#of the not started scenes some are normal but QUITE a few are like simple and short

[pinkseas]

12 scenes not started, 12 in progress, 17 completed. 32k words in

[sparrowlucero]

Instead of discourse about showrunners and lesbians and whatever, I'm gonna bring a different type of discourse...whats ur fav and least Dr Whomst monsters. Hard mode: only the practical ones.

ok so I do like all the obvious ones, I like the angels, I like the vashta nerada, I like the not-things, I like the eternals. Here's a few deeper cuts (focusing on the tv show specifically):

they peaked with these maggots. they rock. pretty sure they're made with taxidermy? really great puppetry. I really like this thing:

what a cool design for this kind of forgotten midseason episode.

this is such a fun design for a langolier-type monster. I love how their crest and tail gives them the silhouette of a grim reaper

The 60s cybermen rock. I feel like they're hesitant to use them often in the modern show because they do look very 1960s but I think there's something really uncomfortable and evocative about the cloth faces that's lost when they're cool metallic robots. The mix between looking like an old diving suit and the implication of there being a chopped up person inside is gnarly and I love it. Simple, creepy, iconic design.

My favorite design in the show is probably this:

The 456 from the spinoff series torchwood. They didn't need the puppet to emote or move a ton since it spends the entire season in a little tank obscured in mist, so they just went crazy with the design and made it really bizarre looking. Extremely top tier alien. Anyways, negative. I really don't like this satan. the satan kind of sucks. the impossible planet is great atmospheric sci fi horror; every image of build up in it is haunting and leagues ahead of the climactic scene where he meets the satan. It singlehandedly kind of kills the vibe.

Personally I would have just kept the actual appearance off screen, just have it be eyes in the dark or something. Apparently they also tossed around the idea that it would end up being a normal little girl who was chained up in the cave and I think that would have visually fit the rest of the episode better.

I'm really not big on the modern design for the sea devils (the green one on the right). I think the classic ones clearly took a lot of direct influence from real animals and generally is a pretty thoughtfully realized design, the modern ones seem like they were first and foremost using the classic ones for reference and didn't quite capture the nuance of the design. Sad, as I would really like to see design for these guys with modern puppetry.

I think this is actually a pretty contentious opinion but the work of the specific studio who headed this redesign generally wasn't my favorite. Apparently there was some sort of major, semi public falling out between the fx studio that had been working on the show since 2005 and the people who started running the show in 2018, and they were briefly replaced with a much less experienced studio. No hate to them of course (I think this was actually their first job like, ever, and a lot of the work was done in crunch time?) but the difference did stand out to me:

[david-talks-sw]

So that whole interaction between Ahsoka and Huyang, where they talk about Sabine's choice to help the enemy find Thrawn (in hopes that she can then find Ezra) is clearly meant to be subtext for what happened with Anakin.

I mean change the pronoun from "she/her" to "he/him", tweak some of the names and...

... it's just blatant.

The parallels were already clear in the previous episode, as pointed out in this post here, and it still holds true:

Sabine's struggle with attachment mirrors Anakin's.

We know Filoni's whole stance on why Anakin fell to the Dark Side: he'll usually acknowledge that Anakin was ruled by his attachments, got possessive of Padmé, but then adds:

"HOWEVER is loving that way really that bad?"

"HOWEVER he never stood a chance because Qui-Gon wasn't there to teach him properly and be the father Anakin needed."

I've already gone into why both these statements don't track with Lucas' intended narrative here and here... but I wanna touch on this notion that "Anakin wasn't trained enough to make a better choice."

He was.

You know how we know? Because we saw him overcome his attachments before.

We saw him explain the theory of the non-attachment rule, before.

In fact, wee saw him pass down a lot of the Jedi lessons, in The Clone Wars, including being disciplined, following orders and not acting impulsively.

The issue is that - while Anakin knows the theory, even has a few minor successes applying it - he never builds the self-discipline needed to master it because... deep down... he doesn't want to.

This is partially because you got Palpatine telling him he doesn't need to, molding him into an arrogant, power-craving person... but the fact remains that Anakin made the choice himself.

Which Filoni acknowledges, sure... but not quite. The difference between his thesis and George Lucas' is that the latter picks a stance and defends it.

"He started out as a very loving and compassionate person. And as he progressed, it was his inability to control his temper, his inability to let go of things, and his quest for power that were his undoing." - George Lucas, E! Behind the Scenes - ROTS, 2005

Anakin fell because he was greedy, just like any one of us can be.

Cool. Filoni, on the other hand, doesn't seem to land anywhere.

He dances around the issue (as can be seen by the debate between Ahsoka and Huyang, with no clear winner) and merely questions whether it's as simple as that.

Clearly he wants to justify Anakin's actions to some degree... but y'know, the narrative considers those actions so reprehensible that Anakin gets friggin' burned alive for it.

"I felt it was important that we actually see that happen so that we could see the consequences of these bad things that he did. […] He forces his friends to turn against him. Which is heartbreaking." - George Lucas, “The Chosen One” Featurette, 2005

Because Anakin's actions are not meant to be justified.

It's easy to see why Filoni likes Anakin. One of the earliest tasks he had when writing The Clone Wars was humanizing a character whose sole functional purpose was to carry out a narrative about how:

"Without self-discipline, greed [can] force a character off the path to freedom." - Micael Hearn, The Cinema of George Lucas, 2005

And Anakin is a very sympathetic character.

His flaws are flaws that we all carry.

Q: Is it fair to assess Anakin is kind of cursed by his own goodness/good qualities? "I wouldn't say that’s true. He’s cursed by the same flaws, and issues that he has to overcome, that all humans are cursed with. There's a lot going on there. [...] The whole point is—and the reason I started the story where I did—is that Anakin is a normal, good kid. And how does somebody who is normal and good turn bad? What are the qualities, what is it that we all have within us that will turn us bad?" - George Lucas, Star Wars Insider #52, 2000

But narratively, Anakin is selfish.

He doesn't want to save Padmé's life, he wants to save himself from the pain of losing Padmé.

And while you're supposed to sympathize with him, you're not meant to agree with him. He's Darth Vader, the space nazi. He messes up and consequentially "leaves the Force in darkness" for 20 years, instead of ushering it towards the light in the chancellor's office, when he has the chance.

So to shift the blame and say that...

HOWEVER, Anakin didn't have the proper support system or training to make a better choice.

... when the whole point of the narrative is about taking personal responsibility and being selfless instead of selfish... well, it is missing that point.

He did know better. He just didn't want to choose better, so he convinced himself he wasn't able to.

[siddyyyyyyyy]

Only Friends

Tim Drake x Reader

wc: 0.8 K summary: You both get flustered in an interview warnings: none, no y/n used a/n: got this silly idea while daydreaming (once more) even though i have three fics going on rn. (also, it would be better if you know the concept of 'World's most searched questions' from Wired) enjoy!

It was like every other day, just getting ready for an interview, taking the interview before doing the other stuff you have to do by yourself. It's simple, not too stressful or overwhelming. And you are actually quite excited considering it's not an usual interview. It's actually on the 'The Web's Most Searched Questions', it feeling a little exciting to be in such a format for the first time. For preparation, you watched some interviews of other actors or different celebrities to make sure you got the concept, also making sure you got the times and location right with your co-star, Tim Drake. He's in most interviews with you because of the latest movie you both acted in together. This time, being enemies in the movie. Other movies or shows, you had either neutral or romantic relationships together. But in reality, you were nothing more but friends and colleagues. You considered yourself lucky with such a nice and funny colleague, having known him for a few years already. Besides the more romantic and heated scenes, you both remained close friends throughout your career.

Once you both are ready to take the interview, having the mics set and camera pointed at you, it's time to begin. The staff explained to you one last time of how it all works, having your big card of questions first. You both inteoduce yourselves to the audience, well, camera, and slide off the first tape to the first question. It reads your name, followed up with a question, if you played in a show from six years ago. Of course, you answer it truthfully, it going well for now, explaining briefly when that show aired and how it was playing that part. Moving on, the next question is just as normal as the other. A simple question about one of the films you once starred in, answering honestly again. The next one is a little bizzare, even to you. It reads your name, followed up with a rather random and personal question. "... am I, what? Do I gossip on set?" You read aloud, being mostly confuses on why that's the third most searched question on Google about you. Where did people get that idea from. You turn to Tim beside you, still confused. "Did you start that rumour?" He can barely contain a straight face at you, shaking his head while cracking up. "I think it's about the secret pictures of us 'gossiping'." Tim answers, putting air-cotation-marks with his hands at the last word. There were a few pictures the paparazzi took of you both whispering things to each other, but you never really thought too much about it. And you definitely were gossiping, it was just rude to be truthful about it. "Ah, right. These pictures still haunt me at night, but no. I do not gossip on set. I wait until I get home." You joke lightly as you look back to the camera, continuing with the next question on the board in your hands. The last four questions go on without any weird one's popping up, until you uncover the last one. "... and Tim Drake couple?" You read aloud again, your brain short circuiting at the question. You and him, a couple? Seriously? You knew people like gossip, but was that actually serious? Tim blushes slightly beside you, glancing over to you to see your reaction. You seem just as taken aback as him. There's not much to say, really. Finally, you shake your head and look back at the camera, trying to make it as casual as possible. Ignore the five seconds of silence before your answer. "Nope. Never been together." Tim nods in agreement, keeping his wyes anywhere but you. You really haven't expected this to go awkward, considering interviews bever get awkward. There's always someone talking, either the interviewer, you, or the staff. But this is genuinely awkward. Embarrassing even. You are sure you will get nightmares about this exact incident years later. Clearing your throat, you hand your board back to the staff, Tim getting his own now.

His first question is just as light as yours, the mood getting quickly back to the one before. It's light, fun and easy. You talk a little too and poke fun at Tim as he answers his question, eventually getting to the third one.

"Tim and Drake couple with..." He trails off, seeing your name at the end. This time, it's rather annoying than embarrassing. He sighs out and look towards you briefly before frowning at the camera. "Guys, we just had that question. It's embarrassing, really. We're not together, even if our roles say otherwise in some movies." Tim explains slightly annoyed, noticing how embarrassed you are at the question. You shouldn't be, considering it's definitely not your fault and people just like some gossip. However, you also feel some different kind of emotion stir up in you. The idea of being with someone, of people knowing you are together with someone is new and sounds way better than denying it all the time. Of course you won't say that on an interview, let alone to Tim, your long-time best friend of a couple years. You both know it won't get to something more than that, both being strict about that in your friendship. You've crosses the line of friendship in roles, qs actors, before but it never felt as good as actually being with someone.

Ignoring your thoughts as best as possible, you move on with Tim. His questions are rather more funny than yours, him messing around with his answers a little as well. There's a sloght difference you noticed, and it's that people seem to take you more seriously. Probably because of the roles you play, maybe because of the personality you put on for the media. Either way, it creates an interestjng dynamic between you and Tim overall. Fans seem to like it, and it seems to work great as usual on interviews. But you never thought they could think of you both in that way. The video is finished and you both return to your own cars, hugging goodbye as usual.

◐

A few days have gone by after that interview, and you decide to check it out. The video has about four million views by now, considering the video got published about three days after you filmed it. You start to watch it, skipping through it a little before the weird question. You seem indeed confused and flustered bt the question, them having edited your moment in a funny way. A computer buffering sound on the background, zoomed in into your face with a loading icon at your forehead. It's actually funny, even if it wasn't funny when you were answering it at the moment. Tim seems just as confused for a moment, you both denying the question as politely and smart as possible, to avoid useless scandals or rumours. Okay, wasn't so bad. Tim's part was less humerus, actually nore straight to the point with hoe annoyed he answered the question. The video ends after you say your goodbyes to the camera, getting to the comment section. You read the first few one's, them being supportive and sweet. The longer you scroll down, the more you start to lose hope in your fans. They genuinely seem to ship you. It would've been funny, but now that you think of it... it doesn't sound too bad. You make your way to some fanfic websites you still know from your earlier teenage years, searching up your name with Tim. Indeed, thousands of suggestions pop up, not having expected more than hundreds of thousand people wrote some kind of romantic content between the two of you. You are really sure Tim would hate you for it, but you go ahead and read some of it. Most were just some silly short stories about the two of you being in love on set, but some were the most heart and gut-wrenching fluff you've ever read. You didn't touch the angst tag, being too scared of getting hurt over fictional problems.

You take a break from everything, deciding it's best to never touch anything like that ever again and ignore it overall. You and him were just friends. Nothing more, nothing less. You would sacrifice everything for him and make sure he stays happy, but never cross the line between friendship and partners, in fear of ruining anything. He would most definitely do the same, if not more for you, but there's no way you'll ever be more than what you are now. Drying off your few tears, it's time to get to the next set of filming, staying friends with Tim. 

←MASTERLIST

a/n: also, sorry for being dead in the last few days or weeks, idk, but there's a few things going on and i won't be able to reply or post as quickly as before, but I'll try!! hope you enjoyed it

[7ndipity]

Thinking about jealous Tae…

Taehyung x Reader

Warnings: lil suggestive

A/N: Thanks to the lovely anon who requested this!

Masterlist

Requests are open

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When Tae gets jealous, which is quite often, despite his claims otherwise, it tends to be obvious.

At first, he might try to ignore it, but that fails almost immediately, choosing instead to focus on you, trying to divert your attention back to him, growing quietly insistent and clingy, slipping his hand into yours or subtly winding his arms around your waist, not caring if anyone else notices. In fact he hopes they do, so they’ll recognize that you’re his and he’s yours.

But if for some reason that doesn’t work on the first attempt or two, he will turn properly sulky, his normally soft, bubbly attitude fizzling down, pulling back to linger on the edges of the scene, watching you like a scolded puppy.

Luckily, as easily as he falls into those moods, he can be pulled back out of them. As soon as you notice his absence, which doesn’t usually take long, if you come over and take his hands, leaning into him so he can feel you near, he will start to relent almost immediately, always weak for your touch, but if any faint resentment from earlier remains, you might to have to pull out the big guns, doling out the pet names and playing with his hair.

Inevitably, he melts against you, leaning into you more and seeking out your lips, hungry for anything and everything you're willing to give him.

Deep down, he knows he has nothing to be jealous of really, but the simple truth of the matter is that Tae’s greedy, at least when it comes to you. He can never get enough of you, and seeing anyone else get your attention for more than a few minutes is like going without water in the desert for him.

Taglist: @sopebubbles-replies

[v3nusxsky]

Hey, do you write for wandanat? If not that's totally fine but if you do I was wondering if maybe I could request one?

Maybe where Wanda and nat are already together and one night at an avengers party they spot reader and Wanda falls for them and so convinces Natasha to seduce and take reader home with them?

Hopefully with smut, and maybe with daddy nat and soft mommy Wanda?

Love your work soooo much, feel no pressure to write this❤️

One of a Kind 18+

*Authors note~ a) I wrote this exhausted so mistakes are mine sorry y’all. B) I know you guys are all excited for different things so I was struggling to choose what I should post, shamefully having an anxiety attack over not choosing the right fic. So to save the day my lovely girlfriend choose wandnat for tonight*

To requester, I'm sorry I took some artistic liberties here but I honestly couldn't help but write them as g!p I hope that's okay!!!

Trigger warnings~threesome smut seduction daddy and mommy kink g!p Wanda Nat fingering r receiving praise and degrading kinks choking semi public sex??

Prompt~ see ask^^^^

Wanda and Tasha really didn't want to come to this party. No. But as per normal Tony wanted to throw a party and showed off his wealth and success. Wanda opting for a stunning emerald dress and Nat going for a form fitting suit. Wanda hid her cock so well that Nat often found herself being jealous. But she couldn't deny that her girlfriend is absolutely stunning in everything and nothing.

You'd been invited by Fury as a way to introduce you to the Avengers. You'd be set to join the team soon, but no one but Fury or Tony knew. Nat spotted you first, a simple Maroon skirt tucked into a beautiful black pencil skirt. Your legs on full display and a few buttons undone to give a tasteful view of your cleavage to the public. Alone at the bar is how the story starts, a rather cliche but important fact. That was where under an agreement between her and her wife Natasha swooped in on you.

You'd be lying if you said she wasn't sexy and very alluring but you still don't quite understand why she's here wasting time trying to get you in her bed. No one ever does that. It made you skeptical of her advances and actively ignoring the way her voice alone caused your cunt to become slick. The way her voice deepened as her eyes drank you in almost got you. Almost. But your past caught you first, you ended up lashing out at the woman.

"No one's ever really shown an interest in me. I'm not the prettiest or the smartest or the funniest girl around, I'm just average." You almost whispered but the woman could hear the sadness dripping through every word. "So this cruel joke of yours. Just stop it! Because I know no one would ever want me especially when they look like you do. So just stop" your voice broke on the last few words before you fled the scene. Really how could she do this to you? You thought she was a nice person, but to suggest this and not mean it was obviously going to hurt. After all who in their right mind would want an inexperienced virgin when they can have anyone in the whole world?

"Hey, you're beautiful, and I'd gladly take you home for my wife and me to enjoy for the night, you just have to trust we want you in the way we say" she murmured to you a gentle handed rubbing at your back in an attempt to soothe the confusing outburst. Yet both women were no strangers to being used and abused by other people. "You mean it?" You were really speaking more to yourself but when she replied with a Russian pet name that slipped off her tongue, you were a goner, "детка, we've been watching you all evening, no one in this room has caught our interest because we've been focused on you."

A simple nod had Nat leading you to the table to introduce you to her wife. By no surprise, her wife was just as beautiful as the red head. You immediately felt like you were unworthy of their attention. "I um should say I've never, um" you stumbled over your own admission but you could see you had both women's attention. "It's okay детка we will take this slow and at your pace, we truly want to get to know you дорогой" she whispered to you over the loud noise of the party. The other woman who you learned was the Scarlett Witch offered you to come sit closer to the women as you all conversed over small things really, but you were now completely at ease with them, exactly how they wanted you.

Your head warm and fuzzy, you felt an electric pulse of a slender hand trailing your thighs. It appeared you were more sensitive with the alcohol but soon enough you were spreading your legs for the brunette woman with a little help from her magic. From there you exposed your panty covered core to her curious fingers. The woman seemingly unaffected by her actions and holding a conversation with her wife about how much of an asset you'd be to the team. You almost got away with it, almost, but a little whimper escaped you as she accidentally bumped your aching clit.

"Wans" Nat warned, "you best not be playing with the хорошенькая шлюха without me" she growled the last two words. Truly how rude of you both not to wait for her, especially after her work to bring you to them. "I'm sorry Natty, I just couldn't wait anymore" the woman replied and removed her fingers from your core causing you to release a very disappointed whine. "сейчас, котенок, о тебе хорошо позаботятся" Nat purred before gracing you with a kiss to your neck before taking your hand to lead you away from the party, knowing that her wife will follow behind you.

As soon as you rounded the corner the Russian woman immediately slammed your back against the wall and attached her lips to yours with ease. The need was pouring into the kiss as the brunette woman watched in jealousy. She wanted to be the one kissing you, dragging all the pretty nosies she possibly could, but then again watching her wife touch you was doing unspeakable things to her nether region. "Tashsa" Wanda whimpered feeling the tent begin to show through her dress. "Come котенок, mommy is getting impatient and daddy can't wait to ruin your pretty untouched pussy" Natasha purred leading you to the bedroom once again. Only this time she never got side tracked.

Perhaps you'd had too much, but from there it's hazy, how did you end up absolutely bare for two of the most wanted and famous women in the world? And most importantly why the hell did they have throbbing cocks just desperate for you to take them. The women wanted to do this right, they showered you in love and praises. The made sure to touch and caress every inch of skin they could. And only when your ready did they introduce you to more. "котенок, sort out mommy's problem you caused" Nat demanded, encouraging you to bring your head to her shaft, with another quick check in and some guidance you were now choking on her cock as she forced it down your throat. "Oh fuck natty, this throat is perfect, fuck a good cock whore for me oh!"

With a few strokes to own dick she enjoyed the show, you are a fast learner by the looks of it and she was now struggling to contain herself and refrain from doing all the filthy things she desired to you. Wands sensing her wife's impatience slipped from your throat allowing you to breath as Natasha guided you into a new position. With you now on your hands and knees you were able to suck off wanda and give Nat access to your untouched cunt.

She took it slow, letting you adjust to her size, Wanda telepathically sharing the image of you with teary eyes, choking on her cock as you let Nat deflower you. But soon enough you began to rock backwards in a need for something, yet you didn't know what. "Oh there she is, our flight little girl, a dirty slut for us to use. Oh you've made mommy feel so good котенок she's ready to treat you for all your work, you'd love that huh? Mommy to fill your petty throat with cum?" Nat teased keeping her thrusts slow, "and fuck you're so fucking tight котенок, if mommy doesn't hurry up daddy will paint your pretty pussy white instead."

At the pure threat, Wanda was thrown over the edge into her own pools of bliss, breath heaving as all she could do is mewl yours and her wife's name. You greedily sucked every last drop from her shaft, surprising both women with the fact it was your first time. Only when she was sure she'd finished cumming did she slip from your front and encourage you to slip onto your back so Natasha could see your face. The new position only seemed to encourage the red head, especially with Wanda dropping her head to your breast and skilfully sucking and licking the hardened peaks. She even managed to roughly tweak her wife's right bud causing you both to cry out together.

The gasp you let out when Nat brought one hand from the bed to your throat was something both women wanted on a loop, experimenting with a bit of pressure they discovered a kink for you. "Oh Natty she liked your hand as her necklace. Oh darling is your head all fuzzy?" A broken confirmation left you as Natasha picked up an almost animalistic pace of pounding into you. And when your cries became to loud Wanda guided you to her breast, allowing you to suckle and nip her sensitive skin and effectively soothe you at the same time.

When Natasha came in long spurts of sticky white cum you honestly had no thoughts other than both the women. You lost count of how many times you'd been forced over the edge and just how long you'd been here, but now you didn't care. What a first experience to have. Oh but you weren't done, they immediately started to clean up and look after you, offering food water and cuddles. You wanted to talk, what could this mean? You'd slept with married women? Was it a fling? You hoped not. And Wanda heard all those thoughts and settled you into bed between the women with promises of talking about everything when your brain wasn't still in sub space. You'd be needing a clear mind to decide if you would join the relationship as a third party. But for now, you all slept.

Word count ~ 1839

[sunflowersandsapphires]

An Unfortunate Coincidence

In All The World, Chapter 1.1

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pairing: Matt Murdock x fem!reader 

summary: Frank Castle is just trying to focus on his stakeout and avoid thinking about his past. However, his plans are abandoned when he spots a familiar face approaching your apartment.

warnings: swearing, Frank and Matt being little shits, brief descriptions of Matt's labyrinth of internalized guilt, very short semi-smut scene (as always, MINORS DNI)

a/n: Ahhhh I was so excited to begin this new series that I accidentally wrote almost 7k for it (and it's not even done). Here is the first chapter that accidentally became a three-shot. I really hope you all like it! Please let me know if there's anything you wanna see in this verse!

w/c: 4k

“In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.” — Maya Angelou

Crouched on the damp gravel roof of some rundown apartment building, Frank tilted his head to stretch the muscles in his neck. After a few hours peering into his scope, it was starting to ache like hell. Roughly pinching the back of his neck between two fingers, he kneaded circles into it, attempting to alleviate the pain without changing his position. It wasn’t an optimal night for thwarting an armed robbery, given the shitty weather and lousy visibility, but he was determined to disband this particular troop once and for all. 

The cocky fuckers had been one step ahead of him for weeks and he’d finally found the next bank they planned to hit—at least, he hoped that would be the case. 

It wasn’t quite raining, but Manhattan was draped with a patchy fog and the condensation was enough to mist Frank’s face as he lay in wait. While the lack of a clear night would help conceal him and his guns, it also meant he had to get much closer to the site than he would have liked. More distance meant more time to pack up before he had cops on his ass. 

This particular location was especially irritating because the angle of his scope ran directly past your apartment. 

Seeing a warm yellow light in the window nearly left him a distracted, guilty mess. You were clearly home from work. Maybe cooking dinner? Or lounging on the couch he’d crashed on more than he wished to admit. He should probably send you a text to let you know he was still alive—but the thought of that made his body go rigid. 

Despite his lacking communication, and your profound exasperation for that specific trait of his, you never seemed to be out of patience for him. You were reliable, compassionate, and far too good for him to fuck up your life more than he already had. You were the only family he had left, and he was determined to keep a far enough distance to keep you safe.

Which is why his line of sight was currently positioned just past the edge of your apartment window—simultaneously shoving all his remorse deep down where it didn’t need to be acknowledged. Taking down a group of dangerous scumbags with a sniper rifle would be hard enough without being plagued with childhood memories and regret.

Normally, repression was a simple solution to this issue—they do say that practice makes perfect after all. However, mental gymnastics can only do so much to combat adrenaline. Hypervigilance had broadened his peripheral vision, his gaze sweeping the horizon automatically like a prowling animal, pupils blown wide as he absorbed every movement around him. Each flicker of a lamp bulb or ripple in the fog made his grip tighten, eyes flitting between the stimuli as if he was watching a ping pong ball bounce between players. Each motion only held his focus for a moment, his subconscious analyzing them for possible threats within a flash of a synapse before his attention returned to the task at hand.

Through the viscous haze draped over the city, another movement captured his interest. A dark form gliding over rooftops, diving over the beams of moonlight scattered across the vapor without a trace. Scoffing lightly, Frank rolled his eyes. Leave it to Red to show off without even knowing he had an audience. Fuckin' prick.

Chuckling to himself at the idea of firing a blank to give Altar Boy a scare, his laughter quickly faded as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen circled around, headed his way. Frank knew the guy had a freaky mechanism that allowed him to navigate without sight, but there was no way he'd picked up on Frank's presence from nearly a dozen blocks away, right? It wasn't likely that his bloodhound nose was THAT good at picking up the scent of gunpowder.

Skin crawling with unease, Frank's fingers traced over the worn handle of the blade tucked in his belt. After a few weeks being blue-balled by low lives, he wasn't necessarily opposed to a rooftop spat with the personification of Catholic Guilt. Fundamental differences aside, the kid could fight. And it wasn't like Frank had a line up of sparring partners these days. He was beginning to feel a bit rusty. 

To his dismay, the glorified-pajama-clad vigilante never reached him. Instead, he leapt onto the roof of a nearby building and began clambering down the fire escape.

With each of Red's steps, Frank's heart rate climbed, his ear drums ringing alongside his pulse. A shudder shot through him as he followed the other man's path, his body suddenly overtaken with malaise as he inched his scope towards the location he'd been trying so hard to ignore.

There was no way.

Red vaulted over a railing and down a story, his graceful trek slowing in pace.

There was no fuckin' way. It was an unfortunate coincidence. A stroke of Frank's continued bad luck, nothing more.

He was on your story now, close enough that Frank could see his haughty smirk, aimed in the direction of the glimmer Frank had successfully avoided all night.

“Keep movin', Red.” Frank muttered, muscles tensing with dread as he watched the masked lawyer hurdle over a balcony with a twist of his body, tactical shoes perching steadily on the edge of your cement outcropping. “No, no, no. Absolutely not, you asshole.”

Basking in the glow of your apartment window, Murdock broke into a roguish grin leaning backwards against the barrier, a few inches of synthetic stone between him and a twenty story fall. A shadow fluttered into Frank's vision, settling comfortably over Murdock's proud stance as a resident approached the terrace.

Sliding the window open with delicate fingers, your torso tilted out of the safety of your apartment, your beaming smile ever-present as Red posed for you. Strutting forward at a snail's pace, Frank could imagine the laugh that tumbled out of your mouth as you snatched him by the wrist and tugged him against the frame of the window. Time had seemingly slowed, Frank fixated on Matt's smug expression as he tipped his face towards yours.

As your lips met, Frank's vision flashed crimson, rage bubbling in his veins. Grinding his teeth furiously, Frank shoved himself out of his crouch, hefting his rifle onto an open canvas bag and stomping off.

“Oh, don't start with me.” You scolded gently as the lightbulb above your stove quivered uncertainly. Swiping a finger over the switch in a dramatic motion, the bulb sparked on the second try, sapping energy from the weak electrical current and illuminating your kitchenette with a soft warm light.

Flexing your sock-covered feet on the prehistoric checkerboard tile, you raised your arms above your head, arching your back into the stretch with a pleased groan. You'd done a lot of sitting today, hunched over stacks of papers scrambling to understand the new curriculum requirements sent out by your district in the humid closet-of-a-classroom you adored.

Pulling out your trusty, slightly crooked frying pan, you held it a few inches above the burner as you cranked the knob. Once the gas had lit properly, you positioned the pan just so and bustled about, readying the ingredients for a simple meal. Smacking the faucet handle, you tapped your foot to the beat of the song playing softly from your cheap speaker, letting the water run clear before rinsing a fistful of veggies in the feeble stream. Some of the produce was tossed straight into the hot oil, the rest you needed to chop first.

Thankfully, you were only making dinner for two, which meant preparation only took a few minutes. Once your vegetables were cooked and your noodles were boiling, you whipped up a simple sauce and brushed your hands together. Now came the tough part–waiting.

Matt's nightly routine typically made it difficult for you to spend the evenings together—not that it bothered you. Your evenings were typically spent shoving handfuls of chips into your mouth as you watched brainless TV or taking short naps to recover from the day. You were happy to continue those habits and feel truly rested when your boyfriend was finished being a hero for the day. This week was an odd one though, with late staff and board meetings pushing your normally-early supper back a few hours.

When you'd originally mentioned this change to Matt, his face had lit up, inspiring a smile of your own. After a minute of your pestering, he'd finally revealed his idea.

“What if I stay at yours this week?” His expression was soft, his attempt at a smug tone failing to conceal the jagged edge of his unvoiced worry that you'd decline, that he was being clingy—two insecurities you'd been steadily chipping away over the course of your eight month relationship.

Nearly tackling him with a hug, you had peppered his face with kisses, making him laugh. “Is that a yes?”

“That sounds perfect, Matty! I'll be dying to see you after sitting at conference tables all day.” You'd lamented, trailing a finger over his chest as it shook with a rumble of a chuckle.

“So you're saying I shouldn't practice my opening arguments for you? Detail the intricacies of mutual acquiescence and how it was displayed by the adverse parties?”

“Despite your attempts to confuse me with made up legal-sounding words,” Hooking your arms around Matt's neck as he laughed, you'd begun swaying slightly, rocking the two of you from side-to-side as you spoke. ”I'd happily listen to you talk about anything, love. You could describe the process of paint drying to me and I'd still enjoy our time together.“

Flushing slightly pink, Matt turned his face away from you with a scoff. ”Hmm, maybe I'll bring some of my old law textbooks by sometime and we can test that theory.“

Curling a finger around his chin, you gently pulled Matt's face back to yours so you could kiss him. “I mean it, Matthew. You can make anything interesting—it's one of your many gifts. And you've worked hard on this case! I'm happy to be your guinea pig.”

And you'd meant every word. Sitting here in front of your stove, you couldn't think of a better way to spend your evening than watching Matt in his element. As you stirred everything together in a pot over a low flame, your mind began to wander. Matt was wonderful, and attractive for many reasons, but the voice he used when addressing a courtroom? The thought of it alone brought heat to your cheeks. He didn't need to worry about keeping your attention, that was for sure.

The light rapping of a knuckle on your balcony window made you jump, your nose crinkling with slight embarrassment as you realized you were no longer alone—and Matt could probably tell where your mind was detouring from behind your fingerprint-smudged window. Scurrying to grant him entry, you couldn't help the excited smile on your face as you shoved the thick glass off of its sill.

Matt looked phenomenal, draped in black woven fabric that was just tight enough to accent his bulging muscles. Lines of off-white rope were coiled around his hands, trailing up his forearms like a thin pair of serpents. Though he was breathing heavily, he was smiling and didn't appear to be bleeding out or gravely injured.

“Am I allowed to come inside, or am I supposed to stand here so you can ogle me all night?” Matt asked gleefully, stretching his hips so his abs swelled against the long sleeve black tee he was wearing.

“Hmm, see I would let you in, but you'd make such a beautiful decoration..” You jested, grin only growing wider as the light from your apartment revealed Matt's blush. You loved watching his cheeks flush pink when you complimented him—his smug exterior faltering as he became slightly bashful. Deciding to cut his hammering heart some slack, you moved on from the praise. ”You're early, love.“

With a deep chuckle, Matt gave a one-armed shrug, striding towards you. ”I had a date.“

Scoffing out a laugh, you reached an arm out of your apartment, the cool outside air curling around your skin and raising the fine hair along it. As water vapor made contact with your skin, the tiniest drops of condensation beaded against your warm flesh. You reached for Matt, who was still a victim of the pitiful rain storm out on your terrace. Fingertips closing around his wrist, you pulled him towards you—other hand coming up to scratch at the base of his scalp when he was within range. “Matthew, we talked about this. You don't need to cut your deviling short to please me. I won't be upset if you—“

Cutting of your gentle chastising with a kiss, Matt knocked his forehead against yours, hands leaving the embrace to cradle your jaw. The dense fibers of the cords around his hands prickled against your skin, a much rougher feeling than the soft fabric of his mask against the bridge of your nose. His breath drifted over your lips as he spoke. “It's been slow. Promise.”

Nuzzling into his touch as his thumb traced over your cheek, your smile softly returned. “Ok, that's good. Hungry?”

As one of Matt's hands slid from your jaw toward your nape, the ropes rolled over your skin, scratching lightly against it. Fingers pushing into your flesh with a tad more heat, Matt smirked—his lips brushing over yours. “Starving.”

Matt nipped lightly at your chin and you stifled a giggle, kissing him sweetly before stepping back into your apartment. “I meant literally, Matt. C'mon, I need some food in me before you pin me down to mark me up.”

Towing Matt through your window with both hands clamped around one of his steady arms, you squealed as he lept over the threshold, gathering you into his arms in one fluid movement. Mashing his face into the side of yours, a low rumble sounded from the back of Matt's throat, as if he was purring. The tip of his nose was chilled, barely covered by the mask as he galavanted around in the unusually cool night air. He nestled you against his chest, burying his nose in your hairline just above your ear.

“I think we both know how much you want me to do just that, sweetheart. Are you sure you want to wait until after dinner?” His teasing voice was pitched down, sounding more like the Devil of Hell's Kitchen than Matt Murdock. A shudder crept down your spine, an exhale falling from your lips at the suggestion.

“Mmmm, I, uh, I thought I was. Now, I'm not so sure.” You murmured, warmth flooding between your thighs as Matt's teeth scraped the shell of your ear.

Chuckling darkly, Matt's hand splayed against the small of your back, his lips planting a kiss on your temple. “We'll have to see where the night takes us then. What did you make? It smells good.”

Matt broke his hold on you, taking a seat at your dinette without even acknowledging how aroused he'd just made you. His ability to trip your brain up with a few well-placed touches was dangerous, dammit.

Blowing out a slightly exasperated breath, you let your hand drift over Matt's shoulders before you lifted the pot from the stove. Using the pair of tongs you'd used to toss the vegetables, you plated two servings of the meal you'd thrown together. “Those peanut noodles you liked so much. I was craving them. But don't worry, I only gave you broccoli and edamame this time.” 

A few weeks ago, when you’d first found this recipe, Matt had enjoyed it—but only after you’d stopped him from choking down the mushrooms and bok choy mixed into the dish. The poor man was stifling gags as he bit into the vegetables, later explaining that they were on the list of “textures Matt can barely tolerate”. He had apologized profusely, not understanding why you weren’t upset with him for not enjoying the food without alterations. This time, you’d planned ahead. 

Clearly also thinking of your last attempt at this meal, Matt wrinkled his nose with a grimace. “Thank you. I'm sorry to be difficult.”

Rolling your eyes, you slid one of the bowls in front of him, using one finger to delicately lift the mask from the top half of his face. As you peeled the sweaty fabric off of his head, it revealed his mussed hair—the strands sticking out in little tufts after being mashed beneath the cotton for a few hours. You bit your lip to stifle a giggle, bringing your fingers up to smooth the mess. “You're not difficult, you're just human. And you have some impressive helmet-hair tonight.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. I heard this was how the kids were wearing it these days. Am I pulling it off?” He grinned at you, hands landing on your waist as you kicked a leg over his lap to straddle him.

“You look a bit like a newly-hatched chick in an incubator.” You snickered, humming appreciatively as he tightened his grip on you, pulling you flush against his chest.

“Darn. I was hoping to change up my style to something more modern.” Matt quipped, instinctively tilting his head up as you scratched at his overgrown stubble with your nails.

“I never said it looked bad, handsome.” You explained, nose rubbing against his as you moved in for a kiss. “You look as gorgeous as always.”

With a greedy noise, Matt's hands dug into the soft flesh of your stomach. His lips were relaxed, happily letting you slide your tongue between them. His skin was warm with exertion and want, his touches grappling and desperate as he pulled you impossibly closer.

Dropping your arms to rest on his shoulders, you threaded a hand into his hair, tugging lightly at it as he kissed you. Matt moaned softly, his movements halting like a cat who'd been scruffed. You felt a rush of pride as Matt went lax against you. Tipping your weight into him, the force shoved his spine against the back of the chair, the wood creaking in protest.

It hadn't even been a week since you'd last seen him, last felt him–but it was as though he'd been away for years. Each time he held you against him, expression soft with affection, butterflies swarmed your stomach. To the rest of the city, he was a ruthlessly fearsome vigilante. But with you, he showed his underbelly. Trusting you enough to be soft, and to want softness in return. It made you giddy, being one of a chosen few to know the secret truth about Daredevil. And you were immensely fond of the man behind the mask. 

With a gasp, you began to lose your train of thought as the building heat in your core grew uncomfortable. Rocking your hips against Matt, he tensed his thigh as you ground down on it, letting you take what you needed from him. Moaning softly while the friction from Matt’s leg rubbed pleasantly against your clit, you circulated your hips, swinging them upward with the intention of using gravity to help you ride Matt’s statuesque thigh–but the world had other plans.

A pounding knock startled you out of your passionate stupor. Flying backwards in surprise, you collided with the solid wooden edge of your dining table. Grunting quietly at the impact, you swiveled your head towards the door when the banging continued, your heart pumping furiously as your concern built. Matt's hands slipped between you and the injurous furniture, shielding you from worsening the inevitable bruising the sideswipe had caused.

Though his head was cocked, his eyes blankly trailing along your torso, searching for any damage you'd done, he was wearing a resigned expression.

“Who—” You started to ask, but a brusque deep voice called for you through the door.

“I know you're in there.” The cause of the disturbance was no longer a stranger, but that didn't fix the sinking feeling threatening to drag you through the creaky floor.

”One second, Frank.“ You grimaced, swinging yourself off of Matt's lap to open the door.

As your weight lifted off of him, Matt chuckled humorlessly. “Took him long enough.”

Hands flying to your hips as you spun on your heel, you narrowed your eyes at Matt. “You KNEW?”

Shrugging noncommitally, Matt pinched one of the abandoned forks between his fingers, tugging the bowl of noodles closer to him and stabbing the utensil into it. “I had a feeling.”

Scoffing incredulously, you shook your head as he popped a forkful of tepid pasta into his mouth. “How can you look like you're enjoying yourself right now?”

Matt smirked at you. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had the luxury of bearing witness to dinner and a show.” Attacking his dinner ravenously, Matt didn't explain himself further.

Sighing loudly in response to Matt's unprecedented ambivalence, you jogged to the door--opening it to reveal your VERY pissed off cousin. He must've been camped out somewhere for a while, given the rivulets of water dripping off of his face and clothes. The droplets trailed over his scowl, getting tangled in his beard on the way to the ground.

”Hi Frank.“ You greeted politely, arm shooting out to grasp the door frame as he took a deliberate step past you, eyes locked onto Matt's frame in the middle of your apartment. You might've been smaller than both of them, but you weren't feeble. Your well-placed grip held strong against the burly ex-marine, his glare pivoting to bore into you as you stopped him from storming into the apartment.

”Move aside,“ Frank ground out your name, eyes dark with rage.

”And let you bludgeon someone to death in my apartment? I'll pass.“ You snarked, your own anger over Frank's absence and the overwhelming stench of testosterone now shrouding your space coating your words.

Matt scoffed from behind you, making a sound of protest but you held up a single finger on your free hand. ”Don't you dare.“

Matt closed his mouth, turning his attention back to his dinner with a pout.

Nostrils flaring, Frank's chest was still poking into your forearm as he shook his head. ”I can't believe this. Him? C'mon kid, you're smarter than that. You can't shack up with this asshole.“

”I can do whatever I damn well please, Castle. In case you've forgotten over your period of absence, I am an adult who is capable of making her own decisions.“

A muscle in Frank's cheek twitched but he said nothing. Jabbing a finger into his shoulder, you pulled a stern look straight from your bag of teacher tricks, staring him down. ”I will let you through this door to talk but if either of you start brawling in my home, you're out on the street, got it?“

Confidence wavering, Frank's posture relaxed ever so slightly, looking like an attack dog who had been given a hold command--frustrated and miffed, but no longer snarling. He nodded once, stepping back to allow you to retract your arm.

”Matthew?“ You asked over your shoulder, still blocking the doorway as you waited for both parties to agree.

“I'm sorry, sweetheart. What was the question?“ You didn't need to crane your neck to see Matt's proud expression, feigning innocence as he silently challenged Frank from afar.

You and Frank both snorted in disbelief. Frank's lips opened but you beat him to the punch. ”Try again, Murdock.“

With a displeased grumble, Matt muttered his assent. ”Fine.”

Ha. Teacher voice: 1, unruly vigilantes: 0.

Nodding in approval, you finally released your rigid stance, standing on your tiptoes to peck Frank on his damp cheek. “C'mon in. I'll grab you a towel.”

Taglist: @marytheweefrenchie @cheshirecat484 @siampie @gracethyomen @xxdrixx

[revalition]

OCT 16 - PAIN THRESHOLD Shrug off the pain. They’ll have to hurt you more.

I love this guy a lot! even if he has some really questionable advice. I ended up dumping a lot of points into him in my first playthrough!

really simple drawings today, I've had a pretty bad headache all day. which you'd think would allow me to channel the pain threshold vibe better! but it really didn't. sadly the amount of love I hold for a skill doesn't necessarily correlate with how much effort I can put into drawing them (with a few exceptions lol). the one on the right was an old sketch I coloured... it was a relief I already had a halfway decent design for him haha

lots of quotes under the cut as usual!

pain threshold!!

fun fact - he does not refer to you as harry once. however he does call you: - pal - baby - son - buddy - man and none of these more than once. weirdo

PT also has the most anti-passives (passive failures) out of the skills, by a large margin. He has 31, second place has 19. He also has 3rd least passive checks.

quotes:

these two idiots!! causing mental and physical damage with their screaming... H/E coordination trying to reel it back in

<3 (this heals endurance!)

actual idiot skill

dudeee

he's so funny. he's fucking got this.

dying here

nooo

sigh

super normal.

he's a sad, sad guy

if you haven't been told yet that he has depression PT can figure it out for you!!! <3

sad PT in the final dream :(

this one too

he knows! he recognizes *fake pain*

dialogue after failing to save ruby... urgh

I really like this. 'A race to beat your own heart's pulse to some dark finish line.'

as always this is amazing.

:((( this is re: pawnshop roy

hehe

this one is always delightful. he has a sense of humour sometimes!

this whole scene was a mess, but this line in particular... I don't know, it just stuck with me. It's very vivid.

honestly, true

lol

sometimes these skills say some unhinged stuff, sheesh

poor guy, he's so sad

:(((

this one is brutal.

this guy has *issues*

ending it on this very important one!!! please look! during the last dream pain threshold tells you to pick the dialogue option that will cause her to leave and the dream to end... and volition tells you to keep dragging it on. hghh guys...

pain threshold is quite something. there are lots of instances of him telling you something painful feels good, or encourages you to do something that will hurt (both physically and emotionally). he also leads the finger on the eject button thought dialogue. My first playthrough I had FYS of 4 and I ended up dumping a ton of points in to PT cause I was fascinated by him. But I also had mega high volition cause I adored him too. they definitely did not have the same goals...

the first time I remember hearing from my personal PT, we were bowling and my wrist was really starting to hurt. and he was like, you should keep playing. thanks bro :/

anyway that's all. for tomorrow, physical instrument's design isnt super exciting to me, but I do have a bunch of good quotes picked. I can make a coach calling people a binoclard compilation...

[muninnhuginn]

In Defence of Qiao Ling

I've been musing on several threads relating to Qiao Ling in the last few weeks and have seen a few posts going around that have pushed me to actually try and put all my Qiao Ling thoughts into words and in one place.

Despite the title, I don't fully agree with the show's handling of Qiao Ling, but I do think she has been provided with a clear ongoing arc and so that's what I'm going to be focusing on here.

This got quite long so most of it is under the cut, but shout-out to @lizzieonka and @oceaniche for their previous posts on Qiao Ling, which definitely ended up inspiring some parts of this.

So, let's start with: what do we actually know about Qiao Ling?

Qiao Ling's Background

She's first introduced as the "landlady", for all it quickly becomes apparent that her relationship with Cheng Xiaoshi isn't quite that simple. Her family "took Cheng Xiaoshi in" but there's always been some distance and that's reinforced by the whole "rent" deal. (The fact that Cheng Xiaoshi is still adamant his parents will return likely also factors in to this.) Still, Qiao Ling herself clearly sees Cheng Xiaoshi as her younger brother and is willing to stake her claim on him as family to near-strangers (we've seen it both when she met Lu Guang and Li Tianxi).

Qiao Ling's social life is clearly contrasted with that of Cheng Xiaoshi. Where Cheng Xiaoshi's first "proper" friend was Lu Guang, Qiao Ling has her own circle of friends and is fairly sociable in general (she literally found a client by befriending a stranger when she came to learn martial arts). Xu Shanshan, for instance, is very much Qiao Ling's friend despite hanging out with the collective group at uni. Qiao Ling also spoke of Cheng Xiaoshi's childhood as something that happened to him specifically, implying that she herself was spared the bullying (which makes sense considering the fact that she wasn't the one with missing parents) and so had a more "normal" upbringing. Whether she spoke up back then or stayed quiet isn't fully clarified (not speaking up against adults is one thing but what about classmates?), but Cheng Xiaoshi doesn't seem to hold it against her either way.

Nowadays, Qiao Ling's role in managing the photo shop's side-business has her interacting directly with most clients. She's the most customer-facing of the three, relaying information between clients and shiguang. This is despite her not actually knowing the full details behind shiguang's diving process until season two, which in retrospect makes it more impressive. Qiao Ling taking on the managerial role (and what is also implied to be social media advertising) also has the (unintended?) effect of obscuring shiguang's roles in the business from the public, as it's Qiao Ling who earns the nickname of "witch". It took until Xiao Li saw Cheng Xiaoshi in the CCTV footage during the Doudou case for anyone to see through this.

Key Character Moments

In terms of Qiao Ling's key moments, we have four main ones.

In Doudou arc, Qiao Ling admits she saw Doudou being taken three years ago;

In season two, at the hospital, Qiao Ling asks for some trust and to not be shut out anymore;

Qiao Ling bonding with Li Tianxi and using their shared aspects to bring her out of her shell so she would help the investigation;

The revelation that Qiao Ling did, in fact, receive some form of Lu Guang's memories from Tianxi and her dismissal of their implications.

The main thread behind all of these scenes is that they are about information and what you choose to do with it.

My thoughts are two-fold here. First, how these scenes connect with Qiao Ling's arc specifically, and secondly, how they connect with the broader themes of the series.

Qiao Ling's Arc

Doudou

Let's begin with Doudou arc. In this arc, Qiao Ling reveals that she saw the kidnapping of a child several years ago. She hadn't told anyone about this for three years and likely would have continued to have kept it to herself if not for Doudou's father approaching the photo studio. In this arc, there is the following exchange:

Qiao Ling's main regret is that she didn't do something or say something as she saw Doudou being taken away. That her inaction may have ensured that Doudou's kidnapper was able to get away with him. And she specifically says "I didn't even have the courage to step forward and provide any information." (Tangent: Funnily enough, Lu Guang is the "star of courage" in the Star Warriors later in the episode, not Qiao Ling. Qiao Ling is "star of wisdom" who is meant to "light the way". Still fitting, but in a less straightforward way.)

Now, to me, this is clearly setting up an arc, not resolving one. Qiao Ling wouldn't have offered the information if not for the circumstances. And it tells us that for all Qiao Ling has friends and is sociable, she still holds certain cards close to her chest. She doesn't want to confront the past so instead she will hold her guilt tight and not say a word. Though, as this exchange shows, she does want to have that courage. And I'll get onto this later, but this ties in very clearly with the information she later holds regarding Lu Guang.

Hospital confrontation

Throughout this entire scene, even before it becomes a "confrontation" Qiao Ling is clearly feeling guilty. She runs after Cheng Xiaoshi when he tries to leave to help the police so that she can *do something*, make up for it the best she can. Guilt and avoidance are key traits for her and they both manifest here. They're still holding her back.

And, of course, there's her statement to Cheng Xiaoshi: "You're always trying to protect me. I really appreciate it. But what I need more is your trust." Qiao Ling knows what it's like to be locked out of the loop. She didn't know the specifics of diving for months (possibly years?) and it didn't really seem to bother her (or at least she didn't give the impression it bothered her when "Xu Shanshan" asked her about it). But she has her limits. And being locked out when the situation is actively dangerous? That's clearly past those limits.

Li Tianxi

Grouping together the final two scenes, because the first Li Tianxi scene is more a demonstration of character traits as well as digging in those sibling parallels between LTC-LTX and CXS-QL. Anyway, the first scene adds more evidence to the idea that Qiao Ling is more sociable and a people person. That she could could get Li Tianxi to open up by taking a more understanding approach and showing that she gets it to some extent. She's in the same boat.

Which means when we get to the final scene, this is what ties it all together. Qiao Ling has inherited the memories Li Tianxi saw from Lu Guang. She has seen Cheng Xiaoshi's "death". She has information now. But her first instinct is to dismiss it. To avoid it and refuse to confront it because the implications are too much.

But, see, she's been in this situation before with Doudou. She's had information and done nothing with it and regretted. She wanted to have the courage to do better. This is her goal.

And the implications of these memories? Do they mean Cheng Xiaoshi is in danger? Wasn't danger her red line in the sand? Didn't she tell him that "protecting" people and "trusting" them aren't mutually exclusive?

And finally, Lu Guang isn't Li Tianxi, but isn't the scenario here at least somewhat similar? Isn't Qiao Ling in the same boat as him here, wanting to keep Cheng Xiaoshi safe? Hasn't Qiao Ling shown she can connect with people through their shared experiences?

Qiao Ling isn't a confrontational character. She's avoidant. She will wallow in her guilt and not let on until it gets too much. But she wants to do better and isn't this her chance to do something? Say something? To not just be a passive observer and be left with regrets? I don't think it will be immediate by any means, but I think for her arc to conclude properly, she will have to conclude for herself that she needs to be open with the information she has and share it. If she's pushed into it, then it's just Doudou again. But if she chooses to share the information, then that's the pay-off set up back in season one.

Broader Themes in the Show

Broader themes regarding information and withholding of it. We see time and again in this series, that characters withhold information from others.

Liu Xiao and Lu Guang with Li Tianchen and Cheng Xiaoshi respectively, both holding more information than their "partner". Refusing to share it so that they can control them. Their reasons may differ, but the dynamics mirror each other in that respect. Unhealthy dynamic number one.

Li Tianchen and Li Tianxi, never addressing what Li Tianchen is doing with their powers. It allows Li Tianchen to pretend to himself that he is protecting Li Tianxi and carrying out justice. Li Tianxi is heavily implied in her telling of their backstory to know more than she lets on with regards to Li Tianchen's actions. But the refusal of both siblings to broach the topic eventually leads to Li Tianchen going where Li Tianxi cannot follow in his pursuit of vengeance and puts Li Tianxi in the very danger Li Tianchen wanted to avoid. Unhealthy dynamic number two. (There are more than this but I'm just sticking to these to keep this from getting any longer)

To go back to the hospital confrontation, when Qiao Ling says: "You're always trying to protect me. I really appreciate it. But what I need more is your trust." When she says this? It's a direct hit against the idea that protection should involve keeping people out. And in this case, Cheng Xiaoshi does start to let her in. They do manage to have healthy communication here now that Qiao Ling has been let in on the dives and is allowed to do something to help. She doesn't want to be passive.

She knows what it's like to be locked out, to be "protected" without having her own agency respected. But now, as of end of season two, she's on the other side. She has the information and Cheng Xiaoshi is locked out.

When Qiao Ling was assigned as the "Star of Wisdom, to light the way" in the Doudou arc, that's because it's her role in the show overall. Lu Guang certainly isn't going to push forward with healthy communication; he's too committed to his path for that. Cheng Xiaoshi meanwhile doesn't have the information needed to even start a confrontation. Qiao Ling is the only one in the position to lead the way with her knowledge. To provide the route to healthy communication once more.

She is the catalyst.

[djarinsphere]

The help of a stranger | Din Djarin

Din Djarin x female!reader

Summary: When you need it the most, a stranger is willing to help you out. The stranger becomes someone you love, but could he ever feel the same?

Warnings: mention of abuse (workplace related), canon-typical violence, angst, only partially proof-read

Words: 4.2k

A/N: This took me a while to write, but I hope all of you enjoy it. I love Din in this and I hope you do too! Lemme know what you think :)

Request | Masterlist

The Mandalorian was used to travelling alone. He wasn’t only used to it, he actually preferred it a lot. Whenever someone else was on his ship with him, it was usually a bounty and most of them were dead as soon as they entered his ship. 

But things had been different for quite a while. Since he met the little child next to him, to be precise. Grogu had turned his life around in more ways than one but even simple things like travel had become quite different. He now had a child on board with him at all times and had to care for it while also doing his job to make sure they had enough credits to get through the days. 

It would be a lie if he said he didn’t have any problems arising through this new situation. It was hard to navigate everything at the same time and still be able to do everything just as efficiently as before. That’s why he decided to finally get some help on the front of the kid at least. It was just hard to find someone suitable for that job. Someone that wasn’t going to rob him first chance they got. 

Din didn’t even know where to start with this. He wasn’t going to put an advertisement out that would say “Seeking Nanny for green child”. The thought alone made his cheeks turn red. 

It was a rather lucky incident that eventually lead him to finally find someone that would be able to care for Grogu. 

After securing another bounty on a remote jungle planet, he decided that all the canned and warmed-up food in the Razor Crest wasn’t anything they should eat today. Besides, Grogu seemed to be a lot hungrier these days, so he would allow himself and his little companion to eat something better than whatever he stored on his ship. 

The small cantina was filled with all kinds of people. Din could spot pilots from the New Republic, workers and a few people that kept their faces hidden with cloaks and masks. If he had to guess, he would have guessed that they were smugglers or bounty hunters. But smugglers was more likely.

“You’ll behave this time,” he told the green child that he carried with him. “I don’t want to cause a scene again like last time. You aren’t supposed to eat all the insects you can find.” While he had gotten rather used to Grogu’s strange eating habits, all the people around them didn’t know that the small kid could eat basically anything and that was normal. But Din found himself looking away every now and then when Grogu would put a particularly disgusting insect into his mouth. 

A waitress welcomed them shortly after they stepped through the door. She led them to a table in the back and brought a high chair for Grogu. As soon as the waitress had turned around again, hurrying off towards another table, Grogu grabbed the small salt shaker on the table and started pouring its contents into his mouth. 

Din was looking away in that moment, eyeing a table in the back where  a card game was being played, but pistols were laying on the table, clearly ready to be used. 

You were tired of working in this cantina. Your boss was just ordering you around all day, making you do even more work since the droid he had used before broke down. The work wasn’t the only problem though. It was the constant delay of your payment, the customers that were always treating you like something inferior to them and you could not stand the horrible sanitary conditions in the kitchen. And there wasn’t much possibility to change anything since your boss was always monitoring everyone and if things weren’t done the right way, or the way he wanted them, hell would be let loose. 

Today, you were serving a Mandalorian warrior and a child that looked rather strange. You had never seen his species before, but you adored his huge green ears and his adorable eyes. After bringing them a high chair, you went back behind the counter to get  a datapad ready that would display the menu. With the sleeve of your shirt, you brushed off some dust from the device’s screen, letting out a small sigh. These also needed to be overhauled. It was an old edition and you already had to explain to your boss that some of the datapads didn’t even work properly at this point. A few of them couldn’t be turned on anymore either.

When you made your way back to their table, you saw the Mandalorian looking away from his child that was emptying the salt shaker right into his mouth. “Uh-“ you started, unsure if you would be allowed to do or say something about it, but you doubted that consuming so much salt could be healthy – for anyone. 

You gently tried to take the shaker from the little kid which made his ears drop almost immediately. He looked sad, frustrated and you instantly felt bad. 

By the time you placed the salt back onto the table, the Mandalorian was looking at you. A shiver ran down your spine, in fear. You could feel your throat drying up. This cantina had seen a lot of Mandalorians already and a lot of them had been looking for trouble, oftentimes not even stopping at the staff. It was always a challenge for you to be face to face with masked Mandalorians. Or masked people in general. How were you supposed to tell if they were upset or not? How were you supposed to prevent bigger mishaps?

“I’m sorry, I-“ you started, trying to explain yourself. Maybe it had been an issue that you stopped the child from emptying the entire shaker. What did you know about little green children with huge ears? 

“No, I’m sorry. He has to learn not to touch and eat literally everything,” the stranger interrupted you, taking the salt and pepper shakers further away from the baby. 

Relief washed over you. You weren’t just happy that you didn’t upset him, but also that you didn’t cause a scene and your boss would have another reason to come after you. You were pretty sure that you were on the verge of being fired and while this place was awful, you didn’t really have anywhere else to go and finding work these days was pretty hard. Most people earned their money by hunting bounties for guilds or the New Republic, but you weren’t very skilled with any weapons. You knew how to defend yourself with a blaster in a worst case scenario, but that was about it. 

You cleared your throat eventually, handing the Mandalorian the datapad. “You can find our menu on here. I will be back soon to take your orders,” you smiled friendly, trying to get back to the safety behind the counter. The Mandalorian simply nodded, before you turned away and made your  way back to the counter. You checked the window to the kitchen quickly, not seeing any new meals that needed to be carried to the tables, so you took the time to refill the bottles of blue milk. Lots of them had gone empty since your boss didn’t keep an eye on it and you were busy tending to the customers. 

You were about to close the second refilled bottle when your boss came around the corner, already an angry expression on his face. “Sir-“ you started, but he was quick to interrupt you. “Did I tell you to refill these?” His voice was loud, booming through the cantina as usual. You flinched visibly, immediately placing the bottle down on the counter again. “No, but I figured they might have to be refilled like usual,” you tried to explain yourself, heart beating wildly against your chest. You were frightened, again. You wanted nothing more than to get rid of this job. 

“But I didn’t tell you to do that now!” His voice just got louder. You could feel everyone’s stares on you already, all of that making your hands shake immediately. “I’m sorry, I-“ Your words weren’t more than nervous stammers. 

“This isn’t the first time you keep messing up. It’s always you that’s causing trouble.” All you had ever done here was try to get everything right. So many employees had already left but you didn’t and now this is what you got for all of it. Not that you could have afforded to leave. But during your time here, you still didn’t want to mess up. 

“Maybe I should finally get rid of you. This is your last shift.” 

You knew the shock was written on your face. An uncomfortable silence spread in the room that had been so loud just a few minutes earlier. Your heart threatened to stop as well. Where were you supposed to go? How were you supposed to survive? You didn’t have many savings, your rent was incredibly high and you had no idea where to find a new job. 

You were left standing in shock when your boss turned around and went back into the kitchen. You gulped, the world around you spinning for a second. Your hand found the counter to support you somehow, trying to prevent your fall. This was horrible. All of this was horrible. 

You made sure to pack everything that belonged to you into your bag when the cantina closed later that evening. It wasn’t much. You had just kept a mug around to fill yourself a drink every now and then. And had left a jacket in the kitchen in case it would get colder than usual. Of course, you wouldn’t miss this place, but you would miss the money you received. How were you supposed to pay the bills now?

Your only hope might be a cleaning job in one of the New Republic office facilities. But you had to get off this planet for that first.

Your thoughts were interrupted though when you saw the Mandalorian standing outside the building, seemingly waiting for you. Was he waiting for you? 

He approached pretty quickly then and you could hear a small sigh leave his lips. “I saw what happened earlier.” Of course he did. Everyone did probably.  

“I think everyone did,” you replied, visibly frustrated at the memory. You didn’t only get fired, you got fired in front of so many people. 

“Probably,” the Mandalorian added, looking around for a moment. He seemed kind of nervous for some reason, putting one of his hands on his hip. “Do you already have an idea of where to go? Job-wise?” 

It was a strange question. From a stranger specifically. Yet you decided to answer it truthfully. “No. I have honestly no idea what I will do now.” Tears were making their way into your eyes, your hand coming up to cover your mouth. How could this get even more embarrassing? You were now even crying in front of a stranger. 

The Mandalorian seemed to be a bit overwhelmed by your reaction, looking around helplessly and almost avoiding your gaze. He seemed to think for an awful long time, a time where you could feel more and more shivers rising up in your body. 

Eventually, he spoke again. “I think I have a job for you. If you want.”

Looking back, it might have been a bit foolish to just follow a bounty hunter you barely knew through the galaxy. But Din Djarin, as you had found out, never mistreated you even once. “The Job” you had been offered consisted of looking after the small child. It wasn’t the easiest job, especially since both Din and Grogu had a habit of getting into trouble quite often and you were the one that had to stick around and stitch them back together or make sure that Grogu didn’t get into too much danger. 

Almost a year had passed since you had left your old home behind and started to find a new one within the Razor Crest. Travelling the galaxy was intriguing and you got to see so many new places. Desert planets, jungle planets… things you couldn’t even imagine before. You had met new species, talked to more people than you probably had your entire life and tried so many new foods that you could barely keep track of them anymore. 

Din was a quiet travel companion but you noticed that with each passing month, he started to open up a bit more. First, your conversations consisted mostly of small talk and what mischief Grogu had been up to again. But then, he slowly started to tell you about some bounties he had done in the past, about planets he had visited and worries he had about your next destination. 

You also dared to open up more, especially about your time as a waitress, about everything that came before he gave you the chance to escape your miserable life back home. Din was a great listener. With time, your conversations got longer, the topics more meaningful and you sound found yourself talking about your biggest fears. Din was open with you about the fact that he was constantly worried about Grogu, that he had no idea how finding a Jedi was going to work out for him. You were honest with him about the fact that you didn’t really have anything but him, the child and your travels together. 

During all these talks, often happening late at night or while the stars were rushing by in hyperspace, you could feel yourself growing more and more fond of the Mandalorian. One night he told you about how he invented a rock game with other foundlings when he was a child, laughter making their way past his helmet. And every laugh left more butterflies in your stomach. Soon enough, you were filled with them, just like the smile was not able to leave your lips anymore. These conversations made you happy, let you feel safe and his voice started to become the most beautiful sound you could hear. And every time he retreated back to his bunk for the night, leaving you on your pile of blankets and pillows, you felt a sting in your chest, like something you loved dearly was gone again. 

With time, it became harder and harder for you to hide your feelings. You knew Din might be oblivious to some advances made by others – you had witnessed that yourself – but he would surely notice that your behaviour changed. Seeing each other every day, it would be inevitable. But you were determined to try your best at hiding whatever was going on inside you. 

Maybe it led to less late night talks, less meals spent together, but you were trying to save yourself from more hurt coming towards you. Not being able to act on your feelings was one thing, but being openly rejected would be another. At least you would be able to have the fantasies in your head. 

Today, you were sitting on the ramp of the Razor Crest, Grogu next to you, playing with his favourite toy – a ball. You watched him with a smile on your face. Din was out buying supplies and you decided to stay back and watch over Grogu here. It was like that a lot of the time. And sometimes Din would come back from a fight, armour dirty and sometimes even mildly injured. 

That was also one of the reasons why you didn’t dare to tell him about you how felt. He was a warrior, strong, brave and able to stand his ground. He had a presence, a strength, you could never match. You weren’t even able to hold your blaster properly sometimes. 

In your head, you imagined Din would like to have a partner, a riduur, that would be able to fight. Mandalorians were warriors and you were neither of these. Getting Din to open up had taken a long time, but learning how to fight for him would take even longer. 

You could only dream about being with him. 

Din was carrying a large bag with supplies when he came back to the Razor Crest. He already saw the two of you from afar and something about the way you played with Grogu, eventually picking him up and placing him in your lap, made his chest feel warm. His entire body started to feel warm, cheeks included. If he wasn’t wearing the helmet, the blush in his face would have betrayed all that was going on inside him. 

You were simply wonderful in his eyes. There was also a certain calmness he felt whenever he saw you with Grogu. You were like a mother to the little green child, but you had also become his calm in a storm. The Razor Crest had never felt like home as much as it did with you in it. 

But how could he ever explain all of this to you? 

A few more weeks passed and as did the stars in hyperspace. They were rushing past you on your way to a new planet, a new location, where Din had located a bounty he was after. You were sitting next to him in the cockpit, watching the different screens and buttons. One day you would finally at least get the courage to ask Din to show you the basics of flying. For now, you didn’t want to seem annoying. Not that he had ever given you the impression that he could be annoyed by you. 

It was just your own doubts. And the fact that you were probably not anything like an ideal travelling companion or partner for him. Other people surely knew how to navigate a ship, get rid of pirates and care for a child. 

“Do you already know what to expect?” You asked eventually, breaking the silence. Din turned his head towards you. You always wondered what eyes were hidden behind that helmet. Behind that dark visor that you couldn’t see past. 

“A bunch of smugglers that settled down in the woods. I’m supposed to bring their leader back to the client,” he explained, hand coming up to fix the armour on his shoulder. There was an urge in your fingertips to help him, but you held back. 

After months of living together, travelling together, you had learned to hold back, even though you wanted nothing more but to finally touch him. Just somehow. Somewhere. 

“Then I will already wish you good luck. I can wait here with Grogu again, if you want.” It was always easier for him to do his job without having Grogu, and now you, around. Not having to watch after a little kid while fighting was definitely a blessing you could get behind. So whenever it worked, you just stayed back on the ship with the little green one. 

Din walked off into the forest as soon as you had landed. You left the ramp open again, but sat down on some tree stumps, letting Grogu play around in the grass. He was surely putting a few bugs into his mouth but as you had learned, it wasn’t harmful to him and he was never not hungry. 

You still kept an eye on him. Din had told you about how important Grogu seemed to be to some people, for his abilities, and that they wouldn’t shy away from getting to him at all costs. You never let him out of your sight at all. 

It seemed to take Din forever. The sun had gone down already, but he hadn’t returned yet and slowly, worries were starting to spread inside you. What if something happened to him? What if he was bleeding out somewhere and couldn’t make it back to the ship? What if he had gotten lost in the woods? So many questions, unanswered. 

With every passing minute, your worries just grew. The worst scenarios started to form in your head. You could almost see Din’s armour in front of you, the shiny beskar covered in blood and dirt. His painful groans echoed in your head without actually being there. Panic was rising inside you. He had never been gone for that long. 

You started to pace around, Grogu sensing your discomfort and sitting on a stump, watching you without much movement. You weren’t sure if you were confident enough in your skills to go looking for him. It had been hours since he had disappeared between the trees and there was no way you would be able to find your own way in those woods. You had no experience navigating anything beside a busy cantina. 

Hope rose inside you as you spotted a figure in the shadows though. Same height as Din, almost the same built. Almost. This person as a lot broader, face covered as well, but with a mask of a different kind. A hood was pulled into their face and your heart almost stopped. This wasn’t Din. Without standing around much longer, you grabbed Grogu, pressed him against your chest and wanted to make a run for the Razor Crest. 

But someone was also standing behind you, blocking the entry into your ship. You gulped, panic filling your body completely. What were you supposed to do? Your hands turned sweaty, but you knew you had to find a solution or else you and Grogu would be damned. You needed to make a move now. The man in front of you just kept coming closer and closer. With every step, he sent another shiver of fear through your body. 

Then you could feel your limbs again and everything in your head was screaming Run!. So you did. You ran into the woods, hearing fast steps behind you, but you were good at running at least. Grogu was hiding his face in your top, the little child shivering as you carried him through the unknown forest. Branches scratched against the exposed skin of your arms, leaving it bloody and red. 

It seemed like an eternity, running and running, and slowly, your lungs were starting to give in. You stumbled, again and again, until you met the hard ground, stone pushing into your hands, sending pain through your arm. Your knees hurt, scrapped open, your legs weak from the running while you were still desperately trying to breathe. 

Then there was the cold metal of a blaster against your head, tears streaming from your eyes. You were really going to die here. And you weren’t able to protect Grogu at all. He would be taken away, Din would come back and find you both gone. If he was still alive. 

“Please-” you started, already expecting the laser to hit you, but it never did. The pain never came, the sound never filled your ears. 

Instead, you heard a dull sound and the cold feeling on your head left. You turned around, looking at the Mandalorian. 

“Din,” you breathed out, more tears coming from your eyes. Relief. You were overcome with relief, the feeling taking control of your entire body. Grogu sat down on the ground as you leaned against a stone, trying to get your breathing even again. But your eyes never left the man in front of you. 

The person that had attacked you laid on the ground, motionless. But Din was staring at you, through the dark visor once more. “Are you alright?” He asked. The trembling of his voice could not be hidden. He was worried, worried sick. 

“Are you alright?” He asked again, sinking down in front of you. His gloved hands cupped your head, the rough leather moving over your cheeks. 

Even though you couldn’t see his face, his body language betrayed him. He was shivering slightly, his breath faster than usual and all calm had left him completely. 

“I’m alright. Just a few scratches,” you nodded, a hand finding its way on top of his. You gave his hand a slight squeeze and for a moment, he seemed to become even more tense. Until he wasn’t anymore. 

A weight fell off his shoulders and his arms wrapped around you, pulling you into him. His armour was hard against you, but you could hear the beating of his heart and for a moment, the pain in your limbs didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered. 

“I was so afraid to lose you. I-” He kept you in his arms, even as he spoke. “I have come to care for you a great deal. There are some feelings I can’t really put into words.” 

He didn’t have to say more. You understood. It filled you with warmth, head to toe, with butterflies in your stomach and a smile on your lips. The pain was something from the past for now. Knowing that Din seemed to feel the same about you was all you had wanted for so long. 

“I was worried about you too. You were gone for so long and… I also don’t want to see you hurt. Ever. I don’t want to walk the galaxy without you.”

Din let out a sigh, his gloved hand moving soothingly over your hair. 

“You will never have to go anywhere without me, cyar’ika. I’m here to protect you.” 

[pyrettawychwiggin]

No Harm Done (Oneshot) - Crow x Guardian (Destiny 2)

The following oneshot may contain spoilers from around The Season of the Haunted beneath the cut. Tread carefully, Guardian.

What to Expect: SFW, fluff, cute, semi-platonic

The following scene takes place at some point during The Season of the Haunted.

Enjoy!

Vera lay splayed out on her emergency bedroll on a bench in the H.E.L.M. snoring and tucked under the fold of the grey, plastic-like covering. She hadn't managed to get a half-decent night's rest for weeks since her latest series of missions on Nessus, and the very thought of hauling her groggy Awoken ass back to the city and through the streets to her flat felt nothing short of laughable. As soon as she'd arrived at the H.E.L.M. with her fireteam to split their loot and part ways, she knew she was in no condition to fly.

She had been out cold for a few hours before a voice started echoing in her subconscious.

"Vera?"

Vera scrunched her nose in her sleep, rolling over in response to the strange noise calling her name from beyond the sleep.

"Vera, please wake up."

The voice was insistent - full of concern.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly to see the burgundy shell of Crow's ghost hovering in front of her.

"Glint?" Vera rubbed her eyes as she slowly sat up, letting the top half of her bedroll crinkle down to her hips to reveal her in a simple white tank top and slate gray sweatpants. "What is it? Is everything alright?"

"I'm sorry to wake you up, it's just-" he was speaking in a hushed, hurried tone, twitching from one side to the other. "It's Crow."

"Crow?" Vera frowned, swinging her legs around the side of her cot to set her bare feet on the ground. "Is he alright?"

"Well, he has... nightmares. That's normal for him, but usually, I just wake him up." Glint cast his eye down to the ground and shook from side to side. "This time, I can't seem to snap him out of it - he won't wake up. He's all wrapped up in this one, and I'm getting worried."

"Take me to him." Vera pulled herself to her feet and followed Glint around the corridors of the H.E.L.M. to where Crow had clearly fashioned a makeshift cot for himself in a small room tucked out of the way. Vera suspected it had once been a closet for janitorial use.

Sure enough, Crow was there, tucked under tattered covers that weren't quite long enough to cover his feet, head resting on his folded up hunter's cape.

"Crow?" Vera called softly, awkwardly taking a few steps closer. There was no response. As she got closer to the side of his cot, she noticed he was sweating, his breathing ragged and nearly laboured. He tossed and turned, his face contorting as if he were experiencing some manner of agony. Vera tried to call out again. "Crow, wake up. You're only dreaming."

Still nothing. Glint let out a small series of electric chatters and chirps.

"Come on, Crow." Vera reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle shake. "Snap out of it!"

To her shock, Crow's hand snapped up to grasp her arm, yanking her off her feet and onto her back on the other side of the cot. Before she could blink, he was on top of her, panting with his knife to her throat, his other hand clasped around her wrists, holding her arms over her head.

"Whoa, hey! Crow!" Vera raised her voice in alarm. "It's me!"

Crow's glowing harvest moon eyes snapped open, pupils dilated, chest heaving. At first, his vision was dark and blurred, not allowing him to fully comprehend what was in front of him. In this moment, he felt the familiar fight-or-flight panic in his bones; a them-or-me type of fear that had become as close to home as he'd known ever since Glint had brought him into this life.

"Crow! Stop!" Glint's voice cut through his panic as he flashed in front of him in one frantic movement.

"What....?" Crow breathed, brow furrowed in confusion. As he looked down to the figure pinned beneath him, his vision came into focus to reveal the Awoken huntress, a pinprick trickle of blood from her neck at the tip of his blade. She looked up at him with wide, pale moonlight-coloured eyes, lavender lips parted as she regarded him with intermingling fear and concern.

As if his dagger were suddenly coated in molten lava, he flung the blade to the ground with a gasp and released Vera's wrists, palms up in surrender.

"Vera! I-" Crow stammered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I-I thought -"

"Hey, no harm done." Vera smiled at him, trying (and failing) to ease his guilt with a joke and a crooked grin. "As far as I can tell, I still have all nine of my limbs."

Crow frowned, clearly not amused at Vera's attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

"Vera, you shouldn't shrug this off," he sighed. "I almost killed you. Do you realize that?"

"Do you realize it wouldn't have mattered?" Vera rolled her eyes. "You're not the only guardian here, you know. We live, we die, we come back - rinse and repeat; it's what we do. It's the circle of Light and all that-"

"But you would have had to do so at my hand!" Crow snapped. "I've had to resurrect more times than I can count because of... other guardians."

Crow averted his eyes, remembering the multitude of times a disgruntled guardian had taken out their unending hatred for Uldren out on him - usually in the form of a bullet to the head.

"Crow, stop." Vera gently placed her hands on his cheeks, her expression serious and determined. "I know you. When you get like this, you tend to spiral. You're far too hard on yourself as it is."

"One of us should be..." Crow replied, almost too quietly for Vera to hear.

She sighed and pursed her lips, grasping Crow's chest by the fabric of his shirt and yanking him down into her arms, his head tucked into the crook of her neck.

"Wh-what are you-"

"Hush." Vera ran her fingers through his hair, feeling the tension in his shoulders begin to relax. "There's no talking to you when you're like this, and you clearly haven't gotten a full night's rest in who knows how long - frankly, neither have I. So, sleep. We can talk this out in the morning."

"What if I try to hurt you again?" Crow whispered, cheeks warm with embarrassment to Vera's intimately close proximity. "What if I just have another nightmare?"

"Then I'll be here to chase them away for you." Vera rested her chin on top of Crow's head, gently pulling the covers up to his shoulders. "You're my friend, Crow. You won't hurt me. And I'm not going anywhere."

Glint hovered nearby, drifting idly in relief. Vera gave him a nod, allowing him to tuck himself away for the night.

Humming a simple melody softly under her breath, she felt Crow's heartbeat return to normal, and his breathing slowed as he drifted back to a dreamless sleep not long before she followed.

[kazukazuhas]

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 💌 ꒱ old friends, lloyd garmadon.┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ ☁️

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 💌 ꒱ act one ;; scene five┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ ☁️

  ୧ ⎯⎯ GREEN NINJA

୧ ⎯⎯ WARNINGS ;; some stalking ;; alluding to robbery and possible murder ;; some injures ;; lloyd being a cute dude ;; reader has anxiety and not have that strong of a will to live

  ୧ ⎯⎯ NOTES ;; who knew that i would forget to included the other main character for a little bit. i tried to write anxiety to the best of my ability, but i'm tired af rn

  ୧ ⎯⎯ PREVIOUS ┊MASTERLIST┊NEXT

  ୧ ⎯⎯ 1 IMAGE ;; TEXT [CLICK FOR BETTER QUALITY]

  maybe this was a bad idea: coming to the store by yourself without anyone else to accompany, to chase away and ease your nerves. anxiety began to rack its thin finger against your heart as the car parked off to the side of the pavement. nya checked her phone quickly, angling the screen just short of out of your sight but you don't bother about what she's busy with both out of decency and being out of it.

  the car's safety tried to call you back, singing a song of comfort as you reluctantly stepped out of the vehicle to complete your own tasks of the day. nya, while in the midst of your worrying and fastening breath hidden behind the disposable mask you grabbed, mentioned something you don't quite understand entirely from the slightly deafness you felt but nonetheless the least go along with it as she starts the car, waves and finally drove off to her own destination. maybe you should've let pixal when she offered to accompany you– well too bad it's too late now. 

  it's quick, you think to yourself to reassure the panic from settling in, a simple in and out. all you needed was a few things and you'd be out in a jiff, and the house was nothing but a good ten minutes away– you choose to believe that it is near instead of its realistic distance being further rather than closer. you hesitantly step inside the small convenience store, counting all the heads you see before walking around the side of the aisles to find the one you needed exactly. 

  relief flooded you like a thin stream of mist, the bell rang as the last person and their child, who was half embarrassed by their mother, left the store while bidding a rather noisy goodbye to the clearly tired cashier, who only rolled their eyes before continuing on with their own personal work. you pick the things you need up quickly, checking their prices quickly before grabbing a pack of some ramen you liked and a few energy drinks from one of the neatly packed fridges. skylor did say they normally restocked the night before saturday. with a good attempt, you tried to seem calm while walking up to the cashier. 

  they greeted you softly, still in their own haze of thought and daydreaming when you get to them after a quick moment. they half-smiled before continuing on with their job, taking each of the items from your short list and cashing them. their calm energy radiated and softened your nerves for a moment. they were just someone no older than you, mostly fresh out of high school and maybe even trying to make ends meet? or they were trying to earn enough to cover the cost of university or college, you couldn't tell.

  it was something so fascinating about the whole — outside a single perspective, were the interesting lives of thousands of millions to billions, all filling the pages of their books with ink crafted to them in their own unique writing.

  they handed you the bagged items and slip after they received the cash you handed back to them, letting out a small farewell greeting and going back to their own work and continuing on with their day. never caring of whether it was the last time you'd see them or if this was just the first. 

  but your mind was at ease– maybe you were hyper fixated by anxiety thumping against your head at first but it ceased, at least until you made it halfway down the road. something warned you, a gut feeling that meshed with anxiety and worry that told you to turn back and call someone to pick you up. your heart picked up the pace the faster you began to walk, your breath left you in a heave and pant. 

  regrettably, you spare a look behind you. 

  nothing.

  the anxiety rushes forward, sending your nerves on an electrified run the moment the presence lurking after your steps vanishes from your sights and senses. it crashed roughly and flooded rationality, but you kept the fast pace and reframed from breaking out into a desired sprint back to skylor's place. 

  the steps became loudly, your sometimes false suspicion was now correct; someone was following you and not so discreetly. from the sound of the footsteps, they were heavy and following your exact direction you were heading. and you doubt they were of good intentions. 

  "fuck– please go away," you whispered under your breath, the only person who would have only heard was yourself, but you heard the desperation and fear that something might happen. 

  if only you were in shape, it's been forever since your last workout or try to keep yourself fit and in good health. since your high school career started coming to a close in your last couple years, it swiped you of any energy and time you had left outside your preexisting tuitions and classes. sometimes you wonder how you were still standing when you didn't have any of those energy drinks. 

  there was a drunken snicker from behind you, warily you glance back and catch the sight of a stranger watching you walk at a fastened pace with the utmost interest and caution. 

  you turned, a wrong one by your misjudgement and settling panic rising further than before. you notice you're panting slightly at how your body is coming to terms with how hard its work to keep you moving. vaguely you noticed the mistake you made, you were supposed to take the turn after. and it might cost you gravely. 

  your skin itches, a crawling feeling stretches up your arm and it becomes unreal how disgusting you begin to feel the moment the stranger grabs your arm. they grabbed you— it takes a moment to register that they managed to get a hold on you, but now your back hits the hard wall with a thud that rings heavy against the street's bare, lonely walls. the pain cracks through your body, a thick hurt fleet from your back and along your body with a burning touch. that's a faint sound of the contents from your run earlier meeting the ground, its vague against the loud ringing echoing in your hazy mind. 

  the stranger asks of something from you, their face blurry with the sky and wall meshing together. they ask a second time, louder and much clearer but it still didn't reach your hazy mind. 

  silver, no. a shiny grey moved from side to side in your sight, it was getting hard to see from your hazing eyes and tiredness getting to you. nothing seemed real at the moment, maybe your head hit the wall as well– oh that could be a concussion.

  there was yelling, there was someone else who caught the attention of the stranger who thought of taking advantage of your half conscious state to take your hard earned cash, maybe something darker, death. it would be fine if the latter had occurred, you think. you close your eyes reluctantly. 

  "hey, hey–" the other stranger called to you, the one who chased the other one off. you found their clothing funny, all clad in green and black with a hood and mask hiding their face from everyone. "what's your name? can you tell me?" you tried to focus on their voice, the stranger sounded as young as you. you answered them with your name, fading from consciousness for a moment. their voice brought you back, "do you know who i am?" you shook your head as much as you could manage to, resting your face in the hand they held it, your face with. 

  "i'm the green ninja." ninja? so they were real?

  "gonna pick you up- okay there we go. i'm going to take you to the hospital, do you have an emergency contact?" the ninja asks slowly, letting you process each word before saying the next. they wait patiently but not saying a word, but kept moving, you don't notice the rooftops and breeze until you reopen your eyes. 

  "skylor chen." the ninja chuckles, seemingly knowing of who to call. they quietly thank you for the answer before jumping to the next rooftop and onwards until finally reaching the hospital. 

  haze. haze all you felt. 

  you all but remember that day, except you'll remember the person in the strange clothes. they were quite interesting.

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[bugzrc00l]

Lego Movie Rant

I can’t believe that the Lego movie came out 10 years ago. Even watching it now is a whole experience, looking back and finding things I hadn’t noticed before!

Let me start off with the animation. As a kid I remember my dad and I both being confused whether they had used real Legos or computer animated. Both ways are impressive, the stop motion would have taken 10 years by itself, but the way they made sure to include small details such as finger prints and even the little extra plastic from the mold on Emmet’s hair. The difference between The Lego Movie and any other Lego movie is astounding when you compare the way they animated the characters even moving. With the old Lego movies we got fluid movements, smooth textures, and realistic limb bending, however in The Lego Movie the characters are obviously limited in their movements realistically based on their Lego limbs.

Another amazing thing about The Lego Movie is the universal nature of all of it. Throughout the film we don’t just have a few main characters that take themselves seriously, instead we have a whole cast of characters from different media that are fun and play on their original personalities and plots. There is seriously things for everyone to enjoy, they have Legos, wizards, ghosts, pirates, cowboys, DC characters, spaceships, robots, Will Ferrell, and a whole glittery rainbow universe! All of these components in a movie and it still manages to make it work, using the creativity of a child’s mind to really make everything flow. Even better is that the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, it plays on jokes and gags from many different medias to make the humor funny to any person who watches. This movie is very character driven and it does a super good job in that aspect.

Along with the looks and characters in the film there is obviously the storyline. I think the reason so many of the characters and different settings work is because of the story being so simple. They keep the story as: an extremely normal man tries to become creative in order to save the universe. In the start we get to see the way most movies start out, pretty basic with a not so special protagonist. This protagonist meets a woman (manic pixie dream girl) and then he becomes special. However at the end of the movie it comes out that it was all a lie, that Emmet is just some regular guy. I think this was really important to emphasize because throughout the whole first part of the movie we are thinking that Emmet is truly the chosen one and there had to be some fate attached, that he himself couldn’t have made a change without becoming special first. But this thinking is wrong, if this movie teaches anything it’s the fact that individual will and support from the people close to you is what makes a change. At the very and when all the “normal” societal members start to embrace their individuality and free will is when we see their rebellion working.

The Lego Movie feels close to the neurodivergent experience of growing up in a way. In the beginning of the movie we are shown the way Emmet quite literally follows all the rules. He keeps a booklet with him at all times, checks off the list as he goes, and tries his best. Our main character is enthusiastic about everything, he knows everyone’s names, and does as they all ask. In some parts of the film we are able to see the way that his coworkers and neighbors seem to brush him off. The only time when his coworkers really acknowledge him is when a cop asks about him, to which they all respond with the fact that he is so normal that he’s boring. It really was heartbreaking watching the scene when Emmet first realized that they really didn’t enjoy his company, after he had worked so hard to be normal like he was taught to be. Later we also see that when exposed to the seemingly “only” other option of being creative and always thinking outside the box we see that he is lost and hesitant. He soon comes into his own sort of creativity not completely starting from scratch but using what he knows and building off that, he just needed creativity to be put in a different perspective.

The filming, characters, plot, messaging, and silliness of the movie really do make it amazing. The creators were able to bring together so many different things that mesh so smoothly into one film that it was surprising at first. Not only did this film show true passion and love for its creation it also showed that things don’t have to be serious all the time. Through the storyline, jokes, and nods about such serious topics we are still given valuable messages and a fun movie with memorable characters and jokes.

[akutasoda]

chapter eight - a canine greeting

　↳ werewolf!wriothesley x reader

warnings - gn!reader, fluff, slight angst, pining, teasing, slight blackmailing, wc - 1.7k

fontaine was always filled with people from different walks of life. and you were no different, in fact you were quite the inspiration for many people after building your life up from nothing. your family wasn't really doing great, and from quite a young age you were determined to change that. and hence the fact that you had started building your families legacy with your own two hands.

it was a struggle yes, but you would always tell yourself how worth it it would be whem you finally achieved your goals. but you also had another source of inspiration, well it was more of a competition. a young boy that lived not far from you named wriothesley. you had decided before you had even met him that you didn't like him and he did the same to you. he was also trying to build up a legacy and thus you two started a rivalry before you had even properly interacted.

throughout your teen years, you both would always be trying to drag the other in the dirt or make snarky comments at the other if in the vicinity. you had always thought that you both shared the same level of hatred, but there was something different about your rival that made him a bit more competitive than you.

wriothesley had know from a very young age just what him and his kin were, afterall it was taught very young to avoid issues later on when it may be too late to solve. to put it simply he was a werewolf. after he had learnt mostly how to control his instincts, he had actually loved being one, it came with many advantages afterall. but one thing that came with it is that if he deemed someone a rival it became a bit more of a primal matter than a simple rivalry. hence him being way more competitive than you could ever imagine.

there never were any major giveaways in his appearance that would lead to the assumption of him being a werewolf. sure his hair stuck up in a few places that made it look suspiciously like ears, but he swears that's just coincidence. but apart from that no-one could look at him and immediately assume him of something like that.

and with that fact, he of course would never let you know what he truly was, he had a feeling that if he did you would definitely either use it against him or tease him and just the fact of why would he tell someone like you? so despite knowing wriothesley for the majority of your life, you hadn't know much about him. afterall you were sworn rivals so why would you bother learning about him if it couldn't be used against him? he agreed with that.

and as you both progressed into adulthood, you both had finally built up reputable names for yourselves - holding similar positions. your rivalry never ceased and instead became greater and a bit more public. most people with fontaine would know of your rivalry to some degree, how would they not when you both acted a bit like children in public trying to annoy the other. making scenes, and openingly talking bad about another. how the people of fontaine put up with both of your antics, archon's knows.

but that was probably due to the fact that, surprisingly, you both knew when enough was enough. you both knew what would actually take it too far and truly tarnish the others reputation that they worked hard for. that was the part that you both could understand. sometimes you reckon if it had been anyone other than him, you would've been friends as you would understand them on a level most people couldn't. too bad it was him.

wriothesley had long since learnt how to control his instincts. it was a thing that used to concern him, that if he never learnt how to control them he would ending doing something he would regret. even on full moons, it barely affected him, the deep urge within had become practically none existant, watered down by living the life of evey one else. normally he would just stay home and he would be fine. however, it was natural instinct and couldn't always work the way he wanted.

you were quite frustrated when someone started furiously banging on your door in the middle of the night. groggily getting up and answering just to become suddenly more alert when you realised who it was. the person that stood on your doorstep was someone you had worked closely with for ages and you knew it must be urgent if they were here. and it seemed that was the case. they had immediately informed you that there was something running loose nearby, it hadn't killed anyone but had caused quite a bit of damage.

you had asked why it involved you when wriothesley was closer to the location but apparently he was missing. this set off major alarm bells and by some miracle you had gotten out of your nightwear and headed in the direction of the last sighting in a couple of minutes. your colleague went off looking to fetch help elsewhere. you were still slightly annoyed but pushed it down in order of doing your job properly.

the streets of fontaine seemed way to empty, sure it was the middle of the night but they just felt too big and empty. the full moon casting your way, but creating hideous shadows in-between buildings. your senses seemed tobe heightened and that was how you picked up on the rustling come from the most comically sketchy looking alley.

wriothesley was panicking. for the first time in ages he felt a real wave of panic. he didn't understand what was happening and why now all of a sudden this was happening. but when he recognised your scent he panicked more. no matter how much he may see you as a rival he didn't want to actually hurt you. but by some twisted stroke of luck, he regained some control and became wriothesley again. not some rabid beast. but the cruel side was that you watched. at that very same moment you had walked into the shelter that was the alley and witnessed his transformation. you both just stared at the other.

that was until you heard commotion in the distance and recognised some voices. now you were faced with a choice that both of you knew without exchanging words. you either left wriothesley here to be caught and discovered, losing his reputation and who knows where he will end up, or you let him seek refuge at your house not too far down the alley, he would escape unnoticed by anyone but you.

as your colleague rounded the corner with help they found the empty alley occupied by you walking out of it. when asked what you were doing you said you thought you heard something just to find out it was some very lost armoured crabs that somehow found their way over in search of new homes. you left before anyone asked any questions. instead you had to ask a particular someone some questions.

you had given wriothesley the key to your residence and he had snuck away and now took refuge in your living room and not that he would admit, but he was terrified of you coming back but he felt after everything you deserved an explanation. and sooner than he would like, you re-entered your residence immediately seeing him and scowling in his direction.

wriothesley has interrogated many people but in this moment he thinks you're doing a better job at interrogating him than he ever could do. that and you're alot scarier but again the least he could do was explain. you head swirled with the information but one thing was for certain, you wouldn't tell on him. if anything, not only did you not want him to lose what he'd worked for but a small part of you would actually never allow for you to tell on him.

you had always secretly harboured feelings for him, but you never acknowledged them because of the rivalry but upon realising you might lose him you were more aware than ever. and you weren't the only one. you merely sighed at the man before telling him he can sleep on the sofa or go home as you trudged away to go back to sleep and talk about it properly in the morning.

to your surprise he was still there on your couch when you had gotten up. now you were more refreshed and needed to talk it over with him, so you did what evey nice person would and gently(violently) wake him up. you had then explained what you had told people last night and that he was on his own for his excuse of disappearing. he had also informed you he had stayed because he didn't want to be caught heading back, totally not wanting to stay with you.

the incidence had seemingly been swept under the rug, your on the spot solution seemed to of worked. you had offered to help pay damages and had also gained something great out of it. wriothesley had felt in your debt for you saving him so you now had something to get him to do your bidding. getting him to run menial tasks or even teasing him and him not being able to do anything about it. he didn't mind deep down.

your relationship seemed to of take a turn since, in a good way. now you both had realised that feelings wait for no one and you merely dodged a bullet this one time. of any of you were going to accept your feelings, you both realised it had to be soon.

[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

No Kids**

This is a quick smutty one about husband/dad Harry finally having sex with Y/N, his wife, after a several month long drought.

Warnings: oral (f receiving), unprotected sex, talk of pregnancy, lactation.

WC: 3.1k

Check out the rest of my writing here:)

When Harry’s alarm went off at 6:30am you groaned softly before turning away from his body to allow him to either get out of bed or snooze it. You were accustomed to the former; Harry was very serious about sticking to his workout regimen and hardly ever missed a day at either the yoga studio, pilates bar, the pool, or a simple run around the neighborhood. In other words you were used to mornings alone now. 

It wasn’t as bad as it sounded. You quite liked this actually; stretching out on the bed and taking up as much space as you wanted (even if it was a king mattress), not feeling too hot with Harry’s furnace of a body around you, nor too cold because he’d sometimes kick off the covers when he felt too stuffy. And most importantly, for the next 15 or so minutes you would enjoy absolute and unbothered silence. The kids wouldn’t be un until at least 6:45 if they were right on schedule and you cherished that time alone, there didn’t seem to be very much of it in supply these days. So as you felt Harry’s weight roll away you smiled, getting ready to enjoy the best part of your day. His alarm stopped and next thing you knew he was rolling back towards you and pulling you back into his chest. It was strange to you, even more so as you felt him hard against your backside.

Marriage, kids, the white picket fence dream, it had its perks but it also had its downsides. Like your life wasn’t yours anymore and Harry’s wasn’t Harry’s anymore, your lives were devoted to your kids now and they took up a lot of your time. Harry was still as busy as ever. He assumed that after taking a nearly year long hiatus from the scene his demand would decrease and he could ease back into the limelight, but it appeared that the limelight had been eagerly awaiting his return. Music had a pretty basic year without his unapologetically himself sound in the mix of it all. Fashion was the same, there wasn’t someone out there who was both daring and confident enough to pull anything off. While he still didn’t have too much film under his belt, people were always trying to sign him onto their projects and well, you had seen a film or two that he’d turned down and you could picture just how much better the film would’ve been if he had accepted. 

Harry had started his hiatus on the 6 month of your second pregnancy. You had a 1 year old who you couldn’t manage alone from there on out. But as he neared month 10 of his hiatus he was so fucking restless and antsy that it was driving you insane. Yes, he was still very hands-on and helpful with the kids, but he was clearly distracted and you could tell that he was struggling to not go back to work. You didn’t want him to feel like he couldn’t do both things, that was the point of the hiatus to help him transition into being a father of two, to help him figure out how to balance everything. So you talked about it and just a few weeks later he was back in the studio with his usual crew and had put an album together in a little less than three months. He’d be gone for days sometimes, you were used to that from before, but it was a little different this time because when he came back It wasn’t like you just locked yourselves away to make up for lost time like before. No, now when he came back it was to baby barf, poopy diapers, crying, mischievous 2 year old, and an exhausted you- there wasn’t time for them and it did create some distance. All of this to say that you and Harry hadn’t had sex in 6 months, maybe a little longer. So, feeling his hard-on rocking against your bum was unexpected. And while you would normally be thrilled, this was alone time, this was your 15 minutes of peace and the fact that he was taking that away from you was a bit disappointing.

“What are you doing?” You mumbled tiredly, “Shouldn’t you be off to work out?” You grumbled.

“What are you talking about?” he smiled, you could hear it in his voice as he responded.

“The kids’ll be up in like 10 minutes and I just need these couple of minutes to have a proper power nap, H.” you grumbled and he chuckled as he pressed a kiss to your shoulder.

“Baby, no kids today. They’re at your parents’ remember?” He asked lowly as he peeled the thin strap of your pajama top off of your shoulder and continued sponging kisses up and down from your shoulder to the base of your neck. Your eyes fluttered open as you recalled that yes, indeed there were no kids around today. You two had gone out the night before. Nothing crazy, Just dinner and a little underground indie show in Hollywood. Your parents agreed to have the kids until you guys came over for dinner the following day.

“Right.” You hummed, your mood changing almost immediately. He even felt your body relax more in his arms and he smiled.

“So?” He whispered near your ear suggestively, “Does my wife want t’fuck?” He asked as one of his hands slid down your center and rubbed your clit through your shorts. You whimpered softy as you got more and more aroused.

In moments Harry had you on your back and naked as he kissed up your thighs. He hadn’t gone down on you since…well you couldn’t remember, but it was at some point early on in your pregnancy. So feeling his hot breath fanning over you as he held your legs open was the ultimate form of foreplay. You were basically going to be done for when he licked your clit. And boy, he did not disappoint as his tongue and fingers played with all of your most sensitive spots. His fingers were curled deep inside of you, pulsing against your g-spot as his tongue flicked deliciously at your clit, you were seeing spots as your mouth parted in a silent cry. You were so close! You exhaled shakily and then pulled a pillow over your face as you felt your orgasm approaching.

Harry was pulling out all of the stops to make you feel good and he was frustrated that you weren’t responding how you usually would, but when he spared a glance up and saw you holding a pillow over your face it dawned on him that you forgot that you could be loud right now. He smiled and pulled his mouth away from your center and your high started to fizzle out and you removed the pillow to look down at him already glancing up at you from between your legs.

“No kids.” Harry reminded and you gigged quietly.

“Right. No kids.” You hummed happily as he started fucking you faster with his fingers.

“So I want to hear you, baby.” He urged, “Can you do that f’me, baby?” Harry asked and you nodded. As soon as he got your confirmation he got back to using his mouth on you and you let out a satisfied moan.

“Yes. Mmmfuck, that feels so good…” You sighed in pleasure as you heard the slurping and wet sounds of his mouth and fingers working up your orgasm quickly again. “Ohmygod, ohmygod!” Your slurred your words together as you felt the muscles in your stomach start to tense. You could feel your walls throbbing around his fingers and he groaned against your pussy as he felt it too, you were so close for him. He hadn’t made you come in ages and he just wanted to make you feel good again. Like he used to. “I-I’m coming!” You mewled as your back arched and hips bucked up as you planted your feet on the mattress. Harry moaned as he fucked your g-spot more intentionally as your cries got louder and louder and before he knew it you were very softly squirting into the palm of his hand. He was doing his best to follow the movement of your hips to ensure that he saw your orgasm through all the way and boy, did he. He didn’t even mean to make you come twice, but after removing his fingers from you he just use his mouth to clean you up a bit and ease you off of the intensity of your orgasm, but soon he was holding your thighs apart as they threatened to lock around his head and suffocate him against your swollen and messy pussy as you came for him once more.

You felt like your throat and chest were on fire as you struggled to breathe properly as the pleasure from your orgasm rippled through your body beautifully. The feeling giving you that little spark of energy you had been missing for a while now. Soon that feeling started becoming a bit much and you whimpered as you pushed Harry’s head away and he quickly pulled off of your clit and kissed your inner thighs, then your mons, then your lower stomach, and up your torso, sternum, neck and then jaw, and finally he was hovering over your lips wearing a victorious smile before he kissed you deeply for a few moments.

“God, I forgot how good you are at that.” You panted and he smirked, but that soon faded. “What?” You asked with concern.

“You shouldn’t forget how good it feels. I’m sorry.” He said lowly and you shook your head.

“Oh baby, it’s not your fault. Things are just different now.” You said and that didn’t seem to make him feel better.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that we should neglect ourselves.” He said and you sighed.

“Well H, I don’t think we’re neglecting ourselves. I think we just indulge in different things now. Like my 15 minutes of undisturbed sleep after you leave and before the kids wake up.” You explained, “I don’t even know how many times I’ve caught you dozed off in your office…we've got other things going on now so we just need different things than before.” You reasoned, “And that doesn’t mean we don’t need these kinds of things, we just need other things more now.” You concluded.

“I get that but… I should appreciate you more and everything that you do.” He said quietly, “I need to do more to remind you that I love you and that I’m still interested in you in that way, you know? Make you feel like my girl, not just like my wife and mother of my children.” He said and you smiled.

“You’re sweet.” You hummed at his words.

“I’m serious. Baby, I’m still in love with you, I mean how could I not be?” He said and you blushed under his intense gaze and his beautiful words, “You’re absolute perfection. You know that? You look after me, you support me, you love me. You’ve made my dream life a reality. You gave me the two most beautiful babies planet earth has ever seen. You mean everything to me and I don’t want to make elaborate schemes like this just to show you that. I'm going to make an effort to show you every day,” He said and you cupped his face in your hands and kissed his lips.

“I don’t doubt you. Ever, H. I said yes to you. To us. To everything we could grow to be. I knew things would change and boy, have they changed.” You chuckled and he smiled and nodded, “Granted, we could both do a bit more to show each other our appreciation. But I just want you to know that I am still happy.” You assured him and he smiled, “I love you.”

“I love you.” He hummed happily, “Now, are you up for some sex?” He grinned.

“I never thought you'd ask!” you exclaimed and he chuckled. 

Everything was sweet and giggly, much like it had been before. Your intimacy was so special and as out of touch as you may have felt with each other, seconds before he slipped inside of you, your eyes met and an unspoken message was shared between them. It suddenly felt like no time had passed between you two at all, there wasn’t any time lost. There were no missed opportunities. You just led a different life now, but the overpowering love you had for each other still simmered beneath the surface of everything. Maybe it wasn’t expressed like this as often as it used to be, but it was certainly what fueled the fire of your marriage. It’s what kept you going and trying. It was the hearth of your relationship as soulmates. You smiled and nodded and he surged his hips forward and sunk inside of you.

“Oh fuuuck.” Harry moaned lowly and you just whimpered as he sank in as deep as he could go. It had been too fucking long, Harry was hoping he could last at least last 10 minutes and that was proving difficult as your walls adjusted to his intrusion. So soft and warm and snug around him. He exhaled sharply through his nose as his throat bobbed as he swallowed thickly. He knew what he needed to do to last a bit longer. He reached to the side of your head and dragged a pillow down. Without drawing out of you, he managed to raise your hips a bit as he knelt up and slid the pillow under. Your heart started pounding in nerves and excitement as he brought his body over yours again and kissed you.

“Baby, what you’re doing is dangerous.” You warned with a nervous chuckle and he shrugged.

“So?” He smirked.

“Baby, we said two. Only two.”

“I know.” He assured as he ground his hips into yours and your body tensed and his smirk only intensified as he watched the effect his body had on yours.

There was nothing wrong with this sex position - the coital alignment. In fact, it was perfect. Imagine getting stimulated in the deepest most delicious part of you all while your clit is being rubbed in perfect time to the internal movements. It was perfection, it was bliss, heaven on earth. But every time you’d had sex like this you’d ended up pregnant and when Harry even thought about trying for a baby it unleashed a part of him that made you desperate for him. For more of him, those times were so good that you were begging him to get you pregnant and well…wish came true. Both times. So yes, you were a bit wary of this position and what it could mean for you. As much as you loved your little girls, pregnancy was more lows than highs for you. So after your second little girl came you had both agreed that two was it. Harry was supposed to have a vasectomy, but he went back to work early and just continued to put it off, which didn’t matter before, seeing as you weren’t having sex, but now you were having sex and he was Fertile. With a capital F because each time he had successfully gotten you pregnant during your first attempts and that was scary.

“My period ended last week. If I get pregnant from this I’m gonna-”

“I’ll run out and get you a plan B later.” He assured and you let your head fall back onto your pillow as you laughed, “I promise, baby.” He assured and you sighed.

“OK.” You agreed and he grinned as he started to grind his hips into yours again. Your clit had already been sensitive from him going down on you so this stimulation had your stomach tightening up and your breath hitching in absolutely no time. His cock was rubbing and gently prodding at that spot that was making your vision blur with tears of pleasure. Suddenly you gasped as you felt your right boob start to ache. Fucking shit, it was past feeding time you thought to yourself. Harry was quick to notice the change of expression on your face.

“Am I hurting you?” He asked as he slowed down and you shook your head.

“No, baby. It’s just I’ve usually fed Daisy by now so I’m sore.” You explained and he nodded in understanding. He looked down at your breasts and saw that the right one was looking more firm and swollen than the other. The skin was quite taut as he could slightly see your veins under your skin, “I just need to pump for a bit and then we can keep-what’re you doing?!” You asked in shock as he leaned down to your breast.

“Helping.” He said simply as he very gently licked over your nipple and you whimpered pathetically at the feeling of having it touched erotically for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. He then started to speed up the movement of his hips, rocking deep into you and you moaned loudly. When you felt the first suck of him against your nipple your nearly orgasmed, it pushed you so fucking close. Harry could feel your walls suffocating his cock and maybe he wasn’t going to last as long as he was hoping. He was grinding his cock into you, pubic bone rubbing your clit over and over, while his mouth was latched around your areola as he sucked the milk out of your completely swollen breast and it was driving him insane. You too apparently and he loved that. He swallowed down what was in his mouth before he kissed you hard, “Better?” He asked and you nodded, “Do you want me to do it again?” He asked through his bated breathing, “S’it gonna make my girl come?” He asked.

“Yes, fuck! Pleasepleaseplease!” You whined out and he groaned as he sucked your nipple into his mouth again while your fingers pulled hard at his hair. His balls were so full and achey, much like your breasts, and he had so much of his own creamy load of sperm to give you. Your skin was covered in goosebumps as your legs trembled around his narrow hips and your toes curled as your orgasm started to come over you. “Fuck Harry, don’t stop! I’m gonna come!” You cried out loudly and he pulled off of your boob and hovered his face over yours, his eyes were dark and your breast milk was dripping from the corner of his mouth and he had never looked hotter than he did at this moment.

“Just give me a second.” He said and you whined and closed your eyes, “Nu-uh, look at me, baby. Look at me while I make you cum.” He grunted his demand. The depth of his voice felt like it rumble through your body and you swore your eyes crossed as your orgasm just exploded through your body. You gasped and wailed, you were squirting again and a tidal wave of tingles and warmth washed through your entire body. Your ears were ringing and your blurry eyes focused on Harry’s eyes. His eye brows were creased low and he was grunting, you could barely hear it over the ringing of your ears, but soon he was lowering his face to yours and you just hugged him tight to your body as he started to shoot his load deep inside of you with long drawn out moans of satisfaction. He slowly rode you both through the full experience, making sure that he milked every ounce of pleasure out of the experience for you both.

Several minutes passed without you moving from the position you were in. Your bodies were hot and sticky. Plus yours was sore, you hadn’t done this much cardio or physical activity in a while. Your fingers gently scratched along Harry’s head as you relished in the silence and comfort of being alone with each other. You were tingling all over and riding such a high that you had even forgotten about your tender breast until some of it started to trickle out and Harry raised his head from your chest to see you literally leaking out in little streaks and he started to laugh.

“What?” You asked and then saw the little stream coming out of your breast and you groaned, “So embarrassing.”

“Your body is amazing. The fact you can even do that is incredible…Anyway, I’ll get the pump.” He said and pulled out of you far sooner than either of you wanted and headed around to your bedside table and handed you the pumps from the drawer. You set them up and just rested against the headboard with a tired sigh as your eyes fluttered closed as you let the machines do their thing. Then you felt the warmth of Harry nearby and he kissed you on the forehead, the tip of the nose, and then the lips, you were already smiling by then and so was he. “Thank you, baby.” he whispered against your mouth.

“For what?” You asked as you blinked your eyes open and Harry smiled at you.

“For choosing me to have all of this with.” He said and you sighed as your eyes welled up with tears and he cooed a gentle “don’t cry, baby” to you as he wiped the tears away from under your eyes.

“They're tears of joy. I promise.” You swallowed thickly and he smiled and leaned in to kiss you again, “I wouldn’t want this with anyone else. I love you.” You whispered in between kisses.

“I love you most.” Harry hummed.

----Tag List ----

@justlemmeadoreyou @daphnesutton @angelbabyyy99 @reveriehs @cherrysulewski @jessitpwk @gurugirl @sunflovverharry @sunshinemoonsposts @ottawaoutlander @permanentllyharry @here4thefanfics

[archandshri]

9th feb '24 - [arch] characters, interactions and emotion - making a mini webcomic

Gahhhh Shri this has been an absolutely crazy couple of weeks!!!! Hope you are doing well :)) First of all, WOW! You have a lot of goals, and I’m sure you’ll get them done! I’ve worked a lot on my graphic design during the process of making Winter Wellbeing. If you wanna see a blog post dedicated just to that, I can do so! It would be cool to compare notes on the approaches we take for graphic layouts. If you wanna share your knowledge of camera skills when you build that up that would be awesome 😭😭

It’s been a tough few weeks, art wise. I have been reflecting on my process, motivations to create, the ego and all the baggage that’s lumped into the creative process for me. It turns out there’s a lot. I took some space from my illustration practise (literally for a weekend!) and began to realise how dysfunctional it is. I’ve been writing a lot about that so there may be a larger piece of writing coming about that at some point (no promises!!)

But for now, let's talk about little successes!

I’ve been playing with some characters for a while but I’d hit a bit of a block with the plot. I realised the expectation of having a finished project of high quality soon is unrealistic, and an unhealthy expectation to put on myself. I rarely give myself time to play with concepts for a long time and let the characters, plot and interactions evolve naturally. Maybe this in part came from sticking to the short university module turnaround. I noticed that that short turnaround was causing a lot of block, so I have decided to bench it as a comic for now and focus on using it as a playground - falling in love with the characters, creating stories and drawing them for fun. Maybe years down the line I’ll make them into a comic - we shall see! 

I *tried* to do hourly comics day this year and it didn’t quite work for me. I think I made 3 comics? And then got distracted with a bigger project that ended up taking a week or so to complete. Let’s have a look at it, shall we?

[you can find the full version here]

First of all, it’s based on an unfinished fanfiction I started a couple of months ago, which was mostly bad, but there was one nice scene that I liked and wanted to expand on. I started by having a look at the script I wrote and thumbnailing on the iPad. I’m away from home at the mo and usually would prefer to do most of my artwork traditionally, but because I don’t have access to a scanner, the whole process was digital this time. A lot of the pages got scrapped because the dialogue wasn’t necessary, and I’m not drawing pages that aren’t necessary.

some more development screenshots

I thought a lot about posing during the process, acting the scenes out in my mind and sometimes physically, really understanding the emotions of the characters, why they’re saying what they’re saying, their tone and how to convey that though their body language and expression (i find grian really annoying normally [affectionate] but I want this grian to step on me).

Pearl was hard with this because she’s quite erratic and unpredictable in this series, so I wanted her to switch from raw explodey anger to playful jabs at Grian. I’m hoping this comes across as somewhat insane, rather than tonally off and inconsistent. I did super enjoy drawing her and her explosive nature though, especially in comparison to Grian’s coldness.

I played with levels and monotone colour too - I’m not working with multiple colours much at the moment so I’m able to focus on things like values composition, characters and backgrounds. My skills limit the kind of stories I can tell currently, so I’m working to improve those foundations. Maybe when I’m back in the riso studio I can play with colours a little more.

Colours - despite the simple pallete it gets a bit nerdy here.I stuck to specific flat percentages for most of it - Pearl’s hair and Grians jumper are 60%, Grian’s hair and Pearl’s cloak are 20%. Then I added a 14% layer for shadows, using a ahrd blend eraser tool for highlights, making the images quite dark. I fill a layer with texture from Forystr’s riso brush for procreate, and turn it into a 40% opacity colour dodge layer. This gives it some much needed texture and makes the lighting feel low and nighttimecore. It also pushes the values to look really nice - I tend to be too scared to push them by myself.

I tried a few different colour layers to get a *vibe* but settled on a low percentage riso blue in a colour layer. All layers besides the riso blue are in a riso black, colour picked from a riso colour pallete. I learnt these tools - using percentages to get good values - from working with risograph. I really recommend having a look at these techniques and doing some monotone work. It's really improved by character designs, page layouts and compositions.

That's all from me today, though I have had MANY other thoughts over the past two weeks about creating, but perhaps we'll dive into them another time. If you (or anyone else) has any questions, hit me up with a reblog or an ask and I will get right to it. Lovely to hear from you! Hope your art is going great too :)) Arch :)