course I will, but maybe ‘s best if ya listen to Doc, he knows best…”.

“No. Look, I just wanna take a shower and sleep on a real bed… please.” Her eyes flashed at Daryl first and them at the Doctor, who was busy analyzing a particular stitched cut on her arm. “Alright. But you keep an eye on her,” his words were directed to Daryl, who seemed to listen closely. “and you, I want to see you tomorrow morning. Don’t push yourself, you’re still recovering. Take these painkillers, you will need them.” As the doctor moved to reach the pills from the top cupboard, Y/N was already protesting, but Daryl was quicker, as he took the little recipient from the man’s hand and shoved it in his pocket, receiving a frown from the girl.

On their way out, Daryl watched her every step as if she was made of glass. The girl could only think of how glad she was everybody seemed to be inside their houses and trailers and the sky was dark above them, since she was only wearing a way too big shirt, underpans and a pair of flipflops someone left at the infirmary. Considering the dark bruises that covered a great amount of her thighs, she imagined she was quit the sight.

“Hum… I know I said you would stay with me, but you don’t have to. I-I can just go the Barrington House, I don’t wanna intrude.” As abruptly as she stopped walking, the words nervously came out of her mouth. “Nah, yer staying with me. Unless ya don’ want ta…”. Y/N noticed he was as nervous as she was as he spoke, so she just nodded, assuring him that that was what she wanted – more than anything, she wanted to know what he had to say, but she chose to leave that part out for the moment, as he led her to his trailer.

As they walked in, she took a deep inhale, his sent filling her lungs even though he barely stayed inside the room,, specially given the events that filled the past few days. After the first awkwardness, he offered her to take a shower, which she gladly accepted, walking up to the small bathroom with the clothes Maggie left for her earlier that day.

When Y/N walked out, Daryl was sat at the small couch, which had more holes in it that actual fabric. His expression was unreadable, hand resting over his mouth as a sign that he was deep in thought. “Sorry… I took a bit too long, right? The was so much dirt to scrub out.” A nervous laugh was followed, but Daryl barely smiled as he assured her it was fine just before walking to the bathroom himself.

Y/N didn’t take offense in his behavior, knowing already how the archer was when his mind was working millions per hour. She sat on the couch and waited for him, allowing herself to enjoy the feeling of tiredness sinking her body to the cushions. But when Daryl returned, she was alert again and he seemed so lost that she couldn’t help asking if he was okay.

“’M fine, I just… hum… Ya can sleep on the bed, I’ll take the couch…”. At that she frowned, even though she was exhausted, his words from earlier that day hadn’t stopped playing on her brain for a single moment. “Actually, I was hoping you could tell me what you were gonna say before… if you’re not too tired?”. His hand brushed on his neck in a nervous motion “Nah, but ya need rest and… Doc said–“.

“I’m not tired yet, and you said if you didn’t tell me then you wouldn’t tell me ever… so tell me, what is it?”. At that point he was practically shaking, and when she moved to leave enough room for him to sit beside her, his legs almost gave out as he walked up to her.

His eyes didn’t lock on her just yet, instead he looked at some of the bruises her shirt didn’t cover. “Did they hurt ya? Like… I mean, were ya… did they touch ya?”. As much as it killed him to ask, he could stop it, he wouldn’t rest until he knew. “What?” she was confused at first, but also disappointed that that was his question, but she answered anyway, taking in the blush that creeped up on his face, partly from the embarrassment, but mostly rage.

“No! Not like that, if that’s what you’re thinking. Negan has his policy, his torture is nowhere like that… you know what I’m talking about, you were there too. But no, these are mostly from when his men found me. At least I gave them a little bit of work…” Her tone was sad, Daryl noticed, but he couldn’t help the somewhat relived sign he let out.

“’M sorry I didn’t take ya out sooner-“. Again, he was interrupted, but he didn’t mind it because her hand was holding his now, and involuntarily he sucked in a breath. “You already apologized, and I already said it was not your fault. So maybe we could move past that…” The archer could only nod, as he took in the sight of their hands joined on his lap, his palm turning upwards with the final blast of courage he had to hold hers.

“What I wanted ta say… what I want- shit, ‘m not good at this.” Y/N was patient and now her thumb was softly stroking the back of his hand in such a calm way that he was able to continue. “When we lost the prison, I thought I had lost ya and I promised if I ever saw ya again I’d say it, but then there was Terminus, and we were starving and Beth… and I- I didn’t say it but ya were there with me.” He stopped to take a breath and Y/N searched for signs of where he was going with all that, but his eyes only met her face briefly before the archer continued.

“When Dwight shot me and after Gleen and Abraham…” Her hand held his tighter by the second as she tried to give him as much comfort as she could as he showed his bare heart to her. “I thought I was never gonna see ya again, but then I came back, and I waited for ya to come with Rick, but when he said ya weren’t in Alexandria… I lost it.” His eyes searched for hers now, delicate tears matching her own. When she reached out to wipe a single drop that fell from his eye, he found the last bit of strength he needed to keep his speech.

“When I found ya, on that cell, I thought… ya were just crumbled there, ya didn’t even look like ya-“ he exhaled heavily, like it physically hurt him to describe the vivid scene from his memory. “Tha’s why I have ta tell ya. Fuck…” the archer cursed under his breath and Y/N almost didn’t catch it, wasn’t from the dead silent around the place. Her hand still hadn’t let go of his as she waited for him, the blood pumping inside her ears was so loud she was afraid of not hearing what the archer had to say.

“I can’t lose ya.” His words were firm and steady, contrary to the trembling chill that run throughout his body. His mouth opened and closed slightly a few times, the girl noticed, and when his blue eyes, quite red from all the crying, flashed at hers, she couldn’t resist the urge to hold him, and she didn’t. Daryl was surprised at first, and she wondered if it was a mistake, until both of his arms finally wrapped around her torso in a desperate move. She felt him relax against her, a deep breath he seemed to be holding for way too long left his mouth and his eyes closed.

“I can’t lose you Daryl.” Her soft words was all it took for his eyes to shot open wide, but he didn’t let go just yet. “I love you.” The archer’s body stilled like a statue at that, his mind racing as he tried to decide if it was a trick – he could possibly be dead at that moment, he couldn’t tell. It felt like so much heaven over him.

His body and soul were pulled out of the trance abruptly, she was pulling away from him and he wanted to desperately hold on to her and the feeling she was giving him. But when Y/N looked at him, cheeks softly blushed, he was sure that being able to simply see her was a divine sight. She didn’t have time to apologize or assure him he didn’t have to say anything back because, before she even started, he let them out – all the words that were once left unsaid – “I love ya too.”.

Autor’s note: HOLY CRAP!! Back by popular demand, part two is finally out! I’m sorry it took so long, but consider that it has a lot more words too hahaha

I really hope you enjoyed this and it’s as good as you expected! I really put effort into this so please tell me what you think! I read every single comment and appreciate them so much. It gives me all the motivation I need to write more for you guys!

As always, thank you so much for reading and don’t forget to comment, like and reblog if you liked it!

I’ll be opening a tag list, if you wanna be tagged on my next writings let me know!

Take a look at my MASTERLIST for more!

#daryl #daryl dixon #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon x reader #daryl fanfiction #the walking dead #the walking dead daryl #the walking dead fanfiction

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gaijinhunter · 4 years ago

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Monster Hunter Rise: 2nd Trailer and news blowout

Hey guys this is Gaijinhunter. I am uploading this as a text post since I caught a cold and have been unable to edit a video.

There was a huge second wave of news for Monster Hunter Rise with the reveal of the 2nd trailer the other day during the Game Awards 2020 show. Keep in mind the actual full length trailer is much longer and better than the shorter edit they showed during the show so makes sure you watch it. It showcased a second map, 2 new monsters, several returning monsters, and more. They also updated their official website with a ton of information so instead of doing a trailer reaction or breakdown, I am going to give you all the info they shared but split up by category, trying to focus only on the new stuff.

New Map

Director Ichinose hinted in an interview that one of the new maps would be nostalgic and boy he wasn't kidding. The Flooded Forest from Third Generation has been massively remade and is back in MH rise. Of course given this game’s focus is verticality, there is no underwater combat sections but they really nailed it from what I can see. One of the most iconic parts of the forest was the ruins in the backgrounds, and now you can scale up it using the wirebug. How cool is that.

With the new map we also got the reveal of 2 new monsters.

First up is the mermaid wyvern, the Somnacanth. This marks the much hyped return of the leviathan class of monsters which were missing in world and iceborne. This Monster looks so wild. It has a special breath that will put you to sleep, is super aggressive, and has this crazy taiko drum like chest in which it will grab oysters and other things and bust them against it to break them open and buff itself. The Japanese name is quite a mouthful and is called Isonemikuni. This is the monster that Ichinose teased with his cute drawing on twitter.

Next up is the tengu beast, Bishaten. This monster is really unique, it looks like a mix of a monkey, bat, and bird. It has a huge and powerful tail it uses for massive mobility and it will chuck various fruits at you as well. One of the most iconic fruits it throws are persimmons, which are very Japanese and if you haven’t had them before, they are kind of an acquired taste. It’s Japanese name is Bishutendo.

For returning monsters we have a few. First is our favorite sponge, the Royal Ludroth. This is a fan favorite and a great early to mid game monster. It has one of the best move sets in my opinion, very telegraphed but it can still catch you off guard even if you are super used to it. Strategically figuring gout where to stand in order to cut off its tail or break the sponge has always been really fun and intersting so I’m delighted to see this monster return, also look at that texture of the sponge!

Then we got the return of the Great Wroggi, the anti-poison skill tutorial monster. This thing really messed me up back in MH3G until I spent the time to get the materials to craft anti-posion decorations and even then, like the Great Izuchi, it fights really well with its sidekick small wroggis and I cant wait to see the improved cooperative AI that they are making for the Great Izuchi applied to this monster as well. It’s armor also spots a really cool Crocodile Dundee hat and look in the trailer and you can see the palico armor as well. So cool.

Finally, we got a small scene that appears to show a snow map and a group of baggi getting hit by a Khezu lightening shot. Does this mean the Great Baggi will return? Not sure. But that scream 100% is a Khezu, and I cannot wait to see how it looks with higher resolution texturing, I bet it will be creepy as heck. So while not technically confirmed, I’d say it’s safe to say Khezu is returning in some form. The balance of all these monsters is so great, I love the selection so far.

As far as other returning monsters that might return, I think we all expect nargacuga and zinogre. These are flagship monsters from games directed by Ichinose and he even tweeted his palamute and palico both named after these two monsters. Especially given the Japanese aesthetic, I think it’s pretty much guaranteed they are returning. Then I think mizutsune is also highly likely given its Japanese design, the fox theme, the kimono armor. Plus the model for it doesn't look that far off from the new Somnacanth. Anyway I have super hyped.

Interaction with animals and endemic life

One of the huge features of Monster Hunter Rise is the focus on wild life and animals to buff your hunter or be used as tools during a hunt.

There are 4 major types of Endemic Life: Temp Buffer, Permabuffer, Hunting Helper, and environmental.

For Permabuffer, we got a new render of the Spiribirds, which will buff your hunter if you move near one, and the effects depend on the color of the pollen it is carrying. Green increases your max Health, Orange increases your defense, red increases your attack power, and yellow increases your max stamina. There is even a special rainbow colored one, which I assume will buff all 4.

Via their website, Capcom announced a new item called the Petalace, a bracelet made of a plant called a Sending Sprig that each hunter has equipped. This is what collects the pollen from the birds and buffs your hunter. There is a variety of Petalaces in the game and some may increase the amount in which an attack boost is applied from a single Spiribird, raise the max value that health can be boosted, and more. Here in the screen shot we can see the caps for each and the amount gained for each buff. Just a quick note but this is not going to be replacing charms as we know that they are giving away a talisman for pre-order.

For Temp Buffer creatures, they revealed the name of the Clothfly, a butterfly that will temporarily increase your defense once you interact with it and cause it to generate a cloud of dust. In previous videos we have seen Peepers that reduce stamina usage, birds that raise your base stats, and a dragonfly that boosts your affinity and I had calculated it out to being applied for 90 seconds but we’ll have to wait for hte final game to see if that depends on the effect or if they change it, but it sounds about right.

For Hunting Helper creatures, we got an adorable new render of the Stinkmink. You can carry up to 5 Hunting Helpers and use them like items. The Stinkmink can be used to cover yourself in a special pheromone that will attract large monsters to you, even allowing you to lure one monster toward another to cause a turf war. I personally can think of other applications like luring a monster toward a trap and stuff like that.

And for environmental endemic life, they didn't show it in the trailer but there are also wildlife that can be used like environmental traps. For example, use raw meat and the giganha fish will go crazy, damaging anything nearby be it a hunter or monster. I can’t wait to see someone hunt a Great Wroggi using only raw meat. I love that we finally will have more use for this item.

NPCs

In the new trailer we got to hear several of the NPC villagers talking and on the website they go into a lot more details. They have quite the star-studded cast in Japanese and the English voice actors are also very interesting picks. This really marks the first time in Monster Hunter that the main cast of villagers will all be called by name and speak, which I think adds a lot of personality to the game.

First we have Fugen the village elder of Kamura and skilled long sword user.

Then we have Hinoa the Quest Maiden, a cheerful and optimistic girl who serves as the quest giver in the village while her twin sister runs the gathering hub. While not announced in any other language, the French and Italian language sites for the game list her sister’s name as Minoto. Hinoa’s name is Hinoe in Japnaese and for the rest of the cast their names are identical between the two languages.

One thing I am excited for is that they said that one of the ways they will help communicate the uniqueness of Kamura is through songs and they shared a sample of one of them in the full trailer. This one is sung by Izumi Kato. If you remember back in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate they featured songs by the wyverian Diva, and I am so happy they decided to do songs again, they add so much richness to the world and are just lovely to listen to.

Next up is Yomogi, our village chef. In this game you will eat meals at her Tea Shop, where her speciality is the Bunny Dango she makes along with the help of some palicoes. I love that we’ve seen her in past videos with a heavy bowgun, so the idea that all the villagers are active participants in the story is great.

Then we have Hamon the blacksmith. He used to hunt alongside Fugen back in the day but now creates weapons for the hunters of the village. His grandson also appears in the game and is a kind-hearted youth that loves your hunting companions.

Next is Kagero the merchant. Despite his mysterious appearance he is actually very warm and kind. If there is a sale going on, not only can you buy most items for half off, but you can also participate in a lottery where you spin a wheel and it dispenses a colored ball. Get a rare color ball to win a rare prize. You can do it once per sale, but you can also scan an amiibo to spin two more times, but only once per day per amiibo you own.

Finally we have Komitsu the sweet-tooth, she sells candy apples in town. What these do is still not yet revealed.

Companions

We got an adorable render for the Cohoot, the pet owl that shows the positions of monsters on your map. You can interact with it in the town and even dress them up in fancy outfits.

Kamura Village

We got gameplay showing that the entire village is open to the 4 person multiplayer session and you can even ride around on your palamute and use your wirebug while in the village to zip around and have fun. There is still a gathering hall but the ability to see each other in the village as well as jump around and really explore it is a lovely change they are making.

Story wise we got more info about the Rampage, both a story mechanic and new quest type. For some reason the monsters will sometimes gang up and attack the village all at once and no one knows why. They call this a Rampage. There was a really bad rampage 50 years ago that nearly destroyed the village and in response the town has created a Stronghold to stop further invasions. This looks like a new quest type with multiple monsters all at once, and a slew of different artillery options at your disposal. I could see this as being a really fun type of quest to do online with other players.

And of course the most exciting news was that there will be a demo in January with more details to come later. That is far earlier than I expected and I now have to finish up my back catalogue of games in like the next month.

And that about wraps it up. Cpacom said that they will be sharing weapon preview videos for all 14 types very soon and if they do the way they used to do it, we’ll get one new video a day for 2 weeks. I hope you enjoyed this recap of the news and please let me know down in comments what you thought about the second trailer. And until next time, happy hunting.

#MHRise

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extremelyblackandwhite · 4 years ago

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innocence - 33

PAIRING: bodyguard!bucky barnes x innocent actress!reader

WARNINGS: assault, swearing, trauma, tones of ptsd

A/N: this chapter is heavy with prominent mentions of assault. if that triggers you, please skip this chapter.

NEXT CHAPTER

She stood in the middle of the set, surrounded by bright lights as the cast and staff moved around to change the setting of the set design. There was nothing she could really feel and she felt herself almost out of her own body, the lack of sleep weighing not only on her eye bags but on her brain and ability to properly function. She felt she was watching herself out of her own body, watching as she dragged herself from scene to scene, almost changing into a completely different person when the cameras were on. It was mechanical, an ability of someone who’d been acting since she was a child. She slipped in and out of her own consciousness, almost knowing everything with a sharp eye but ignoring it. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t sleep. Any news that appeared regarding HYDRA or criminal organisations were always a trigger to keep her up at night. The silence itself was a trigger. Every blank letter she would get would send her into a spiral, every knock on her door. Wherever she turned, either Bucky or however haunted her seemed to surge. Except this time, Bucky wasn’t around. Sharon was but she couldn’t help to think something was off.

Two weeks.

Something was off.

She was no super soldier and she was no agent so all she could do was merely put a smile and say “nothing” whenever they asked her if something was wrong. Not that they asked, she was a good actress after all so to everyone else, even Sharon, she was peachy keen, with the same shy smile she always had on set. After all, this was the place she could be anyone but herself. Anna, the character she was playing, was so far removed from her own personality that whatever she felt seemed to dissipate mid takes. Yet, there was no comfort in becoming someone else, becoming someone who was so one dimensional she’d rather be back in her mind. Wherever she turned, she felt trapped, shackled by the weight of her own thoughts. There was nothing she could do.

- CUT! It’s a wrap everyone. - the bright lights dimmed as a ‘pop’-like sound removed her from her own dazed consciousness. She clung onto her own arms, turning around with a quickened heartbeat which slowed down as she realised it was merely a bottle of champagne which was now being half poured into flutes and half poured onto the floor. Yet, all she could hear was a buzzing in her ears.

She stood in the middle of everything, almost like a movie shot. Things moved fast but she knew they moved slowly and she remained there, in the middle of the shot, listening to everything as if she were underwater. Everyone was celebrating, drinking and laughing out loud but she couldn’t hear anything. Just a buzz. That’s all she could hear. The buzz and the sound of the wind bustling her dress.

- Y/N? - Sharon moved through the crowd, knowing way too well what was happening. She had seen it before. She carefully put her hand just slightly over her shoulder, not touching her but anyone would sense it. - Can you breathe in and out?

- Huh? - she was once again pulled out into her body and suddenly everything was just too fast, everything was just too loud as if someone had pressed the forward button on an old VHS tape. Her eyes moved side to side as her own hand pressed against her chest, a forceful reminder to feel her own heart beat. - Yeah, hum, I just need a break.

- That’s fine. - Sharon nodded her head and started to guide her out the middle of the set; however, a much familiar sound of heels hitting the gravel halted those plans. The she was, always board in hands. - Move.

- You’re needed. - Ms. Olson pointed at the actress in front of her with her pen. - The director wants to speak to you.

- Yeah, that’s fine. - Y/N pulled a fake smile. There was no use putting a fight, she had already done so and something told her not to stray too far off the cage they had put her in. She knew that with Bucky gone and Sharon under the cover she was one of her old university classmates which had settled down in New York as a stage manager, she had no protection, at least no personal protection. What she had belonged to the agency and if she toed out of line, she’d be left to fend for herself. She could barely look at the mail without shivering, much less fend for herself. She was a short woman, anyone taller than her could easily overpower her and that was the sad truth.

Once again, she found herself out of her body, watching as she walked the gravel with Ms. Olson to the trailer belonging to the director. Y/N was tired, she had no intention of wanting to speak to anyone, all she wanted to do was try to sleep yet here she was knocking on the door of the man she had learned to stray away from. The door was opened by his assistant, a small woman barely in her twenties, couldn’t be much younger than 5 years from Y/N, who had an almost meek look to her, hunched back even. Before Y/N could ask her what was wrong, the director, Mr. Powell, was already yelling out for the assistant to leave and for Y/N to come already. The girl stepped out and closed the door behind Y/N, leaving the two of them inside his trailer. It was grimy with papers and open bottles everywhere and the stench of smoke was thick in the air. It was almost comical, cartoonish even how it looked as if a cartoon, over exaggerated version of a 70′s movie director.

- Sit down. - he pointed to the spot on the brown couch near him. She was hyper aware of everything as she sat down on the couch, yet living a big space between the two of them. - You almost ruined my shot today with those puffy eyes, darling.

- I’m sorry, sir. I’ve been having some personal issues, I thought they would’ve de puffed by today.

- I’ve heard. - he took a puff of his cigarette which laid in the middle of his calloused fingers, laying against the couch rest as if he were on top of the world, when he was merely as much of an unknown as she was. He was no famous director, he wasn’t even a good one. - I thought you were missing your shadow. Where is he anyway? Lost his mind again? You know, darling, I’m always worried about you. I mean once a killer, always a killer, right?

- ... You’re pathetic. - it came out of her lips without her even noticing it. She stared at him with a lack of respect few people saw yet as quickly as she said those words, she was pined down against the brown leather of the couch. She could feel the cracked leather against the skin of her neck. His hand gripped her throat, hard, cutting her air flow and keeping her against the couch cushions.

- You ungrateful little bitch. - Y/N started kicking her feet, trying to somehow roll over on the floor. - I gave you the best role, put up with you not losing any weight and looking like any average shopping girl and how do you repay me? By being a whore?

She continued to kick her legs up in down so fast it had already started to tire her muscles. Her hands clawed at his face, leaving scratch marks which were sure to remain red and angry on his cheeks.

- I’m gonna give you some advice, darling. You wanna get ahead? Start whoring yourself for someone other than your boyfriend.

His hands left her neck and he returned to sit down where the place where he had been, as if he hadn’t just chocked her against the couch pillows. Y/N got up from the couch and bolted towards the door, pulling it open and climbing down the stairs, noticing the assistant was in front of them. Same meek look, yet Y/N continued to charge away from the set villa until she stopped on the sidewalk, sitting down as she watched the traffic in front of her. The weather was cloudy and dark yet somehow the cars lights made it brighter and it hurt her head. It hurt her head too much. The smell of fog and the bright lights hide her away as she tucked her head in the middle of her knees, chest going up and down yet no tears rolled down her face.

- Hey ... - Sharon sat by her side. - Let’s go home, yeah?

The fog merely thickened and lowered, covering the whole of New York in a somber mood. The wind itself was also fast and freezing and as Bucky stepped inside government headquarters, the mood as just as somber. The lights were yellow yet everything had a weird green-like tinge. Everyone was mechanically induced into their own work yet he was hyper aware of everything. Two weeks. Two weeks to bring in a HYDRA general and a senator which were sure to buy their own bail and go back and all he could say and think was he was tired. James “Bucky” Barnes was tired and worn down.

He strutted towards the interviewing room where Agent Cox and Doctor Raynor were. It was nothing new to him, it was always the same; he would return from whatever assignment had been given to him and be questioned on it by whatever agent was looking over the case and then had a “therapy” session with Doctor Raynor. It was never to check if he was alright, or at least it barely was. They just wanted to see him, to see the Winter Soldier was still inactivated. He understood that yet that didn’t mean he particularly liked it.

He told the agent all he wanted know, from where he had found the two he had just brought in, to some background info. There wasn’t much to say and when he was done, he was left with Doctor Raynor. He stood against his metal chair, convinced to get this over and done with so he could go back to Brooklyn. Back to her.

- How are you, James?

- I’m good, doc. Can I go now?

- James, that’s not how this works. You should know that by now. - she opened her notebook. Great. - Tell me about the mission.

- It was an extraction, mission. No one got hurt. - lies. He had gotten hurt, he had taken a pretty harsh blow to his cheekbone which was developing into a nasty purple bruise, yet, that was not who they were questioning him about. If he had gotten hurt, it didn’t matter. - No nightmares either.

- Are you lying to me, James?

- No, I just want to get out of here. I haven’t seen my girlfriend in two weeks.

- Tell me about your girlfriend. - she closed the notebook, almost as if this was off book yet he knew that nothing was off book. Not for him. Everyone has the right to privacy but the Winter Soldier. - What’s her name?

- Y/N.

- How old is she?

- Younger than me.

- No need to be hostile, James.

- No need to ask me about my love life, doc.

- Any big fights? Any ... problems regarding your condition? Healthy sex life?

- Are you asking me if I abuse my girlfriend? - his blood boiled yet he tried to keep cool. He knew an anger outbreak would only keep him in this session for longer than he wanted. Despite this, he chose to get up and leave the room.

He didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want to hear those accusations, he didn’t even want to think about it. Bucky did not like the idea of the Winter Soldier and Y/N together. He didn’t want to merge those two worlds together. The Winter Soldier was someone, a part of him which he didn’t fully understand and he didn’t want Y/N together with it. No, Bucky wanted Y/N to only see whatever bit of kindness, whatever few bits of goodness lied within him. He didn’t want her to the Winter Soldier’s girlfriend. He knew he didn’t deserve her and that title only further reminded him.

He continued to be lost in his head, those questions running through his mind as he unlocked the door only to be met with Sharon pointing her gun at him. She lowered her gun once she realised who it was that stood in the entrance, putting the gun back in between her jeans and her shirt.

- Two weeks? That was long.

- Not my fault, Sharon. - Bucky dropped his duffel bag to the floor. - How is she?

- Not good. - Sharon crossed her arms. - You have to tell her things, James. C’mon, you can do that with me and Steve and maybe even Sam. We know them, we’ve been in missions before but she doesn’t.

- Spare me this.

- She barely slept while you gone, James. God, are you so afraid she’ll stop loving you if you tell her about the Winter Soldier that you’d rather her live in constant anxiety every time you have to leave?

- I won’t have to leave.

Sharon scoffed, grabbing her jacket from the coat hanger.

- Do you seriously believe that, James?

- Since when do you care about Y/N?

- Stop being your worse enemy, James. She deserves to know.

God, she sure was awful now, Bucky thought to himself as Sharon left probably to return to Steve. The flat was intact, things were just as he had left them and everything was quiet except for the TV in the living room. Their bedroom door was slightly opened, probably so Sharon could keep an eye on Y/N. He took his shoes off so his steps wouldn’t alarm her and walked into the bedroom. She was there, in the bed, laying on her side, sleeping peacefully. Bucky walked up to her side of the bed, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

She stirred in her sleep, eyes slowly opening as Bucky began to shush her, trying to make sure she went back to sleep. Last thing he had wanted was to awake her up.

- Bucky? - she held herself onto one arm, the other hand coming to rub the sleep off her eyes. Once the blurriness dissipated and she confirmed it was indeed her Bucky, she wrapped her arms around him tightly, almost knocking him into the bed.

Bucky melted in her touch, burying his nose in her hair, sensing the scent of vanilla from her shampoo and the warmth of her skin. This was home, not Brooklyn but her. She was home, she felt like home. She pulled away from the hug for a bit to examine him, her fingers brushing the bruise on his cheekbone.

- What happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt?

- I’m fine. It’s just the bruise, Y/N.

- I’ll get some ice. - she prepared to get out of bed but he pushed her back on it. She felt onto his chest and he held her against him with one arm. What he did not expect was to see how uncomfortable she became at the inability to move. He was used to playing around with her, rolling around or having her on top of his chest.

- What’s wrong, princess?

- Nothing ... - she shook her head. - I just missed you. I was afraid you were hurt or you were dead.

- I’m not hurt, I’m here.

- You’re staying, right? - she questioned, rolling to his side of the bed, laying on his side. - You’re not here just to visit.

- Yeah, I’m staying, princess. - he caressed her cheek, leaning his forehead against hers. Sharon’s words, however, kept pulling at him. She loved him, he knew she loved him. Right?

- You’re making the face.

- What face?

- Your thinking face. - she cuddled against him, fingers softly pulling his chin down so he was looking at her. - What are you thinking about?

- You love me, right? - he probably sounded insecure, he could hear himself sounding insecure, his voice cracking. She cocked her head to the side before raising her fingers to trace his jaw.

- Of course I do. You think I’d be marrying you if I didn’t love you?

- I wanted to hurt them. - he blurted. - I wanted to torture them. Both of them.

- Who?

- Every time they send me to any of these assignments. Make amends ... I wanna hurt those people, I wanna hurt them like they hurt me and I hate it.

- Buck ...

- I’m ... I wanna be a good person, Y/N. I wanna be good. - he shut his eyes tightly. - And I’m not.

- It does not make you a bad person to want to hurt you hurt you, to want revenge. You do not act on it and that’s the difference. You’re not a bad person, Bucky.

- You’re the only person who thinks that.

- Doesn’t matter. - she smiled at him, softly kissing him. - I’m not expecting you just to move on and let it go. It’s part of your life and it’s part of you and I love you. All bad and all good, I love you.

- Maybe you need a better judgement.

- I have the best judgment between the both of us. I have no thrown myself off a plane without a parachute.

- That can’t be your way of winning arguments.

- It is my way of winning arguments. - she giggled at him. - Let’s just go to sleep.

The night seemed short, way too short but it did not matter because both of them were there. It was calm, too calm until a harsh knock had both of them wake up from her slumber, the morning barely bright yet there was already some light. Y/N clung onto his arm as another harsh knock was delivered against his door. Bucky moved slowly to take his gun from under the bed before he walked out the bedroom, putting his gun behind his back as he opened the door. The police stood in front of him, quite a few of them. Way too many.

- James Buchanan Barnes, you are under arrest for the alleged harassment and stalking of Miss Y/N Y/L/N.

taglist: @disasterbi @lookiamtrying @buckysteveloki-me @americasass81 @jamesbarnesappreciationclub @lostinthebeans @mariahthelioness29 @oh-nohoney @peaches-roses-sins @theadorasabditory @sipsteacasually @saiyanprincessswanie @booktease21 @noiralei @learisa @everythingisoverratedbutgreat @uglipotata72829 @naturalthrone22 @husherstan @mandiiblanche @vicmc624 @newyorkgoddess @itsallyscorner @chipilerendi @emzd34 @writerwrites @bluevxnus @that-girl-named-alex @captnrogers @nsfwsebbie @sarge-barnes-sir @niki-is-a-thing @cynic-spirit @tenaciousperfectionunknown

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floralquafloral · 4 years ago

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Watch out it's random splatoon headcanon time again

I was thinking about splatting and respawning recently, and @acid-hues used no less than Three looking emojis when I asked if anyone would want to hear my thoughts about how that stuff works, so here goes. Warning for potentially fatal quantities of pseudoscience, since I'm not a biologist or a chemist, just a goober who likes the squid game too much ;P

1. What is splatting?

Splatting is a reflex in inklings and octarians that occurs when they're been critically injured. It allows the cephalopod to escape and recover from a potentially fatal situation, effectively unharmed. Almost all of their body mass is liquefied to ink in a similar process to squid-form transformation, but it's all lost, resulting in the characteristic splatter. The only remaining structure is the "squid soul", which isn't actually a soul so much as a balloon-like vessel that can (under the right conditions) develop into a whole inkling body again.

2. What is a squid soul?

Squid souls aren't actually incorporeal souls, they're just very complicated (and lightweight) biological structures that contain all the mechanisms and information necessary to create an inkling body. Kind of analogous to an egg: given food and time, an egg can turn into a whole animal. Squid souls are just a great deal more precise, in that they generate an inkling body almost exactly as it was before, including the brain and all the inkling's memories and such. The squid soul itself, like an egg, isn't really comparable to an actual inkling - the soul can't talk, or eat, or think. The squid soul doesn't have a brain, and it only has just enough nervous system to seek out a location where it can respawn into a proper body. It uses a rudimentary form of the same senses that allow for the Turf Map. Because the squid soul isn't conscious, getting splatted kind of just feels like a very violent form of teleportation.

More information on the processes & technology behind respawning under the readmore :)

3. How does a squid soul respawn?

Squid souls can only develop into a proper inkling body if they can access two things: A bunch of biomass, and a bunch of electricity. Biomass is necessary because almost all of the inkling's original body has been exploded all over the place, so you need a bunch of stuff to make a new one. A large enough well of pure ink can contain all the necessary material for a body, but most respawn tech uses solutions of ink with other useful things dissolved into it. Respawning from a well of pure ink doesn't feel very good. Pure ink doesn't contain a very good amount of vitamins, iron, etc., so the new body will probably have less of that stuff in it than the old one.

Electricity is necessary to separate different compounds out of the ink, and to provide the energy required for some of the chemical reactions that need to take place - you can't just mush a bunch of ink together and get a body out of it.

4. What could prevent a successful respawn?

This part is pure headcanon, since there's nothing from the base game that relates to this, as far as I'm aware.

Some sources of injury won't trigger the splat reflex; the most common example is prolonged exposure to small amounts of water. Getting caught in heavy rain for hours can dissolve the body without ever triggering the splat reflex, so you just... don't come back.

Old age or severe illness can inhibit the reflex as well. If a young and healthy squid gets hit by a bus, they will explode and come back at the nearest respawn point. If someone whose splat reflex isn't working gets hit by a bus, then they just get run over, which very bad. Alternatively, in some cases the splat reflex could fail to generate a squid soul, so you'd just explode and not get to respawn, which would be exceedingly terrible.

For the kind of squid who would sign up for Turf Wars, there's basically no chance of this stuff happening, but there are still mandatory physicals before you can sign up for a Turf War just to make sure.

Lastly, of course, if someone gets splatted too far away from a viable respawn point, the squid soul will expire after only a few minutes.

5. What kind of tech allows for a respawn?

There are four different places you can respawn in-game: In the online battle maps (5.1), in the Octarian domes (5.3), in the Deepsea Metro's test stations (5.4), and from a Grizzco Tank (5.5). There's also presumably some way to respawn if you just, like, fall out of a tree and get splatted in the public park or something (5.2). There's also the floating respawn-thingies from the Splatoon 3 trailer, but since I don't know how they work in-game yet I don't have anything to make headcanons around. 🤷‍♀️

5.1. Turf War respawn pads: They're cheap to make, they work quickly, and they can handle dozens of squids getting splatted during a single 3-minute battle with no need for oversight during the game. It's worth remembering that the squid soul isn't sapient, it has no regards for the rules of a Turf War - so what prevents someone on Yellow Team from respawning at Purple's base? The answer is that, under most circumstances, the biomass requirement for a respawn can only be met with ink that matches your colour. Different colours of ink have different chemical compositions, so a squid soul that's seeking out a viable location to create a yellow squid won't be able to sense the purple respawn pad as a viable location.

The limitation of the Turf War pad is that they're not perfectly reliable. Occasionally it just won't appear as a viable respawn location to a squid soul, so someone will end up respawning outside the battle, which forfeits them from the match. (i'm only including this because i'm proud of coming up with an in-universe explanation for disconnects)

5.2. City respawn pads: Outside of inksports, it's still a good idea to have respawn pads all over the place so that if someone gets splatted they have somewhere to respawn. City pads, unlike Turf War pads, are designed to be 100% reliable and work for any ink color. Their natural drawback is that they require constant oversight. "Respawn operator" is a job you can have in most major population centers, that mostly involves sitting around, making sure nothing looks broken, and greeting anyone who shows up at the pad.

Getting splatted outside a battle isn't especially common (splatting someone outside a battle is a pretty serious no-no), so any given pad in the city will usually only get 1-2 respawns a day, if any at all. When someone shows up, the operator is supposed to write down their name, the time they respawned, and the reason they got splatted. If it was because of something legally messy like a road accident, they'll have more work to do to get that sorted out. If it was because of a Turf War pad failure, they'll contact the Judds to get that cleared up. If you were with someone when you got splatted, it's common courtesy to send a text or call once you respawn so they don't have to worry; since you won't have your phone with you when you respawn that's something the operator is also supposed to help with. Respawn operators are pretty helpful in general - if you tell them "I don't know how to get back to my house from here", they can usually give you a map or directions or something.

To allow for anyone to respawn at a City pad, they're filled with a very bright and saturated brown ink solution. This colour is unique in that basically any other ink colour can change into it very easily; if you get splatted while you've got red ink, you'll show up at the city pad with brown ink. This is why bright brown ink isn't frequently used for inksports (definitely not because the developers didn't want it to look like they're using poop for turf wars).

5.3. Octarian Checkpoints: As electricity is a precious and scarce resource for Octarians, their respawn pads are designed to use as little of it as possible. An Inkopolis respawn pad has a current running through it constantly, which combined with the large amount of ink, allows squid souls to perceive it as a viable respawn location. In contrast, Octarian checkpoints don't offer any ink or electricity when inactive. They only switch on when a nearby Octarian soldier gets splatted, using a signal transmitted by the Octarian's equipment. When they turn on, they temporarily fill with ink and run an electrical current, allowing the soldier's octo soul to make its way over and respawn before the checkpoint shuts down again.

The signal receiver of the checkpoints has a vulnerability that allows it to be overridden, which will fill it with any colour of ink solution and render it unable to receive power-on signals. The Hero Tanks worn by Agents 3 and 4 do this automatically when the agents get close to a checkpoint - this is why they're black before an agent gets close, then change to match their ink colour. However, once the checkpoint is overridden, it still doesn't provide electricity, and in fact can't be activated at all. The Hero Tank allows them to be used regardless by putting an electrical charge into the squid soul itself, so that it only needs the well of ink solution. It can only store up to three respawns worth of charge, though. If an agent gets splatted while the battery is empty, they're toast.

Octarians, of course, can't respawn at a checkpoint that's been overridden, not only because it won't power on but also because it doesn't match their ink colour anymore. Only one checkpoint will receive the power-on signal when an Octarian gets splatted, so when an overridden checkpoint is the one that receives the signal, there will be nowhere on the base for the Octarian to respawn. Instead, they'll end up in another dome, or in a civilian respawn pad. The agents aren't murderers, okay?

5.4: Deepsea Metro Test Station Checkpoints: The testing stations in the Deepsea Metro are adapted from Octarian checkpoints, but with some tweaks to reflect the different priorities of Kamabo Co. as opposed to the Octarian military. Metro checkpoints have their remote-activation functionality stripped out, and instead permanently activate once the test subject reaches them, filling with ink solution and receiving a constant electrical current. They probably still have the same vulnerability as the Octarian checkpoints, but Agent 8's has no means of exploiting it, and no reason to anyways - the checkpoints are already configured to match her colour, since they're there for the express purpose of respawning test subjects.

Because Metro checkpoints always match Agent 8's ink colour, the sanitized octarians in the test courses have nowhere they can respawn. Instead, they are simply replaced as needed.

5.5: Grizzco Tanks: I'll be honest, I can't come up with any good explanations for this one. The way it traps the squid soul inside it probably has to do with the same interference that blocks the Turf Map, but the explanation for why you have to shoot it to activate a respawn is beyond me. The best I can do is list what can be ruled out:

It's not because it's using the ink from the shot for mass. If the Grizzco tank itself doesn't contain enough ink for a respawn, then there's no way a single Inkbrush swing would output enough to make up the difference.

It's not using the kinetic energy from the shot to trigger some sort of chemical reaction. Getting hit by a Steelhead bomb or a Flyfish missile don't revive the player, even though they surely have more kinetic energy than something like a Bloblobber bubble, which can.

The weapons themselves aren't providing an electrical charge. If Grizzco could modify a Splattershot to output enough electricity to enable a respawn, then the tank would be capable of doing that itself without needing to be shot.

Whatever it is, it's probably not very good for you long-term to respawn like that. Grizzco just gives off those vibes, like working there is totally gonna mess up your health when you're older.

#oops! all infodumps #if you have any idea how the grizzco tank could work #please please please please tell me #this is gonna take up 100% of my mental real estate for weeks #floralaqua #splatoon #splatoon 2 #splatoon headcanons #splatoon hero mode #octo expansion #salmon run

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