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creamypudding · 3 years ago

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Woeful WIP Wednesday

This story is from way back October 2018. It’s AkuRoku, so far is only 1 chapter, and is a role reversal. Axel is the goody two-shoes and Roxas has had a very hard life and has the literal scars to prove it.

I’ve always thought I’d get back to this story when I have time. When I finish my other WIPs. It’s kinda near and dear to my heart and I have so much angst and pain to explore in this story. There are also so many funny and tender things to be explored in this story. I will finish it one day. I will. Just... I need the headspace and I need to finish other stories first.

You can have the first chapter

Rated E Word Count - 3786 NSFW. Oral sex If you enjoy this, or any of the other WIP’s it would be great if you would let me know. Cheers.

Sharehouse

It had been an exhausting day because there had been a lot to do since he was aiming to leave early. He managed it, made it home to the sharehouse he was living at with its soon-to-be six occupants, grabbed his pre-packed duffle bag from his room, and with car keys still held firm in his hand, he flew out the door again in under 10 minutes. But he couldn't get out without the sound of Sora screaming, “Have a most epic birthday, Lea!”

Lea was glad that Sora hadn’t invited himself along like he had tried to do the previous two years. In the past, it always had been Riku to calm Sora’s overzealous enthusiasm, for which Lea had always been grateful for. The fact that Sora didn’t try to jump Lea this time around could be squarely laid blame to the fact that Sora had finally gotten with Riku, his not so secret mad-man-crush, about a month previously. It had meant that Sora hadn’t paid Lea much heed, which Lea was ecstatic about. As long as Sora continued to do his rostered on duties in a timely fashion and left Lea alone all was well.

Lea shook his head as he started up his old, blue, beat up Chevy and pulled out of the driveway and drove down the street, adamant that he would focus on having an epic and carefree evening.

The first stop this evening was the hotel room he had booked for himself in the next town over. There he pulled everything out of his duffle bag and spent an hour perfecting his look. He wore head-to-toe leather – slipping on a black sleeveless button-down leather shirt, stuffing himself into low-rise skin-tight black leather pants – with a jockstrap on underneath for comfort – threading a thick belt around his waist, clamping on a chunky collar with studs around his neck and slightly slimmer ones on each wrist, and putting on knee-high black boots with platform heels to give himself even more height. He then painted his nails black, drew on an upside-down purple tear drop under each eye – making sure they were smudge and sweat-proof – stuck on a temporary skull-and-cross tattoo on his left pectoral muscle and a full sleeve with various gothic motifs on each arm, applied mascara to make his deep green eyes pop, and dark lipstick to make his lips appear bigger – and lastly he shaped his fire-engine red hair from its usual casual up-do into wild spikes.

Once his look was completed he felt snazzy and nothing was going to hold him back from having an amazing time on his twenty-sixth birthday.

He headed out, head held high and looked for a bar to get his drink of liquid courage in before he really got started. He found one not too far from the hotel – a classy looking joint with a wine cellar appeal. He sipped and enjoyed his easy-on-the-vodka strawberry lemonade vodka while he played Animal Crossing on his phone. By the end of his drink, he was delightfully buzzed, smiling like a fool and swaggering off to club Destiny down the road, a bustling hub of great beats with a slight flare of 80’s nostalgia – given the fluoro color scheme and checked floor design.

It was a place he would never be caught dead in if it wasn’t his once-a-year indulgence. It was a good thing because no-one that he knew would be here either, so he could really let loose and not worry. The low-light helped disguise him even more and the alcohol coursing through his body took his reservations away. Or it would, as soon as he got more of the good stuff into himself.

He made straight for the bar, nodding his head along to the beat, tapping his fingers to the rhythm against his thigh and then the bar top when he reached it and while he drank some of Mike’s Hard Lemonade. He felt his mood elevate even further. His hips swayed more, his head bobbed along with greater accentuation.

He turned his back to the bar, leaning against it with his elbow while he looked out into the bopping crowd. The music was pumping, and the strobe lights were shifting everything into a different plane of existence and the excitement and thrill grew in Lea. He felt the itch to get amongst it all to let the music take him away.

He was about to push off and go as he finished the last of his drink but through the noise he heard a shout of, “Hey, can I buy you a drink?”

Lea looked to his side to see a short guy with blond hair, cut and styled into a faded fohawk, addressing him. The guy was smiling up at Lea in such a lovely way that it really juxtaposed with all the tattoos covering the guy's scalp, neck, and hips. And that was just his exposed skin. He also wore a black mesh tank-top, which didn’t quite reach all the way down to the top of the snug fitting black skinny jeans he was wearing. Lea could see that the skin under the shirt was covered in tattoos as well – both arms and torso. Lea stared a little. He had never seen someone so covered before. He wondered if they were all real, or fake like his own.

The blond hopped up on a bar stool, getting himself more on eye-level with Lea, who was still leaning against the bar. The guy bent towards Lea, which made him aware of baby blue eyes and a fruity musk he thought he liked a lot.

“Dude, can I buy you a drink?” The question came again. Lea snapped out of his mesmerized trance. This guy looked so cool. He nodded.

The tattooed guy waved his hand at the barkeeper who walked over “We'll have a red-headed slut and a suck, bang, and blow, thanks,” the guy said, looking directly at Lea, smirking.

“Comin’ right up.”

Lea just stared and swallowed.

The blond guy leaned closer to Lea, his elbow pushing against Lea's arm which was resting on the bar top. “What’s a guy like you doing here all by your lonesome?”

Lea didn't understand what the insinuation was. He just said, “It’s my special night.”

“Oh? What’s special about it? It can’t just be meeting me, right?” the guy’s voice was low and alluring as he waggled his eyebrows and leaned a fraction closer.

The fruity and aromatic scent of the blond was a lot stronger now. Lea definitely liked it and took a deep whiff. “It’s my birthday.”

“Mm, really? And you're celebrating by yourself?”

“Yeah,” he nodded.

A big grin spread across the other man's face.

“Here you go.” The bartender put the drinks in front of the blond guy.

“Keep the change,” the blond guy said, not glancing away from Lea while he slapped a bill on the wooden counter. “Which one d’ya want? The red-headed slut, or the suck, bang, and blow?”

Lea’s throat felt like a desert and he leaned a little more against the bar to support himself as his knees felt like they might give out any second. “The…” he glanced at the drinks before them. They both looked really good, but he couldn’t bring himself to say… “The suck, bang, and blow,” he croaked. The smirk on the blond’s face grew. “Of course, you’d want that.” “Oh, d-do you want it? I can have the – other one.” The man chuckled slowly. “I wouldn’t mind a suck, bang, and blow, but right now I’m more into having a red-headed slut.” He licked his lips, raised his eyebrows and slid Lea’s drink to him before picking up his own.

Was this guy for real? Was he… talking about the drinks or…. Lea’s heart was racing. This guy was so thrilling and magnetic. “Thanks for the drink,” he got out as he picked up the glass.

They clinked their drinks together and the blond downed his shot. Lea’s drink was in a cocktail glass, but he tried to drink it as fast as he could, while blue eyes sparkled at him.

“Greedy, aren’t you. You like a good suck, bang, and blow, don’t you,” the blond hummed as Lead just about finished the drink.

Lea choked and coughed and put the glass back down.

“You liked it, huh,” came the smug observation.

Lea could feel himself going red. His heart was being unmanageable but he liked it too. He liked this guy in all his crude form. He nodded. “Yeah. That was really good!” It had been sweet and sour. A little tart and spicey too. “Amazing.” He looked down at his glass, wishing he could have savored it more.

The blond grinned from ear to ear. “Glad you liked it, legs. There’s more where that came from.” Lea didn’t find it in himself to be upset about being called that. “Oh no, I really can’t drink anymore.”

The blond chuckled and put his hand on Lea’s. “I don’t mean the drink. C’mon. Let’s dance.”

Lea let himself be pulled away and led onto the dancefloor. This is what he had come for. The fact that he was now attached to a total badass who made him sweat under his collar was such a treat.

The alcohol in his veins loosened Lea up and melted his guard against public ridicule. He gave himself over to the beat of the music and danced like no one was watching, while the blond with a wild smile rubbed against Lea and danced with him. Lea didn't focus on anyone or anything else other than the man before himself and the frenzied way in which he was grinding against Lea’s thigh, and how blunted fingernails slid down the fabric of his shirt and pants as they rocked against each other in a rhythm vaguely resembling the actual music being played. Their hands traveled all over each other. Lea stroked strong arms and his palm crazed against a nipple piercing he hadn’t noticed before.

A wily smirk was given to Lea and brows waggled again with a silky allure. Lea watched as the man before him stepped aside a little and began moving around Lea’s body, the blond’s hand trailing around Lea as he circled. Lea kept dancing and letting the tingle of those fingertips against his chest, sides, shoulders, backside, and groin set his nerves on fire.

The blond guy was behind him, pressing himself against Lea while his hands were running all over the front of Lea’s body. Lea slowed their pace. He began guiding the other man’s hands over his body, under his shirt, and down his pants – but not too far down. Just enough to tease himself and the guy behind him. Lea felt the other man’s face pushing kisses to his back and nuzzling into his sides as their dancing and groping continued. The nicest flutters went through Lea’s body.

Fingertips left Lea’s groin and he felt the other man’s presence suddenly descend down the back of Lea’s body. Hands went between Lea’s legs, making him spread himself open with a big step to the side. Lea looked down to see the blond’s head suddenly emerge from between his legs. The man smiled up at him, his palms traveled up Lea’s thighs as be pushed through his legs and crept up the length of Lea’s body very slowly. The blond’s face was right next to Lea’s crotch, causing Lea to cease all his swaying as he watched blue eyes gazing at him while the man’s open mouth slid over the bulge of Lea’s leaving-nothing-to-your-imagination pants. Lea gasped and panted as slow movements exerted pressure over his erection. Hands were gripping Lea’s hips tightly but continuing to move and slide up his body. The other man’s tongue came out and licked at where Lea’s head was pressed against his lower abdomen and then that ridiculously sexy mouth closed with a smirk and the man stood to his full height and reached up behind Lea’s neck.

Lea instinctively wrapped his arms around the other man, lifting him up. Strong legs spread and raised, hooking themselves on Lea’s hips and pushed the blond up. Not a word was said between them as they began kissing as if possessed. Lea’s mind was completely foggy. All he knew was that he wanted this man against him, on him, in him. A hand went into Lea’s hair, grabbing the back of his head and pulled him painfully out of the deep frenzied kiss.

“Washroom,” the blond uttered and then attacked Lea’s neck with his teeth and firm sucks, particularly around the collar.

Lea felt heady with pleasure and so obeyed the command. He quickly looked around, behind able to see over the tops of most the people dancing around them, and spotted where the washrooms were located. His legs took a bit of coaxing to get moving but he carried himself and this sexy blond bombshell over to the amenities. He didn’t know what the guy had in mind, but Lea appreciated the idea of a little more privacy in a quieter environment so they could maybe talk and kiss a little more.

Lea turned his back to the door and pushed it open. It swung shut again and muffled the sound of the beat, but it still reverberated around the room, making the wall mounted mirrors in the dimly lit space vibrate. There were several urinals and a few stalls, one of which was occupied and Lea could see two pairs of legs underneath the door space. He swallowed and stood around, not knowing what he was supposed to do now. The wet sucks on his neck stopped and vibrant azure eyes stared him right in the face.

Lea stared back as the whiter light of the washroom painted his blond companion in a clearer light. His hair was a warm blond, the untattooed patches of his skin a creamy pale color. His lips looked bruised but that was from Lea’s lipstick rubbing off on the blond. Lea leaned in and kissed the blond, sucking in air through his nose sharply and getting another intoxicating dose of that fragrance which Lea so enjoyed. The intrusive tongue and sharp nips got Lea moving again. He shuffled towards the washbasins, stopped by the hand towel receptacle, pulling some out and then went to the benchtop and began wiping while the blond kept nipping and sucking on Lea’s neck.

The blond did stop however and looked behind himself, back at Lea and gave him a confused glare. “What’re you doing?”

“Drying the bench. I don't want your ass to get all wet.”

Lips quirked. “You sure 'bout that? You making my ass wet sounds kinda perfect.”

Lea choked on his own spit.

The blond laughed, stretched up a little patting Lea’s back and breathed against Lea’s ear, “No? You sure you don’t wanna make my ass all wet? Don’t you wanna watch it drip out of me, down my balls, and thighs? Wouldn’t you wanna lick. Me. Out?” He nipped at Lea’s earlobe.

Lea let out a shaky breath, his wiping motion forgotten as both his hands were on the blond. He slid the shorter man onto the bench and stood between his legs.

The blond chuckled, leaned in and started kissing Lea’s lips, cheek, neck and along Lea’s collarbone. He stopped and looked up at the man. “You're cute, y’know – if a bit shy. C'mere legs.” The blond grabbed at the back of Lea's head and pulled him into a searing kiss with forceful sucks before releasing him. The blond then schooded forward a bit, Lea stepped back, and the other man slid off the bench and knelt onto the ground before Lea, tugging at his belts and pants.

Lea stared, speechless, aroused, overcome with heat and need. His fly was being pulled down, warm fingers fumbled and then Lea’s building erection was free.

“Mm. I see that cock of yours is proportional to you, Legs. Gonna hafta work hard to get all of you down.” The blond licks his lips and shoves Le into his mouth.

A strangled moan hitches in Lea’s throat. There is warmth and pressure and that hard bump of the tongue ring that’s massaging his slit. Lea huffs and tries not to push into the other man’s mouth. He leans his hands against the bench before him, keeping himself steady on it and tries to catch his breath. He looks around himself – their location – the cold tiles. Is the man below him okay? “Get up.” Lea pulls his hips away and his erection out of that hot mouth.

“Why?” A confused blue stare is shot upwards.

“Your knees.”

The blond chuckled. “I'm fine,” and tried to pull Lea back to himself.

Lea resisted. “No. Here—” Lea pulls the blond up, turns them around so he is where the blond was just standing and then Le slides himself up onto the bench. “This will be better for you.”

“Okay, that works too.” The blond chickled, brushes at his hair and then spreads Lea’s legs apart, sidling in and went back to work sucking on Lea’s cock.

Lea gives in to the feelings stirring in his gut and focuses on little else but that. He grabs for the blonds hair, ruffling it as the man bobs up and down. Moans and gasps escape Lea’s mouth. He feels the other man hum with pleasure against his cock, feels that tongue ring rubbing against him and slightly into him, sending tingling chills down his back. Lea lifts his face up to the ceiling as the ecstasy rises within. Fingers grip his hips, the blond between his legs is sucking harder and Lea cums with a small cry and a tightening of his grip in the blonds hair.

The sucking eases up. There comes one very hard and final suck of Lea’s head and then the blond is looking up at Lea, wiping his mouth and smiling brightly.

“That was… so good—so amazing,” Lea pants, breathless and high.

A sultry chuckle leaves the other man. “Glad you liked my suck, bang, and blow.” He winked. “I knew red-headed sluts were my favorite—I like your load, by the way. Tastes really sweet. You ever tasted yourself?”

Lea’s breath catches. “N-no.”

“Then, here. Lemme introduce you to your tang.” The blond reached up, roughly pulled Lea’s head down and smothered him with a kiss. The blond forced his tongue into Lea, which made Lea whimper. He could taste saltiness but rather than be put off by it he was turned on – despite his blissed out afterglow state.

A few deep sucks later they pulled apart. Lea is smiling from ear to ear, in a really mellow way. He feels so high. He really likes this guy. His rough edges are exciting and Lea wants more.

“My name's L—”

The blond clapped his hand in front of Lea's mouth. “What're you doing, numbnuts?” the man almost snaps and holds Lea’s attention with a sobering hard stare.

Lea pulls the hand away from his mouth. “Telling you my name?”

A repulsed look crosses the other man’s face. “I just sucked you off. I don’t need or want your name. You’re a hot piece of cock and we won't see each other again, so zip it, Legs.”

That message came like a slap in the face to Lea. It crushes something inside himself… a hope… “Oh. Okay. Do you – w-want me to…”

The blond steps out form between Lea’s legs, wiping his mouth again like he is disgusted. “You’re being a boner killer. I’m out.”

With that Lea stared after his wet dream. He was only roused out of his shock by the washroom door opening. Suddenly realizing what state he was in Axel slipped off the bench, tucked himself in, zipped himself up and stood embarrassed by the washbasin, washing his hands. He looked at himself in the mirror, straightening out his clothes and brushing his hair into place.

His orgasm still pulsed through his body ever so faintly. He didn’t know what he wanted to do. The night was still young but… after that spectacular time… maybe he was done.

He wandered back out into the club, looking around to see if he could spy the blond anywhere. After a while of having no such luck he left to go to his hotel room, where he soaked in the tub and scrubbed off all evidence of his wild night out.

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Lea arrived home in the late afternoon, dressed in his normal, everyday clothes. He walked into the house and was about to head up the stairs to his room when Sora’s voice rang out, “Lea! Lea! C'mere.”

Sora, full of energy, came bounding up to Lea, grabbed his arm and dragged him to the lounge as he chatted a mile a minute, “How was your birthday? Did you have an amazing time?” They went down the hall and turned right through the archway to the comfortable living room where two old, brown lounges stood around a central entertainment unit with television, consoles, and speakers. “I want to introduce you to my cousin, Roxas! Roxas, this is Lea. Remember how I told you he works at an animal shelter?”

Sora halted them beside the lounge. Everyone else was standing and sitting around; Riku, Kairi, Demyx, Naminé and—

Sora was still talking but Lea didn't hear him. Before him, sitting on the lounge was blond mesh-top sex bomb, albeit dressed less provocatively in baggy, dark blue shorts, long sleeved white hoodie with black and white checkered sleeves, and matching sneakers.

“R-Roxas?” Axel got out in shock.

The corner of the blond's lip cocked up in a sneer. “Lea,” seeped out of that talented mouth in a dry drawl.

“Oh? You two met already?” Sora quizzes.

“Y—”

“No,” Roxas cut through and glared sheer death at Lea. “I’m gonna unpack. Call me when dinner’s ready.” Roxas stood and shoved right past Lea on his way out of the living room and into the hallway to go upstairs to his room.

Lea stared after the small spunky package also known as… Roxas. “That’s your cousin?” “Yeah. I don’t know why he’s being so pissy. He was fine a minute ago—I’ll help him unpack.” Sora dashed off after his cousin.

Lea stared after him, dazed and confused. That had been… that was definitely suck, bang, and blow guy. Lea had to live with him now? He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

#akuroku #akrk #woeful wip wednesday #wip #cream pudding writes

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crushzone · 4 years ago

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Hi Nin! I know this might be weird of me to ask because you are an artist yourself, but I am rather new here and was wondering if you have any other artists you'd recommend? If not that is ok!

Hi there, not weird at all! I LOVE supporting fellow artists, I find their wonderful talent and dedication incredibly inspiring, seeing their beautiful works on my feed constantly reminds me to take a step back from my exhaustion and to simply remember why I love to draw to begin with: because it’s fun.

I’m usually really picky about artists I follow and their style, but when I find the ones that I enjoy, I go ALL OUT with my support. So without further ado, the following artists listed are those I am not only in love with, but those who I genuinely look up to.

So make sure you stop by their page to show them some love and appreciation for their hard work (because hard work extends beyond the individual pieces they’ve made, it’s also for the countless hours they’ve spent on practicing and perfecting their craft, constantly challenging themselves to learn new techniques). 💛

👇🏼👇🏼 Nin’s Artist Recommendation👇🏼👇🏼

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@aku-jumbi - HQ!!, Various, You all had seen me share a BUNCH of their works on my blog, but it’s just because their art is so SOOOOOOOOO good. Your style leans toward photorealism, while still maintaining its painting-like quality, so if you had ever wondered how your favorite characters may look like irl, they’ve got you!!! Watching your speed painting is so fascinating, idk how you do it, but you’re always killing it every time (Like our process is so different, so it was really interesting to see how you approach your works you know?). This piece of Kei Tsukishima and Oikawa Tooru are two of my favorite works you’ve done!

@achieve-the-sun - HQ!!, Various, Let me start off by saying that I love Morghy’s art so much, that they are the first and only person I had ever commissioned from so far. They drew Keishin and I sooo adorably, it brings me so much joy to look at it on the daily. Your style reminds me of freshly baked cookies, or the warmth of bakeries, I can’t help but feel a sense of coziness whenever I look at your adorable artworks. This piece you did of Kageyama and Hinata was what had drawn me to you. Everything from your color choices, fluid gestures, and expressions are such a delight to look at!

@chaotickatts - HQ!! I am so in love with Katts, you all. I had never seen anyone draw like this, her style is really unique. I can go on forever about why I love your art, but one of the biggest things that drew me to your style is the way you draw bodies. I like the variation and realistic details you include, for instance, I absolutely adore the way you gave Sakusa more moles on his body, and the way you drew dad bod Osamu. Idk, I think there’s so many different types of body shapes and details out there, and it brings me joy to see you being so inclusive of them in your art.

@namusw - Hunter x Hunter. Was drawn to their Hunter x Hunter works and I don’t even watch/read that manga. Honestly, just check them out, I love everything about their works, they are also a killer at both traditional and digital styles. This piece of Hisoka, Illumi, and Chrollo was the one that made me fall in love.

@cranbearly - HQ!! I really adore the way they draw expressions and their coloring style (inspired me to attempt some flat coloring). This piece of Oikawa and Iwa made me follow them instantly. Expressions are so difficult to nail, and you’ve done such an amazing job conveying every emotion the characters are feeling, I’ve learned so much just from looking at your works, so thank you for blessing us with your craft.

@a-zebra-was-here - HQ!! Their art has a very carefree type of vibe and their coloring style brings me so much joy. I’ve really enjoyed your drawings of the Miyas’, this piece of the twin was what got me, and this other piece, the first image of young Miyas’ was so SO well done, I am in love with the way you colored that. 😻

@erionmakuo - Various, dude....I want to cry, I don’t even know what to say, EVERY SINGLE PIECE of your artworks just BLOWS ME AWAY. The way you color your art is just so ethereal, the color schemes you had chosen, the way you mix the color of your lighting, textures, and everything in general, I can go on about this all day but just hop on to their blog and you will know exactly what I mean. I don’t have a particular piece that drew me in because I was blessed by all your works at once.

@uranarino - HQ!!, Your artworks bring me so much joy. If I have to describe your style like an experience in life, I would say it reminds me of how it’s like to fall in love with someone for the first time, if that makes sense. That sudden overwhelming feeling you get when you’re doing the most mundane things with someone you care about, only for time to stop as you realize how in love you are with them? Yea, your art captures that really well. These two pieces of Kuroo returning home with his groceries and of him taking a day nap with his cats was what had drawn me to you.

@queenoftheantz - HQ!!, Various, Their style is really unique, it kind of reminds me of an adventurous graphic novel or something you would see on Cartoon Network (idk, I thought of Chowder, but please, I really mean it as a compliment, I just really love the fun cartoon style you have.) They also do some animations! I really love this piece of Kyotani you did, the landscape and colors look SOO GOOD!!

@noodlemanjpg - HQ!!, Various, love LOVE your style and the way you draw expressions. I also really love how you color, your works “appear” effortless, but I know a lot of knowledge and precision is put into crafting it. This piece of Kuroo x Yaku being all cozy at the couch was what had drawn me to your blog, it makes me smile every time I look at it. Kuroo’s smitten expression is just...ahsdl;adjs I can’t help but smile with him.

@diabolism666 - HQ!!, c’mon, you can’t be in the HQ!! fandom without at least seeing one of their artworks. In fact, I had seen your art even before I’ve gotten into this show, and it was love at first sight, lemme tell ya. EVERY. SINGLE. THING. you had drawn are so good, it doesn’t even matter if it’s a more simplistic drawing or elaborate one, I am just always staring at it in awe. Thank you for being so incredibly active about it too, idk how, but you’ve produced so many amazing drawings and we’re just incredibly grateful for it. You draw some of best Tendou, Reon and Toshi out there. Your works have so much range, I really feel like you can draw ANYTHING hahaha.

@viria - Various, Viria *sobs* your works are so good. The way you draw faces and affection just gives me butterflies. I don’t even watch Fullmetal Alchemist, but this piece you did of Edward and Winry made me fall so deeply in love with your works. Your style has a certain softness to it, even when it is of an angry character, and I love it.

@nipuni - Various, another artist that I am incredibly nervous to tag because your works are just out of the world. You also seem so so nice and is always incredibly helpful whenever anyone sends you an ask. Just...I have the biggest crush on you and your works. EVERYTHING you had drawn is so stunning, and I mean it. The details, pose, composition, and coloring, it is just so perfect, I could pull up particular artworks, but I was really blessed by it all at once. If you are into fantasy-esque realistic looking portraits, check her out, she exudes so much knowledge and talent.

@hinamihere - HQ!!, Your artworks are soo stinkin adorable. Your color choices, expressions and the way you draw hair is just so cute, your art always bring the biggest smile to my face. This piece you did of Akaashi and Bokuto was what drew me to you, when I saw it, I “awhhh”ed so loudly, my hubby had to ask me what’s up, and when I showed it to him, he had the same reaction, even if he’d never seen Haikyuu!!

@oxxuri - BNHA, so SO good, the way you color, light, and draw is so beautiful. Every single detail, down to every lashes and strands of hair is so beautiful. You draw some of the most attractive faces I had ever seen, these drawings of Aizawa and Midoriya brings me so SOOOO much joy, and I don’t even know anything about BNHA.

@amezure - HQ!!, their comic strips always make my day, I was giving their blog a peep so I can pull up specific examples and my statement is instantly confirmed when I stumbled across their newest comic art of Kuroo and Bokuto and started laughing HAHA. 😂 Your self study sheets are incredibly informative and I find myself referencing them often, it’s so nice to see my favorite artists continue to polish their craft through endless amounts of studying, practice, and analysis. It serves as a constant reminder for myself to do the same. I love the way you draw people (check out this piece of Bokuto x Akaashi), but I ESPECIALLY love the way you draw animals. (Specifically anything that has to do with lil owl Bo and Akaashi 🥺)

@obobro - Avatar the Last Airbender, HQ!!, I am absolutely in love with the way you color and draw portraits. Your drawing and detailing has so much range; you have a series of hand drawings, and that alone already displays so SO much range. I was really drawn in by this drawing of Tsukki, Zuka + Azula, and of Sokka + Katara, you can really tell they were related and I love it so much. Your art has so much life to it, it’s truly fascinating.

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I have a couple more artists to recommend, so if you’d like a part 2 to this, please lmk.

But yes, I genuinely stand by my recommendations, these guys are so SO good at what they do and I am currently sweating because the thought of tagging all my artist crushes in one post is actually kinda scary lol.

Hope this helps! ✌️

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deathbled · 4 years ago

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💍 + averey & lenalee o vo

@lunaetis / wedding meme send me 💍 + A SHIP and i’ll tell you—

where they get married

it takes place in a beautiful garden near where they first met; averey was surprisingly stubborn about that because, in his words, “where they met is where his life started” and honestly lenalee probably won’t say no to that logic (plus he probably used the puppy dog eyes, he’s not above that)

when they get married ( ie what time of day, what month and season etc. )

it’s late spring, early evening some day in mid-april, to be exact, where the trees bloom & the flowers slowly come out of their slumber. it wasn’t planned like that, per-se, but things happen and sometimes the most beautiful things take place at unexpected times.

what traditions they include ( do they get married under a chuppah and crush a glass, garter toss, ‘something borrowed, something blue,’ etc. )

i’m honestly unsure about this because i feel like while they probably would include some traditions it wouldn’t be as big a deal as for other people; maybe they both drink wine from goblets tied together with red string or, and he’s only doing it very lowkey because he’s embarrassed but where averey is from there’s the tradition of carving wooden spoons for your loved one and decorating them with things like key insignia ( to signify they have the key to your heart ) so maybe that plays a part? i’m honestly stumped with this one otherwise because i can promise you even after looking up wedding traditions i have absolutely no idea about wedding traditions :’)

or there’s the whole “testing the groom” thing kamui might’ve been involved with planning

what their wedding cake looks like

it is either incredibly cute or absolutely extravagant and even now i’m not sure if it’s a 50/50 decision vote like most things are with them or if they just play rock-paper-scissors to settle which one to go for. though if avereys “boss” gets to have a say it’s literally the most over-the-top cake and i’m screaming and laughing over this one

….who smashes cake into whose face

i want to say lenalee smashes cake into avereys cake but honestly i’m 100% convinced averey accidentally smashes cake into his own face in a moment of inattentiveness.

who proposed to who first

OKAY SO. THERE’S TWO SCENARIOS I CAN SEE.

they both did at the same time actually because it was kind of a “you know if i could i’d marry you right now” -”i’m not stopping you” situation that ended with “so we’re getting married?” but in like, during a picnic or something and it sounds a lot less cute than it was because trust me it was cute and wholesome. either that or one of them prepared to propose to the other, the other found the ring and then proposed first in a classic uno reverse card move.

or it was averey but only because he asked lenalee if it was okay and she was just so confused and like “yeS?” and then it happened and turns out this dumb nerd had everything prepared already but was just nervous so it’s not even a surprise but he’d rather ask if it’s okay for him to ask then ask at a wrong time

who walks down the aisle and who waits at the altar ( or neither )

i want to say it’s the classic thing but i’m so sure averey insisted the walk down the aisle together just because he hates the traditional view most cultures have on the bride being “given away” into another mans care so he just was as stubborn as a mule about walking with her

what their wedding dresses / suits / other look like

can i say wildcard for this one because i actually have no idea. i thought about it for thirty minutes now and i literally have no clue other than given that avereys birthplace doesn’t even really do weddings he’d just stress so much about what to wear he’d probably be annoying a little bit before he just kinda settles on “i’m going to ask the fanciest people i know but at the same time i am ready to cry how to fashion....”

what their wedding colour scheme is and what sort of decor they have

it’s definitely a more red & gold theme; the decor is perhaps one of the most traditional things & once again i am not sure what else to say other than they kept it classy but also very eye-catching??? idk

what flowers are in the bouquet ( if applicable. bonus: what do the flowers mean? )

okay so to start off it’s not in the bouquet but averey has a sprig of thyme in his pocket for “good luck”, there’s probably red peonys in there, perhaps some pink roses, DEFINITELY at least one white carnation, and a pink hydrangea.

the red peonys stand for love, passion, honor and respect. the pink roses symbolize gratitude, grace & joy, white carnations symbolize purity, good luck & in wedding contexts pure love. pink hydrangeas symbolize heartfelt emotion. i’m not a florist, trust me.

what their vows are ( eg poetry, traditional, improvised etc. )

they’re actually improvised! i’d get the feeling at least one of the two had vows prepared but instead went spontaneous as soon as it came to saying them out loud. actually, i can see that happening with both of them i don’t know why.

if anyone’s late to the wedding

surprisingly enough, no. nobody would dare be late. they know better than that :)

who’s in the bridal parties / groomsmen / other

oh god here comes my absolute lack of knowledge with d. gray man characters AND the fact averey has literally like 2 people he hangs out with on the regular but i think in the bridal party there’d definitely be miranda? maybe kanda because i can see him refusing to be a groomsmen but they insisted he’d be involved. if this is a verse where the princess averey was serving is healthy & they finally get to be friends without one of them constantly under the threat of death then definitely her too!!

as for groomsmen there’s probably allen, lavi, a very grumpy kamui and one of the rookie knights from avereys training.

and yes i hope it shows i have no idea how weddings are??? structured???

what their bridal party / groomsmen / other are wearing

the bridal party wears a pastel shade of pink just because they def ain’t gonna wear white or red dresses and anything else would legit just clash with the color theme.

the groomsmen all wear a simple suit because honestly all of them made suggestions and it would’ve turned into a disaster because they’re tastes are so vastly different so eventually both lenalee and averey just were like “how about,,, we keep it,,,, simple,,,”

who gives speeches at the reception ( bonus: what do they say? recount a sweet memory or two between them? tell an embarrassing story? )

well i mean, honestly? i think they both give small welcoming speeches until the others get a turn and then it’s just kamui going, allen giving a speech, avereys rookie friend whom i decided is now called lynell and uhh, a few others probably want to have a god but honestly therE’S NO TIME......

who catches the bouquet( s )

i mean i want to say a serious answer but just for shits and giggles i’m gonna say kanda.

what their wedding photos are like ( are they sweet, with the couple holding hands or kissing or ~gazing into each others eyes~? are they silly, with a snapshot of the ‘cake-smash’ moment? or are they artistic, with one of them facing the sunset or holding their bouquets? )

okay so most of them are sweet and absolutely the cutest pictures ever but there’s definitely a picture of averey accidentally cake-smashing himself so....

what sort of food they have at the reception

it’s an 8 course banquet and honestly i don’t even know what exactly it’d entail i just know they went all out and if i dwell on this ask any longer i’ll be hungry i’m so sorry i just can’t do food asks past midnight i’ll turn into a gremlin

who cries first during the ceremony

can averey cry first if he’s been crying this whole time?

how wild their reception gets ( who dances the best, who gets drunk first, etc. )

it’s a tame kind of wild; there’s a dance off and definitely some drunken shenanigans but nobody goes absolutely crazy

what their rings are like

FINALLY MY FAVORITE THING I KNOW THINGS ABOUT. averey made them himself and he’s super proud and yes it took literal months but look at them,, he tried to keep them simple but elegant so they don’t get in the way of work, too. i’m crying.

what sort of favours they have ( heart shaped sparklers, mini champagne bottles, personalised candy etc. )

uH,,, UHHHHHHHHHHHH, personalised candy probably but also most definitely mini champagne bottles if just because it fit with the theme or something---

where they go for their honeymoon

they actually travel for a while! they couldn’t decide where exactly to go so instead they just decided to pick the places they wanted to see the most and then travel there for a bit

something memorable that happens during the party / ceremony ( do they run out of ice and someone goes to get it in full formal wear on foot, does anyone fall asleep in the middle of the party, etc. )

averey not only accidentally cake smashes himself he also manages to accidentally use the cake leftovers on his hand like hairgel because he was careless and ran said hand through his hair

THEY DID manage to get it out for the most part though so it’s all good---

who officiates the ceremony

can i pick wildcard again because other than the classic “a priest” i don’t actually have anything in mind other than perhaps the bishop that took averey under his wing to help him with his curse a short time before averey and lenalee met??

what song their first dance is to

OKAY SO I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS ONE SUPER LONG but i honestly think it’d be to “for the dancing & the dreaming” if just because it’s super cute and also they’d probably sing along thank you for coming to my ted talk

who gives who away as they walk down the aisle

i mean given that they walk the aisle down together i don’t think anyone gives anyone away but if it came down to it you already know the answer

#lunaetis #you can tell how tired i got because i literally ended up writing the last five questions or so while I WAS DEAD #anyways i hate this but i tRIED #i know NOTHING. NADA. ZIP. about weddings #FJDFLKGJKDFFGJDKFDG the truth come out i live under a rock #bUT YEAH I TRIED TO MAKE IT WHOLESOME AND CUTE OK #but yeah the cake smash thing def happened because averey was so nervous he just kind of accidentally did that:tm:#* ALL OF THIS SORROW WON’T FIT IN MY CHEST ( reply )

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finleyjayne · 5 years ago

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Break A Leg

{Chapter 1: Auditions}

Summary: After your accident, everything in your life changed. Your shared dream of being on Broadway with your best friend, Amanda, was over. But just because YOU don’t think you want the same things in life doesn’t mean that your friend won’t see through you. Taking matters into her own hands, you end up at an audition you’re sure that you’ll fail since SHIELD Theater Company is known the world over for typecasting. And you don’t fit any of your typical actress types. Little do you know that the company’s new writer - nihilistic, pessimistic, and resident drunk; Bucky Barnes- is looking for someone out of their normal choices.

Characters: Female Reader, OFC Best Friend, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes, and all your other favorite Marvel Characters, hopefully in the long run it will end with a Bucky Barnes/Reader ship.

Series Warnings: Guys, this is based on my own experiences within the Acting community after gaining weight and height after an accident. There will be fat-shaming, mentions of eating disorders, unhealthy expectations, unhealthy coping mechanisms, also like bias based on looks.

A/N:this originally was inspired by @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan s follower celebration challenge. I was given the opportunity to use the text prompt “No fucks given, Next please.” Thank you Star! Thank you Thank you. Also a big thanks to the lovely @cavillanche for giving me a gentle nudge to write for myself and for being an amazing sounding board.

"Come oooooon, Y/N. I don't care if you don't want to go out. I haven't seen you in what feels like literal months. That's saying something since you know we LIVE together. I won't take no as an answer." Your best friend, Amanda, said as she flopped on top of you.

Amanda burst into your bedroom this morning at way-to-fucking-early o'clock in the morning, on a warpath to get you to come out with her. It didn't matter to her that you were finally getting some sleep after working all-nighters for the last week. There was no way to ignore her either, her sunny personality and eager persistence would cause you to roll over in your grave if she wanted you to.

With a groan, you smothered your complaints behind a gasping wheeze. "Kay, Manda, where are we going?"

She rolled off of you with a high-pitched squeal and used the momentum to pull you out of bed. "Yay! I have so much planned. I was talking to my manager about how well we used to work as a pair on stage. I may have mentioned how much I would kill to be the Penny to your Tracy. Or the Meg to your Christine. The Judy to your Betty. The Glinda to your Elphaba." Her words started to fade into background noise as she milled on about the parts you had once wanted to play together.

The dream used to be that you both would move here, to New York, and play in all of the big theaters on Broadway together. Sadly, your broadway dreams were not as much of a reality as Amanda's were. And you were okay with that. You were thrilled for Amanda. Living vicariously through your best friend, helping her prepare for her shows while working as a Math tutor and Accountant for a local firm.

It didn't help that you weren't necessarily what people consider the typical standard of beauty. Standing just under six feet tall, a little plushy about the middle, and some nasty scar tissue leaving one of your legs in a constant state of ghostly paleness. Not that people notice since you tend to find yourself just as pale as the damaged tissue. After so many failed auditions, you figured your best life was lived outside of the theater. You were happy, and honestly, you are kinda glad that you are where you are.

"....So hurry up, I'll pick your outfit, we have an appointment with Rijah in half an hour." Amanda finished pushing you into the little cubical shower. When did she turn it on? Where are we going? Needless to say, you did what she asked and stuffed down your confusion, focusing on waking up more before you accompanied her to yet another one of her 'private' lessons with your pianist friend.

Thirty minutes later, you were dressed, primped, polished, and not all that much more awake. Amanda stuffed a binder of music into your hand as Elijah spread his copy over the lip of his pristinely kept upright. "You know this song, I think it will be perfect. A little overplayed, but with a fresh interpretation, they'll overlook it. All you have to do is sing. They are bound to cast you. I've worked with them before, and Director Rogers values skill over appearances. So we'll show them your ability, and he'll love you."

Looking at your rambling best friend, Your confusion amplifies. Your jaw cracks as you don't even try to stifle another yawn. You rub your eyes, not questioning her pushiness. "Uuuuhhhhh, okay?" You scan through the score, making note of the cut before looking to the triangular-shaped man sitting on the piano bench. Since you had already been taken through the typical vocal warm-ups by Amanda while she played dress up this morning. You smile at your expectant friend/accompanist. "Will you give me a playthrough with the melody line in it as a refresher, please, Rijah, Repeat, and I'll join you?"

"Of course," He said sweetly with a nod, turning to the keys and playing. Quietly you hummed along, mentally noting which registers each phrase should be sung in. Where the notes would be stretched, what you would use to your advantage. The accompaniment was simple, repeated strummed chords like most modern musical use. It gives freedom rhythmically when it comes to melodies. You could have fun with the piece. Smiling to yourself, you open your mouth and join the simplified accompaniment on the repeat.

When the second run-through finishes with a very extravagant arpeggiation. There is a moment of complete stillness as the resonance leaves the space. You are high on the feelings of intense emotion and absolute peace, yet somehow buzzing with unlocked energy. You miss this feeling, of connection with everything and nothing, The feeling of knowing that you did something right, it's heady, and it drives you to ask yourself why you ever stopped performing for a brief second. Amanda was always saying that she would drag you to an audition one of these days if you didn't get over yourself.

You are knocked out of your musical high by Amanda's enthusiastic clapping. Elijah looks at you with a smirk, opens his mouth, and is swiftly cut off by your friend. "God, Y/N. They won't be able to stop themselves as soon as you open your mouth!" You smile at her very biased opinions. Before she can get any crazy ideas like dragging me along to more than just her sessions with Elijah, you place the binder the music into her hands, "Why don't we go over Take me or leave me? After all, this is your rehearsal time, I'm just here to help you."

Amanda gives you a devious smirk as she nods. "Sure. You heard the woman, 'Rijah." She sends him a sly wink that you are too tired to really read much into. He just nods with a conspiratory smile and spreads the music for the RENT song over the previous.

"Whenever you are ready, ladies," He says when he's ready. Sighing internally, you place yourself back into your 'supportive friend' role, playing out the simplified blocking of Amanda's latest show.

Before you even fully realize it, your hour with 'Rijah was over, and Amanda was pulling you into a nearby taxi to your next destination. "If you don't let me at least have a coffee, I will not be held accountable for my actions, Woman." You warn your best friend as you eye her. You were starting to worry that you would need to be more awake for whatever plans she had for the rest of the day, You were now to the point where you could see her scheming something, but were still too out of it to figure out what it was.

She looked at you, trying to hide behind her mask of sickeningly-sweet innocence. I knew this look and all that it implied, and it worked to shake me into a slight panic of what she was walking me into. "I don't know what you mean, Y/N. I told you where we were going this morning, I promise this is the last stop before we can go home and you can sleep the rest of the night away. But if things go as I hope, we may have a repeat of this occasion sooner rather than later." The taxi pulls up at a building with a line heading out the door and around the corner.

That's when it hits you; That promise that Amanda had made to you all those months ago about dragging you to an audition wasn't just one of those 'get moving your ass, or I'll move it for you' speeches to get you out of bed, she was going to do it. No, she wasn't going to do anything. Amanda had already done it. She had gotten you into an audition.

You were suddenly wide awake. The knowledge that you were at an NYC Broadway audition, with your best friend hitting you like Celie's babies being alive in The Color Purple. It is unexpected but brought with it such excitement and fear all at once. You grasped onto Amanda's arm. "Amanda Jenivive Brendon, if this is some kind of joke, I don't know if I can forgive you. Please say this is not some kind of joke." The words are a desperate snarl. The hope pressing against your chest mixed with the fear that you jumped to incorrect conclusions was absolutely unbearable.

Amanda lets out a loving laugh before playfully scowling at you. "You really haven't been listening to a single thing I've said to you all day, have you?" The accusation was slightly bitter, but you knew she was laughing on the inside.

You squeeze her arm as your panic escalates. What am I going to do? How am I going to do this? What if they don't accept me just because of how I look? Shit, what am I going to do about a resume? Your vision blurs as you watch your best friend take your hand, leading you into the building past the line of girls and down a hallway to a dance studio styled room.

She leads you to a table set before the long wall of mirrors where a cute little redhead sits. Taking out a binder and handing her two sets of papers, "Hey Wanda, It's good to see you. Is it standard issue today?"

With a bright smile, Wanda accepts the papers. "Sure is Amanda, Do you need a copy of the company notes, or do you still know them by heart?"

Amanda chuckles before shaking her head, "I don't need a set, but you probably should give one to Y/N here, She could use the distraction of going through all the legal jargon while we wait."

Wanda's eyes grew wide as she turned to face you. "Y/N? As in 'shower singer Y/N'? Oh my Atlanta, Buck is going to lose his shit!" She jumps up and claps her hands. "I gotta go tell them!"

Amanda's hand snaps out to stop the woman from leaving. "Hey, none of that. I want to see their surprise when they hear her, especially after Tony's last casting rant."

Wanda immediately calms, her face splitting into a devious smirk. "OOOOooo, you are evil. I love it. Want me to film it for you?"

"It's like you read my mind," Amanda says, turning to see your expression of confusion. "Y/N, hey, Y/N/N? You in there?" She snaps her fingers lightly in your face. "Come on, girl. Wanda here is the Stage Manager for the SHIELD Theater Company."

"Wait, what?" Your voice cracks as your heart hammers even harder into your ribs. SHIELD Theater Company was one of the prominent troupes in New York. They were world-famous, they were the equivalent to The Royal Shakespeare Company in America. Were you at an audition for them? I thought you had to be part of a Union to even be considered for an audition with them!

"Really, Y/N? Still not paying attention? Come on, let's take a seat, stretch a bit. before they put us through our paces." Her eyes are bright with amusement as she sticks your number on the left side of your dress.

"I'm sorry? In my defense, I have had a total of 8 hours of sleep in the last week. So not the point, though!" You follow her to a set of chairs in the room. At her reproachful glare, when your voice breaches into a louder panicked screech, you take a few breaths before continuing in a harried whisper. " I mean, how am I even here? I am not Unionized, I haven't paid my dues for months! I don't have-" Your internal concerns continue to pour out of your mouth as Amanda slams her palm over your mouth.

"Hey, take a deep breath for me, Y/N. I need you to stay conscious... maybe I should have gotten you a coffee before we came, but you always complain that it makes your vocals all gummy." You rip her hand off of your mouth, eyes flashing with annoyance.

"Hey, you're the one who woke me from my first decent sleep this week, you can't really blame me for being a little lack-of-sleep drunk. And Coffee does make me phlegmy, but, again, that is not the point. The point is now that I know what you've set up, how can it be possible?" You whisper scream at the aggravatingly calm Amanda.

She rolled her eyes, "Well, I told you I was going to make our dreams come true, and I have had enough of your lame excuses about how you don't want to get back on the horse. But I saw you today. You WANT to be here. I've seen your secret tears when you go over our old cast photos. I hear you belting in the shower, so I've taken it upon myself to continue paying your dues to the AEA, and cashed in a favor with my agent to sign both of us up for this particular call."

Before you could make a rebuttal, seven people walked into the room that had slowly filled with fifty or so women while you were distracted. A short brunette plants himself in the center of the mirrored wall as the others take seats next to Wanda behind the white foldable table.

"Welcome, ladies, It is inspiring to see all of your beautiful faces. Before we start, I wanted to say a few words. First, thank you for taking the time to come and audition with us today.

"As you know, we only hold one set of auditions for the full season and look at that, all of you have made the initial cut for this season. Now it's time for the fine-tuning. Just know that even if you don't make it into our troupe this year, it's nothing personal. We have a specific set of personalities and abilities that we are looking for. If you don't make it this year with us, don't be afraid to come back next season.

"Now, to kick off this lovely party, let's have you line up, no particular order." The man smirks, and you gasp as you realize who the cocky man is: Tony Stark. You were being lined up for your first NYC cattle call by the eccentric, theatrical genius Tony Stark. You didn't know whether to be honored or terrified. He had a notorious reputation as a type-caster, and the only type he favored was the short, petite woman. FUCK.

Amanda dragged you into the line as she plastered a knowing smile on her face, "Just remember, sing. if you open your mouth, let that beautiful song sing from your heart."

"Sure, whatever you say," you reply to her whispered reassurances, holding your head up high as the legendary man started down the line."No, No, Yes, Yes, Yes, Sorry, Sure, Yes. Not this time, sweets. No, Sorry, Yes, Yes, Yes... " And so on until he reached Amanda. "Miss Brandon, nice to see you again. I look forward to hearing your choices today."

"Same to you, Mr. Stark, and I look forward to showing you my progress from last year."

"Good, good" His eyes crinkled as he smiled at her for another few seconds before skipping over you entirely, "yes, yes, yes, No…"

Well, it looks like you made it through the first cut, Amanda drags you back to where you left your purse and Amanda's backpack. She shares a conspiratory glance with Wanda, who just rolls her eyes. "Take a deep breath, then they'll start pulling us up in small groups to rotate through our song choices."

"Amanda, I'm pretty sure you voodooed Stark into overlooking me." Amanda just laughs.

"Sure, whatever you wanna tell yourself. I think it was just you being here, it's fate." Now it's your turn to roll your eyes at your friend's everlasting optimism.

Once Stark finishes going down the line, he takes his place back front and center. "Okay, ladies, now it's time for the fun bit. I'm sure you were all smart cookies and gave Wanda your music cuts along with your resumes, so now it's time to put those voices to work. We'll call you up in trios. Wanda will read out your name and call number, Thor will wait for you to count out a tempo before playing for you. Wanda?" Stark calls out the woman before taking his seat behind the table.

Wanda smiles brightly, calling out the first three people as the Hulking blond man stands from the table and makes his way to the piano. Wow, I hope I don't mess this up. It's not just my ass on the line anymore. You are brought back out of your thoughts by a gentle tug on your arm.

"Stop overthinking things, you'll do fine, Your resume is prime, your song choice is brilliant, and like they couldn't choose someone more theatre conscious if they had hired Idina Menzel."

You shudder at the actress's name, "I would hope so, she's terrible."

"Yet she had been a mainstay in theater for years."

"So what, just goes to show people don't necessarily want talent. They want beautiful mutants who can screech out songs without killing their vocal cords."

"Y/N, Shut the fuck up. You can do the same things, you may not sing in a scream like she can, but you know how to sing, you can dance- don't give me that look I caught you practicing your fouettes last week- and more importantly, you can connect. You connect in everything, you have so much to offer, and I know that once these people hear you, they will hire you. I know it."

You sigh, you weren't sure that everything she was saying was true, but you knew that she believed the words with all of her heart and didn't want to be the reason her hope died. So you just sighed in resignation before turning to the group that was in the midst of their auditions. They were outstanding, and the longer you went on, the more self-conscious of your own lack of preparation. Subconsciously you reached out to grab Amanda's hand and ended up clutching onto her dress front.

"Amanda, Amanda, I don't deserve to be here." Your hushed whisper, dragging harsh against your throat. Your chest tightening, your panic acting as a hangman's noose. "Amanda, I don't know what I'm singing. Amanda, what is it from? What is the song's name? How will I slate if I don't even know the name of the song? Wait, what is MY name? " Your breath started to tear through your lungs, your sinuses stung with oncoming tears.

"Y/N, take a breath, let go before you give everyone an unexpected flash." Amanda's whispered reply was almost biting in its directness. Even if you consciously didn't hear the words, her tone cut the noose from your neck. Your lungs immediately expanded with much-needed air, your fingers loosening their grip to let her replace the fabric with her own firm grip. "Good girl, now, Y/N, what is your name?"

"Uhhhhhh…" Even if you were calming down, your brain was still coming back to grips.

"The next three are as follows: Y/N Y/L/N, Amanda Brendon, and Savannah Moffat." Wanda's lyric call cut through the silence that had filled the studio while you were trying to remember your name.

You stood automatically, all your years of auditioning kicked you into performance autopilot. Your shoulders take their place slightly back, head high, chest on display, the skirt of your dress flowing around your thighs as if they were the mist rolling over the valley at dawn. Your face hid the horror that was filling your mind, it didn't matter that you didn't remember the name of your song, you were Y/N Y/L/N. You could fake it till you make it to perfection. Amanda was right, all you have to do is sing, and they will see you. It doesn't matter if you don't look like you used to, you are still capable, and even if you don't make it, you can't say that you didn't try. Just remember what Doctor Ellis said, 'every audition is a performance, even if they don't choose you, you were able to perform.' You can do this. After all, you sang it this morning, you could see the sheet music just behind your eyelids when you close your eyes. Just keep breathing.

Amanda gave your hand a final squeeze as she recognized the look of horrified determination in your eyes. Smiling to herself as she saw the bored looks on the panelists' faces. She met eyes with Wanda, who gave her a smirk nudging the blond man sandwiched between her and Tony. Turning his attention to your regal appearance before Tony also decided to look up from whatever was so important on his phone.

You opened your mouth to introduce yourself, and Tony's voice filled the space clearly, saying the words that had shattered your own will to find your auditions.

"I'm sorry I must have missed you before. There is no need for you to sing today, collect your things."

Your face fell into an imitation of a polite smile as your brain processed the rejection. Guess Amanda really did save me from being culled. Before you can say or do anything, though, the blond man sitting next to Tony spoke.

"Tony, you had your chance. Now it's my turn to decide whether or not she is cast. Now sit down."

"No, it isn't too late, Steve. I bankroll this group I get to have a say. And I won't have someone who looks like her representing my Acting Company."

"You already had your say. Now sit down and let the girl sing."

"No," Stark turns from the blond man and back to you. "No fucks given, Next, please."

CHAPTER TWO

#Marvel #reader insert #star's celebration challenge #Theater Company AU #Slow burn Fanfiction #stole my boyfriend's computer to write this.#he wasn't happy #It died twice #what even #also like leave me an ask or something #ofc fic #fins reads #fins' fic recs #fins' recs #fins recs fics #fanfiction #fic reblog

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neo-frill · 4 years ago

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Rating the walls of a room in my school just because I can:

This place is something like a Study room, it has books and magazines and a lot of tables and chairs and games like chess, 3D tic tac toe, a grid and some bottle caps for normal tic tac toe and a computer. It seems kind of cool to me, it doesn't have a certain aesthetic or like a color scheme, it's just really colorful. Even though the furniture isn't any set or something, it all kinda fits together imo, but I'm not good with this stuff, so maybe it doesn't.

As for the location, it's on the first floor, near the classrooms mainly used for languages (we have cool ones to pick from too, at least for me; all of us speak Czech cause we're Czech, we've got English as the second language and choose a third one after some time, the third one can be French, Spanish, German or Russian, but only two open) and the rooms where the teachers stay when they're free, have consultations with the student etc. (We call them 'kabinety' which sounds like it translates to cabinets but a cabinet is a piece of furniture so idrk what to call them).

First of all, here's kind of a blueprint or whatever, made by me:

The sizes of most stuff is probably incorrect because a) my memory is shit and b) even if I stood there while drawing this, I can't do the stuff where you take something and draw it smaller or bigger but with the same distances and stuff if that makes sense. It's not like a map so up isn't necessarily North (though it could be, I don't have a clue). This is mostly to show where each wall is and how close/far from the main entrance it is and stuff. Let's got then, starting with

Wall 1

Wall one is the worst of them. I know it looks really cool but before you get angry, listen to me. It is cool. That stuff on it are some quotes and poems and stuff, written on papers which are stuck to it (idk if it's glue or if they put it on there when the paint was drying, I literally have no idea). But most of the quotes are a load of crap. Some sound like they're from r/im14andthisisdeep (shit is it spelled 14 or fourteen in it? anyways you get the point), some are just.. dumb. They include "A mask, the only part of their face that people choose." and "What Johnny won't learn, neither will John." (Loosely translated, Johnny being meant as kind of a nickname which you usually call kids and stuff.), "There is only one truth, which is why not everyone can be right." (This one makes more sense in Czech but still kinda bullshit tbh), "A long shadow doesn't necessarily mean greatness." (Also makes more sense in Czech, greatness sometimes having the same word as largeness or whatever). Some are pretty cool, but most are trash. Example of the ones I find cool is: "Dictators ride tigers, scared to come down from their backs. And the tigers are getting hungry." I'm not really sure about what the last part is supposed to mean, if it's that the tigers will eat the dictators or?? but it's a great quote anyways. One of the ones I hate is "Laziness is the key to poverty." or some shit like that. They're mostly by dead Czech (or Czechoslovakian) politicians (noticed at least two ex presidents) or poets. But there was one by a guy who was probably a philosopher, idk, definitely wasn't Czech and to me his name sounded Greek but I don't really know and don't even remember the name of the man, the quote was something about not having friends. Cool design, probably made by students but I don't like most of the stuff that's written there, 6/10.

Wall 2

This is wall 2. I love wall 2. It has really pretty colors and there's bubbles. Radiates good vibes. Very nice. I don't know how to describe it, it's just beautiful and I don't know what more to say. 10/10.

Wall 3*

Wall 3 looks kind of ominous. Not in a bad way (is there even such a thing?) It has mystery/thriller novel vibes. The feet aren't painted, they had to color someone's feet and somehow get their footsteps up to the half of the wall and I think a) that's very cool, b) it would be fun to participate in/watch and c) it's very creative. The color of the floor is my favorite color. I like how the stripes on the "walls" of the hallway are probably supposed to be just striped that are painted on these "walls" but also look kinda 3D until you look at how they connect to the "ceiling." I am also in love with the "lights" and the way they reflect on the "floor." It kind of doesn't match the vibe of the room and looks less colorful somehow even tho there's a lot of colors, but it's neat. 9.5/10

Wall 4*

Wall 4 is my personal favorite, even though it's the smallest. It's very lively, has pretty colors and shapes that look really really cool to me, idk how else to describe it. I just love it a lot. 11/10, would stare at for hours.

[END, that's all of the walls]

*I'm sorry, I didn't realize how bad the photos of Wall 3 and (especially) Wall 4 are. Wall 3 is kinda cut off at the top. Wall 4 is cut off even more and it's blurry. I'll provide better pictures later, if I'm able to.

If anyone actually read this thank you, but why the fuck did you do that? You just wasted your time watching a teenage girl rate her school's walls. Anyways, I appreciate it a lot, because I put a lot of effort into this post (probably way too much). It was fun to do tho. Maybe I'll rate some other random stuff later? Maybe I'll update the ratings of the walls? Who knows.

**just realized that Walls 3 and 4 aren't actually cut off, it just looked that way. Anyways, Wall 4 is still kinda blurry, sorry about that.

#charlie posts #ratings #walls #school #review #wall review

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arlakos · 5 years ago

Text

Discovery, an Anti-Hero Queen Bee story.

Marinette groaned as she again arrived just in the nick of time into class. With the Bee Miraculous still presumed missing, Hawkmoths Akumas and the rumors of an unknown hero stopping crime gangs, the scarlet heroine in disguise was really tired as of late, to the point where she had little time to do any sketches for new clothing ideas. It honestly felt a bit miserable.

Surprisingly though, being a Guardian was ok, at least for the time being. Fu had left an email and a password for her, revealing a digital copy of the Miraculous book but completely decoded, allowing her to read the book and learn about the Miraculi and the Guardians. Fu also left some videos explaining some important tibits about the order and the Miraculous in the event he could not explain it himself. While she hadn’t got the chance to read the entirety of the book, she hoped that it would help her in stopping Hawkmoth. And hiding the Miracle Box had also been easy as well for the time being.

Still, her easy Guardian Life didn’t help with her considerably more difficult normal and hero lives, as she came into class with an extra-strong coffee and a loud yawn.

“Marinette. I am glad you got here on time, but I do recommend that you set your alarm early.” Ms. Bustier said, with a small frown on her face.

“(Yawn) Sorry Miss Bustier,” Marinette replied sleepily.

Ms. Bustiers face shifted from disappointment to concern. “I also recommend that you take the opportunity to get some proper sleep. While I understand that you have responsibilities outside of school, it should never impact your ability to function. Please do take the time to get some proper sleep. I can call your family to recommend they put you off work for a while if you wish. I understand it can be busy at times at your family bakery.”

“Wha-Nono, it's fine! My family doesn't make me work all the time. I have just been... spending too much time working on some designs! My imagination leaves me up all the time” Marinette lied, hoping she sounded convincing enough. “It’s not an issue, I’ll just stop working on the designs for a while to sleep. Besides, I’m fine now! I’ve got a cup of coffee. See?” she said as she raised her latte.

Ms. Bustier frowned in worry. “Very well. But if you keep coming to school tired, I will have to call your parents.”

“Got it.”

“And drinking a coffee doesn't count as resting. It’s not healthy.”

“Yes Ms. Bustier,” Marinette said as she sat down next to Alya. The bell rings, and everyone gets their books out.

Later on, as they get into some course work, Alya leans into Marinette. “Girl, are you alright? You have been coming into class tired as of late. And coffee? Since when did you like coffee?”

Marinette raised her cup in response “It’s an acquired taste.” she replied as she took another sip, “Besides, like your one to talk.” Marinette said as she points towards Alya’s own.

Alya smiles. “Touche Marinette. Anyway, have I got news for you...”

“What, another Akuma fight? If I had a euro for every time you sent me another video-”

“It’s even better!” She leans into Marinette’s ear “I managed to get a video of the unknown hero!”

“What?!” Marinette refrained herself from yelling as she whisper-yelled to Alya.

“It’s true, I managed to get a video as I went out with my family the other night. Apparently, they managed to stop another drug deal as it was going down. The cops had shown up when I saw the hero leave. I managed to get a recording of the hero leaving, but I couldn't really tell much of it-”

“Ahem! Alya, what did I say about talking in class?” Ms. Bustier said from the front of the class.

Alya sheepishly grinned “Sorry Ms. Bustier. I’ll stop.”

“Please see to it that you do. You have your midterm exams soon, and I want you all to be prepared.” Ms bustier says as she turns to the board, saying the last part to the whole class.

As Bustier is writing on the board, Alya slips a note to Marinette.

“Talk after class.”

Marinette nods and looks at the board...

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After class finishes, the two friends sit outside at one of the tables.

“So... the video?” Marinette asks.

Alya nods, and shows the video of the hero leaving the crime scene, Alya pauses on a part where the details are much more clearer.

“Sorry, this was all I could get. They were really far, and the quality started to drop. Isn’t it exciting?!”

“Yeah. Yeah, it is.” Marinette says as she squints her eyes at the picture.

“Girl? You ok?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, I’m fine. Hey, could you send me a copy?”

“Sure! No problem! Normally you don’t really tend to like these kinda things but that new hero does seem interesting huh?”

“Yeah. They are.” Marinette says as the looks the image on her own phone.

Based on the look of the hero, it was clear from the get-go that the hero was female, given the particular body shape. So with that far being known, that narrows the search down by half, which was still a lot.

What was interesting about the hero was that the suit had none of the key characteristics that most of the other heroes had about their costumes. Even from the glimpse in the book about the Miraculi, it had little to no identifiable markings of what animal it represented. The suit seemed to be mostly a black or very dark color, and despite it seeming to have a few bright-colored stripes, it was impossible to tell what color they were as there was very little lighting.

Worse still, the hero was wearing a helmet, so it was impossible to tell if the hero was wearing a miraculous on their head.

So this left Marinette with some details

1.The hero was a female.

2.The suit had no identifiable markings, color scheme, or miraculous, so its possible that the wielder wasn’t a miraculous wielder.

3. Another possible idea was that Hawkmoth kept the Bee Miraculous and that he akumatised someone with it to be his agent to infiltrate the team. Although considering that the hero made no move to get close to the miraculous team, it was very unlikely. Though it could just also be possible that Hawkmoth hated drugs. That would be a shocker.

“So, what do you think?” Alya asked.

“It’s cool Alya. I just think there isn’t much info for you to go by with anything.”

“But still! Wouldn’t it be cool if we had a new hero?! Fighting alongside the forces of Ladybug and Cat Noir and Rena...” Alya trailed off, as her smile shifted into a frown.

Marinette reacted normally, but inside she grimaced. After Lila joined Hawkmoth, she had to tell the heroes what had happened to them after the battle, and how it was likely none of them could become heroes again due to the risk of Hawkmoth knowing who they were. Alya had taken it the worst, with her crying on Nino’s shoulder after the explanation. Alya had ended up taking out her anger on the now-abandoned Lila after the events. Marinette wasn’t sure what had happened, but after Alya left the bathroom after she had confronted Lila, the latter came out later with tears on her face and a look of fear. She had ended up leaving school a week later and moving to another one nearby, which she assumed was because of Alya threatening Lila with something, likely threatening to reveal her as a willing accomplice working with Hawkmoth.

Marinette however, waited normally and waited for her to recover.

“S-So! Still. A new hero huh?” Alya said although Marinette could tell she was not in the mood like before.

“Are you ok Alya?”

“N-nothing! I-I’m fine. I-I...I have to go.” Alya said as she ran off to the bathroom.

Marinette looked at the retreating Alya with worry, before looking at the photo containing the masked hero...

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“Tikki?”

“Yes, Marinette?”

Marinette finally returned home after the long day of studying.

“Is it possible for a miraculous wielder to change their outfit’s colors?”

“Well yes, Marinette. Any wielder can change the design of the outfit to fit their-”

“I’m not talking about the design, I’m talking about the colors. Can they change those?”

“Huh, why do you ask?” Tikki says as she munched on a macaron.

“This new hero that has come out... she started to appear after Hawkmoth akumatised Miracle Queen, but she doesn’t seem to be anyone I know of... the suit she has also had stripes.” Marinette says as she shows Tikki the photo.

Tikki glances at the photo, then back at Marinette. “Why is that important?”

“Because only Queen Bee has stripes Tikki, or at least stripes of those type.”

“They didn't look yellow though. Are you sure its Chloe? It could just be some other person. Besides, I don’t think they were wearing a miraculous.”

“I dunno. I mean, I never saw her wear a miraculous to school, but that doesn’t mean that she couldn’t have worn it. So Tikki, is it possible that a suit can change colors?”

“Hmm... I don’t know?”

“You... don’t?”

“Nobody has ever tried it. For the most part, all wielders have chosen their designs based on what they are comfortable with, but none of them have ever attempted to change the color of their suit. It might be possible, but nobody has ever tried to do so.

“Well, if we are going to find out, there’s only one way to do so. Tikki, spots on!”

As Tikki entered the miraculous, Marinette focused.

‘Ok Miraculous. Please make my suit to be as stealthy as possible. I don't care how you do it, just make sure it works and that it has little of my color as possible As far as I’m concerned, I want no one to be able to recognize me as Ladybug!’

A bright flash emanated the room, and as the light fell, Marinette looked at herself in the mirror... and shock filled her body.

If Ladybug's bright, spandex covered body was the most detectable outfit she could have made, then this outfit was the complete opposite. The suit’s color was almost completely gone, leaving a black suit with dark red rings, but unlike the other suit, weren’t completely filled.

Her face, however, was also indistinguishable from her normal Ladybug self. She wore a hood over the top of her head, and her mouth was covered by a face mask, though it did not impact her breathing. Her mask was still there, but the red was extremely darker than usual.

To sum it all up, she looked nothing like her usual self.

“Tikki...Spots off.” Marinette said though it was a surprise when the mask changed her voice somewhat to sound different. As the suit fell, Tikki came out in shock.

“Oh my... you really can change the color of the outfit.”

“Yeah Tikki... but now this just makes the situation worse. It’s likely that whoever is the hero is using the bee miraculous, as we now know it can be disguised.”

“But that still doesn’t answer the question of who the person is. For all we know, it could be someone else.”

“Hmm... maybe,” Marinette said to herself. She suddenly ran off and grabbed her phone, along with photo book

“But I know someone who can help. Tikki, spots On!”

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Max Kante smiled to himself as he finished making the final adjustments to Markov’s power container. As he closed the panel and replaced the rechargeable power back, Markov came back online.

“So... how do you feel?” Max asked.

“Quite efficient!” Markov declared making a spin in the air. “Thanks to the modifications you made, I know consume power at a rate of 20 percent less than the previous design. According to my calculations, I should be able to remain functional for up to an additional hour!”

“I’m glad! But it shouldn’t be a major problem for now! Let's go and recover Markov, I have to be ready tomorrow for another day of test revision.”

Max went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, afterward he slipped into a pair of pajamas as he felt the air from the open window on his body-

Wait a second, Max didn’t open his window-

“Max!”

Max yelled as a person dressed in black appeared in his hindsight. Max fell backward in shock

“Ah! Who are you? What do you want?! Please don’t take my stuff, I have been working on a new gadget for too long to lose it! Max, activate the-”

“Nono, please stop! I’m- goddamn this stupid mask and its voice change!” The intruder said before they pulled it down, revealing a familiar face to Max. “I’m Ladybug.”

“Ladybug? Oh thank god you’re not here to steal my stuff. Speaking of which, why are you here and what is with the change in the outfit? According to my calculations, there is a 95% chance that people would mistake you for a criminal-” Max said before being interrupted.

“Yeah I know, I was trying something different with the outfit and I forgot to change it back. But that’s not the problem. I need your help.”

“Oh sure,” Max said as he stood back up “What is the issue.”

“I found from an anonymous source a picture of the hero that has been working at night. It’s pretty low rez, but I was hoping you could help me find out who it was?”

“That is possible, but what’s with the worry.”

“I have a feeling that the person is the wearer of the Bee Miraculous. That Miraculous was lost when Hawkmoth akumatised Lila into Miracle Queen”

“...That is a good point.” Max said after a brief pause. “Alright, send me the photo.”

Ladybug used her yoyo to send the picture to Max, having gotten the photo from her own phone. Max plugged his phone into the computer, and the image showed up.

“Normally, such photos would be impossible to be recognized from a distance. But thankfully as it is still digital, I can use my enhancement application to clear up the photo and make it more visible. Also, it's really good for photoshop.”

As Max got to work with the app, a minute later, the image started to finally become clearer. Ladybug could see the stripes on the outfit, and although they were positioned differently, she could clearly see they were yellow, a trait shared only with the Bee Miraculous. Though the person wasn’t wearing a miraculous

“There, does this help in your goals?” Max, asked.

“Not yet,” Ladybug replied.

Marinette gave Max a photo.

“I got this from a girl named Marinette, who takes a lot of photos of your class.”

Max took the photo in confusion. “This is a picture of Chloe. Why would you-” realization crossed his face. “Oh. So you think this new hero is Chloe.”

Ladybug nodded. “Not entirely, but I have to be sure. Do you or Markov have an app that can match body types.”

“Uh... W-Well not at the moment but-”

“Not to worry!” Markov exclaimed to Ladybug. “We should be able to come up with an app with that function pretty soon. If you give us at least 16.5 hours and 10 minutes, not only will the app be done, but we should have the results for you as well. Since we already have your hero contact number, we’ll send you the results as soon as possible.

Ladybug smiled. “Thank you Markov. And thank you Max, for helping with the image.”

“Not a problem, we’ll have the results after school for you.”

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The next day Marinette had class as usual with Alya, who for the most part recovered from yesterday, but still seemed melancholic. Still, it didn't stop them from spending the rest of the day as normal.

For lunch, however, Alya was busy doing something, so Marinette was left alone to eat by herself.

As Marinette was finishing off her sandwich, she saw Chloe sitting by herself on another table, probably deciding for once to eat at school instead of the hotel. Marinette decided to take an opportunity. Marinette walked up to her at the table.

“Hi Chloe.”

Chloe turned to Marinette. “Dupain-Cheng” she replied rather cordially, although a little surprised.

Marinette was a little shock expected a sneering voice instead of a non-insulting tone, but it either Chloe wasn’t in the mood today, or she actually was trying to be nice. ‘Though to be fair, it was probably the former,’ Marinette thought as she looked at Chloe.

“I’m sorry, is there something on my face? Spit it out, I’m in the middle of having lunch.”

‘And there it is,’ Marinette though. Sighing, she pulled out her phone. “Sorry Chloe, I just wanted to show you something. I got this photo a couple of days ago. I just wanted to see if you recognized the person in the photo.”

With a raised eyebrow, Chloe carefully took the phone from Marinette and had a look at the image. While she was looking, Marinette was noting if Chloe seemed to recognize the person in the photo or anything else that could give her away.

Chloe however, seemed just as confused by it as she was because she showed no signs of recognition. ‘Either that or she is really good at hiding it,’ a doubtful part of her mind though.

“It’s a person wearing a suit and a helmet. What am I supposed to know about it?”

“Me and Alya were talking the other day.” Marinette said “We were having a look at the image, and the suit, while mostly black, happened to have some bright colored stripes. Naturally, the image was taken in the dark, so we couldn’t be sure. But they did seem to be… yellow.”

Chloe raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“Look. I’m going, to be frank. We think the person was using the Bee Miraculous.”

That seemed to get a reaction out of Chloe. Her eyebrows frowned, she was gritting her teeth as she stared down angrily, and her fist was trembling, as well as the rest of her body. For a second, Marinette was worried she pressed the wrong button.

Instead, however, Chloe let out and angry puff and slumped. “So I got replaced, huh?”

“What?” Marinette asked.

Chloe looked at Marinette. She recomposed herself, but it was obvious she was still angry. “I don’t know who that person is, Marinette. Ladybug hadn’t given me the miraculous since that day with Sabrina. I had hoped that after that day, that Ladybug would have called me again to help her. It wasn’t like I was the only one with their identity revealed, Kagami was as well! But I’m guessing this pic made it final huh?”

“Well, it doesn’t make sense. Why would Ladybug give a person a miraculous if they don't even help with the akuma-”

“HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?!” Chloe yelled. Seeing the outburst attracted some attention, Chloe calmed down again, though she was clearly at her limit. “I thought I knew Ladybug. That she was kind and amazing, and that she thought of me as a friend. But it seems like I don’t. Not with this new ‘hero’ running around with my miraculous.” Chloe said angrily, as though expecting it belonged to her. “It seems Ladybug has her own secrets. Perhaps she is not as trustworthy as people think if she can just leave people like her name is Audrey-” Chloe stopped as if realizing what she was about to say. Marinette grimaced as she realized what she had done to Chloe

“Chloe-” Marinette started to speak, only to be cut off by Chloe’s raise of a hand.

“I really don’t want to talk about it. Thank you Marinette, thanks to you, I learned that i was unceremoniously replaced, abandoned by Ladybug just like my Mom and that Ladybug seems to have her own secrets to keep, and I also lost my appetite.” Chloe started to pack away the remains of her lunch. “I think I’ll go for a walk now. Have a good day Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Chloe I am so sorry-”

“Just. Go.”

Chloe walked off, and Marinette stood there feeling more confused and sad than ever, and with more questions than answers.

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The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully. Marinette was walking home when Tikki popped up from the bag.

“Max has sent a message! I think he’s got the results ready!”

So this was the moment of truth.

Marinette slipped into a nearby alleyway, and with a flash of light, Ladybug jumped from the top of the alleyway onto the nearest rooftop. Opening the yoyo, Ladybug looked at the screen that popped up and hesitated.

Ladybug hoped that she was wrong, that she was wrong with the belief that Chloe was this masked assailant. Chloe didn’t seem to carry around a miraculous around with her in school, else she probably would have bragged about having it with her or try to keep it close to her. Plus Chloe seemed genuinely torn apart when Marinette presented the knowledge that the person was wearing the Bee miraculous instead of her and believing that Ladybug had abandoned her, which had left Marinette with a sore feeling for the rest of the day. Sure, it was still a big issue on who the masked hero was and where the Bee miraculous was, but at least it meant that Chloe was being honest.

Still, one way or another, Ladybug had to know the truth. Ladybug opened the message and began reading.

HELLO THERE. MAX HERE.

LIKE I PROMISED, MARKOV WAS ABLE TO DEVELOP A PROGRAM TO ANALYSE THE BODY SHAPES OF THE MASKED ASSAILANT AND CHLOE TO SEE IF THEY MATCHED. IT UNFORTUNATELY TOOK A WHILE TO DO SO, AS WHEN ANALYSING THE IMAGES, THE WAS SOME SORT OF ERROR IN THE SYSTEMS THAT KEPT PREVENTING US FROM LOOKING AT THE IMAGES.

LUCKILY MARKOV HAD IDENTIFIED THE EFFECTS OF THE ERROR AND CONCLUDED WITH A 99% CONFIDENCE IT WAS SOME SORT OF MAGICAL GLAMOUR THAT IS GENERATED TO PROTECT THE MIRACULOUS WIELDERS, WHICH LIKELY CONFIRMS THE THEORY THAT THE MASKED INDIVIDUAL IS EQUIPPED WITH A MIRACULOUS.

UNFORTUNATELY, THIS MEANT WE HAD TO DEVELOP A SUBPROGRAM TO HELP REMOVE THE DISTORTION ERRORS, BUT EVEN THEN I HAVE NO CLUE IF THE PROGRAM HAS DONE ITS JOB SUCCESSFULLY, AS THERE WERE A LOT OF GLITCHES BEING CAUSED BY THE GLAMOU, AND IT COULD ALSO HAVE BEEN FABRICATED BY THE MAGIC.

IN ANY CASE, HERE ARE THE RESULTS

CHEERS

MAX AND MARKOV

RESULTS

ANALYSIS

UNKNOWN INDIVIDUAL=CHLOE BOURGEOIS - 95% SIMILAR BODY TYPES

P<0.05 -STATISTICALLY VIABLE

….

Ladybug almost wanted to throw the yoyo onto the ground.

Ladybug sent the results to her actual phone, put the yoyo away, and zipped back home, all the while ignoring the feelings of anger, betrayal, and sadness that welled up within her.

Ladybug stopped by the bakery and dropped into the alleyway. Ladybug transformed back into Marinette and entered the side bakery door.

“Hello my little flower? How was you da-” Tom said with a smile, but was quickly brushed aside by Marinette.

“Not right now papa!” Marinette said as she stormed past him.

“Marinette!” Sabine said in shock and anger. “What is the matter with you-” Upon seeing Marinette’s face filled with tears, Sabine's face softened into worry and concern. “Marinette did something happen at school today?”

Marinette shook her head, although with the tears in her face it didn’t give much satisfaction to her parents worried. “No there wasn’t. I-I just can't talk about this! I’m sorry!”

Marinette quickly marched up to her room, opening and closing the hatch to her room hurriedly.

Marinette threw her bag onto her bed, sat in her chair and started sobbing. Tikki flew out of the bag a moment later, with worry visible on her face.

“Marinette-”

“She lied to me Tikki. She looked at me and lied straight to my face! Both as Ladybug and as Marinette!”

“Marinette, calm down, you need to think about this rationally-”

“Calm Down? Calm Down?!” Marinette angrily said as she stood up from her chair “You saw the results! I had been entrusted by Master Fu to keep the box of the Miraculi safe! Just one miraculous being lost was enough for someone like Hawkmoth to grip the city with fear! With Mayura helping him, we almost lost had Fu not given up his memories to prevent Hawkmoth from finding out who we were! What would happen if there was a third one missing and used in bad hands, without me knowing where it was?!”

“Marinette, nothing has happened for you to warrant acting this way! Chloe may have taken the miraculous, but there haven’t been reports of her doing anything bad! Even if she did deceive you, there’s no excuse for you to act like she could go bad at any moment.”

“But what if she does?! What if Hawkmoth akumatises her and takes the miraculous from her?! What if she decides to use her powers for her own gain, or Mayura persuades her to join them when I have no idea where the Miraculous is! She stole the Miraculous Tikki, without my knowledge! And I’m not going to let her get away with it.”

“Then, what are you going to do?!” Tikki said frustratingly.

“I’m going to go to that hotel and take back the miraculous, that’s what!”

“You can’t! If you go to the hotel with the way you are now, they’ll assume you have gone rogue. And if you attack Chloe while she is surrounded by hotel staff, you could risk someone being akumatised!”

Marinette paused for a moment. “You’re right,” she said calmly, though tense. “I can’t do that.”

Tikki sighed. “Thank you, Marinette. Now, let's take some time to calm down. Let’s draw a couple of things, listen to some music, and tonight we can talk to Chat Noir and discuss this- Wait.” Tikki turned to see Marinette walk away. “Where are you going?!”

Marinette walked to the other side of the room and grabbed a chest, opening it to reveal the miracle (egg) box. Tikki watched as she pressed the spots on the egg, which opened to reveal the miraculi inside. Marinette took a nearby bag and started taking the Miraculi out. The Fox, turtle, dragon, monkey, snake, and Horse miraculous all went into the bag. Marinette almost reached for the bunny miraculous, but instead left it there.

“Marinette, what are you doing?”

“Chloe has been making appearances at night. One the same days we don’t have patrol. Tonight is one of those nights. I’ll sneak off to give everyone their respective miraculi, and with everyone there, we’ll sneak up and take back the Bee! Then everything will go back to normal. As it should be.” Marinette said confidently as she zipped up the bag.

“Wait Marinette, don’t do this. We should talk about this-”

“Not this time! I lost my mentor, my team, and almost my partner because of everything. I won’t hesitate! Tikki , Spots on!”

Tikki was reluctantly sucked into the miraculous, and Ladybug stood in Marinette’s place, this time wearing the stealth suit.

As it was now the afternoon, and very dark, Ladybug zipped out of her room into the night. Going to where Alya (and by extension Nino, who was with her tonight) should be, Ladybug resolved never to let anything like this happen again. She would take down Queen Bee, take the Bee Miraculous back, and everything would be back to normal, everything safe and sound. And she would never let Chloe touch the Bee miraculous again.

For the first time since losing her Master and friend, Ladybug was angry

And she was out for blood.

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

That was the first part of a two-part story. Confrontation (the second chapter) should be done sometime later! If anyone has any questions about the AU, feel free to send an ask about the AU and I’ll try to reply as soon as I can! No spoilers about the next part though (even if I did point it out in my first AU post).

Also many thanks (as always!) to @twin-books, who helped me polish the ideas about my AU and has always been there to help!

#Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug AU #Season 4 AU #long-fic #Anti-Hero Queen Bee AU #A fair bit of Angst #Chloe redemption

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ivehadanapophany · 5 years ago

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Qrow and Ozpin ( part one )

Two of my absolute favorites in rwby

they’re both chaotic bastards, but in completely different ways, and I love them so much.

So let’s talk about their relationship.

disclaimer: this is not a cloqwork post, I don’t really ship that, sorry folks

Let’s start with their aesthetics/symbolism.

So it’s been stated multiple times that color theory and symbolism, plus recurring motifs and things like that are key to understanding the show. We’ve all probably noticed little things like Ruby modelling her outfits after people she cares about, (specifically Pyrrah and Penny), she also based her weapon off of Harbinger. Jaune is just wearing all of Pyrrah’s stuff. Neo has Roman’s hat. Salem kept Ozma’s staff.

So people in Remnant hold on to things or ideas from people they love and care about deeply.

I drew on a whole page I was supposed to be taking notes on about this, so hear me out

1. They both have little cross shaped things on their necks. Ozpin’s is a weird little pin, and Qrow’s is just a whole necklace. 2. They both have the gear motif thing going on. Ozpin’s is a gear inside another gear ( kinda basic, but cool and easy to draw ), and Qrow’s is also a gear inside another gear, except his is also stylized to look like an eye.

It is worth noting that the outer gear on Qrow’s symbol has the same number of little notch thingies ( don’t know what they’re called )

Side note: Raven’s symbol is also connected to Oz, but not as much as Qrow’s, hers is a clock stylized to look kinda like an eye, and Ozpin’s office is literally in a clock.

3. They both have exposed gears/mechanism things on their weapons, near the hilt. Harbinger is way bigger and cooler though, no offense, Oz. Though The Long Memory is waayyyyyy easier to draw.

4. They both are constantly drinking something, and have a specific container they like to drink it from.

Ozpin’s is a mug with Beacon’s emblem on it ( probably just took one from the gift shop ), he’s constantly drinking hot chocolate. Qrow’s is... a flask. With some kind of alcoholic drink in it.

5. They have similar color schemes. Qrow’s being red, grey and black. Ozpin’s being green, black, and grey ( grey is less prominent in his design than Qrow’s though.)

So yeah. They were bros. I’m sad because they’re kinda fighting right now.

Next essay will cover and analyze their character relationship, which I think is very interesting.

#rwby #rwby6 #rwby7 #rwby qrow #qrow branwen #rwby ozpin #rwby oscar #rwby thoughts

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cruddyborderlandstheories · 5 years ago

Text

i walk in 20 hours late sipping a starbucks hot cocoa

i don’t like coffee

promethea!!!

awwwwww yis

tl;dr: uhh wow i talked a lot today, sorry. Mostly about whatever the fuck that thing Rhys is handing us is, how it ties into the dig site we see like maybe it’s a piece to activate it, maybe the dig site isn’t a Vault but instead a teleporter or something and needs multiple pieces to activate. so i guess kinda like a Vault but not that kind of Vault. Also if said dig site is actually on Promethea because that’s, like, DEFINITELY Elpis behind it. and like, okay, maybe we used the giant space gun to destroy the asteroid fields and make room for elpis and teleport elpis there, or maybe we teleported the dig site to pandora because it needs to be opened since Moon = Key and maybe Promethea’s moon was destroyed by the giant space gun (TM) and turned into asteroid belt, or maybe the dig site was always ON pandora and it’s not actually a Vault (because the Map would have pointed it out), but still. lots of possibilities here. oh and i go over the Battleborn easter egg and talk about Tannis is Not What She Seems (and pray she won’t end up being evil bc I love her) and I wanna believe the Eridians sent that message, not the cult ‘cause fuck those guys they probably can’t see the future they probably just adopted the name. also I ramble about how gorgeous this planet is for like... 30 minutes. but damn it really is pretty.

man this was a fun thing to wake up to and then have to wait like 8 hours to actually fully take a look at lmao

“Home to the Atlas corporation headquarters, Promethea is a metropolitan world covered in futuristic towers of chrome and glass. A recent siege by Maliwan has turned the urban environment into a warzone; their mechanized infantry patrol the streets, rodent/insect hybrids known as Ratches infest the sewers and back-alleys, and the Children of the Vault are seizing the opportunity to recruit displaced and disgruntled citizens. Atlas CEO Rhys Strongfork is getting desperate.“

“... Children of the Vault are seizing the opportunity to recruit displaced and disgruntled citizens”.

yeah that’s the most important part of this description for me. I really really like the idea of that, and it could tie into the whole Mayhem is Coming tagline for the game as, like many people have speculated, the Mayhem we hear about is the spreading of the cult/the psychos across the universe. A very interesting tie-in to the marketing campaign, as it’s clear we’re now the target of this cult propaganda, like the citizens of Promethea are (were? this is all past-tense since marcus is telling this story, isn’t it?)... like the citizens of Promethea were.

And we know that Atlas is trying to protect the citizens in the tunnels, so it’d be really interesting to see the two get into a direct conflict over a group of citizens. Like Lorelei tells us it's a hostage situation or whatever and we run in and it’s more of a brainwashing situation. Worse if the citizens decided to switch over without any brainwashing. oof.

im also curious about the number of hexagons we see on Promethea. The shapes look identical to the ones on Pandora’s page, so I’m curious if this is an accurate representation of how many areas will be on each planet.

just sayin’.

We do know that Pandora has more than those 3 listed areas (from Supmatto’s new video! can’t believe i missed the stream. ah well.)

“Covenant Pass”. I wanna believe this is near the area where we go find Sanctuary-III, at the very least that one tunnel-y area?

you know the one

this one, it’s right next to Sanc-III afterall.

Also thinking it may not be the name of a huge area, but instead the name of one of the smaller areas within that area? like the ones where when you discover it you get experience points? yeah.

the name makes me think this is someway related to the CoV cause of the word ‘covenant’, an agreement. We also know this area is directly near this one bandit camp which I’ve theorized before is a sun smasher camp

(you can see the back of sanctuary-III near both areas)

so it’s possible there was an agreement made and both could pass freely through that one tunnel, or the twins were able to build that wall close to this camp. idk, just spitballing ideas.

So then it is possible there’s only 3ish areas on Pandora, but I really hope not unless they are BIG areas. There are most likely more than 3.

oh but we’re here to discuss Promethea

sorry i forgot.

For Promethea we got the Titan Skyway, the Atlas Campus, and the Meridian Seaport.

Titan Skyway reads to me like that giant road we keep seeing in the trailers

like this one, which is giving me huge Bloodshot Stronghold (Damtop) vibes. Which is one of my favorite levels to play as melee Zer0 with execute and many must fall so... please let this be what i think it is. i may end up running that map just for funsies at the end of the game. mm if it didn’t take running the actual bloodshot stronghold every time i wanted to play the damtop level, i’d be running it all the time. sigh.

Atlas Campus immediately made me think of the Meridian Metroplex, but that’s definitely not it. In the instagram trailer we see Rhys on the ‘Atlas HQ rooftop’ with Zer0, so I’m gonna imagine Rhys is somewhere in the Atlas Campus.

Now if this is like an actual college campus, which i don’t think gearbox would do due to the implications, that’d be wild. I heard they had a mall designed for somewhere in the meridian metroplex, but we’re probably not actually allowed inside. which makes me sad, but also it probably holds no significance on the story. but then again... neither did caustic caverns. hmmmmmmmmm

oh also rhys is holding

whatever the fuck this is

uhhhhhhh... huhhhhh...

tbh i legitimately thought this was their attempt at macgyvering a vault key at first lmao

i know it’s a mission object because it has those glitteries, but... it reminds me a bit of Gortys’s core but i really don’t think that’s it. maybe another Atlas project to try and open a Vault? It just doesn’t look Eridian to me.

then again

this appears to be at the eridian dig site so... maybe it actually is Eridian. Definitely new to me.

some way to get inside the Vault area maybe? I can’t imagine that’s the actual Vault Key, because the one we see in the We Are Mayhem trailer doesn’t match.

you know i’ve been thinking more about vault colors

this one appears pink which... alright. maybe something to do with seraphs/seraph crystals.

The bl1 Vault was blue, the bl2 Vault was purple, the Vault of the Sentinel was... purple? blue? pink? all of the above? ... bisexual? tbqh there was a LOT going on there lol. wasn’t the Vault of the traveler yellow? either way

the big question here is: does each Vault have its own color scheme?

I wonder what that means since the Vault Mey has turned red now... it’s probably leading us to the big boy. the Vault to end all Vaults.

now wouldn’t that be fun

right back to Promethea sorry

final listed area we get is called the Meridian Seaport. Which, if you know me, has got me all like 👀👀👀👀👀👀

water area? why yes PLEASE

i was actually talking to someone on reddit about said ‘seaport’ and it got me wondering if maybe this area is where we’ll find that one car from the Mask of Mayhem trailer.

i can’t imagine what else those wing-like things on the side would be for. but i am definitely not a car person, like the closest i get is being a fan of Transformers, so maybe someone can enlighten me.

I am wondering if this area is the one we see in the instagram trailer with Moze

here

also i know we see water near where we find Zer0 in the demo, but that’s not really a dock area, more just a viewpoint. this has me thinking it’s an actual dock because the buildings are all off in the distance. It reminds me a lot of NYC actually lol

and interestingly enough i write about an assassination mission at a port on Promethea in one of my fanfics, but tbh i wasn’t actually expecting anything like it to be in-game. That was kind of an assumption I made since the area with Zer0 had water and I can’t believe I’m going to have to go back and edit it to be canon-compliant, cause I legitimately didn’t...

anyway.

Should i go over the instagram stuff now? I feel like i should go over the instagram stuff now.

see here is my problem with this

no moon

you’ll understand why once i compile my evidence

no moon

no moon!!

no moon

i even watched both time lapses during the amd stream and there was no hint of the moon (i understand promethea is in a state of perpetual twilight, but i thought maybe it would show up somewhere. it doesn’t. in fact it only shows the sun and this asteroid belt).

where is my moon, randy?

well let me tell you what i’m thinking here so you’re not even more confused

let’s go through that instagram video showcasing Promethea again

you should recognize this!

this is from that one video i reblogged like 4 times because i kept debating whether or not it was on promethea or pandora. now we can assume it’s on promethea but let me ask u something

if promethea doesn’t have a moon...

what the everloving fuck is that?

in fact, let me ask something

what does elpis look like in bl3?

look familiar?

hell yeah it does

now...

is this actually promethea?

I can’t imagine gearbox would be using footage that ISN’T from the planet they’re showcasing in a video about said planet. because that’s naughty. Plus, Rhys is shown giving us something that looks very similar to the tech in that area, and I can’t imagine we’d go through all that trouble just to get that tech then immediately go back to Pandora with whatever it is. whatever happened to the Promethean Vault Key we see in the We Are Mayhem trailer?

so there’s 2 options here if we’re under the assumption that dig site is/was on Promethea.

This dig site was moved from Promethea to Pandora

Elpis was moved from Pandora to Promethea

Now i went over ALL of this in an old post. (seriously, give this a read if you haven't already, i go into this in a lot more detail than i will here). but we kinda got some new information.

My first instinct is that this dig site is on (or moved to) Pandora. just, 100% Pandora. the moon, the spiky rocks in the background, what look like Rakk near the back, there’s no asteroid belt in the sky. etc. etc.

do the blue sparkles have anything to do with it? maybe!

Also again, im not 100% certain this is actually a Vault. It just... doesn’t feel right to me. If this was actually on Pandora the entire time, then we’d have known about it through the Vault Map. We would have gone to open the 3rd Vault on Pandora before bl3 even began. If this really has been on Pandora the whole time, I do believe this isn’t actually a Vault. I go over this in that previous post I’ve made and I’m still standing by it. I think this is just an Eridian ruin and the Vault shape is just a statue or whatever. I could be 100% wrong, but that’s my first instinct if we’re being lead to believe this is on Pandora.

Now I’m curious why this dig site was never mentioned in bl2 if it WAS on Pandora this whole time. And, again, if it actually does end up being a Vault, there’d be a huge plot hole with the whole Vault Map thing if it was on Pandora all along.

So was it moved here? Yeah... probably. For what reason? I... have no idea. How? similar answer. Lily couldnt’ve done it, she doesn’t have her powers anymore. Maybe activating it with whatever Rhys gives us makes it teleport to Pandora. For... reasons.

If it is a Vault, maybe it requires Elpis to open it. for some reason. We know Moon equals Key, so it could play into that. It definitely looks like it’s positioned directly in line with elpis.

but why would a Vault built on Promethea need a moon from a totally different planet to open it?

Because Promethea’s moon was destroyed.

That asteroid belt? I don’t think that’s there just for funsies (okay maybe the artists had funsies but the actual writing? yeah). And that big gun looking thing we see in both concept art and in the trailer? i think that thing fucked up Promethea’s moon to the point it shattered. So they couldn’t open that Vault.

alright, we all cool on this version of the theory?

let’s flip it on its head.

let’s consider:

Elpis was moved from Pandora to Promethea

NOT possible i hear you say

but hear me out.

what’s our reasons for saying this is Pandora?

“the moon, the spiky rocks in the background, what look like Rakk near the back, there’s no asteroid belt in the sky. etc. etc.”

Elpis? teleported! bah!

Spiky rocks? Well! We hear typhon mention a quarry, don’t we? one with brittle rock. This very well could be the quazmarian quarry he talked about where he found that very first Vault (and Vault Key). After all, if he fell into a hole and found it, it makes sense that there would be a shitload of dig teams trying to clear it out for easy access.

Rakk? We see those on Athenas, too, during the Happy Together trailer. Plus, they’re super chubby on the bottoms compared to what we see of the Rakk in the Claptrap Presents Pandora video. Maybe they’re not even Rakk.

Finally. Ah. The asteroid belt.

Well, if you believe that that giant gun could’ve obliterated Promethea’s moon, then is it so hard to turn around and believe that it’s actually obliterated the asteroids surrounding Promethea?

in fact, if we really ARE moving Elpis to Promethea, wouldn’t it make sense that we can’t have asteroids hitting Elpis for fear of worsening the Crackening and breaking our own moon?

In FACT, do we even SEE any asteroids above Promethea in that trailer shot of the bigass gun?

I THINK NOT.

There’s more to this theory, though.

from claptrap presents pandora

from the we are mayhem trailer

yeah, they COULD be celebrating the destruction of Elpis (because i would not be surprised if those are both near the same area)

lets think of something new, though. Elpis being blown up was totally 2015, with Zarpedon. That’s SO last season, Calypsos.

Plus, why would the calypsos even want the moon destroyed? is that not the home of a Vault that would allow them to see the future? how fucking powerful would that be, being able to see the future??? Jack knew what he had to do to win the Pandora games (even if he uhhh didn’t get to see that last bit because of Lilith), so why wouldn’t the Calypsos want to see their own futures?

There is the argument that they’ve already gone to Elpis and didn’t like what the Vault showed them, but I kinda assumed that they’d have gotten the funky eye things like Zarpedon did if they really did see what the Vault showed them. Given that Jack’s was interrupted by Lilith, we don’t really know if that’s truly the case.

I’m 100% down to blow up the moon cause Good Riddance, but also it needs to make sense WHY the calypsos want it blown up other than like shits and giggles? which... fine, but the story..? Elpis has to be important somehow. They have to want it blown up for some reason. A show of power? awesome, maybe they got that giant space gun. Moon = Key, so maybe they think if we can’t get this Vault, nobody can? sure why not. Destroying Pandora? Sure, but why blow up elpis when u could just also blow up pandora?

either way, if the game gives us an actual reason as to why the twins are blowing up the moon, we’re all fine and dandy. if they’re going it just because then yeah, im gonna get kinda testy.

anyway my point IS

The effect around elpis here looks strikingly familiar to the effect that appears around Lilith (and the cultists) when they’re teleported.

so it would be much cooler if, instead of blowing up Elpis, they were actually celebrating its movement.

And it would be very interesting then, if this tied into that Easter Egg we got.

You know the one:

Because yeah im still iffy on the implication that this is from the Calypso twins. Why wouldn’t they want the Vaults opened? isn’t that the grand plan?

maybe this could be from the Eridians or the Guardians on Elpis. If Elpis was teleported from Pandora to Elpis, maybe the translation from Eridian -> English is slightly off, or simplified for the message. (on vs orbiting for example)

Visit Promethea -> Where we are right now, or where we’re going to go. We need you there.

Children of the Vault -> Yes, it could be the CoV cult that’s being referenced, but the way this is broadcasted, through morse code, spoken like an actual cryptic message and not, you know, with that Calypso flair... me thinks the cult simply adopted the name “Children of the Vault”. I think this may either be referencing Sirens, or the Vault Hunters/Crimson Raiders. Maybe the twins picked up this broadcast and that’s why they immediately head to Promethea after they steal Lilith’s powers.

We are not on Pandora anymore -> shit dudes we got yeeted to Promethea, help us. Or... we’ve moved elsewhere. We’re not nearby, we escaped, we fled, come find us on Promethea.

Tannis is not what she seems -> this one... I don’t believe the Calypsos actually know anything about Tannis. If they do, then she was possibly the one to rescue/experiment on them, turning them into artificial Sirens or whatever, but then... isn’t Tannis exactly what she seems? She’s crazy, she totally would experiment on the twins. That is EXACTLY what she seems like.

The people who would know about Tannis not being what she seems... the people who can see the future? The Guardians of the Sentinel’s Vault (maybe just the Guardians/Eridians in general). The Watcher can speak (speak? she uses telepathy, doesn’t she? that’s why Brick asks Lilith what she says) eloquently, I imagine there has to be more than one Watcher-like Guardian. Or this is the Watcher herself sending the message.

Either way, if, later on in the game, Tannis starts showing signs of not being what she seems, then... wouldn’t it make sense that the only characters who knew this were the ones who could see the future? And given the new info, it makes sense that the Guardians/Eridians/yougetthegist would know her by name, because she could be the one who turned herself into an artificial Siren. Or figured out how to create artificial Sirens. Whichever (both?). Which is kinda big news in the Eridian world, I’m sure. Plus, the wording using ‘What’ instead of ‘Who’ is kinda a big pointer. I’m almost leaning towards the idea that Tannis tried to give herself Angel’s phaseshifting abilities. I can’t see Tannis with actual offensive abilities... It wouldn’t really fit her character. But I can 100% see her with mad computer hacking skills, to the point she could ruin anything with a flick of her wrist. Yeah, I can see that.

And I really hope Tannis doesn’t end up being a villain. She could do so much good with her intelligence and newfound powers and tbh it’s really nice seeing a character with autism not treated like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory (the butt of every joke). She feels real to me (as someone with autism)- she’s got her obsession (Eridians/Sirens/the Vaults), her crazy intelligence, the social phobia/unawareness. I really like her as a character (going from betraying us in bl1 to realizing her mistake and immediately trying to help and assisting the Crimson Raiders) and I’d really hate for her to become the villain just for... idk a shock twist? The shock twist should be that she’s a Siren or whatever, not that she’s going to betray us. I like Tannis :( And all the message says is Tannis is Not What She Seems, not that we shouldn’t trust her or that she’s going to betray us.

Do Not Open the Vaults -> well this is the whole thing, isn’t it? this is why I think this message has some sort of Eridian origin, instead of the Calypsos cult. The Calypsos WANT the Vaults open. They want that ‘universe-destroying’ power. They want to absorb the powers of the Vault monsters. Shit, even we Vault Hunters want to open the Vaults for some of that sweet, sweet loot. But who doesn’t want the Vaults opened? The Eridians.

oh yeah we were talking about Promethea. how the fuck did i get here?

oh the moon

yeah it could have just been a shot in the Instagram trailer they used to show off the ‘Eridian alien technology’. that’s not fun to talk about tho lmfao. plus the thingie Rhys holds matches up so well with the cool technology we get

anyway

the instagram trailer. we’re not even like halfway done with this post btw. still gotta do those beautiful screenshots

trailer

sorry it’s like 1am im starting to lose focus im shifting into sleepy mode

i just love the aesthetic of this city.

also. that one building with the 0 on it? you can’t convince me Rhys didn’t give Zer0 their own skyscraper.

oh, you want an entire building to store all your loot and trophy kills? OF COURSE ZER0 ANYTHING FOR YOU

yes....... Eridian log.

im really excited to see it glowing. especially since it’s glowing red, like the Vault Map/key/you know. I hope that has some significance.

i did boost the brightness and noticed it was part of a wall, not just one slab found elsewhere. makes me think this is part of a Temple. maybe part of the dig site below? we know that one is connected to some sort of building. and if it glows red, that’d be a really neat tie in to why Atlas always has that glowing red aesthetic going on in their bases.

still not done talking about this shot. yeah the stuff on the right looks similar to the thing Rhys hands us. NOT why i brought it back up tho. The guardian statues in the back seem very ‘low poly’. VERY different to the guardian statues we have on Pandora. they’re also holding staffs which is new.

compare

these ones also seem much buffer than the guardians we see. with shorter necks, as well.

Maybe these are statues of ACTUAL Eridians? not just Guardians or any other construct (further proof for my theory Pandora was a Guardian production planet lol) but like what Eridians actually look like.

shorter necks, thicker limbs (because why would the constructs NEED muscles?), actual bodies that aren’t thin as twigs. I think we found it boys

this is the ideal Eridian body

no cause, seriously, if they ARE guardians, why are they so BUFF?? i don’t GET IT

also weird this atlas gun isn’t wrist mounted. Atlas sniper confirmarinoed? or just an Old Atlas gun. sure. that too.

Moze on a turret near what i assume is the Meridian Seaport. She has what i think is an Atlas pistol equipped. There’s a dead guy leaning up against some cinder blocks, all cozy-like.

better shot of the area. We talked about this earlier, so moving on!

Okay... so is THIS the New Atlas sniper? it looks like nigel thornberry’s nose

smashing.

we saw this before, too. im actually really excited to look out over the Promethea skyline from the top of a skyscraper. also, idk, rhys’s hand looks like a yaoi hand to me. like his fingers are above the F in strongfork, right? look how far away his thumb is. YEESH.

it’s actually ONLY rhys lol

An Atlas soldier at work! I like that their gear has the crimson lance logo on it. And the new Atlas symbol. I feel like if we have to fight these guys, the crit spot is gonna be that backpack.

maliwan robo!!!

a big boy. one of the flying ones too iirc from the We Are Mayhem trailer.

Atlassss in the back. it’s weird that the second A in Atlas is the logo, not the first one. the first one is a triangle. that’s weird is it supposed to be signalling something else? a triangle with a circle around it. i don’t even know what that might be a logo for. hm.

oh also police bots i guess, but we see these dudes a lot.

im more interested in this thingie in the back. wonder what happened to it/what it is

ratches. blegh.

i hate these things jfc. they’re so gross.

i like that maliwan is just claiming things by throwing their flag up on it. that’s not how this works! that’s not how any of this works!

anyway.

how are those screenshots lookin

pretty good.

im pretty sure i’ve mentioned this before, but i love that they named this part of the city Meridian and then kept the Eridian logo in the spelling. it’s so fuckin dorky to me.

also i know we’re supposed to hate these robos, but at least they’re getting some characterization as enemies. the loaderbots in bl2 do this but not to a degree that they get their own interactions (LB being the exception of course). I like this.

also i love that parts of the city are color coded. like red and blue parts are different areas. It’s such a neat way to help people not get lost (cough, me) and it fits great into the design of the city with the neon lights and bright colors. I noticed this in the gameplay demo as well, tho i don’t remember if it was followed. Also I’m pretty sure that symbol up there

is what the blue area is called. could be wrong. but i think i saw this during the demo as well.

i think this is going to be my favorite area to visit on Promethea, hands down. I love this little living area. It feels so unlike anywhere we’ve visited in previous games, like it feels like somewhere Gaige could be from. Actually, iirc Roland was from Promethea, wasn’t he? Be wild if we visited his house here. Anyway, I’m also excited about the trees. Fucking! Trees!

and cars!!! holy shit yeah on Pandora we only ever saw like light runners or bandit technicals and the occasional bus. all the cars were broken down and stripped for parts! It’s really cool to see actual full cars here.

wow i am excited over the most mundane shit lol

wait till you guys hear about the PARKING LOT

OHHHH YEAH

CROSSWALKS TOO

lol im actually- i just love this area. i love it so much. this is lovely. i love the giant glowing reactor in the background too, i 100% hope we get to interact with that (posssssibly blow it up. maybe just a little.) I can see this area being the area we have to run through to reach the entrance of that thing. I mean, it’s just RIGHT THERE.

Also would not be surprised if this KV fellow is waiting for us there. “Who wants to BANG a billionaire indeed”. He’s totally gonna be a boss fight. BANG i imagine means more shooty shooty than innuendo... innuendo...

it sounded better in my head.

the symbol for the red area possibly on that tower in the back?

I’m like, 60% sure this isn’t the area we explore with Lorelei, so maybe this is the Titan Skyway? also maybe the bridge Moze and Fl4k drop off of in the Happy Together trailer.

hate. i would quote AM here but im tired so just imagine the entire ‘Hate’ quote here because i HATE these things.

there’s also a big skelly in the back, i wonder just how big these fuckin things can grow. hopefully uhhh like a cow died here or smth. cuz fuck man.

this area is also super green and watery so i wonder if this is a sewer or smth. that’d be wild lol

Another shot of the city. It’s so fucking beautiful. I really love how they went all out for this. Opportunity was great, but it wasn’t nice to look at. Promethea is fucking STUNNING. I love this place way too much. Never even been here before.

also i love the fog coming up from the bottom. Maybe this shot is taken from the water? god if we get to go on the water and then it starts fogging up i might actually start crying lol.

this building is my favorite by far i think. I love the way the middle turns in. I have no idea how that’d work like... from an inside standpoint, cause the ground would just be slanted under you but im sure they made it work somehow.

anyway. im gonna go cry myself to sleep over how beautiful this game is. sorry i talked like... WAY too much during this one lol.

also i just thought of this while writing the tl;dr but maybe that item rhys gives us is after all the Promethea stuff is over, even the Vault(s), maybe we need it to activate something in that vault statue area on Pandora and that’s our way to like some important Vault or the Eridian homeworld or smth and we gotta collect all the pieces to activate it. like it’s a teleporter. Maybe Rhys had a piece because that’s what was in the Vault of the Traveller. I mean it would make sense because if you didn’t want someone to have something, you fuckin hide it in a box that’s teleporting across the galaxy at random intervals. That might be our way to the Eridian Homeworld. Now wouldn’t that be neato...

#borderlands #bl3 #borderlands 3 #promethea #wow sorry i just WENT OFF tonight #it's 2am tho so nighty #i did my best #time for sleep

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kvetas · 5 years ago

Text

*✿❀; no regrets verse (allen)

Basically - headcanons about timeskip Allen based off of the novel’s ending, which was basically:

[allen voice] I (17M) sold my soul to a demon (??) that wanted to eat the souls of my found-family and I when we were kids so that I could save my comatose father figure (36?M), who sacrificed himself for us from the demons a long time ago....

So now my father figure is awake but he’s absolutely horrified by my life choices because I ended up merging souls with the demon so he now can completely take over my body anytime he wants.

How do I convince him that it was for the best and I have no regrets and that I’m going to have to eventually Leave society altogether since I lost my humanity?

So Yeah, basically Allen is now an accessible body for one Cheshire Cat.

Though there’s honestly key differences between the Cheshire!Allen from the game ending and the novel Cheshire!Allen.

One such thing is that Allen and Cheshire are implied to have known each other for a while in the novel:

Honestly, I’ve mostly imagined the past eight years of their relationship consisting of Allen attempting to conduct his own research on how to cure the Nightmare Syndrome while Cheshire just occasionally barges in to hang out and also ruin any progress he might have had. Then Cheshire taunts the option to make a pact over Allen’s head despite how obviously shady it is.

Hanging out with Cheshire basically is the equivalent of him coming over your house to drink all your pepsi and call you a bitch.

Basically, it was a war of attrition and Cheshire ended up winning. Allen’s just kinda Done and too full of survivor’s guilt at this point to care too much.

The pact generally includes the following:

For Cheshire, he gains from inhabiting a body he can keep indefinitely instead for a limited amount of time. And considering the kind of person Allen is, taking control of the body is relatively easy for him. That being said, he’ll be able to travel between worlds whenever he pleases for as long as he wants.

For Allen, he’ll be able to utilize Cheshire’s demon powers. Those powers include having access to traveling between worlds (most important!!), teleportation, dream manipulation, body possession, possible shape-shifting? and anything else under his arsenal.

Now, unlike in the Cheshire Cat ending, I feel like Allen would be allowed to have more control with his body. Or at the very least, Cheshire would be willing to give control to Allen.

Reason one being, Allen not being as “empty” as he used to be, with whatever “pesky knowledge” Cheshire claims that adults get so he doesn’t get complete autonomy. If Allen is conscious and is Incredibly against whatever Cheshire is doing, then Allen may have a fighting chance on regaining control. However, his intense survivor’s guilt makes it so that he’s also not completely whole either so. :’)

Reason two being out of circumstances. As it stood, Cheshire doesn’t really have any immediate need to go pig out in an all-you-can-eat buffet like in the ending since... none of the kids are kids anymore. They’ve also had positive character development so it’d make breaking them down more difficult. But... But!! He sure does enjoy bullying Teacher.

So the idea of basically rubbing it in Teacher’s face that all of his efforts of ending the dream and protecting the kids was all useless and led to an arguably worse result appeals to him a lot.

Of course, he didn’t think Allen would even last out this long. For someone who had little to no willpower of his own, he would’ve thought that the kid would’ve caved sooner. So he didn’t really have any plans.

If anything, just doing nothing but being there was already doing just fine. He’s fine with taking his time. And anyway, using Allen’s body has benefits, all things considered. But for now, he’ll basically just bully Teacher behind people’s backs while Allen will try to make everyone happy with his limited time continuing to live as a human left.

Random collection of headcanons!

Cheshire would probably be pretty decent at pretending to be Allen, I’d imagine, since he’s been keeping surveillance over him for a few good years now.

And also because merging souls gave him all the knowledge Allen has anyways.

But he’d usually just let Allen have control if there’s no reason to stick around long enough to act like him - feels too stifling to be a goody two shoes.

Well, at least Allen consequently also learns all the knowledge Cheshire has after merging. So at least he’d actually know HOW to use Cheshire’s demon magic instead of getting duped because Cheshire won’t tell him how to use it.

Allen “I don’t have any regrets” Llewellyn is kinda sorta in-denial about having no regrets. But he wouldn’t go back in time to stop himself from making the pact or actively try to get out of it, since he definitely doesn’t regret being able to stop being helpless and go save Teacher.

You’d think that he would feel loved being surrounded by people who care about him. And unlike Teacher, he’s actually aware of what love is. But. Well. He honestly doesn’t really think he deserves to be loved. :’^) ;;

He can’t satiate his hunger from eating normal food anymore. He can still eat it, but he won’t be any less hungry from doing so. He can only satiate his appetite by eating souls. Thankfully, making a pact with a demon makes it so it wouldn’t be necessary to eat souls for a good long while.

And even then, Allen would personally try to eat stuff like... the souls of livestock animals or bugs, if he must. Not that it’s gonna stop Cheshire if he sees a full-course meal though...

If Cheshire were to make more undercover actions in continuing the Nightmare Syndrome scheme now that he has Allen’s body... well, it’s not like he’s gonna say anything to anyone.

I have no idea if Allen will go to college in this verse, considering how his entire life roadmap got a major change of plans. But I know he’ll still continue his part-time job to help support everyone.

He’d probably be the most common visitor to see at Teacher’s bedside in the hospital, if only because Cliff's a busy doctor.

He’d try to reconnect with Teacher and help him catch up from the past eight years. But like, Cheshire keeps butting in at inopportune times, so Allen usually is confused at why Teacher’s acting so defensive around him.

Considering how Allen’s fashion sense as pretty much deviated from how it used to be, at this point if someone were to ask “Gee Allen, how come you suddenly have cat eyes”, they’d probably believe it at this point if he just said that he thought the new contact lenses he got were neat.

Out of all the kids, only Stella really picks up the fact that Allen’s not really human anymore. But I imagine she probably wouldn’t really interfere unless any immediate danger comes to people in her circle.

His eye colors generally change depending on who’s in control. If they’re completely one color - then that person is fully in control at the moment.

So if they’re both blue eyes, then Allen’s fully present. If they’re both gold eyes, then Cheshire’s fully present.

But most of the time, they’re heterochromia - you can usually tell who has the most influence on the body at that moment with the right eye. (Considering how Cheshire only had his (stolen) right eye before the pact.)

So if the right eye is blue, then it’s Allen who generally has control. If the right eye is gold, then it’s Cheshire that’s currently taking control.

Concerning voices... well, by default, they’ll still be able to keep their own voices. So if Cheshire talks normally while it’s his turn using the body, he’d be using his own voice.

If he wants to talk using Allen’s voice, then he’d just have to use a bit of magic to do so. The same applies with Allen using Cheshire’s voice, though he probably wouldn’t find the need to.

#*( ❀❀;; dreaming alice.. )#*( ✿✿;; headcanon;; dreaming alice. )#*( ✿✿;; headcanon. )#//made this before i replayed the game and/or reread the novel so i'm wheezgign i could be misinterpreting things

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jinjojess · 6 years ago

Note

Oh, All-knowing Jess, hear my call and drive away my doubts: how was received in Japan the datamining of the beta of Pokémon Gold? What do you think about it? Are some Pokémon you like or want in actual games? (Personally, my favourite is that creepy Pinsir, for some reasons it reminds me of the Kaonashi from Spirited Away!)

You know, that’s a good question. I’ve seen some fanart and reactions on Twitter, but I didn’t really follow it much, sorry!

To make it up to you, I will now review all of the betas:

Chikorita!

Yay! I think I’ve made it very clear that I am a big fan of this little plant nugget, so I don’t have much to add really.

10/10

AAAGGGGHHH?!

What the fuck is this thing? How does this relate to Chikorita or Meganium, who are both largely unchanged from their beta designs? Where are the eyes? Like I’m diggin’ the tiny smug face-looking thing at the top of the bulb, but what’s the deal with the huge single eye down below? Where did the legs go? Why does the body shape change so drastically in the in-between stage when both the first and third stages are quadrupeds?!

0/10 would not trade Bayleef for it

Meganium

Whew, okay. Back on familiar ground here. Meganium is likely my least favorite of the Johto starters’ final forms, but I still like my big, dumb boy.

8/10

Tepkon

Awww~!

So unpopular opinion, but for a long time I really disliked cyndaquil’s design. I’ve come around to it these days, but back when GS came out, it really put me off. This thing is absolutely adorable, and though the design isn’t super inspired, I still fucking love it.

7/10 wouldn’t trade cyndaquil for it, but would love to see the design reworked for future games

Chubby quilava

This is like quilava’s cousin who grows up to discover that he’s actually more of a bear than a twink. Really like it–seems very cuddly.

7/10 like quilava better but I support this thicc boi

Kirara

Seriously, this is basically just Kirara from Inuyasha. Not as crazy about this design as its pre-evos, especially since it seems like it’s trying to edge in on arcanine’s floof territory. An okay pokemon, but not a fave.

6/10 would not trade typhlosion for it

Baby Nessie

Totodile was one of those pokemon that I had been low-key hoping for, but I gotta admit that this is one adorable little fucker. Look at its stubby limbs! Its cute snoot! Its pudgy tail!

6/10 would not trade totodile but would love to see in another game

Let me clear my thoat (I hope ya don’t mind)

I am…less enthused about the middle evo. The eyes are cute and the little shy smile is to die for, but the…ballast? on its throat kind of looks like a giant boil and I’m not really here for that.

4/10 no thanks I’ll keep croconaw

Dragonair but with legs

The final evo I like a bit more–it looks like a dragonair that struck up a deal with Ursula the sea witch so that it could pursue its land-dwelling love. Now that the gem isn’t jammed right up under the chin it’s less off-putting, and the kind of fang-looking necklace is a Good Look.

6/10 still prefer feraligatr but GameFreak please dust off this design

Hoot-Hoot’s just really into henna right now

I’ve never been a huge fan of hoot-hoot, and I kind of like the extra markings. I assume they were taken off to make the design less busy as well as giving it a fanned tail, but I think I’d actually prefer this one.

5/10 would replace regular hoot-hoot with this one

It is the night

Okay, here we go! Now this is a cool-looking pokemon that would make training up a damn hoot-hoot worth it. Noctowl is a decent pokemon in the game since it means you get access to psychic moves early in the game, but I’ve always thought the design looked too goofy. I like irl owls a lot and this design really speaks to me.

8/10 go back in time and give teenage me this bird instead

Mareep

There’s not a ton to say here other than they lightened up mareep’s fleshy bits in the final release, and I like mareep quite a bit so there we go. Instead, I want to draw attention to this disaster of a backsprite. What am I even looking at? A giant ball of cotton candy that rolled through a bunch of broken candy canes?

9/10 I mean I like mareep, but I gotta take off a point for that awful backsprite

Flaaffy

Flaaffs seems largely unchanged. I’m pretty partial to this boi as well, especially since I had one following me for a bit in my Japanese Soul Silver game.

8/10 I like flaaffy, but fuck that name spelling

Ampharos

One of my fave Gen 2 pokemon! Doesn’t seem to have much different about it, though I did always question where the delightful floof went. I mean we get it back in the mega evolution but still. What was that about, GameFreak?

9/10 docked a point for lack of floof

Mikon

So this is clearly a pre-evo idea for vulpix, and it’s pretty damn cute. I love that with the addition of this member to the family, it’s confirmed that the line increases its number of tails by 3 every time it evolves. I like this, but I’m not entirely sold on it. The face lacks some detail and I feel like the design isn’t different enough from vulpix to really feel necessary.

7/10 it’s cute but I don’t think vulpix needs a pre-evo

Mahou Shoujo Green

This tangela pre-evo is pretty cute, though the body underneath kind of reminds me a bit too much of oddish. I mean maybe it’d be cool to look at the oddish line and the tangela line and see how two related species had off-shoots, but I am not really the biggest fan of baby pokemon as an institution so these will all be a hard sell for me, sorry.

6/10 again, cute but unecessary

Tangrowth as imagined by CalArts

I loved tangela a lot back in the day, and tangrowth is a really interesting pokemon as well…however this one has a little bow and ringlet hair so like, no contest, really.

9/10 this should be an alternate evo option for tangela (perhaps for females?)

i could be your angle or yuor devil

So this one is kinda cool in concept. It’s clearly drawing influence from Japanese kites, and the scary face might be an evolutionary feature designed to scare off predators…that or it’s a flying/ghost or flying/dark type and the angel imagery is the ruse. Either way I fucking love this thing.

10/10 I want this concept revisited

Qwilfish

I like qwilfish a lot! It’s got cool typing, it can perform decently on a rain team, and it’s based on a pufferfish. It’s definitely an underdog in the wider world, but not in my heart.

10/10

The Fish Who Lived

I have…reservations about this evolution though. As cool as it would be to have a qwilfish evolution, this just isn’t doing it for me. It’s kinda cool that it’s shaped like a naval mine, and the Harry Potter scar is pretty cute, but I can get over the dead-eyed stare.

4/10 yeah no I think I’m happy to wait for better evo ideas to come along

Pichu

Pichu’s cute enough I guess but I’ve never liked it as much as pikachu and sure as hell not as much as my boy raichu. However if the baby version was this roly poly cutie, I think I’d be more into it. This style of pre-evo harkens back to the good ol’ days of fat pikachu, and therefore I must doff my cap to it.

8/10 with a bit of polishing I would take this over pichu for sure

Cleffa

Okay, so of the baby pokemon, of which I am generally not fond, cleffa is by far my favorite because of how cute it is. This is also extremely cute. I like picturing the trainer being able to just grab the thing by the little knob on its head if it’s heading toward danger. Plus that tail nub is so cute! I don’t know that I could choose between this version and the actual cleffa.

9/10 would be a 10 but Nate once said “what if cleffa’s hands were its nipples?” and now I can’t unsee it

Igglybuff

Iggly has always reminded me of the Powerpuff Girls, but this beta version is so…delightfully round. God, it’s like hypnotizing how round it is. You wouldn’t have to show this from above to trick someone in a silhouette quiz. The tiny, wide-set eyes are also both piercing and kind of unassuming, which I can’t decide is cute or terrifying.

8/10 think I’d swap this guy in for the existing igglybuff

Quagsire!

I freaking LOVE quagsire. It’s so derpy, I love water/ground types, and just everything about it is cute and makes me want to hug it. The only problem with it in this beta is that there’s no wooper.

10/10 bring wooper with you bro

Natu

I’ve always thought natu was cute and really neat in concept, but I’ve never actually sat down and trained one. This sprite isn’t too different from its final one, but it is missing the color scheme, which is one of the reasons I like it.

6/10 stop being so washed out!

Xatu

Also largely unchanged from its final design, though I do prefer the Silver sprite where its wings are spread. (And I’m sorry about this, but some of the pictures will have bits of other sprites in them, since it was hard cutting these all down in Paint with a trackpad.)

7/10 very unique

Prince(ss) of the sea

Is this a pre-evo of goldeen and seaking, and I can see why it was cut. Who thought either of those would be popular enough to warrant a baby form?

2/10 fuck yeah was a meme guys, it wasn’t sincere

Marill

Marill’s okay. I think it’s fairly cute, and the design they went with using smaller ears and non-clown feet is better imo. Plus this is really minor but it’s bothering me that despite the codename “pikablu” this sprite is pink.

6/10 solid cute pokemon, but the final design is better

Finding Flounder

So I’m a big fan of lanturn because of its digimon-esque eyes and its cool typing. Chinchou I’m…eh on. This cutie though, I could get used to this.

8/10 cute eyes are better than terrifying cross eyes I’m sorry

Clanker’s Cavern

As I just said, I like lanturn a lot. However, this is a shark with an anchor attached. That’s like if you left dhelmise and sharpedo at the day care on the same day an enemy team spilled plutonium all over the yard. It’s so stupid! I love this thing so damn much.

8/10 it’s way too similar to other existing pokemon, but I still kind of want it anyway

Homsar

This thing kind of scares me. The gaping mouth, the wide eyes, and the fact that it clearly would inhabit deep parts of the ocean all make me want to nope out. That said though, I respect it.

6/10 glad they came back to this idea with elektross

Crobat

If you’ve ever battled me in one of our local or online tournaments, you will know that I have a soft spot for crobat. I think golbat’s design is kind of terrible, zubat is simplistic yet kinda cute, and crobat gets to be both cute/cool and also not suck completely in battle (see what I did there?). This design seems mostly unchanged.

8/10 a very good bro

Most likely to drive an airbrushed van

This paras pre-evo looks like it’s inspired by a lovely whimsical creature from Wonderland or Fantasia. I kind of like having a pre-evo to show that at the start the sinister mushrooms allow the baby para to call the shots, biding its time until takes over the entire nervous system as a parasect. Really not feeling the face, though.

5/10 cute, interesting idea, but I don’t know if I want to add more baby pokemon to the mix

Spinarak

I have some mild arachnophobia, but I actually rather like spinarak since it’s so adorable. This version is a little more true to life and not as adorable. Also wtf GameFreak stop giving your arachnids six legs!

5/10 very much prefer the final design but kinda reminds me of the little jumpy bois I catch and release from inside my apartment sometimes

Ariados

Again with the six legs thing. Ugh. Anyway, this beta version of ariados is actually much cuter than the one we ended up getting in the final game. I’m pretty lukewarm on ariados in general (my spider boi of choice is the far superior galvantula), but look at this thing’s face! Look at the face on its body! It’s cute even when it’s trying to be scary!

6/10 why did we not get this adorable boi?!

Skarmory

It’s skarmory. That’s it. A pokemon that I like in theory but have never been super into his design.

5/10 respectably cool but not my cup of tea

Alphonse Elric’s head in chibi form, screaming as his body melts

Here it is. My favorite of all of the beta sprites. This thing is so fucking wonderful in part because I have literally no idea what the hell it’s supposed to be. What is this?! What type is it supposed to be? What is it based on? Is it a pre-evo of an existing mon? Why is its mouth parted in an eternal screech? These questions do not necessarily have answers, and I am a sucker for mystery.

10/10 GameFreak please bring this idea to life just so that I can get closure

Mine! Mine!

So I see what they were going for. It’s a baby form of doduo, with three baby bird heads and a big puff of feathers to make it look like a brood peeking out of a nest. I respect the idea, I do. Too bad it also conjures up images in my head of rat kings and other fused abominations.

5/10 a good idea that didn’t pan out so well

[Obligatory Undertale Reference]

Sunflora would actually probably be more intimidating if it had an evolution rather than a pre-evo, though. I’m no big fan of sunflora, but I gotta say that this sprite is way better than the one we ended up getting.

6/10 replace existing sunflora with this bullet seed-spewing former skiddo

The Littlest Babaar

I’ve never really been into elephants as a species. Like they’re cool, but they’re pretty middle of the pack for me in terms of my animal preferences. As a result, I always found donphan kind of disappointing. However, I do like phanpy quite a bit, if only for the fact that it’s goddamn adorable. This sprite is a bit plain, but does bring the cuteness.

6/10 prefer the final design but this one ain’t bad at all

Donphan

The Don hasn’t changed much at all as far as I can tell. I’ve never trained one in Gen 2, so is its backsprite really just its trunk? If so, hilarious.

5/10 congrats! you exist!

That’s the statement of the grave mint, Doublemint

I can’t decide if this was intended to be a pre-evo for ghastly or if it’s supposed to be a new ghost type (perhaps later replaced by misdreavus?). Either way it’s an interesting concept, and I can imagine the pokedex entry now: “Born from the souls of fetuses who were eaten in-utero by their siblings. Since they feel they were destined to be twins, they find each other shortly after death and fuse together so that they’ll never be alone again.”

7/10 not the most original design but damn we had a shortage of ghost types back in the day

Girafarig

Girafarig is one of those pokemon that I always wanted to be more competitively viable because I think it has a unique design and could fill a cool niche. I like that the final design has the tail as an evolutionary measure and that there’s a smaller brain in it, just like some real life creatures. That said, we really missed out on getting a face full of evil uniraffe in the backsprite. Man, this is a real tough choice.

7/10 let’s keep girafarig as is and try out this concept on a different mon

Smeargle

This version of him seems a bit more…simian than his final, kinda canine design. Not sure if I dig it. Also, have you noticed that Gen 2 felt obligated to have a ditto/mew type mon that could mimic all the other mons? I feel like this concept gets revisited every so often and GameFreak thinks we’re none the wiser.

5/10 flesh beret just isn’t okay

Coin Kitty

So I know I said I’m against baby pokemon on principle, but the fact that this thing never saw the light of day upsets me so much. It’s so. fucking. CUTE.

10/10 go back in time and replace skitty with this

Betty Boop’s best friend

I get the feeling that this dark type cat got recycled into the purrloin line, but this one is way cooler imo. It references the old adage of “belling the cat” and I think that this pokemon line could have had some really cool sound-based signature moves (sorta similar to the whismur or jangmo-o lines).

9/10 not feeling the bipedal thing, but still a really neat concept I’d like to see

Luna

Again, I love the idea of a pokemon based on a fable. I can see why this particular design didn’t get used, given how simple it is and how closely it resembles umbreon if you just glance at it, but I’d love to see this revisited.

7/10 spruce up the design a bit and get back to me

Politoed’s wild ride

So when I first met politoed I felt he was a bit too…cutesy? Like the rosy cheeks were a bit much. This guy feels a bit more like he belongs in the poliwag line, though he doesn’t look like he’d be as bouncy.

6/10 might replace existing politoed design, might not

Slowking

Though I prefer slowbro as my yadon evo of choice, slowking is pretty awesome in his own right. Not a big fan of the clown ruffle, but honestly it’s kind of a minor setback all things considered.

7/10 remember how he could randomly talk in the 2nd pokemon movie? That was fucked up.

Unknown

All of these cool, unsued beta designs, and this one gets to stay in?

1/10 don’t talk to me right now, GameFreak

Ledyba

It’s ledyba. One of the bug types I’m actually not really all that into. Pretty sure this is the sprite actually used in Gold.

4/10 fine just not for me

I see you

Ledian’s deal as a superhero is kinda cool, even if I don’t particularly care for the actual design. And I gotta say, it’s preferable to the ever-watching eyes of this thing. Those stars aren’t natural; they’re tattoos for each trainer its killed.

3/10 I feel like I need to go lie down

My Little Shetland Pony

Clearly this is intended to be a ponyta baby form, and while I commend the idea of a foal version (or maybe a Shetland or something?), you may notice that there is very, very little to set this pre-evo apart from ponyta. Like it and and rapidash aren’t exactly the most daring design-wise, so stripping it to the essentials doesn’t really work.

5/10 this is cute as all hell but it has no reason to exist

Espeon

Though I get shit all the time for liking espeon the least out of all the eeveelutions, I do still think the design is neat, and the fact that it draws from the nekomata myth is fascinating. Backsprite is a bit janky in the hips department–yet another unrealistic beauty standard, amirite ladies?

7/10 I personally don’t think there are any bad eeveelutions

Umbreon!

My absolute favorite Gen 2 pokemon! Not many changes between this and the final design, though I will say that this one looks a lot more terrifying–the hole eyes are worse than the red ones somehow. Still, love.

10/10 listen this is my personal rating

Alolan Shellder

This one is so fascinating to me. It’s obviously the chompy boi from slowbro and slowking, which in the pokedex is referred to as a shellder, but perhaps this is a unique evolution that only happens when it disconnects from the slowpoke? I am really upset this wasn’t actually used in the game, because getting to have this thing on the same team as slowpoke, slowbro, and slowking would have been like when Banjo-Tooie introduced the mechanic that let Banjo and Kazooie split up.

10/10 give me, dammit!

Garbage Pail Kid

Again with the baby form for a line that already is known for extremely simple designs. Grimer and muk are literally just piles of slime of differing sizes. (Shut up, Alolan forms weren’t a thing til later.) So basically this baby form is fucking adorable, and I’m loving the thing that could be a nose but I’m choosing to interpret as a mouth with a single tooth. It’s just that…who needs this?

7/10 cute, but not necessary by any stretch of imagination

Are ya feelin’ lucky, punk?

Okay, so this beta is a) way cooler than remoraid ended up being, and b) makes the evolution line make SO MUCH more sense. I can definitely see why it was changed, especially since censor-happy America was a legit market by that point. And I guess the revolver barrel part of the design still persisted in Gen 2, but still.

5/10 booo censorship!

TANK!

Octillary’s name also makes way more sense with the original tank design. I mean I can kinda see why this changed, but like…Digimon was over there with a creature in the anime just literally called Tankmon who shoots shells at elementary schoolers so I don’t fucking know.

7/10 I like octillary as is, but this is a much more interesting design

WWE fan

Okay so real talk, I am not the biggest fan of tyrogue’s design, but what was even going on here? What’s with the frog hat? Is it a safety helmet? The general hitmonlee body shape combined with the baby boxing gloves for hitmonchan was pretty cool, but this is not something I’d look at and think “Yes, this will grow up to be a humonoid fighting type.”

5/10 it’s…cute? I guess I just don’t see what’s going on here really

shaga;lsdkfhahdgajspd[f

NO. JUST NO. THERE ARE TOO MANY THINGS HAPPENING HERE, TOO MANY LIMBS, TOO MANY EYES, JUST NO. HITMONTOP ENDED UP BEING SILLY BUT AT LEAST IT WASN’T THIS MANGLED BODY HORROR NONSENSE.

0/10 for reminding me of claydol and my own mortality

Pupper

This is going to come as a surprise, but I’m glad they didn’t introduce a baby form of growlithe. The growlithe and arcanine line includes 2 of my top 3 pokemon ever and as cute as this is I don’t think it would fit aesthetically. It looks like a spaniel that doesn’t match the shisa vibe of the growlithe line. That said, I would love to see it as a first form for a different line of perhaps…ground type doggos?

9/10 please give us some floppy ear dog designs, GameFreak! new doggos!

Like, nya

I do think the hoppip line (except for the last evo) is pretty cute, and this one reminds me a bit of an in-training digimon so I’m liking it. That said, I think the designs we got were better.

6/10 cute but like existing hoppip

Gardnyar

Again, prefer Skiploom.

5/10 not a fan of the flower for some reason

Nyancat theme plays in the distance

So I like this better than jumpluff personally, even if the other is probably a more unique design.

5/10 jumpluff’s limbs bother me, but lbr I was never going to train one anyway

New this Easter

Mr. Mime, I think we can all agree, is an unsettling design. That’s its whole appeal, really. Mime Jr. is cute enough I guess, but this is a tiny clown egg that looks like it’s learning to ice skate for the first time!

6/10 get your derpy clown nose out of here, Mime Jr.

Agatha’s apprentice

Smoochum is…well, she is. She’s kinda cute, and I think I prefer the finished design to this one since it looks way too similar to grown up jynx. Plus it raises some uncomfortable questions about it being born with ganguro make-up and hair (in a style that looks like E4 Agatha’s for some reason). This smoochum looks like it’d be taken out to sit alone at the bar in the club while wearing booty shorts that read “Mama’s Lil’ Bitch” across the back.

4/10 this makes me uncomfortable, and the hair is too close to Agatha’s

Which way to the Chao Garden?

Elekid is one of few baby pokemon I like, but hot damn this thing is adorable. It looks like a tiny, wingless bee with a halo.

7/10 can this be recycled as something else?

Bart Simpson

Really what keeps me from fully embracing the magmar line is largely the fact that they all have butts on their heads. These spikes are way more appealing to me, and so I would have loved having this one in the game.

8/10 is it still too late to redesign magby?

Bellossom

Not too many changes from the beta. I am digging the shoujo sparkles going on around her, haha.

6/10 not a big bellossom fan but a well-design pokemon nonetheless

Audrey III

Nope, I don’t like this, no sir. Where would this even go in the evo line? Is it supposed to be an alternative to victreebel? Cause this isn’t much better, guys.

1/10 I will give it one point since it looks like it could cut a rug on the dance floor

Miltank

A good, solid pokemon I’m pretty fond of (once I got over my salt from the Whitney battle). I like her as a female counterpart to tauros. Nothing too astounding but still fun and cute.

8/10

Fire Seal

I feel like there’s folklore here, but my tired brain isn’t coming up with anything at the moment, sadly. Not a really detailed design but those tend to be more my favorites anyway. Trying to figure out what this was replaced by in the final game but I’m having a tough time figuring it out.

7/10 we have a lot of seals, but this is the only FIRE seal

Delibird

I see we chose the path with more subtlety in the end.

4/10 not really a big fan of delibird

Hanshin Hopeful

Okay, I know I said earlier that the screaming pile of goo was my favorite, but this line is also my favorite out of these beta designs. This one upsets me because this would have been such a great cultural addition! Osaka (represented by Goldinrod City in the games) has a baseball team called the Hanshin Tigers, which everyone in the area is a fervent fan of. Not only is this unbearably cute, it could have been hanging out in like a little baseball stadium area or something in or around Goldinrod.

10/10 how could you leave this out?!

Nandeyanen!!

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Why did I not get this?! The Akihabara of Osaka is even called “DenDen Town” (Electric Town)!

10/10 we’ve missed our chance and now amends cannot be made

Talk to the wing

Is this supposed to be a farfetch’d evolution?! It doesn’t make a ton of sense aside from the waterfowl connection, but like…how pissed would you be if you were farfetch’d? This is kinda cool. I’m not super into swans or anything, but the masquerade/crime fighter mask is a neat detail.

5/10 I could see this being used interestingly, even if I’d probably not use it

Hitori Kakurenbou

I love this concept. Look at this! I know it was basically recycled for shuppet’s line, but this is so much more hardcore. Now this is a pokemon that can use curse appropriately.

10/10 personally like this one better than shuppet, if I’m being honest

Hsien-ko

This is the most Chinese pokemon since arcanine, oh my god. It’s a panda jiangshi. A panda jiangshi! Imagine it hopping after you adorably, ready to leech life you to death.

9/10 it’s not as cute as the pre-evolution, but still–panda jiangshi!!!

Murkrow

Not a lot of changes going on here either, aside from the more obvious witch’s hat design. Unsure if I like this one better or regular murkrow.

7/10 good flappy friend

*uncomfortable cough*

Blissey’s design is a bit too busy and frilly for my tastes, but it’s certainly a lot more acceptable than this. I get what they were going for: a heart on top of its head to represent healing and whatnot, but it just came out so…so yonic in nature that I have to wonder about the person responsible for this design.

1/10 not entirely awful but good lord

Scisor

Here’s the boi, only this time with eyes on his little crab claws! It’s cute but later got used for hydregion instead, and I dunno, I kind of prefer scisor as is. Still think scyther looks cooler, but a good strudy boi.

6/10 for the puppet shows it could give to entertain all the baby forms on this sprite sheet

Pinsir Noh Pinching

Here’s your fave, anon! You’re right that it seems to have a blank Noh-like mask on its face, as if a huge pinching bug wasn’t terrifying enough for you. That said, I kind of like the really creepy vibe, and poor pinsir got left in the dirt by his rival scyther once Gen 2 hit and gave scyther an evolution but nothing for his clampy comrade.

6/10 we could still get a pinsir evolution, guys

Houndour!

As you might expect of me, the houndour line is a close second to umbreon for Jess’s Favorite Gen 2 Pokemon. It combines two types I love, fire and dark, into this edgy but adorable package–what could I not love about it? This design is actually even better than the final one, because look at that sick-ass spine highlighting the ribs that got left in!

10/10 you cannot half ass edge; that misses the point

Houndoom!

Houndoom, meanwhile, looks pretty much as I remember him in Gold. And there’s nothing wrong with that–his design is fucking amazing. Man, kids, back in the metagame in Gen 2, houndoom was firmly in the top tier. Ah, I remember those days…

10/10 like a shark, houndoom has passed through decades without major tinkering to its evolutionary design

Baby yeti

Long before froslass burst onto the scene, this little bundle of deceptively charming horror could have been the first ice/ghost type. Yes, yes, it’s very adorable upon initial inspection, but once you look a bit deeper, you notice that the pokemon itself is actually black as night, with two piercing Jawa eyes, and the happy fur coat is another creature that’s been skinned and put on like a hoodie. Amazing.

10/10 I’ll take four

Wampa

I started on Star Wars references in the last entry and I gotta keep it going. Anyway, the evolution of tiny, arctic Buffalo Bill up there is even more fearsome, with claws and pupils! It’s even somehow found a way to make its fur covering evolve with it, having it sprout huge fangs (yeah I know, adults probably hunt larger creatures for clothing, but let me have this).

10/10 this so should have been a thing

Pon de Lion

I wonder if perhaps this design was meant to be an alternate form or evolution of porygon, or if this was an entirely different species based on toys (presumably to pad out the number of steel types). It’s an interesting idea, certainly, but I 100% get why this design got scrapped–it was a lawsuit from Mr. Donut waiting to happen.

Ugh

Did you know that horses produce 10 gallons of saliva a day? I now do thanks to Nate quizzing us over vacation last weekend to see if we could tell the difference between real animals and pokemon based on factoids. Now, lickilicky was not a new evolution I embraced with open arms, but man, it could have been so much worse.

2/10 I can’t say there’s no appeal (that mustache is great) but it just looks slimy and no thanks

Steelix

It’s steelix, unchanged from this beta to the final game.

7/10 I just think it’s neat

Sunken Master

I would like kingdra so, so much more if this is what it looked like.

9/10 this is goddamn cool and no one can convince me otherwise

Shadow the Edgedog

I’m not gonna lie, I fucking love this stupid design. It’s an electric dog with super sayain hair.

10/10 fuck you, I do what I want

Oscar Myer

Do I find this design cute? Yes. Do I personally like it more than entei’s? Yes. Do I think it’s a better design than entei? No. It’s a bit too plain to really give off that legendary feel, but for me? I’d totally take this in a game. Also at least the last two have actually looked like dogs. The Legendary “Dogs” we got were a tiger, a lion/bear hybrid, and whatever the hell suicune is supposed to be.

8/10 I am a simple woman with simple needs

Jen Kira

I see people likening this design to Nina Tucker, but I actually don’t see that. It looks more to me like a special edition My Little Pony toy from the 80s released to promote The Dark Crystal. I dig it, even if it’s my least favorite of the three OG doggos.

8/10 if only some of the pizzazz of this design was afforded to fiery boi up there and we’d be onto something

Rook

This weasel/otter type thing is really cute, and perhaps was a concept idea for what later became sentret? I’d say I would want to see it again, but I kind of get the feeling we already did get the concept revived in the mienfoo line.

6/10 glad we got to see this one again

Ho-oh

Doesn’t seem too different from the sprite in the final game, and still a good design. That said though, I’m noticing that there’s no lugia in these beta sprites. What the fuck is that?!

7/10 got bros over this ho(-oh)

Togepi

This little bugger was introduced so early in the anime that I’m not surprised that its design was firmed up by the time the demo came out. Togepi’s okay I guess, but again I don’t really tend to like baby pokemon and I got kind of over-exposed to it in the anime.

6/10 cute but not a fave

Snubble

SNUB PARTY!! Snubs has the dubious honor of being the only dog pokemon I actively dislike. I like granbull so I can put up with it temporarily to get it to evolve, but this does a lot of things on my Dislike Checklist: aggressively pink, check; clown ruffle, check; appears to be wearing a dress, check.

4/10 not a fan

Boscoe

This early version of aipom looks like Marsupilami if it had been created by the Fleischer brothers. Something about this design just isn’t Right, but I can’t put my finger on it. I think it’s the 1930s American animation style face combined with walking on all fours? Either way it creeps me out.

3/10 though aipom is a very middle-of-the-road pokemon for me, it’s a helluva lot better than this abomination

Leafeon Prime

If you had asked us kid pokemon fans back in the days of Gen I what pokemon we’d most like to see in the future, I imagine “grass type eeveelution” was near the top for many of them. It just made sense–you had the leaf stone just sitting around, not reacting to your eevee, and it was so blatantly conspicuous. I had my own grass type eeveelution design I’d made called “Thorneon”, the design of which I might share at some point, and I was far from the only one.

So yeah, I’d have appreciated this a LOT in Gen 2. I was disappointed it wasn’t introduced in Gen 2. However, promises of a grass type eeveelution in Gen 4 got me to finally pull the trigger on getting a DS to play Diamond and Pearl, and that turned out to be an execellent decision. So maybe it was better that they kept this idea incubating for a bit longer.

10/10 I like leafeon and I also like this design–particularly like the vine bits that look like scars

And so there you have it! All 100 beta sprites reveiwed by yours truly.

Hope it was worth the wait, anon!

#ask #anon #pokemon #gs beta #long post #opinions

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space-lions-and-imagines · 7 years ago

Text

A Very Merry Voltron Valentine’s ft. Pidge

Alternate title: Lance is a little instigating shit and pidge is a huge sappy nerd

A/N this was done with literally no editing or beta so mistakes be damned! Take my trash and do what you will with it lol

~1900 words

“There is no capitalism in space Lance,” Pidge said with a roll of her eyes as she tried to find the perfect ratio of alien ingredients to make the brown sludge in her cup taste like coffee. “And even if we were on Earth I would still try to fight the good fight against corporate schemes that disguise themselves as holidays. Its evil to try and trademark love,” she said pushing herself onto the counter and taking a long sip. Still terrible but if it was giving her at least some sort of buzz so worth it for the time being.

Nothing, however, was worth seeing that horrible ‘I know something you don’t know’ look that Lance wore so proudly. Pidge frowned, tapping her fingers against the ceramic mug trying her hardest to not ask. Asking would mean giving in and admitting she was curious in whatever gossip he had. Even if she was dying to know why he even brought up the subject of Valentine’s Day she didn’t want to feed into his teenage soap opera ways. Lucky for her though he wasn’t very good at keeping things to himself.

“That is very noble. I’m sure you must have been very popular amongst all your tech nerd buddies who also never had dates. But things are different now pidge! You do have a date and maybe they don’t share the same fight the system inclinations you do,” Lance said with what he must have thought was a very casual wave of his hand as he leaned on the counter opposite Pidge “But if you don’t care that s/o got you something well then that’s none of my business,” he continued looking down to pick at his nails.

Pidge’s first thought was that with the right forward momentum she could easily knock Lance to the floor and force him to tell everything he knew about the gift. Of course that’s probably what he wanted judging by his eyebrows lost somewhere in his hairline and toothy smile. So instead she cleared her throat and said “I have to go. Right now. Immediately. And you still can’t pressure me into this …. No matter what may happen in the future know that you had nothing to do with it!” as she ran out of the kitchen.

Pidge’s time off was supposed to be spent working on some personal projects, mostly working on some of her language courses before the castle started beeping at her and projecting holographic reminders in her room. Now she was desperately trying to figure out exactly what romance was even supposed to be. She had visions of hearts and fat babies with bows dancing around her head as she tried to remember what Valentines was like back home. She groaned, pulling at her hair and slumping onto her bed. “Sure Pidge you’re suuuuuuch a genius. Alien tech, no problem. Giant lion weapon system, no problem. Get your date mate a nice present and suddenly I’m as intelligent as a snail. Ugh no … that’s an insult to snails!” she mumbled grabbing a pillow to scream into.

She did nothing but simmer like that for a long time, the wheels turning and turning in her head to the point she was sure there was smoke coming out of her ears. Then suddenly she sat up right, the fire moving from her brain to her eyes. “I’ve been looking at this all wrong. I can’t figure this out the way Lance would. I have to solve it my way. Besides my way is going to end up being much more efficient and not only help myself but all other romantically troubled people to come!” she announced to her audience of scattered tools and crushed energy drink cans before setting to her new task: finding the scientific solution to the perfect Valentine’s Day.

It was at best a show of her dedication to s/o but at its worst, and somewhere a little closer to the truth, it looked like a conspiracy theorist wall. Pictures and words taped to the wall with multicolored string creating a makeshift obstacle course. Several people had tried to come check on her only to look at the mess, decide it wasn't their problem and walk right back out. Even s/o had been warned about Pidge’s strange project and hadn’t been around except to leave snacks and the occasional ‘remember to drink lots of water!’ note. At long, long last though she was certain that she had the key. A fool proof plan she had gotten all of the details perfected at three o’clock in the morning.

Well almost perfect, she had neglected one detail in her pursuit of scientifically backed romance; she had absolutely no idea where to get any of it. They were currently trying to lay low which meant there was no guarantee of the next time they would be going off ship. The only option she had was to work with what was around the castle … it was going to be a long day.

~*~

Pidge had looked rough before, forgetting to sleep for a couple days could do that but it was nothing compared to how she looked and felt now. It seemed like it was just disaster after another, she tried to not think of it as a metaphor for her life. First it was the flowers, a classic and what she assumed would be the easiest considering Allura had a greenhouse tucked away in the upper stories of the castle. Pidge had found the most appealing colors and shapes, trying to match those she knew from Earth, to create the ultimate bouquet. It was going great until she broke into a rainbow of rashes in some equally as colorful places on her body. That dream was quickly squashed.

Pidge thought that at least she could have a nice dinner and some chocolates to give to s/o, Hunk was a sap for that mushy kind of stuff. Heck he had been making everything heart shaped for month in preparation for the big day! Yet Pidge had all but been laughed out when she brought her requested menu. “Dude I would love to help you and I can do what I can buuuuut this is not Earth. I don’t have anything that’s even close to, what was it you wanted steak? Really, steak? And truffles? Oh man I wish I had access to some chocolate! It’s a nice thought but the best I can do is like a trio of space goo,” Hunk said before Pidge kicked that damned goo machine and left.

The rest of her tasks when just about the same. The closest thing to a stuffed animal she found was the training robots. The shiniest thing she could find to try and make jewelry was scraps of galra tech which just seemed ominous. She had managed to blow up something resembling a balloon but discovered whatever gas she used was very unstable finally leaving her empty handed and half an eyebrow short.

She trudged back to her room late into the night, worse for the ware and completely down in spirits. “This is what I get for turning my back on my morals, karma apparently works over time in space,” she snorted as she belly flopped onto the bed wondering if she suffocated in the sheets if she would be allowed out of the Valentine’s celebrations that she was sure Lance had planned for later the next day. She was perfectly willing to wallow in her own sadness until she was dragged out to see what amazing thing s/o had gotten her when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Her heart fluttered, knowing who it had to be but almost hoping that it wasn’t. The soft footsteps could only belong to one person and despite the fact nothing was going right Pidge was happy to hear them. After all the trouble and disappointment they were the only person she could think of that she would want to be around. Even if she had nothing to give in return. “Hey there stranger, I didn’t realize we had someone new living in the castle. I have heard a ghost has been roaming as of late though,” they teased as they sat on the edge of the bed with legs crisscrossed. “I did try ghost hunting but haven’t had much luck …. Ya know I missed you Pidge,” they added with quiet sincerity.

It wasn’t posed as a question or even with the air of sad guilt for which Pidge was eternally grateful. It was something she appreciated with their relationship; there was never any need to explain her weird habits until she was ready to talk. “Im a weirdo who doesn’t deserve your patience but I will selfishly accept it,” Pidge said slumping and twisting around until her head was resting in their lap, her arms hugging their waist. “But good news is ghostbusters have stopped by and eliminated all ghosts. I’m back to being my usual annoying goblin of a person,” she said grinning up at them.

“Mmm you are definitely more of a troll but whatever you decide to be, as long as you’re mine again, I’m happy~” they cooed down at her, rubbing her arm and bending down to kiss the top of her head. Pidge gave a content sigh and wanted to bury herself in this moment, get lost in the warmth and serenity of being reunited with them. “Aaaaaaan because you’re mine I kinda got you something. Lance has been on my case about Valentine’s Day, which I personally think is a sort of emotional cop out but I couldn’t resist a chance at arts and crafts,” they grinned, gently scooching Pidge over to reach for something in their pocket.

Pidge expected to be a nervous wreck, feeling so low that she would want to puke but she instead found herself actually anxious to see what it was. The earlier disdain of not being able to make a perfect gift a shadow in the back of her mind, almost laughable in that moment. She held out her hand to accept what she now saw was a card, pushing herself up to get a better view of what it said. On the front there was a cartoonish picture of a galaxy, stars and planets dotting the shimmery blue paper, and bubble letters that read ‘Are you stuck in space Valentine?’ then opened up to a very crude sketch of what was undeniably a butt surrounded by all capital letters in harsh red print ‘BECAUSE THAT ASS IS OUT OF THIS WORLD.’

There was silence for a minute, while s/o sat biting their lip, opening their mouth stuttering about how they weren’t a great artist and that she didn’t have to like it she just thought the joke was funny but they could totally forget the whole thing. Only shutting up when Pidge crashed her lips against their own, laughing into the kiss so hard they seemed to be vibrating against each other, tears wetting their cheeks before they pulled away gasping for air while the last fit of giggles left their systems.

“This is perfect. You’re perfect,” Pidge said, arms wrapped around s/o’s neck with her forehead resting against theirs. They giggled again and kissed the tip of her nose “Only cause I have someone to be perfect for,” they replied with another smile which Pidge happily returned. Again she didn’t deserve someone this amazing but she wouldn’t want anything else.

#pidge #pidge x reader #voltron x reader #pidge fanfic #im not super happy with the middle #but i like the beginning and end #*shrugs*

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Zack Snyder’s Justice League New Trailer Breakdown and Analysis

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

It’s been nearly a year since it was officially announced, and we’re now only a month away from its arrival on HBO Max, but “The Snyder Cut” is very real. Zack Snyder’s Justice League is apparently complete, and after months of teases we finally have a full trailer, one comprised almost entirely of unseen footage.

If you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch it here…

Now, in order to properly give this the analysis it deserves, we’re not going to go chronologically or shot by shot. Instead, we’ll break this up into themes, characters, and events, and try to piece together the significance of each in relation to what we think the story is.

With that in mind, let’s start with the the character who has been the most central to Zack Snyder’s conception of the DCEU…

Superman

Zack Snyder started the DCEU with Henry Cavill starring as Superman in 2013’s Man of Steel. That first film told a detailed Superman origin story, and was followed by 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which not only introduced Ben Affleck’s Batman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, and Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, but it also killed off Superman at the hands of Doomsday. Superman’s resurrection was always intended to be a central piece of Justice League, and it’s front and center in the trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League…

Literally the first shot of the trailer appears to depict Superman’s resurrection. Here we have Cavill’s Supes, still with that gruesome, gaping chest wound that was inflicted on him by Doomsday during the climax of Batman v Superman, seemingly being resurrected.

Or…is he?

While the color scheme at first seems to reflect that of the Kryptonian scout ship which was the site of his resurrection in the theatrical cut, that doesn’t quite line up with what we’re seeing here. First of all, he wouldn’t still be wearing his ruined and bloody costume if that were the case. And if you look closely, there appears to be a giant, monstrous hand holding/lifting his body as he cries out.

In all likelihood, this is some kind of dream sequence, either a vision Superman himself sees as he dies, or perhaps how Darkseid and the forces of Apokolips are alerted to his death. The way his scream is represented by soundwaves here, and is juxtaposed with Eisenberg’s Luthor saying that “a bell has been rung” would seem to indicate the latter. It makes me think that this is something we’ll see early in the film to bridge Batman v. Superman with Justice League.

Here we have Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry and Gal Gadot’s Diana watching some kind of holographic representation of Superman. This is almost certainly the ol’ “wow, wouldn’t it be great if this guy was around to help us whup some alien ass? It’s a shame you helped get him killed, Bruce!” kinda scene.

What’s really notable here, though is what a classic Superman pose this is. This is a really cool shot, and looks like a Curt Swan/Murphy Anderson drawing of the Man of Steel come to life.

Unlike that first shot, this is DEFINITELY from the resurrection of Superman scene. In the foreground there’s a photo of Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent sinking in the water/chemical bath just as Cavill’s Superman is being lowered into it in the background. Costner’s “you’re here for a reason” speech here faintly echoes the one Glenn Ford as Pa Kent gave young Clark in Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie, as well.

Amy Adams as Lois Lane seems to be coaxing a recently resurrected Clark to come with her, as they stand on the grounds of the Kent farm. With the distance between them, and Adams’ beseeching gesture, is it possible that at this point Clark is “alive” but not yet fully “aware” of who he is?

In the theatrical cut of Justice League, when the team first awakens Superman he’s disoriented and fights them. So the human connection, first with the woman he loves and then with the place he grew up might be what makes the difference and reminds him of his human soul, despite his Kryptonian upbringing.

Clark has put a shirt on here, so we can assume that this embrace with Lois and Diane Lane’s Martha (!!!!) is the following morning, after he has reacclimated to the land of the living, has his full mind and soul back under control, and is ready to deliver the feel-good ass kicking of the year to Steppenwolf, Darkseid, and a whole mess of Parademons.

And what better way to represent Superman’s “rebirth” than with an homage to the “first flight” scene from Man of Steel? I always liked the way they represent the onset of Superman’s powers of flight in that film, as it implies that he doesn’t just propel himself like a jet, but rather manipulates the very force of gravity itself around him.

And let’s face it, many folks have tried to bring the famed post Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen black Superman suit to live action, but nobody has ever gotten it quite as right as what we see here. This looks really sharp.

There’s long been speculation that when Superman returns in Zack Snyder’s Justice League that he’s evil, or that his mind has been manipulated by Darkseid to make him a slave and another soldier of Apokolips. There’s plenty of precedent for that in both the comics and animation, and whenever you see “angry Superman doing heat vision eyes” in a Zack Snyder movie, it’s easy to assume that’s where we’re going. Especially considering the “knightmare” vision Batman had in Batman v. Superman, which is also present in this trailer (more on that in a minute).

I’m not entirely sure that’s not where we’re going, but at the moment, I don’t think that’s what happens. I just think that Superman wears the black and silver suit, likely as a way to augment himself while still relatively weak from resurrection, to deliver the aforementioned feel-good asskicking of the year to Steppenwolf and friends. Maybe. Don’t hold me to that.

Anyway, speaking of Steppenwolf and friends…

Steppenwolf

The biggest alterations to Zack Snyder’s Justice League come in the form of the main villain, Steppenwolf, and the addition of other villains (including Darkseid, Desaad, and Granny Goodness). Let’s start with Steppenwolf…

Get a look at Steppenwolf unmasked. He’s certainly um…distinctive.

They didn’t skimp on his armor, nor his axe. In fact, based on a very quick cut that sees him knock an Amazon warrior off her horse with his axe and drawing a considerable amount of blood splatter, I don’t think they’re going to skimp on the amount of damage Steppenwolf’s vibro-axe can do.

This is an interesting new shot, though. Steppenwolf kneels before what might be a boom tube opening, or is perhaps communicating with Apokolips via whatever that coffin-shaped device is.

Is he reporting his progress to Darkseid? Is Darkseid displeased with him? Does this sequence take place in the past or the present?

In fact, let’s talk about these new villains for a bit…

Darkseid, Desaad, and Granny Goodness

In addition to the redesigned Steppenwolf, we’re going to see some more baddies from Apokolips show their demonic faces in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

This is a very cool shot, and it appears to depict the evil homeworld of Apokolips, and specifically the throne room of Darkseid himself. Apokolips is ruled with an iron fist by Darkseid, in stark contrast to its twin planet, New Genesis, which is populated by the heroic New Gods. All of these characters and concepts were created by Jack Kirby during his time at DC Comics in the early 1970s, and they’ve remained a cornerstone of the DC Universe ever since.

And here we have our best look at the unholy trinity in the background of Steppenwolf’s assault on Earth. From left to right we have Desaad (who is Darkseid’s advisor and torturer-in-chief), Darkseid himself, and Granny Goodness (who trains the armies of Apokolips).

You can see Darkseid wearing the omega symbol, which is also visible on the banners in the throne room. Darkseid’s eyes are glowing with what is known as the “Omega Effect,” a powerful energy he discharges from his eyes.

It’s not clear if this image of shirtless Darkseid swinging a warhammer of some kind takes place in the present or the past, or on Earth or Apokolips. It’s likely the past, though, perhaps when he was still known as Uaxas.

And speaking of the past…

Just like we saw in the theatrical cut, we’ll learn in Zack Snyder’s Justice League that this isn’t the first time that Steppenwolf and the hordes of Apokolips have visited Earth. Here we have Diana in some kind of temple (is it in Greece? On Themyscira?) looking at an old depiction of a conflict…one that certainly appears to depict at the very least the combined armies of Themyscira and Atlantis taking on the alien invaders. The “circular” ships in the sky line up with how we see the Apokoliptian craft elsewhere in the trailer…

Not sure if the above shot is contemporary or from a flashback, but we’ll get to all that in a moment. There’s another reference to Darkseid having made his way to Earth in the distant past…

While my Ancient Greek is rusty/non-existent, this seems to say something to the effect of “darkness” and “Darkseid,” so…yeah.

Note the cool depiction of a Mother Box, too. Something something, “any sufficiently advanced technology,” etc etc. Also, Darkseid seems to holding a spear or an arrow in that painting which…

Whatever that arrow is, it’s ancient, and may end up being key to defeating the forces of Apokolips. Now, as for this mysterious temple…is there any chance that it’s also this from elsewhere in the trailer?

Or was this something more ancient that was at one point the headquarters of Steppenwolf and his invading force?

Now, on to the rest of the heroes…

Cyborg

It has long been indicated that Ray Fisher’s Cyborg didn’t seem to get enough to do in the theatrical cut of Justice League. Zack Snyder has stated, however, that Cyborg is “the heart” of his intended Justice League story, and it seems like we’ll be seeing more of him in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Nothing too specific here other than how much more versatile he already appears, from the cannon on his shoulder, to what seems to be his comic book accurate sound cannon on his right arm, and more!

Perhaps more importantly, we’re going to spend a little time with Cyborg before he was Cyborg. Here’s Ray Fisher as Vic Stone, quarterback for the Gotham City University football team. We’ll likely see his origin on film, or at the very least get some more footage of Vic as a football star, but this shot in particular seems to be something a little different. Perhaps when Vic is navigating cyberspace, he still sees himself as he was when he was still whole…or maybe this is something else entirely.

As possibly indicated by…

If I had to guess (and this is only a guess), Vic is trying to interface with a Mother Box here, and it isn’t going well. Is this what sends him into that possible dream state from the image above?

Interestingly, the next shot seems to show the Flash appearing over his shoulder, is it to save him from whatever’s happening here? Or is Vic’s issue with the Mother Box bringing Flash back from somewhere else in spacetime?

And speaking of The Flash…

The Flash

We never really learned a heckuva lot about Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen/Flash in the theatrical cut of Justice League, but that seems like it’s going to change with The Snyder Cut.

Iris West

It’s been no secret that Kiersey Clemons’ Iris West, who was left out of the theatrical cut of the movie will finally make her debut here. This shot in particular of the rescue scene that has been teased several times is new to us, though.

The fact that it also involves food and condiments as Barry’s perception of events slows time down seems to pay homage to Flash’s first appearance in Showcase #4, in which one of Barry’s first super speed acts was to catch a spilled tray of food in a diner in mid-air before the waitress knew what had happened.

Henry Allen

Even though we saw Billy Crudup show up as Henry Allen in the theatrical cut, his appearance in the trailer here would seem to indicate that maybe Barry’s overall arc will feel a little more important in this version then it did there.

The whole “hands on the glass” thing was done quite a bit between the TV versions of these characters, played by Grant Gustin and the great John Wesley Shipp. But there’s one other similarity to the TV show worth pointing out…Henry is rocking the Jay Garrick look with the grey hair at the temples going on. With certain developments on The Flash TV series, this could also be an indicator of how things will be handled in the DCEU. And seriously, wouldn’t Crudup look badass as Jay Garrick? I wrote lots more about Jay Garrick, one of my favorite characters, right here.

Wonder Woman and the Amazons

Remember that while both Wonder Woman movies take place before the events of Justice League, Zack Snyder always intended his vision of the character to be pretty consistent between Batman v Superman (where she emerges “in public” to the world) and Justice League (which furthers that theme). This shot of kids in danger and not necessarily relieved to see an immensely powerful being who may or may not be coming to their rescue

We’re definitely going to get that massive flashback sequence (to the first “Age of Heroes”) where the mythical armies of Earth take on the first invasion from Apokolips in ancient times, and the Amazons are once again front and center.

This is just an extremely badass shot. I genuinely hope this flashback, which was pretty brief in the theatrical cut, is extended for a while here. The Amazons have backup of course…

Aquaman and Atlantis

As with Wonder Woman, it’s important to remember that Snyder was the one who cast Jason Momoa as Aquaman, and there’s likely elements of his Atlantean backstory that didn’t make it into the theatrical cut of the film.

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I’m just hoping that as with the Amazons, we get more of the armies of Atlantis kicking ass in ancient times. This former king of Atlantis (or Poseidon himself?) wearing Aquaman’s armor is a pretty cool shot.

Batman

I saved the Batman section of this for last because, well, on the surface ol’ Bats seems to get the least to do in this trailer. Or does he?

I’m only including this shot because it’s a reminder that Ben Affleck might very well be the best live action Bruce Wayne ever. Dude looks like if the Batman: The Animated Series version of Bruce stepped into the real world.

Anyway, here he is feeling guilty about the events of Batman v Superman. As he should.

A new Batmobile?

This doesn’t appear to be the “Knightcrawler” vehicle that Batman drove during the battle under Gotham Harbor in the theatrical cut so…what is it? From this angle, it does kind of remind me of the “bat-tank” version of the Batmobile that was made famous in Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley’s The Dark Knight Returns, which was a profound influence on Batman v Superman and the conceptualization of the DCEU Batman as a whole.

Is it possible that this shot, in which we see Parademons about to lift and flip the current Batmobile, is an indicator that it’s destroyed and Batman upgrades to something a little more heavy duty?

It seems plausible, especially since the reasoning for Batman driving a tank in The Dark Knight Returns came down to the fact that he had “modified her during some nasty riots.”

Detective Comics #27

And here we have the old reliable homage to the cover of Batman’s very first appearance in 1939’s Detective Comics #27…

Parademons might be a little tougher than those gangsters, though.

Knightmare

The “knightmare” dream sequence in Batman v Superman was one of the more controversial elements of the film, and it was used to justify Batman’s mistrust of Superman. In it, we saw a world ruined by the armies of Apokolips. It seems we’ll be revisiting that vision here, albeit this time with a twist…

Jared Leto’s Joker Returns

“We live in a society…” (seriously, dudes?)

OK, but for real, Zack Snyder revealed a bit about the return of Jared Leto’s Joker in a recent interview. In particular, if you’re wondering why Joker is dressed in police gear with a bulletproof vest, the director says he collects this stuff, as well as badges (presumably from officers he has killed). “He has tons of badges,” Snyder told Vanity Fair. “Those are his trophies.”

So the long-awaited meeting between Leto’s Joker and Affleck’s Batman isn’t part of the “main” story of the film, and instead takes place in a kind of dream sequence, like an addendum to the “knightmare” scene from BvS. We’re likely to learn a little bit more about their history in the course of whatever talk they’re going to have here, too.

And there you have it, folks…all the sense we could make out of this massive trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Spot anything else? Let us know in the comments!

Zack Snyder’s Justice League hits HBO Max on March 18.

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