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frankenwolf1564 · 4 months ago

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Transformers Legacy Deathsaurus: Bigger, badder

Kneel before the emperor of your destruction, Deathsaurus!

Continuing this little Victory train I’ve got going, it only feels natural to follow up on Star Saber with his Decepticon counterpart.

It should really go without saying, this guy is stunning. He is obscenely handsome. This is one of the lushest toys I have ever had the pleasure of handling, and keep in mind that’s not exactly a small list. I own three Star Sabers, remember? Everything about his presentation was executed flawlessly, from the colors and paint work to his many accessories. He’s tall, he’s hefty, and his name is Deathsaurus. Those factors alone are enough to warrant plenty of awe, but they really knocked it out of the ballpark here.

Honestly, you’re doing him a disservice leaving him sitting on the (still very well painted and good-looking) throne. Not that it’s a bad display option, far from it, but he’s got far too great of a stature to delegate him to much the same position as the anime. The only display option that doesn’t look inherently amazing is just leaving Eaglechest inserted and having Tigerchest sit to the side (they were never called anything else), the near solid block of red a rather large departure from the rest of his color scheme. You can still make it look good, obviously, and it’s not bad, but it’s bland and awkward comparatively. Outside of that though, you don’t even have to do much for him to look good, but why leave him just standing there when you can do so much more?

Articulation wise, Deathsaurus is stacked. He comes with a ball jointed head, his universally jointed shoulders sit on a butterfly joint, he comes with a bicep swivel and a just-slightly-more-than 90° bend at the elbow, a wrist swivel, and opening fingers that are split into pairs. He doesn’t have any sort of 5mm ports in his hands though, all of his weapons opting for MP style tabs. He has a healthy ab crunch, and his waist swivel is left unimpeded by his kaiju head. It doesn’t tab in, but that’s not really an issue since it’s on a sturdy hinge and it lets you easily move it out of the way when needed. His hips are fully ratcheted, with heavy, solid, satisfying clicks, and they’re completely free to more forward, back, and out, thanks to no back skirt and moving front and side skirts. He has a thigh swivel, his knees bend at another 90°, which you can cheat to bend further by untabbing his knee pads, and a healthy ankle tilt that sits on a tight hinge to hold his weight. Oh, and the kaiju wings are hinged and can rotate, so you don’t have to worry about them getting in the way of his very expressive range of motion. I’d be more surprised by the poses you can’t get him into, the only thing really limiting him being the fact that this is a toy. That exists in the real world. All that stuff, y’know?

Look I never said I was good at posing him I just said you can do it

I want to briefly mention scale just because it’s a bit weird with Deathsaurus. I don’t care but I find it interesting nonetheless. In the Victory anime, he’s supposed to be the same height as Star Saber, but the Haslab effort was scaled to the combined Haslab Victory Saber, with the two meeting (roughly) eye-to-eye. Which means he’s a fair bit taller than Legacy Star Saber. But then he’s shorter than Masterpiece Star Saber, only barely poking past his chest. And then Masterpiece Star Saber was designed to be roughly in scale with Generations, since Saber is the size of a regular transformer. So Legacy Star Saber is almost closer to Legends scaling… Even G1 Deathsaurus is shorter than his equivalent Star Saber. My point is, this is a losing battle and not worth the effort. It is funny that no one set of Deathsaurus and Star Saber figures are the same height, however. G1 Deathsaurus and Legacy Star Saber match, but…

The transformation is a delight and carries none of the concerns that Star Saber does. Everything moves cleanly and purposefully, with practically no hindrances along the way. Motions like unpegging the armatures and spinning them down into place or unveiling the kaiju arms feel great. Mechanically, everything is completely sound, though I do have a few minor gripes, and they’re mostly for going back to robot mode. Getting the tail unpegged is far more of a hassle than it really needs to be. The shield folds up to form said tail, and his kneecaps plug into a set of tabs to lock it into place, but those pegs are tight and there isn’t much to grip on to. The molding of the tail covers where the edges of the kneecaps meet it, meaning you can’t get anything under there for leverage. You have to grip what’s exposed and PULL, which doesn’t feel great. The feet have a similar but less painful issue. There isn’t a notch or groove to flip his heels out, and the edge disappears completely into his toes, so you have to run your finger across the smooth curve at the back to try and beat the friction holding it there and coerce it out. Both would have been easy fixes and are admittedly fairly minor but still unfortunate issues on an otherwise stellar release.

The kaiju mode itself is a delightfully done space chicken, and similarly doesn’t take much to get looking good. The back isn’t great, with the robot thighs clearly visible, but I’m personally not bothered by it and reinserting Tigerbreast helps draw the eye away. Articulation is… it’s a beast mode. C’mon. He keeps everything from the wings and his robot shoulders, and the kaiju feet are on a set of hinges and a swivel, but everything in the forearm is lost. His kaiju arms possess a universal joint for the shoulders, alongside a teeny-tiny bicep swivel and a hinge at the elbow. His head is, again, on a hinge and a swivel, and the jaw opens to reveal a 5mm port. You can get him into a fair amount of appropriately monstrous poses, especially once you reconfigure the stand to hoist him into the air, but 80% of him is a solid brick. Don’t get your hopes up.

Moving onto the various minibots before covering the accessories, cause, y’know, that feels like a logical progression ‘n stuff, Eaglechest and Tigerchest are both fine little companions. Eaglechest forms a nice enough blaster and a cute little bird, while Tigerchest… he’s Deathsaurus’ breastplate. Always has been. He’s got a fair amount of articulation, and the bow mode works very well, but yeah. No escaping that.

Pipo and Boater are a rather delightful little pair, much to the surprise of… literally everyone, I think. Revealed as a surprise inclusion after the backing campaign ended, most people weren’t thrilled at the prospect of their inclusion, considering how lackluster most of the modern Micromasters had been. I didn’t even bother mentioning Holi and Fire in my Star Saber review. I mentioned Victory Leo. And I hate Victory Leo. Pipo and Boater though? Fantastic. They’re brand-new molds instead of repaints, and don’t include some forced weapon mode gimmick, which probably does them a litany of favors. They’re exactly what the other modern Micromasters should have been. Proportionate updates of the originals that keep the quick, easy, fidget friendly conversions instead of the fiddly messes we got for most of Siege and Earthrise. Too bad they only come with Deathsaurus though. Sorry completionists.

The set comes loaded with accessories, giving you everything you’d need to recreate whichever moment from the anime. The sword is well painted in a shiny silver and poses great, and I’m sure the same can be said about the blast effects, the flail, and Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon, but I never even took those out of the box. I just don’t care. I don’t need to do all of The Things. Covering every single static, functionally identical accessory, no matter how good they look, is just not why I’m here. I’m less inclined to talk about and review something if it doesn’t do anything interesting. For something I did mess with, the arrow is rather something of a requirement if you want to use Tigerchest as a bow, because while it does look nice, the effect is only sold with the arrow. The stand does a great job of holding Deathsaurus in either mode, but it admittedly doesn’t take much for him to start wobbling while he’s on it, due to his weight. The throne is an easy centerpiece and obvious focal point, with some gnarly sculpting and a great gradient. It even acts as storage for everything mentioned, with all of it stowing neatly away either behind the chair or underneath the base. Deathsaurus can even hold all of his weapons himself, if you choose to do so.

This is what a Haslab effort is about. They let the TF team fully realize everything they want to, with none of the constraints or compromises of a standard retail release. They originally concepted Deathsaurus as a Studio Series Grimlock retool. Thank god that didn’t happen. The only things preventing him from being a fully-fledged Masterpiece release are the height, the back of the kaiju mode, and the Generations greebling. He’s that solid. There wouldn’t be much to improve upon. I have my gripes about Star Saber and the upcoming Omega Prime using the crowdfunding approach, especially considering I don’t want half those sets, but none of that is felt here. I mean technically I don’t care for most of the accessories but y’know those aren’t entire figures so- The whole package feels substantially more worthwhile. I- I don’t have a funny quip to cap this off. So.

#transformers #transformers generation one #transformers victory #transformers generations #transformers legacy #deathsaurus #toy #toys #toy review #haslab #transformers toys

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queenshelby · 4 years ago

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The Last Semester – Part Five

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Words: 1,888

Warning: Smut, Age Gap

The Age Gap Issue

It has been ten days since you started dating Cillian and things were great, at least mostly.

Over the past ten days, you spent every single night at Cillian’s apartment, enjoying his company. Neither of you even thought about tuning it down, maintaining distance from each other or taking things slow. It was simply too perfect and there was so much you had to talk about. Then there was the sex. The most incredible sex. You couldn’t get enough of each other.

At university, Cillian managed to keep things professional during the group sessions and largely avoided one on one contact with you during classes. Of course, you had questions for him but, unlike the other students, you simply asked them when you were alone with him, often over a glass of wine or over dinner. The arrangement worked well and, thus far, you haven’t arisen any suspicions.

The deadline was near and secrets didn’t have to be secrets anymore for very long. Cillian’s involvement in your unit was going to come to an end in two weeks and the final assessments for the semester were taking place in as little as four weeks. After that, you could be together without having to hide it.

But there was still one thing that you haven’t quite managed to juggle just yet and this was the difference in age between you and Cillian.

While it didn’t bother you at all, you occasionally noticed that Cillian struggled with it, questioning the feelings he was developing for you.

There was one conversation in particular triggering Cillian’s doubts and that was when you brought up your younger step brothers who were 14 and 12, the same age as Cillian’s sons.

Cillian was rather reserved when it came to conversations about his sons Hendrix and Charlie but, the more he got to know you, the more he told you about them.

You loved that he did share these details with you but, at the same time, it made him realise how you were at totally different stages of your lives and that this might pose problems for the future.

As such, whilst Cillian and his ex-wife Laura had a good relationship with each other after having divorced five years ago, bringing a much younger woman into a step family dynamic at some point was possibly a bad idea.

The other issue that he thought might possibly arise is that you would likely want children yourself at some point. But he didn’t. He didn’t want to start all over again.

In addition to these warranted concerns, there were little things as well that made Cillian feel self-conscious about the difference in age and you couldn’t help but tease him about them.

The Grey Hair

For example, the night before Cillian was due to fly to Dublin to see his sons, he became rather self-conscious about his hair turning grey. It had been turning grey for quite some years but, when you met several weeks ago, he had just finished filming his TV show Peaky Blinders. This meant that his hair was short and coloured dark.

Over the period of six weeks, it grew out slowly, featuring some grey streaks which, this time around, he noticed much more than he ever did.

In addition, Cillian was featuring a few grey hairs on his chest as well and it was that evening, when you arrived at his apartment that you caught him coming out of the shower, his intimate parts covered by a white towel and his chest hair…Gone!

‘Whoa’ you said as you walked inside, noticing immediately that he had shaved his chest.

‘What?’ Cillian went on to ask before giving you a kiss.

‘Why did you do this?’ you pouted, running your hands over his bare chest. ‘I loved running my hands through it’ you said somewhat disappointed as you really enjoyed playing with the small amount of hair on his chest when you cuddled up against him.

‘Well…some have turned grey’ Cillian said somewhat reluctantly and you couldn’t help but laugh.

‘As is expected at your age’ you giggled teasingly before realising what this was all about.

‘Yeah, that really makes me feel better’ Cillian laughed and you pressed your lips onto his for a passionate kiss.

‘I have no idea why you are so self-conscious about a few grey hairs Cilly’ you went on to say, slightly amused.

‘Because you are twenty years younger than me’ Cillian responded and you sighed.

‘Here we go again’ you chuckled before pushing him backwards to sit on the lounge while you stood in front of him.

‘Listen, there are a lot of women younger than me who are very attracted to you’ you said and Cillian recalled the Instagram posts you had showed him a few days ago, which made him shake his head.

‘Also, I really like your grey hair. It’s fucking sexy. You are fucking sexy’ you then went on to say.

‘I am just saying that you could be with someone your own age Y/N’ Cillian responded.

‘And why would I want that?’ you asked. ‘We connect perfectly and you are literally the first person I have ever met with whom I am never running out of conversation. You are intelligent, funny, kind and very handsome. In addition, the sex is fucking amazing. I don’t want anyone else and I want you to let this damn hair grow back’ you demanded all while you seductively unwrapped your dress and revealed your black lace lingerie.

‘Jesus Y/N’ Cillian barely managed to say as you stood there in front of him.

‘I bought it today. For you’ you winked before walking over towards him, kissing him passionately and then unwrapping the towel around him like you were opening a present.

As he sat there in front of you, completely naked, you pulled a pillow from the lounge and put it onto the floor before kneeling down on it, right there in between his legs.

Your mouth opened and you leaned forward just enough to catch the head of his cock between your lips.

‘Fuck, yes’ Cillian swore and you sighed, your eyes fluttered at the feeling of him, fighting to open your mouth wider to take more of him in. He was hot, and you tasted the sweet savory drop of precum that leaked onto your tongue.

Watching Cillian like this was enchanting. You sucked harder, feeling him pulse against your lips and tongue. His eyes widened and he moaned. Oh, you would do almost anything to hear him make that sound. It was an incredible turn on for you. Your tongue swirled around him, flicking the crown and massaging under the head.

‘Oh god Y/N’ Cillian murmured, and he reached for you. You felt his fingers clench in your hair so little prickles of pain burned your scalp. You met his eyes as he pulled your face into his crotch, and his cock hit the back of your throat. Your eyes watered but you kept your eyes on his expression, and watched him fall apart above you.

‘Shit’ Cillian eventually jerked away, wrenching himself out of your mouth. A long trail of spit connected you, and eventually broke, slapping against your chest. You caught your breath.

‘I want you so fucking much’ he growled, his voice strained. He caught you under your arms and helped you to your feet before picking you up and carrying you to his bed.

‘Cillian, please I need you inside of me’ you whimpered and Cillian shoved you against the bed, your back facing him, and you shivered as you felt his hands squeezing at your ass and hips. He stood directly behind you, and you could feel the hair on his legs tickling the backs of your thighs.

‘You almost made me lose it there’ Cillian said as he unclasped your bra, letting it fall to the ground before quickly pulling down your lace panties.

‘I could tell you enjoyed it’ you grinned as Cillian moved one of your legs with his hands, bending your knees one at a time so you were crouched on the bed. He paused behind you, and you closed your eyes, listening to his ragged breathing, trying to stay calm.

Cillian’s finger traced your slit gently, and you gasped and let out a shaky moan as he dipped into your wetness.

‘So wet for me already’ Cillian smirked and you simply nodded. You couldn't talk. You could barely breathe.

Within seconds, you felt the head of his cock press against you, and then he grabbed your hips, and shoved it inside.

You cried out as he invaded your body. A hot flash of something went through you, and your arms buckled under you as you fell face first into the mattress.

You could hear Cillian behind you, grunting and swearing, holding your hips tightly, his nails biting into your skin. He pulled you back against him roughly, and another hot flash of pleasure shot through your body. You felt like you were going to explode any minute.

‘Y/N’ he growled, and shifted behind you, and then you felt his arm snake around your waist and up to your face. He pulled you up and held your chin firmly with his hand. You could feel his chest pressed against your back, like he was holding you tight against him in a hug as he continued to thrust into you.

‘Oh god Cillian yes’ you moaned as he was dropping his head and caught your neck with his teeth. He bit you gently, and then sucked hard at the bite, thrusting deeper and deeper into you in a way that you still couldn't understand.

‘Open your eyes’ he growled into your ear and your eyes flew open. Across from you was the mirror of the nightstand. Your eyes widened and you gasped as you took in the sight of Cillian buried inside your body, holding you close.

‘Cillian’ you moaned again as your whole body caught fire, and burned, and burned. You saw fireworks behind your eyes and your brain went all staticy.

It could have lasted an hour, or been just a moment in time, but the next thing you knew was that your legs began to shake violently and your walls began to clench around Cillian’s hard cock.

‘Oh god yes fuck’ you moaned as your orgasm washed over you and your juices squirted onto the wooden floor.

At the same time, Cillian reached his high as well, thrusting into you with several loud groans as he filled you with rope after rope of his warm cum.

‘Jesus that was amazing’ Cillian huffed just before he pulled out of you gently and you both collapsed on the bed together.

‘So, tell me again Cilly, why would I want to be with a younger guy?’ you giggled.

Tag List (Cillian):

@lilymurphy03 @deefigs @theflamecrystal @desperate-and-broken @weepingstudentfishhorse @livinginfantaxy @rosey1981 @atomicsoulcollecto @peakyboyslover @nerdy4itall @elenavampire21 @hanster1998 @mariapaiva13 @fairypitou @harry-is-my-sunflower @zozeebo @lauren-raines-x @kasaikawa @littlewierdalien @sad-huffle-nerd @theflamecrystal @peakymalfoyscullymulder @themissthang @0ghostwriter0 @stylescanbeatmyback @1-800-peakyblinders @datewithgianni @momoneymolife @ntmynouis @lilymurphy03 @mcntsee@cloudofdisney @missymurphy1985 @peakymalfoyscullymulder @otterly-fey @janelongxox @uchihacumdump @basiclassy @being-worthy @chaotic-bean-of-smolness @margoo0 @chocolatehalo @vhscillian @ysmmsy @littlewierdalien @crazymar15

Cannot Tag (please check your settings):

@l0tsofpennies @trolleydolly @avonlady1985 @chrisevanshoeee @daydreamingnymph @fookingshelby

#Cillian Murphy x Reader #cillian murphy #cillian murphy smut #cillian murphy imagine

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layercake · 4 years ago

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Why Naoto is Heavily Trans Coded, and How The Discussion Surrounding Him Needs to Change

Hello, I’ve never written or posted anything like this before LOL so this is a bit daunting. But this subject is something that’s been bothering me for a long time, and I wanted to get it out somewhere. So let’s talk about how Naoto Shirogane is heavily trans coded, and how the fandom has a problematic culture surrounding the issue that really needs to change.

Tw // discussion of misogyny , transphobia , and mentions of harassment

Initial Shadow Confrontation

Since the discussion is most often about what’s “canon” and what’s not, let’s first take a look at what the game actually does give us about Naoto’s character. During the confrontation with Naoto’s shadow, we learn that Naoto idolized detectives as a kid, and wanted to be one himself when he was older.

However, this posed a problem for him in multiple ways. One, he was (is) still a child, and the people in his field don’t take him seriously because of it. He tries desperately to escape this fact, to try and act as mature as possible, but ultimately he can’t change how others will perceive him at his age.

This is what the shadow confrontation focuses on most heavily. But then it switches to discussing the other part of the issue-- the fact that Naoto’s ideal image of a detective is a man, and he “isn’t.”

At the end, Yukiko says “You must know already that what you yearn for isn’t to become an adult or to become a boy,” and Naoto accepts it. This is what most people point to when saying that Naoto can’t be trans, because he agrees that it wasn’t what he wished for. So, easy, right? If you take this as him telling the truth, then it looks like an open and shut case-- he isn’t trans. But Naoto’s actions don’t really fit what he says here.

The issue starts with these next lines (below) in particular. To me, Naoto’s tone in the first line is regretful, and doesn’t strike me as a sentiment someone who is cisgender would necessarily hold. Why would he want to “change into a man?” To fit his ideal image of a detective? As he says here, yes.

(Real quick before I continue, it’s not clear in the dialogue screenshot but it’s important to note that Naoto does say “yes” to Yukiko’s question about him not liking being a girl. He nods his head)

The narrative that the game tries to go with after this is that the “ideal image” Naoto wanted to live up to, including the male aspect of it, was unattainable and formed primarily because he felt that was the only way he could be a detective.

But, is this really that much of a problem? We all look up to certain types of people, people that we want to be like-- and for many, this can factor into gender identity as well. If Naoto really just wanted to be a cool, male detective, that doesn’t at all negate that being trans would be a part of that for him.

Naoto’s other words and actions, as well as the framing of this scene as a whole, make the scenario feel a lot less believable to me for multiple reasons. Naoto never initiates the conversation that him wanting to be a boy is incorrect-- Yukiko does. Naoto isn’t even the one to trigger his shadow-- Kanji does that. Naoto had a lot less agency in a lot of these decisions than the other characters did with their shadows.

Naoto’s Continued Actions

The fragility of the narrative Atlus put together for Naoto continues to grow throughout the rest of the game, due to the way he behaves after the initial shadow confrontation.

For starters, it’s implied that Naoto is not his birth name, something that i think a lot of people either miss or forget about-- and yet he continues to go by it throughout the course of the game. We never find out his deadname and he never expresses a desire to share it with anybody.

The day after the “reveal,” Naoto doesn’t change anything about his appearance, mannerisms, or how he presents himself. He honestly seems uncomfortable with the fact that everyone has found out, in a way that felt much like being outed to the whole school, as opposed to finally being seen and accepted for who you “really” are.

I understand that such a drastic shift in people’s perception of you would be overwhelming to anybody, no matter if you were cis or not. But if Atlus really wanted to hone in on the idea that Naoto was happy about this change, they could’ve at least made him…. Well, happy about it. Even if it was just a small smile, just a tiny indication of relief even despite how hard it will be to adjust, it would’ve made it at least a little more believable that this is what he really wanted.

But that’s not the case. Instead, he’s uncomfortable, he still binds, he still wears the school’s male uniform, and he still goes by Naoto. The only time any of this actually changes is if you as the protagonist push him to, which… is a whole other mess.

The fact that Naoto has even gotten to this point, though, speaks more volumes to me than anything else. Passing is not easy. Coming out is not easy. Naoto would have had to go through difficult lengths in order to get not only his school, but the country and media to see him as a man. He’s a well-known "detective prince".. someone was bound to look up his records and find out about it. That's a huge risk to take.

In addition to this, he binds. He goes by masculine pronouns and a masculine name. He very audibly changes his voice to be more masculine. I don’t know how to tell you this, but this is just…. not something cis people do? At least not comfortably.

In fact, doing all of this would have been incredibly uncomfortable for Naoto if he was cis. As someone who experiences dysphoria, looking like and being seen as a gender you are not can be really, really painful. If transitioning was something he really didn’t want, why would he put himself through all of that? Was it really to escape misogyny? Me asking this isn’t minimizing the issue at all, because I understand that it’s incredibly serious and hard for countless women. But I would generally think someone’s first reaction to facing misogyny isn’t to… completely change their identity and present as a different gender.

On top of being probably the hardest option of escaping misogyny available to him, and one of the most uncomfortable, presenting as a man doesn’t necessarily get rid of any prejudices Naoto may face. In fact, I would argue that it’s considerably more dangerous. Especially in a rural town like Inaba, where people seem to not really understand or approve of being LGBT. Naoto is smart, he would have thought of all of this. So why?

Inherent Transphobia of Naoto’s Arc

There is something to be said about how much misogyny is present in Japan’s workforce, especially in fields like Naoto’s, and the importance there is in discussing that. The base idea behind his struggles and message isn’t inherently a bad one, but the way the game went about it was problematic because it put down transgender identities in the process.

The first time I watched Naoto’s shadow confrontation, it was really distressing to me. The game continuously repeats the idea that you can’t “cross the barrier of the sexes,” that Naoto “can never really be a man,” and that “you can change your name, but you can never change who you “really” are.” I hope I don’t need to explain why this is a problem.

Naoto’s wish to be a man, regardless of what was driving it, is depicted as something temporary and childish. Something that Naoto “didn’t really want,” something that was just an excuse to run away from the misogyny he was facing. Even if it was unintentional, this message is incredibly harmful to transgender people.

It would have been a better and much more coherent message about misogyny if the writers had steered clear of trans themes entirely. In fact, I think they did so well with Sae’s character in Persona 5-- she’s in the same field of work, facing very similar struggles, but she doesn’t react in the same way as Naoto at all.

Kanji and Homophobia

It’s even worse that Naoto’s “reveal,” on top of being problematic by itself, is used as a method to bury Kanji’s exploration of his own sexuality. The problems with Kanji’s own shadow are bad enough to warrant their own long rant, but the reveal that Naoto was “really a girl” this whole time allows the story to completely wave off his gayness for good.

This isn’t something unique to this game-- the trope of “two boys fall in love, but one of them turns out to be a girl so it’s fine” has been used numerous times in other media to explore the topic half-assedly. It plays with the “exoticness” or “drama” of a gay romance, but backs off at the end in order to uphold societal norms and prevent backlash.

This doesn’t really give any kind of good commentary on gay relationships, nor does it depict them in a positive or helpful manner. It isn’t something that these games should be getting kudos for doing.

Misogyny?

I think there’s also something to be said about how poignantly bad Atlus is at really tackling the problem of misogyny. It tries, especially with characters like Ann and Sae, and in certain aspects it can succeed. But then they have scenes like the pageant and Every Beach Scene Ever, where the women are forced to wear swimsuits or revealing clothing against their will, or their bodies are talked about without their consent. There is consistently a character in each persona game who is forced to do the whole misogynistic dipshit gimmick that’s supposed to be funny-- Junpei, Yosuke, Teddie, Morgana, Ryuji-- and while this is obviously not a Persona specific problem by a longshot, it’s still indicative of how unsuccessful these games often are in delivering the message that society’s systemic misogyny is an issue.

This is something I think about a lot when people try and argue that Naoto’s story can’t be about him being trans because it’s “an important message about misogyny.” Atlus often doesn’t deliver on such stories already, and they certainly didn’t with Naoto. As soon as Naoto returns to “living as a woman” he’s subjected to the same misogyny that the other girls are. His chest is commented on, he’s forced to be in the beauty pageant, he’s made uncomfortable in the bath scenes-- really, all Atlus did after the reveal was make the problem worse for him.

On top of this, his story never actually meaningfully tackles the problem of misogyny in the detective force. It’s not a major part of his social link or the general plot of the game-- honestly, it’s barely even touched on at all after the initial confrontation. Thus, the idea that “Naoto can’t be trans because it erases a story about misogyny” is just plain untrue. There never was a coherent one in the first place.

Problems Within the Fandom

Despite all of this, there is such an intense backlash from the majority of the fandom if anybody dares to bring up these issues with Naoto’s story. Naoto being trans is generally seen as something ridiculous and stupid, or something to insult and mock people for.

I understand that there's always going to be people who say provocative stuff like this, no matter what anyone does, and that it’s not something exclusive to this particular fandom or character. But the problem is that this rhetoric isn't just from them anymore--the consensus among so much of the fandom seems to be either that Naoto absolutely cannot be trans, or that speaking about it at all is "annoying discourse" and taboo. Even from fans that are LGBT or allies themselves.

This in and of itself is such a telling thing to me. if you find yourself getting angry about the subject, really ask yourself why. Is it such a problem for people to reclaim a transphobic story? Is it such a problem for a character to be trans in the first place? There is room for discussion and nuance regarding this situation, but we have to make it for ourselves. We can accept that Atlus’s base game will never actually give us a coherent story about either misogyny nor being transgender with Naoto’s story. But petty arguments and insults thrown at people who bring up this topic isn’t any of that-- it’s just poorly masked transphobia.

So at the end of the day, no, Naoto being is trans is not “canon.” Of course Naoto would not actually be allowed to be trans, he is a main character in a game series where the only explicitly LGBT characters have been consistently buried, stereotyped, or demonized with only a few rare exceptions.

Yes, you’re allowed to headcanon whatever you want about him. I can’t stop you from wanting a story about misogyny, or from seeing Naoto’s gender as something more fluid than I do. But you can’t ignore the fact that his story, as written in canon, is laden with transphobia despite its intentions. It’s not a ridiculous or harmful thing for trans people to want to reclaim that.

There are still a lot more issues with how Naoto is treated in the game-- especially in his romance route-- but that’s a whole other can of worms I’m not ready to unpack today lol

Hopefully all of this made sense though, and feel free to bring up anything else I may have missed or point out any issues you might have with it :-) Thanks for reading!

#persona 4 #naoto shirogane #p4 #persona #naoto #trans naoto #meta #long post #discourse #misogyny #transphobia #god?? god!! help me #this is literally such a mess lol But #sorry for lack of pictures in the second half also

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crystaljins · 4 years ago

Text

River lead me home | 02

Characters: Seokjin x Reader

Word count: 5.2k

Synopsis: Ever since coming to the human realm when you were child, nothing seems to fit, and this was just supposed to be a simple roadtrip to help you find yourself.

Is that too much to ask for?

Spin-off to A long journey home

Rating: Teens

Notes: I’ve gotten such a fantastic response to this!!! You guys have been so supportive and so thoughtful about my fic and I’m honestly so grateful! This chapter is a bit sad and angsty, but it’s necessary to launch into the adventure bit.

I hope continue to live up to expectations!!

Tags: @blue1928

Masterlist

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 FINAL

The portal to the other realm is located in a far, dark corner of the city you now call home. It is the only way between realms. No human technically knows about it (although you are aware of the incident about a month ago with Taehyung’s new girlfriend) and it’s in a shady enough corner of town that no one really stumbles upon it. The few that do are written off as high as a kite and probably hallucinating. And so the entrance remains unguarded and hidden in plain sight- a fake bathroom door in the back of an alley between a brothel and an antique store with creepy dolls in the window- literally the last public bathroom anyone would use even in emergencies. You tighten your backpack straps and hope the hello kitty on the front doesn’t look too out of place as you step into the alleyway.

Jungkook sits on your shoulders, kicking his legs idly. They bounce against the bright pink straps of your backpack as he glances around the dinghy alleyway. Even in the daytime, the place is a bit eerie and uncomfortable, like at any moment a rogue gang member may leap out and knife you.

“Scared?” Jungkook questions when the silence begins to stretch out between you for an uncomfortably long moment. You swallow past the dryness in your throat.

“N-no.” You say, but the stutter gives you away. You had snuck out of the house that morning under the guise of going to the part time job that you’d been fired from and your mother still felt too guilty about last night’s dinner fiasco to stop you. It’s only a five-day hike. There and back would only take two hours in this world. No one, not even Jin, would be able to work out that you’d ever gone over to the other world. But that’s only if you make it out alive. It’s been thirteen years since you crossed over to this world but as many fond memories as you have of your home realm, you have not forgotten the dangers it held.

Jungkook sighs in annoyance.

“Don’t tell me you’re backing out after thirteen years of angst-ing and being annoying.” He complains. He straights and launches himself off your shoulder to hover in front of you. “Shall I help you?” He asks, hands shoved in the pockets of his little jeans. You have a collection of naked dolls at home as you buy a doll whenever you see a cute outfit for him, and no one wants a doll without the accessories. This particular doll’s outfits consist of a fake blazer, a pair of jeans and a little white tshirt.

“How can you help?” You question, your voice as cautious as warranted when offered aid by a creature small enough to crush in your hand. Jungkook quirks a tiny brow and grins, fluttering closer.

“An old pixie charm for protection and luck.” He says and you miss the slight tick to his jaw as he mutters the words. He flies in close enough to press both hands to the space between your eyebrows. “Close your eyes.” He murmurs.

You follow his request, letting your lids flutter shut and inhaling deeply.

“You need an eyebrow wax. There are a lot of hairs here.” Jungkook mutters.

“Jungkook.” You grit out warningly. You feel his hands flinch in the slightest tickle.

“I’m just saying....” he defends himself before taking a deep breath. A little song that he sings fills your ears. You’ve heard Jungkook singing before- he likes to sing along to whatever comes on the old radio you keep on the roof and sometimes he comes across small mice or moths that are injured and he’ll sing them back to health. This song is different though- darker, and heavier. His voice is normally sweet, but this has an unusual edge to it- it doesn’t sound like a good luck charm. But honestly, you trust Jungkook with your life and so your eyes remain closed until the time peters out. Your eyes open as silence falls and the last of a faint glow to Jungkook’s form fades.

“There.” He says cheerfully. “Now you’ll see the river no matter what!”

You stare at Jungkook for a long moment and gather your courage. It’s stupid but a part of you knows that you won’t ever truly be happy if you don’t do this. It’s a lot to put on seeing a dumb river but as long as you cling to your home realm you will never truly feel settled here. You need a proper goodbye.

“Let’s go.” You say, clutching once more at the bright pink straps of your backpack and moving towards the dingy bathroom door that marks the entrance to a magical world. Jungkook nods and settles back on his favourite perch on your shoulder.

“Where are we going?” A familiar voice sounds from behind you.

If you’re being honest, you’re pretty sure your heart displaces from your chest to the base of your tongue for a moment. You blame being on edge in a dodgy part of town and nerves about travelling to a dangerous realm for the terrified screech you release.

By the time you recover, Jin has a hand clasped over his chest, also recovering from a terrified scream.

“I nearly had a heart attack!” He cries in outrage. Your eyes nearly bug out of your head.

“YOU NEARLY HAD A HEART ATTACK?!” You question incredulously. “What are you doing here?”

Jin blinks and glances around the alley in surprise as if he himself is only just registering where he is.

“I rang your boss.” He admits, folding his arms and leaning against the brick wall. He looks like a model, with the way he artfully deposits himself across the grimy red brick. “And she had some interesting news- that you had been fired almost two weeks ago. Which is weird, because I seem to remember you going to work every day this week. And when I called your mother, she said you had left early for work this morning without talking to her. Imagine my surprise and shock at hearing that!”

You swallow nervously, aware of the way Jin casually eyes you. His stance is relaxed and at ease, but his pose is deceptive. There is a slight tick to his jaw and an unamused glint to his eyes like at any moment he may grab you and launch into his most powerful Jant (Jin rant) yet.

“Oh, funny, that.” You say hesitantly, scrambling for an excuse. “You see, I-“

“You lied to me.” Jin cuts you off. The excuses die in your throat at the hurt in his voice. This... isn’t a Jant. With Jants, Jin’s anger boils over and you can’t get a word in edgewise. Instead, his voice wobbles and his words are slow and meaningful. Like the precise jabs of a needle. “I’ve been sitting here, feeling terrible for you, but this whole time you’ve been lying to me.”

“Jin, I-“ you say, finding your voice in an attempt to defend yourself, but he cuts you off.

“Save the excuses!” He practically snarls. “That’s how you always are! Always making excuses for your behaviour- you never take responsibility for the things you do! It’s like you’re not even trying.”

He kicks off the wall and strides towards you.

“And now? Now what? You were going to run away without telling any of us? None of us would have ever known what happened to you. All your mum would know was that you ran away after a fight with her and disappeared- did you really want that to be her last memory of you? How selfish can you be!” He scolds.

All the desperation to defend yourself drains out of you as the weight of Jin’s words hit you. That really had been what you were about to do. You feel Jungkook stiffen on his perch upon your shoulder and you drop your eyes in shame. He’s… he’s right.

“I’ve made excuses for you.” Jin is not finished. His voice cracks as he says the word. “Every time. Since coming here. I’ve always justified every stupid thing you’ve done- every mess you’ve made. ‘Her dad died, Jin. Of course she’s struggling to settle in.’ I’ve helped you every time because I felt bad for you. I could never stop you because I felt so guilty that my family was whole but yours was broken. And so, I’ve let you step all over me our whole lives, but this is enough. You’ve gone too far today. I’m not going to justify your immature and selfish behaviour anymore.”

Tears well up in your eyes at the mention of your father. You’ve never thought about how your actions may have affected Jin. But in hindsight you can see what it must have been like- having dates interrupted with calls from the hospital. Having to cancel plans with friends to pick you up from job interviews. Coming home from a long day at the hospital and being forced to make you a meal. You’ve been so preoccupied with how inadequate you feel next to him that you’d never considered how hard you were making his life.

“I’m sorry.” You say softly. Jin pauses, and the hard look in his eyes softens and he looks away.

“Look, don’t worry about it. Let’s just go home.” He tells you wearily. You nod meekly, with every intention of following him and putting this whole episode behind you like it’s nothing more than a delirious fever dream. But then something strange happens. Every muscle in your body locks up.

Panic races through you- you’re paralysed. Jin has already turned and is making his way back up towards the entrance to the alleyway, but your body won’t follow despite your desperate attempts to move.

“(Y/N),” Jungkook says urgently from your shoulder. “I have something to tell you-“

Jin interrupts him.

“What are you doing?” He demands. “Let’s go!”

“I can’t.” Is all you manage to choke out. There’s a weird tugging sensation in your body, like every molecule within you is being pulled. Jin’s eyes widen with anger.

“You’re kidding me!” He cries. “You mean after all of this, you’re still thinking of yourself?”

“It’s not that.” You protest pathetically. “Jin, I can’t move-“

“Save it!” Jin snaps. “For a moment I fooled myself again- I thought maybe you could be mature and I was almost ready to apologise, but as usual, I overestimated you. You really are the selfish brat I’ve always thought you were. Fine. Go to your stupid realm.”

Your eyes widen. Up until this point, you couldn’t get a word in to defend yourself because Jin was painfully right in everything he said. But... his final words are like a punch to your gut. Because, as much of a pain as you are, Jin has never given up on you before. Even the times where he would have been justified in doing so like the time you crashed his car trying to save a kitten on the side of the road. And even that day, back in highschool… that hadn’t been him giving up on you. But this time… all the warmth is gone from his eyes. He’s never looked at you quite like this before. The feeling is strange- like he’s torn open your rib cage with his hands and is snickering at your bruised heart. Until this moment you didn’t even know Jin had the power to hurt you in the way that he has.

“Jin.” You say softly. Tears stream down your face and you never get the chance to explain yourself.

“(Y/N)!” Jungkook cries again. “About the charm I just cast-“

A loud, eerie creaking cuts him off. Both you and Jin shift your gazes- the decrepit fake bathroom door slowly opens. The poorly oiled hinges release pained screeches as the darkness behind the door reveals itself. You both stare in confusion- the door doesn’t have the ability to open itself. One has to open it to be able to cross over into the other world. And though you’ve only seen the portal once before, you know it shouldn’t be black like that.

“What-“ Jin begins to ask, and then something horrible happens. A tendril of darkness shoots out like a whip and wraps around your wrist. You stare down in horror, but your body still will not obey- it does not allow you to attempt to wrench your hand free. Jin looks from you to the door, connected by the dark, rope like substance, and all the colour drains from his face.

Another whip like movement follows and suddenly your wrists and ankles are encircled by the same odd tendrils. You feel a powerful tug and your arms and legs are pulled backwards towards the portal.

“What’s going on?” Jin demands. Jungkook has been thrown off balance by the pull- he grips onto the material of your shirt and flaps his wings in an attempt to stay balanced.

“She has to see the river!” It’s Jungkook that calls, his voice high with distress. Jin turns a horrified look to the small pixie. Another yank has you stumbling backwards and then a steady pull slowly drags you to the door. “I... I put a spell on her!” He confesses.

Your heart drops in the same moment that Jin’s expression changes. You’ve never seen such an expression on his face. You’ve known him all your life, even when you lived in the other realm, and you thought you had seen every expression he had to give. But you have never seen such a look of pure, unadulterated fear on his handsome face before. You are a mere metre from the door now, still being dragged backwards and your body does not allow you to fight it.

“She has to see the river- the realm will not let her go until she does.” Jungkook cries, and Jin’s horrified expression changes. It sets with determination as he processes Jungkook’s words, like lava cooling into hard rock.

With long, sure strides, he turns back around and marches up the alley way, away from you. You are moved back, centimetre by centimetre and more tendrils snake out of the portal, wrapping around your arms, your torso, your legs, your throat. Gradually as you move closer the shadow seems to absorb your body into it. He’s… he’s leaving you, to get dragged forcefully into the other realm. To a place you could lose your life and he would never know. Panic fills you in a way it never has before- Jin has really, genuinely given up on you.

In your life, despite its ups and downs, there has always been one constant. And as much as you loathe to admit it, that constant has been Kim Seokjin. Even as a child, Jin was the one you’d drag along on adventures. He was the one you turned to when human children bullied you at school or when ex boyfriends dumped you. He was the one who held you in his arms every year on the anniversary of your father’s death. He drove you to school every day when he got his licence before you; he helped you move into your apartment when you were living away from home for college. Every step of your entire life, you’ve always had Jin there to support you. And you realise, for the first time, that he may not always be there- that Jin, just like anyone else out there, can and will give up on you.

But the day that he does that isn’t today, for right as he is about to step out of the alleyway, he pauses.

And then, in a burst of inhuman speed you’ve never seen him use in the thirteen years since coming to the human realm, he is before you. You are no more than a centimetre from the portal. but Jin does not hesitate as he wraps his arms around you. He pulls you in close and tight and his hands curve protectively around the back of your skull.

The last sensation you are aware of before the darkness envelops you is the steady rise and fall of his broad shoulders as he squeezes his eyes shut and falls into the darkness with you in his arms.

++++

When you finally rouse, it is to the distant sound of birdsong and the soft, earthy smell of a forest floor. As you blearily open your eyes, you find you are lying on your back, gazing at the way sunlight is filtered to emerald green through the luscious canopy above. The air is thick with a sensation you haven’t felt rush against your skin for thirteen years. The air writhes with the painfully familiar sensation of magic. It leaves you feeling more alive then you’ve felt in a long time.

Only, when you attempt to sit up, you find your body weighed down. Surprised, you gaze down as your midsection to find a masculine arm curled protectively over it. And your head does not press into the hard forest floor- instead it rests against the careful cushion of someone’s palm. You trace the arm thrown over your stomach with your eyes back up to its owner and register the broad shoulders. They slope towards a pale throat, a sharp jawline, familiar, full lips. Something molten bursts in your chest as you take in Jin’s face. It is similar to relief, but it burns hotter and more intensely. He didn’t leave you- he stayed with you. Despite how mad he was, despite your fight... Jin has chosen you. You swallow deeply and take a moment to soak in his features. It is rare that you get to study his features with such intensity- if he ever caught you staring, he would scowl. Jin loves when everyone except you appreciates his face. He lives for the ego boost other people can provide him but with you, your admiration has always been a burden to him.

He looks so peaceful, with his lashes fluttering gently against defined cheekbones, his face free of any scowl or frown. He looks young like this, and smaller than he is in your head. You’ve always thought of the three years between you as a huge amount- his personality is so big and so is his presence in your life. But seeing him small and vulnerable like this, you realise with a pang that Jin was only fourteen when you first arrived in the human realm. He was little more than a child as well yet since such a young age he’s had to play the role of mature adult for your sake. Your expression crumples with guilt. Have you really been that blind to how you were affecting him?

Jin’s lashes begin to flutter more, and you are seized with fear- you are not prepared to face him, after the things he has said to you. How can you be? Your heart throbs with shame and you are about to pull away from the safe embrace of his arms but as he rouses his arms tighten around you.

“Where’s the mosquito?” He groans. His eyes aren’t open, so you’re left staring in confusion.

“Huh?” You answer dumbly. He blinks one eye open and somehow, he manages to glare at you with just one eye. He seems completely unfazed by the way he holds you tightly in his arms.

“The. Mosquito.” He repeats darkly. A familiar fluttering sounds behind you and Jin’s hand shoots out using his enhanced-guardian reaction time.

“Ouch!” Jungkook cries and you crane your head to find Jin has easily seized the pixie in his fist. He yanks his arm out from underneath you and sits up, holding Jungkook before him. You wince when your head bangs against the ground, before following suit and sitting up. The forest air is oddly cool without his arms around you.

“You have five seconds to explain before I pull out the bug spray.” Jin snarls at the small creature. Jungkook struggles uselessly against Jin’s fist, pounding tiny hands against his knuckles.

“Let me go!” Jungkook cries. “You stupid big oaf! You’re going to crush me!”

You are about to rush to Jungkook’s aid but a firm glare from Jin has you freezing in your spot like a chastened puppy. You hang your head while Jungkook continues to attempt to squirm free.

“What did you do to her? So help me, you stupid cricket, tell me right now or I’m finding the nearest fly swatter.” Jin questions and there is a lethal fury to his tone that has never been there before.

“I already told you! I thought guardians were supposed to have good memory.” Jungkook whines, his wings flapping faster and faster until they are just a shimmering blur. Jin’s fist tightens just a fraction and Jungkook squeaks with pain.

“Jungkook.” Jin calls warning. Jungkook sighs and slumps defeatedly against the fist that holds him. His arms fall limply against Jin’s knuckles, which loosen at Jungkook’s defeat.

“A promise spell.” He finally says. “So that she can’t back out of seeing the river.”

“What river?” Jin demands. He whirls on you for explanation and you flinch.

“The Dancing River!” You confess fearfully. Jin glares for a moment longer- you briefly consider that maybe instead of being a doctor he should be a detective since he seems to be so good at getting confessions from people. Jin blinks in confusion and his expression fogs slightly as he struggles to recall the significance and existence of such a river.

“The… ‘the river loves those who take the plunge’.” He recalls. He frowns. “Why there?”

You flush and look away.

“He… he wanted me to see it.” You admit. Jin is silent- he does not need to ask who the ‘he’ is that you’re talking about. He bites his lip and scrubs a hand over his face. It is the hand that had been holding the back of your head when you fell. The knuckles of said hand are now scraped and bleeding- rivulets of blood trace paths over the back of his hand. It is already starting to heal, but the dried blood remains. Your heart squeezes in your chest at the sight- you did that to him. He is hurt because of your actions. It’s just another painful reminder of who you’ve been to Jin all these years.

“Why the hell would you cast a spell like that on her?” Jin finally asks, unable to face you. Instead he turns the force of his anger on the tiny pixie who has once again started attempting to break free from Jin’s iron hold.

“So that she would have to see the river. Obviously.” Jungkook spits at his captor. Jin’s eyes bug out of his head.

“YOU NINNY!” He shouts and both you and Jungkook flinch at the sudden boom of his voice cutting through the faint forest sounds. The birdsong goes eerily quiet in answer, but Jin does not notice. “DO YOU REALISE WHAT YOU’VE DONE? SHE CAN’T GO BACK HOME UNTIL SHE SEES THE RIVER NOW!”

“I mean… obviously I realise what I’ve done.” Jungkook sulks. He looks at Jin like Jin is stupid. “That’s why I put the spell on her. So that she couldn’t go home until she saw it.”

“Why?” Jin cries. “Why would you force her to see some stupid river?”

Jungkook pauses to consider why he would do such a strange thing, before pointing accusingly at you. You blink, staring in confusion at the tip of his tiny index finger.

“Because she won’t shut up until she does.” Jungkook says. “She’s going to keep being miserable and sulky and annoying until she gets what she wants- do you really want to put up with that for the rest of your life?”

Both Jin and Jungkook turn their heads in eerie unison to stare contemplatively at you. You shrink under their gaze. Jin sighs in defeat and releases Jungkook from his clutches. Jungkook crows in delight and darts away, flapping his wings cheerfully. Jin just continues to stare at you.

“Why didn’t you say something?” He asks quietly, almost drowned out beneath the sound of Jungkook celebrating his freedom. “If you were upset and you just wanted to come here for a quick trip, we could have told your mother and gone together. Instead, you lied to us and snuck off so that we’d never have known what happened to you! And I… I thought you were leaving forever. That you were running off without saying goodbye. I wouldn’t have… I wouldn’t have been as mad if I’d known it was just a quick trip.”

Jin’s heartfelt confession has you choked up and you duck your head to hide the guilty tears that well up in your eyes. In all honesty… You don’t really deserve a friend like him. The fact that he is here, with you, in this realm, is testament to the kind of person he is. He couldn’t leave you, even when you’d hurt him and that makes you feel sick to your stomach. Your eyes flick to where his hand rests at his side. It is completely healed now but the dried blood remains. Jin does not seem to have noticed he’s even injured.

“Well then let’s go!” Jungkook says, finally stilling from his excited zooming through the air. “Let’s see that river and get this over and done with!”

You nod, and get to your feet, dusting the dirt off your pants and stretching your hand out, towards Jin.

“Let’s go.” You tell him. Instead of accepting it and letting you pull him to his feet, however, Jin just stares at your hand in confusion. He gazes up at you and you don’t understand the expression on his face. He glances down at his apple watch, which has somehow survived the transition between realms unscathed. It lights up with the time back in the human realm. He swallows nervously.

“I… I actually had plans, (Y/N). In the other realm.” He says softly. You drop your hand when he gets to his feet himself and awkwardly dusts himself off. He spots the blood and winces, grabbing at the hem of his shirt in an attempt to wipe it off. He shoots a furtive look at you. “I… You didn’t even plan to have me along for this trip.” He points out. The blood smears across his shirt. Wordlessly, you pull off your backpack and pull out a bottle of water and a small towel. You dampen the towel and grab his hand, gently wiping off the dried blood without looking at him.

“Yeah.” You admit softly. “I was supposed to only be gone for two hours.” He nods and bites his lip as he watches you clean the last of the blood off.

“I’m not bound to this realm.” He says. “I can go back and wait for you. And if you… if you don’t come back, I can tell Auntie where you’ve gone.”

“You could.” You say softly. Jungkook has gone quiet, watching the exchange between the two of you. His wings hold him aloft in the air as he wisely chooses not to interfere. You release Jin’s hand, now clean of the blood. The skin under it is already fully healed- no one would ever know he had hurt himself in the first place apart from a faint discolouration.

“Then… it’s settled? You two can finish your journey and I can go back home?” He asks. You don’t respond for a moment, still scrutinising the faint, discoloured mark on the back of his hand. Finally, you look up and you can’t really explain the expression on his face. His eyes are sad, resigned. But he almost looks like he’s in pain- like he’s doing something that is hurting him. You suppose it’s always been like that for him- you, at the expense of himself. And you can’t keep asking him to do that anymore. Because Jin is just as important to you as you are to him, and for too long you’ve allowed your relationship to be too one-sided. It is well past the time Jin should have been allowed to live his own life, with his own friends. You shouldn’t have dragged him backwards while clinging as desperately to the past as you did.

“It’s settled.” You finally say. It’s weird- you don’t know why you just expected that he would come along with you. But obviously, if he’s not stuck here like you are, and if he has commitment back home… why would he come with you? He has far better things to do, and this can be your first step in being less selfish towards him. Letting him live his life. “Have fun with your plans.”

Jin nods, seeming mildly surprised, glancing over his shoulder where the portal back to the human realm is a few metres behind him. His eyebrows both fly up. It’s almost like he expected you to protest. He clears his throat awkwardly.

“Good! Good. I will. I’ll… I’ll have fun. So then… I’ll see you off and then I’ll go back.” He says quickly. You nod and glance at Jungkook, who continues to watch the two of you. He’s almost curious, in the way he watches the interaction between the two of you.

“Let’s go then.” You tell the pixie, who nods and lands on your shoulder, his favourite seat.

“See ya, Mr. Guardian.” He says, as a farewell to Jin. Jin squints at him and offers him an acknowledging nod.

“If anything happens to her, I’m tying you to a bug-zapper.” He tells Jungkook, almost cheerfully. He turns and regards you, with a half-smile. “And don’t think I won’t find out if you do anything stupid. Taehyung knows this realm very well and can definitely find your body.”

Despite the dark humour, you find yourself smiling. You shake your head.

“Just go, already.” You urge him. You hesitate for a moment, before stepping in close and pulling him into a hug. Jin smells familiar and warm- like the scent of home mixed with expensive cologne. You don’t know how long it will be before you see him again, but you don’t like leaving things between you on this note. Jungkook makes a noise of annoyance, launching himself backwards off your shoulder to avoid the hug. “I’m sorry. For everything.”

It takes Jin a moment, before he snakes his arms around your waist and pulls you in tightly. He tucks his face into the crook of your neck and shoulder.

“I know.” He answers, before pulling away. “Now hurry up. You’ve got to get back and apologise to your mother asap, you hear me?”

You nod, before retrieving your hello kitty backpack and slinging it once more over your shoulders. Jin watches the two of you with an unreadable expression as you finally turn away and begin to march eastwards, where you know you’ll find the first landmark on your hike.

He watches until you are both gone from view before turning back towards the portal.

After all, you both have separate paths to take.

#kim seokjin x reader #jin x reader #kim seokjin scenario #castlebangtan #bts scenario #writing

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castlevania-afterdark-imagines · 5 years ago

Text

Fem s/o soft-doms Isaac (pt. 2)

Click here for pt1!

It was going to happen. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but Isaac was certain of the fact he was going to kill Godbrand.

After he had patiently waited for so long, his beloved was going to give him exactly what she'd promised. She, already bare before him, hadn't even managed to remove his outer layers before that neanderthal had kicked open the door. He was blathering on about Isaac's presence being needed and he figured this was the place to check since the forge was empty. Isaac didn't know if the vampire had seen anything before the forgemaster managed to bolt to the door and slam it shut, to the very satisfying thud of the old oak colliding with the vampire's face.

He was ready to go out and stake the bastard right then, but a twittering of laughter behind him brought his eyes back. She was covering her mouth, giggling. Of course she would find this entertaining. Her thighs were still damp from her release. Isaac however, felt as though his insides were being clenched tight between two gears.

To his mild horror she stood and started to assemble her underclothes back onto her body. He didn't realize his palms were still pressing against the door until she glanced up and smiled, giving the gentle order of, "Stay there for a moment.” After taking inventory of his stance, he immediately felt a wave of revulsion. The position reminded him of darker times, cruel punishments, cold hands. But he did not have to think on it longer than a few breaths before she appeared, slipped under his arms to put herself between him and the door. Her hands went to hold his face and he sighed, relief flooding his veins.

"Beloved-"

She shushed him, standing on her toes to kiss both corners of his mouth. "It's alright. Go take care of whatever it is, and I'll wait here for you."

He snorted in frustration but nodded. Yes, if they were going to have any peace this night he'd have to go see what exactly was so important to warrant the intrusion. And make it very clear that no one else was going to want to demand his attention again, unless they wanted a blade in their gut.

"Maybe I'll go find some wine, while I wait," she offered, slipping back out under his other arm, trailing her fingers across his torso as she went. "We could have dinner here, just the two of us. What do you think?"

Isaac chuckled, looking at his palms still placed on the wood. Funny, he did not mind this position so much when he could still feel the heat from her palms on his cheeks. He straightened his back, looking over his shoulder at her. "That sounds perfect."

- - - - -

It had been a trivial matter, because of course it would be. Hector was already doing a fine job of wrangling in the bickering between the generals, it was the addition of a partially blinded gaibon coming through a third story window that made things exciting. Isaac left the calming of the beast to Hector, while he made quick work of silencing the vampires back to their rooms until their Lord Dracula returned to settle the current debate. Hector made to thank the other forgemaster but one sharp look was enough to tell him that gratitudes could be given later. However, that didn’t ease the knowing smirk from his face, giving a quick perk of his eyebrows before turning to guide the struggling creature to his quarters.

Isaac didn’t mind Hector knowing of his affairs, not the details perhaps but it had been at his suggestion that he could both juggle his obligations to the war while entertaining the company of the woman he was so suddenly smitten by. Also, Isaac was in no place to snipe at Hector for that knowing look when he’d already caught him hilted between his lady’s legs in a previously unoccupied corridor.

Twice.

But he would have time to check in with Hector later. Right now, his focus was rapidly narrowing to finding the fastest route back to her chambers and a hopefully occupied bed. He left the great hall in a flourish, ignoring the dirty looks from the vampire guards. His heels clicked on the stone and announced his advancement down the halls, though he could barely hear it over the rushing of blood in his ears. It was only by the gracing of his robes that he’d managed to conceal his arousal upon entering the hall earlier, and while the tension had subsided quite a bit he could still feel the press of her hands on his cheeks, the brush of her slipper against his crotch. Would he be jumped upon his return? Or would she taunt him further over his supper?

As he tried to quell the onslaught of mental noise he glanced upon one of the many potted urns that decorated this particular wing of the castle. It was one of the few wings with windows left uncovered, a convenient deterrent to any vampires who might otherwise wander this way, but it also made for a convenient way to grow medicinal herbs in an ever moving structure. His eyes glimpsed a patch of aconite, fully in bloom, their purple color almost blended into the dark stonework behind them. His lips pursed into a small smirk. It might be a bit off color for him, but this whole evening was… experimental. He crossed to the flowers, flicking his knife from it’s casing, and cut three stalks long enough to be held in one of the water decanters he kept in his chamber. She had done a thorough job of courting him this week, he could return the favor.

When he finally arrived at the door he noted a slight gap, the latch carefully balanced to be only a breath from falling open. He took a moment to lament that this likely meant he was not going to find her strewn naked on her bed, they were more careful than that, but he all the same took the grace to rap softly on the door.

“Come in, Isaac.” He huffed a laugh, pushing open the door and carefully hiding the blossoms behind his back. “How did you know it was me?” he teased, gazing up to find her perched on the edge of her armchair in a brilliant burgundy robe, a small table of assorted meats and breads nearby along with a very elegant bottle of what he presumed to be wine. “I could have been a starved beast, prowling for his next victim.”

“Beasts do not knock,” she quipped back, standing and tightening the sash around her middle. “Especially when they are approaching their 'victims'.” She let him close the door and lock it, smiling at him fondly until he began to cross the floor towards her. Then she picked up on his carefully hidden arm and bit her lip to hold back a laugh, halting his progress with a held up palm. “What have you got?”

Isaac simply shrugged, giving her a beat to roll her eyes and cross her arms in an entirely over dramatic display of popped hip and tossed hair. Then he broke, chuckling at her and holding out the flowers. Immediately she clapped her hands to her chest, cooing in approval before reaching to carefully take them from his outstretched palm. “Perhaps it is a bit unusual to bring gifts so late in our courtship, but I thought you would approve nonetheless.” He felt his chest puff a bit in pride as she made a show of smelling them, canting her head in mock shyness behind the blooms. What caught him off guard was when she then stepped right up to him, pulled his face down by the back of his neck, and positively stole any remaining thoughts from his mind with her lips on his own.

Much like earlier she was slow but deliberate, purring her contentment across their mixed breaths and using her grip on him to guide his position to her liking. Just when he remembered how to make use of his arms and made to touch her waist it was over and she was flitting away to put the flowers in a spare glass with water. “They’re lovely Isaac, thank you.”

His hands flexed for a moment in the empty air before he shook his head, it seemed the game was still on then. “Much as you are, beloved. I apologise for leaving you to wait for so long.” With a small flick of her wrist she didn't pay mind to his apology, just settled the blooms into the glass. He wasn't quite sure if it was on purpose, but he felt the embers in his gut spark back to life as he admired the way the thin fabric clung to her frame. The drapes clinging to her hips in particular…

"Yes, Isaac?" Her purr snapped his eyes back to her face. Oh yes, she was doing this on purpose now. Both of her hands placed delicately on the table in front of her, rump pressed back just enough to exaggerate the pose.

"Do I not have your permission to admire such a pristine display?" He smirked, glowing under the tittering of giggles that fell from her lips.

"You do. But," she paused, lengthening her spine and stretching her arms over her head, the sleeves falling back to reveal the soft skin of her forearms while the waterfall of fabric from her waist down fell away to hide her form again. "You also have permission to ask for more."

That word again. Empty in specifics, and yet it sent a thrill through him. "I always want more when it comes to you. It seems nothing in this world can satisfy me as long as you are present." She smirked over her shoulder at him, lowering her arms and trailing her fingers over the fringe of the robe that was slowly parting across her collarbones. When her hands stopped again she hummed, raising her eyebrow at him. Isaac remembered to breathe, but was still unsure of how to play this game. He flipped through the mental pages of the evening. Right, he was supposed to be asking for things. And praying it would be in her interest to provide them. "May I see more of you?"

She grinned, tugging carefully to loosen the collar of the robe around her neck. Isaac wet his lips absently as she carefully drew the fabric down over one shoulder. She gave it an exaggerated roll accompanied with a toss of her hair and he found himself spiraling even faster into admiration for her jovial antics. She never let him dwell, never made things too serious. Always a game, never an obligation. He laughed when she turned and shimmied her shoulders, the tops of her breasts bouncing out from behind the fabric without fully revealing themselves. The mirth left him grinning and he ran a hand over his face, closing his eyes to steal against the borderline ludacris (lewdacris) display. "Please, beloved, you have tempted me for weeks already. You know I desire you, mind, body, and soul. Will you ask me to be so deliberate with my words even now, in the state that I am?"

"And what state is that?" Her voice was much closer than anticipated, and his eyes opened to see her standing before him. At the present angle he could look directly down the part of her robe, over her chest, which he did before meeting her sparkling gaze.

"Hungry."

She quirked an eyebrow, gesturing at the tray of food nearby with an open palm. He puffed a breath of annoyance through his nose, the air ruffling the delicate fabric catching on her nipples.

"You know what I hunger for."

"I do," she purred, hands dropping to her waist and loosening the sash to let the robe fall open. The forgemaster felt his heart jump to his eyes, she was completely bare beneath and the faintest waft of her perfume graced him upon the reveal. "I will do my best to satisfy you Isaac, you have done everything I asked. I did not think it was possible for you to leave me so…" She hummed softly, stretching up on her toes to wrap her arms around his shoulders. Carefully she pressed against him, he could feel her warmth through his layers and groaned when she placed a small kiss on his earlobe. "Enthralled."

Isaac groaned through pursed lips, fighting to keep his arms pinned at his sides even as she laved kisses down his neck, purring and cooing her satisfaction as she felt him harden against her thighs. He prayed to every nameless god that she wouldn't bring him to climax this way, he had not waited this long to ruin his pants and his pride over provocative writhing. Finally she took mercy on him. "Carry me to the bed, Isaac."

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure," he growled, barely finishing his sentence before her hands were on his face and directing him into another breath stealing kiss. She ground her body against his and his hands remembered their purpose in life, grabbing greedily at her ass and lifting her into his arms. She moaned into his mouth, gasping breaths escaping between their lips as he crossed the floor to her bed. Once he set her down he meant to push her down, but she resisted and remained sitting up as she broke their kiss with a careful drag of teeth across his lower lip.

"Will you perform this last task for me?" she asked softly, running her fingers down his cheeks to follow the collar of his tunic.

"Yes," he hissed immediately, not caring what it was going to be. He would wrangle the sun out of the sky if it would allow him into her bed at this moment.

She scooted back to sit at the headboard propping herself up among the pillows. Deliberately she spread her legs as she let the robe fall from her shoulders, pooling around her hips like an oasis of silk. Isaac felt himself quiver as he watched her trace one hand down her sternum, over her belly, pausing just as her index finger brushed her lips. He heard her shudder a breath free hand jumping up to her mouth. She moaned softly, dragging her fingers over the already wet folds, but not yet parting them.

"Undress," she murmured, the phrase forcing his eyes up from the display she was putting on for him. It took another moment for the command to parse, his hands balancing on the edge of the bed, his breathing already laborious. When it finally caught fire he immediately straightened up, grabbing at the hem of his outer layers before he heard a small tutting from her. “S-slowly,” she ordered, pausing in her ministrations. Isaac pursed his lips, taking a slow inhale while he forced his body to still. As he stopped she slowly started pleasuring herself again, reclining back among the pillows and splaying her legs wide for him to watch. He felt a thrill tremor through his torso as he started again to remove his clothing at an agonizing pace. When she didn’t stop he tried just a little faster, only to lament when he watched her pause again. Though admittedly, she did not look thrilled about stopping either. “You enjoy this,” he mused softly, returning to the horrible pace that made the pull of cloth on his skin feel like grains of sand. She chuckled a little, rolling her shoulders and moaning softly as she carefully pressed a finger inside herself. “As do you,” she cooed back, breath hitching a little as she fought to keep composure. Isaac felt himself laugh, but he was more focused on trying to get his tunic over his head fast enough to not miss a simple movement of hers but slow enough that she wouldn’t stop again. She seemed to give him mercy when he tossed it off over his head and froze again, letting a beat hang in the air before his hands went to his trousers.

The game continued for what felt like ages, with her sometimes stopping just to see if he was still paying attention. By the time he was blissfully naked she had nearly worked herself flat on the bed, writhing and panting softly as she worked herself over. The blood was rushing in his ears and he nearly broke composure. Surely she wouldn’t object if the game could be considered completed, if he could hilt himself inside her as fast as his mortal body would allow. But something kept him rooted, the pleasant buzzing in his skull as he watched her, eyes half lidded as she held his gaze. Spellbound he waited, cock very proudly displaying his interest until she finally removed her hand from herself, fingers glistening and he heard himself groan softly. Finally she smirked and gestured lazily with the slick digits for him to approach. “Are you ready for your reward, my love?”

“Yes,” he hissed, crawling onto the bed, all other words faded from his mind. Her legs parted further to allow him to kneel between them and he took her raised hand between both of his. Her scent reached him and he sighed blissfully, bending his head to kiss her knuckles but pausing to catch her eyes. She gave a little nod and he continued, pressing careful kisses from her knuckles down to her carefully groomed fingernails. It took a present mind to not lick his lips as her juices stained them, but then when he’d reached the end of each finger he caved, sucking the tips of her index and middle fingers and pressing his tongue to the soft skin. He heard her moan, felt her legs shake against his thighs and continued. Any other evening he might be bothered by how depraved he might look, cleaning her fingers like a dog might try to remove the sinew from a bone, but each fluttering of her breath kept him enraptured with his task.

Too soon she pulled her hand away, which he regretfully released, but he couldn’t dwell long on the disappointment when she sat up, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Take me, Isaac, you’ve earned it.”

Any other night Isaac knew he would have behaved one hair short of a feral beast and leapt at the opportunity, but something kept him tethered, laboriously slow. At her words he moaned, pressing his face into her neck, lowering the two of them down to the strewn pillows, wrapping one arm around her middle while the other reached between their grinding bodies to position himself. He was acutely aware of the kisses she left on his brow, the whimpering cry she tried to stifle by his ear when he pressed in, but every other modicum of thought was preoccupied with her warmth and the burning trails it left on his skin. When he was fully buried inside her he gasped, legs flexing and back tensing with the effort it took to not climax immediately. Everything bled away into the press of skin on skin, her neck finding its way between his teeth, their arms wrapped around each other like leather bindings. Nothing but friction, heat, and the satisfaction he felt in his core with each thrust that made her cry his name. When he quickly reached his breaking point he could barely speak, only a fumbling of “please” and “I can’t” spilled from his lips. By some cosmic grace she only replied with a flurry of “yes” and “hurry”. He was sure his heart stopped when he came, body trembling and hands gripping her body like he might shatter without a frame to hold onto. The squeeze of her legs around his hips and shaking of her body beneath him told him everything, her satisfaction, her release, his purpose.

When his mind finally pieced back together he was vaguely aware they had simply collapsed, he was still inside her, and she was running her fingers down his spine. When he made to move, grunting as his arms refused to obey orders, she shushed him, squeezing a little around his shaft which made him quiver. “Not yet,” she purred.

He chuckled, testing his motor functions in his legs by flexing his muscles and curling his toes. “At least let me adjust so that I am no longer crushing you.” He heard her hum in contemplation, clearly unconvinced that was a better option than the current position she was in, which forced a laugh from him. He scooted his arm underneath her mid back lower, giving the top of her butt a light pinch. She yelped, lightly slapping his back with her hands before shimmying to roll him off her. The cool shock of air to his dick from the sudden withdrawal made him shiver, but he continued to chortle as she fussed and rubbed the spot he’d pinched. He laid back and tugged an edge of the duvet over his lower half, still pleasurably pliant as he relaxed among the pillows. When she settled again, curling up against his chest he positioned his arm behind her head to use as a pillow, the two of them murmuring in pleasure at the warmth of the other’s skin. “Was that alright?” she asked softly, tracing patterns over his chest with her index finger. “I hope you were not frustrated with me.” Isaac rolled his eyes, nudging his hip against her. “I was frustrated, but that does not mean it was an unpleasant experience.” He felt her tilt her head on his chest to look at him, but he was still enjoying the blissfully limp sensation pulsing through his body. “It was nice to not think, to not have to contemplate my next move. I did not think I would enjoy it as much as I did.” He felt her purr of satisfaction on his chest and bent his arm to wrap better around her shoulders, brush his fingertips along her arm.

“Soooo, tomorrow?” He sighed, using his free arm to reach up and grab a pillow. She sensed the attack before he could drop it on her face and rolled away, eyes lit up with playful energy. Isaac smirked at her, rolling onto his side and propping his head up on his fist. “Tomorrow, beloved, I repay you for your incessant teasing.” She bit her lip at that, sitting back on her heels and cocking her head to the tone of ‘Is that so?’. “Oh yes, I think I will render you boneless by the time I’m through with you. It is only fair.”

In his mind it was a promise, even if that meant locking every vampire in their coffin the next night to guarantee it came to fruition. -Mod Soviet

#isaac #fem reader #mod soviet #imagines #Castlevania

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alkhale · 5 years ago

Note

Omg omg can one of the causes of fights between mini shanks n mini mihawks be bcs Hoku doesn't call him "Brat" ????

(First scene Mihawk is fifteen, next scene is 16 along with Shanks, best reference is the young Mihawk Oda drew but I found a slightly older version someone made, it’s colored by a deviantart user but I don’t know who the original artist is so credits to them!)

When fifteen-year-old Mihawk finally woke up, wild, ink black hair pushed back over his headit was to something soft and warm beneath his head and the flash, secondary instinct to grab his sword at his side, as though the hilt and his palm were connected entirely.

And then a soft laugh hit his ears.

A simple click and the memories returned, easy and a bit bitter to swallow, but he was not a fool and he was not an idiot.

Dracule Mihawk, on a quest to become the strongest swordsman alive, had challenged the current reigning king of said title, and lost. Quickly, decisively and fairly. There was nothing more to dwell on the matter aside from his own lack of discipline, of training, and of certain skill.

Though such an action very much might have warranted losing his life, he was not dead.

Mihawk half turned to the woman who was waiting behind him, kneeling with a warm grin playing on her lips that allowed a thin glint of white from a canine of hers to peek out.

“You’re a funny one, aren’t you?” Hoku said, “I’m never sure how to handle types like yours.”

Mihawk remained silent for a moment, dropping his eyes down to his hands. He considered their scabbed, rough feel hidden behind now clean white bandages. He touched his chest where he was no longer bleeding, tight white bandages wrapping neatly around him along with nothing but a bruise along the side of his face where the legendary Wado Ichimonji had decked him sideways and knocked him into the ocean without mercy.

“I did not ask to be treated,” Mihawk said calmly.

Hoku looked even more amused now, eyes a little half-lidded when she looked at him. Her heavy, sturdy coat hung over her shoulders but was pushed back to reveal the warm tan of steady arms–hands that knew work. He could clearly see the outline of her own blade–a notable, ungraded and legendary short sword by the name of Mau who earned its reputation far and wide.

This woman, Mihawk knew. He did not concern himself with the particulars of the legendary Straw Hat crew aside from their captain, Zoro, whom he longed to beat, and this woman, Hoku, since she was the only other crew member to carry a sword.

“I know,” Hoku said. Mihawk realized she had moved his head to her lap while he was unconscious. “I only did your hands, by the way. Chopper did the rest.”

Mihawk continued to stare at her.

“He thinks you have potential,” Hoku said simply. “You trim buds, but you don’t kill them off before they can bloom, do you?”

He understood now why he made it out with his life.

“You fight with that blade,” Mihawk said, though he posed it as a question. Hoku seemed to be considering whether or not he was worthy of an answer and he took no offense to this. He did not know of this woman’s skill, but he knew it existed. She had earned her rank and place. Her sword spoke to that.

“Not as much anymore,” Hoku said instead. “The two of us are a bit retired now and I definitely don’t take challenges like that monster. I’m more of an artist at heart.”

Mihawk had heard about that too. “But you craft.”

There was something pleased in her expression by his knowledge of this, though a touch wary. It made Mihawk a bit more interested himself. He turned, on his knees as he faced her with his hands on his lap.

“Yes,” Hoku said, a little warm. “I do.”

She tilted her head to the side for a moment, as though listening. “That’s a good sword. It kept you safe for now. It’ll do what it can to bring you as far as it can go.”

Mihawk touched his hilt and then looked at Hoku.He stared at her for a moment longer than he would have liked and then stood. Hoku blinked, curious as he remained standing before he promptly bowed to her.

“Thank you.”

And then Mihawk turned, a young man and his sword, and left.

Hoku watched him until he disappeared, a small, fond little huff escaping her lips.

“Told you there’s no point in talking to him,” a lazy voice called above her. Hoku didn’t even look, shrugging helplessly as heavy feet came to rest behind her. “Not much of a chatterbox.”

“Neither are you,” Hoku said. She rubbed the back of her neck, “Dunno. I just feel like you won’t see people like him often. He’s a bit cute. Like a stray, maybe?”

“You called that golden axe the other day cute too,” Zoro snorted. Hoku leaned back against his legs, rolling her shoulders and stretching her arms high as she relaxed. “Might have to give him a scar to remember next time.”

“Ah, you’re soft on him,” Hoku said. “You like him.”

“Brat’s gonna come for my head next time.”

“I dunno, can’t you guys trade titles in the future without chopping each other’s heads off?”

Zoro set a hand down on her head. His fingers splayed out and Hoku turned to look up at him.

“That eager for me to kick the bucket?”

“Oh, please,” Hoku mused, tipping her head into Zoro’s hand. Her humored her, leaving it there for now and curving his fingers below her chin. “I don’t plan on letting anyone take your head anytime soon.”

Hoku made a face. “I’m speaking for Luffy, not for me.”

“Yeah, yeah, get off your lazy ass. I need a coating.”

“I’ll charge you one day for all you owe me. Nami’s keeping track.”

- - - -

Shanks really was lucky.

He had felt good about this beach the moment his crew set anchor on the other side of the harbor. He and Buggy were racing to see who could find the biggest and best catch and bring it back to the ship by dawn–

And truly, this was without a doubt, the best catch.

He knew it was her in an instant. It’d been a little while and he’d only caught glimpses of her in the newspapers, her captain making headline after headline as the marines raced after him. But that moon-white hair, the slope of her shoulders hidden by a cloak and–

She was just sitting there, where the grass of the forest met the sand, her back to everything else as she seemed to watch the ocean a safe distance away. Shanks thought he must be dreaming at first or perhaps this island had a secret mirage.

But he caught sight of their ship, her ship. A legendary ship anchored several leagues away and knew–

It was fate.

Something curled in the pit of his stomach. His heart pumped blood fast and hot through his body, fueling liquid courage all the way down to his fingertips. He was a year older now. He was less lank more muscle. He was taller too, maybe even taller than her now, he’d like to think, though he never minded a tall woman, he fancied the idea of cupping his hand under that curved chin and raising it to his–

Shanks’ eyes landed on a heavy bough of flowers beside him. Pretty, bright red things. A smaller branch of silver flowers grew below it. He considered them both, teetered dangerously and cursed under his breath, snapping the branch of soft silver flowers clean.

He had to ease into this sort of thing after all. Coax her sweet so she wouldn’t slip off, make her a bit interested enough to stay.

Shanks ran a hand through his bright red hair and walked forward, lightly swinging the branch.

When he was only a little ways away, she seemed to finally register his approaching presence, as though he were a deer who’d broken away from a herd of things. She still faced away from him, tilting her head to the side as though listening curiously before she started to turn.

Shanks stopped as close as he dared for now, a few steps from her–and he kept in mind to treat kindly the fact that she let him get this close and that gave him hope–he dipped the branch low.

Those ocean eyes blinked, slow and curious, round at the bundle of flowers presented before her before looking up.

“I didn’t think there was treasure on this island,” Shanks said with a bright, sunny grin. “But it looks like I found some.”

“Brat,” Hoku said, pleasantly surprised. He withheld a wince at the name. “Huh, I guess Robin was right. This island is getting a little more popular now…”

“I think it was fate,” Shanks said. He shook the branch. Petals fell, dappling her hair and she looked up, amused at his antics. “Did you miss me?”

“I hardly thought about you at all,” Hoku said, a small smile on her lips. Shanks inched a step closer. “I thought we wouldn’t meet for ten more years.”

“I don’t think my heart could take such a thing,” Shanks crouched on the sand beside her. Hoku looked amused, watching him with vague curiosity. Her hair was a little longer and he’d fight to run his hands through it once.

“Too long for–” Shanks’ eyes dropped down and he stopped. He blinked, once, twice, and then a third time for good measure.

There, stretched out in the sand before her, was a youthful face. A face not much older than his own. A hardened face who Shanks recognized from the waves he was making. A face that was currently attached to a head that was very much resting on the soft and supple skin of Hoku’s thighs, fast asleep and–

Dracule Mihawk was sleeping on Hoku’s lap.

Shanks stared.

“Oh,” Hoku said, following his eyes. “He’s another rookie like you. Maybe you two have heard of each other–”

Shanks stared at Hoku as though she’d driven a knife right through his heart. His eyes went soft, staring at her in his best, most charming sense of a puppy-dog face. Hoku stared at him with round eyes, blinking. “What’s that look for? All I said was–”

As though summoned, Mihawks’ eyes finally slid open. Shanks gaped at him. Hoku looked down. The young swordsman seemed to consider several things for a moment before promptly he sat up–to Shanks’ relief–and turned to Hoku.

“He developed an even stronger technique,” Mihawk said.

“Oh, you noticed,” Hoku grinned. “He never stops advancing, you know. You’ll have to run to even get close to catching up.”

Mihawk’s golden eyes flickered before he nodded. He moved, standing up and Hoku let her hands fall into her lap. Shanks continued to gape.

“What’s the matter with you?” Soft fingers tapped the side of his face and Shanks’ head jerked to the side. His cheek connected with Hoku’s warm palm, ocean eyes curious as she watched him. “You seemed confident as a lion just a moment ago–”

“I wasn’t aware you two were acquainted,” Shanks said, a wide, quick grin curling on his lips. He flashed Mihawk a sharp look who simply stared blankly back at him in return. Hoku moved to pull her hand away and Shanks quickly reached up, cupping his hand over hers.

Hoku arched a brow.

“Lovely dove,” Shanks said, voice a little low, eyes a little pleading, expression soft. His fingers moved lightly over the back of her hand in a way he hoped was distracting. “What do I have to do to be spoiled like that?”

Hoku blinked. She seemed confused by his question for a moment before something must have clicked and then she laughed. Shanks’ eyes went half lidded at the sound and Mihawk raised a brow at the redhead’s expression.

“Challenge the greatest swordsman alive,” Hoku said, eyes a little wild. “And we’ll see what happens.”

Maybe I should play a little sick next time. Shanks wondered. I wouldn’t mind being spoiled like that–

“And you should really just let me coat your sword for you,” Hoku said, ignoring Shanks and pulling her hand away. He pouted at the loss and Hoku faced a calm Mihawk. “I promise it’ll help–”

“I’m not good enough to have you coat for me,” Mihawk said simply. “Not yet.”

Shanks huffed, “Dove, I’d gladly let you do anything to or for me–”

Shanks stopped.

He was fairly certain his heart might’ve too.

Red, soft, flush red colored her cheeks. Hoku’s eyes were a little wide, almost soft at Mihawk’s words. She looked hopelessly embarrassed, flushing in pride at the praise as she reached up and placed a hand over her face as though to hide the entire view, crumpling a bit.

“You can’t just going saying things like that,” Hoku said, sheepish and soft. “Really now–”

Shanks wanted that face engraved to memory. He wanted that face to be made because of him. He wanted it under his fingertips. He wanted it, begged for it beside him. He wanted to see it color darker, a little more flushed, eyes soft on him and his hands running low and pushing, playing, trying to see how much more he could–

Shanks paused. Maybe this time Buggy was right and a little bit of that passion was bleeding a bit toward somewhere else.

“HOOOKKKKKUUUUUU!” Shanks and Mihawk froze, the loud, resounding voice boomed across mountains, echoing blaringly clear. “WHEEEEEERREEE ARRREEEE YOOOUUUU?”

They both looked to each other, realization coloring their faces as to who the voice belonged to and–

Without another word, Hoku stood. Her head turned toward the sound of her name, at her call, eyes warm, the expression on her face–

Something Shanks wasn’t sure he knew how he ought to feel about. It reminded him of her moment with Zoro. A simple call of her name and yet–

Something too far for him to ever grasp. Something that shouldn’t be touched. Something he couldn’t touch.

“Well, it was nice seeing you again, brat,” Hoku grinned at Shanks, holding a silver flower up. Shanks blinked in realization. “Thanks for the flowers.”

Turning to Mihawk she added over her shoulder, “Rest up. See you again, Mihawk.”

She beamed at the two of them and promptly set off, never once looking back as she followed the continued calls of her name, hurrying maybe just a bit.

…

“Alright, spill it you sly dog. What did you do and what did you say to get her to treat you like that?” Shanks nearly pulled tufts of red out. “You were in her lap! Her lap, you dog! And that face–do you understand how cute she is?”

Mihawk stared at him as one would a bug.

“Who are you?”

- they’ll all meet again

#memos #Hoku #Shanks #memos au #young!shanks #older!hoku #young!mihawk #Mihawk #Shanks x Oc #ShaKu #MiKu #Zoro #monkey d luffy #pirate king luffy

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shimzus-a · 4 years ago

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[ TEARS ] :)

KISS MEME.

THERE’S a place in every river, every stream, & every creek where the water splits. the force of the current pushes it over the banks repeatedly, seeking a new path where there was none before. not every river can be straight. they don’t continue for eternity, flowing in one way. always, always ... something has to give.

kiyoko reflects on her life more than she’d like to, given the workload from her university studies that should otherwise keep her occupied. but when she sits at her desk to do homework & her eyes wander, towards the framed picture of her high school volleyball team, she can’t help but to reminisce. her river split shortly after high school, when all the smiles & poses for the group photo had worn out. back then, he was in the center of the photo, having been the captain. he had to be surrounded by his team. but she, just a manager, was on the furthest edges of the group from him. [ maybe it had been a sign that things wouldn’t work out, anyways. ]

for all her reasonableness, breaking up with sawamura was something that felt unnecessarily difficult. somehow, knowing him, kiyoko was sure that he’d question it or try to find away around it ... at least in the beginning. & it made sense. he’d never given up before with his team. why would he be willing to give up his heart now, either ?

still, she had to try. her heart tore against her when she had asked him for an END, though on her face there was no hint of doubt. she couldn’t have conveyed any, or he’d know. sawamura would catch onto her lie easily, she was certain.

so she broke up with him by detaching her heart & breaking his. she wouldn’t touch him, wouldn’t look at him ... wouldn’t even give him the shadow of a semblance of the feelings she once felt for him. it was clinical & proper, like completing a transaction at a bank. ‘ we should ... stop seeing each other, i think. ’ that was what she had told him. & she justified her actions by citing SCHOOL as the reason. their river parted when they went to different universities ... so why should she try to draw out their relationship when it felt impossible ?

kiyoko had thought about it for a long time. putting an end to one’s first relationship isn’t easy, especially if it goes against what the heart wants. but rather than trying to work through the pain of distance & stress later, it seemed like the smarter choice. she could handle the fallout later, but for sawamura’s sake & her own, at the time that had felt like the only option she was given.

[ for good reason, too, she tried to remind herself. ] when she finally did start her university classes, she was busy, & far detached from social circles. trying to maintain things with sawamura at a separate school would have been hard, she reasoned. constantly, kiyoko had to tell herself those things, like reciting a prayer before the gods. the more she did so, the more she tried to heal the wounds of her heart. if everything had worked out alright because she had broken up with sawamura, then it was ok for her to recover. & with time, too, she would come to know a different love.

... that had almost been true.

certainly, she was able to push away the first feelings of pain when she buried herself into work instead. she went on a few dates with people in university, but nothing ever progressed very far. she was busy & never ready to commit. but that was fine. it wasn’t as if her heart had been sealed off, she thought. she had grown apart from sawamura in the same ways that she had grown up. since high school, kiyoko had changed, & re-evaluating her heart had been only one of the ways she’d done so. beyond that, she cut her hair, switched to contacts, & learned to keep in touch with friends like hitoka-chan & some of her first year classmates who helped her.

sawamura had changed, too, it seemed. though kiyoko had tried to keep her focus away— five steps to the side, never directly against— she still saw his posts on social media & heard about him from sugawara & azumane. she couldn’t avoid him forever, & it wasn’t as if she had planned on avoiding him. but she maintained a respectful distance in the understanding that she wouldn’t meddle in his life any longer ... & with her out of it, he could move on to other achievements of his own.

[ kiyoko was glad he’d moved on. ] at least, a part of her was. there was a part that lingered, still, & grew to burn hot within her chest when she met his new girlfriend at a reunion with the other third years from karasuno. even if they hadn’t kissed or held hands in front of the group, kiyoko felt unsettled. sawamura was different, but still the same person she knew. he may have grown up as well, but her heart recognized him, & felt that even if he was different, he was familiar, & he was missed.

she pushed those feelings down, for the sake of his girlfriend. kiyoko was long gone from sawamura’s life, & she didn’t need to come back in where she was unwanted. she closed her eyes & willed it away ... for a time. but still, her heart beat a bit faster when sawamura smiled, & the feelings of warmth in her fingertips couldn’t be dissuaded when she thought about what it was like to have held his hand in high school.

the battle within her raged on a little longer, unbeknownst to those around her. kiyoko didn’t want to recognize that her feelings could have resurfaced, knowing that with them came consequences she wasn’t ready to face. but at the same time, that selfish, childish part of her had wanted a second chance. [ all along, that was what she had wanted, wasn’t it ? ] for the sake of sawamura, & for the sake of the girl he was now with, maybe it was better to leave her feelings locked away.

but over time, they built up, pressurized in her chest, until one day she acted unlike herself & told him. ‘ i still have feelings for you, ’ they burst out, almost from thin air. nothing about them had led her to admit that, nor had she cushioned the announcement. flatly, simply, with a severity in her eyes that said I’M TELLING THE TRUTH, she told him. & then, almost like an afterthought when she had realized it, ‘ ... i’m sorry. ’

she ran away when she saw him look at her with an expression she understood to be confusion.

so why now does she linger in the courtyard of their old high school, trying to piece together his feelings after he’d sent her a message asking to talk, then admitted he wasn’t with his girlfriend anymore ? [ she should push her heart aside again, & drift down her path of the river that had split from his at graduation. it would be easier that way. ]

kiyoko’s face feels hot, & she can’t tell if it’s from embarrassment or simply not knowing what to do next. sawamura is in front of her, so close to her, & yet she holds back again. [ it’s been years ... he can’t feel the same. ] kiyoko hadn’t let him grow close enough to her in high school when they dated ... so he can’t warrant these kinds of feelings. he can’t still have feelings for her.

she squeezes her eyes shut against the sight of him.

‘ is this really what you want ? ’ her head won’t let her move forward unless she confirms. there’s so much on her tongue that she feels she needs to explain. though she has doubts about his feelings, how can she be so sure of her own ? [ my heart knows you better than i know it myself ? i’m willing to learn how you’ve changed since high school ? i don’t think i ever stopped having feelings for you ? ]

kiyoko sighs. she flexes her fingers & waits for the answer. if she opens her eyes, she’ll see his face again & want to take it in her hands. so maybe it’s easier now to be BLIND.

except, he says something that she doesn’t expect. she had hoped for it, but wouldn’t hurt herself any more by EXPECTING IT. because if he had said no ... she would have had to manage that pain on her own again. her eyes flutter open at the answer, & she feels her mouth open slightly : for a breath, instead of a sound. she can’t say anything, & even if she had been able to form a word, she wouldn’t have known what to say.

she tries instead for silent language, slipping her hands gently over his & staring at them together. his are larger, tanner, while hers are slim & delicate. it looks funny ... but kiyoko’s heart tugs at the sight. she had thought it was kind of funny in high school, too, even though she relished in it then.

her eyes don’t leave their hands for a while. she has to drag them away, slowly, painfully, when she turns to his face. & by then, she’s slipping a hand against his cheek quietly, pulling herself closer. her heart beats, & kiyoko feels her chest rise & fall just a bit greater than usual, like she needs more air to fill her lungs just to still the rapid drumming in her body.

‘ can i kiss you now ? ’

it’s proper ... a bit reserved, still. kiyoko finds herself leaning into sawamura, albeit her lips are meeting his cautiously. she works into the feeling, slowly & calmly, having not kissed him in years. it’s like doing it again for the first time, but she’s just as careful. she holds herself to him for a bit longer— not too long— & pulls away with a soft tingle against her lips.

her hand raises to them almost immediately, keeping the warmth against them.

& she smiles.

#cpdaichi #coughs loudly #' 日進月歩 : daichi and kiyoko.#WHEW BOY #iTS LONG

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you-had-me-at-e-flat-major · 6 years ago

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inspired by @flutejesus here is how not to look like a tourist in edinburgh and what to do instead, just in time for the festival

actually walk at human speed on the royal mile. not everything is worth ogling

for the love of god use your phone as a map don't have a massive paper map

i've once forgotten we have a castle. it's not that special. sure go in if you want but i mean it's £20 and basically every other tourist attraction is free

speaking of, do go up arthur's seat or calton hill, do go to the national museum, do go to the national gallery

bugger the £20 tour bus. edinburgh is deceptively small and the only things that may be worth going to and are further than 30 minutes' walk from the centre are leith market and the royal yacht britannia but even then you can get the regular bus to ocean terminal for much less money

you're not the first person to make a joke about cockburn street. it's pronounced coburn

don't eat at elephant house. it's a café with a bit of a story it's not a particularly brilliant café. don't fall for the overpriced marketing

don't eat on the royal mile for the same reason. if you want a full scottish go to auld hoose, if you want haggis go to the haggis box at grassmarket and tolbooth market. do go to the food markets though they're great

we're a very hipster food city. if a café is all-vegan please don't expect dairy milk in your coffee

some of the best areas for food are marchmont, stockbridge, and the roads surrounding the uni main campus, like teviot pl, forrest rd, nicolson st and potterrow (ransacked black oven and namaste kathmandu are particularly amazing)

for the love of rabbie burns don't buy a kilt and PLEASE don't hold up pedestrian traffic by posing on the royal mile to get your pal to take a picture of you in a kilt

on a similar note, none of us give a shit about cashmere, and don't be fooled into spending £500 on a scarf because you think we do

we have lots of statues. calm doon

drinking on the street is legal, don't bother being secretive. no one cares. however, don't try buying alc from shops outside the timespan of 10am-10pm

do go to chill on the meadows. it's cute. we have cherry blossoms and yes it's socially acceptable to openly take pics because everyone does

don't go clubbing on george st unless you're bill gates. whynot is great, bourbon is great, but neither are enough better than the cheap places to warrant the ridiculous prices. go to cc blooms, go to boteco do brasil, go to paradise palms. if you want a true edinburgh experience go to hive. don't go to atik formerly known as cav. it's overpriced and i dare say it's worse than hive which is free half the time (and not in the middle of nowhere, tollcross)

as a final thought: NOT EVERYTHING IS WORTH TAKING A PICTURE ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE UNAPOLOGETICALLY GETTING IN PEOPLE'S WAY. PLS. I KNOW THE WORLD'S END IS A FUNNY NAME FOR A BAR BUT I WALK PAST IT EVERY DAY CAN YOU PLEASE LET ME WALK PAST IT INSTEAD OF WAITING IN CASE I PHOTOBOMB A MIDDLE AGED TOURIST

will add more as i inevitably think of more

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wayward-delver · 5 years ago

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Made in Abyss X Smash Ultimate:

(DLC Wishlist/Discussion)

This one was just for fun and shouldn’t be taken completely serious otherwise we’re all gonna lose our humanity. As much I’d love to see Made in Abyss somehow miraculously get into Smash, I am well of how impossible it is.

Ok, we all knew what was coming, no bother denying it; you joke about DLC, you might as well spill the beans and say what you really want. I’ll make it clear that of course, I don’t want Waluigi, he’s an assist trophy and at his core a rather dull character in the face of his brother. Steve holds no strong attachment from me since I do not play Minecraft and I feel like his moveset wouldn’t interesting enough to warrant my attention,(basically a 3D G&W).

Now that’s settled with, let’s discuss who I truly want for DLC despite the stupidity of it:(Left to Right)

1.) Ratchet & Clank: This game holds a special place in my heart for being one of the first game I’ve ever played and one of the only franchises where I faithfully played through every game in the main series, even some of the spin-offs. The amazing characters, brilliant writing, great stories, fun/engaging gameplay, and vast and creatively deadly variety of weapons. I’d go on all day about why I love this series so much and why the movie disappoints me so much,(I will say the remake was fun though). Now to move potential he’s got everything a fighter can ask for:

His omniwrench would the staple of his melee attacks on both air and ground,(with any one of his shotguns/whips as smash attacks). His dash attacks could incorporate the Razor Claws.

Recovery (Up B) is an easy pick, just use Clank heli-pack to gain sufficient height than slowly glide down for a period of several seconds over a far horizontal distance. Drawbacks being wind-up time and having no defensive qualities.

Grapples would be simple tethers and throws with Omniwrench.

Neutral B would simply a blaster shot with minimal flinch damage that continues fire if held.

Side B would definitely be his signature boomerang wrench throw, homing in on Ratchet on its return and doing decent knockback with either hit.

Down B would have clank throw of his time spheres down talk cause a 5 second AoE that slows down opponents caught in the blast while dealing zero damage or knockback.

Their Final Smash would see Ratchet calling his ship to strike his opponents, sending them hurtling into space to be bombarded by various weapons in their arsenal before getting by clank in his giant form.

Ratchet’s skins can be all of his default outfits through the serious ending with a robot version of in reference to Dr. Nefarious’s evil scheme.

The stage would be Metropolis city on Kerwan.

2.) Rayman: This one is a bit more realistic than the last one seeing the series has had strong ties with Nintendo consoles and even sporting a Rayman Spirit in-game,(take that as you will, at least it’s something). Rayman also falls under the nostalgia factor, but nowhere the extent of Ratchet since I was pretty late to the series,(My favorite game being Legends). No doubt he’s one of the higher picks among Smash players and I can see why; he’s funny, energetic, a great platformer/fighter, and has a truly unique/iconic character design.

I’m not too familiar with the entire series though, so keep it basic with the moveset:

Rayman is a fast lightweight fighter that primarily uses melee attacks such as fast punches and kicks on both the ground and in the air. His smash attacks would be moderately slow wind-up punches and kicks with exceptional knockback and range. Dash attacks would have him spinning forwards at high speeds with little damage and knockback, but great for setting up a brief stunlock.

His grapple is a far-reaching chain arm tether with decent throwing power.

Recovery is a simple helicopter hair flight with similar mobility to Krool, but deals no damage and goes much higher.

Neutral would have him shooting burning fists at his enemies and can be charged up for increased power.

Side B has him rapidly shooting from his plunger gun, which can be a great edge guarding tool.

Down B turns one of his hands into a guided missile that will extremely powerful, leaves vulnerable to attack.

Final Smash has him uppercut the nearest players sending them to a zone where they’re dog-pilled by all his friends before unleashing a synchronized charged strike sending them flying into the stars.

The stage will be set in the Rabbids colosseum, where the audience holds signs and banners representing characters and series.

Rayman's colors would be based on the many characters of the series.

His taunt will feature a lum.

3.) Okami, Amaterasu: Ok this is sure to please many fans since she’s quite often requested and very popular on her own. She also has a much higher chance than the rest since she’s a part of Capcom like Ryu/Megaman. Personally speaking though, I want her to join for the sake of how amazing and artistically beautiful the game the is. The mythology, characters, story, music, art style, and the gameplay just screams traditional Japanese culture/painting in the best way possible.

I list the moveset down here, but someone else already did a much better job than I ever could. @panaran

3.) Hollow Knight: Ok this steps far down in terms of likely solely because it’s an Austrailian indie game. Otherwise, this would be one of the biggest crowd pleasures in the line-up. A legendary title for its striking animation, unique world/story, deep lore, magnificent soundtrack, and memorable/diverse cast of characters. I love for all these reasons, but I truly support cause it’d represent to the newest milestone in gaming history, indie studios.

I’d go over moves again someone also solved that problem for me.

4.) Kid Icarus Viridi: Of all the characters, she has the most right to be a playable character. She and her home franchise are so deeply rooted in Smash that they literally are the commentary for the game. Don’t say no moves cause Palutena was never playable in their game, but she still got in. And about her being on a stage, Chrome is a Final Smash and piranha is a stage hazard. Mii costumes also don’t prove anything since many characters have them. This would also be the first in-person appearance she’ll make in any game, something she was denied in her in Kid Icarus Uprising. Personally, however, I want Viridi cause she’s basically the Peridot,(Steven Universe), or the Max,(Camp Camp), of Nintendo. The sassy, cynical, and destructive little gremlin that talks shit to everyone but in end is a complete tsundere with an adorable nerdy side and heart of golden amber beneath her thorny exterior.

(Not my waifu, goddess or not, she’s a ‘child’ and I am 19, it’d be messed up)

Her moveset would be difficult to decipher since she doesn’t fight in-game, but I can draw up a few ideas

Viridi won’t be as angelic/divine as Palutena, preferring to walk and run in a more grounded manner with a trail of plants sprouting behind her as she moves. She’ll be one of the lightest characters in-game due to her small stature, making her very nimble but easy to launch.

She’ll be more we versed in melee than Palutena, incorporating her staff/agility into her fighting style. Using many fast and disjointed blows at once like Mii swordfighter, but her smash attacks would instead unleash vines from the ground that would strike opponents.

Her grapple would be a vine tether she could use to constrict/launch enemies.

Her Recovery would be another vine tether that goes farther and does higher damage than Ivysaur.

Neutral B she’d fire a lightning blast at her opponents,(a reference to her ally Phosphora).

Side B Viridi would slash forward sending a small twister that can launch enemies,(Slower and larger Mii Sword)

Down B is a parry using Clobbler in a similar manner to Toad.

Final Smash is, of course, a rush down that sends foes into ground-zero of a Reset Bomb strike.

Taunts will be her making witty remarks and poses, often times waving her staff around like a wand.

So that’s my wishlist, do you like and if you have a character for smash. By all means, share it with me in the chat or reblog.

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amandabe11man · 5 years ago

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a VERY LONG post about Hell on Wheels

YEAH i forgot about this post in my drafts... it’s been like a year since i finished the show now and i feel i’ve barfed everything out into this post (that i can think of), so here it goes (you’ll have to shield your eyes after the spoiler warning if you don’t wanna be spoiled btw. i can’t seem to be able to add a read more-link...) :

SO... i finished watching “hell on wheels” at last, pm half a year since i started. it’s funny because i was under the impression that i’d sOMEHOW be able to binge all five seasons within just one month (reason: i wanted to watch it before my free trial on HBO’s website went out). honestly, that wouldn’t have been possible because it was a LOT more emotionally draining than you’d think at first glance... after being gutpunched three times in a row in season 4, any reasonable human would need a little break.

anyway, it feels-- weird. i’ve never been big on following tv-shows so i haven’t been able to relate to that feeling ppl describe once they’ve finished a show they’ve become so attached to, except NOW i can relate. the show’s not groundbreaking, it’s not perfect, but i’ve had a lot of fun. what a ride it’s been...

looking back, i’d say HOW’s biggest weakness is its tendency to forget or ignore certain plot points. i guess that’s not too weird, with such an arsenal of characters, but still, i find that’s what bugged me the most, if anything bugged me at all. for example--

[SPOILERS for those who might wanna watch it after seeing me go on abt it, idk]:

first off, what REALLY grinds my gears is how ezra dutson’s plotline was handled. it was set up perfectly in the beginning; having him escape from the swede (who promised him that, and i quote: “i’ll find you, ezra! i always do”), the original plan was obviously for ezra and the swede to “reunite” some time in the future so that ezra could tell everyone that the swede killed his parents, thus tying up loose ends and giving some closure to that whole arc. some might say this would’ve been too predictable, but i would rather have that predictable storyline than having it just end unceremoniously like it did, with ezra dying ACCIDENTALLY and off-screen by sidney snow’s hand, simply as a way to further bohannon’s pain and set the stage for ruth’s final arc. this might’ve been fine, if the writers had made it so that ezra actually, y’know, TOLD SOMEONE WHY HE’S AN ORPHAN TO BEGIN WITH. but they didn’t even give the viewer that form of closure, instead just deciding to use him as a plot device for the other characters’ increased angst... bohannon and the others were never even made aware of ezra’s last name, and this is all what bugs the everliving SHIT outta me: the only ones who know, or will EVER know, ezra’s full story is the swede and the viewer, tho after season 4′s end, ezra is never mentioned or acknowledged again-- not by bohannon, and not even by the swede. ezra went from convenient character with a PURPOSE to “nameless” orphan forgotten by history. thanks, writers...

then there’s the whole deal with campbell coming to town to reinforce The Law™, which wasn’t a bad arc, mind you-- campbell and his goons were the most infuriating little shits for a while there-- but the thing is; didn’t campbell LIE to his men about the president giving him the position as governor? i might’ve misunderstood it, but i’m PRETTY sure the president didn’t give him THAT much of an upstanding role, but that campbell just went ahead and took that position anyway? if that was indeed the case, then that’s another plot hole, cause nobody finds out about campbell’s possible trickery to become the governor. nobody rats him out, despite literally no one in “his” town liking him all that much, so they’d have no reason to protect his “secret”. (correct me if i’m wrong on this one though. i might be misremembering things)

then there’s the other pretty infuriating issue of bad guys never getting called out for doing bad shit (unless it’s the swede, who gets all the blame, all the time), for example:

major dick bongbendix(???idk he had a silly name like that) is presented VERY MUCH as a bad guy in the beginning. y’know, just casually beheading natives on all his missions and collecting those heads and taking them to the bar like a fucking nutcase-- those little details. he also seemed to believe in racial biology, so yeah, definitely not a good guy. but by the end, he’s been watered down into some quirky guy who’s ALMOST on friendly terms with the main characters. yeah, uh-- seems everyone (writers included) collectively forgot the whole public display of cut-off heads he had going on...

aaron hatch: started off as a guy too proud for his- or his family’s own good when he shot the police officer, BLAMED IT ON HIS FUCKING SON and then just kinda let bohannon hang the kid even though it was pretty obvious hatch was just shifting the blame away from himself. THEN he reappears with some other mormons and causes a full-on shootout in the town (probably getting some people killed, i don’t remember), TAKES EZRA (also a mormon) HOSTAGE SO THAT BOHANNON WILL COME WITH THEM WILLINGLY and passive aggressively forces bohannon to marry his daughter who bohannon knocked up. somewhere along the line, hatch’s bad side is just thrown to the wind, and bohannon at one point describes him as “a good man”. yeah, ABOUT THAT--

sean and mickey mcginnes: unlike the ones mentioned above, these two started out as seemingly decent dudes, but ended up pm as secondary villains in the end. however, like the ones mentioned above, they hardly face any consequences for whatever crap it was they did in boston, OR the fact that they killed and fucking mutilated/dismembered a man in cold blood (a man who WAS gonna kill them, yes, but HE did it because he thought they had killed his friend, which wasn’t a farfetched idea since mickey DID brag about killing the dude even though he didn’t actually do it). sure, they face their OWN demons as time goes on, they get ostracized, and they start losing faith in each other as well, which ends up with mickey killing sean before the latter can confess(?) his/their crimes. so, while sean was spineless and a creep, at least he thought about finally owning up to what he’d done in the end, whereas mickey lives on to keep doing shady shit, killing people, and getting increasingly more corrupt. he does end up pursuing new goals in the end, but it’s obvious he’s not happy about it anymore. that’s-- really all the comeuppance he ever gets, and the only one who knows about his shady businesses are pm just bohannon, durant and eva (also, personal gripe here-- they seemed to not settle for “just” tarring and feathering the swede and publicly humiliating him, but i’m pretty sure i recall mickey telling bohannon they were thinking about having the swede killed too. keep in mind, this was BEFORE the swede truly lost it and started killing people left and right. apparently, being kind of a douche about taxes is bad enough to warrant being tortured and cast out by the entire community... i’m obviously biased here, but still-- the mcginnes bros’ double standards are amazing to behold)

now that i’ve aired some of that out-- here are some highlights, according to me:

unexpected friendships, like that between eva and durant. i’d say the swede finding that stray dog and fawning all over him qualifies into this category too

durant and campbell fighting in the mud before finally coming to an agreement -- just- durant and his competitors being petty as fuck, honestly. it’s hilarious

bohannon trying to get through to elam by reminiscing about their friendship, especially since bohannon isn’t one to show his feelings often OR get sappy -- in fact, EVERY time bohannon loses his stoic facade is a good moment. when he was gonna bury elam and he just broke down completely for the first time since we were introduced to him... that shit had me in tears as well, but man was it a great scene

jimmy two-squaws

every time the swede opens his mouth (yes, even when he’s spouting some lies and bullshit like that)

ruth’s character development. i admit i didn’t like her at all in the beginning, idk something just felt off about her, but man did she ever grow on me. just-- how everyone kinda relied on her eventually, even though she’s only like in her 20′s or something... she still became a pillar of the community. bless ya, ruth :’ı -- also, her essentially adopting ezra was Pure as heck. I Lov it

the fact that this was the 1800′s and the only backlash the (openly) LGBT characters faced for it was pm just “yeah they’re a bit confused maybe but they’re not hurting anyone”. maybe that’s not very realistic but WHO GIVES A SHIT AMIRITE

mr tao just being a sweet old man

chang’s sunglasses, straight out of Django Unchained

mr toole’s complete heel-turn from racist POS to someone who sticks by his word to turn himself around. that shit was impressive coming from him, tbh

bohannon just calmly running into a buffalo by the train tracks

mei posing as a grown man instead of a boy (which is what she looks and sounds like, oml)

another thing i realized is that bohannon is a classic gary stu. there’s just no getting around that fact after seeing him being revered by most everyone he meets, how he’s somehow the only person able to build the railroad(s) fast and efficiently, and even wooing the literal PRESIDENT and becoming close friends with him-- all this despite his Bold and Brash personality. of course, there’s more to bohannon than these gary stu-symptoms, but i felt someone should bring it up, for the lulz

#hell on wheels #amc

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incarnation-of-victory · 5 years ago

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Thoughts on/reactions to the BNHA: Heroes Rising movie since I need somewhere to gush about it (now that I’ve gotten to see it officially in theaters):

NOT SPOILER-FREE/SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

(As an FYI, I saw the film in the original Japanese with English subtitles. Not sure if I’ll ever watch it in the English dub, seeing as I didn’t watch the first movie or the anime in English dub. I don’t mind it, and I’ll watch clips of it here and there, but I don’t feel like going out of my way to watch BNHA in its entirety in English.)

In no particular order (this is long, kinda a mess, not verb tense consistent, iffy at a few points because I don’t remember some exact details, etc. Be forewarned. Split into sections for a semblance of convenience):

The Fight Scenes/Class 1-A (General Overview):

This movie is pretty action-packed! The majority of the film consisted of fight scenes—but never quite to the point that it felt tiring. Now, I’m no expert on animation or fight choreography, but I thought the battle sequences were STUNNING! I really feel like the animators put a lot of care into this film.

Speaking of fight scenes, I was pleasantly surprised to see how a lot of the less-centric 1-A students were able to get their time to shine. Uraraka got a cool Badass™ moment (kinda reminded me of her fight versus Bakugou at the Sports Festival). Sero goes all out on a villain (was it Nine?), getting thrown back, but still earning a concerned “Sero!” from Bakugou (so that’s a win). Aoyama is surprisingly a force to be reckoned with his Navel Laser. Shoji deserves the title of Honorary Big Brother to Katsuma and Mahoro (the kids) with the way he devoted himself to protecting them throughout the battles (seriously made me emotional at one point!). Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were sick as usual! Kirishima gets another Unbreakable moment—this dude’s seriously got guts!

Todoroki, while arguably one of the main protagonists of the series, admittedly didn’t feel like he got TOO much screen-time during this film (I feel like it’s because they wanted to focus on the relationship between Deku and Bakugou). That being said, his defeat of Chimera was AWESOME. It was a nice touch having him remember Endeavor’s advice as he prepares his final attack, his father’s profile dissolving into his own. Todoroki really went Plus Ultra there (almost too much, like, damn, I think you got him). There were a few times like that throughout the film, like with Bakugou vs. Mummy, where I was like, pretty sure these villains should not be alive right now, but accordingly to anime logic, they’ll be fine (plus, we can’t have the hero students be killing anyone...). Basically, everyone was really cool, and I think this movie proves how they all deserve to be at UA.

The climax battle (Deku & Bakugou vs. Nine): I kinda wish I didn’t spoil so much of HR before seeing it officially—not that it ruined my enjoyment of it, but I feel like it would have been more intense/emotional if I went into it blind. So I knew going in that Deku and Bakugou were going to share OFA (and I may or may NOT have seen clips of it online beforehand... because I have no self-control), but it was still really great seeing it on the big-screen! Didn’t cry like I thought I would, but the moment where Deku and Bakugou did their Detroit Smash together for the first time got me kinda teary-eyed, with them doing an All Might-esque one-fist-raised pose. It’s just so heartwarming to see these two work together, carrying on All Might’s legacy.

Deku + Katsuma & Mahoro (the two main, local kids of Nabu Island):

Speaking of getting emotional: THAT scene when All Might arrives post-final battle and he’s cradling an injured Deku in his arms and Deku apologizes to him for having to give away OFA because he feels like he’s failed him: OH MY GOD! Major props to Daiki Yamashita for his voice acting in that scene (as for all his scenes as Deku, of course), it was so raw and emotional! Same praise applies to Nobuhiko Okamoto for his respective scenes as Bakugou, naturally.

Also, I SUPER enjoyed Deku in this film! I mean, I’m already a huge Deku stan (perhaps this comes as a bit of a surprise, since I never shut up about Bakugou and Bakugou only), but you could really see his development in HR! He comes across as a lot more confident, steady, level-headed, and sure of himself than he used to be! It was incredible to see him fight too: his first encounter with Nine in the forest stood out to me in particular. Ever the strategist. Sure, he’s still a little bit of a push-over (he apologizes to Mahoro, who’s just a little girl, after she scolds him for not coming to “rescue” her brother fast enough—it’s a pretty funny scene), but he really feels like he’s filling out his role as All Might’s successor. Not to mention all the parallels of his relationship with Katsuma to Deku’s own relationship with All Might. Also, of course, Deku is a huge sweetheart, and it was so endearing to see him interact with the island kids. Katsuma and Mahoro might seriously have some competition when it comes to the cutest characters in this film: they really amped up the sweetness of Deku in this film. But maybe I’m biased because I’m a Deku stan so I’ll shut up now. But seriously, big mama bear vibes from Deku with the kids.

While I’m on the topic of cuteness, Oh My God, Katsuma and Mahoro were PRECIOUS! Now I understand why Horikoshi couldn’t stop drawing them—seriously, they are the total opposite of the usual annoying kids trope. Katsuma’s shyness/timidness was adorable. Mahoro’s sass and attitude was adorable. On top of that, they were very brave and protective of each other. Their brother-sister relationship was also very wholesome. But seriously, almost every time these kids were on-screen, I could hear people in the audience going “Awww” and I was like “YES! AWW IS RIGHT!”

The Bakugou section (because my adoration of him warrants an entire section of its own):

This doesn’t seem like too natural of a segue, but cuteness has now made me think about Bakugou and how he was in the film. Can I just say, I love how all the comical, raging Bakugou scenes made the audience laugh; I love that we all share the same amusement of this angry gremlin. The part where Bakugou finds out that Mahoro tricked him by making an illusion of a villain and he goes into Rage Mode to the 10th power was amazing. The edgy guitar rendition of Bakugou’s leitmotif playing in the background as they zoom into his furious face thrice as he gets increasingly incensed, with fiery flames in the background, was peak comedy. And then Deku has to hold Bakugou back as the kids escape his wrath. Even when the two tumble to the ground, Bakugou Grudge-crawls up to them with Deku clinging to his back. One of my favorite scenes in the film: it was hilarious. Oh, Bakugou. Never change.

Bakugou’s old ways aside, I do like how he seemed to warm up to the kids a little by the end of the film. His genuine smile and sort-of wave upon seeing the kids saying goodbye to them as they sail away on the ship was sweet! Earlier, when Bakugou first grabs Katsuma and carries him along to show him where the “villain” is, once they locate it, Bakugou immediately yeets Katsuma aside like an empty soda can (he was fine, of course). While, admittedly, I found that moment hilarious, I did feel the general reaction of audience also being like, jeez, Bakugou, you don’t throw kids like that, lol. I did like how, despite tossing Katsuma aside, Bakugou did grunt a quick “Go hide” to him, showing that he did care at least a little for Katsuma’s safety: more than he outwardly demonstrates, at least. I like how the whole “proper handling of kids” thing came back during the final battle when Bakugou catches Mahoro from falling when Nine tosses her aside (not totally unlike how Bakugou tossed Katsuma aside earlier.. hmm...). And Deku was the one who punched (kicked?) Nine at that moment instead (showing a little reversal of roles when it comes to saving and fighting). Seriously, Bakugou puts Mahoro down so gently on her feet too! It was so sweet! And then he proceeds to give her his whole “This is why I’m going to be the number one hero” spiel too. If my memory serves me correctly, I think Mahoro wasn’t even going to fall that far, and would have probably been fine if she just dropped to the ground, but Bakugou still went out of his way to catch her, which is great. But yeah, though obviously Bakugou is nowhere near as bad as Nine, I like how this was one of the moments which proved the difference between Bakugou and the villains, that his rescue demonstrates just the kind of hero Bakugou is eventually going to become.

Another moment like that, which I haven’t seen too many people talk about, is when Bakugou and Deku are immobilized by Nine’s 2 Blue-Eyes White Dragons, and Nine gives a speech on something along the lines of how power is great and he wants to create a world in which the strong rule over the weak, yada yada, total domination. Deku, of course, is infuriated by Nine’s evil plans, but I was also pleasantly surprised to see Bakugou tell him off too, telling him how he’s crazy for wanting to do something like that. Of course, it's been clear for a while that Bakugou is not necessarily the power-hungry, overlord type, but this moment really made a little more clear to me that Bakugou is more concerned with winning and the sense of self-fulfillment that comes with it, rather than ruling over others with his power (though I don’t doubt that Bakugou finds some enjoyment in being able to beat up villains. I mean, look at that feral smile).

Also, Bakugou melting a whole-ass mountain and hurling it at Nine. Freaking lava monster. That is all.

The Deku & Bakugou Dynamic:

Deku really wasn’t intimidated by Bakugou anymore in the film, so I appreciated those moments when Deku stood up to him and wouldn’t take his shit. One example was when Deku held Bakugou back from scolding the kids. Another moment I thought was great was when Mahoro called them about Nine’s arrival, and Bakugou answers the phone, thinking she’s crying wolf again, and starts to chew her out until Deku snatches the phone out of his hand. Bakugou just stares at him in shock, he looks so offended, haha! He can hardly get out a word of protest before just slumping in defeat, annoyed, but still letting Deku talk to Mahoro on the phone. Really like those moments where Deku takes charge like that.

Bakugou eavesdropping (as per his usual nosy self) on Katsuma and Deku’s conversation, in which Katsuma apologizes for their prank earlier, explains his story, and Deku talks about how saving and winning are both important (*hint hint, nudge nudge*). And Bakugou’s so engrossed that he doesn’t notice his popsicle melting until it drips onto the floor. And he just stares at it in vague bafflement. Yes. Good.

This was another really small moment, but it was cute, so I have to talk about it. Deku’s training outside and Bakugou runs into him on his patrol. They have their whole talk about how they’re going to surpass each other, and then, right at the end, Deku kinda just smiles at him. It’s such a fond smile, you can even hear him giving a small laugh along with it. And then Bakugou meets it with a determined stare, and he almost gives a gruff little “huh?”. It was just a funny little stare down they had there, except they’re coming at it with completely different expressions/sentiments. Bakugou almost seemed a bit confused by Deku’s happy smile; it reminded me of that moment during Deku vs. Kacchan 2, when Deku takes a moment to smile at Bakugou, impressed by his progress, and Bakugou gets pissed at him for looking so happy. Like, c’mon Bakugou, let the guy be proud of you! I think now, post-DvK2, Bakugou does understand Deku’s words/expressions a little better, but he still doesn’t seem to fully comprehend how much Deku respects and cares for him. Either that, or he doesn’t want to acknowledge it. Here’s to hoping Bakugou comes to realize it at some point. Bakugou-accept-compliments/affection challenge 2020.

I think everyone’s already said what there is to say about Deku’s decision to give OFA to Bakugou, and Bakugou’s reaction to it. Even so, I have a few things to add. One, I like how Bakugou’s grown to respect Deku as a rival/fellow hero in the movie, which is especially evident once Deku gives him OFA. Deku, of course, trusts Bakugou enough to give it to him, saying how it’s alright if it’s him, really hammering in that bond they have between them (that and well... he’s really the only other option here...). Two, Bakugou’s initial reaction after Deku implies that they need to share OFA, his expression right before he reaches out his hand to take it, has some people talking. I initially thought that the reason Bakugou looked so defeated/begrudging/upset, was because him having to accept OFA/help from Deku in order to win was a blow to his pride (kind of like in the Final Exam team-up). Or that it also means that Bakugou can no longer beat Deku at his strongest (Bakugou with OFA would become the better hero by default, kind of like how Endeavor rose to Number 1 after All Might’s retirement, instead of earning it through besting him fair and square). But I’ve also seen people say it was because Bakugou was reluctant to have to put an end to Deku’s dream (not unlike the way Bakugou put an end to All Might’s career?), since Deku was forfeiting OFA. Which I can kind of believe, but then again, this is why Bakugou is so hard to pin down: we rarely get his inner narrative, so his expressions are often multi-faceted/layered. So who knows what he was thinking? Granted, I tend to actually not give Bakugou the benefit of the doubt in these situations, but I do hope it was a mixture of all these things. But I think Bakugou really did feel bad about Deku’s hero career potentially being over: he even asks him if he was sure about his decision immediately after accepting OFA. Which is a huge 180 from the beginning of the series, when Bakugou WANTED to put an end to Deku’s dream. Now that’s growth.

This is going to delve more into just Bakugou himself, but I had additional thoughts about the whole OFA transfer thing, and how All Might (tentatively?) concludes that the predecessors returned OFA to Deku, even though, supposedly, it is non-returnable. The fact that Bakugou doesn’t remember the OFA transfer might be a better thing that I thought, since, if it really was the predecessors’ decision to give it back to Deku (and not just because he conked out before the transfer was done), then that just means that Deku is the one who is really worthy of OFA, and not him. At least, that’s one way of looking at it. Which might have crushed Bakugou, even though Bakugou likely doesn’t want OFA for himself. But I almost think that explains part of Bakugou’s reaction I mentioned in the previous point. Maybe, deep down, Bakugou doesn’t think he deserves OFA? Sure, Bakugou’s made it clear that he wants to become the best hero with his own power/Quirk, but it still hurt/confused him in DvK2 that All Might chose Deku. OFA itself choosing Deku and not him might as well just confirm that Deku is truly the better hero. Of course, we can’t really know for sure why the vestiges returned OFA to Deku. Personally, I would find it kinda funny/sad if OFA just thought Deku was better. Maybe it’s destiny? Maybe Deku’s journey is just not meant to be over yet? Or maybe, Bakugou, in the OFA mindscape, actually relinquished OFA to Deku of his own accord? Either way, as much as I love Bakugou, I think the vestiges were right in going back to Deku. Not even just for plot-reasons, but that OFA really is better suited for Deku. It’s a Quirk meant to be used for the sake of other people, and Bakugou simply isn’t of that mindset (yet?). I’m sorry Bakugou, but I’d choose Deku too.

Overall, I really feel like Deku and Bakugou’s teamwork was so natural and in-sync! They seem to act like one unit, not even having to talk to each other during the final Double OFA showdown, like they’re on the same wavelength or something. This film really made me believe that these two are going to become hero partners in the future or something, they’re too good together to be ultimately separated. Or maybe that’s just me being hopeful. We’ll see.

Meme Corner:

Bakugou after finding out that Mahoro was creating an illusion of a villain:

Bakugou: *winces from the pain of breaking his arm using OFA*

Deku, not even bothered, multiple-time champion of the arms-breaking club:

also:

Bakugou to the kids: “I’m gonna show you why I’m gonna be the number one hero!”

*proceeds to get the shit beat out of him by Nine* (cue the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme).

Wrap-Up/Conclusion:

There’s probably a lot more to discuss (that other people will likely touch on), but this is mainly what I cared about, so I’ll leave it at that. But just as a brief summary for everything else: LOV was good as usual, were mainly only at the beginning of the film; speaking of, that opening car chase sequence was pretty neat; the brief, Endeavor vs. Dabi was cool; Endeavor hugging Todoroki after they were rescued and Todoroki Not Having any of it was funny; Nine was alright as the main villain, could use some more depth, but I guess that’s what the short spin-off manga and bonus material are for. Hawks was great too. Even though I didn’t watch the English dub, I really liked the short clip I did see of him in English. His English VA suits him well (as does the Japanese)!

I don’t feel like going into critiques, even though there certainly are things to critique in the movie. I just enjoyed this film for the joyride that it is. Main nitpick: maybe NOT drop a bunch of high-schoolers on an island without a Pro-hero presence. Maybe NOT do that. But we got the Good ol’ Hero Commission going: “Oh boy, what could POSSIBLY go wrong??? 🤷🤷🤷”

Oh, and I do think that this film is safe for anime-onlies. The only thing is that people who haven’t read the manga will see things/characters they don’t really know about it and will, thus, be left wondering a little about them, but I don’t think it’s a huge deal.

If you took the time to get to the end of all my rambling, thank you and congrats! I didn’t include screen-caps for this post because the movie’s not on digital or DVD yet (and I don’t want to use other people’s camrips because Reasons), so I might do additional analyses once that happens.

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Link to Unofficial Part 1 of My Thoughts on HR (based on leaks, before actually seeing the film; but I do go more into depth on other points of the film, such as OFA)

#bnha heroes rising spoilers #this post was basically me going 'how many other ways can i say the word heartwarming'#tl;dr: this film made me very happy

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submissivekillers · 5 years ago

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slashers as tmg songs

Leatherface (Bubba): Black Pear Tree (ft. Kaki King)

Somebody’s gonna get hurt Somebody’s gonna get hurt I hope it’s not me But I suspect it’s going to have to be

Leatherface (Thomas Hewitt): Stabbed to Death Outside San Juan

Sometimes you get some heat, sometimes it follows you around When the blade hits the bone, everybody hears it sing Shower room full of people, no one hears a goddamned thing

Freddy Krueger: Choked Out

No brakes down An endless dark incline Most of the boys Won't ever cross this line If they all want to die dead broke that's fine, that's fine Everybody's got their limits Nobody's found mine

Michael Myers: Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace The clouds explode and then the desert blooms Someone will need to mop this floor for me When I emerge, I find my car Like a cathedral in a dream of the future

Jason Voorhees: The House That Dripped Blood

Still waters go stagnant Bodies bloat And the cellar door Is an open throat

Brahms Heelshire: Snow Crush Killing Song

When I ask you to look at me You look away I ask you to tell me something nice once You come at me with all your hot lights on display

Bo Sinclair: Maize Stalk Drinking Blood

And while the geese flew past For no reason at all, I let the sky fall This is an empty country And I am the king, and I should not be allowed to touch anything

Vincent Sinclair: Damn These Vampires

Feast like pagans, never get enough Sleep like dead men, wake up like dead men And when the sun comes, try not to hate the light Someday we'll try to walk upright

The Lost Boys: Jenny

And you pointed your headlamp toward the horizon We were the one thing in the galaxy God didn't have his eyes on 900 cc's of raw, whining power, no outstanding warrants for my arrest Hi diddle dee dee, goddamn, the pirate's life for me

Billy Loomis and Stu Macher: Toolshed

Back at the school everyone looks like the enemy. And we couldn't sleep And I had the voices inside of me

Chucky: Foreign Object

Strike funny poses, keep my weapon hand low Whip my head around a little, get blood on the front row Gonna jab you in the eye with a foreign object I personally will stab you in the eye with a foreign object

Billy Lenz: Up the Wolves

There's bound to be a ghost at the back of your closet No matter where you live There'll always be a few things, maybe several things That you're gonna find really difficult to forgive

Norman Bates: There Will Be No Divorce

And then the old voice crackled through the static And I felt young and alive And the hairs stood up on the back of my neck We were rising from the grave

Leslie Vernon: Werewolf Gimmick

I was not there for rehearsal, I don’t need it anymore When I show up just in time to pop you can clear the goddamn floor Empty out the locker room, let me find my space Let him who thinks he knows no fear look well upon my face Nameless bodies! in unremembered rooms Know how a man becomes a beast when the wolfbane blooms

Amanda Young: The Autopsy Garland

You don't want to see these guys Without their masks on You don't want to see these guys Without their masks on, or their gloves

Laurie Strode (babie): Absolute Lithops Effect

And I feel sure that my wounds will heal And I will bloom here in my room With a little water and a little bit of sunlight And a little bit of tender mercy, tender mercy

Laurie Strode (2018, depressed babie): Michael Myers Resplendent

But when the house goes up in flames No one emerges triumphantly from it When the scum begins to circle the drain Everybody loves a winner

#this is like. 25% serious lmao #tmg is my Depression Music so i've basically been listening to them nonstop and my brain went hey.... make this post u bastard #angel talks

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jokerfan99 · 6 years ago

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Diabolical Thieves!!! (RWBY/RVB) by Necroceph

*RVB Opening Theme*

2300 Hours in Red Base's Living Quarters

Ruby awakens from the rumbling beneath her heart that is her stomach. She sits up and get out off bed before heading toward the door and into the slightly lit hallway. Despite having two bowls of ramen back at dinner, her stomach still cries out for more sustanance. In order to calm it down, she decides to get a midnight snack and then return to bed.

Ruby: Now where's the food dispenser? Aha!

She sees the dispensing machine on the corridor's walls up ahead. Still on tonight's menu, there's turkey dinner, chef's special, ramen etc. Though what caught her eye the most on the menu is good old sweet cookies. The military version, although she wouldn't mind so long it's enough. She presses the menu and machine dispenses her order. She grabs the plastic covering and start to open it, until her eyes caught a glimpse of the locker room's lights.

Ruby: That's funny, I thought Lopez turned off the light.

Ruby heads to the locker room to investigate. When she enters, there doesn't seem to be anyone inside. Its empty. Before she was about to leave, she noticed one of the lockers are open and on it is engraved with the name, her name. 'ROSE'. Then she starts to become worried. She rushes to her locker and looks inside. Her face turns to pure horror.

At Sarge's Room

Sarge: Of course, Douglas MacArthur. Have some more tea. No Sun Tzu, it's not Chinese, it's English!

Here we see Sarge, sleeping peacefully with a Patton doll wrapped in his hands. From what he's muttering, we can tell his dreaming himself having tea with the greatest generals in Earth's history. Must be peaceful in that head of his.

Ruby: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Not anymore. A loud scream was enough to wake him up. He shot up from his bed with his arms posed for a close-quarters combat.

Sarge: Who goes there?! Show yourself in the name of the Red Army! Huh, must be nothing. Ruby: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Sarge: Or not. Sweet jibblets, that sounds like Rose!

Sarge then jumps out of hid bed and rushes towards his personnal locker. He quickly opens it and grabs both his helmet and trusty shotgun. Now armed and ready, instead of opening the door like a normal person, he kicks it down before running through the hallway heading towards the source. Until he runs onto an obstacle that is Donut. Both men fell onto the ground.

Donut: Ow, my spline! Sarge: Donut? What are you doing here?

Both of them got up.

Donut: I was asking the exact same thing. Ow! What's happened? Who'd be screaming so close to midnight? Sarge: That's the sound of Rose in peril and it came from the locker room! There must be a Blue intruder in here who seeks to sabotage our plans and he's possibly holding Rose hostage! Donut: Yikes! We better wake up the rest! Sarge: That will take too much time, we need to move NOW!!!

At the locker room

Ruby: She's gone. She's gone.

We see Ruby with her knees on the floor. Tears flowing down from her large silver eyes like waterfalls as she continues muttering 'She's gone' again and again like a mantra. At the same time, Sarge and Donut arrived at the scene.

Sarge: Freeze dirtbag and let go of my private! No wait, it's just Rose sitting there. She's fine. Donut: Oh crap. Rose, are you okay? Ruby: WAAAAAAAH!!!

Ruby launches herself onto Donut, hugging him tightly around and burrowing her face onto his pink striped pajama shirt soaking it with her seemingly neverending tears.

Ruby: It's horrible! She's gone, she's GONE!!! Donut: Gone? Who's gone? Ruby: Crescent Rose. Sarge: Rose, compose yourself and explain us clearly! What do you mean gone? Ruby: *sniff* My rifle... my baby... SOMEONE KIDNAPPED HER!!!

Ruby points at the inside of her locker. Inside was supposed to store Crescent Rose, Ruby's sniper rifle. But there is no sight of it anywhere and all that's left is a sticky note with writing saying, 'NO TOUCHY -Love, Ruby'.

Donut: Oh, her rifle's gone. That's no big de-GAAAH!!!

Ruby suddenly violently shakes Donut by the collar.

Ruby: No big deal? NO BIG DEAL?!?! CRESCENT ROSE IS AN EXTENSION OF MYSELF! SHE'S A PART OF ME... me.... WAAAHAAAAAA!!!

Continues crying on his shirt. Feeling both pity and confused, Donut pats Ruby's back and tries to comfort her.

Donut: There, there. Everything's going to fine! Uhm, Sarge?

Sarge takes a closer look at the locker. He noticed something locker's door. Above the handle is a hole where the lock should be. It looks as though somebody torched it.

Sarge: Suffering catfish! Someone did stole her rifle! WHO DARES SIGN THEIR OWN DEATH WARRANT!!! Nobody steals the private property of my favourite markswoman! Donut: Doesn't make sense, who would want to steal a single wea... uh, I mean... Crescent Rose. Sarge: It's obviously the Blues! They must've realized how powerful Crescent Rose was in combat and they decided to steal it for their own diabolical schemes! Possibly mass-produce it. Donut: You mean like, tearing it apart from the inside and... Ruby: That's not helping!!! Donut: Sorry, sorry! So what do we do? Sarge: Simple, we'll steal it back by force! Call Lopez, Simmons and Grif.

Somewhere on of the cliffs near Blue Base

BANG!

Simmons: Holy shit!!! Another clean shot!

Simmons was more disbelieved to witness the accuracy of the shot. Grif silently laughs by Simmon's reaction as he aim for another shot with Crescent Rose.

Grif: So what do we have next? Simmons: Hmm, let's see.

Through the binoculars. he could see the damage Grif cause with the rifle, from the destruction of the tank's control panels to the Blue base's floodlights. To test the trajectory, he'll need to find something much further. Moving away from the base to another shooting area, he spots is bush much further and on that bush is a small red fruit on it.

Simmons: See that small fruit on that bush to the left? Grif: Yeah? Simmons: Shoot it. Grif: With pleasure.

Grif steadily aims at the fruit. Despite Crescent Rose's large size, it is surprisingly light so it wasn't a problem to hold it by hand. Once the crosshair's aimed at the fruit, he pulls the trigger.

BANG! SPLUUUURTT!

The explosive sound echoed through the cold night air. In a second, through Simmon's binoculars, the fruit exploded into a gooey mash, leaving nothing but bits and such.

Simmons: Alright, I think that's done it! Grif: Man, why didn't Command make this kind of weapon in the first place? It's awesome! Simmons: I totally agree. It's powerful, accurate and more lighter than the standard sniper rifles. Just imagine if we mass-produce this kind of weapon and equip the army with it, it'll be a turning point to the war. Grif: And we can finally end it early! If only Rose isn't so clinged to it all the time. Simmons: Oh I'm sure she'll understand how beneficial it would be. It'll only take a few tear outs to figure out its functionality.

TZZT

Donut through radio: This is Pvt. Franklin Delano Donut, do you read me over?

Donut's voice came through both of their helmets' radios. Simmons responsed first.

Simmons: Read you loud and clear, Donut. What are you doing up so late at- Donut through radio: Where are you guys? You weren't in your rooms! Simmons: Yeah sorry about that, we were doing a late night spying on the Blues. What's wrong? Donut through radio: We... kinda have a bit of emergency. You know Crescent Rose, Ruby's weapon? Someone stole it.

Simmons and Grif looked at one another with worried looks behind their visors

Simmons: Uhm... stolen? How? Donut through radio: Well an intruder entered the base just and we found a hole burned through Ruby's locker, possbily made by a hand-held blow torch. Sarge suspects its the Blues and since your both outside, have you seen anyone out there holding it? Simmons: Uh.. negative we haven't seen anyone out here nor anybody leaving the Blue base. Donut through radio: I see. Well then if you see them, do whatever it takes to stop 'em. Pvt. Franklin Delano Donut out!

CLICK

Grif: We are so dead. Simmons: We? You're the one who decided on the 'dirty work'! We should've opened that locker discreetly! Grif: It's locked up tight like ancient Fort Knox! There's no way we can pick it with a pin. Simmons: Whatever! Fuck, we can't let the others know. Grif: Or worse, Sarge. We gotta hide it. Simmons: And where Do we hide it, genius? Grif: How the fuck should I know? Bury it maybe? Simmons: Wait, I have an idea! Donut said Sarge suspects its the Blue's work, right? Grif: Ooooh, I know what you're thinking. Hehehehe. Let's put it in Caboose's room.

Deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/necroceph

#ruby rose #rwby #rooster teeth #monty oum #Red vs Blue #rvb sarge #franklin delano donut #simmons rvb #dexter grif

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theglassishalfsomething · 6 years ago

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Darcy Interviews Bing: Romance

1. Do you believe in love at first sight? If so, convince me!

I do believe in it! Proof: a family friend of mine met his wife at a Catholic youth group meeting and told the friend he went with to the gathering as they were leaving that he couldn’t live without her. He just knew. They’ve been married for 30+ years now.

Look- we’ve talked about this. I don’t believe in relationship at first sight- that’s crazy. And I don’t think that the love is fully formed or mature but I think it’s real, I think it’s love, and I think it can happen at first sight (meeting).

I’m not saying it’s the only way people fall in love. It’s not the way a lot of people do and that’s totally fine. I also think it’s something that irresponsible people can use as an excuse for irresponsible behavior and it doesn’t justify anything in terms of recklessness or even foolishness. You still have to get to know someone before you commit to dating them, you shouldn’t be reckless. But what’s in your heart, though fragile, undeveloped, “no proof, not much” IS love. That’s what it IS. It’s not something else!

And in a sense all love is love at first sight. As Christopher Marlowe says, “Who ever loved, that loved not at first sight?” Sometimes it just takes us longer to see it- the first sight happens down the road but it still happens in a moment. I totally get why people love the Darcy/Lizzy love story more than a more conventional love at first sight. I too am probably more moved by “I cannot fix on the hour or the spot or the look or the words that laid the foundation; it is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I’d begun” than “I just knew” but then idk !!! they’re both beautiful!!

I tend to get in fights with people about this and I haven’t yet succeeded in convincing anyone of this and also it doesn’t really matter because I think it’s probably wiser that people don’t go around believing it and being convinced that the cute person you made eye contact with on public transportation is THE ONE and you “just know”. But I just. In my heart of hearts I believe it’s real.

Matt Damon met his wife at a bar okay!!!! Saw her across the room !!!! and KNEW. I didn’t make that up- that happened to him.

2. If you could spend an hour talking about love with one person, living or dead, who would it be?

Well, in truth I’d talk about it with my family and friends but as I already DO that I’m going to go with Taylor Swift and/or (hopefully and) Jane Austen. I think it would be pretty funny if they were both prosaic about it though. Being an artist and being an explainer/rhetorician aren’t the same thing and I love the idea of both of them being not very eloquent about something they’re so GOOD at talking about in other ways. Like the way you once described Megan Whalen Turner and Adam Driver as discussing their work in the same matter-of-fact, understated, unflowery way. (I think about that a lot.)

This question got away from me. I’d still want to talk to Taylor about it though haha.

3. Do you think that “opposites attract” is a more consistently true principle of successful romance, or can two similar people work together?

WHAT A GOOD QUESTION AND ONE ON WHICH I HAVE MUSED MUCH SINCE YOU FIRST POSED IT TO ME

I think in the end it comes back to the idea of balance. (#reylo, #willieverstopbeingthemostannoyingaboutthisNO) Romances, friendships, any kind of relationship works great and beautifully when there are complementary differences that create a natural check and balance between two people. We’ve all got to steady each other out you know. But romance especially calls for those differences in temperament and even outlook where faults as much as virtues help keep the other in check/help push the other to grow. Damon is so sarcastic, Elena is so sincere. She grounds him and cuts through his defenses; he draws her out of her seriousness and out of her head and makes her have a little more fun. Ben is contemplative and thoughtful and questioning, Rey reckless, impulsive, and action-driven. He steadies Rey’s unthinking action, she helps shake him out of his inaction. They’re better together. I could go on.

“Opposites attract” has definitely been overblown because I think having the same fundamental priorities and beliefs and values is most important in a marriage- the most important thing let’s be real- and even in terms of interests and outlook similarities are good. But the edge of difference in personality and approach is good- it’s what creates the spark! It’s what makes it work. Thank God (truly) that we aren’t all the same.

4. What is the greatest lie about romance that is widely accepted?

That romantic love can be separated from morality, from charity, and thrive. It can’t. As Lewis says in The Four Loves, “The rebellious slogan 'All for love' is really love's death warrant (date of execution, for the moment, left blank).”

On a (somewhat loosely) connected note, that’s why I side-eye those romances that start out and then continue against the wishes and support of family, friends, a wider community. I don’t want to overstate it! Parents, friends, community can be close-minded, unfair, hateful, wrong etc. FOR SURE. But marriages that start out against everyone else in their circle with no intention or desire for reconciliation, with just the two people involved feeling that “this is us against the world, we can defeat all odds!” are not a good idea. A couple’s reasons for cutting ties and starting out in isolation may be necessary but should never be undertaken lightly or as a matter of course because we all need support. We need each other.

“We’re In Love And Anyone Who Says We Cannot Do Whatever We Want Because Of That Hates True Love” feels like a default attitude in today’s culture, especially for teenagers, whenever any objections are raised. Objections should be raised. Sit DOWN and be willing to work your way through them and prove that you’ve thought about them and are ready for the risks and the work involved to make this the best thing it can possibly be. Stop being stupid!!! Your love is not the answer to everything!!!!! Your love cannot be your sole guide!!!!

But I mean, true love that wants the true good can. But that’s different from passion, emotion and it’s not what everyone is operating from you know? We’re messy and human.

5. What do you dream of for your own romantic future, if you do?

Judging by these answers, it seems that I think it’s far too big a risk!!

But I mean, dreaming. Hmm. wow this is making me feel very shy. (Can I lower my font size so it’s like I’m whispering.) I want.............I don’t know. Alright, apart from someone who agreed with me on what was most fundamentally important- faith especially obviously- I’d want to love and be loved very deeply. I want all the things we talk about- friendship, trust, someone who helps me grow, someone who challenges me, someone who loves me a lot whom I loved as much in return. It’s- yeah. This isn’t a good answer but it’s such a hard question.

6. Is I love you the most romantic thing that can be said, or are there other words you would choose?

you know I think “I love you” IS the most romantic thing !!! !!! Before you asked this I would have thought that I didn’t think that and I do love other verbal ways of expressing love but there is something about the words themselves that get to me. Whenever I hear it onscreen I kind of tear up a little bit. It’s why I always tend to ship canon couples at least a little bit because it’s like “BUT THEY LOVE EACH OTHER”. You know how I feel about Tyler and Caroline which is not much but there’s that one scene where he writes her a letter and it’s like “I will always love you” and i’m like “SHOOT ME I CAN’T TAKE IT.”

They’re such beautiful words, so straightforward. So ageless. They don’t change! Human beings have been saying them to each other for centuries.

7. How, in this crazy fandom world, do we identify relationships that are ACTUALLY toxic, versus those that are growing/developing/in need of work?

ahem ahem aHEM A relationship isn’t toxic because screenwriters decide to have the characters say it is without backing that up or with writing bad decisions. I’m not bitter I say bitterly with a bitter expression.

Relationships that are built on nothing but bad things- selfishness, control, abuse, lies- are toxic. Relationships that are separated from the pursuit of the good are toxic.

That said, and it’s a big “that said”, we’re all broken, we’re all damaged, we’re all wounded and sinful and I believe that things can get better, that people can heal so a lot of rhetoric around this topic strikes me as wrong. Tumblr especially tends to label conflict, challenge, and imperfections as toxicity and it’s just- no. Those are all parts of a healthy relationship in this fallen world.

Another way of putting it is that I think, in fiction especially, relationships that don’t DEAL with anything, that don’t involve the struggle of communication are not good. Lies and surface-level resolutions aren’t good.

I’m not qualified enough to talk more about it. (I mean it hasn’t stopped me so far but it’s stopping me here.)

8. Is love a choice?

Yes, but you can’t always control how you feel initially. You can always control what you do though, and it’s the doing that’s the most of love. To paraphrase Lewis, the feeling is just the spark that ignited it.

(*sings* “I can’t decide if it’s a choice, getting swept away”)

9. How do you like your romance, in fiction: full of light and sunshine, warm and constant, or tragically resolute?

All of the above. If I had to choose one I’d say “warm and constant” but all of it absolutely kills me. Screams into the void.

10. Tell me what kind of man I should marry.

Someone principled, steady, witty, kind. Also someone who’s a good cook and also who likes dogs so that you know they’re real and have at least one fault in your eyes.

#darcy interviews bing #romance #my answers get progressively shorter #i could ramble forever but it's getting late #amazing questions emma

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