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silv3rswirls · 1 year ago

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Lamb

warnings: werewolves, detailed descriptions of skin, braking bones, etc. Blood and gore, kidnapping, yandere, burning skin

note: man i love a good werewolf fic

The air that night had been bitter and your cheeks were rosy as frost nipped at you. You were trudging through a thick, fresh blanket of snow and ice, the roads were closed off after the storm. You needed to get home though, having taken refuge at the convenience store during the store instead of going home hadn’t been the move in hindsight. “I would’ve made it home” you sulked to yourself, not dressed for the cold and bitter for having to leave your car buried. You look at the dragged animal prints in the snow, frowning and feeling a little bad for the wildlife. How scary is it for them? You wonder, you had been scared while sitting in the convenience store, you would’ve lost it if you had been stuck outside.

Your brows knit together, these prints looked weird. It wasn’t deer and looked too big and long to be the coyotes or wolves that lurked in the forest; it certainly wasn’t dogs. You start to feel a bit uneasy, looking around the bright scape of white snow and sparkling ice under warm streetlights.

You yelp at the feeling of something hard hitting you from behind, when you manage to get your bearings you realize it is the body of some animal. It's big, bigger than a bear, bigger than any animals you have ever seen around here. It's…disgusting…is it sick? You wonder. Its body is a mix of jagged bone and thick, gray skin and muscle.

Its lips curl, peeling back to reveal pointed teeth stained with blood and clumps of fur stuck between. It stands up, towering over you, you back away but with just one step it’s nearly on top of you. You stare at it, scared in place and wide-eyed. It looked like what you would imagine a werewolf to, but far worse than the movies and books portrayed them as. You would see every smooth dip and jagged point in its arms, how skin stretched tight over its horrible face, crooked muzzle, and veiny body. Deep set eyes, that glew silver with just the ghost of a pupil behind the silver sheen. Pointed ears, the right one tore- you could only wonder what could’ve been big enough to injure the beast standing before you.

It gets on its hands and knees, leaning and staring harder at you for a moment. In just a second, a blur to your eyes, you feel its heavy paw slam into your side, throwing you to the side of the road like nothing. You stubbled, gasping for a breath you couldn’t catch and tumbling into the ditch. It lunges after you as you scramble to get up and run, sliding in the snow and nearly throwing yourself toward the tree line. You’re unsure if you’re getting a head on the creature, or if it's giving you a running start. You hope for the first. It felt like every bone in your chest was broken, it hurt to breathe as you let out sporadic gasps trying to keep on running.

You burst into sobs when it catches up. What had you ever done to deserve this? You were a good person, you helped your elderly neighbors and volunteered in town whenever they asked. You were kind to everyone you came across, you were nice, you were- your thought was cut short at the feeling of the beast jumping and taking you to the ground. If your bones weren’t broken before you were sure they were now. Its nose drug across your skin, and before you could understand what was happening its jagged fangs sunk into your side; painfully slow and burning. You opened your mouth, but couldn’t muster anything to come out. It feels like it’s gnawing at you; crunching your bones between its jaws and peeling the skin away slowly. You do all you can manage, kick at its hard body, and slam your hands into its muzzle, but nothing helps.

You lay there, blood staining the snow around you. You hear the beast run off, snarling and grunting. For a moment you swore it was laughing at you; taunting you.

“My brother was the same as you.”

That was the first thing he had said to you. You hadn’t known him, but it seemed he knew all too much about you.

“He was bitten, on his side just like you were.”

Whenever he spoke about it, your insides twisted and the mauled flesh on your side hurt.

“I can help you. If you want help.”

What had brought you to this point? You wondered to yourself, lying on the damp soil of Jungkook's basement. It wasn’t really a basement, and the first time he showed it to you you had gotten freaked out and refused to go down at all. When the…side effects of your condition began to worsen, you sucked up any fear and scurried down there every night like a rat. It was a room he dug himself, tore his floors up, and constructed it from scratch he explained. It didn’t look like much, but it would be a safe, secure place for you to hide. So every night you would come to Jungkook, after a long day of barely holding it together through work and personal life; two things Jungkook warned you would have to discard by the next full moon.

Your weariness towards Jungkook dwindled the more you realized he knew what he was talking about. It was relieving to have someone who could understand, maybe not the same as another creature like yourself would, but he was the closest thing around.

After being bitten that night, you woke up the next morning in your bed; thinking it all to be a nightmare. But ghost pains of your snapped bones and missing flesh poked at you. And when you finally grew the courage to lift your shirt and look, you could see the faint outline of a bite mark.

What did this mean?

You were changing is what it meant. Slowly you began to feel it. Assuming the insane idea that a werewolf had bitten you, you began to feel your bones ache as if they were slowly shifting within. It felt silly looking up the date for the next full moon.

Now it was just hours away, and Jungkook had left you shackled down here for days. Your skin had stopped burning at this point, the silver cuffs around your wrists were surrounded with black, charred flesh. It wasn’t going to regenerate as long as the silver irritated it. Jungkook said it would keep you weak, so you couldn’t escape when you transformed. Maybe it was keeping you too weak because never in your plans had you agreed to be locked away for days on end. This was torture and you prayed Jungkook was doing the right thing.

The hatch above you was heaved open, and the dim light from Jungkook’s house slowly began to seep in, harsh against your eyes. His head poked into view, wearing a friendly smile as he tossed a duffle bag down before descending the ladder. You watch him anxiously, an odd feeling poking your stomach. It must be time to actually start preparing for tonight. “Can you take these off now?” You ask, frowning when he goes to the duffle bag rather than to you first. “Please?”

“Hm?” He hummed. “What was that?”

“Come on, take these off.” You huff, slowly starting to make your way into a sitting position.

“Well…aren’t you going to say please again?”

Your face gets red in annoyance, you’re feeling extremely irritable. “Cut it out.”

“I just think it’s cute when you say it” he smiles, leaning over to unlock the cuffs. Slowly he peels them away. Your skin clings charred to it, some of it goes with the cuffs and the rest lays limp and scarred on your wrists. You stared at them with a deep frown. You had never seen your body in such poor shape. You had always been lucky to avoid broken bones and serious injuries. Now, ever since the attack, it seemed your body was actively fighting against you.

“Is it going to leave a scar?”

“Maybe. After your transformation, your injuries should heal though.” You nod, bringing your knees up to your chest and watching Jungkook pour the bag out, only to regret it as raw meat spills out of it. It was wet and bloody, some almost thawed from the grocery store and the rest haphazardly wrapped in brown paper from the butcher downtown. It smelt, you wanted to throw up and devour it all at the same time. “I got a deer out back, I’ll skin it and throw it down here for you.”

“I’m getting nervous,” you mutter, trying to ignore how good the meat looks next to you. “I mean, I’ve always been nervous but now it's getting too real.”

“I won't lie to you, it's going to hurt. You’ll scream and cry, it’ll feel like your whole body is breaking, but when it's over it’s over. It'll just stop and you’ll feel…amazing I guess.”

Jungkook turns around, giving you a smile. Maybe it was supposed to be comforting, but all you could feel was a hole in your stomach. The hair on the back of your neck was standing, every inch of your skin prickling. You were staring at Jungkook, but your vision was changing. It was getting messy, blurry, and harsh. The light above Jungkook was bright, burning your eyes. He was cast part in shadow, his smile was freaking you out. It was too wide, too optimistic. His eyes weren’t the cute little doe eyes you saw when you met it. They were dark, his pupils were bright and red, and he was staring right through you.

Love you, love you, love you

Your head whips around, trying to place the voice you heard. It was low, grumbling in your ear. But no one was there.

“What’s wrong?”

You look back at Jungkook, you were feeling anxious. You hadn’t felt anxious since you were bitten, you hadn’t felt anything since you were bitten. Now it felt like everything was hitting you. You were dizzy, your head hurt, you thought you might throw up what little was in your stomach.

“Why do you” you cut yourself off and blink a few times.

Saw you love you, want you, love you

You felt Jungkook’s hand on your shoulders, shaking you slightly as he pulled you closer. “What’s wrong?”

“Why are you eyes…” you stare at his eyes, white pools staring back at you. No pupils, just a glittery silver staring back at you. He ignores you, his hand cups your face and his thumb traces your cheek comfortingly.

“Are you losing yourself now?” He frowns. “You poor thing. There’s nothing you can do anymore.”

You take a quick glance at his ear, covered with dark curls. You’re quick to push it away, the top half of his ear is missing. You stare at it for a long time until you feel him get closer, grabbing you tighter and holding you in place for a kiss.

“You did this to me” your voice breaks, pushing him away.

He nods slowly, staring intently at you. “I did,” he admits straightforwardly. “I couldn’t help myself.”

You just sit there, unable to wrap your mind around it. Jungkook, who other than being a little odd, had seemed kind enough. He knew a lot- of course, he knew a lot. Of course, he just happened to find you. “Sweet little lamb.” he smiles, “Just accept it right? Not like you can leave now- not like I’d let you. Not like anyone would want you anymore.”

Jungkook stands up, and when you try to get up he kicks you back down. “When I first saw you, I knew I wanted you to be like me. There aren’t any more of us around here, just me and you now.” He explains, “You had these eyes- well had these eyes- they’re so round and innocent, like a lamb. You were my little lamb, I was going to eat you at first, but…something about you that night, I couldn’t help myself.”

You can’t help but cry, out of anger or fear; you weren’t sure. You couldn’t even bring yourself to stand anymore, your body felt like it was on fire and you could feel your bones slowly snapping and shattering. “Stop” you choke out, “make it stop.” you could feel it now, it felt like your eyes were filling up with syrup, it was silver; all you could see was the moon and hear Jungkook as he spoke in the distance. The creek of the door as it begins to close.

“This is just the beginning sweet lamb, it’s already been done.”

“You didn’t use to be this way, but I didn’t either. What you did to me; it’s not fair.”

taglist: @aft3rhrs

#bts x reader #bts imagine #yandere bts #yandere jeon jungkook #yandere jungkook #yandere jungkook x reader #yandere jungkook imagine

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dontaskmemybias · 2 years ago

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Plus One

Pairing: Non Idol!Lee Felix x afab reader

Request: No

Theme: Roommates to Lovers

Contains: Fluffiest fluff, cursing, suggestive themes.

Word Count: 4,798 words

Note: This is a work of fiction and does not portray any of the members irl. I might make a part two to this if y'all are interested!

PART TWO

When you moved into town you were DESPERATE for a new roommate, you asked everyone and it turns out that a friend of a friend of an old college roommate had someone he knew who was looking for a roommate. It felt like the universe was on your side when you heard the news and you almost cried from happiness, but there was a catch (of course there was) the roommate was a dude.

Now the thing is usually you wouldn't mind rooming with a guy, you've lived with quite a few and other than them leaving messes for you to clean up occasionally they had all been pretty decent. You were worried because you had never met this Felix guy before so you had absolutely no idea what to expect. But everyone who had met the guy swore up and down that he was a great guy, very respectful, and made killer brownies, so you decided to meet up with him in person to judge for yourself.

The day came that you were supposed to meet up with Felix at a local café and get to know him, see if you would get along. You decided that if he was going to live with you it didn't really matter what you looked like, so you popped on your favorite oversized hoodie and a pair of leggings and made your way to the café. When you got there you shot him a text to let him know where you were sitting after grabbing an iced coffee. After what felt like five seconds you heard someone clearing their throat.

"Y/N?"

You looked up to see who the crazy deep voice belonged to and almost jumped out of your seat when your eyes laid on the most gorgeous person you'd ever seen. He looked like a fae creature, his long blonde hair caressing his face, the freckles across his cheeks looked like beautiful constellations, and he was dressed in a button-up layered under a beige sweater-vest and perfectly fitted blue jeans. Your brain did a hard reset and you realized he had asked you a question.

"Oh, shit, sorry, yeah I'm Y/N, you must be Felix?"

He smiled and you swore he looked like a ray of sunshine come down to Earth, you had to stop yourself from staring as he let out a low chuckle.

"Yep that's me! Am I not what you expected? You look... kinda shocked to be honest." he lightly chuckled and ran his hand over the nape of his neck.

"Oh no! Sorry I didn't really have expectations, I just feel like I should've dressed nicer is all." you looked down and cringed at your outfit choice.

"Oh! No worries! I think you look great!" He flashed you a toothy smile and slid into the seat next to you. "So, what do you want to know? I'm pretty much an open book!"

~✨~

That was six months ago. Six very long months of living with the most gorgeous creature to ever walk the Earth. You had to tell yourself at least once a day to get your shit together and stop ogling your roommate whenever he did the smallest thing like stretch his arms up to reveal a sliver of his lower abdomen or bake you brownies when work had you stressed out.

Not to mention his habit of touching and cuddling you.

His friends had warned you when you first met them that Felix loved skinship and he would probably break down your personal bubble like he did to all of them. But NOTHING could have prepared you for the amount of physical affection this man gave you. It started small of course, testing the waters, knees touching on the sofa during your weekly movie nights, holding your hand when you went out so you didn't get separated, things like that. But over time knee touching became full on cuddle sessions on the couch while you watched your favorite movies. Holding your hand at the bar became a hand wrapped around your waist. Eventually Felix had come to you in the middle of the night because his insomnia was acting up and he couldn't sleep and you offered to let him cuddle you. Now you two spent almost every night in your bed together.

It was honestly really nice. You hadn't dated anyone in years and you desperately craved physical affection. Nobody would guess it by looking at you, but secretly, you were just as much of a cuddle bug as Felix was.

The only problem is with every lingering touch, every time he fell asleep in your arms, you fell harder for him.

This became abundantly clear last Tuesday when he came bouncing through the apartment like someone had just given him a puppy.

~✨~

"Y/N~ guess whaaaattttt!!"

"What's up 'Lix?"

"My work is throwing a huge end of year party and I GET TO BRING A PLUSSS OOONNEEEE!!" He looked positively giddy at the idea of bringing a plus one, but you didn't know why. Felix is also going through a romantic dryspell.

"Is that so? Who are you planning on asking? Some cute girl got your eye?" As soon as the words left your mouth you saw the tips of his ears go pink and he looked down at his feet. "Oh. My. God. Does 'Lixxie have a crush on someone?" You teased him, but deep inside you were devastated at the thought of Felix being with someone else.

"No, nothing like that..." Felix trailed off then his eyes met yours and your heart ached at the sight. His cheeks were now a bright pink and he looked so bashful.

"Oh I'm sorry for teasing 'Lixxie you know anyone would be lucky to have you!" You said it sincerely because you really did mean it. Anyone would be lucky to have Felix in their life.

"It's okay, I was actually excited because I wanted to see if you'd come with me..." He looked away and then his eyes met yours again, filled with panic. "I mean not like a date or anything you're justoneofmybestfrie-"

"Felix," you saw his panic and cut him off "no worries, I would love to go with you!" You gave him a big smile. "Plus I would love to meet all the coworkers you've told me about!"

He let out a sigh of relief and smiled back at you. "Okay awesome! Its next Friday at 7pm, the dress is cocktail attire. I know you don't have a ton of clothes like that so I was thinking maybe this weekend we could go shopping? I want to find something to wear as well!" He positively beamed at you. Felix LOVES shopping, but he hates to go alone so you know that he would be really bummed if you said no.

"Of course I'll come with you 'Lix, who else would be able to tell me if my dress looks good or not." You started giggling at the thought of bringing one of the other guys you hung out with dress shopping. "I mean I could always ask Hyunjin but you know how he is." Felix busted out laughing at that, no doubt remembering the time you tore your dress on a fence before going to the bar with the guys and Hyunjin complemented your 'grunge' look before you told him that you had ripped it on the way in.

"Okay so let's hit the mall on Saturday?"

"Sounds good to me!"

~✨~

That is what led to your current situation, going to what felt like 5 billion stores (actually three) and watching your incredibly attractive roommate try on suit after suit.

"Y/N what about this one?"

You looked up to see him clad in a gorgeous blue suit that seemed to fit him just right. You had to stop yourself from literally drooling on the department store floor when he twirled around for you.

"It looks incredible 'Lix, like it was made for you!"

"You've said that about like the last three suits I've tried on." he rolls his eyes and inspects himself in the mirror.

"Well I can't help that all of these fit perfectly on you!" you weren't lying, the last three suits literally looked like they were tailored specifically with him in mind.

"Y/N!" Felix looks over at you and takes your face in his hands, his face is so close you can feel his breath on your nose. "I've just had the most amazing idea."

You tried to hide your flushing cheeks by putting your hands over his and covering more of your face. "What idea?" You ask, trying not to sound too out of breath.

"We should go get you a dress and when we find the perfect one we can come back and I'll get a suit to match you!" He jumps back raising his hands in the air beaming while waiting to hear your response.

The thought of you and Felix matching at this party made your heart flutter a bit, to anyone who didn't know you, you would look like a couple. That thought alone made you feel all sorts of things you should not feel about your roommate. But, despite that, you answered.

"I think that's a great idea 'Lix!"

The look on his face was one of pure joy when you agreed. He runs into the dressing room to switch back into his own clothes leaving behind a VERY flustered roommate.

You looked in the mirror and saw the flush tinting your cheeks and hoped that by some miracle Felix didn't notice how flustered you got just from the idea of coordinating outfits (who flusters at that?) you put your cold hands on your cheeks to calm the burning down and waited for Felix to get out of the dressing room so you could go to the dress store next.

~✨~

If there's one thing on this Earth that you hate, it is trying on clothes. It is your personal hell. You hate the way nothing seems to fit, everything is itchy, the dressing rooms are always way too hot and make your face burn hotly, and the fluorescent lights make everything look that much worse. Your only saving grace today was Felix. Your ray of sunshine, always making sure to complement you but also give you actual feedback.

"No definitely not this one, you'll be way too uncomfortable with the sleeves all night." You smiled at how well he knows you, the sleeves were already bugging you and you knew that you would want to rip them off if you had to spend a whole night in this awful dress.

You had tried on like 50 dresses by now (actually 10) and none of them had the WOW factor, but luck would have it that #51 (11) was in fact the winner. It had a beautiful high neck with a patterned cut down the front to show off your 'assets', it was the perfect length, and it was covered in gorgeous silver glittery designs. This was the one, you were sure of it.

"Hey 'Lix?" you called out from the dressing room.

"What's up gorgeous?" You knew he was getting tired because he tended to call you things like 'beautiful' and 'gorgeous' when he got sleepy, which did not help your situation whatsoever, but it was quite cute.

"I found the dress, but I was thinking, I think it should be a surprise!"

"How are we supposed to match if I don't see the dress?"

"Well I could show you a bit of the fabric? Then you could go off of that?"

"Okay darling that sounds lovely." darling? That was a new one. Thankfully you had time for the massive flush that crept up your cheeks due to the new nickname to dissipate as you changed your clothes. Once you got out your cheeks were only slightly warm.

Felix perked up as you walked out holding the dress behind your back and you went over to the checkout. After purchasing the dress you showed Felix a bit of the fabric from the bag and he started giggling. "I like that we are making this a surprise, I think it'll be fun!" And with that you both went to the men's section so Felix could find a matching suit.

Thankfully it didn't take too much time, he found a match almost right away and (of course) it fit him perfectly, or so he told you. He said since your outfit was a surprise, his should be too.

Clothes in hand you drove the two of you back home to get some much needed rest. As soon as you got through the door Felix shot you a devilish look and ran toward your bedroom and flopped down on your bed. You walked in, chuckling lightly, and asked him what he was doing.

"I think it is nap time and naps are always the best with a budddyyyyyy!" He held his arms out and made grabby hands at you. You burst out laughing and headed over to the bed. As soon as you were within his arms reach he pulled you down next to him and started spooning you.

"Y/N, you're my best friend, you know that?" He sleepily whispered to you. You felt your breath hitch at his small confession, but before you could respond you heard his breathing even out and he was asleep. You sighed and pulled the covers up over the two of you and decided that a nap with Felix wasn't the worst thing in the world. So you closed your eyes and drifted off to sleep.

~✨~

All week Felix was so excited about his work party is was basically all he could talk about when the group went out for dinner on Wednesday.

"Y/N and I are matching but we haven't seen each other's outfits and I am soooooo excited to see the dress she picked!" He exclaimed to everyone.

"Dude, we know, it's all you've talked about in the group text since Saturday." Chan chucked at the freckled boy who was positively beaming.

"I'm happy for you guys, it sounds like it will be a really fun time!" Jisung chimed in, smiling back at Felix.

"Anyway, changing the subject. Y/N how's work going?" Seungmin looked over at you with a big smile. You smiled back at him.

"It's going pretty great, I think I'm really getting the hang of things." Everyone seemed to appreciate the change in topics as they all went around the table talking about work and the different things they were now in charge of.

Dinner went by quickly and before you knew it you were heading back home. You and Felix had only had a few glasses of wine with dinner but the buzz was definitely present on the ride home has you both giggled about everything and nothing at all.

When you got through the door Felix pulled you in for a big hug and started playing with your hair. "I really can't wait to see your dress, I'm sure it is going to look amazing." You pulled back a bit so you could see his face and he was still smiling, a light blush was present on his face but you were sure it was just the alcohol in his system.

"I'm so excited to see your outfit too 'Lix! But it is late, we should head to bed."

"Yours or mine?"

It was a harmless question given that you guys stay in each others beds all the time, but usually you go to sleep separately and then Felix will come get in bed with you when he can't sleep. Other than your nap session on Saturday you had never really laid down together ready for bed. Something about the shift in dynamic made your heart wrench a bit, you tried to hide it by smiling back at Felix.

"How about yours tonight?"

When you laid down your mind was racing a million miles per second. You never really slept in Felix's bed, he mostly came to yours. You didn't think about it when you answered him but now you realize that you fucked up. You are surrounded by the smell of Felix, its on his bedsheets, pillows, and, most importantly, on the boy curled up behind you latched on like a baby monkey. Felix's arms are around your whole body, one arm across your chest with his hand on your shoulder, and one across your stomach with his hand on your hip. His leg is even draped over your body so you are surrounded by him.

Looks like you aren't getting much sleep tonight.

~✨~

Sure enough you barley slept the night before and you wake up feeling awful. Normally when you sleep with Felix he wakes up before you and is either in the shower or cooking breakfast, but not this time. This time you woke up to find yourself still surrounded by the boy, but something feels different. You wiggled a little and your face burned hotly when you realized that Felix was not only still fast asleep but sporting a rather large erection that was pressed firmly to your backside.

You needed to remind yourself that with was a natural thing that men's bodies do in the morning and it had nothing to do with the fact that you were pressed against him in the night.

Fuck was it hot in the room or was it just you?

You tried to calm yourself down, but how could you with this beautiful man pressed against you like this? You decided maybe you should get up and act like nothing happened. Before you could get up you heard Felix grumble a bit and pull you in closer to himself.

Well there goes that plan.

You resigned yourself to waiting for Felix to wake up.

~✨~

After what felt like forever Felix finally started to wake up. You decided to save him from embarrassment at his current state you would act like you were asleep until he had released you from his hold. You closed your eyes and waited... and waited... and waited some more. Finally you felt Felix shift a bit and your heart almost stopped when he bent his head down and placed a soft kiss on your cheek before getting out of bed and heading to the shower.

You held your breath until he was out of the room and as soon as you heard the bathroom door shut your hand flew up to the place where he had kissed your cheek and you felt yourself smile at the sweet gesture. You giggled a bit until finally letting yourself get out of Felix's bed and walk into your own room to get ready for the day.

~✨~

It was finally Friday. The day you and Felix had been waiting for. You could barley contain your excitement at work and basically counted the seconds on the clock until it was (finally) time for you to go home. You drove as fast as safely possible and when you flung the door open to your apartment you found Felix waiting for you in the living room with a huge grin on his face.

"It's Friday." Felix simply stated, but you could tell he was as excited for tonight as you were.

"I am SO excited 'Lix! Let's blast some jams and start getting ready!" You beamed back at him and all but ran to your bedroom to get your speaker, Felix close behind you.

The two of you wanted to wait until you were completely ready to show off your outfits so you got ready in your room and he got ready in his with the speaker in the conjoined bathroom between the two of you. It took you both about an hour to get ready and you were shouting back and forth about various different things the whole time.

Finally you were ready. You looked stunning with your half-up hair and all the accessories you bought for the occasion. The dress fit you even better than you remembered. Hands down this was the hottest you'd ever looked in front of you roommate.

"Okay, I'm ready Lix, you ready?" You shouted full of excitement.

"Yeah! On the count of three!"

"One,"

"Two,"

"Three!"

You both opened the doors to your side of the bathroom and stopped, eyes wide on the beauty before you. It took a while for either of you to speak, just taking in the whole fit on the beautiful person in front of you. Finally Felix spoke.

"Wow... you look.... WOW!" He was beaming, completely awe stricken at your ensemble.

"Right back at you handsome." You took in the beautiful silver and black suit he now wore. The suit looked like it was made for Felix, the perfect blend of feminine with its silver floral patterning on the cuffs of the blazer and the ends of the slacks, and handsome with its sharp angles.

Felix held out his hand to you. "My lady, shall we?" You smiled at the gesture and took his hand. He put your entwined hands over your head and twirled you around, leaving you both in a fit of giggles. And with that you left to go to the party.

~✨~

Felix's work Does. Not. Fuck. Around. when it comes to parties. They had rented out a beautiful ballroom and had snacks, an open bar, as well as a rather large dance floor. You and Felix decided to start at the bar. As you were grabbing your drinks a strikingly beautiful woman came up and coldly stared you up and down before placing a hand on Felix's forearm.

"Hey 'Lixxie I'm so glad you made it!" You couldn't tell what Felix was thinking about this woman as he let out a small smile when she addressed him. "This must be the girlfriend you've been telling me about!" She gave you a cold smile devoid of genuine emotion as she spoke.

You felt your heart drop. Felix has a girlfriend? He never mentioned anyone to you. How could he even have time for a girlfriend when he was sleeping in your bed almost every night? What the fuck is going on??

Felix looked shaken at the statement for a brief second and before you could clarify that you were just his roommate he spoke.

"Yes, this is my girlfriend, Y/N."

You stared back at him with wide questioning eyes. What in the actual fuck is going on right now???

The woman looked you up and down again, chuckled to herself, then left muttering something under her breath that sounded like it rhymed with lanky witch.

As soon as she was out of earshot you grabbed Felix's arm and looked him in the eyes. "What the fuck was that?"

Felix shyly looked down and took a deep breath before explaining. "That was Megan, she works in the accounting department and she has been trying to get me to go out with her for months and when she wouldn't stop I panicked and said I had a girlfriend. She seemed to believe me at first but I never brought this girlfriend around and so she started to get suspicious. I'm sorry I brought you into this but it seemed like the perfect cover in the moment, but if it makes you uncomfortable I can call her back over and come clean." He looked back up at you and gave you a half-hearted smile.

Felix wanted to be your fake boyfriend for the night. In what world would you ever pass up that golden opportunity?

"No, It's okay 'Lix, we can fake date for the night to get her off your back. She seems like a royal bitch to me anyway and I wouldn't want to make you talk to her more than you already have to." He let out a sigh of relief and smiled at you, then stood up and wrapped his arms around you in a big hug.

"Thank you Y/N, you're a lifesaver." He pulled back a little and smiled at you as he reached up and pushed a hair out of your face. You looked into his eyes and smiled back.

"What are friends for?"

~✨~

The rest of the party flew by. Felix introduced you to all his coworkers as his girlfriend and they all congratulated you two and told you how cute it was that you two decided to wear matching outfits. You ate, drank, and had great conversations but after a while Felix seemed a bit on edge and you decided to see if he was okay before continuing to enjoy the party. You led him out to the balcony where you could only see one or two people sitting around, seemingly bored with the festivities inside.

"Hey, 'Lix, you seem... anxious? Are you doing alright?" You take his hands in yours and notice his shoulders immediately relax a bit.

"It's nothing love, just getting a bit tired is all." He had been calling you cute nicknames all night in front of his coworkers to keep up the guise of being together, but the fact that he called you love while it was just the two of you made your heart stutter momentarily. You chalked it up to the few drinks he had had throughout the night and decided to blow past it.

"Okay, well how about we dance to one song and then head out? The dance floor is too big and the DJ is too good to pass up one dance." You squeeze his hands softly to comfort him a bit and hopefully put his mind at ease. He looks up and softly smiles at you.

"Lead the way."

When you walk inside you guide Felix to the dance floor and start moving around, letting the beat take over your body. You see Felix smile at you as he begins to do the same. Pretty soon the two of you are jumping around laughing hysterically at how ridiculous you must look just jumping and moving your shoulders to the beat. When the song ends you get ready to head out before Felix takes hold of your hand. The beat changed and a slower melody filled the room.

"One more dance?" He sheepishly smiled at you. You walked toward him, placing your free hand on his waist and smiled back at him. "Anything for you 'Lix."

The two of you started with your hands together, free hands on each others waist. But as the song continued Felix slipped his hand from yours and put both of his hands on either side of your waist. Your arms came up and wrapped around his neck, your bodies now pressed into one another, looking into each others eyes. Felix rested his head on your shoulder and let out a sigh.

"I wish we could stay like this forever." He whispered into your ear.

"Me too." You whispered back.

Once the song was over Felix pulled his head back, hands still placed on your waist and smiled.

"Let's go home."

~✨~

The Uber back was quiet, your heart was beating out of your chest as you thought through the nights events. Felix had a hand on your knee and his head rested on your shoulder as you made your way back home. Once the Uber pulled up you said thank you to the driver and walked up to your apartment hand-in-hand with Felix.

After you stepped through the door Felix turned you to face him and he just looked into your eyes in silence for a moment until he softly spoke, barely a whisper.

"Can I kiss you?"

You were sure you were dreaming. There was no way this beautiful, incredibly kind, amazing man wanted to kiss you right now. As if he could tell what you were thinking he took a step towards you and brought his hand up to caress your cheek.

"You are the most beautiful person I have ever laid my eyes on and I've wanted to kiss you all night, well, I've wanted to kiss you a lot longer than that. So, may I kiss you, Y/N?"

"Yes." You whispered.

And with your consent Felix pulled your face to his and gently placed his lips on yours. It was a beautiful kiss, filled with all the emotions you had both been feeling for quite some time.

You pulled away to catch your breath and smiled at him. You thought back to Wednesday and a thought occurred to you. "It is late, we should head to bed."

"Yours or mine?"

#felix fluff #lee felix fluff #skz fluff #stray kids fluff #stray kids soft thoughts #stray kids soft hours #lee felix smut #felix smut #stray kids smut #skz smut

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lookingforsneha · 7 months ago

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Just read through a bit of year four in ATYD and I find it so incredibly interesting, the way friendships are characterized in this and Remus' internal monolog about it all.

One thing Remus keeps on referring back to us the fact that James and Sirius are closer than the rest of them. He mentions it over and over, from the first year, he keeps talking about how him and Peter were just on the sidelines- (although it was never the intention of James or Sirius, it's besides the point)

Remus does a wonderful job of capturing the inequality children often do feel in reality, and, how much that sucks. Kids have to suffer through years of friendship-power-hierarchies, and the way its portrayed in ATYD is really interesting, because for one, Remus desperately wants to belong.

You can read it in all the earlier chapters, but the moment that sticks out the most is when they're at the Potter's for Christmas and Remus can hear James' and Sirius's muffled words and he starts to curl uonin his own bed, crying about how he didn't have that with them. Or with James, in particular. He wished he had a friend like James- when he clearly, clearly did have James as a friend already. All he needed to do was reach out.

Another big moment was when he, in a rush of panic, tried to reach out to his Care of Magical creatures professor, when he'd seen everyone else have someone to share their thoughts with. However, again, he actively chooses against it in the end.

He so desperately wants to fit in it's a majority of what he talks about during many of the fourth years chapters, but the moment someone else shows these feelings, he immediately calls them out for it. He criticizes those who don't fit in, for example Peter. He criticizes Peter for the same need all the time. And feel like more than anything, it doesn't reveal anything about how the other's feel about Remus, but rather reveals everything about how Remus feels about himself.

Which, I know, it's an obvious observation he's got low self-esteem and he feels like he's not good enough and doesn't belong. But just the way it's written all so innocently and naturally is what gets me. Because it really embodies the real experiences kids have in friend groups.

They, just like Remus, develop such a horrible self-esteem and a large sense of shame that they feel like they can't fit in. That no one wants them there. When the truth of it all is that they just have to try and reach out, and more often than not, it'll be met with real friends who actually want you there. Friends who laugh together, friends who cry together, friends who listen to eachother. Friends who care.

It's like Remus sabotages himself every time he pushes them away, because the first active step to getting closer to others is letting them in, too. And I'll always compliment the way this was built up and executed in ATYD, since its such a real experience and its so well crafted into the story.

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cairavende · 7 months ago

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Worm Arc 19 thoughts:

Hopefully this is the only time I have more than a month wait between arc recaps. I was distracted.

Not a long arc really, but god damn did a lot happen.

My daughter is no longer eaten . . . ate . . . aten . . .

My daughter is no longer inside of a creature. That's good. Even though I was obviously 100% fine at the end of arc 18. I'm just more fine now.

Big props to Weld for just going swimming in a giant flesh pool and pulling people (and dogs!) out. He's an ok guy.

Based on the weird "dreams" Skitter was having while inside Echidna I am running on the assumption that the clones are pulled from alternate reality versions of the consumed person where said person had died. Well, not the clones themselves really, but the powers of the clones (and possibly their personalities/memories). Not sure it will end up mattering, with Echidna being dead.

But basically I think the dreams were partially visions of alternate realities.

I've been on the "alternate realities are gonna play a big role and are tied to powers and everything" boat for awhile now, but this arc finally brought that all to the forefront of everything. Just with Scapegoat and Scrub's power, clone Eidolon's powers, the door, and such. So that's cool!

Speaking of Scapegoat, I love his ridiculous little power. I saw it coming the second I saw the name and I was enjoying every second of it.

"She’s fucking blind!?" has gotta be one of the best moments in Worm so far.

Skitter finally realizes that Tattletale has been very clearly taking actions to portray her as the leader to everyone else. Cause bad ass lesbian super villain trio is everything.

Skitter hard carried the second Echidna fight. Everyone would probably be fucked if she wasn't there.

Starting off with taking out the teleporter Grue clone. My girl knows rule number 1. First, GEEK THE MAGE!

And of course she was using her bugs to monitor the entire battlefield, but then she starts giving information and direction to everyone. Kept track of clones, preventing any (hopefully) from escaping). And taking out a fair share of them herself!

Fucking just full on use swarm speech to speak to everyone across the battlefield at once! FUCK YES SHE IS BADASS!

I'm sure Shatterbird won't show up again and isn't going to be an issue at all!

And she's the one that sets up the trap to cut Echidna in half and contain clone Eidolon so Miss Militia can take him out! Clockblocker gets partial credit for helping I guess. But still, Skitter saved all their asses 10 times over.

Also Clockblocker is obsessed with my daughter. Kid has it baaaaaaaad.

I love that in the first few chapters there is some teasing of Cauldron's secrets being spilled a little bit, then Legend completely reveals that Cauldron exists but lies about details, and then suddenly clone Eidolon just dumps everything out there!

Faultline and crew - "We…worked on finding info on Cauldron for a year…and…he just…he shouted it out."

And through all of this Tattletale just out here like "I'm gonna tear a hole in reality!" God I love this reckless chaos child.

Gully deserves to punch a few Cauldron people. As a treat.

Lisa "I took one look at you and instantly knew I would take over the fucking city just to see you smile" Wilbourn over here! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!

SERIOUSLY IT'S SO GAY!

"OH NO LOOK AT THAT POOR TRAUMATIZED CUTE GIRL, I CAN FIX HER!" IS THE MOST LESBIAN THING

Real quote: "Maybe- maybe when the interuniversal trade takes off. Can you imagine? With me and you as the top dogs? The whole world will pay attention to us." HOW CAN SHE BE THIS LESBIAN?

CHATTERBUG CHATTERBUG CHATTERBUG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (SMUGBUG SMUGBUG SMUGBUG if you prefer)

THEY CAN RULE THE WORLD TOGETHER AND I WILL FORGIVE ALL WRONGS DONE TO REACH THAT POINT CAUSE GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!! (Also obviously Rachel will be there too.)

(I'm sure Taylor crumpling the papers from Dinah in her fists at the end of the arc isn't ominous at all.)

Blasto Interlude thoughts:

Sucks to be Blasto I guess

Accord is terrible as always, glad to see more of him. Love his minions.

Colin can't do anything right. Seriously dude you cut Bonesaw in half and still lost! You have magic cut through anything and turn it to dust tech and you couldn't kill her! God.

Dragon is hard carrying this SH9 hunting team.

She got Manton! That's crazy! Good job robot daughter!

I 100% do not expect Siberian to stay gone. I mean outright Bonesaw is gonna be cloning people and she can probably get some of his DNA. But even without that, it was just too convenient, happening off screen like that. I dunno. It's not safe.

Also Blasto, I'm really sorry about what happened to you but also you tried to make a half Simmy clone! God damn that was the dumbest thing you could ever have done. You are so lucky it didn't work (probably), cause if it did it would have been because she planned it. God damn.

Time for the Slaughterhouse 99 or whatever. Gonna really suck for people.

Parahumans Online Interlude thoughts:

Timeskip!!! Shortish timeskip but still! It's been so day to day for so long so suddenly jumping ahead was surprising.

Greg from act 1 is back! And also kinda a dick. And probably has a Thinker 1 power. Tattletale light basically. Fits with what Taylor said about him in act 1 too.

GstringGirl is probably Sveta, that feels right.

Glad to see the Case 53s making their own team, that's a good start.

WagTheDog wanting to work for Bitch is super cute! I'm glad it seems like that is going to work out.

Loved seeing some of the stuff of people talking about Skitter. I've been wanting to see what the general public has been saying about her cause from an outside perspective the stuff she has done seems 10 times crazier than it is, and it is already crazy.

Emma Interlude thoughts:

Fuck this bitch

Sure she went through a really hard situation and she has terrible parents and it is easy to see how she got to where she is, but that doesn't excuse her actions. I still don't like her at all.

I don't know how much more I need to say, except that Alan shouldn't have left his traumatized daughter home alone with the instructions "If you feel like doing something bad please call the therapist who's number I put on the fridge" christ dude. You are worse every time you show up.

Like learning that Alan knows everything about Sophia as well? Just makes him even worse! Probably upgraded from a 3 fire asshole to a 4 fire asshole by now.

#Worm #Worm Web Serial #Parahumans #Cairavende reads Worm #Taylor Hebert #Lisa Wilbourn #Chatterbug #Smugbug #The Travelers #Sucks to be the reality where Bakuda is part of the Nine. That seems pretty bad.#Seriously Lisa is so gay! “I overthrew a criminal empire cause I thought it would make you happy!” I love her.#Skitter saved every one of those heroes lives and possible the world from Noelle making a bunch of Eidolon clones or something.#She deserves a little villaining as a treat!#I also still think Tecton should join the Undersiders #Bonesaw shoving her spine down Blasto's throat is fucking WILD. God damn she is terrifying. The whole clone thing is gonna be bad.#WHY DID THEY KEEP SOME OF CRAWLERS DNA? OF ALL THE STUFF TO KEEP PART OF THE CREATURE THAT CAN REGROW FROM ALMOST NOTHING SEEMS BAD!#Super exited for arc 20

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bloodyshadow1 · 10 months ago

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my detailed thoughts on the first season of Percy jackson.

Cons:

The pacing, I know everyone says this, but really the pacing of this season was all over the place. having 8 episodes while probably the only option for the writing team really hurt the series overall. Adding an additional episode would helped keep things better I think and would allow a better flow. Not to mention it would help keep things structured in a 3 act system with a beginning, middle, and end that a lot of stories, are told in which would have just fit and flowed better. I would prefer 12 eps, for each act having 4 eps, but that is greedy since they're probably going to be stuck with 8 for the rest of the series too

Lightning, the series was just too dark in a lot of scenes, I didn't have much of a problem because I watched on my smarttv, but I know a lot of people who watched on computers or phones had trouble

The beginning, there should have been more episodes in Camp Half-Blood, at least 1 more. I get that the meat of the story is in the journey, but by not establishing camp half-blood as the first place Percy felt like home it makes it feel emptier. I do like how they including flashbacks of luke training percy in the finale but I would have liked more in camp half blood before the start

There's a less wonder and magic in the series than there was in the books. I don't really know how to describe it, but the books made it feel like there were two worlds hiding within each other and there is magic everywhere. Just small things like Ares turning his lost shield into a bullet proof vest because that's the more modern take.

I'm not with a vocal part of the fandom that bitch and moan over the kids not falling into every trap, I like that Percy is smarter, but instead of just making him smarter, I think they should have just had him ask more questions, like if he was a 12 year old with ADHD who had his eyes open to a world. By making him ask questions, it would help let them explain the world more by having people answer Percy, instead of him knowing everything. Certain things I think could have been done better, like the Kronos reveal and the Luke reveal, it could be done as a reveal instead of Percy figuring it out and I think it would have worked better. like have Percy realize it when talking through the prophecy with Luke because Luke mentions the bolt and the helm, something Percy wouldn't have told him or anyone at camp.

For the most part, I like how they did the gods, with the exception with Zeus and Athena. Zeus is such a larger than life figure, as much as I love Lance Riddick's performance, he played him too epic. The Zeus from the books feels more like a powerful blowhard while the series makes him feel too cool to me. As for Athena, I'll admit I'm bias because she's my favorite god but I don't like her being made the villain in Annabeth's story especially offscreen. I get that they're playing up the gods being shit more than the books and since they made Poseidon more sympathetic, making Athena more antagonistic is a choice to make. I just don't think it fits her cold and logical, but still cares about her kids in her way that she was portrayed in the books.

Grover. I honestly like a lot of the things they added to his character, but I wish they didn't take away from his canon character moments. Not many, but I liked him being a different species than Percy and Annabeth, he isn't human, he's part goat and instead of the books stuff, he's more just a kid with different legs and short horns than another creature. Also by taking away his reed pipes and not showing him being able to do magic, it limits the character.

While people complain about the show... showing not telling, I feel like there was a lack of exposition in the show that wasn't there in the books. It kind of goes with Percy being smarter in the show than the books, but there's a lot of stuff left out of the show that is good world building. small example, no one mentions that monsters don't die for good, which is a very important plot point in heroes of olympus, even if they don't make it, it's a good thing to tell a new demi-gods. Or other plot points, like Annabeth wanting to see her father after all these years, despite how badly things broke before, which just kind of resolves offscreen.

Honestly though, it was only the fandom that ever really bothered me. Too many people focusing on uncharitable changes about the series that had to be made since there is a difference between a first person perspective book series and a tv series that they had to make. That they couldn't fit everything into an 8 ep series that's in a whole book

Pros:

Honestly, one of the best adaptions I've seen despite all the cons.

The acting in the show is awesome, the actors for the kids are young but perfect for the roles they were assigned. they might not look like the books, but I genuinely think it doesn't matter if they're going to be this good. Walker, Leah, and Aryan stand out as the stars of this show and for good reason

I really like the way they portrayed Luke in the tv series, I get the twist in the books, but by bringing up stuff with him earlier I think it makes him more sympathetic. I also think by not including the scorpion to kill Percy, and instead make it clear Luke doesn't want to kill Percy makes him feel more like a kid making a dumb decision instead of someone willing to murder a 12 year old.

I like how they portrayed Sally in the show even if some people disagree. I like that she shows more flaws and character than just being the sweetest saddest woman that she was in the books. As much as Sally loves Percy, him not only being a demi-god, but a neurodivergent kid, it wears on any parent's patience, especially a single mother. Having her get angry and lose her temper, having us as the viewers know what she's been through makes her feel more real and fits better for a tv show.

I like most of the effects, I think it fits in the show and looks better than a lot of blockbuster movies. Lightning aside. I think the monsters looked good and so did the magic even if I think the latter could be better

Honestly, I think the fight scenes were great for a disney show where the main character is supposed to be 12. I know people are annoyed with how short they are, but that's how they were in the books. I think they were adapted fine.

I like that since we're not in Percy's head, we get more of Annabeth and Grover. It feels like a real proper adventuring trio than the books where it felt like it was so Percy focused with Annabeth being the secondary main and grover being a main, but kind of sidekick character. Letting Grover and Annabeth be characters, to have scenes without Percy and changing things from the books, like having Annabeth seeing the fates cut the thread, makes more sense when you're not doing a first person books

Overall I think they changed things in a very fair and pragmatic sense. There were a lot, but there were less egergious than the movie that changed the whole plot.

#percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians spoilers #pjo #pjo tv show #pjo tv show spoilers #pjo spoilers

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webbywatcheshorror · 9 months ago

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Webby Reviews Horror: Ink (2009)

Ink is a movie about extraplanar entities, invisible to our plane, who visit us at night and deliver dreams (or nightmares). One night, a young girl's soul is kidnapped, leaving her waking body comatose. Allel, a Dreamgiver, must hunt down the creature who stole her before it's too late.

Ink is another movie that I love dearly! I love the worldbuilding, the characters, the use of music and lighting.

It's not a very well-known movie, which is a shame, because I feel like it could have a fairly strong following if more people got to see it.

So let's talk about it! Review under the cut, and as always, SPOILERS ahead!

Alright, STRICTLY SPEAKING, Ink is not a horror movie. It's more of a fantasy with some elements of horror and suspense. But this is my review blog and I do what I want.

The movie opens up with a scene of a little girl (Emma) and her father (John) spending time together one morning. She wants to play pretend, but Dad is awkward, like he's not sure how playing pretend works, but he gives in and tries anyway, leaping out of his comfort zone and into her world of pretend beasties and forts they must defend. it's really cute, if a little too brightly lit.

Then we are introduced to a core concept of the movie- the Dreamgivers. As the neighborhood falls asleep, dozens of individuals literally POP into existence and slip into their homes, where they deliver sweet dreams through a gentle touch. It is weirdly shot in some places, though, reminding me of a medication commercial, but I suppose that can be the nature of dreams.

The Dreamgivers just look like regular people, in contrast to their opposites, the Incubi, who are dressed in black shiny trenchcoats and have their faces projected onto a screen like a mask. The Incubi deliver nightmares, as you might expect, though not through touch- they simply sidle up to a sleeper and whisper negativity that influences the dreams.

I like how differently the two factions are portrayed- the Dreamgivers are warm, personal, almost loving in their duties, while the Incubi are cold and impersonal, projecting fears and insecurities on their victims from afar.

In this world, however, there are more than just Dreamgivers and Incubi, and we meet our primary antagonist, Ink, when he POPs into existence and steals Emma, who is living with her grandparents. Except, he has stolen her on This side of reality- the Dreamers' side- leaving her physical body there without a soul.

Our Dreamgiver protag Allel tries to fight Ink off, and is backed up by some of her compatriots, giving us a really cool detail about the Dreamside World. When objects are damaged, such as furniture, it reverses itself back into its normal state moments later. It's a really cool visual and helps to establish the fact that Dreamsiders can't affect the real world.

Ink kicks everyone's ass and manages to escape with Emma's soul by playing a funky lil beat on a hand drum, which opens a gateway they vanish into. That, in itself, is a cool ass concept. Let me just play a little ditty and get gone.

Ink (the character) is a tragic figure. During the course of the movie, we learn his goal is to become an Incubus- detached, unfeeling, perfectly formed. We are told that his entry into the Dreamside was painful, and when we get a face reveal, we see he is covered in scars, with an almost comically enlarged nose (think close to Adam Maitland's character transformation in Beetlejuice for a comparison) and only a few long thin strands of hair on his otherwise bald, scarred head. he intends to deliver Emma's soul in exchange for this new status.

See, the Dreamside is implied to be the Afterlife. There are angelic figures like Liev the Storyteller; demonic figures like the Incubus Prince; drifters, like Ink, who used to be human but never settled into one side or the other; and Pathfinders who can hear the beat of the world and actually influence it.

The Pathfinder we meet is a blind man named Jacob who serves as a guide and comedic relief from some of the dramatic tension, and is also my second favorite character behind Emma. He seems deeply unserious, but he's dedicated to the task at hand- saving Emma's soul before her body expires. He's just gonna give Allel shit about it the whole time. ("What are we supposed to do when we find Emma on the other side?" "SHAKE THE SHIT OUT OF HER.")

His ability to affect the world gives us my absolute favorite sequence in the movie- he opens his little case he's been carrying and through it, emits a soft little gust of wind that sets off a chain reaction eventually culminating in a car wreck that sends Emma's father to the same hospital she's in. (Even if you don't want to watch this entire movie I do highly recommend looking up that scene on Youtube!)

This movie is an artistic one, utilizing light and environmental storytelling to provide a lot of the details- for example, when John is actively being influenced by an Incubus, the world around him dims, then darkens considerably, showing just how alone he feels in his misery and anger. During the first Flashback sequence, he is shown to be (literally) in the spotlight at work, over and over, congratulated for his business sense and smart dealings, while at home the light is dim as his wife pleads for him to stop working such long hours and spending so much time away from the family.

The movie also uses color to signify which layer of reality we're in- the real world is often overly bright, but colorful, where the Dreamside is mostly gray and muted. I like visual cues that communicate to the viewer details like that, helps me keep track of what's going on and where we are.

The Twist of the movie is decently set up and can be figured out if you're paying attention, but don't feel bad if you don't, since there is some timey wimey bullshit going on. Alternate Worlds love having time work differently than the real one, and while it may be a cliche, it's a fun story element that opens up more possibilities.

Ink is John. Or, at least, a version of him that could be, if he keeps on the path he's on right now. Ink is what happens when John ignores his daughter's condition and continues to work and do coke and withdraw from the only family he has left, resulting in Emma's death. Ink is what happens when John gets so low he takes his own life.

The Final Battle is a fantastic scene- on the Dreamside, we have a handful of Dreamgivers fighting to keep the Incubi who are swarming the hospital at bay and away from John so he can make his own choice; on the reality side of things, we have a normal day in a hospital, with John wandering down the halls in search of Emma. There's a sense of urgency and a rapidly approaching time limit on the Dreamside, but in the real world it's peaceful, almost dreamlike.

Ink/John's journey to recovery parallels how hard it is to come back from the darkness in our own world. How the promise of relief from your pain can be so seductive that you'd give up anything, everything, just to be free. How hard it is to let go of your resentment and admit when you're wrong, when you need help. How even a hand extended in friendship can seem like a threat.

This movie ends on a good note, leaving me with a sense of relief and satisfaction. As I said before, it's not so much a true horror movie as it is a fantasy with some horror elements, so that's probably why it has such a happy ending, but I digress.

I give this one ten ghosts outta ten, because I love the story, the worldbuilding, the visual effects, and the characters a hell of a lot. And because Jacob is right, sometimes you really do just gotta shake the shit outta people. (Maybe don't orchestrate a car accident as your first option though.)

#ink movie #fantasy movie #movie review #webbywatcheshorror #webbyreviewshorror

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radiomurdeer · 9 months ago

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About

Honestly, he’s a canon character so I will assume that you already know the basics of who Alastor is if you want to interact. I have some headcanons that portray him a little different than canon, though I stick to the events as they happen in the series. I reserve the right to update and change things as needed in the future as more information/seasons come out. You can view his information on the wiki here. Relevant Headcanons:

As it hasn’t yet been revealed in canon who currently owns him, as referenced by Husk and the season one finale, I am keeping this intentionally vague. Generally I lean towards Lilith, but I'm keeping it open and thread-specific.

My Alastor has some Cluster B personality stuff going on, specifically a blend of Narcissism and Antisocial Personality Disorder. This doesn't mean he can't form friendships or care about others, but he finds it much easier to not care about things than to actually care. Generally he views everyone as props, ensemble, or supporting cast in the show that is his life, up until they're around enough/he grows fond enough to upgrade to 'main cast'. Appeals to emotion generally won't work on him unless he considers you a close friend, but he can be convinced by a good argument.

Link to long-ass write up of how I view his radio broadcasts/ownership of the radio in general.

My Alastor does not practice Voodoo/Vodou/Vodun/Hoodoo or any variation thereof. Instead, his abilities are inspired by it as a nod to his roots/misdirection. He still has sigils and shadows and stitched together shadow dolls, but it's not associated with any real-life practices. Basically he dabbled in the usual stuff when he was younger and then went racing off to dark, forbidden, eldritch things that Mankind Was Not Meant To Know. I cross him over a bit with the Lovecraft Mythos, taking some cues from the overall stories and the Call of Cthulhu TTRPG.

Specifically I associate him with Hastur/The Yellow King. This means he follows a bit of a mad artist trope - his medium happens to be the screams of his victims in his broadcast. There's a near compulsive need to find just the right combination of screams. It's always there in the back of his mind, like an earworm he can't quite get rid of. In addition, his association with the King is where he gets most of his magic - he gets a big power boost, so long as he is Entertaining, whether that be playing the Fool, or the Villain, or anything else. The magic he practices does affect how he perceives the world, and since he's been messing about with mind-bending things, he's not 100% sane. He Perceives the world differently (think of it like Second Sight - it is his perception of your muse, not necessarily indicative of your muse itself), though I won't always get into it for every reply since that can make for exhausting reading and writing. References to this may be made in replies, but knowledge of the mythos isn't necessary. A lot of this is just flavor text. If it's relevant, I'll explain in tags or in character as part of the response. If you have questions about this, feel free to ask!

I place significant emphasis on him as the Radio Demon, a minor eldritch staglike creature intrinsically tied to airwaves and any radio frequencies that exists in multiple dimensions. Sometimes I'll refer to radiospace which is just a fancy way of saying the airwaves but treating it as its own separate dimension almost. Anything with the radio is innate to him and completely separate from the shadows/puppets/sigils/etc. Generally when I say Radio Demon, I'm referring to him as that rather than the dapper deer demon. Really he's more this creature, what everyone knows as Alastor is more of a meat-suit he uses to interact with people who cannot perceive to the 14th dimension. Basically - he's high grade Nightmare Fuel if you have any form of Second Sight. Something with too many antlers, teeth, eyes and hooves, impossible to say how many of each there are, as the amount visible keeps changing. He reeks of the fear and blood of a slaughterhouse on a metaphysical level, triggering a primal urge to run in those that don't know how to deal with it unless he's purposely keeping it tamped down. Even then the blood-scent still lingers. He's constantly listening to everything that goes on within the range of a radio, though he ignores most of it and has to focus to actually interpret what he's hearing. Riding the airwaves, he can get to anywhere in seconds, so long as a radio wave can reach it (which is pretty much everywhere in the Pride Ring, unless precautions are taken). As a Sinner, Alastor's physical form is stuck in that Ring. From his tower he can broadcast his shows to the other Rings as well if he chooses, as I'm opting to take Vaggie's lines from the pilot literally. On his own, he can eavesdrop on any radio in the Pride Ring and speak through it, much like Vox can project onto any TV. If a radio transmission within the Pride Ring can reach you, so can he. Same as above - if you have questions about this, feel free to ask and I'll be happy to elaborate/clarify.

He isn’t a wendigo. He shares some traits like he's always hungry and cannibalism. He is only not hungry when he's eating. He can make do with animal meat for a snack, and loves the irony of eating deer, but will eventually need people meat. He will not at any point be referred to as a wendigo.

On his accent and known languages - he is fluent in English and only knows a little bit of French (though some references may be made to fictional magic languages like Aklo at times). His French is just stuff he's picked up over the years and by growing up where he is so he's unlikely to wow you with his command of the language and dip into it randomly. Also he has Committed To The Bit a little too hard and his natural accent is the Transatlantic one. He's spoken like that for a good 90+ years - the accent he grew up with is long gone and he'd have to make an effort to mimic it, it won't come naturally.

The little stitching at the corner of his mouth to keep him smiling is self inflicted. While I've seen other theories like whoever holds his leash doing it, I just really like the idea of him doing it to himself, because of his own beliefs and desires and not because it's forced on him by someone else.

Yes he has a tail. It's cute and he keeps it hidden because it doesn't match the image he wants to project.

On Vox - Alastor is still very fond of Vox. He thinks about him a lot, though he's considerably better at hiding it. If he can't have Vox's friendship, he'll have his disdain. Either way he gets the attention he craves.

Regarding shipping

I love shipping, and am happy to encourage it. However, he's not particularly easy to ship with without discussion. There's a few things to be aware of and what to expect from him:

He's aroace, but he views himself as just having not met the right one yet. That doesn't mean he is actively looking, he's quite comfortable without such complications.

Alastor is not romantic. He may still go through the motions - gifts, flowers, etc - because he's a gentleman and that's what you do when you're courting. Provided he understands you're courting. Naturally he'll default more towards queer-platonic. He wants a partner who is with him because they want to be, not because they're tied by a deal or anything else. He's not really looking for a lover of any kind.

Emotions are hard.

He's not oblivious, but he'll act like it cause it's easier and tends to keep relationships where he wants them.

Understanding how he works and thinks is something he values a lot. Being able to read between the lines between what he says/does and what he actually thinks/his reasoning is important.

I cannot stress this enough - your character MUST be able to read his nonverbal cues and between the lines. If he's comfortable enough around you to stop masking, he may be more difficult to read, not less. I will try to give enough description in the prose and tags, but if you need more let me know.

He has difficulty verbalizing his wants and needs in terms that are not equivalent exchange. He's used to his relationships being transactional - it comes with being a well-known dealmaker and a powerful overlord. People don't usually seek him out for his shining personality, just when they want something from him.

Given the above, he finds it easier to spoil his partner than accepting his partner spoiling him. But it's his version of spoiling, which can be anything from jewelry or flowers you'd like to thoughtfully presented heads of your enemies.

'No' comes easier to him than 'yes', which can cause problems if you're trying to get his consent for something. He doesn't ever do anything he doesn't want to do, and he'll expect you to understand him well enough to know that if he isn't saying no, then it's a yes. He'll get upset if you try to press for a straight answer, as he thinks he's always very clear about his wants and needs (he's not, but he can explain his reasoning behind things if you ask the right questions. This isn't him trying to be purposely obtuse/difficult. Usually).

He's used to his friends pairing off and leaving him as perpetual third wheel (this happened more in Life, less in his Afterlife), making it difficult for him to believe he can offer what anyone wants. To him, it's a matter of time before he's left for someone who can offer more.

You'll be walking on thin ice because he's so used to being misunderstood and misinterpreted in his personal life when not making a deal. He treats everything like a fun game because it hurts less and he can pretend he's 'won' when he's been 'successful' in keeping someone guessing.

He's touch averse - if he's not initiating the touch, he doesn't usually want it. If you want to hold his hand or something, you hold out the hand and let him take it. You want a hug? Open arms for a hug and let him come to you. As he gets more comfortable that will change but it will always be there - sometimes things get too much and no contact will be allowed at all.

If you're with him because of a Deal, it's probably going to be a toxic ship and some of the above things may be reversed since he'd always be in a position of control/not worry have to worry about his pride

On sex -

I'm fine writing smut, but getting Alastor to want to do so will be tricky.

He's not sex-repulsed but he's super disinterested in sex. He'd rather watch paint dry. You'd have to really work at convincing him it'd be fun for him to partake. He does have a bit of a libido but he doesn't see the point in making a production out of it when he can easily just take care of things himself in half the time if he chooses to indulge at all.

#//dead air; ooc

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adultswim2021 · 2 years ago

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Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! #10: “Missing” | April 15, 2007 - 11:45PM | S01E10

Ending the season with a just-okay one. In Missing, there are roughly three through-lines and a commercial, and all of them are suitably funny Tim & Eric things but none of them are classics.

The eponymous sketch is about Casey “and his brother” Tatum going missing. He’s just out wandering around like a dog that got out. These bits are very cinematic; by the end it feels positively Lynchian. These segments amount mostly to Tim running around the city streets at night in character. There’s one funny shot where he tries to cross the street and a car comes by and doesn’t stop for him and he sorta spins out of the way. This was seemingly an unplanned moment, which is what makes it funny. This one starts off with footage of a TV screening showing an old Uncle Muscles show, where Casey and his brother are singing singing a Christmas-inspired song. I should have ephemera’d this in December sometime because I remember that sketch playing as a standalone one-minute short. In fact I remember at one point telling myself “do not forget about that Casey and His Brother Christmas one”, but I did anyway. Oh well.

The Tim & Eric hosting segments are a fake talk show called Nights with Tim. This one seems particularly dashed off, and includes a lot of clips of them giggling, sometimes acting for the bit and sometimes actually losing it. The premise of this bit is that Eric, the guest, is advocating for Rascals, an endangered species that is basically a German Shepherd's head on a possum’s body. Eventually one of the things comes out, and it’s huge. The way they portray it might be confusing in text if you’ve never seen this episode, but: basically they are miming like they have one out there, like a typical talk show animal segment, and it seems like we’re looking at footage that was supposed to have an animated creature added to it, but doesn’t. So, it’s almost as if the rascal is invisible. They act like it starts attacking them. While it’s going for Eric’s face, we abruptly cut to Eric just smiling and calmly saying to the camera “it bit me”. That’s that!

I had a somewhat false memory of this commentary track, and apologies to Tim: I remember him arrogantly telling a story of triumph where he disregarded Bob Odenkirk’s criticism of the sketch, specifically that they were blowing an opportunity by not actually animating a creature into the scene. I always assumed that it was a matter of them running out of money and deciding to just air the footage as-is as though it were a joke. Tim does mention that he and Bob butt heads about this, but doesn’t really come to much of a conclusion on who was actually right. But apparently this whole thing was conceived with this confusing staging in mind. The way he brings it up you realize the story is missing “of course this sketch is a classic, everyone thinks it’s so funny that we mime that there’s a rascal”. It’s been a decade and a half, and I think the jury might still be out on this.

There’s an okay Steve Brule sketch: Steve brings Jan out to perform a hairdo on her. Tim reveals on the commentary that they cut out a joke where Jan refers to herself as wearing her father’s haircut (funny!). The sketch has Brule getting too handsy with Jan for Wayne’s liking, who freaks out when they start flirtily playing with hair mousse. We cut to a photo of them getting torn in half with the words DIVORCED over it. I forget if they formally write their way out of this or not. Not the strongest Brule sketch, but it’s not bad.

B’ougar is in a similar vein to B’owl and T’ird. This is a bear and a cougar mixed, and you place it at the end of your bed so that when you wake up from a scary nightmare you no longer have to suffer the indignity of having been afraid of imaginary things; you can focus your fear on the B’ougar. This is unquestionably derivative, and not as rich on paper as B’owl or T’ird, but it’s very well done and the actor they got to star in the ad is hilarious and has a great look. This is the bright spot of the episode.

This episode ends on a cliffhanger: Steve Mahanahan finds Casey wandering the streets and has him get into his van. Steve shines a flashlight back there to reveal Richard Dunn, “I’ve got your pep-pep” Steve says. We also catch a glimpse of a weird furry mutant in a cage (a little person that according to Tim & Eric was exceptionally unhappy to be there). Eerie, uncertain music plays over a seemingly slow-motion shot of them in the cab. Casey vomits on himself. Words appear on screen: “to be continued”! Notably, Tim & Eric hint at the idea of an Awesome Movie coming somewhere down the line; this being one of the more notable times two of their previously-unrelated characters crossed paths. This is somewhat notable, sorta like the time the Headcrusher met Cabbage Head.

Awesome Show season one held up about as good as I thought it would. Chunky took a little hit this time around. 6 out of the 10 episodes are GREAT, and the other four are not bad. I think they reached higher highs as the series went on, but nothing felt as consistent as this season did. But It’s been a while since I’ve watched the other seasons, so I guess we’ll see.

EPHEMERA CORNER

youtube

Casey And His Brother: “XMas Wish” (aka Uncle Muscles Christmas Special ‘98) (December, 2006)

Better late than never. Okay, I could probably eventually pin down a date on this if I set my mind to this. I SEEM TO REMEMBER it airing on the same night as Christmas with Doom, which would probably have it airing late Christmas Eve/early Christmas Morning of 2006. Maybe it’s even in the YouTube link I provided. Here it is. Someday I’ll stop being lazy and I’ll excavate my Adult Swim recordings and replace this stuff with higher quality uploads. But that day is not today. Sorry.

MAIL BAG

Tim & Eric From 'Tom Goes To The Mayor Check In. Some People Get Mad. If You're One Of Them, Fuck You You Don't Deserve Their Show, You Piece Of Shit. Maybe You're Too Fucking Dumb To Get It.

Get Off My Fucking Phone Fuck Face, And Also, Fuck You!

We are at the end of season one of tim and eric so let's get a ranking of the episodes PLUS I would like you to name one think both Tim AND Eric did that really wow'd you this season.

I was seriously hoping to avoid ranking episodes of any sketch show, but just for you, I did it. Here you go:

S01E09 - Hamburger S01E08 - Anniversary S01E02 - Friends S01E01 - Dads S01E03 - Cats S01E05 - Chunky S01E06 - Slop S01E04 - Salame S01E07 - Abstinence S01E10 - Missing

This is a cop out, sorta: Eric is difficult to come up with a wow bit because he’s not super versatile, so you wind up trying to come up with the moment where his particular look and acting style suits the material best, whereas Tim has an easier time rising to the material’s demands. His performance as Carol is legitimately great acting, I think, and I also love him as the elderly transwoman version of himself. Tim’s best moments might be as Eric’s counterpart in either of those sketches! Mr. Henderson has some of the funniest line-readings of all time, and his elderly TIm character is wonderful. It’s a true testament to their bond and chemistry with one another that their high points are both package deals. Though if we really wanna split the atom: Old Tim and Carol respectively would probably be it.

tim and eric - awesome show - tim and eric - awesome

Tim & Eric From 'Tom Goes To The Mayor Check In. Some People Get Mad. If You're One Of Them, Fuck You You Don't Deserve Their Show, You Piece Of Shit. Maybe You're Too Fucking Dumb To Get It.

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #tim and eric awesome show great job

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mi4012wagmigunawardana · 1 year ago

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Lego Sprint! Challenge 5

Main character Nole cum He was an orphan who was adopted by an abusive, Egotistical and narcissistic rich man. He grew up as an orphan and understood what it felt like to get the short end of the stick in terms of social status so in order to reveal the dark and ugly nature of humanity he decides to build up his business from nothing in order to not only get his revenge on his adoptive parent but also to prove to the world that classism and hierarchy in Society.

His business, beast bane industry, sets out to reveal the true nature of humans and how cruel they can be. His business consists of showcasing humans of lower classes in zoo entrapments, they are considered "animals". From one glance it may look like his goal is world domination and money, however it is anything but these shallow dreams.

He wants to reveal the corrupt nature of the people on top of the social lader, the entire purpose of his business is to portray human nature at it's lowest. However by doing so Nole gets caught in his own trap and becomes just like rest in his attempt to branch out and reveal humans as the disgusting creatures that they are. While building the latest and greatest entrapment, Nole has an epiphany as to what he's doing, he realizes that he has become just like his father.

He couldn't live with this fact and decides to invite all of the richest people to the opening of the latest entrapment and decided to blow up thr place, killing not only himself but the wealthiest people alive in an attempt to stop the abuse and cruelty

Age : 30

Personality traits - secretive Stoic Determined Very goal driven Has a mask around other people and is always smiling around them. His fake persona is a friendly billionaire

Bob(zookeeper 1) Backstory He grew up within the system Nole established and because of this he becomes apart of the hive mind that believe people of lower class are animals that deserve to be put on show. He applies for a job at Beast Bane and becomes one of the newest zookeepers for the latest entrapment. He later dies in the explosion of the latest entrapment

Age 21

Personality traits Submissive An obedient follower Henchman Has no original thoughts

Tom( zookeeper 2) Backstory Tom is Bob's twin and as such also grew up in the system Nole established. She could never do anything without her twin and because he was apart of the hive mind she was too in an attempt to never stray from her brother. Due to the fact Bob applied Beast Bane she did as well and unlike Tom who immediately got the job she had to go through a few interviews in order to get the job. She dies alone as when the fire occurs her brother is making sure the "animals" don't escape while she is slacking off.

Age 21

Personality traits

Dependent on her brother Doesn't like to be alone Has no goals or ambitions

0561 Backstory It's childhood was on the street and it spent it's days begging for food and water. Once Nole business was established they were captured and taken in. It was displayed in the older zoo's and was treated worse than dirt. Later Nole decided to transport 0561 as the first showcase for the latest zoo. However it tragically dies in the fire.

Age : unknown

Personality traits Feral Confused Follows whatever instructions given to it

Dog Backstory She was a street dog that just followed the zoo keepers around, trying to get attention and love from them. She unfortunately dies along with everyone else in the fire, she kept barking for help even while being burnt alive.

Age : 3

Personality traits Hyper Attention seeking Always hungry

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

FULL CAST

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sukirichi · 4 years ago

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good girl (m.)

You’re such a good wife to Naoya that he rewards you for your obedience.

request. naoya coming home to his beloved little housewife and feels like giving her a treat for being such a good girl.,,.,, read: man’s gonna re-arrange your guts and have some soft moments with you after (not that he would ever admit that shsghshsj)

cw. explicit smut, riding, dirty talk WITH praising bcos why not, dom! husband naoya, sexism, overstimulation, creampie, lots of kissing, titty sucking, you might end up liking naoya and that’s a warning

note. LISTEN. this is purely self indulgent even if this is a request. my bestie requested this to me anyway so ik she won’t mind i pictured myself as the reader :) so if you don’t like how the reader and naoya was portrayed, that’s a you problem :) EDITED BECAUSE IT’S NAOYA YAY, also got inspired by @caizen ‘s ask about naoya wanting his wife to not bow too deep because he wants to see her face :)

[part of the trophy wife collection]

Being Naoya Zen’in’s trophy wife required a lot of things. You had to be immaculate, précised, refined and full of dignity in everything you did. He already did the work all by himself just to keep the house running, his hard work the only reason you were able to live such a comfortable, luxurious life. On top of that, you had an extremely powerful man trusting you to welcome him every night, and who were you to not fulfill your duty as his wife well?

The moment the black limousine parked on the driveway, the guards lined on duty opening the doors of him and the rest of the house staff greeting him, you were already in front of everyone.

Keep your head down, but don’t look too hard at your feet. Naoya-sama wants to see your face – his lovely wife’s face – upon his arrival.

He would never say it out loud, but five years and counting of marriage with him meant you knew him better than anyone. Through his confident and arrogant self, Naoya worried about a lot of things, you included. There were times he’d wake up in the middle of a nightmare in which he lost you, his arms scrambling to find your body to press it against his for reassurance. You were there, you would always be there, but the confirmation never hurt.

You bowed down to him, skin cleared, cheeks flushed, and lips glossy – all telltales of a happy, nurtured wife who was well taken care of – present before him. And you were beautiful too; the most gorgeous woman he’d ever laid his eyes on.

“Welcome home, Naoya-sama.”

Naoya’s shoulders immediately relaxed at the sight of you dressed in your yukata, hair done perfectly and hands clasped politely in your lap. He tried not to let it show too much though, even though his staff had watched him grow up, he needed to keep his pride as the clan leader. Not even his precious wife could make him tear down his walls in public, though you did not need to worry about his brash attitude, following him inside three steps behind as he’d instructed.

He loosened his tie and dismissed the other servants, locking the door of your shared room. “Is my tea prepared?”

“Yes, Naoya-sama, mixed with jasmine just as you like.”

Naoya’s hands stilled on his tie. His gaze fluttered over yours, eyes still ducked down to the floor with a small smile playing on your lips, one that said welcome home in more ways than one.

The sight of you – so compliant and meek as ever – stirred something deep within his heart. His whole life, he believed women were useless, creatures that were below him. Until now, he held firm in that, but fuck, you were always so open and willing to do everything he asked that he could feel himself hardening in his pants. Women may be useless, but once they followed his orders and praised him so heavenly the way you did?

He fucking loved it.

Naoya’s tie went flying the other room, his cock swelling in his pants as he tugged you by your wrist. You landed on the mattress behind you, watching with a heaving chest as your husband crawled above you. His gaze felt predatory, dark eyes hooded with lust while he planted his knees beside your waist, his fingers looped with yours.

You smiled sweetly up at him, so temptingly sweet his resolve broke for a split second. He captured your lips to taste you on him, the sounds of your husband’s satisfied hum making your chest puff out with pride.

Everyone may look down on you for marrying such a ‘horrible’ man like him, calling you stupid and immoral, even going as far as claiming you were nothing but a dumb cock-hungry slut, but Naoya – even you – knew better. You were not foolish; in fact, no one could handle Naoya’s attitude better than you did, and you were smart enough to keep buying that strawberry flavored lip balm he loved so much, causing your husband to squeeze your palms.

“Good girl,” he mumbled absentmindedly, the praises shooting heat flush to your core. “You’re so good for me, you know that?” he peppered kisses all over your skin, a gesture so rare that you were panting underneath him, resisting the urge to rub your legs together.

Naoya was extremely skillful in bed, his virility as a man not to be looked down on for his ability to render you immobile to walk, throat sore and voiceless for a few days truly impressive. But he was different today; his usual tight grip the same but laced with a want that went beyond than lust. You could never say it out loud, especially not around him, but it was clear – Naoya treated you with affection and care.

“I’m very lucky to have found such a submissive woman like you, but that’s not true is it? Women like you aren’t found, you’re trained,” he harshly tugged the first layers of your yukata to the side, exposing the sensitive flesh of your collarbone that was free for him to mark. “Have I trained you well, my wife?”

“Yes, Naoya-sama, trained me so good,” you rasped out, bringing your legs forward, only for it to bump against the sides of his waist.

Naoya sucked on your skin until he was sure he’d completely marked his territory, the grazing sensation of his teeth so erotic and passionate along with his clothed cock rubbing into your folds. His hand trailed down your waist, yanking the ties of your clothes apart. You gasped as he teasingly rubbed your clit, even going as far as to roll it between his strong fingers. “For you, ah, I’d do anything for you, Naoya-sama.”

“It’s my love when we’re in the sheets,” he corrected you, “When a woman knows her place and obeys me so well, a good girl like you deserves to be rewarded,” hearing your small whines at his words, Naoya chuckled at your skin. “Do you want that? Want me to make you feel good?”

“Yes, p-please, I need you,” you moaned wantonly, gathering the courage to lift your hips up and grind it against his erection. He surprised you by not pushing you away, so you kept going, slathering your wetness all over the front of his pants. “Fuck me, my love, please.”

“Since you asked so nicely,” Naoya smirked, standing up to rid himself of his pants and belt. You whined at the loss of contact and sat up on your elbows, legs spread wide open as you feasted on the delectable way he discarded his clothing one by one. His fat cock, red and flushed with pre-cum, slapped against his toned upper body.

You would’ve groaned at his bare beauty, but he’d already crawled on top of you once more, completely ridding you of the multiple layers of modest clothing you wore, revealing a redolent set of white lace.

Naoya narrowed his eyes at the nearly transparent thong, his hands cupping your seeping cunt with a low hum. “Is this for me? Did my pretty baby get dressed up for me?” you nodded eagerly, pathetically reaching upwards to wrap your arms around him. You were growing needy, soft yet desperate as your stuttered gasps hovered on his ear. “Were you thinking of me the whole time I was away for work?”

“I always think of you, my love,” you breathed out, “Your smile, your voice, your lips, your hands,” legs twitching, you dared run your knee to brush his forearm, the teasing and confident movement earning you a seductive, warning glare from your dominant husband. But oh – you were just starting to have your fun. “Your cock inside me.”

“Naughty little girl,” he snickered, grabbing your hand and shoving it deep inside your panties. That evoked a high-pitched moan from you as your nails grazed against your shaved pussy, Naoya’s smirk present the harder he pressed your palm on yourself. “Did you touch yourself? Pleasure yourself like this?” He was testing you, reminding you of his power and authority, trying to see if you would break his rules that he’d been so firm into fucking deep into your skull.

Naughty as you might be sometimes, you never forgot your place. You were daring, but never in your wildest dreams would you dare go against him. Not because you were plain weak and submissive, but simply because the thought of pleasing him more and feeding his ego was far more satisfying.

You shook your head, pitiable tears already shining through. “N-no, I would never. Only you can make me feel good, just you, mmh.”

Naoya groaned deep in his throat, satisfied at your answer. “You’re always so sweet for me,” he says, leaning over to knee your legs open wider. He situated himself between your body, slow and sensual in removing your bra and panties, the lacy material disappearing somewhere on the black marbled floors. You laid there, vulnerable and wanting, clutching at his biceps as he grinded his cock on your puffy folds. “Have I ever told you’re the perfect little wife? So fucking needy for me always, fuck. This pussy was made for me.”

“This pussy is yours,” you acquiesced, breathing hard when Naoya pulled away to peer at your body. He liked his wife to be healthy, strong and ready to carry his child whenever he wanted, and his hands squeezed your hips appreciatively.

“I exist purely to serve you, my love,” you vowed, “I have no other purpose than to make you feel good and love you. You’re my everything, the world and more.”

He’d looked at you with lust before, the desire pooling in his eyes always making you feel wanted, but this was different. Naoya would never let those cursed three words fall from his mouth, but it shone clearly in his eyes anyway. He gazed at your curves and dips so lovingly that your arousal peaked, slick coating his cock from where he was slowly teasing your cunt with his tip.

Unable to hold back any longer, Naoya flipped you over. Your breath knocked out from your chest at the sudden movement, his hands tugging at your wrist to pull you close to him. He leant back on the bed, kissing you feverishly all the while keeping you shaking on his thigh. Due to your wetness gushing, you slid down his muscular thigh, and you moaned at the contact. “As I should be,” Naoya nibbled at your lips, his harsh words contrasting the tenderness of his hold on you. “You’re nothing to me if you can’t even do something as simple as that.”

You nodded with no hesitation, fully accepting that you were purely his now – and you would honestly not have it otherwise.

Naoya helped you lift your hips up, shushing you with a slap on your ass when you stared at him nervously.

Every time Naoya fucked you, he was direct and simple. He preferred to have you on all fours where he could focus on his own pleasure, or sometimes he would rather cum upon seeing your fucked-out face, the image of your tongue lolled out while he fucked you on oblivion enough to make him nut right away.

But now he was guiding your arms around his neck, kissing the sides of your lips as if to answer your silent questions. “Sit on my cock, baby, I’ll reward you for your obedience tonight,” he said, his cock twitching as he directed your entrance right above his cock. Naoya slid you down, allowing you to feel inch by inch, thick vein upon one another – sliding inside you and stretching you out so good. You closed your eyes and pressed your forehead on his, teeth locked on your bottom lip as he bottomed out.

Fuck, you’d never felt so full.

However, Naoya wasn’t pleased. He clenched his jaw and tapped your bottom lip, scolding you with his mean glare. “Don’t hold back when you scream my name, you understand? Cherish this moment – I won’t always care about your pleasure. You should thank me for this.”

“I-I will!”

Torturous. That was how you would describe it. You had never been this close to him before; not in this position and angle. Each lift of your hips caused your hardened nipples to brush over his muscular chest, his attention sorely focused on the way you bounced on his cock.

Something about holding him this close felt so intimate, breaths tangled and moans shared, along with the pleasure delivered into your bodies with the way you were rolling your hips along his length.

“Still so fucking tight for me,” he said through gritted teeth, “I love this pussy so much, fuck, you’re mine. Just mine, all mine,” Naoya eventually lost it, hooking his arms under your armpits and feet flat on the bed. You kept screaming his name like a prayer, the worship falling from your lips like a broken record driving him to fuck into you faster. He’d had enough of your pace; he’d been good enough that now it was his turn to fuck you, and you were glad he did because his fast, brutal pace was so mind-numbing.

Naoya hitched you up higher until your chin rested above his hair, your breasts right at his mouth. He sucked and bit at the soft flesh angrily, grip so tight on your hips you were hissing from the pain. At the same time, it felt so fucking good unlike everything you’ve ever felt.

“My perfect fucking wife—a quiet, compliant wife is worth more than gold, baby. You’re my fucking treasure.”

Naoya thrusted hard and deep until the bed was creaking, mattress dipped from both your weight. The room felt so foggy with your lovemaking and you tightened around him, crying as he kept hitting that sensitive spot that had you seeing stars. “I’m c-coming!” you whined helplessly, hugging your husband deep to your chest while your fingers tugging at his hair. “Naoya, please!”

“Then come for me,” he nibbled at your ear, delivering another hard slap at your ass. “I’m allowing you to. Come. Make a mess around me.”

“Oh my gosh, ugh, fuck,” you came around him hard, your orgasm making you shake. He still wasn’t done, but his breathless murmurs of close, I’m so close had you holding him tighter, whispering dirty words in his ear to assist your husband into reaching his high. The oversensitivity of him plowing into you even after you came was too much, but you took it all like the good wife you were. Biting the protests down at your tongue, you rode him to meet his hips thrust by thrust, his balls snapping at your ass. “Mmmh, I love you, I love you. I-I love you.”

“As you should, baby. You’re supposed to love me,” Naoya devoured your mindless babbling by sliding his tongue inside your mouth, his hips stilling inside for a moment. Fingers clutching desperately to him, you shut your eyes tight, cunt dripping as Naoya spilled his seed deep inside you.

You kissed him one last time in refusal to let go, but Naoya wasn’t having any of it. He was very iffy every after sex that you had no choice but to pull away from him, wincing as he pulled out.

He stumbled into the bathroom afterwards while you laid there on the soiled sheets, weakly fisting the pillow beneath you. You were so fucked out, tired after a long day of managing everything he wanted you to take care of. To be fucked good by your husband…there was truly no better way of life.

Just as you were drifting off, you felt something damp sliding over your inner thighs. You blinked sleepily at a silent Naoya, sending him a small smile as he wiped both your cum away. He left the towel inside the bathroom before he came back, sliding his white shirt over your frame and tugging a fresh pair of his boxers to your legs. Aftercare with Naoya…while it wasn’t impossible, it also wasn’t a daily occurrence. Your heart kept fluttering inside your chest, that feeling blooming harder when he slid under the sheets beside you, his strong arms pulling you taut in his chest.

His skin remained mark free. You knew Naoya hated being marked; reminding you all the time he wanted to be flawless. You respected that and pressed a deep kiss on the spot above his heart instead, madly and hopelessly in love as you traced circles on his bare chest.

You could stay like this forever, in the warmth and safety of your husband’s arms, but you still had wifely duties to fulfill. Naoya had already done his, prompting you to lean up to trace kisses at his sharp jaw, sweet and docile as ever as you asked, “Naoya…how was work today?”

“Same as usual.”

That meant he didn’t want to talk about it, so you didn’t pry further.

“You need to rest and regain your strength so you can work hard again tomorrow,” you mumbled sleepily, “I’ve already planned your meals for the next week. We’re going plant-based for a while, you need it.”

Naoya remained silent. You would’ve assumed he’d fallen asleep if it wasn’t for his hand caressing your back in a manner so gentle that seemed so alien with him, the strangeness of it all intensified when you looked up at his face, only to see that he had already been studying your features a long time before. There was an unsettled frown on his face, one that you tried to smoothen away with the pads of your fingertips. “What’s wrong, my love?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I’ve already forgotten about all my worries. They don’t matter anymore,” he whispered, his voice way too soft. It fit the atmosphere, however, whatnot with the newfound intimacy that you basked in. Suddenly, Naoya cupped your cheek, utterly serious as he croaked out, “Baby.”

“Hmm.”

“Do you love me?”

You didn’t have to think twice about it. The answer would be – “Always and forever.”

However, Naoya wasn’t satisfied. He needed more, wanted to understand more, craved to find a logical reason behind your devotion to him.

“Why?” he demanded, “What is it about me you love so much?”

“Everything,” you confessed, the love so clear in your eyes that even for a small moment, Naoya felt like he understood now. “You’re perfect to me, Naoya. I’m glad you’re the one I’m spending my life with. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

“But why?”

“Because,” you giggled, “You’re handsome, you’re caring even if you don’t show it that much, you’re smart, ambitious, hardworking and the best husband I could ask for,” Naoya opened his lips, probably to ask a stupid why again, until you cut him off, silencing your odd husband with a kiss. Thankfully, Naoya gave in, relaxing at your touches. “Loving you is second nature to me. It’s not living if it’s not loving you.”

Although he didn’t – and would never say I love you – he had his own way of expressing it. He let you know that he shared the same stance at you, staring deep into your eyes while he cupped your cheek, surprisingly somber as he proudly said, “I made the right decision of marrying you.”

“I’m glad you don’t regret it.”

“I could never regret it,” he whispered back, but you had already fallen asleep. That night, you dreamt no more. There was no need to when everything you’ve ever wanted was already right there at your reach, and Naoya joined you long after, the faint linger of a loving kiss a husband only ever gave to his wife the last thing you felt before you faded off into dreamland.

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theravennest · 3 years ago

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Let’s Talk About Shang Chi...

I just got back from seeing Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. I had a great time with it. Just a lovely experience.

The fights were dope. The music was rocking. The actors’ performances really sold me on everything. I loved all the Xianxia elements. Y’all know fantasy worlds are my JAM!

But it was the characters that really drew me in. Every one of them were pitch perfect for me. The final act got a little jumbled, imo, but the characters and their dynamics were so good that it was enough for me to completely forgive and overlook the somewhat messy final battle.

The story had a lot of heart. It was so personal and so anchored in real emotions. I highkey fell in love with all the main characters. I love their journeys and their complex and grounded relationships with each other. I really liked the movie’s examination of grief, loss, and pain and the lengths people will go to in the wake of being overwhelmed by those feelings.

Let’s dig into it! This is gonna be a whole discombobulated mess, I just know it. lmao

***Spoilers below the cut!***

I really felt for Shang Chi, Xialing, and Wenwu struggling to figure out how to be a family again after they were all broken in different ways by the loss of Mama Ying Li. And each one of them trying in their own way to heal from it, some to extremely destructive degrees.

How Wenwu treated his kids after being consumed by grief and violence was so utterly messed up but in two completely different ways.

He treated Xialing like she was anathema, like she was literally nothing. Even when they were older and she had grown into an adult, he barely spoke to her in the entirety of the movie, could hardly even look at her. Partially because she looked like her mom and he retreated utterly from the pain of that, and partially because he constantly underestimated her in favor of her brother. This, of course, seeded the resentful tension between Xialing and Shang Chi from the start.

I’m a real sucker for sibling dynamics, as you all know. They’re my favorite types of family-oriented stories. (Side note, I really love the way the MCU has dedicated several stories to sibling relationships. It’s like my favorite thing in the MCU as a whole.)

I completely ate up the harsh and tricky relationship between Xialing and Shang Chi. Shang Chi completely let her down when they were kids, for her POV. (Not really his fault, he was a scared and traumatized 15 year old. Totally understandable.) But there is something to be said about the fact that she was also a child. A child dealing with her mom’s death too AND her dad’s aloofness. Then she was utterly abandoned by her brother. It’s no wonder she never quite forgives him, even though they mostly team up in the movie. They still have a lot to work out between them.

I really loved that she took on leadership of the Ten Rings at the end. The moment Shang Chi said she was “dismantling” their dad’s empire, I knew what was up. Though, the softy in me does hope that eventually they can find true reconciliation between them. I’m excited to see what we’ll see from her in future movies as a potential enemy of Shang Chi. It’ll be really interesting to see how Shang Chi tackles having to go up against his little sister.

And Shang Chi!!! OMG! Let’s talk Shang Chi and Wenwu now. When Wenwu drop kicked him into the ground and started the blame game for Mama Ying Li’s death like bro!!! I was so heated. He was 7 years old. A whole baby! She died because your thousand years of violence and conquering shit finally came home to roost.

But that one line when Wenwu said Shang Chi’s 7 year old self “just stood there and watched” while his mom was killed actually revealed so much about Wenwu’s character. (The cutting way Tony Leung, a literal legend, delivered that was masterful, btw.)

I actually think that it was the first time Wenwu has ever verbalized that he blamed Shang Chi for Ying Li’s death. Like maybe he’s always felt that way and all this time he was partially punishing Shang Chi for what he thinks of as a failure to protect or help the woman who meant so much to them.

Like, yes, he was training Shang Chi to take his place with him in the Ten Rings as an assassin but maybe he also wanted Shang Chi to kill his mom’s murderer as penance for letting her die in the first place.

Of course, it’s clear to see that Wenwu was absolutely shifting his own feelings of conflicting guilt onto his kids. Guilt that his past as a warlord is what got her killed. But also guilt that he put down the Ten Rings in the first place when if he had stayed a warlord, this never would have happened. But also the bone deep knowledge that if he hadn’t put down the Rings, Ying Li might never have stayed with him and loved him in the first place.

When Shang Chi threw it back at him that Ying Li probably wouldn’t love the person Wenwu had returned to, Wenwu looked so shook up. Phew! Perfect emoting from Tony Leung in that moment.

Honestly, Wenwu was having a very tragic and confusing time of it in this movie. Which is probably how that creature from beyond was able to find a crack in his psychic defenses and lure him to the gate. I had a lot of empathy for him even though I disagree so much with what he did to his kids, emotionally.

I really respect the fact that the movie never lost that sense of compassion for all of their feelings including Wenwu. I also respect that the movie really gave them space to grieve not just the loss of Ying Li but also the resulting dissolution of their happy family.

It’s just too bad that Wenwu’s grief made him push his kids away instead of pulling them closer. He completely emotionally abandoned them. A thousand years of power and supremacy yet he was broken because he never in that time fully learned how to process his emotions in a healthier way and his kids paid the price. They could’ve leaned on each other and on the love they found with Ying Li to help them get through but alas that’s the tragedy of the movie.

I really wanted somehow for Shang Chi to make it through to his dad before he went too far to come back again. I genuinely did not want to see Wenwu die at the end. I wanted him to live and see Shang Chi’s changing dynamic with his father continue. I wanted to see him finally acknowledge his daughter as his true heir and see her accomplishments (dark though they will likely become considering the “softer” version of her is the one that ran an illegal fight club in Macao lmao).

Though I am happy Shang Chi got through to him enough at the end for Wenwu to save Shang Chi’s life, willingly pass the rings onto his son, and somewhat accept his own death after a thousand years of life. That was such a poignant moment between them. And I wonder if in that instant, Wenwu had the thought that in dying he’d at least see Ying Li again.

(Side note: I really hope his soul and the souls of everyone that got eaten were freed when Shang Chi killed the monster. I really want them to be able to move on to the next phase of existence. I really hope they weren’t destroyed after being eaten. I want Wenwu to reunite with Ying Li even in the afterlife, gotdamnit! Sue me, I’m a romantic.)

Let’s talk Simu Liu’s performance here for one second. He was incredible throughout. I completely bought into this strange but so real feeling that while he has a lot of anger towards his father, so much hurt, he also felt a lot of heartache and love for who Shang Chi wanted him to be. And the strange desire to want to help a man who emotionally scarred him so badly.

Simu really brought both sides of Shang Chi’s journey to life. Like, he was tying to find his own path, reconcile with the mistakes he’s made in the past (his sister, killing his mom’s murderer), and facing up against his father’s ideals and expectations. But there was also a side of Shang Chi’s journey that was about finally understand both his sister and his father’s point of views, and of learning/embracing his mother’s history.

That moment by the lake when he revealed to Katy that he had actually killed the man who killed his mother. Whew boy! The emotions were so poignant. Simu Liu played it like *chef’s kiss* beautiful.

Speaking of character choices, I really rate this decision to have him actually go through with the assassination. It puts Shang Chi in an interesting position emotionally and somewhat morally. Instead of having his breaking point be him unable to kill as his father wishes, it’s instead the feeling of guilt and shame that he actually did kill the man.

I wonder if he felt a sense of satisfaction before the disgust and shame settled in. Because Shang Chi literally watched his mom die, he probably initially wanted to help his father hunt down the man because of that bit of dark need for vengeance. Until he got it, and felt ashamed to fully face his mother’s memory afterwards.

I’m interested to see how future Shang Chi movies and Simu will dig into and unpack that little bit of darkness these events instilled in the character.

Let’s talk Ying Li for a second here. This woman was incredible. An incredible martial artist, for sure, a mystical guardian and warrior...but she was also just an incredible person in general. Mama Ying Li was so self-assured, so steadfast in her convictions. She struck me as someone who knows exactly what she wants and is never afraid to reach for it.

Fala Chen portrayed her with such grace, warmth, and strength of character. It was extremely easy to see why Wenwu fell in love with her. She met Wenwu, a literal thousand year old warlord, and through shear strength of character led him to put down his weapons and his empire to make a home with her.

This man threw away his entire shadow army of assassins, threw away his whole plan to literally demolish her village in the pursuit of power...in order to play Dance Dance Revolution with her and their kids. (The highlight of their romance and the family flashbacks, for me, tbh.)

And I know it’s not necessarily...positive BUT there is something...hmmmm, crunchy in the fact that Ying Li so completely altered Wenwu’s life by simply loving him that when she died he was willing to raze the whole world to get her back, damn the consequences.

Trying to properly explore toxic and negative turns in previously loving family dynamics is such a difficult task to take on. I really liked the complexity of the Xu family. All the actors really sold the family side of things. It was an almost tangible thing how much you could see how the love they felt had turned bitter and painful over the years.

The final battle was epic and mind blowing (There was a fucking DRAGON flying around for gods’ sake!) but I do wish it had stayed a little more grounded for longer in the beginning of it when the Ten Rings were fighting the Ta Lo warriors. I wanted to see more of that fight before they had the turn to becoming temporary allies against the soul suckers. It became a little too much of a CGI mash, for me, in some parts of it.

Still, the emotional beats held and the core of the story of this grieving family trying to hold on to the tatters of their world stayed consistent even through the final battle. I can forgive a lot because of the strong sense of character and connection there.

Plus, it’s a comic book movie. Spectacle is the name of the game and at least this one had cool fantasy beasts and dope fight choreo.

Anyway, I’ve rambled enough. Let’s wrap it up here. Suffice it to say, I had a wonderful time with this movie. I’m ready for the next one!

#shang chi #shang chi and the legend of the ten rings #mcu #xu shang-chi #simu liu #tony leung #xu wenwu #meng'er zhang #xu xialing #ying li #fala chen #mcu spoilers #shang chi spoilers #liveblogging

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allthefilmsiveseenforfree · 3 years ago

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Old (2021)

Oh you guys. You guyyyyyys. Buckle the fuck up, I am so pumped to tell you about this absolutely GONZO mummified deuce of a movie. Spoilers will be had in this one, because you need to know everything.

Old is the latest from M. Night Shyamalan and like....I think we all know M. Night’s track record. For every Sixth Sense, we also get a Happening or a Village. In some ways, he’s the most exciting director working today because every new film is a 50/50 coin toss, and mama loves living on the edge. The gist of this latest roll of the dice is that a group of different families who have all come to stay at a remote luxury beach resort get invited to go to a secluded private beach for the day, and after they arrive they discover they can’t leave. That’s not great, but the bigger problem is that they seem to be aging rapidly - like 2 years older every hour or so. That’s a solid “how are we gonna get outta this one” bottle episode premise, and in the hands of a better writer, it could be a fun sci-fi romp. M. is NOT that writer.

Some thoughts:

I should have known it would all go wrong from the terrible foreshadowing starting at the very beginning scene. The mom of our main family, Prisca (Vicky Krieps) says “You have such a beautiful voice, I can’t wait to hear it when you’re older.” The dad, Guy (Gael Garcia Bernal) says, “Don’t rush this moment, enjoy the present while you can.” BECAUSE THE CHARACTERS WON’T BE ABLE TO LATER, DO YOU GET IT? dO yOU GEt iT? Wife leaned over and said “look at all the ferns - the oldest plants!” That last one was probably her projecting, but the point stands: there is nothing subtle about Old.

There’s a lot of just like, shouting out loud the things that are currently happening onscreen. “She’s having a seizure!” “People who go back the way we came black out!” “The rust has entered your bloodstream; it acts like poison!” That’s how you tell stories, right? Just having characters point out events that are occurring right in front of their stupid fucking faces with no other commentary or reflection?

An additional element that feels woefully ignorant at best and malicious at worst is the inclusion of a black male character (Aaron Pierre) who 1) is a rapper 2) is named Mid-Sized Sedan [I’ll give you a moment to deal with that detail emotionally] 3) says the single line of dialogue “Damn.” at least 4 times and 4) suffers the bloodiest, most violent onscreen death at the hands of a racist white man who is revealed to have paranoid schizophrenia. There are other gruesome deaths onscreen, to be sure, but the worst are body horror nightmares that could never occur in the real world - a woman whose bones are breaking and setting in the wrong position nearly instantaneously until she resembles a horrifying spider creature, and the aforementioned rust-in-the-bloodstream trick that leads to a Jeff-Goldblum-in-The Fly-bubbling-skin infection kinda deal. But Mid-Sized Sedan just gets stabbed in the chest repeatedly, brutally, a bunch of times by a white guy who pleads fear for his life even though MSS posed no danger to him, and it all happens onscreen when so many other characters are offered the mercy of offscreen deaths. I’m not sure if M. is trying to throw some real-world horror in and he’s just shit at it, or if it really didn’t occur to him how malicious this inclusion feels in a fantasy narrative, and I don’t really care. If you have a black character in your story and they die, you better think really long and hard about how it happens and what it means and it’s clear no one did that here.

Nothing to do with the film itself, but it did tickle me that someone brought a tiny infant to my pretty packed screening. The baby was very chill, thank goodness, and as far as I know did not age up to a kindergartner during the course of the film.

There is a Very Good Dog, a Yorkie, present for the first part of the film, but unfortunately the dog dies. It occurs offscreen, and given the premise of what’s going on on this beach, it’s not a shock when it happens BUT STILL.

The old age makeup, at least on Prisca is pretty great. Good job makeup department!

At one point, Guy gets attacked by another beachgoer, and his eyesight is failing so he has a hard time fighting back. But you are surrounded by sand, my dude, and you can still see blurry shapes. You’re not gonna throw some sand in the eyes until you’ve been stabbed like 10 times? Not gonna try to push him down, or sweep the fucking leg, or do anything but just keep raising your arms and getting stabbed while yelling “I’ll protect you!” I’ve seen stale tuna sandwiches with better defense mechanisms than you.

Like most fantastical premises, there are only a certain number of ways this narrative can end that really make any sense. It reminds me quite a bit of 2019’s Brightburn which was like “what if Superman but evil?” Either everyone is gonna die, or someone is going to improbably survive and you better have a real neat explanation for how that’s possible. Oh M. Night, when will you realize that your explanations are never as clever as you think they are? There’s no “twist” here really, simply a reveal, and it’s the equivalent of eating one of those sugar-free, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free snack cakes I broke down and ate out of desperation when I was on Weight Watchers. That shit is “food” in the same way that the climax is a “logical explanation for all this.” Big Pharma is luring sick people to the resort through targeted ads, then arranging these excursions to the wacky time beach in order to test how medicine they secretly slipped into the guests’ drinks works over decades of life. These sneaky medical breakthroughs are saving hundreds of thousands of people’s lives, we’re told, and the scientists offer a moment of silence for each fallen group of unwitting human lab rats after they inevitably die. Because if there’s one thing the world needs right now, it’s more distrust of pharmaceutical companies and the ethics of modern science! I can’t think of one possible reason we’d want to portray molecular biologists, immunologists, and virologists in a positive light right now, can you? When will those assholes get off their high horses and stop being universally trusted and beloved by everyone, am I right??

My saddest takeaway, tbh, is that this is a stacked international cast, with at least half the roles going to POC - this is the future liberals want, etc etc - and the result is THIS.

Did I Cry? Of course not.

Not all is terrible! It’s a beautiful movie to look at, because M. Night’s direction is never the problem, but combined with the script, the acting, and the absurd narrative leaps needed to make this story make even a little bit of sense, the whole thing turns into a mess. Unfortunately, getting Old with M. Night is less “leisurely retirement at a plush resort in Florida” and more “rancid can of Ensure and a poop-choked pair of Depends.”

If you liked this review, please consider reblogging or subscribing to my Patreon! For as low as $1, you can access bonus content and movie reviews, or even request that I review any movie of your choice.

#121in2021 #old #old movie #old 2021 #m. night shyamalan #old review #vicky krieps #gael garcia bernal #alex wolff #aaron pierre #movie reviews #film reviews

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lilyofthesword-writes · 4 years ago

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Anomaly (Haldir Oneshot)

Summary: Haldir meets you, a member of the Fellowship seeking passage through Lothlorien. Though not a fan of humans, he is curious about you.

Pairing: Haldir x F!Reader

Word Count: 5,111

Warnings/Disclaimers: A curse word. Some violence due to the Battle of Hornburg/Helm’s Deep and Minas Tirith. Injury, mentions of blood.

A/N: This is told more from Haldir’s perspective. Based off another weird dream I had. Threw in a bit of the book as well. Really wanted to get this out cuz my boi needs more love.

Masterlist

Haldir gazed at you from afar while he was on watch that evening. You were... peculiar to him. When he came across the Fellowship trying to pass through the Golden Wood, he never expected to find a human woman in their midst. The world of man was an anomaly to him despite his numerous interactions over hundreds of years. Human women were not granted the same rights and privileges as the men, a foreign to him. This was not the way of Elven culture. Meeting you there was refreshing in a way.

In conversing with Aragorn, he learned you were a soldier of Gondor who had traveled alongside Boromir and joined the Fellowship. You were a fierce warrior but kept a calm air about you. The few human female fighters he had come across, be it on purpose or part of their nature, generally overcompensated, feeling the need to prove themselves constantly. You did not. When the Marchwarden and his company initially surrounded the Fellowship, everyone drew their weapons, ready for the next challenge. You opted to place your hands on Frodo’s and Sam’s shoulders to calm them while Merry and Pippin stood at either side. Instead of fear or anger, Haldir saw an analytical curiosity gleaming in your eyes.

Even now as he kept you in his peripheral, your eyes held a certain light, a light not caused by reflecting the bright moon. It was a kind of serenity most humans rarely portrayed. It didn’t break even as pounding of ambitious orc feet hit the forest floor below. All you did was gently shift your arms that held two sleep-ridden hobbits.

Since the platforms amongst the trees were not large enough to contain both the Fellowship and Haldir’s party together, you had to be split apart. Aragorn kept you, Legolas, Frodo and Sam while Boromir, Gimli, Merry and Pippin rested on a neighboring platform. You had taken to the Hobbits just as much Boromir had, your arms wrapped around them with their heads resting on either shoulder. How you bonded with the curious creatures so well, Haldir would never know. You managed to bring a semblance of peace to their aching hearts, enough so they could rest. He could not imagine it was an easy feat considering all the Fellowship had been through. It made him wonder what Lady Galadriel would make of you.

Upon reaching Caras Galadhon, you practically vibrated with childish delight. Although you had been to Rivendell, you had never seen anything quite like the capital city, that much Haldir was certain. The corners of his mouth tugged into the faintest of smiles when he saw your elated face. He turned away to restore his stoic facade, but unknowingly caught the attention of another. Aragorn shot him a knowing smirk as their eyes met momentarily. Haldir said nothing and continued to lead the way up the stairs spiraling the ancient trees.

Up the stairs, across some bridges and the Fellowship was in the presence of Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. Haldir bared witness to the interactions from the sidelines. He knew when Lady Galadriel entered each of their minds through their minute expressions. While most struggled to remain slightly neutral to her ministrations, others had a difficult time hiding their horror. You, on the other hand, parted your lips with an acute tilt of your head, not bothering to mask your wonder or amusement.

The meeting came to a close shortly after. Lady Galadriel’s gaze swept over the group, ultimately landing on you. Haldir knew she would call upon you later that evening. Until then, he was tasked with guiding the Fellowship to where they would be resting.

It was long after the others had gone to bed, after Frodo returned from the mirror, when Haldir learned he was correct. He spied you and Lady Galadriel wandering the halls, speaking softly amongst yourselves. What about, he could not say. He swiftly took the next pathway so as not to intrude on your private moment.

Marchwarden. Please come.

Always the obedient one, he turned himself around to join you both.

He greeted the pair of you with a bow.

“Marchwarden,” Lady Galadriel responded with a smile. “Would you be so kind as to escort our guest back to her company? The hour is late, and she deserves just as much rest as her friends.”

“Of course, my lady.”

Haldir held out his arm for you to take which you did after properly bidding Lady Galadriel a good night with a bow. He led you along the walkways, taking his time in doing so. This would more than likely be one of the few times he would be able to speak with you alone. The Fellowship would continue on their quest as soon as possible.

“These woods are truly a wonder. I have never experienced anything quite like it,” you started, breaking the quiet between you, voice so delicate it was hard to believe you were the warrior Aragorn made you out to be.

An agreeing hum quietly rumbled in his throat. “It is a gem of Middle Earth.”

“I must agree. I think I can understand your fierce desire to protect this place, your home.”

“I am sure you wish to protect Gondor just as much. Your dedication to the Fellowship is proof of that.”

“Despite the hardships,” you tried to hide the way you sucked in a breath, “I am glad to be a part of this. They have all become like family to me.”

Gandalf.

Hearing the grief lightly laced in your voice, Haldir stopped and pulled his arm away just enough to take your hand, turning to stand in front of you. With his free hand he cupped your cheek to catch the stray tear that had escaped your lashes. He was at a loss for words. Comforting others was not a skill commonly taught to Marchwardens. You caught his hand before he had a chance to think about retracting it, leaning into his touch. He closed the last bit of distance between you two and stroked the swell of your cheek with his thumb, your eyes shutting to bask in the moment.

An eternity or mere moments passed. Neither of you could tell by the time you finally spoke. “Thank you.”

The day your company was set to leave, Haldir felt a small pang in his heart. Why was he so bothered by your departure? He had only had the one major interaction with you. The rest of his time was spent either training or on patrol, and on patrol really meant him keeping an eye on the Fellowship. You just happened to be around when he took watch, or so he tried to convince himself.

He stood aside as Lady Galadriel offered her gifts to the travelers, giving them each something they would need or want. She bestowed on you a small Elven dagger, tiny enough to conceal in a boot with little discomfort. The Marchwarden, though content you had some extra to defend yourself with, hoped you would never need to use it.

Haldir then brought the Fellowship to the boats where everyone’s belongings were already packed and settled. He couldn’t bring himself to look at you while everyone said their proper farewells, but nothing stopped him from following down river to the borders. He and his troupe had orders to make sure you all reached them safely anyways.

Despite being hidden amongst the trees, it was like you knew he was there. Your head turned towards him as you passed the borders, not making eye contact but still unnervingly close to it. A tiny smile graced your lips before returning to the task at hand.

Helm’s Deep was not where the Marchwarden wanted to be, but he still had his orders. He was charged with leading an Elven army to help defend the kingdom of Rohan. Entering the gates, he was speaking with a perplexed King Théoden when what was left of your party rounded the corner. Your grin shone brightly in the dark when Aragorn surprised him with an embrace.

Haldir found himself both pleased and upset by your presence. While you looked to be in good health, he did not know your full battle prowess and as such was unsure how you would handle the soon-to-be battlefield. However, he never had the chance to voice his concerns as he needed to position his soldiers.

The rain poured when the standoff with the Orcs and Uruk-hai began, pinging off of helmets loudly. Haldir stood among his fellow Elves. Aragorn spread the rest of you out, sending you to the opposite end of Helm’s Deep where Haldir’s view was partially obscured. He could at least see you standing proudly alongside the other men. He could only imagine the fire in your eyes.

When the battle began, it raged with seemingly no good end in sight. A section of the wall had exploded with Aragorn near enough to be caught in the blast. Haldir could hear you bark your clear and concise orders to the men as you rushed to help Aragorn. Upon reaching his feet, Aragorn yelled out the order to retreat further in to better protect the caves the women and children were hiding in. Haldir belayed the orders in his native tongue to his soldiers.

He made sure the soldiers retreated but was unable to do so himself. Surrounded by the enemy on a high ledge, he slashed through them in an attempt to make a path for himself. His weariness had caught up with him as he was hit in the side with a jagged weapon.

“Marchwarden!”

He spun around as someone called him, ready to slice through his assailant. It fell to the ground as he faced it, revealing you with a now broken sword which you cast away. You stepped over the dead enemy to get a better look at him. Haldir clutched his side when you tried to check on his wound.

“How bad is it?”

“You should be retreating,” he tried to dodge the question.

“As should you,” you answered sternly, locking eyes with him. “Are you still able to keep moving?”

“Yes.”

“Good. We must go quickly.”

You reached out to help him when your breath hitched. You lurched towards him, grabbing his free arm to pull him forward, the motion catapulting you behind him. You ripped the dagger from your boot as you continued towards the Orc that had snuck up behind Haldir, and shoved it between the layers of its armor. In the creature’s last breath, it brought down its sword on your shoulder, forcing you to your knees.

Haldir rushed to your side, stabbing the Orc once more for good measure before shoving it off the ledge. He kneeled in front of you, clenching his jaw to ignore the pain in his side, and held you steady by your upper arms. Your eyes were glassing over while you desperately tried to keep your head up to look at him.

He called out your name. “We need to follow the others. Are you able to stand?”

You blinked a few times before hoarsely whispering, “I... I don’t... know.”

Your shoulder bled profusely as Haldir tried to help you stand. He took on most of your weight with your arm over his shoulder. You wouldn’t last much longer without a healer’s attention. Biting back his own pain, he practically carried you down the stairs to solid ground where Aragorn met you. He and what little was left of the soldiers who had not yet retreated formed around the two of you, furiously slicing at the Orcs and Uruk-hai that would stop you from reaching the main halls.

Soldiers who were protecting the doors ushered you inside immediately where Haldir brought you into the caves for the healers to watch over. One tried to make him sit momentarily to tend to his own injury, but he brushed them away. He could still continue. His ribs were probably bruised, if not broken, but his armor kept the damage from being life threatening. He promptly left to speak with Aragorn about the next plan of attack. He would be damned if he allowed any of those foul beings to pass into the caves to finish the job.

The battle was won, Gandalf having arrived with reinforcements right when they needed him most. When victory was assured, the Marchwarden wasted no time in returning to the caves where you lay unconscious. The healers bandaged you to the best of their abilities given the circumstances, and you were at least breathing steadily.

Much to the surprise of his fellow elves and your company, Haldir rarely left your side, even during the trek back to Edoras. He was still there when you woke safely in the Golden Halls of Meduseld.

Your eyes struggled to open as you stirred awake. “Wh-what happened?” Your voice was hoarse from sleep and lack of water.

“You were struck down, Mellon nin.” Haldir brushed a rogue strand of hair from your forehead and placed his hand on yours. “We were able to retreat to the caves.”

“And the battle?” Your arms shook as you tried to sit up and lean your weight on your good side. “The outcome?”

The Marchwarden tried to settle you back down, but you would not relent. “We were victorious. Gandalf arrived with reinforcements at dawn and drove the enemy out.”

You began to relax at that before another question flooded your mind. “What about-”

“Your friends are well,” he chuckled at your persistence. “They are preparing to leave for Isengard soon. Word has returned that it has fallen.”

Before you had a chance to ask another question, he helped you sit up the rest of the way so as not to aggravate your wound further with your stubbornness and handed you a glass of water. You drank it slowly despite your need to relinquish your thirst.

“Thank you.” You passed the glass back to him, your voice clearer now. “When do they leave?”

“Tomorrow morning, I believe,” Haldir answered and coaxed you to lay back down.

You nodded with a hum. “I suppose I should rest more, then. If there is a chance that Merry and Pippin are there and well, I would like to be there.”

“Mellon nin, your injury is not yet healed.”

“A mere shoulder wound will not prevent me from riding to Isengard,” you huffed.

“It is nothing to scoff at. Mellon nin, you almost died,” he pleaded with you, taking one of your hands in both of his.

“Haldir, I still have my duty to the Fellowship. I cannot abandon them.”

“Tending to your health is not abandoning anyone,” he spoke softly as he ran a thumb across your knuckles. “You will still be able to continue your quest when you have healed.”

You sighed deeply, looking to the ceiling as though collecting your thoughts. “I just... This is something I feel like I need to do.”

A deafening silence showered the room. Haldir studied you for a moment, your unencumbered hand fiddling with the sheets. Your mind was made up, and there was nothing he could do.

“Mellon nin,” he breathed, reaching for your face so you would look at him. “You will not let this go, will you?”

You shook your head with determined yet pleading eyes.

He squeezed your hand gently. “Then, I suppose all I can ask of you is to get your rest tonight.”

“Thank you.” With a smile, your thumb glided over his.

He made to stand so you could sleep in peace without him hovering. As he pulled his hand away, you gripped it tighter.

“Haldir? Will you stay? At least until I fall asleep? I am not sure I wish to be alone right now.”

Taken aback, he stood there dumbly before retaking his seat. “Of course, Mellon nin.”

The next morning, the remaining members of the Fellowship gathered at the stables. Aragorn was in the middle of trying to convince you to stay behind. Gandalf stood out of the way with Gimli, biting back a laugh at Aragorn’s futile efforts, while Haldir and Legolas prepared the horses.

“You will only worsen your injury,” Aragorn chided.

You folded your arms defiantly across your chest. “One trip on horseback is not so arduous.”

“She has already made up her mind, Aragorn. I doubt you will be able to change it,” Gandalf chimed in.

Haldir was tightening the saddle on the horse that would carry you so it was more secure when Legolas silently sidled up to him. “You have already said your peace, have you not?”

“What makes you say that?” Haldir twisted the saddle to test it.

“You have barely left her side since our victory. You must have spoken with her before now,” Legolas quipped.

“Indeed, I have.”

“Then, surely in your fondness of her you would have tried to convince her to stay behind.”

“Fondness?” Haldir stilled a moment before adjusting the straps again. “We are friends, Legolas. Nothing more.”

“Then why is it you have been meticulously preparing this one horse whilst I have already saddled three?” Legolas shot him a pointed smirk.

The Marchwarden felt himself flush all the way to the tips of his ears. “She is still injured. I- We cannot risk her hurting herself further.”

Legolas held his chuckle in his throat as a hum. “The sooner you stop attempting to fool yourself, Mellon-”

“Alright, you may join us!” Aragorn growled with a huff, stealing the attention of the bickering elves. “However, the moment a battle should arise, you are to return here.”

“Of course,” you complied, a stubborn edge to your voice.

Aragorn’s heavy sigh was littered with grit. “Are the horses ready?”

Haldir and Legolas nodded swiftly.

“Good. Let us be on our way.”

You made your way to the Marchwarden who was beckoning you over.

“Are you sure there is nothing I can do to change your mind, Mellon nin?” he asked softly.

“I am, yes.”

You flashed a smile at him before placing a foot in the stirrup. Haldir remained hovering near you. Your shoulder strained as you willed your arms to reach the saddle, steadying yourself as you pushed down on the stirrup to lift yourself up. Midway up, you lost your grip as your shoulder suddenly gave out. Haldir was quick to press a hand to your back to stop your fall. He noticed how your jaw tensed to grind out what was obviously the pain of your wound, but you were still determined to mount the horse.

“Here.” He gripped your waist. “I apologize if this seems forward.”

He raised you enough so you could swing your leg over the saddle, letting you go the moment you had your balance.

“N-not at all. Thank you.”

You held the reins tightly as you settled down, knuckles turning white like it could make everything better. Haldir felt his chest tighten and covered one of your hands with his own, eyes filled with concern. Your head snapped down to meet his gaze. With a reassuring yet forced smile, you attempted to relax your muscles to conceal just how much your injury hurt, but he saw right through it.

With a heavy sigh and shake of his head, he took hold of the saddle and hoisted himself up behind you.

“What are you-”

“If your pain is that severe, you shall not ride alone,” Haldir interrupted, finality in his tone.

“Haldir, this is not necessary,” you argued as he pulled the reins from your hands.

Legolas slinked by with Gimli on their horse, sending you two a knowing smile. The Marchwarden’s blush bled to his ears again. He didn’t notice your own flushed face.

Haldir cleared his throat. “Let us go before we fall behind.”

The journey to Isengard was quiet and uneventful. Partway through the trip, you finally allowed yourself to relax, not realizing you were leaning back into Haldir. Though bemused, he was not about to protest.

Collecting Merry and Pippin was as simple as it was amusing. They were most excited about reuniting with their companions. It was on the ride back that you and Haldir overheard their teasing about you sharing a horse. Aragorn and the others bit back grins and commentary of their own.

The festivities that followed upon returning to Edoras were no better, the ale at least partly to blame. The Marchwarden and what remained of his soldiers were settled near Legolas who was currently in the middle of a drinking match with Gimli. You had yet to arrive. Eowyn was the only reason Haldir was not at your side forcing you to rest. She tended to your shoulder, promising to return you for the celebration. He would have preferred you did not come for the sake of your health, but as long as you were not overexerting yourself again, he would not complain.

He swirled the ale in his mug after taking a swig, mulling over recent events. Usually he was not one to allow his emotions control his actions, and yet he was doing that much more often now. He felt like he couldn’t help himself. There was this overwhelming desire to keep you safe, keep you close, regardless of the fact that you were perfectly capable of handling yourself. Haldir had caught a glimpse of your abilities at Helm’s Deep. There was a reason you had gone to Rivendell with Boromir and joined the Fellowship.

As if to break him of his spiraling thoughts before they grew out of control, one of his neighboring elves nudged his arm, winking and motioning him to look up. He lifted his gaze, about to make a remark for the elf’s teasing, when he saw Eowyn stepping into the room with you close at her side.

The music, shouts, laughter - they all faded away from his ears. You practically radiated light despite your nervous self on display. Eowyn had lent you one of her dresses, the fabric draping differently on your frame from hers yet no less perfect. She caught Haldir’s gawking and whispered something in your ear with a smirk. You glanced up to see him but dipped your head back down to where your hair curtained your tiny, bashful smile. Eowyn was quick to tuck the offending hair behind your ear. She giggled and murmured to you again, resulting in your flustered rush to join your companions.

Haldir focused on his ale once again. The elf who had coaxed him into looking up bumped his arm. Without saying a word, he was fully encouraging his captain to go to you. The elves in his company had never seen their normally reserved, stoic Marchwarden act like this before, and they thought it a fantastic development. They all joined in pestering him to at least ask you for a dance. It took a while, but his stubbornness crumbled, and he brought himself to his feet only to notice you were missing from your company. He scanned the crowds, hoping to spot you. Maybe someone else had already asked you to dance. That theory was thankfully doused when he spied the swish of your dress through a door leading outside.

Following and stepping out into the cool night air, he found you leaning forward on the wooden railing, gazing up at the stars. Your hair sparkled under the dim light. He realized tonight was the first time he had seen you without it tied or braided back out of the way.

“Mellon nin,” Haldir called to you softly so as not to startle you. “Are you alright?”

You turned to see him just outside of the door and nodded with a tired smile. “Yes. I just felt I needed some fresh air and a moment away from the crowd.”

“I apologize for disturbing you. I will-”

“No!” You cut him off quickly. “I mean... You did not disturb anything. You can stay if you would like.”

The corners of Haldir’s lips tugged upwards ever so slightly as he approached you, joining you in your previous stargazing. The peaceful quiet of the night muffled the festivities in the building. He felt you cover his hand with your own accompanied by a gentle squeeze.

“Thank you, Haldir, for everything,” your voice was just above a whisper.

“I should be thanking you, Mellon nin,” he shook his head, his other hand coming to grasp yours. “If you had not come for me, I would not be at your side now.”

A breathy chuckle passed your lips. “I suppose we are even then.”

Haldir hummed questioningly.

“Had you not brought me with you whilst retreating, then I would not be at your side now.” You parroted the last words with a grin.

The Marchwarden’s shoulders shook with a quiet laughter. “I cannot argue against that.”

You set your free hand on top of your conjoined ones as you leaned against his shoulder. A comforting silence befell you both. That is until you heard chittering giggles from behind. The pair of you turned to see Merry and Pippin poking their heads from the doorway, followed by Aragorn who proceeded to drag them back inside and shot you a wink as he did so.

Gondor had called for aid. Rohan answered. The army’s camp was set up, and Aragorn had a plan. Haldir received orders for his company to continue helping Rohan and meet with Elrond to receive more explicit directions.

The morning for departure arrived, and Aragorn was set to travel to the Paths of the Dead. Legolas, Gimli, Haldir and you were to join him. Haldir’s soldiers were to follow King Théoden into battle. You all stood wearily at the start of the trail, feeling the ominous air seeping down to the bone.

Haldir brushed his hand against your elbow for your attention. “May I speak with you privately?”

You looked up at him with worried eyes and nodded, probably guessing what this was about. He pulled you to the side just out of earshot of the others.

He steeled himself with a deep breath. “I must insist you do not join us, Mellon nin.”

“But Haldir, I-”

“Please, Meleth nin,” he desperately pleaded, not meaning to let the new term of endearment slip. Tenderly cupping your face with both hands, he continued, “None of us know how this will end. We... We may not come back. I beg of you to please stay with Eowyn.”

His voice was hushed, afraid it would break if he attempted to speak any louder. He knew his emotions were on full display, but he could not bring himself to care. What mattered was keeping you safe.

“Haldir...” you trailed off, grasping at his wrists with the utmost care to keep them in place. You gave a quick nod and tried to conceal your worried frown. “Alright. However. You had better- You all had better return.”

He pressed his forehead to yours. “I will do everything in my power to do just that.”

The Marchwarden was among the Fellowship in Minas Tirith when he saw a barely conscious Eowyn being carried into the Houses of Healing. Panic coursed through his veins. You were nowhere to be found. He rushed over to her as she was laid on a bed.

“Lady Eowyn, what happened?”

She nearly didn’t recognize him. All of her effort was put into focusing on his words.

“Lady Eowyn, please. Where is she?” He held his breath like it would help him hear better.

With a tiny shake of her head, she croaked quietly, “I am sorry... We... We were separated... in battle... I know not... her fate...”

Haldir stepped aside to allow the healers in. His heart was at a standstill. Had he known Eowyn was going to sneak her way into the army, he would have pleaded with you to return to Rohan. Your injury did not have the time to fully heal. Fighting in such a strenuous battle would do you no good. He needed to find you. He needed to know that you were well.

Bursting through the doors, he raced down the stairs for the lower levels, Aragorn shouting something after him. He did not hear a word. Canopies were set up and homes were open near the gate for the soldiers who were unable to reach the Houses of Healing. Haldir weaved through the injured in a desperate attempt to find you. He’d rather discover you here as long as you were among the living.

After a fruitless search under the canopies, he began entering the opened homes. He asked anyone able for a person matching your description. Nothing. Nothing until he reached the last home. There you were towards the back of the room. An older woman had just stepped away from helping you. The armor you had borrowed like Eowyn was in a pile to the side. He could see the bandage on your thigh through the tear in your trousers, but other than that you came away from the battle fairly unharmed. How you managed that with a preexisting injury was a mystery to him.

“Meleth nin,” Haldir breathed, making his way to you. This time he meant to use the term.

Somehow, you heard him over the throng of people, your gaze meeting his. “Haldir!”

You rose to your feet a little too quickly and swayed unintentionally to put your weight onto your good leg. Haldir darted to you just in time, bringing you into his embrace.

“You’re alright...” He rested his forehead on yours just like before you departed, completely forgetting those around you. “I was beginning to think my search was for naught.”

Wrapping your arms around him, you buried your face in his chest. “Haldir, I... I’m so sorry. I know you meant to keep me from harm-”

“Shhh,” he cooed, settling his chin on the crown of your head. “I know. There is no need to apologize. All that matters is that you are here and well.”

Your light chuckle vibrated through him. “You are much too patient with me.”

“I assume you are not familiar with that.”

“You would be right.” He could feel your cheeks lift as you smiled. “Most tend to leave when I grow stubborn.”

Haldir shifted his face so it rested in your hair, murmuring into your scalp, “I am not going anywhere, Meleth nin.”

The world of man was still an anomaly to him. You were an anomaly within that world, and he wouldn’t have you any other way.

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inessencedevided · 4 years ago

Text

A very overdue cql/mdzs fic rec list

for @accidental-child

I am so sorry this took me so long Axel! The pandemic has really done a number on my time-management skills and things like this often fall behind :/

The fics complied here are the ones i have not recced in the list for @helianthus21 before. You can find that one here, so you can check it out as well :)

The Wei Wuxian makes a wish series by natcat5

My attempt at a summary: this is a madoka magica AU (which i had not watched prior to reading this fic). Cultivators, in this universe, are created when a teenager makes a wish to the creature named Kyubey, which than grants them their wish and the power to fight witches, strange and destructive creatures of despair that lure people into their labyrinths. Wei Wuxian, at the beginning of the story is not a cultivator, but his friends are and so is the mysterious new student at his school, lan wangji, who follows him everywhere and seems to be obsessed with preventing him from making a contract.

My comment: my attempt at a summary does not do this story justice and is really just a setup. Honestly i cannot put into words how much I loved this story. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It made me laugh, it made me cry for entire chapters, it drew me into it's world so much that I freaking dreamed about it! (I'm not kidding, I really did) Honestly, this fic deserves so much more attention than it is currently getting. Not only is the plot expertly crafted, with reveals that shock you and leave you reading, but the author also just gets the characters. The best thing an AU can do, in my opinion, is take familiar characters, put them in unfamiliar situations and then manage to make the way they react believable. And this AU nails that! The conclusion and the choices that Wei wuxian and lan Wangji make in the end felt exactly right. Not to mention, it has a stellar ensemble cast! Everyone is here (except Xichen sadly and I kind of think it is deliberate because without him, Lan Wangji lacks a support system). Again, I cannot recommend this story enough. It is, without doubt, my favourite fic series in this entire fandom. (Caution however: Do read the warnings in the tags and notes and take them seriously. They are there for a very good reason.)

Agapé (home is in your arms) by estel_willow

Author’s summary: Lan Xichen is in isolation. Wei Wuxian visits him. Together they find their way back to happiness, to clarity and to home.

My comment: This one focuses on both Lan Xichen’s and Wei Wuxian’s issues and lets them resolve them together. I am such a fan of their characterisations in this fic, as well as Lan Wangji’s even though he is not the focus. I love it when non-romantic relationships are the focus of fics and especially when they are central to the character’s resolving their own issues and moving forward in life and that is exactly what happens here.

until you're big enough by lostin_space

Author’s summary: Lan Zhan is sad and not hungry; Lan Xichen asks Nie Mingjue to help him.

My comment: This one is a really short and sweet read about how Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue parent the their younger brothers. I just really liked how the author portrayed todler Lan Zhan, as well as these two teenagers doing their best to be the parents that both he and Nie huaisang lack.

Night Music by Manogahela

Author’s summary: There is a music that plays in the night at Cloud Recess....but there isn't suppose to be. Lan Xichen investigates the mysterious dizi music that can be heard from the Jingshi at night following the Siege of the Burial mounds.

My comment: I absolutely adored this one, mainly for two reasons: 1. I love an outsider perspective and Lan Xichen’s, at this point and with his limited knowledge is absolutely wonderful. First, he isn’t even sure is what he thinks is happening really is happening and when he is sure, his feelings are, understandably very conflicted. 2. The author’s style compliments this fic so well. Since most of it happens at night and Xichen isn’t entirely sure that he can trust his senses, there is a certain dreamlike quality to it that the author writes beautifully. This fic is part one in a series. Part two is a WIP, but also very much worth the read!

Company by WithBroomBefore

My summary: In which Wei Wuxian is whipped within an inch of his life by Madam Yu when he is fourteen and comes to stay at the cloud recesses. He and Lan Zhan become friends.

My comment: My summary once again does not do this fic justice. Because it is so much more than just that. It’s such a beautful exploration of friendship and love and bodily autonomy. Wei Wuxian has a lot to work through in this fic, but really, so has Lan Zhan who has the opportunity to make friends at a much more mellow pace than in the novel/show and panics a little less because of it. The war still happens but has much less dire consequences. All in all, this fic left me with a wonderful warm feeling in my chest.

you are safe / loved / worthy / enough by everythingispoetry

Author’s summary: One of the more timid-looking posts, in pale greens and creams and yellows, says Hello, I'm managing to be fairly high functioning right now but I'm really not doing as well as it may appear, and Lan Zhan feels as if someone sneaked into his mind and read his most secret thoughts, the ones he's never even dared to admit to himself.

(In which Lan Zhan, to his own dismay, finds himself with the help of the most obnoxious, cheerful, cheesy self-care instagram account known to men.)

(And Wei Ying.)

My comment: Listen, I have a complicated relationship with fics that depict mental health struggles in characters. They are all so incredibly valid and I’m glad they exist (every single one of them, no matter if i like them or not) but due to the fact that they tend to come from the author projecting their own issues onto characters (which is NOT a bad thing! that is what fanfic is for!) they are often hit-and-miss when it comes to characterisation. But this story ... it just GETS Lan Wangji. If someone told me a scenario in a modern AU that leads to him developing an anxiety disorder and depression, this is what I would have come up with. Because let’s be real, Lan Wangji is a perfectionist to boot, insanely competitive and needs to live up to his family’s expectations, while also not having much of an emotional support system outside of his brother and uncle. That’s a dangerous cocktail in the modern world and just screams of a burnout waiting to happen. So Lan Wangji, off to university, living alone in a strange city for the frst time, spends all his time in a carefully calculated study routine but slowly realises that the path he set out on was not one he chose because he liked it but simply the one that was laid out for him by his background and family, which then leads to him questioning the reason behind what he does. That reads as incredibly real to me. A good AU, in my opinion, takes the characters and their inherent characteristics and lets them meet new and unique challenges that they never would have encountered in canon, which then leads to new and interesting character developement. And this AU manages that perfectly! (Plus, if you are a university student like me who sometimes suffers from crushing anxiety about the path they chose in life, this is insanely relatable. What? I never said I wasn’t biased :P)

porn (but not actually) and waiting (a lot of it) by hyacinth4maria

Author’s summary: Lan Xichen sighs as he settles into the couch next to Lan Wangji.

"What are you looking at?"

Lan Wangji, without pausing from typing the names Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian in the Love Calculator 3000, says, "Porn."

Lan Xichen chokes.

- Lan Wangji has a crush. Lan Xichen hadn't realized his little brother was growing up.

My comment: this one was hilarious! Just Lan Xichen being both absolutely exasperated and amused by wangxian’s pre-teen drama. I almost choked laughing at the line that coined the title. The author has these characters down to a T and they used their powers to attack my laugh-musccles :D

the field meets the wood by astronicht

Author’s summary: Wei Wuxian is a dark shadow in the barley. Wei Wuxian is sorry for the kind of compassion that he is about to hand out.

(in which Lan Wangji is stolen for salt, and Wei Wuxian unravels the world, a little)

My Comment: HOLY FUCKING SHIT THIS IS SO GOOD. Do you ever read a story and just marvel at the author’s mind? This is one of those. The sheer genius of giving Wei Wuxian the ability to pull entire beings into non-being! The absolute galaxy-brain idea to link the canon mythology to modern astrophysics!!! Wei Wuxian creates a motherfucking black hole in this one!!! And it’s SO well written, too! The author does not shy away from Wei Wuxian’s sharp edges and his darker side but goddamn if he is not still loveable anyway. Just GO READ THIS FIC!

Abandon your post by StarsAlignNomore

Author’s summary: After months as Chief Cultivator and separated from his soulmate, Lan Wangji follows Wei Wuxian out into the world. He searches for him. He finds him. He kisses him. They reunite, they talk, they resolve. Sometimes Bichen lends emotional support. Chenqing bites. Little Apple is there too.

Your typical Post-Canon-Reunion-Fic with much more emphasis on their spiritual weapons than expected.

My comments: This one just left me with a lot of mushy feelings. Also I adore the way the author emphasised the relationship between Lan Wangji and Bichen. And by the end, Wangxian finally figure shit out through actual open communication. Absolutely beautiful!

#cql fic #cql fic rec #mdzs fic #mdzs fic rec #mdzs #cql #wangxian #wangxian fic rec #lan wangji #wei wuxian #lan xichen

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