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anothers-trash-my-treasure · 4 years ago

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Stoners

Stoner Snaf <3 So this one's kinda weird, I based it around the Watch Me from fictober so if you haven't already read that, I suggest reading it first! It's also set in a post COVID world because I need something to look forward to. Disclaimer; I wrote this while very high last night and didn't really edit it so it's probably a mess.

Pairing: Merriell Shelton / Female Reader

Warnings: 18+, unprotected sex (don't do this), recreational drug use, if you squint there's some kinky undertones but nothing too crazy.

Word Count: 4.4K (i haven't written something this long is forever omf)

Tags: @edteche2 @xmxisxforxmaybe @diasimar @txmel @gloriousdarkangelsworld @paradoxicaltornado @404-not-found-xix

Enjoy and happy 4:20

Ever since the pandemic, you hadn’t been able to do crowds. Not like you used to anyways. It killed you a little bit because all the things you missed doing so much involved crowds; concerts, clubbing, festivals, travelling. Getting back into the swing of things took time. The feeling of being surrounded by people you don’t know set every one of your nerves on fire in the worst way. It felt so...

Uncomfortable.

This is probably why you didn’t last more than a half-hour at some seedy dive bar your friends had dragged you out to for the night. They begged you to go out with them, if even only for a drink or two. It had been so long since the whole group had a proper outing, it was nice to have the gang out for a night. Until some dickhead grabbed your ass and whispered some unwanted filth in your ear, his breath hot and unpleasant on your skin. After that, you were quick to grab your bag and say goodbye to your friends. You knew they were disappointed, but you could still feel the strangers breathe on your skin like it had been singed.

You welcomed the cool air of the night, feeling it immediately cool your skin. You hadn’t realized how warm it was inside but now that you were out in the open, you felt better. The burning on your neck had settled, more of an afterthought now. Your brain still felt overwhelmed, and you knew exactly how to remedy that.

Sitting down at one of the picnic table benches nearby, you began to sift through your bag when a voice rang out through the quiet streets.

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,”

You’d know that slow drawl anywhere, you’d go so far as to say it near haunted your dreams.

“Merriell Shelton,” you beam up at him as he walks closer to you, nodding at his friends to continue without him, “I haven’t seen you since-”

“That last party.” He nods, smiling at you in the way where you’re not quite sure if he’s flirting with you or if he’s just that naturally gorgeous, “when I taught ya’ how to smoke.”

An excited smile bubbles onto your face and you shake your head at him, “Oh, you’d be so proud of me. I’ve grown so much since then.”

You resume digging through your bag to find your various forms of weed paraphernalia you carry with you. The pandemic had not been kind to you, and some days it felt like the only thing keeping your head above water was your bedtime joint. It wasn’t something you were terribly proud of, but it helped your anxiety and that was good enough for you lately.

He barks out a laugh at your response and you can’t help the pride the swells up inside of you knowing that you made him laugh like that. He comes to sit on the bench, placing himself close enough that it wasn’t weird, but far away enough so that he wasn’t directly in your space.

“What, you some kinda stoner or something now?” he asks as you layout your joints and pipes. He whistles, a mix between being impressed and mocking, when you pull out your vape too, “Damn, you got a bong in there too?”

Now it’s your turn to laugh, “No, that stays at home.” you say with a wink, “So, how have you been?” you ask, starting to put everything but your joints back in your bag.

He blows out through his lips and laughs a little, running a hand through his hair, “Been better lately, that’s all that matters, I s’pose.” He watched, something like a weird form of pride in his eyes as you pull out a joint and light it carefully. You certainly can’t complain, you forgot how great it felt to have his eyes on you.

You hum knowingly, “That’s what I keep telling myself, anyway,” you hold the joint up hesitantly.

“I don’t usually share my joints anymore, but if you’ve got your shots...” you shrug, your sentence tapering off. It’s a weird world you live in now, no one quite knows what’s socially acceptable anymore.

He smirks at you, amused, taking the joint from your fingers, “I’ve got my shots alright,”

His eyes don’t leave yours as he brings it up to his lips and takes his hit. He’s not even doing anything out of the ordinary, but he looks like he’s up to no good in every way. It’s like he’s just taking you in as if comparing you to the girl he met years ago.

“You changed,” he comments on an exhale, passing it back.

You nod, laughing softly, “Turns out I get really impulsive when I’m alone,”

He scoffs, “tell me about it,” and then he’s shrugging off his hoodie to reveal a handful of new tattoos covering his skin, “Buddy of mine is an artist,”

You gasp, ‘ooo’ing at some of the more complex pieces. Without thinking your hand darts out to let your fingers drag against his forearm, following the linework of the ink. His muscle twitches beneath your fingers involuntarily and you’re reminded of how long you’ve gone without intimate touches like this. You wonder if it’s the same for him. Did he long to be touched so innocently like this too?

“They’re wonderful,” you say, pulling your hand away, still admiring from a distance.

“Yea, I like ‘em.” He shrugs, nodding at you to take the last pulls from the joint, it’s your weed after all, “You get any?”

You shook your head, “No, surprisingly enough every time I finally convinced myself to book an appointment, shops got shut down again.” You said, only kind of bitterly.

He laughs and you scowl at him, “Aw, baby, don’t be like that,” he laughs, swatting at you half-heartedly, “Look, I betcha I can get you a discount at my buddy’s shop.”

You eye him suspiciously, “I can’t tell if you’re kidding.”

He puts a hand to his chest with a lazy smirk, “On god,”

You bite your lip to suppress a smile, shaking your head lightly, “Okay fine but that just means you’ll get to see a whole lot more of me,”

His smirk turns darker, into something more playfully suggestive, “I have no problem with that,”

A silence fills the space between you as you both take each other in. You had really only hung out with him that one night and nothing had really happened. You just sat and talked really. You talked for a while. You talked so long you didn’t realize the party had ended until your friend came to get you. You exchanged numbers and then just a few weeks after, you were instructed to start isolating. You’d kept up a steady social media friendship since then, but you had missed actually talking to him. He wasn’t much of a texter. The silence only lasts a moment, but it feels thick with tension.

“You look good by the way,” he comments, leaning ever so slightly closer to you, “I meant to say that earlier but then you made me strip for ya-”

“Whoawhoawhoa!!” you sputter through a laugh, “I did not make you do anything, you did that yourself.”

He shakes his head at you, “Nah, that doesn’t sound like me.”

You're giggling at this point, “You’re ridiculous.”

He beams at you, clearly pleased with himself for the moment. It settles for a second as he looks at you, eyes softening a bit before he glances down, nudging your knee with his a bit, “I missed you,” He cringes a bit, “I know it’s weird to say but, I did.”

Your nodding before you can even think to play it even a little bit cool, “No, I get it,” you assure him, smiling softly, “I missed you too, actually.”

He hums, smiling a rare soft smile at you before changing the subject, clearly wanting to shift the attention away from his moment of vulnerability, “So why aren’t you inside?” he asks.

“Oh,” you glance back at the bar behind you, having forgotten it was even there, “I was heading out, I wasn’t really in the mood for dive bars tonight.”

He nods, “The crowds right?” you nod and he’s talking again before you can ask him how he knows that, “I get it, sometimes being so close to that many people again makes me wanna crawl out my skin.” he chuckles.

You nod, a weight lifting off your shoulders to know you’re not alone, “Exactly, it’s not something I’ve gotten used to yet.”

“Well, can I walk you home?” he offers with a smile, “I’m in no rush to head in there,”

You smile and nod, “I’d like that,”

Somehow he had ended up on your couch. You weren’t entirely sure when walking you home had turned to him being on your couch, but you certainly weren’t complaining. You were both pleasantly high, talking anything from movie theories to possible dystopian futures and alien invasions.

“Look, I’m jus’ sayin’ that if I was an alien, I wouldn’t wanna fuck a human, are you kidding?” he reasons, eyes squinted as if he’s offended and your laughing so hard you have tears in your eyes, “Nah, I’m goin’ for a much cooler species.”

He watches you as you fight back giggles at his ridiculousness, a lazy, grin settled on his face. He reaches for his jacket that’s slung across the arm of the couch, reaching into his pocket to pull out his own stash and you gasp, mocking offence.

“You had your own weed all this time and you’ve been smoking mine?”

He rolls his eyes, settling the joint between his lips and lighting it. He inhales slowly, watching the tip as it sparks to life, eyes flicking back to you as he exhales, “I was gonna share,”

He holds out the joint for you, however as soon as you go to steal it he holds it back, just out of your reach, “what’s the magic word?”

“Oh my god, are you kidding?” you ask through a laugh, straining forward further in an effort to reach it but you’re hindered from the way you’re sitting. You make grabby hands at it instead.

“Ya want it or not?” he asks, eyebrows raised expectantly. There’s a tension between the two of you, still mostly playful but turning ever the more thick as the moments pass by.

You huff, getting comfy again in your spot, keeping your hand stretched out lazily, “Please,”

As soon as the word leaves your lips you can see his eyes get darker, that infuriating smirk only stretching across his face and you’re so mad that that’s all it takes for the playfulness between you to shatter into pure sexual tension.

Without a word he hands you the joint, enjoying the way you quickly bring it into your mouth for a deep drag to calm your rising nerves. It’s infuriating, how good he looks like this. All calm and relaxed on your couch in the low living room light, curls messy and looking at you through hooded eyelids. You want him. Just his eyes on you like this has a warmth pooling in the pit of your stomach.

You try to play it cool though, taking another slow drag and enjoying the way the smoke rises up around you. His eyes zero in on your lips, watching with a peaked interest as they wrap around the filter, watching the way the smoke escapes them. Neither of you say a word for a while. Just sitting in a comfortable quiet, a forgotten Spotify playlist playing in the background as you pass the joint back and forth.

He didn’t make his move until the final few hits of it. He shifts to sit straighter on your couch, a little more proper. What left his mouth was anything but.

“C’mere,” he says lowly, cocking his head to the side and gesturing to his lap, “gotta nice seat for ya,”

You don’t hesitate to comply, your high erasing any ideas of playing hard to get. You maneuver yourself as gracefully as you can, swinging a leg over his and settling there, straddling him comfortably with his hands on your hips. Once you're settled he raises the joint to his lips, taking in the last drag, eyes glimmering in the low light of the room. He holds it for a second, one hand moves upwards to cup the back of your neck and pulls you in closer.

Your lips are so close, the tension crackling between you like electricity. He tilts his head ever so slightly, lips parting to exhale the smoke into your mouth. You inhale on impulse and your mind goes blank as your lips brush ever so slightly together. You knew people said shotgun kisses were hot, but you had never truly believed them until now.

You know you should pull away to exhale, but you can still feel his lips brushing against yours and your mind is dizzy from the weed and from him and you can’t take it anymore. You close the distance the rest of the way, kissing him slowly through your exhale, smoke slipping through your lips as he returns the motion.

You kiss him like that for a while, enjoying his hands on your waist and the feeling of his chest beneath your hands. You were quickly realizing that Merriell was his own kind of drug. You’d only had a little taste of him and yet you found yourself craving more. His fingers flex against your body and you can’t help to low noise that slips out of your throat. It only spurs him on, emitting a growling sound of his own as he tugs you closer, dragging you against his growing erection. Your hand slides into his hair in response, feeling like you’re so high on weed and him that you might just fly away.

“Is this okay?” he asks against your lips, letting his forehead press against yours while he waits for your response.

You hum your affirmative, nodding your head quickly while diving back into for another kiss, this one much more ravenous than the last. God, you felt like you were starving for him. You couldn’t get enough at the way his tongue slid against yours, the feeling of his hands gliding up and down your body. They continue down the curve on your spine, settling once they reach the globes of your ass.

“You don’t know how many times I thought ‘bout this,” he mumbles, pulling away to stare at you teasingly through hooded eyelids. His accent, already a slow drawl, comes out much thicker when he’s high like this. It washes over you like honey. He smirks at you and before you can begin to wonder what he’s up to he brings one of his hands down in a sound smack against your right ass cheek.

You gasp at the feeling, dulled by the layer of your jeans but rippling throughout your sensitive skin nonetheless. You laugh lowly against his cheek, “likewise,”

He bites his lip on a grin, capturing your lips in a single, filthy kiss as if he knows exactly what it’ll do to you. Your hands wander up under his t-shirt, nails digging in sightly, just as a preview, returning the favour.

Like a switch, he’s on you a little more urgently and things begin to move faster. His hands tug on your shirt impatiently and you obediently part to take it off, shucking your bra off as well, and feeling pleased when he follows your lead. Your hands explore each other's bodies, every inch of new skin. It’s not long before he switches positions, standing up and dropping you back on the couch so that this time you’re laying on it properly. Without wasting a moment, you wiggle your jeans off, tossing them somewhere over the coffee table and taking in the way his eyes darken further at the sight of you.

He crawls his hips between your legs, capturing your lips in a messy kiss before starting to trail them down your body. Your high has your skin feeling so sensitive, every soft brush of his lips feeling like a shock of electricity through your body. He spends time on your breasts, marking and kneading them with his hands, enjoying how responsive you are beneath his ministrations. Though he doesn’t spend long there, clearly more interested in another prize.

He settles, this time his shoulders keeping your legs spread. He presses a soft kiss to your inner thigh, lets his fingers dust over your panty-covered pussy. Your muscles twitch at the feeling, and you feel your cunt clench around nothing. He looks good there, tattoos cover his skin and you long to be able to leave something that permanent on him. Fuck, you want him so bad.

He grins at you, knowing exactly how impatient you must be feeling. And that bastard uses it to his advantage. Sucking marks into your thigh just to watch your squirm. Eventually, he pulls your panties to the side, letting his fingers slide through your folds. He whistles lowly between his teeth.

“Mmm, baby, you this wet for me already?”

The whimper that leaves your lips is pitiful, your hips twitching in an attempt to get the pressure where you need it. He chuckles under his breath, eyes darting between your heat and your face, “Look at you,” he near coos, letting his thumb trace circles around your clit, watching as your mouth drops on a silent moan, “You want it so bad, don’t cha? Sweet thing...”

“Are you gonna be an asshole like this all night?” you ask, breathless but trying to redeem some of your dignity through what little wit you have left.

He laughs, sinking a finger into your heat just to watch the pleasure ripple across your face, “Don’t pretend like you don’t love it.”

And he’s right of course. You do love it, love the way he comments on how wet you are for him, almost mocking. Love the way he’s taking his time to find the most sensitive parts of your body and using them to his advantage. You let out a breathy moan as his finger brushes your G-spot.

The sound must do something to him because within a second he's attaching his mouth to your pussy with a growl, not even bothering to remove your panties before doing so. The heat of his tongue on your clit as his finger works that sweet spot inside of you turns your breathy moan into one much louder.

He’s good with his mouth because of course, he is. Within moments you feel like you're right on edge. And the smug bastard knows it too if the amused glint in his eyes is anything to go by. Your one hand twists in his curls, encouraging his movements while your other works at your nipple.

“God,” you whine, tugging at his hair as you feel heat wind up your spine. You swear you’ve never felt this good. It only takes another flick of his tongue against your click before your orgasm rips through you, thighs attempting to squeeze around his head, stopped by his free hand holding your one leg open so he can work you through it. Your body twitches in its aftershocks, mewling pathetically when the simulation starts to ride that edge between pain and pleasure.

“It’s just Merriell, actually,” he supplies when he pulls away with a smirk.

“I fucking hate you,” you breathe out, pulling him up your body so you can kiss him again, despite your words. He laughs, moaning softly against your lips when your hand finds the bulge in his jeans.

He kisses you for a while, letting you paw at him for a bit before he pulls away to work them off his body. There’s no real rush, the high allowing you to take it slow and enjoy the moment as opposed to the frenzied fucking drinking tends to lead you to.

You whine and he laughs at you, low and cocky as he leans down for another wet kiss, “You hurtin’ that bad for it, baby?”

You beam up at him from your place on the couch, feeling comfy and sexy with the way his eyes trail across your skin, leaving a tingling feeling in their wake. You shrug, watching with interest as he rids himself of his briefs, admiring his cock as he awaits your response.

“It’s been a while,” You say, distracted as you anticipate the stretch required for your body to accommodate him, ‘I’m excited, sue me.”

His hands use your hips to drag you closer to him, lifting one leg onto his shoulder while letting the other wrap around his body. He leans down to kiss you and you only have half a second to wonder the last time your legs were stretched like this before the feeling of his cock at your entrance steals the breath from your lungs.

Your mouth drops open, a moan caught in your throat as he slowly sinks into you. Your eyes roll back, shamelessly enjoying the stretch as he sinks, inch by slow, pleasurable inch. He continues the slowness, but you’re not sure he’s doing so on purpose.

When your eyes focus again you see the definition of bliss on his face as he thrusts slowly in and out of you, moaning lowly in his throat.

“Fuck,” he says, drawing the word out through gritted teeth, “that’s it, takin’ me so good.”

His thrusts begin to pick up, still fucking you slowly but with more force behind them. Each sharp movement of his hips as the tip of his cock dragging sweetly against the deepest parts of you, and it feels so fucking good. In the moment, it’s intense. He’s folded over you, holding your leg against your chest so he can suck and bite at your neck as he fucks you. You can’t help the filthy moans you let loose in his ear, one hand fisted in his hair while the other digs your nails into the smooth skin of his back.

“Merriell,” you gasp, feeling distinctly insane with the pleasure you're feeling. Your head drops back onto the couch, body jolting with each thrust of his hips. It’s good, god, it’s so good. But the need that burns through your veins makes you impatient, “Let me ride you.”

The words are out of your mouth before you can stop them, but it’s a suggestion he is clearly open to acting upon. He quickly pulls out, sitting back in his original position and pulling you on top of him.

“Be my gu-” he doesn’t finish his sentence, instead tapering off into a moan as you waste no time in sinking down on to him again, “Christ,”

You waste no time. Quickly stabling yourself with your hands on his shoulder and maneuvering yourself up and down on his cock. Now it’s your turn to watch him. Watch him as his eyes roll back and his hands grip your hips with a vice-like grip. That smirk never strays from his face though, clearly enjoying himself.

“You look so pretty like this,” he talks, bringing a hand down on your ass again, loving the way it spurs you on, “talk to me baby, tell me how it feels.”

You moan, loud and borderline pornographic, “You feel so good,” you breathe, biting harshly down on his lip, savouring the growl that vibrates through the both of you, “Oh, fuck, Merriell, you feel so good,” You emphasize your words with a particularly good roll of your hips.

You can tell he’s getting close by the way his hips start to snap upwards to meet yours and the way his brows furrow in concentration, “Fuck, baby girl,” he groans, unaware at the way the nickname makes you melt, “tell me you’re getting close. I wanna feel you cum around my cock.”

You nod immediately, pulling on his hair so you can capture his lips harshly, letting him bite your lip and pull your hips frantically against his own, “yes,” you whimper, “yes, yes, fuck imgonnacum,” you rush out, feeling like every touch he’d ever laid on you compiling into this one moment. It’s completely overwhelming and for a moment, you blackout.

When you come to he's kissing at your neck, hands massaging and pull at your ass, helping you ride of the aftershocks of your orgasm. His sounds have turns high and desperate against your neck, hands gripping at your skin so hard you think you’ll have bruises tomorrow. He needs you to keep going. Give him something.

The small, dare you say whimpery, “Oh baby, please,” has you moving quickly, almost as desperate to make him finish as he is to finish.

In the blink of an eye, you’ve lifted yourself off of him and onto your knees in front of him, quickly enveloping his entire length into the warmth of your mouth.

“Oh fuck, baby,” He moans urgently, both hands coming to tangle in your hair as you work your mouth over his cock, eyes trained on his face, “Fuck, I can’t-”

You hum, encouraging and within seconds you feel him reach his climax. His head thrown back, hips twitch upwards into the welcoming heat of your mouth, a low long moan pulled from his throat. He lets you bring him down, continuing to suck and lick softly at his spent cock, eyes lazily following your every movement.

When he finally pulls you up off the floor it’s to kiss you, lazy and heated. You collapse basically on top of him as you kiss, unbothered by the smallness of the couch and the cold air that bites at your cooling skin. He makes a noise in his throat when you pull away, watching in amusement as his eyes barely open to look at you.

“‘M so fuckin’ high.”

It pulls a laugh from you, bubbling up from your chest. He smiles, bright, relaxed and dazzling, “Hope you weren’t plannin’ on kickin’ me out because ‘m not movin’ for a while,”.

You rest your head on his chest, letting yourself sink into the moment with him, your own high coming back to you as you bask in the post-sex haze.

“You're still gonna get me discounted tattoos though right?"

#merriell shelton #snafu shelton #stoner!snaf #merriell shelton x reader #snafu shelton x reader #snafu x reader #smut

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vercopaanir · 5 years ago

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In For a Credit

The Lovely Moons, Chapter 19

Masterlist

Pairing: The Mandalorian x Blind!Reader

Summary: Fellow Mandalorians teach you how to handle weapons.

Words: 3.5

Rating/Warning: G, I think. Some references to death.

Notes: So, this originally was going to include a lot more. However, the chapter was nearly 7k words, and I didn’t feel like it was fair to post the entire thing because so much happens. So it will be split up. The nice thing is that the next update will be on Monday night. Thank you all for your patience and support!

AO3

The Tribe is a working society, and you quickly become fascinated in the opportunity to occupy yourself. You are no stranger to work, and the constant inner need to be doing something of value, to be useful, to earn your way is so ingrained that it borders restlessness. The morning when the Mandalorian says he’ll be taking his collected bounties to Greef Karga in town, you look up from the book where your fingers pause over the raised indentations of braille, tilting your head. Corde and Venka follow your eyes upward, nibbling at their food, and watching him curiously.

“What should we do while you are away?”

He pauses his adjusting of his vambrace, glancing between all of you, four pairs of expectant eyes, and he explains that there exists many skills that the Tribe hones together as a collective, from fighting to healing to child rearing.

Watching the small green infant play with his stuffed bantha toy perched on the warrior’s lap, you straighten your back and lay your hands on your knees. As a servant and slave, you have performed a variety of tasks. You can clean, cook, mend, garden, and farm. As a handmaid, you’ve developed skills that were fine tuned for a lady of an older age. You’d taken care of her hair and nails, you’d seen to her correspondence, fetched her tea, and kept her company. Having taken care of children before, you knew your strength as a caretaker is hard to rival, blinking at the three children surrounding you.

But this was a chance to learn something new .

A decision settles within you, and you hold your chin level.

“I would...like to learn about weaponry.”

The Mandalorian’s visor trains on you for so long, you think perhaps you have said something wrong. You begin to wonder how you can explain away the whim when he stands suddenly, placing the baby in his pram. He clicks a button on his vambrace to program it’s tracking before holding a hand out to help you to your feet. Venka and Corde shove the remainder of their breakfast in their mouths to follow behind you both as he leads you through the passages of the enclave. The child floats between you and the siblings, large inky eyes blinking curiously.

“Will we get to learn, too?” Corde asks, her eagerness palpable.

“No. But there are foundlings here that you should find. They can teach you games I’m too old for,” the Mandalorian grunts, and she gasps, rushing around to stop in front of you both. You feel his fingers tighten over yours when you both halt suddenly.

“Can we go find them now?”

You hesitate, the idea of the two children disappearing somewhere in the tunnels making you uneasy, but the Mandalorian tilts his visor down at her, taking her measure. “So long as you stay together, and do not leave the covert.” Corde’s eyes light up, but before she can bolt away as if on an invisible speeder bike, the Mandalorian grabs the back of her collar, keeping her in place. He squats down in front of her, still slightly taller in stature, and you hold your breath as you watch them. “I mean it, ad’ika,” he repeats, his voice pitching deeper in warning as he looks down at her. “Promise me.”

Venka is quick to promise, holding a hand over his heart with a bowed chin as if taking an oath for life, and Corde nods so fast her hair comes loose from her braid. “We promise.”

“Go.”

You watch their small shapes disappear from your line of sight, the slap of the shoes you’d sewn them echoing off down the rocky walls of the passageway. They will not be alone, you remind yourself, forcing down the nerves twisting your stomach. If the beskar clad warrior at your side trusts his people to watch over them, you will, too. The Mandalorian watches them until they’re out of sight, nearly jumping out of his armor when you slip your hand in the curve of his elbow.

“And where will you be sending me?” you ask softly, walking alongside him when he seems to remember his feet. He lays his other gloved hand atop your fingers, and you think he might be smiling.

“You said you wanted to learn about weaponry.”

You never see him without a weapon, his blaster ever present against his hip or the ominous rifle slung across his back like a saint’s marker. It is not a leap in judgment to assume protection is important to him beyond his profession, and knowing what you know now, you realize the level of trust he holds for you when he had shown you the weapon’s locker aboard the Razor Crest.

But the memory of how helpless you’d felt holding the blaster and aiming at Toro Calican had not left you. The blurry recollections of Cantonica leave you sick, and you silently wonder, at night when you are alone with your thoughts, if things could have been different had you not been such a foolish thing. That is something Mandalorians are not-and now, you are determined to change it.

“I would like to not be so afraid of weapons,” you finally manage in a quiet tone, resting both hands on his arm now and leaning your weight into him. He inclines his head in your direction. “I think fear is disrespectful for something that can save your life.”

He moves his hand, the warm leather covering your fingers that rest on his forearm, and there is a feeling he seems to radiate that washes over you. The backward set of his shoulders, a near defiant tilt of his chin, and you’re surprised when he comes to a brief stop in the middle of the passage. The child coos from his pram, blinking owlishly between you both and perking his ears upward.

The Mandalorian turns you toward him with a gentle, crooked finger beneath your chin. You expect him to say something, his thumb grazing your chin in such a slow, delicate sweep. Your eyes feel heavy as his other fingers uncurl against the warm flesh of your neck, sliding to cup the side of your throat beneath the thick veil of your hair. You keep your eyes upon the shine of his visor as he leans his beskar covering to whisper over your brow, and the complete tenderness in such careful, quiet movements makes your heart speed up. You think he must feel it, your pulse fluttering beneath his fingers where he’d once sunk his teeth out of passion born from fear and admiration, and you swallow hard at the memory.

For a single, still moment, you think he may take your hand and drag you back to your quarters.

The sound of approaching boots has the Mandalorian calmly stepping back from you, and whatever spell had blanketed you both is broken. Feeling flushed, you drop your head away as a fellow Mandalorian passes by both of you, nodding towards your bounty hunter in silent greeting. You draw some hair behind your ear, looking back at the child who grins up with all of his teeth at you as if privy to a joke you hadn’t heard.

The tunnels that interconnect are not twisting or turning as much as you expect. They are large, wide and windy, and you try to remember your way back the way you’d come to begin memorizing the layout. You give up just before the Mandalorian stops in front of a short flight of steps hewn into the rock. He wordlessly offers his hand to you, and in the distance you hear two male voices bantering back and forth.

The armory is large, spanning the same length as the Razor Crest at least, and it is filled with every kind of weapon of all shapes and sizes. Blasters, rifles, blades, and contraptions you have never seen before. There are lights ensconced upon the surface of the rock walls that allow your vision more opportunity to open to your surroundings, and you follow behind the Mandalorian as he comes to stop near a large bench littered with blaster parts, tools, oil, and dirty rags.

Across from you are two Mandalorians, and they stand upon your entrance. The slightly shorter warrior wears armor the color of moss with so many silver nicks and dents that you wonder if he hadn’t been thrown down the side of a cliff face. The taller, broader of the two is covered nearly head to toe in dark grey armor that’s shined to a shimmering gleam. You smile uncertainly, feeling shy as you stand just behind the Mandalorian.

Well. Your Mandalorian.

“Su cuy’gar,” greets the green armored warrior, his thick accent making you tilt your head. “Didn’t think we’d see you here again.”

“That’s because you don’t think much,” shot the grey armored Mandalorian, putting his hand out to grasp the forearm of the man beside you, shaking firmly in welcome. His voice is much smoother, deeper, and you can’t help but feel intimidated a bit by the magnetic presence when he turns his reflective visor upon you. “Tion��cuy?”

The Mandalorian rests his hand upon the small of your back, ushering you to stand properly beside him as he gives your name. “This is Briinx,” he tells you, nodding to the Mandalorian in green before gesturing with his hand to the other. “And Rhalaz. They are valued warriors, firearm instructors for foundlings, and the covert’s mechanics.”

“‘Mechanic’ makes it sound like we’d tinker with any ship that flies in, Djarin. We modify weapons that you can’t quite get through strictly legal means,” Briinx says, twirling a vibroblade between his gloved fingers. “I think we’re artists.”

“No, no,” Rhalaz shakes a hand, sounding completely put off. “Weapons sing. We are musicians, if anything.”

“Then we’d be conductors-”

“Look,” the Mandalorian sighs loudly, interrupting what you assume is going to turn into a conversation he’d rather not be a part of. “You have someone who wants to learn about weaponry. Think you can stay focused long enough to teach her something?”

“I’m offended you think otherwise,” Briinx says suddenly, dropping the blade on the workbench without ceremony. You can’t help the small smile tugging at your mouth. “We might bicker like an old married couple-”

“You are a married couple,” the Mandalorian growls.

“-but we always deliver,” Rhalaz quips, tilting his helmet towards you before settling his visor on the bounty hunter at your side, almost predatorily. “We’d be happy to teach her, but...well, why aren’t you teaching her? Cuyir dar gar riduur?”

Your eyebrows lift curiously when the Mandalorian goes completely still beside you, and you suspect that he stops breathing. The three warriors stare each other down for such a long, tense moment that you’re afraid to even blink. You can’t begin to guess what the implication is of what was spoken, but when the Mandalorian’s hand curls against your back, you feel his unease.

“Sa jate sa,” he finally mutters, staring steadfastly forward. His voice is full of annoyance, bristling and testy. “I have business today, and she wants to learn. Any more questions?”

Briinx puts two hands up in surrender, and Rhalaz’s helmet shakes with laughter.

The Mandalorian turns you both away from the other two warriors, resting one gloved hand on the middle of your back and inclining his helmet down towards you. “I’ll be back by the evening to find you.”

A small furrow forms between your brows, and you tilt your head. “I’m sure I can find the children if I just ask-”

“No!” You jump at his sudden whisper, blinking rapidly when he almost shuffles nervously. “No, I’ll...I’ll come find you.”

You frown after him, his shadow disappearing up the short flight of steps with a snap of his cloak. When you turn around, the other two Mandalorians survey you with their arms crossed across their chests. In for a credit, in for a pound, you think. You take a deep breath, folding your hands in front of you and stepping forward. You haven’t held many conversations with people since you left the cantina outside of the Mandalorian or the children, and it feels very odd.

“Ever held a blaster before?” Briinx asks, picking up one of the hand guns from the workbench that shines beneath the light. It looks freshly oiled and cleaned, and you swallow at how dark and foreboding it seems in his gloved hand.

“Yes,” you murmur, thinking of Toro Calican’s blurry form lying dead on the floor of the Razor Crest’s hull. “And I’ve shot one, too.”

“Well you’re already ahead of most of our students,” Rhalaz chuckles, seeming to sense your discomfort. His tall frame comes around the bench, and he pulls out a stool for you to sit on, patting it.

As daunting as the idea of learning weaponry seems, the two men are accommodating teachers with very different styles. Briinx is more hands on, insisting you hold every weapon, part, or tool you learn about while Rhalaz gives you in-depth explanations for what the parts of a blaster do, how a flash grenade detonates, and even the benefits of using blaster energy versus slug bolts.

“Blasters don’t have the same kickback as a slugthrower,” Rhalaz says, bringing down a long rifle that you immediately recognize. Your face must betray you, because he chuckles and sets the firearm in your hands, braced across your lap. “Where do you think Djarin got his rifle from?”

“I’ve never thought about it,” you admit, feeling the weight of the amban sniper weapon. The familiar pronged end feels awkward and precarious as you heave the gun upward, testing the weight.

“One of my favorites,” Briinx chuffs from across the bench, coming around to show you how to brace the stock pad against your shoulder. He fixes your hands, tilting your head up from hunching over, and correcting your overall posture with a sharp eye.

“Disruptors are one of the most dangerous kinds of weapons. They can short circuit an entire space station if you know where to aim,” Rhalaz tells you sagely, watching his husband adjust your stance.

You swallow hard, wishing you could put the rifle down and far away from you. “What would you need such a thing for?”

“For short circuiting a space station,” Briinx huffs as if the notion is obvious.

“This model and its modifications use more energy than your average blaster, so it...well-”

“It disintegrates people,” Briinx deadpans, moving your hand that cups the stock beneath the gun further out to give your grip balance.

You gape helplessly. “D-Disintegrates?”

“Or electrocutes, if you don’t want to kill the target,” Rhalaz sighs, seeming annoyed with the other Mandalorian. “That’s what the prongs are for.”

“It sounds like these should be banned,” you mumble as Briinx comes behind you to straighten your shoulders once more. You shudder to think what the Mandalorian would need such a weapon for.

“Oh, they were,” he chirps, tilting your head up again. “Now, see this here? It’s the scope. Allows a sniper to see his target from miles away.” His glove floats over the eyepiece and turns the dial. “It’s got heat sensors, too. Maybe Djarin will take you out sometime so you can see for yourself.”

You frown curiously, leaning forward to press your eye to the scope. It’s not nearly as blurry as you expect, and when he flips the dial again, your vision lights up with various shades of color. Rhalaz walks to the far end of the room into the darkened corner of the armory, and you see his heat signature fill the screen. He waves, fluttering his fingers so you can see him.

Excitement tingles along the back of your neck at actually being able to see what has been described to you, and you can’t help the small smile that curves your lips. “Oh.”

“We don’t give these to just anyone, mind you,” Briinx stipulates, patting the crown of your hair as you sit back. “Djarin only got one because he’s the best sharpshooter in the covert.”

“Really?”

It occurs to you that you know very little about the Mandalorian’s skills as a warrior. You had seen him move with precision and even witnessed his deadly reflexes, but you’d never actually seen him fight. The few times he’d killed, you had not been conscious enough to witness it.

“Can’t fight hand to hand worth a damn, but we all have our helms to wear,” Rhalaz sighs dramatically, earning a grin from you as Briinx takes the rifle from you and opens the barrel with a satisfying crack. “Alas, if you do learn to shoot, it should be from him.”

“I...I shot someone once,” you confess, and the armory goes very quiet. You don’t know if it’s from your confession itself or the tone of regret you can’t keep out of your voice. You take a deep breath, your eyes watching as Briinx’s gloves cradle the rifle like you might cradle the child in the crook of your arm. “It...he was going to kill us.”

A firm hand on your shoulder draws your eyes up to the shimmering stormy grey helmet, and Rhalaz tilts his visor down to try and meet your gaze. “There is honor in defending yourself, vod’ika. And the ones you love.”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” you whisper, curling your hands in your lap. Your heart begins to pound, face flushing with a cold sweat appearing behind your ears. The words must sound so foreign to seasoned warriors as the ones flanking you, and your quiet confession sinks your shoulders. How could you claim to be the companion of a Mandalorian when you couldn’t even protect yourself?

Surprisingly, Briinx is the one to allay your fears.

“No one wants to truly hurt another,” he says with his unique accent, his green helmet tilted conspiratorially towards you. “And if they do, they are the ones you should keep in your line of sight.”

Rhalaz nods once, grim and somber, and you frown gently. Had you not been able to fire the blaster at Toro Calican, would the Mandalorian have been able to gain the upper hand? Would the child still be safe? The two questions chill you, chasing the flush from your face, and you decide that you would never be in the position to ask such things again.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” you murmur, conviction making the words sound stronger than what you truly feel, but you straighten your back and breathe deeply. “But...I want to protect my child. The children. M-My clan.”

Rhalaz thumps his fist once on the bench, and Briinx chuckles happily, “ Mandokarla! ”

“That we can help with.”

When the Mandalorian descends the steps that evening, you are sitting on the workbench, legs crossed at your ankles as you work to put a WESTAR-34 blaster pistol back together after taking it apart. Briinx stands with his back against the wall while Rhalaz holds several throwing knives in one hand, balancing one in his other. a

“Don’t forget to slot the spring in. You don’t want to jam it, because that will wear it down.”

Thud.

“Your aim is getting worse, old man,” Briinx chides, a teasing note in his modulated voice. “I’m supposed to be able to deflect it, and you have to at least try to hit me.”

The Mandalorian clears his throat, and you look up with a bright smile in greeting, swinging your ankles from your perch.

“Djarin! Welcome back. We did half your job for you,” Briinx declares just as a knife thunks against the side of his helmet, skittering across the floor. “She’ll make a deadly ver’verd yet.”

“Of that, I have no doubt,” the Mandalorian deadpans, inching around behind Rhalaz as he gears up to throw another knife at his husband. You smile wide as the Mandalorian approaches you, and one hand comes to rest on the bench beside your thigh, the other resting on his belt. He leans his weight on one foot, visor tilting toward you. “Having fun?”

“I like this one,” you declare to him, your hands deftly slotting the slide over the barrel and finishing the job. The blaster gleams nearly platinum beneath the light, weighing it in your carbon smudged hands. “It’s very light.”

“You have good taste,” the Mandalorian compliments, taking the pistol from you thoughtfully. You watch with fascination as his gloved hands expertly charge the slide, tilting his head. He looks back up at you. “They teach you how to handle it?”

An offending huff comes from somewhere behind him, but you grin proudly. “I know how to put it together, take it apart, clean it, and reload it.”

“Good.” He straightens, offering a hand to you that you take gratefully. You didn’t realize how much you’d miss his companionship until you were apart, and you squeeze his fingers with a gentle sigh. That is, until he speaks next.

“Now stand up, and I’ll show you how to shoot it.”

Mando'a Translations:

Ad'ika - little one

Su cuy’gar - "You're still alive." A greeting or form of hello.

Tion'cuy? - Who's this?

Cuyir dar gar riduur? - Is she not your wife?

Sa jate sa - As good as

Vod’ika - Little sister

Mandokarla - Showing guts and spirit, the state of being the epitome of Mandalorian virtue.

Ver’verd - mercenary

Tag List: @lavenderl3mons @itzagoodthing @letaliabane @kateb013 @yodaswrinkles @catsnkooks @notawhitegirlblog @ihaveashield @sinnamon-bunn @just-a-dreammm @tiffdawg @lackofhonor @btillys @collectivefandom @kylolover96 @little-ms-fandom @earthtokace @blondecity @gaybroadwayloser @forever-rogue @lizajane3 @rzrcrst @themandjalorian @netflixandsnuggle @mrsparknuts @lonelystarship @adikaofmandalore @avoreahspromise @emilykjhgsj @fioccodineveautunnale @lokilover-39 @shesthelastjedi @yes-music-is-my-religion @rnlaing @peachdameron @theocatkov @mando-and-the-child @multifandom-fiasco @paryl @golden-mando @katialvi @toppaazzz @dragongirl642 @themilkface @menedraws @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @reallyfuckingangrylatina @literallytrashhhhhh @plipaya @kass-daily @ntlmundy @sikenurse @honestlystop @lukesrighthand @layla1974 @luosymekawa @bunnyart-blog @rika-cchi @chessurkitti

#The Lovely Moons #The Mandalorian fanfiction #din djarin x you #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian x you #mandalorian x you #mandalorian x reader #The Mandalorian

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anxiety-and-witchcraft · 4 years ago

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Frosty fever

This is a guardians Frozen Fever AU requested by @ineedtorename with Jack as Elsa, Human!Tooth (So still half hummingbird but she has slightly more human features and long, multicoloured hair behind kinda a crown of feathers, because I want her to be) as Anna because I heavily ship rainbow snowcone and need Jack to be organising his BFF and secret crush’s Bday party, and North, Bunny and Sandy as the boys in no particular order. Obviously, it takes place in the tooth palace and the village below it rather than Arendelle, and it’s not going to be song dialogue because Rise of the Guardians isn’t a musical. Going under a cut for length, which I just learned how to do :) P.S, Rainbow and Snowcone are now their nicknames for each other because I am devious.

“Okay, it’s almost time!” Jack exclaimed in a mixture of excitement and nervousness. He’d been feeling a bit off all morning – runny nose, bit of a headache etc. – but he’d just passed it off as the beginnings of hayfever season. He was the spirit of winter – he didn’t get colds, and there was nothing else it could be.

“North, Bunny, how’s the banner going?”

“Is all good, Jack, don’t worry.” North replied as he hung huge sheets of paper with colourful letters painted on them on a rope strung between two of the tooth palace’s golden pillars. The mini fairies all flitted around making sure it was secure, dotting bird-of-paradise flowers around along with any others that matched tooth’s feathers, and hanging colourful bunches of balloons.

“Yeah, we got this, mate, don’t worry.” Bunny added, crouched down to paint the remaining three letters.

Sandy was over by the cake, sneakily picking off some of the sugar-free sweets they’d used as decoration.

Jack sniffed and rubbed his nose. “I’m not worried! I’m not worried…”

Sandy looked sceptically at him.

“I’m not! Really!”

“You’ve already checked food layout three times.” North pointed out. “I’d say you were worried.”

‘Either that, or you’ve got a cold.’

“I don’t get colds, Sandy, I’m fine. And stop dismantling the cake, you can have a slice later!”

The sandman rolled his eyes and floated up to put some sparkly sand on the banner. That, and the combination of blue, turquoise and green paints Bunny had used, now made it look like Tooth’s feathers.

“Perfect!” Jack gasped. “Imma go wake Tooth up, just try and handle everything until we arrive.”

“Relax, Jack, we got this.” North affirmed and Bunny and Sandy nodded.

***

Jack chuckled to himself as he crept into Tooth’s room and picked a cushion up from her window seat.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOOTH!!!” he yelled, throwing the cushion directly at the now wakeful tooth fairy’s face.

“Oof…morning, snowcone…couldn’t think of a gentler way to wake me up, could you?”

Jack tossed a colourful dress at her. “Get changed and meet me outside in ten minutes.”

He then hurried outside, leaving Tooth to flop back down on her bed and inwardly complain about being woken up at 7:30 in the morning on her birthday.

***

“Tada! How do I look?”

“Wow…I-I mean, yeah, you look great!” Great job, idiot. Real smooth.

Tooth had just come out wearing her new dress, and Jack’s ears were already burning scarlet, his equivalent to blushing furiously.

Tooth’s dress was…well, beautiful. It was an off the shoulder knee-length one with a slight petticoat under the skirt, making it puff out ever so slightly. It was a gradient of light turquoise at the top to dark bluish green at the hem of the skirt, which had a pattern of gold teeth shapes embroidered onto it. There was a gold ribbon around the waist which tied into a floppy bow at the back, and the sleeves were made up of another gold ribbon which rested just below Tooth’s shoulders. All in all, she looked even more dazzling than usual, which Jack admittingly didn’t think was possible.

“Right! Bunny helped me hide a bunch of presents, and now we’re going to find them!” Jack explained excitedly.

“How?”

Jack held up the end of a red string that Tooth now saw led all the way through her palace and down to the village below it.

“Just follow the string!” he answered, right before letting out a rather large sneeze.

“Jack, do you have a cold?” Tooth asked concernedly. Jack sniffed and shook his head.

“Psshh, I don’t get colds, probably just pollen or something. Shall we?”

Before Tooth had time to object, he was already pulling her away on her presents trail. They didn’t notice the tiny snowgy who swiftly ran towards where the others were finishing the party.

Now I’m assuming if you’ve read this, you’ve watched Frozen Fever, so you’ll know what happens next. Jack leads Tooth on a complicated trail of presents, insisting that he’s fine as his cold gets progressively worse, while the growing army of snowgies try to get to the cake, Tooth starts to get very worried and they eventually end up at the clock tower.

“C-Come on, now we cliiimb!” Jack slurred, stumbling as he pointed to the clock tower with one hand and pulled Tooth along by her free arm with the other.

“Jack, that’s enough, you’re sick! We have to go home!” Tooth struggled to hold all her numerous presents and a half-eaten sandwich as Jack ploughed onwards, looking like he was halfway to falling over. His hair was sticking up even more than normal, his nose resembled a tomato, his eyes were puffy and hazy and his hand in Tooth’s didn’t feel nearly as cold as normal. It was blatantly obvious he shouldn’t be taking another step, let alone climbing a clock tower, but Tooth had learned by now that nothing could distract him from what he was doing when he was this stubbornly set on it.

“No, we have to get to out birthday chills, I mean thrills!”

By now they were halfway up the tower, Jack let go of Tooth’s hand to go further up than her.

“Follow the string to the end, you are my very best friend!”

“Jack?!”

“What? I’m fiiiine…”

They went out onto the top of the tower, and Tooth could see the most beautiful sunset ever as the star sunk behind a mountain in the distance, casting the sky into pink, orange and gold. This isn’t nearly as beautiful as you, though. Jack had planned to say.

Speaking of the winter spirit, he was tottering dangerously close to the edge of the platform.

Tooth dropped all of her presents with a gasp and shot over, wings buzzing furiously, to push Jack back onto the tower. Jack sniffled and sat with his head hung as Tooth sank to the ground next to him and wrapped her arms around him.

“Now, will you admit it?”

“Okay…” Jack sighed congestedly. “I have a cold…ugh.”

“You’re warm too…come on, back to the palace.”

Jack picked up his staff and waved the Wind over to help direct him and Tooth back to the Tooth Palace.

***

“I’m sorry, rainbow. I just wanted to make your birthday perfect…but I ruined it.” Jack groaned as they landed around the corner from where Bunny, North and Sandy were, unknown by him and Tooth, desperately trying to protect the cake and the banner from the snowgies.

“Jack, you haven’t ruined anything. C’mon, let’s get you to bed.”

They turned the corner to see the other three guardians standing atop a mountain of snowgies, holding the cake above their heads and with the banner behind them.

“SURPRISE!!!”

“Wow!” Tooth gasped.

Jack just stood there, wondering how on earth he missed about a hundred tiny snowmen being created from his sneezes. At least the mini fairies would have some new friends.

ALSO, if any artists who are bored see this and fancy doing me a favour, would anyone like to draw some art for this that i can post?

#rotg #rise of the guardians #rainbow snowcone #jack x tooth #tooth x jack #rotg oneshot #oneshots #marthmello #frozen fever #fever #colds #birthday #sickfic

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currentfandomkick · 5 years ago

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Bio! Dad Strange part 4

Shorter but a paris update for her life and a little on gotham with Jason as Robin while Tim is a hero Stalker.

Marinette is 7 when she changes schools, ordered into the Dupont school chain by her teachers since she was getting ‘difficult’ and contradicting their ciriculum. When they challeneged her on this, she went to the school board with Rolland beside her of all people.

The board agreed on one thing, Marinette’s contradictions were not only factually correct, but were done to prevent the outdated ciriculum from hurting her classmates. Instead of punishing her, she got to skip a gade and was given to Dupont as a ‘highly reccomended gifted student’.

Her first day she met Max, who also skipped a grade. The pair bond in five seconds over a new programming focused on learning emotional intelligence. Uncle Riddler was showing her it, and Max got his hands on a various ai bases. This led to then teaming up and designing the one and only Markov together, if only in schematics.

A week in and the two notice that some kids are being followed around by a guy with a bat. They report it. Again and again, but no one can find him.

One day he catches the pair on their way to Max’s—they wanted to work on their ai together, ok? The guy tries to hit Max, saying something about them being lucky metas that needed to suffer.

Marinette’s gotham training kicked in. She caught the bat, ripped it away from him and hit him in the chest with it, while yelling at max to run.

At the end of the incident, videotaped by a bystander, the Dupont Stalker was arrested.

Marinette was given another name by the police, ‘fille de batte’ or bat girl. Her having family in gotham only made the nickname more popular.

This put her on Kim and Alix’s radar. Kim wanted a challenge for fighting and competitions, and this tiny kid did that—to an adult! New friend and rival!

Alix was went from shock to joy as Marientte does art. She does art. Art friend to rant to found!

Nino ran into Marinette not long after Kim and Alix attached themselves to her and Max. Nino became their judge for Kim challenges. Including Mari pinning Kim to the mat, or deciding who did a circus move better (Mari won acrobatics).

Chloe doesnt go to dupont until next year, and sabrina is in another class, mildly concerned for Marinette.

In this au, again, Dupont is considered a ‘i would not be shocked if there were metas there’ school for gifted kids in any way.

Marinette is sent there for her insane science obsession at the time, but is also put in their arts program with Alix to develop as an artist with her medium, fabrics and fashion.

And if marinette redesigns hero outfits as “monsiuer ross, scribbles have more style, let alone fashion sense” alot, well. Kids get obsessed a lot and the Justice League is a common one, as are known villians. Her everyday outfits having different hero schemes—oddly enough some forensic scientist she’s obsessed with from some american city ended up in her mix—well. She’s a kid and showing signs a few types of anxiety.

Possible social and OCD and a developing case of perfectionism common to the arts program. The school has her see a therapist and know she isnt telling them everything beyong mild concern for her gotham family, and confusion over people just ‘not getting things’ as she is terribly smart and good at finding patterns and how do people not see it?

By the end of the year Marinette is in a strong friend group who’s parents and hers have decided to have joint custody during the school year.

She was now (forced) to learn vietnamese from Kim’s Grandparents, italian from Rolland (her nonno that has a Thing for tradition and somehow married Gina and raised Tom mostly on his own while running the bakery to boot), english from Father/Strange, Mandarin from her Maman and she started Arabic to talk with Nino’s aunt who kept saying marinette was her future in-law and point out that nino and her are friends, not dating ma’am.

However, Nino endured most of this with her-not the italian or Mandarin, but the others. Kim couldnt get Arabic but mandarin was a breeze for him. Alix cannot get vietnamese or arabic but Mandarin is her jam after french. Max just speaks french and english, he understands the others he just cant get the sounds right, ok?

When Marinette goes back to Gotham that summer, she ends up dealing with Hero Stalker Tim (jason is robin now) while looking for Red Hoodie who No oNE is telling her what happened and she’s worried, ok?

Tim feeds her obbsession with fixing problems. He sometimes sends her building layouts of places Catwoman stole from. And then the jewlry reappears thanks to a nervous Marinette coached by Rose and Ghoul while Frost handles her post-fix it freak out. Tim also may or may not get helped by her alot during Batman Stalking Time as she teaches his butt how to sneak and complains he’s worse than penguin.

Tim hates that, works on it, and still has nonidea who she is. He does admit to figuring out who batman may be, but needs more evidence so...

Marinette hits him becuase “thats dangerous!” And tries to lecture him in identites.

Batman’s radiowave was used for said lecture.

“And it puts their families in danger you, uh, hero stalker! And stuff so no more identity investigations!”

“They have the same builds, and did signsture moves from—“ the signal cutout.

He and Jason are more careful... ish. They change channels and monitor the old one.

Sometimes Batman catches Marinette and Tim talking about coldcases and she has asked three times if he heard anything about Jason’s street kid identity. Jason is feeling guilty about this as she’s his Pixie Pop. This lets Bruce know that the probably-clark’s-kid would keep Jason away from GCPD and CPS.

When a convo leads to Batman finding out Tim and Marinette have considered asking the police for help with a case of medicine that needed to be recalled as it was beign used to mule drugs contaminated the batches and hurt patients, but turned it down after she saw some taking bribes from Fish, Batman lets Gordon know and an investigation is launched.

While Bats is away, Jason visits marinette as Robin and tries to get her to bats for more information and a lecture on heroing without adult supervision. Maybe.

Only she’s currently stealing from a sleeping selina at another HQ. A Selina who has stopped trying to stop marinette and let riddler turn her house into one of his ‘traps’ to stop Marinette’s ‘return theiving’.

Jason gets stuck in a trap. Marinette is gone by then, scared Robin will tell Superman about her and he’ll hurt her family or something.

Catwoman is annoyed at Marinette’s sucess. She goes to stop the girl after leaving him tied up for Batman with a message: leave her new kitten-to-be alone.

Follow up talk post-Caught Marinette reverse theiving.

“Blame the Council’s decrees. She’s their little princess, and my new neice,” Catwoman watched Batman carefully.

Confused Batman in interrogator mode. “You mean the Court of Owls, arent they disbanded?”

“Bats, the council is gotham’s underground. Apparently Two-Face made the contracts as penance for scaring the Princess during a breakout. Unless you want an organized attack by the council, steer clear of her.”

Batman conencts the dots and curses himself. The girl he was looking for last summer is the Princess of Gotham’s underground. It will be hell finding her. And Superman/Clark will lose it when he’s told.

He lets the JL know about it, saying ‘possibly kyptonian clone, female child. Gotham’s underground is calling her their Princess. Connor and Kidflash tailed her last summer during the arkham breakout while Robin was with the Titans. Be alert for a small asian girl.’

That was how Marinette ended up on the JL watch list and how Superman had another existential crisis.

Dick freaks out with the Titans over this. Becuase kyltonian raised by villians is terrifying. Jason forwarded the message and adds on “she’s a good kid and wants to help. Somehow keeps zsasz and joker from killing people, so its not good to take her away or issolate her from the villians if you find her. From what i remember, she is terrified of her family beign put in danger. The others wont listen to me. If you can, pass this along to the other sidekicks and your allies—none of them trust me enough to listen. I cant talk to her as a civilian like i used to either for obvious reasons. And she’s terrified of me-Robin. Maybe you can get through to her, or someone else can. Just talk to her first, she’s more reasonsble than she looks”

Dick doesnt read the add on until much later and regrets it.

He met marinette once. She was a very excited kid babbling about aerodynamics in acrobatics and asking about that. Not hero things, not power things, or justice league but That.

He tried to be nice but he was having a horrible mission, saw the girl floating as she rambled and tried to grab her.

She freaked out and bolted, sort of. He got slammed into a building, or would have had she not caught him, rambled in french while trying to apologize (he was a but stunned from the throw, and rebooting as villian-kyptonian was... nice?) and put him on the roof, hit his communicator and said one thing.

“I think i broke your robin? All are robins like bird bones or something?”

He regained a functioning brain as that. That was something he could respond to.

“I am human thank you!”

That seemed to be enough for her as he moved to get up. She waved bye and bolted, something about Rose being mad at her for being late...

“Titans. I think we might have been wrong about the kid...”

Later with Young Justice the info was passed on.

Jason asked if anyone read his attachment and was met with silence. He groaned and told them “so another team she’s going to avoid... great.”

Marinette added the titans to her list of ‘people to aviod—tetch and Jerimah were the worst. Luthor and Cadmus were under them. Then the entire Justice League (they would tell batman or superman. Snitches.), followed by GCPD, CPS, the Bat Family and now Titans. She wonders if she needs to add anyone else, and hates that she cant talk to heroes. They could help with controlling her powers instead of suppressing them but she cant trust them not to give her to superman like batman did with Rose to Poison Ivy and she’s pretty sure Superboy too.

Next time, times marinette accidently put together identities and curses Hero Stalker Tim for her now knowing.

#bio!dad au #bio!dad strange #my au #marinette strange dupain cheng #my ideas #marinette strange dupain cheng part 4 #maribat #ml au

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soloplaying · 4 years ago

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Bendy and the Ink Machine: "Dreams Come to Life"

Guess what I got my hands on!

My Rating: I'd say...about 3 out of 5 stars. Or a solid B/B-

I really wanted to like this book, and there were aspects that I did enjoy. It was a quick and easy read, the original characters were engaging, and the last 30-40 pages were great! Unfortunately, too much of the rest of it felt like an original coming of age novel had taken a wrong turn into a back alley where our favorite BatIM characters happened to be loitering, rather than a novel rooted in the source material. It was unfocused and, while neither side of the story was bad, trying to mash them together made the final product a bit unsatisfying.

(I probably don’t need to say this, but…spoilers below the cut.)

The Good, the Bad, and the Meh:

The Good:

Buddy, Buddy's family, and Dot. I liked the focal original characters, for what they were worth. The author did a good job of making the reader feel for them and put a lot of effort into making them well-rounded. We just spent way more time with them than necessary.

The Setting. Joey Drew Studios, Buddy's home, and New York as a whole. The story was descriptive in a very sensory way, really making you feel the heat in that long-ago New York summer and the visceral differences between Buddy's world and Joey's farce. This was also effective at highlighting differences between Buddy’s perceptions at the beginning and end of the book.

Joey. Joey is the one game character in the book that received a decent bit of exploration and development. Buddy's initial infatuation with Joey's empty promises and charisma giving way to cold facts and the creeping horror of realization about how twisted he actually is...that's interesting to observe.

Sammy, Norman, Tom, Allison, Henry. To be clear, Henry's not actually present. At all. But the few lines we get about him are almost as much as we get from the game characters that are working at the studio at the time of the novel. What tiny bits we get about them are nice, though! Especially Sammy and the final conversation between Buddy and Tom.

The Studio. It feels properly creepy and convoluted. Since Buddy and Dot spend a significant amount of time exploring it, the studio's atmosphere receives a lot more focus than many other parts of the plot. It doesn’t quite match the game studio’s layout, but that’s a nonsensical mess anyways.

The Meh:

The Ink Demon. I couldn't figure out whether to put this in the positive or negative bracket so I'm leaving it somewhere in between. "Bendy" is properly terrifying and twisted and there's something that hits you right in the gut when you find out it's locked up in a tiny room alone, howling mournfully, when Buddy finds it. Then it gets out and starts killing people and that sympathy goes away very fast. However, it doesn't really feel like the Ink Demon from the game. In the book, it acts like a beast when Buddy sees it but, when you actually stop to think about it, its actions don't make sense for an animal driven by instinct. What is it actually doing most of the time? This might be a sign that it changes between the time of the novel and the game, but its actions in the novel are so contradictory that I think it’s a mistake. So....it's good as a typical PG-13 horror monster, but it doesn't feel like the Ink Demon, or "Bendy", despite the descriptions.

The Subplots. The many, many subplots. Don't get me wrong, I like Buddy, but hyper-focusing on him so much was extremely detrimental to the rest of the story. He had about six different things going on in his life and the first person POV meant the reader was stuck with him for every second of it. This brings us to the biggest problem in the novel and the cons section.

The Bad:

Buddy's Story. Thing is, it isn’t bad. It's a coming of age story about an artistic kid from the wrong side of town trying to find himself in post-WWII New York. It just...has nothing to do with Bendy and the Ink Machine. Even when Buddy is hired by Joey, there's about one page of studio investigation for every ten pages of Buddy's personal life struggles. It felt like the author started writing the first plot then tried to cram Bendy and the Ink Machine into it later on. And it really feels like the author cares more about the coming of age novel than the Bendy/Studio stuff. Joey was a key figure in the book but it was less about his madness driving the studio to ruin and more about Buddy trying to find a role model/mentor and being let down hard. (All of this is until the last forty pages or so, until Buddy talks to Tom and Allison at the party. Then it FINALLY feels like a BatIM book.)

The lack of time spent with the BatIM characters other than Joey. I liked what little we got of them, but I swear there were maybe ten pages, combined, of their roles in a book that was almost 200 pages. That includes Norman, Sammy, Tom, and Allison. Sammy might have gotten a bit more simply because Buddy thought about him a lot, but he wasn't actually present any more than the others, he just got name-dropped more often.

The limited first-person perspective. There are plenty of cases where this is a good choice, but in this book, it was very restrictive. Buddy didn't know much, wasn't interested in knowing much, and didn't focus on the things that the reader found most interesting. We all understand needing to make money to care for our loved ones, but he’s working in an increasingly demonic (haunted?) animation studio. Focus, Buddy! Every time the plot seemed to be teasing something interesting, Buddy ran away from it and, since we were tied to him in first person, we never got to see what happened after he left. If we’d cycled between characters in first-person, that would have been a different matter…but we didn’t.

The lack of Bendy. And Boris. And Alice. Buddy wants to draw, clearly, but most of the time, he just talks about learning to draw and wanting to make cartoons. The subject matter doesn't seem to be important, so even though we're in Joey Drew Studios, Buddy rarely talks or thinks about the titular character beyond lines on a page. The entire book, 'Bendy' just felt like a name dropped every now and then, not the beloved 'dancing demon'.

Buddy's Fate. Getting turned into Boris, I can accept. It's the rest of it. The whole "I took off into the depths of the studio where not even Joey Drew could find me and I watched as it grew and changed, then I decided to write this for Dot.". What? WHERE did he stay? And WHY? Joey was still sacrificing people, and he did nothing to stop it? What was he eating, if bacon soup wasn't all over the place yet? How did he remain undetected in the pre-warped studio? He had family - did he not try to contact them? What about Dot? She still worked there and understood what was going on - he never tried to talk to her? Send her a note? ANYTHING? Why did he write the book AFTER the studio was abandoned? On the face of it, this is a weak resolution, but it's actually worse – all of this is completely out of character for the Buddy we've come to know during the novel.

The whole 'mentally turning into Boris' thing. I get that Buddy's writing a retrospective, but we get a few paragraphs of rambling about his mental state every five chapters or so and it's never consistent – Buddy’s voice is the same the rest of the time, no matter how much he says he’s slowly sliding into Boris. It just serves to remind the reader that they're reading a BatIM prequel. It would have been a better choice to put a longer introduction from his human perspective in the beginning and a fragmented, more 'Boris' follow-up at the end to show the degradation of Buddy's mind.

*Sigh*

It would have been so much better if the author had followed a character more invested in the studio instead of their own life. If it had to be an original character in the current book, it should have been Dot. Better yet, it should have been Tom or Norman – they are both well-known game characters who were personally involved in the horrors going on behind the scenes and Norman came to an end just as bad as Buddy's. Plus, they would have been more focused on the game characters rather than the original characters.

I got the ebook for about $5 and I don’t regret buying it, but I probably won't read it again.

In Short:

The last 30-40 pages were great and everything you could want from a Bendy and the Ink Machine novel. The rest of it read like the author was trying to Frankenstein together a coming of age novel and a short horror story without much success. Other than Joey, that is; the 'unscrupulous, delusional businessman who pushes too far' character fit well into both sides of the story.

#Bendy and the Ink Machine #BatIM #Dreams Come to Life #I kind of want to write a fanfic fixing these problems #Cycle between the perspectives of the named characters #Could even keep most of the plot #Just keep the focus on the BatIM part of it #It all comes back to the lack of focus #doesn't it?#Also #where was Wally for all of this?#Book Review

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my-arlington-academia · 5 years ago

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I'm super late and sorry for ruining the good mood after the awesome new sprites reveal! Note: some of this was written before the reveal and some after

(It turned out so long, longer than my school essays and I might've made some wording/formulation mistakes so sorry again.)

Hey so I kind of really have a deep hatred for drama but at the same time I want to talk about what ""happend"" recently because a big part of it seems a bit like BS to me.

(I'm on the SE developers' side btw so if I say something that might offend you I think it's best not to read)

Okay, basically there was some writing for the original chapter 7 "leaked" by a person who was on the team but left months ago and while it didn't seem like that big of a deal at first after hearing both sides of the story I have a bit of a clearer image. So what's written there is what chapter 7 was supposed to be like however it's clear now that the current chapter 7 will have nothing to do with this. Buuut there's a problem there, not going into the whole contract thing (yet) I'd like to say that it doesn't make sense from Cecile's side to call this JUST a fanfiction.

Normally it wouldn't be a problem but what's written there was at some point supposed to be canon, right? This writing is coming from someone who has an insider's perspective unlike us, "outsiders" who were never on the team and have no idea about how the plot is/was supposed to go. A fanfic is, may I quote, "fiction written by a fan of, and featuring characters from, a particular TV series, film, etc." Thus the whole contract thing doesn't matter in that statement since the person/people who wrote this aren't fans, they're people who were on the SE development team.

And so I read the thing (ngl, it was mainly because I was really curious and wanted to see what it was all about) and tbh I can understand Serena's annoyance towards it. I mean, it contains some info on the characters. Info we've never heard of before (and I'm not gonna talk about it just in case some people decided not to read it because I respect that) while most of those were just small glimpses into their personalities/hobbies/background and it didn't seem like there was anything plot heavy, or nothing that I've noticed is supposed to be important for later, it still doesn't change the fact that these informations are canon, right?

I suppose Serena must've read it at some point and approved the writing though that's just speculation on my part.

So long story short, what was posted isn't really a fanfic but more like the plot of an old chapter that got either delayed to a later chapter or like... completed deleted since they left the team and the layout of the chapter is now out to the public so I highly doubt Serena is gonna post something similar to this, or at least if she's still planning on making a Halloween chapter then maybe she'll change how the story was supposed to play out?

Tbh I feel like it would've been smarter to ask first if they can publish the copy of the chapter instead of making a big ruckus out of it. This could've been easily avoided but then again I don't know if they left the team on good terms, not that this part is any of my business though.

Anyway, so then we have the whole "she didn't give us a contract to sign" argument which is... uh, I mean, what did you expect?

SE development started back in 2015 correct? So it's been around 4 years and we're only on chapter 6. Why? Because making the game isn't their full time job and they made that clear multiple times in the past. Besides, correct me if I'm wrong, but 4 years ago wasn't Serena like in her late teens/early twenties or something? I know it might seem cheap to pull out the legendary "she was young" argument but tbh I'm in high school and never have I imagined or taken seriously the thought of making an indie game. If like, next month I decided to do it and found some people who are down for making some assets for the game then a legal contract would literally be the last thing I would think about.

Besides it's not like Serena has ever been secretive about the things she thought were necessary to tell the fandom, or at least I don't get the feeling that she has. Do y'all really imagine her being like "muhahaha! I'm not gonna make a contract with them so I can freely use their work!" ???

The thing with a contract is that it's not only good for the employees but also for the employer if the workers ever do something that they weren't supposed to (like now). And she's not planning on taking "legal" action anyway because like she said, nothing good will come out of it and she technically doesn't have a "right" to do so.

And let's just be realistic here for a second, okay? Like do you guys really think that they're earning a whole lot thanks to sweet elite? There's barely 18k accounts on the site and I'm pretty sure that most of those are doubles or triples in order to go through different routes. Also, we don't know how much of those accounts belong to active players on the game. There's many people out there who play like the first 2 chapters and never touch the game again because they'd rather watch a let's play or they dropped the game. And amongst the people who do play sweet elite regularly (as in, they log in everyday and play the new chapter when it's out) how many people is there who have ever paid for energy? The thing is that the game is still in it's early stages, there's not many chapters yet so it's easy to catch up quickly and tbh their energy system is pretty generous. You receive 5 points per day but you can also use coins to exchange them for energy (which is what most people do in order to catch up).

So point is, I'm pretty sure they don't gain a lot of money out of it and almost all of the work they do, they do it for free in their free time because they like making the game.

So I dunno, it might be pretty shitty of me and naive to think about it in this way but tbh I feel like it was kind of obnoxious of them to just, y'know. Leave because "there's no contract and we're not making any money out of this" then come back months later to post something that we weren't supposed to see and complain about the fact that their writing and sprites are getting used in chapter 6. Like?? I think it's quite clear that the team is planning on replacing all of the sprites and as for the writing what do you expect them to do? Go through every single chapter again and add words to each sentence, replace some words with synonyms and reformulate everything so it can't be considered your writing anymore? That's kinda dumb and a waste of time.

Could've they replaced all the old illustrations first and then posted the episode? Yes but how much time would it have taken? They'd have to make the new artists overwork and they don't have a way to pay them much all at once. Sweet Elite will be around 50 chapters and it's an episodic type of game in which assets get replaced and added as time goes on because if they did everything in one go then there would be almost no time to update the story.

I can't even pretend to understand because quite frankly I'm not an artist, but I CAN at least understand the feeling of wanting to be reconized for the things I do and for the work I put into things. Who wouldn't?

Plus, to be fair I don't think that there's any shame in wanting to be paid for a job but is making Sweet Elite a job? Not completely. Not yet at least. Right now it's more of a part time job/hobby and it's totally okay to quit when you don't feel like working on it anymore. However if the money and the compensation aspect of making it was so important then wouldn't it have been better to say "Sorry, but I refuse to work on this until I sign a contract" right off the bat rather than feeling like you're not appreciated enough and complain about it months later like a really salty potato chip?

Not making a contract, while being a mistake on Serena's part, she never tried to pretend it wasn't. In fact she affirms that she has made many errors and again, like I said earlier a contract is beneficial to both the employees AND the employer so had she been more careful it wouldn't have played out this way. We don't even know the circumstances and her point of view of that whole contract thing, maybe she just thought that it would be better to not make one in order to keep the workers free to leave in any given moment because she knew that she wouldn't be able to pay them enough?

I saw some people in the tags being like "look guys, this is why I don't support sweet elite anymore and why you shouldn't too!" Which is tbh a pretty simple minded way of looking at it. I guess we, as the pitiful hoomans we are, we're more inclined on taking the side of the "weakest" group which means the people who left the team because there was apparently some ""injustice"" but the more I look into it and the more it seems like it was a big misunderstanding.

Dulcet games is so new do you expect to get paid hundreds/thousands for an indie game with a small following in which even the "boss" isn't getting any/much money out of it? Oh, and there's also some being super vocal about leaving because "Cecile's art was the only thing keeping me from leaving" which... lmao. Take it in a humorous tone please but It's like a customer in Walmart saying that they won't come back again because the fancy red t-shirts from the clothing section are gone. Idk man. You can say whatever you want about the team behind SE but I still stand by the belief that it's a great game with good writing and progressive characters. And all the things Serena did so far seem like pretty logical courses of action especially in this situation or am I wrong? Is Serena secretly evil guys? Were we fooled all along.,.,,..,

(Sorry this post started out so serious and ended so stupid, I'm just unable of writing about really seriousssss topics. Serious with 5 Ss because it's so seriousssss. Also did you notice that this whole thing is obvious and dumb if you think about it for longer than 1 minute? The moment someone says they don't get paid for something everyone flips over but the true question is, did they have the means of paying you at that time? Everybody is so quick to jump on Serena's throat without thinking and it's kinda sad. We're so superficial, like if money is mentionned ONCE in a drama suddenly everyone ascends to their most sensitive state of bitterness. As far as we know Serena never forced anyone to stay on the team and it's no secret that she doesn't get much money ESPECIALLY for an indie game company. It doesn't seem like they didn't want to pay them but more like they couldn't afford to at that time and everything wasn't set up in place yet.)

#sweet elite #se #soooo loonnng #I'm pretty sure many will skip this because it's super long and useless drama #and actually you're right #please skip this if you don't care about the quote unquote drama #if you did read this though could you feel the sheer amount of pent up anger in this?#I tend to back away from conflict but this one is important to me #like why y'all always trying to take every single good thing down for one mistake?#so people aren't allowed to be human now?#I'm really opinionated about this so I'm kind of surprised at myself rn #because usually I'm a wuss like #confrontation?!?!#standing up for my beliefs?!#too stressful #too hard

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pocket-luv101 · 6 years ago

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This is my idea || Ch. 3 (End)

I made this post about an AU with the song “This is my Idea” from The Swan Princess (like half a year ago and only posting it now XD). This mini series will have three parts of their relationship throughout three stages

Kids // Teenagers // (Adults)

Licht felt his body being lifted and the motion woke him. He groaned softly and he tried to open his eyes but the candle light gave him a headache. The dull ache stopped when a cool hand stroked his dark hair. He instinctively leaned into the hand and he almost fell out of the arms carrying him. The person quickly held him closer so he wouldn’t fall.

“You look cute when you’re sleeping, Angel Cakes.” He only knew one person who would call him by such a silly nickname. Licht opened his eyes and glared at Hyde above him. His demon merely smiled in return and said, “You passed out and Mahiru told me to carry you to your room. I know it’s your birthday but you should know better than to drink so much.”

“Did I win? I bet I did.” He mumbled. He was only able to recall fuzzy moments from his birthday party. A few princes challenged him to a drinking contest and Licht was too proud to say no. Now, his head was pounding but Hyde’s hand helped soothe him. He couldn’t admit that he enjoyed his presence so Licht lightly hit his shoulder. “Put me down, Shit Rat. I can walk on my own.”

“Lichtan, I’m pretty sure you’re still a little drunk.” Hyde said but he lowered Licht onto his feet. They both would’ve rather he continued to carry him. He waited until Licht was steady on his feet before they continued down the hall. He was still a little drunk so he leaned his head against his shoulder. “Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you to your room?”

“I don’t need your help. My room is just around the corner but I doubt you can carry me that far anyways.” Licht said despite the fact that Hyde had already carried him so far. He thought of the day they first met as kids and how much they had both changed. Hyde was taller now and he was strong enough to carry him. More than Hyde’s appearance, Licht found that he enjoyed their visits.

Hyde knew the layout of the castle well from their many visits. He stopped in front his bedroom and opened the door for him. The guards didn’t bother to stop him from following Licht into his room because they easily recognized him. He sat on his bed and collapsed back on the pillows. The party had drained his energy and he wanted to fall asleep. He scowled as he felt Hyde poke his cheek.

“You can’t go to sleep yet, Lichtan. I still need to give you your birthday present. I wanted to give it to you after the party when we would be alone. Who would’ve thought that you would get this drunk?” He lightly tugged on his hands and made him sit up again. “You should change into more comfortable clothes while I go get it. That way, you can go to sleep right after I give you my gift.”

“Just hurry up, Shit Rat. I’m tired.” He said. Once he left the room, Licht started to change. He wondered what he would give him. With a demon like Hyde, he could never guess. Licht found himself smiling as he thought of him. The moment he realized his thoughts were wandering away from him, he slapped his cheeks. He reminded himself that he couldn’t think of Hyde in a romantic way.

There was a knock on the door as he finished changing. It was likely Hyde returning with his gift so he called for him to enter. He entered the room with a cupcake in his hand. Licht didn’t see him holding anything else so he took the cupcake from him. “Is this my gift?”

“As if I would give you something so small, Lichtan. It’s a small birthday cake to set the mood. I couldn’t fit twenty candles on it though. Blow out this candle and make a wish.” Hyde prompted and lit the single candle on the cupcake. As he thought of a wish, he watched the candle light play over Licht’s face and highlight his strong features.

Finally, Licht softly blew out the candle. “So, what did you wish for, Angel Cakes?”

“I can’t tell you or else it won’t come true.” He took the candle off the cupcake so he could eat the treat. The expression he made while he ate was endearing to Hyde. He often wore a cold frown so he loved whenever he could see his soft smile. He enjoyed most of the expressions he had and he would tease him to see if he could make him smile or yell.

Once Licht finished eating his cupcake, he licked the sweet crumbs from his fingers. He paused when he felt something cold against his cheek. Licht realized that Hyde was holding something close to his face. He turned his face slightly to see what it was. His eyes widened when he saw the exquisite charm. A detailed hedgehog hanged at the end of a braid.

“This is beautiful, Hyde.” He whispered softly and cupped his hand around the gold hedgehog. He ran his finger over the fine detail in its quills. Its eyes were rubies and they reminded him of Hyde’s red eyes. He immediately took out his sword to tie the charm to the sheath. “This must’ve been expensive. Who is the artist? I might ask them to make a few more charms for me.”

“I’m glad you like the charm. I made it.” He told him and chuckled at the shock that appeared on his face. Hyde playfully ruffled his hair. “I wanted to make something special for your birthday. Well, it’s probably Christmas morning by now. Do you want your Christmas present too? I hid it under your bed earlier so I could surprise you.”

“Didn’t I tell you to stop sneaking into my room, Shit Rat?” Licht lightly kicked him but it didn’t hurt. Honestly, he enjoyed Hyde’s little surprises. He slid off the mattress and he peered under the bed. He pulled out the colourful box. Since he was impatient, he didn’t wait before he took off the lid. A pair of black boots was inside. “You’re making it hard to hate you.”

“You should just admit you love this demon.” Hyde gave him a wink. He thought he saw Licht blush but he didn’t know if it was a trick of the candlelight. “Do I get a special thank you?”

“You can’t win someone’s affection with gift.” He said but he placed his hand on Hyde’s leg. Licht leaned towards him and kissed his cheek lightly. Both of their faces were red as he pulled away. He was nervous of Hyde’s reaction to the quick kiss and impulsively kicked him off his bed. “I need to go to sleep so get out of my room.”

“Wait, Lichtan!” He called for him to stop but he was already forcing him through the door. Licht slammed it close and placed his hand over his racing heart. He heard Hyde knock but he didn’t know if he should open the door for him. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from throwing himself at him once he saw his face.

Licht’s knees gave out and he sank to the floor. He whispered to himself, “Is this love?”

“Everyone outdid themselves with the Christmas tree this year.” Hyde looked over the tall tree and admired the elaborate decorations. The kingdom would light the tree at exactly midnight and it was a stunning sight. The plaza was already crowded with people enjoying the night. Licht sat next to him on the bench and they ate hot crepes together.

He was wearing the boots he gave him and that made him happy. Hyde was worried that Licht would avoid him after the chaste kiss the previous night. So, he was relieved that he joined him on the small outing. Licht was quieter than usual though. “How does your crepe taste?”

“Like heaven.” He hummed happily as he answered. Hyde took out a napkin and wiped the cream off the corner of Licht’s mouth. He had a blush as he leaned away from Hyde. “Hey, I’m eating so don’t put your fingers near my mouth! I’ll bite them off, Shit Rat.”

“You have the mouth of an angel so that won’t be too bad.” He pinched his cheek playfully. Licht rolled his eyes at his behaviour and slapped his hand away. That quickly led to a small slap fight between the two. Hyde laughed and hugged Licht so he couldn’t slap him. “It’s Christmas, you need to be nice to me. Where’s my present?”

“I left it at the castle. It’s nothing special so don’t get your hopes up. I bought your gift last week.” Licht lied. A month ago, he had commissioned for a fencing saber to be made for Hyde because he remembered he enjoyed the sport. He also enjoyed watching him fence. “After they light the Christmas tree, we can go back to the castle for presents.”

Before Hyde could reply, he spotted Kranz in the distance. He leaned back on the bench and waved to the man. “Merry Christmas, Kranz. Are you here to watch the Christmas tree be lighted or to make sure Lichtan and I aren’t fighting?”

“I came because I need to talk to Licht. I thought he would be here with you. Where is he?” The question confused Hyde and he started to point to the spot next to him. Licht was no longer sitting there. Hyde decided to lie and told Kranz that Licht left to buy more crepes. “Thank you. If he comes back, tell him that I’m looking for him. Goodbye.”

Hyde nodded and waved to Kranz. He waited until he was out of sight before he leaned over the back of the bench. “He’s gone, Lichtan.”

“I want to move to that bench.” Licht stood and pointed to a bench on the other side of the tree. He lightly tugged on his black scarf. Hyde took off his scarf and mantle and draped them over Licht’s shoulders. In exchange, Licht gave him his jacket so Hyde wouldn’t be cold. He adjusted the scarf around him so Kranz wouldn’t recognize him if he came back.

“Did you and Kranz have a fight?” Hyde asked as they walked around the Christmas tree. He knew that the two were close. Kranz adopted Licht when he was a child and they were like brothers. “You can tell me, Lichtan. I’m not as good at giving advice like Mahiru but I can listen.”

A brief moment of hesitation passed before he sighed. Licht curled his fingers around the warm scarf. He wished that it was Hyde’s arm around his shoulder and he unconsciously leaned towards him. “We’re not teenagers anymore. I need to find a queen soon. Every day, Kranz will remind me of that and I’m tired of hearing it. He wants me to find one at the spring masquerade ball.”

Hyde was so shocked that he stopped walking and stared at him. For most of their lives, they spent their summers and winters together. That would end once one of them married. Hyde never considered that because Licht never showed any interest in romance. Jealousy stirred in him when he thought of Licht being with someone else.

At that moment, the Christmas tree came to life with a million lights. They could see each other better and Hyde saw the longing in his blue eyes. With an empty laugh, Licht said, “The worst part? There is someone I want to marry but I can never be with him.”

“You can’t give up! If you want something, you have to reach out and take it. That’s what the angel I fell in lo— I mean, the angel I know. That’s what the angel I know would do.” Hyde said and took Licht’s hand in his. “I’ll go to the masquerade ball and help you scare away fortune hunters.”

“You can’t.” Licht shook his head and reminded him, “The ball is in Spring. You’ll be gone by then so I’ll just handle this by myself.”

Licht hated crowded parties and he hoped the ordeal would end soon. He spoke with a few princesses already but no one stood out to him. The entire time, he thought of how much more fun the masquerade ball would be with Hyde. He could easily picture his demon causing a commotion that he would have to punish him for. After that, they would dance and laugh together.

He took a glass of wine from a waiter with the hope that it would help him relax. A hand dropped over the cup and stopped Licht from drinking it. He scowled at the masked stranger and he intended to kick him. The smirk the man had made him pause and Licht’s eyes narrowed. He threw the wine at his face but the man barely reacted. He didn’t take off his mask to wipe his face and turned away from him instead.

Licht watched the man carefully and the way he moved was familiar. Due to his mask and costume, he couldn’t be certain. He grabbed the man’s arm and forced him to face him again. “Dance with me.”

Still, the man was silent. He did take Licht’s hand and kissed it softly though. They walked to the center of the ballroom and faced each other. Licht placed his hand on his shoulder and he tried to look past the mask. The hand on his waist lead him through the dance and they floated over the floor. It felt like they were skating on ice.

“I know you’re behind that mask, Shit Rat. What are you doing here? It’s Spring. Gil will be angry if he knew that you were running away from your work.” Licht reached up to take off the mask. He backed away from him but he managed to catch his hand. Hyde lightly pulled on his hand and led him onto the stage. Licht was confused but he followed him up the stairs.

Everyone stopped to stare at the two on stage. Licht’s heart swelled with love when he saw him drop onto one knee. He didn’t know what he was planning. Hyde never let go of his hand and he pressed a kiss on his fingertips. He recognized his voice as he spoke.

“I hate Spring when I have to return home and leave you. Every day, from April ‘til July, the only thing I can do is miss you. I get to see you in Summer but then I have to miss you all over again in Autumn. Your hand, your smile, your voice… I need you, Licht. A few months of a year with you isn’t enough for me. Do you feel the same?”

Licht forgot the people watching them. He knelt and took off the mask Hyde was wearing. His red eyes were earnest and filled with love. He cupped his face and pulled him into a kiss. “I love you too.”

#servamp #lawlicht #greed pair #servamp hyde #licht jekylland todoroki #fanfiction

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freecourses-blog · 5 years ago

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Photoshop CC for Beginners : Adobe Photoshop Course

This Adobe Photoshop CC course will teach you the basics of Photoshop for web design, graphic design, photography & more. Photoshop CC for Beginners : Adobe Photoshop Course What you’ll learn: You will have expert level knowledge of Adobe Photoshop CC in this course, whether you are a beginner, intermediate or have no previous knowledge of Photoshop. You will create a real world project to give you a general understanding of Photoshop and the different functions that you can do with it.You will be given a major overview of all of Photoshop's tools, filters, features, and workspace so that you can quickly begin working on your next project.You will achieve the experience and knowledge to take your Photoshop skills into your career, job, or freelance lifestyle at your own pace.Graphic designers, web designers, photographers, marketers, and whatever other industry you are in will be able to find useful information in this course.You will learn Photoshop's workspace and how you can edit it to your own workflow.You will learn how to work with images in Photoshop and edit them appropriately to your project.You will learn all of Photoshop's selection tools and how they can assist you as you edit.You will learn about layers and how they have revolutionized the way you can work in Photoshop.You will learn every type of tool available in Photoshop and how to use the most common tools.You will learn about type, fonts, and typography inside of Photoshop and how they function.You will learn the importance of color and even be given a brief lesson on color design theory.You will learn how to use alignment, guides, and grids inside of Photoshop.You will learn about all of Photoshop's many filters and features available to you.When you are finished, you will have a solid understanding of the Adobe Photoshop CC software. Requirements: This course is for beginners or anyone who does not have experience with Adobe Photoshop CC and wants to learn how to use the program. This course is not intended for advanced users of Photoshop, though the course can be used as a reference guide to find the exact information on any feature that you'd like.You will need to have an active Adobe CC subscription and the newest version of Photoshop installed on your computer. This course does not go over the installation of Adobe Photoshop CC. (Photoshop CC 2018 is used in the teaching of this course.)You will need to have a Mac or PC with at least the minimum requirements for Adobe Photoshop CC. Information can be found on the Adobe website.You will need to have a working keyboard, mouse, and/or tablet to use Photoshop. Touch screens and other pressure sensitive devices will work, but are not covered in this course.Project files are available for download for each lecture. Make sure you download the appropriate files if you would like to follow alongside the course. Photoshop CC for Beginners : Adobe Photoshop Course Description: Learn Adobe Photoshop CC in this New Course! Many people try to learn Photoshop but struggle because the program is so vast. Most quit before they even get started. :( That's because they've never been taught the program in a step-by-step, easy to learn manner. But that isn't you now, is it? You have found the perfect course for learning Photoshop. It doesn't matter if you have no experience at all, this course was designed to teach you Photoshop in the most effective means necessary. With over 15 hours of video and over 100 project files, this Photoshop course is JAM PACKED with information to help you learn this awesome program! The videos build on one another so that as you work through this course, you will understand more and more! Pretty sweet, huh? :) Not only that, but this course is also designed so that if you already know some Photoshop and just need help with a specific tool or feature, you can skip directly to that topic! So who can benefit from using Photoshop? Adobe Photoshop CC is useful for a lot of careers, industries, and hobbies. It doesn't matter if it's photography, graphic design, web design, social media, user interface design, advertising, painting, printing, or video/animation. This course will cover tools that can be used in any niche! Each section goes into specific detail of the feature or tool being shown so that you will feel comfortable using them on your own. This course will cover: The Basics Photoshop's Workspace Images Editing Selecting Layers Masks Tools Type Color Alignment Filters and much, much more! Don't forget all of those juicey project files! This course has over 100 project files for each individual lecture for you to use and follow along with. From the basic to the advanced, these files will at least help get you started so that as you watch each video, you can work alongside the instructor. What are OTHERS saying about this instructor's courses? "This course is amazing. Learning photoshop with this guy is easy ;-) Thank you so much. " 5/5 Stars - Robert Fersti "Great course that outlines several fundamentals of Graphic Design. Coming from a web designing background, I found a lot of the basics applied here as well. But, the course builds on that and gives you so many pointers on how to capture, guide and hold your audience's attention. I think, in addition to promotional graphics, the ideas explained can be readily applied to designing hero image layouts for landing pages of your websites as well." 5/5 Stars - Ravi KT (on Canva : Graphic Design Theory course) "This course is really informative, up to date, and engaging. Phil and Jeremy keep up to take with the posting of their students and provide reliable feedback. They have inspired me to keep pushing myself forward with my art, and graphic design. I would tell anyone (from beginner to advance) who uses photoshop / or would like to know more about it, to take this course. Its worth it!" 5/5 Stars - Betheny Powell (on Photoshop for Entrepreneurs course) People from around the world are learning valuable skills and applying them to their everyday lives. Don't be the one left out. You can absolutely learn this program and by taking this course the instructor will be with you every step of the way. Other great stuff you might want to know.. Not only will you get over 15 hours of video content and lessons, 100 project files, and a new life skill, you will also have direct communication with the instructor to help you along. This includes direct messages, discussions, and specialized projects in the course that will allow you to interact with the instructor and others. Feeling lost? Don't worry, we are here for you! As they say, "Come for the course, stay for the community." Well, that's not the exact phrase, but you get what I mean. :) What else is there to know? What else? What else?! Well there is that little 30 day money back guarantee thing. That basically means that if you don't enjoy this course for any reason at all, you can get a full refund up to thirty days since the time you purchase it. It's a win-win situation! and I applaud winners. So what are you waiting for?! The time is now to stop procrastinating and begin learning Photoshop so that you can take full advantage of everything that it has to offer! Enroll now in this course and get started! Who this course is for: This course is specifically designed for beginners or anyone else who doesn't know how to use Adobe Photoshop CC but would like to learn. This course can be viewed one video after another, or you can skip around to the sections that you need. Advanced features, special projects, and design theory WILL NOT be taught in this course. Graphic Designers Web Designers Game Designers Photographers Marketers Social Media Experts UI / UX Designers Product Designers Architects 3D Artists Beauty Artists Paint Artists Entrepreneurs and anyone else who wants to learn Photoshop. THAT'S YOU! :) Who is the target audience? This course is specifically designed for beginners or anyone else who doesn't know how to use Adobe Photoshop CC but would like to learn. This course can be viewed one video after another, or you can skip around to the sections that you need. Advanced features, special projects, and design theory WILL NOT be taught in this course.Graphic DesignersWeb DesignersGame DesignersPhotographersMarketersSocial Media ExpertsUI / UX DesignersProduct DesignersArchitects3D ArtistsBeauty ArtistsPaint ArtistsEntrepreneursand anyone else who wants to learn Photoshop. THAT'S YOU! :) Course content of Photoshop CC for Beginners : Adobe Photoshop Course: Total Lecture:140 Introduction How to Create a Polaroid Effect in Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 Upload Your Polaroid Photograph! Welcome to This Section on the Basics of Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 Getting Started with Photoshop Overview of the Photoshop Interface Changing the Photoshop Workspace Navigating the Document Window Using the Tools Panel in Photoshop Undo, Redo and the History Panel Understanding How Layers Work in Photoshop Saving Your Files in Photoshop Resizing an Image in Photoshop Making Selections with Photoshop Using Brushes inside Photoshop Creating Shapes and the Pen Tool Transforming Selections, Shapes and Images Text and Typography in Photoshop Working with Color inside Photoshop Other Cool Features of Adobe Photoshop Resources for You to Use in Your Projects Welcome to This Section on Understanding the Photoshop Workspace Resetting Photoshop to the Factory Default Setting Preferences with Photoshop Creating a Custom Workspace Starting with a New Document Using a Photoshop Template Opening Files in Photoshop Closing and Saving Files Common File Types Exporting Files from Photoshop Welcome to This Section on Working with Images in Photoshop Image Modes and Channels Changing the Image Size Adjusting the Canvas Size Cropping an Image in Photoshop How to Trim an Image with Photoshop Rotating an Image in Photoshop Straighten an Image with the Ruler Adjusting Brightness and Contrast Using Levels with Your Images How Curves Work in Photoshop Changing the Image Exposure Adding and Removing Vibrance Hue and Saturation Adjustments Having Proper Color Balance Black and White Imagery Applying Photo Filters in Photoshop Invert, Desaturate and Equalize Adjusting the Threshold of Your Image Overlaying Gradient Maps Selecting Specific Colors Working with Shadows and Highlights Replacing Colors in Photoshop Welcome to This Section on Making Edits in Photoshop Projects and Documents Fixing Mistakes in Photoshop Cut, Copy, Paste and Clear Fill and Stroke Selections Transform and Free Transform Content-Aware Scale Puppet Warp Perspective Warp Welcome to This Section on Selection Options in Adobe Photoshop CC Select All, Deselect, and Reselect Selecting the Inverse of an Image Using a Color Range for Selection Selecting by a Focus Area Subject Selecting Quick Mask Mode and Mask Selecting Modifying a Selection Saving and Loading Selections Welcome to This Section on Photoshop Layers Understanding How Layers Work in Photoshop Creating and Deleting Layers How to Select Layers in Photoshop Layer Groups and Why They Are Important Merging and Flattening Layers Adding Layer Styles in Photoshop Using Masks with Layers Clipping Masks Working with Layer Adjustments Blending Modes with Photoshop Additional Layer Options Exporting Layers in Photoshops Converting Layers to Smart Objects Artboards and Layers Welcome to This Section on the Many Adobe Photoshop Tools Working with Tools in Photoshop The Move Tool The Artboard Tool The Marquee Tools The Lasso Tools Quick Selection and the Magic Wand The Crop Tools The Slice Tools Eyedropper and Color Sampler Tools Ruler, Note, and Count Tools The Healing Brush Tools The Patch Tool The Content Aware Move Tool The Red Eye Tool The Brush Tool The Pencil Tool Color Replacement and Mixer Brush Tools The Stamp Tools The History Brush Tools The Eraser Tools The Gradient Tool The Paint Bucket Tool Blur, Sharpen, and Smudge Tools Dodge, Burn, and Sponge Tools The Pen Tool and Selection Tools The Type Tools The Shape Tools The Hand, Rotate, and Zoom Tools Welcome to This Section on Creating Typography and Using Fonts in Photoshop Using Type and Fonts in Photoshop Adding Type inside of Photoshop Working with Text Layers Characters and Fonts in Photoshop Creating Paragraphs and Content Character and Paragraph Styles Glyphs and How You Can Use Them Extruding Type to 3D Text and Work Paths Convert Text to a Shape Warping Text in Photoshop Match Fonts from Photographs Other Type Options in Photoshop Welcome to This Section on Understanding the Importance of Color Working with Color in Photoshop Color and Swatches Using Gradients inside Photoshop Adobe Color Themes A Little Bit About Color Theory 3 more sections Photoshop CC for Beginners : Adobe Photoshop Course course Read the full article

#graphicdesign #Photography #Photoshop #WebDesign #webcourses #udemyfree #udemyfreecourses

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hurrycat · 5 years ago

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Story development

Well alright, let's begin. To be honest, I feel like I am not ready yet, but if to wait for this beautiful moment to come I will never begin which means I will fail and I don’t want it. Thus I stop complaining and start writing. The task is to make a 90 seconds film on one of the following topics, either memories or transformation. I will be honest I don’t wanna make a cheesy short film full of backgrounds and “deep hidden” meanings. A soapy drama of someone’s previous relationship or death or whatever else it can be no, cheers. So I decided to dedicate it to transformation and here is where all the questions come from. There are so many ways of showing transformation, however just 90 seconds. I mean I could technically record ice melting or a pie in a microwave and then call it a crazy art house. But I guess we still need to present a storyboard. Thus it should be something with a continuity editing which basically means a cheesy drama. For a moment I felt lots of despair, the end I can't change my destiny, but then I had a look at 90 seconds movies on DepicT and honestly, okay won't say that it made me feel worse, no. I just realised for myself that the only good way to make a proper extremely short film is to ask yourself deep questions and then metaphorically answer it. Not even answer just ponder of something great (my lungs will fill and then deflate) and present the thoughts in a very artistic and to some extent art house way, through images. It is actually interesting because right now I am thinking that transformation can happen in the audience but not on screen. I can play with the viewers' mood and subconscious for 90 seconds and make them transform in their worlds from image to image. You know kinda like Kuleshov effect (McGrail, 2017) but with the audience, not on screen. Sorry, I'm bad at explaining. But it sounds too independent and I doubt it would gimme a good grade, but still, I can experiment and film and publish it for myself, use it as a primary research later. Anyways. At that time I came up with two main ideas: the first one was to show a person getting drunk and to show the transformation of their thoughts, the way they're getting deeper and darker as they're drinking more and more. This would allow me to play and experiment with post-production both in PremierPro and DaVinci, use filters, 3D effects with flat images and so on. I will post later screenshots from a music video which inspired me. Also, I was inspired by the exhibition in Tate Modern. “OLAFUR ELIASSONIN REAL LIFE” - if you haven’t seen it yet go and do it! If you join Tate Collective (just create an account on their website for free) you will get a ticket for as less as 5 GPB! Trust me it worth it. I was inspired by it from a technical side, there was a room full of smoke and shimmering lights which created unreal atmosphere and the way the camera catches it is amazing. You can only see silhouettes and since there is a crowed, the lightning and the smoke makes it look like there are many shadows of one person, as if their exfoliate you know. I really wanna work with smoke! Maybe not this year but definitely (hopefully) for my third-year project. The other inspiring “trippy” exposition there was a white wall with many bright colourful lights behind it. They way they're placed projects many shadows on the wall in different colours and its even difficult to tell if there are several shadows of one person or do they all belong to different viewers. So I thought that this 90 seconds film can be a great opportunity to experiment with all these techniques and see what are my limits in a technical way. But then I suddenly came up with a less abstract and more doable idea. I thought that it would be nice to show a transformation into a drag queen with a lovely monologue about the psychological part of it. For many people drag is still something they can't understand and I think it is important to explain that it has (but may) have relation to transsexuality. But still, it is more of a way of expressing yourself as an artist, creating your alter ego. And it is a transformation itself. Drag queens transform into something they are not in real life but what they ACTUALLY are. I thought that this might be a better idea. For it I will need to have loads of primary research because I will be honest, my own knowledge of drag queen is not wide. I was only watching Ru Paul’s Drag Race and I have one drag queen (Hi sister Matty). But jokes aside, I feel like it is a sign, my university hosts a drag queen party on Friday. Oh my god, I hope I will be lucky enough to ask some of them several questions. This would allow me to create a more complex image of character which will somehow represent a different member of the community and will be cosmopolitan and different people will see something related to them in it. For the secondary research I think I will just have a look at the history and do some character development, I mean drawings or photos. Maybe will try to experiment with making myself, look at the meaning of colours to later use them in making and clothes. However the script itself has now two forms: either simply with many close-ups and unreal focuses, like for example to show powder in the air, without showing the actual character have a voice-over monologue and present the main character with a long shot as the last layout or to show it as a backwards story which will also to some extent show the transformation. Begin it with several (lets say three) dickheads kicking a man laying on the pavement and than slowly start the shots going other way around. Than the viewers will see them running back into the club (damn ill have to hire Electrowerkz again oh no), dress getting back on, makeup appearing and so on and end it with the main character as a drag queen dancing on the stage and sending a blow kiss to one of those who will beat her up later. I don't know yet. Need to think. In the main time enjoy the photos from the exhibition!

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heisenbergchronicles · 6 years ago

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APPRECIATION & INTERVIEW

Better Call Saul episode posters by Matt Talbot After 4 nearly years, I thought it was time to catch up with Matt Talbot about his Better Call Saul poster project. The last time we talked during Season 1, Matt was deep in the hustle of making his name as an illustrator: juggling a full-time job, freelance projects, as well as band. Finding time for personal projects like this one can be a significant challenge. (Not to mention surviving the death of your tools: During Season 1 his Mac laptop died, and this season, his Wacom tablet bit the bullet). But despite these challenges, the 43-year-old New Hampshire native has persevered to create a clever and thoughtful series of episode posters that has garnered considerable attention, and brought with it new high-profile clients and art exhibitions.

First, congratulations on all of your success and recognition with this series of posters. It’s well-deserved. What’s been the most gratifying feedback you’ve received? Thank you! Every interaction I’ve had with anyone from the show has delighted me. I've been surprised by all of the cast and crew members who have said nice things – every note I’ve gotten has meant a lot to me. That being said, Michael McKean randomly tweeting at me that he has my poster for Chicanery hanging in his home blew my mind. I was eating dinner when my phone showed the notification and I literally jumped up from the table. I’ve been a fan of Michael’s since I saw Spinal Tap in the ‘80s and never in a million years would I have guessed I’d make something he valued enough to hang in his home.

Tell me about your contributions to Gallery1988 exhibitions. How does that process work? It's a pretty simple process. They invite me to be part of a show, and I make something to send them. I’m very excited for the opportunity to show there, and I feel like it’s a milestone in my art-making career.

Across the 4 seasons, which BCS posters are your favorites? Which one are you most proud of? I’m particularly fond of Rebecca, Rico, Marco, Switch, Sunk Costs and Something Beautiful. Oh man, it's hard for me to evaluate my own stuff. I tend to like the posters where I find a way to get a different take on something they did in the episode. I would say that “Sunk Costs” is also one of my favorites because I did something differently than how they shot it, and because Mike is so recognizable even from the back. I was also pleased with “Off Brand” because it was when I finally figured out how to draw Bob Odenkirk.

How has your process for creating these posters evolved over 4 seasons? When I started this project I had a vague idea that I would focus on scenes rather than portraits or likenesses, but that didn’t even last half a season! The characters were too good not to include. In that way, the posters have evolved in my willingness to draw characters, and also, hopefully, my ability to draw them.

My process is now something like: Watch the show on Monday; think about it on Tuesday, figure out what stood out to me and do a thumbnail sketch or two; draw it on Wednesday night; post it Thursday afternoon. I’m a bit faster at drawing these now compared to when I started. And I’m a bit more decisive on choosing which subject matter to depict.

There have been quite a few changes on the visual side of Better Call Saul over the last 2 seasons. New directors (Minkie Spiro, Daniel Sackheim, and Andrew Stanton), a new cinematographer Marshall Adams, even new cameras. What are your thoughts on how the show’s visual grammar has evolved? Has any of this impacted your posters from Seasons 3 & 4? I try not to just redraw literal scenes from the show, and I don’t need to tell you that they shoot the show in an incredibly beautiful way. I mean, they always, always, pick the best angle, the best shot to capture something. For that reason, it’s sometimes hard to to come up with another take on a moment from the show.

That being said, the visual style hasn’t really impacted my posters as much as the evolving subject matter has. The show, I think, is substantially darker than it was in the early going. It was easier to depict Jimmy’s hi-jinx in the first couple seasons. But with Chuck’s deteriorating mental state, the cartel stuff, Mike going deeper into Fring’s world and of course, Jimmy’s loosening sense of morals, the funny moments are harder to spot. That’s lead me to some more somber layouts and color choices.

We didn’t discuss this in our first interview. Which typeface are you using in your posters, or is this custom typography? The main logo and episode titles are set in Sign Painter, from the excellent House Industries.

The Heisenverse is known for it’s color theory and use of color. How has that impacted your color choices in these posters? I’ve kind of adhered to their blue=good/red=bad symbolism, but I also try to balance out colors between episodes and not repeat myself in sequential posters.

Many of your posters (especially ones this season) use a monochromatic, or simple palette of 1-2 colors. Tell me more about why you chose that approach. Is this a signature of your style? I’ve seen this approach in a lot of your work. You know, in the early seasons, I was trying to use simpler color palettes, but I wasn’t very disciplined and I got away from that. I’m trying to stick to a more consistent style in season 4. It is a conscious decision. I also feel like with the week-to-week nature of this project, it helps quickly set apart each poster. And, I really do love limited color palettes. Giving myself color constraints helps me figure out different ways to solve layout problems.

I’ve heard other illustrators say that Bob Odenkirk’s facial features are tricky to capture. Do you share that sentiment? Which characters are more challenging to illustrate? I do agree with that. I had a really hard time with him at first. I kind of think I have a better handle on it now, but I’m always trying to get better. I feel like if you can get his mouth right, it goes a long way.

I found Hector hard to capture both times I drew him. Mike, on the other hand, is just pure fun to draw. Jonathan Banks is so distinctive and iconic.

What’s been the most difficult poster thus far? Why was it challenging? Maybe it’s because a lot of time has gone by, but I can't think of one that stands out as having been really difficult.

Francesco Francavilla did alternate posters for some of his Breaking Bad posters. Inevitably, when artists look back at their work, they consider revising or redoing it because of a variety of reasons – their point of view has changed, their skill/style has evolved, or maybe they were never truly content with the final product. Looking back at 4 seasons worth of posters, are there any that make you want to scratch the revision itch? Yeah, more than I would care to admit. I would really like another crack at Amarillo. I know I could do a better job and that drawing is just super flat. In season two, I decided to to experiment with style and I kind of wish I hadn't. I like Cobbler, but I wish I had drawn it in my normal style. I would redraw Nailed for sure. Oh man, if I start going down this road it's not going to end well, so I'll just stop.

You mentioned earlier this season you were excited to draw Track Suit Jimmy. Who or what haven’t you drawn, that you are eager to illustrate? Howard! It bums me out to no end that I haven't drawn him, but it just hasn't worked out. And I need to include Kim more. It's kind of criminal that her face only appeared for the first time in a poster this season.

What’s your opinion of Season 4? Tell me about your favorites – episode, scene, character. I think season 4 is brilliant so far. The Kim/Jimmy relationship has deepened so much this season, and feels so real, but full of inevitable heartache. Oh, the flash-forward to Breaking Bad’s timeline was amazing. Mike doing his audit in the Madrigal warehouse. Really, anything Michael Mando does on screen. It's hard to pick. I so enjoy the deliberate pace of this show.

Where’s your favorite place to discuss the show? I honestly don’t talk about it too much online, though I lurk in a few places and read a lot. I actually discuss it mostly with my wife!

I know you get this question a lot, so let’s cover it here so folks understand: Do you have plans to sell any of this work online? I really appreciate that people like it enough to want to buy it or hang it, but I don't plan to sell the Better Call Saul posters online. I’m doing this for fun, not to make a buck off the show, and I don’t own the rights to sell it anyway.

What’s next for Matt? Do you have any other poster or illustration projects in the works? Is you band performing soon? I have several more pieces for Gallery1988 shows coming up. I’m pulling together an art show at a local brewery for whom I design all of their labels and stuff. I’m patiently waiting for a t-shirt I designed for one of my all-time favorite movies to be announced. And for the past several Octobers, I spent the month drawing a horror poster per day. I’m not sure if logistically I can do that again this year, but I’ll probably fit at least a few in. We’ll see how it goes. Sadly, with all of my illustration work, I haven’t had any time for music making, but someday I hope to get back to that!

Follow Matt: Web site / Tumblr / Twitter / Dribbble / Instagram / PosterSpy

– Interview by Shayne Bowman, Heisenberg Chronicles

#better call saul #artist interview #matt talbot #mine #heisenberg chronicles #illustration #fan art #posters #favorites #mattrobot #bcs season 4 #gallery1988 #g1988 #house industries #sign painter

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sebseyesandbuckysthighs · 6 years ago

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For You, From Me

summary: As far as second chances go, Steve Rogers has had a few of them. With you, he finally found a chance to settle down and build a future with some semblance of peace. But life can change in an instant and it’s not always fair.

pairing: steve x reader wc: 3.7k warnings: none. fluff and angst a/c: alright so here’s my entry for Kait’s aka @bionic-buckyb 8k Celebration/Angst Challenge! Congratulations again, sweetie, and I hope you have a happy birthday tomorrow! My prompt will be in bold. Also, this is not canon-compliant, but it’s loosely based sometime after CATWS.

*really hope the keep reading insert is functional/isn’t a buttcheek* **if not, i’m sorry for the long ass post!**

“What ya drawing there, Stevie?” you asked, taking a seat next to him on the couch and nuzzling into his side. The sun was setting through the picturesque windows of the Compound's living quarters casting warm tones of orange and purple around the room. Training was finished for the day and while the rest of the team was out enjoying some free time, Steve was in here drawing.

Now that you sat next to him he dropped his pen and handed you the sketchbook, blushing slightly when you reached up to kiss his cheek in thanks. As you took the book from his hands, Steve lifted your legs and placed them over his lap to massage your calves. You hummed gratefully and started sifting through the pages. “What are these?” you asked after a few pages.

He shrugged and continued to rub your legs. “Just some plans I had.”

“What, are you putting down the shield and becoming an architect or something?” You giggled when he tickled your feet in response, but he still didn't answer the question.

Steve always shared his sketches with you. He was never ashamed or embarrassed to show you the things he came up with and loved the way you looked at each drawing with admiration. Although, it did take months to get used to the fact that a lot of his work was focused on you. There were still plenty of pages filled with random still lifes and even some portraits of his teammates, but most of his books were candid sketches of you. Apparently it was his favorite past-time to draw you while you weren't paying attention. You always looked so effortlessly beautiful to him and he couldn't help but capture the moment as best as he could. When he would finally show you a new piece, the look on your face was always so rewarding, your sweet smile always shined for him. The man loved making you smile like that.

Looking through these pages you noticed that they were not filled with his usual artwork, but instead held outlines and blueprints of what looked to be a house. There were floor plans and layouts of various rooms, even some outdoor perspectives that made it look like this place was out in the country. As curious as you were, you knew Steve would tell you about them when he was ready.

It was a little over two years now since you and Steve started dating, having met only a few months after he came out of the ice. Back then, you were a new agent at S.H.I.E.L.D. and he was still adjusting to his new place in time. You were tasked with helping him acclimatize to this new environment and somewhere along the line the two of you became good friends. Trust was tough at first, but after so much time spent together and growing comfortable, you were soon confiding in one another about everything. It wasn't long before you started harboring feelings for each other, but life wasn't easy for Steve back then.

He was still haunted by the memories of his former life. Last moments that were so marred with grief, heartache, and loss. From watching his best friend fall to the cold abyss to then making the devastating decision to plunge into the ice himself, sacrificing his own life and leaving behind the woman he loved. All this only to wake up decades later in a strange time and place, completely alone with no idea how he could possibly fit in with this new world. A man out of his time with only ghosts to keep him company. Until the day you asked to sit beside him and gave him his first sketchbook, hoping an artistic outlet would help him cope.

“Steve?” Your concerned voice jolted him from his thoughts. “You kind of spaced out on me there.”

“Sorry, love. I just got a little distracted, but I'm good,” he said, shifting closer to you.

He reached for the sketchbook resting on your lap and started thumbing through the pages. His voice sounded soft and quiet as he finally spoke. “There's this place a little further upstate from here. Not a lot of stores or people around, but there's plants and flowers everywhere you look. It even has a small lake that stretches out towards the horizon with trees all along the edges.” He paused and smiled, sounding more upbeat as he went on. “There's this big empty plot of land right in the middle of all of that with plenty of open space, but I could cut down a few trees to expand it. Except for this one huge willow tree that's gotta be 100 years old at least. It's so quiet and peaceful out there. You'd love it. It's beautiful.”

The entire time he spoke, you were listening with an adoring smile on your face. You loved the way one corner of his lips would curl into a smirk as he described everything in detail or how his eyes would sparkle as he pictured you being there too. “It sounds like an amazing place, Steve, but what does all of that have to do with this?” You poked at the book.

Silently he turned the pages until he found the one he was looking for. The image was of a two-story house in the center with trees far in the background and a path leading out to water near the edge of the page. There was even a big willow tree close-by. Steve bit his lip nervously and turned to look at you for a moment before staring back at the image. “Well, I was just...I know it would take some time and a lot of hard work, but this is something I've been thinking about for a long time.”

Your brow was still creased in confusion as you pointed to the center of the sketch. “So wait, you want to build this? You want to build a house?”

“A home,” he corrected, lacing his long fingers through yours. “For us.”

Your eyes shot up to look into his blue ones staring right back, seeing nothing but sincerity and adoration.

“When I picked up the shield again, I resigned myself to the fact that that was all my life could ever be. Being a symbol for the nation. Being Captain America. Protecting and serving my country. Fighting against any and every threat that came along and I knew where that road would take me.” He paused as his mind flashed with the faces of all those he'd lost and all those that he still stood to lose. Every muscle in his body grew tense, his chest tightened in a painful vice when your smiling face came into view. Before his mind could drag him any deeper he felt you squeezing his hand, applying the right amount of pressure to help him focus and caressing his knuckles once he had. Supporting him and keeping him grounded was only one of things he loved you for and he was thankful for you in this moment. As his mind cleared, he listened to the sounds of your steady, even breaths and followed the rhythm until he felt the tension slip away. He raised your hand to his lips, kissing your knuckles in thanks before continuing.

“When you came into my life, you changed everything,” he said confidently. “You helped me feel like I could belong again, like I was more than just the uniform and the shield. I want to have a life with you. Away from the compound, away from the chaos and threats. I want to build a home with you.”

The tears falling from your eyes didn’t get the chance to roll down your cheeks before Steve was wiping them away with his thumbs. He pulled you into his arms, kissing you until you were both delirious from the overwhelming joy that you had found only with each other. He whispered against your lips, “I love you so much.”

This wonderful man meant the world to you and knowing now that you meant the same to him was an almost indescribable euphoria. “I love you too, Steve.”

* * *

“Shit! We have 10 minutes on the clock, people!” Tony exclaimed. The sounds of his repulsor beams firing off and the clash of falling rubble could be heard through your earpiece.

The team was on a mission trying to defuse a biochemical threat in a heavily populated city in Europe where an advanced medical research center had been infiltrated by HYDRA and hostages were taken. A large chemical bomb was set to detonate and the blast radius had the potential to level the entire building and surrounding area, killing a lot of people in the process. Having trained with the EOD for a number of years, you could have handled this situation easily while the others worked securing the hostages and capturing the bad guys. Unfortunately, HYDRA has never been known to fight clean. Their agents had strategically placed the bomb in the building's radiation lab. All they had to do was disable a few safety protocols so that if anyone attempted to enter the room, they would be dead from radiation poisoning within minutes.

“Romanoff, Barton. What’s the status on evac?” Steve’s voice came through somewhat strained. He was still fighting through a large group of hostiles on the upper levels.

Clint answered first, “Our sector is clear. We're on our way out with the hostages, but bomb squad is still setting up in there.”

“Steve, we still have a lot of people out here. Those guys better disable that thing in time or else we're looking at a long list of casualties.” Natasha added, but left out the part that they were on that list too.

“Alright, you two get out there and help clear the perimeter. Tony’s got aerial cover, he’ll assist with evac,” The Captain relayed orders and the team confirmed.

“Shit,” Sam mumbled. He had just reached the last floor to confirm everyone was out when he saw something that complicated things.

“What is it?” Steve asked, still fighting.

“We still have civilians in the building, guys. A lot of ‘em too.” Sam looked around the open lab area to see at least a dozen doctors and researchers cowering behind equipment.

“How is that possible? Stark, you said the lower levels were all clear!” Steve shouted.

“The radiation lab is right above that floor, it’s affecting the readings! You need me back there?” The panicked sounds of the crowd outside could be heard in the background.

“No. Keep your focus out there,” Steve ordered. “Sam and Y/N can clear them out.”

“Ugh, Cap...” Sam trailed off, sounding nervous as he started directing people out the doors.

In an instant, Steve felt his breath leave his body while fear built in the pit of his belly. There were still a lot of hostiles trying to take him down, but he managed to dive into a nearby room, slam the door shut and block it off as best he could. It took a second for him to find his voice before he called for you through the mic. “Y/N, where are you?” He pressed down on his earpiece, desperately waiting to hear the sound of your voice.

“Almost at the radiation lab,” you answered as you continued to run.

Steve felt his stomach drop. He didn’t have time to fully wrap his mind around what was happening before the door burst open and he was throwing punches again. “What the hell do you think you're doing, Y/N?”

“There’s no way we’ll clear the area in time and the bomb techs are still suiting up. By the time they're ready, it'll be too late. It's now or never,” you replied just as you reached your destination.

“Are you insane?” Sam sounded out of breath as he ran up the stairs trying to get to you before you could do anything stupid. “Those guys can handle it!”

“They've already taken too long trying to reverse the tampering done to the safety measures. I just need to override the sequence for the second door to stay closed long enough for me to slip in through the first. Then I can get in there and disarm the damn thing.” The sound of your fingers working rapidly on the console pinged through the comms. The bomb just beyond the doors was almost less of a threat because by now the lab had already flooded with radiation. You looked over at the small group of techs still trying to fit one of their guys in a radiation suit. Time was running short.

Steve was struggling with the last group of agents not because they were actually putting up any sort of challenge to him, but because he was desperate to get down to where you were. “Y/N, please. Just stay where you are. Do not go in that room,” he pleaded.

An alarm echoed throughout the building signaling that the lab had been breached. Steve knocked out the last guy with a deafening blow from his shield. “Tell me you didn't do it.” His voice cracked. “Please say it wasn't you.” The comms were silent.

Before the last body hit the ground, Steve was running. The thunderous beating of his heart was drowning out the sound of his heavy footfalls as he stormed through the building. He was practically flying through the halls and leaping down entire staircases, but no matter how hard he pushed forward he felt like he was running through water. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. He needed to get to you. Couldn’t let anything happen to you, promised to protect you, to love you, to be with you.

At one point the alarm stopped wailing, but Steve was too focused to register it's silence. When he finally reached the right floor, he burst through the doors with such force that they flew off their hinges and were catapulted forward in a shower of splintered wood. What he saw next made his blood run cold.

You were on the other side of the door laying on the ground with your upper body leaning against the glass. The radiation was quick to start breaking down your cells. Your eyes were bloodshot and beads of sweat dripped from your forehead as your body shook from the chills. Your cheeks were stained with tears when you looked at him through the glass, but you still managed a small smile. He didn’t even realize that he was moving until he was only inches away. His voice sounded low and rough when he said, “Open the door.”

Sam was off to the side, staring at him in defeat. “It won’t open. She disarmed the bomb, but the doors won’t open until the decontamination is complete.”

Steve felt his world crashing down around him and let out a gut-wrenching cry before he started punching the glass, desperately trying to break down the barrier that kept him separated from you.

“Steve, it’s okay. It’s almost done.” Your voice sounded too hollow, too distant. It made his heart ache.

“It’s not okay!” he screamed. He kept wailing and punching, but the glass only echoed his cries back in his face, taunting him. His knuckles were bleeding and tears burned trails down his cheeks. Finally, his knees buckled and he collapsed on the ground in front of you, clenching his jaw almost to the point of pain. “Why?”

“I’m sorry, my love,” you whispered. There was nothing more you could say to make either of you feel better about your decision. You made your choice and you knew he would have done the same, but saying it now would have just wasted the little time you had.

The instant the door hissed open, Steve had you in his arms. Cradling your steadily weakening body close to him and rocking you gently. Any remaining strength you had was used to hold his face close to yours, keeping your eyes locked to each other.

You muttered your final apologies and words of love before letting your eyes fall shut. Regretting that you wouldn't be in his life, but grateful that he was here for the rest of yours.

* * *

A chorus of rhythmic beeping was the first thing you heard. It wasn't what woke you, though. The smell of anti-septic invaded your senses, but there were other scents you were able to focus on. Was that honeysuckle? The lavender and roses were unmistakable and there was even a trace of heavenly caffeine still steaming nearby. You tried to move, but your body felt like it was being weighed down by a thick wet blanket. Everything was heavy. Too heavy. The beeping noise picked up pace and you groaned in pain. It started to feel like someone was sitting on your chest. Before the panic really had a chance to dig in, you felt a calloused hand touch your cheek. A familiar voice softly urged you to calm down, telling you that you were going to be okay and to just focus on breathing. You followed along with him until the knot in your chest loosened before finally opening your eyes.

Steve's eyes were rimmed in red and glistening from the threat of unshed tears, but he was smiling. It was the brightest most beautiful smile you had ever seen. Almost made you want to shut your eyes again from the intensity, but you wouldn't dare. You wanted to run your fingers along his chiseled jaw and wipe away any traces of sadness from his face, yet all you could manage was to clench your fist.

“Don't move too much, love. Your body is still recovering from the transfusion.” He reached out to swipe away a few strands of hair on your forehead before gently pressing his lips to your skin. The gentle touch made you feel safe.

Now that your eyes didn't feel like they were ready to pop out of your skull, you took a moment to look around the room, thankful that the lights were dim enough not to cause any strain or discomfort. It took a moment to inspect your surroundings before you came to a realization that didn't make any sense. You recognized this place. This was one of the private rooms set up for any team injuries in the Compound's med-bay. Before you could voice your confusion, an irritated cough erupted from your dry throat. As soon as the fit stopped, Steve held a straw up to your parched lips allowing you to take eager sips of water. The cool liquid went a long way to soothing your throat, but you still needed answers. Looking to Steve expectantly you saw that he was already looking back at you affectionately.

“Did you really think I would let you go without a fight? That I wouldn't do everything I possibly could to save you?” He cradled the side of your face, sighing happily when you nuzzled into his large palm.

Before anything else could be said you were eager to feel that your body still worked. With a little help from him, you eased yourself into an upright position. Steve was unsurprisingly stubborn when you asked him to take the space beside you, but he quickly relented and joined you on the soft mattress.

“What did you do? How is this even possible?” you asked quietly, settling into his side and relishing in his warmth.

With you safely wrapped in his arms and finally conscious after so many days, Steve felt an overwhelming relief. He started telling you what happened after your world went dark. With the bomb threat neutralized and all hostiles downed, they had to move fast. He refused to give up on you, refused to accept this as the end. The building was a mess from all the panic and fighting, but this was still a highly equipped medical research facility. There had to be something they could do. A plan formulated quickly as the team outside rushed to find the group of doctors that were escorted out last, bringing them back in while Steve carried your limp body to their medical floor where they could treat you for radiation poisoning. You looked so fragile and weak lying there with the tubes and wires connected to your body.

“A blood transfusion?” Your voice pulled him back into the present. It was still a little hoarse and quiet, but it was yours and he was elated to hear it again. Rolling up his sleeve, he showed you the fading mark where the needle had punctured his skin for so many hours. “Like I said, I would do anything for you.”

The process was slow and you were out for nearly sixteen days, but Steve was at your side the entire time. Once all the toxic blood was replaced and you were stable enough, arrangements were made to fly you back home for the remainder of your recovery.

“Docs were a little worried about the effects the serum could have on you, but we had Helen Cho check you out in case the techs over there missed anything. Everything came back perfect. You're going to be okay.” He kissed your temple while rubbing his hand up and down your arm, needing to feel that you were really there with him.

The serum. The same that Steve was injected with all those years ago now flowed through your veins. When you first woke, you were able to pick up on the various scents around the room, something you were never sensitive to before. The bundles of flowers blooming in jars across the room and the now cooled coffee Steve had been sipping to keep him alert. Whatever that all meant, you would deal with it later. At this moment, all that mattered was that you were alive, wrapped in the arms of the man you loved.

Placing your hand over his heart, you looked up at him before saying, “Steve, about that place out in the country?”

That was all you needed to say before he finally leaned forward to connect your lips in a gentle, yet passion-filled kiss. He couldn't wait to take you home and build his forever with you.

K so this was a far cry from the other Steve fic I wrote huh? I don’t dabble in angst too often, but I gave it a shot and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Originally the ending was a lot sooner, but I just couldn’t leave it like that! I need a fluffy ending, alright?! I’m here to heal, not to feel. Any Star Trek: Into Darkness fans out there cause that ending was thick with reference to it. The song “To Build a Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra was also an inspiration for this so yeah, there’s that.

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#steve x reader #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #kaits8kangstchallenge #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers angst #my writing

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frederator-studios · 7 years ago

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Tiya Zhong: The Frederator Interview

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Tiya Zhong, known to the interweb as Addictiya, is an animator, illustrator, designer and doll artist still brushing off glitter from her graduation just a few weeks ago. Her final film as a student of Sheridan College’s Animation program, “Lost, Stolen, Dropped,” is an autobiography of her daily struggle. It is also among the most relatable, inspired and squishy 2 minutes of animation I’ve seen in a good long while. Enjoy the short above, then read on for Tiya’s journey from schoolgirl doodling in her textbooks to professional artist!

Did you always want to be an animator or artist?

I discovered my passion for drawing when I was 4 years old, and I have always loved doodling figures on my textbooks, reading comics, and watching animation. When I was little, I never thought about becoming an artist - I just thought it would be fun if I could draw forever. In high school, I wanted to be a comic artist, but I became fascinated with making characters come to life. Animation was even more vivid than comics, which is why I chose to major in it.

How did you decide to move from China to Canada to attend Sheridan?

I grew up in China, so at first I planned to attend a university in Beijing that features the best animation program in China. In an extra-curricular art school where I was studying to pass the university’s entrance exam, I met a substitute teacher who'd studied abroad. Talking with him made me realize how many opportunities and great artists are out there. That’s when I started to research animation schools in North America, and got to know Sheridan.

What did you like best about studying at Sheridan?

I learned a lot at Sheridan. The school has great, experienced teachers. But I learned the most from my peers, who are all amazing artists. Being in that group gave me no choice but to improve. What I enjoyed most is how free the environment is, compared to the one I’d been in. I also had a lot more resources at my disposal. Being at Sheridan really helped me discover my own art style.

Did you work any jobs during your time in college?

Since high school, I have always worked on stuff for conventions: things like zines, charms, and commissions. During college I actively kept my eyes on the industry and started to take freelance jobs. I’ve done character illustrations for games, art for a published illustration tutorial, design work, and more commissions, mostly with Chinese companies. I think it’s really important for artists to have at least some experience working with partners or employers before finishing school.

What are your favorite techniques, considering you've worked in both 2d and stop-motion? And those are just the two I know for sure!

Yes, I’ve done a little bit of 3D for assignments, but so far I’ve only worked in 2D and stop motion. I love both techniques equally! They are two different forms of art and each has stunning aspects. I love how free 2D can be, and how much you can play with crazy distortions, squash and stretch. I also love the process of crafting puppets and sets and being able to hold them in my hand.

What inspires you and your work the most?

Japanese anime definitely influences my work. They are my childhood and what made me keep the pencil in my hand! In the process of creating, I also look for references in many forms: live action movies, fashion, short films, photography. Anything related to art.

Is there anything that comes up in your work over and over?

I built my interest in life drawing while studying at Sheridan. Now, emphasizing the beauty and curls of human bodies has become a core part of my drawings.

How was the experience of creating "Quarters" in a team of 9 animators?

Creating “Quarters” with 8 other amazing artists was a really great experience! It was our first try, but there were no conflicts and everything went smoothly. Everyone pitched an idea for the film and we voted for the ‘four neighbors’ idea, which became “Quarters”. I worked on layout designs, prop and sets fabrication, shooting area setups, animation, and some post-production color corrections. We spread the work pretty much equally to everyone, so that we could all gain experience in every stage of creating a stop motion film.

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What inspired you to create "Lost, Stolen, Dropped"?

I had two other ideas for my final film before “Lost, Stolen, Dropped,” but they didn’t feel authentic to me. Personally, I prefer telling stories on subjects that I’m knowledgeable about, or have experienced myself. So one month into my 4th year, I gave up my first idea and all the storyboards I’d done for it. I thought, “What subject am I really familiar with? Is there anything that I know better than anyone else?” At the same time, I lost my brand new Cintiq pro pen. Not long before then I had lost my wallet. Aaaand my portable hard drive. My roommate commented that losing things is my everyday life. That’s what inspired me - I am really good at losing things! So I decided to make a film about that.

Love it. Do you often pull from your own life in your stories?

Actually, I can trace it back all the way to primary school! I used to draw comics as my diaries. With four panels comics, I’d record anything that happened in my life that I found fun. By the end of grade 7, I had a whole sketchbook of my personal life. I only showed it to my closest friends.

What were the biggest changes you made to "Lost, Stolen, Dropped" while working on the film? What were the biggest challenges?

I made a big change in the story. At the end of the first version, I made lots of copies of the main character, which came from all the different scenarios or timelines. They all appeared in her messy room, staring at her and guiding her to find her phone. That ending had a very dark and absurd feeling to it. The problem was, in order to explain that story and deliver the right feeling, the film would need to be a lot longer. And so, too much work for me. In the end, I changed lots of things and compressed the storyboard so I could finish it.

What do you plan to do now that you've graduated? Sorry to ask that question, I know it's the worst for new grads, haha.

Haha, I was so lost on this before, but now I kind of have a blueprint! The very first thing I want to do is find a job that I like, start saving, and get my PR (permanent residency) here in Canada, which is very realistic. I'll use my savings to go to grad school or take online classes: anything to improve my skills and broaden my perspective. Eventually, I want to work on personal projects without having to worry about financial issues.

Do you have a favorite cartoon, film, or artist?

Different films have been my favorite at different times in my life... I just love work that has great stories or strong emotions. I can’t really pick one film as my favorite, but Masaaki Yuasa is definitely one of my favorite directors! What I admire most about his films is how the abstract parts serve the expressive storytelling, and the drawings are always loose. That’s what I need to learn!

What's your biggest dream?

My biggest dream used to be becoming a zoologist! That was when I was 8. Now, my dream is to connect with great artists and studios over the world. To learn from them, work on fun projects, live a happy, healthy life, and occasionally go on vacations so that I can work on my other hobbies!

What are your hobbies outside of animation?

I’m interested in a wide range of things! Biking, gym exercise, photography, choreography, sculpting, sewing, leathercraft. But my greatest interest, outside of animation, is dolls and puppets! I love all kinds of dolls and toys. Different doll artists always make dolls with different characteristics, and that self-expression element is what appeals to me. I want to be able to create my own porcelain or resin doll one day. I am working hard toward that goal! ❀

Follow Addictiya on Instagram

Thank you for the interview Tiya! Love your work and am so looking forward to seeing what you do next. Enjoy home and your summer vacation pre-Adulting, you’ve earned the heck out of it!

- Cooper ❀

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hypeathon · 6 years ago

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RWBY - Volume 6, Chapter 7 Production Analysis

Vol 6, Ch 1 Production Analysis

Vol 6, Ch 2 Production Analysis

Vol 6, Ch 3 Production Analysis

Vol 6, Ch 4 Production Analysis

Vol 6, Ch 5 Production Analysis

Vol 6, Ch 6 Production Analysis

With Brunswick farms behind us, it’s time to move on to a series of different settings and a few surprises in this chapter that mark the halfway point for volume 6. With interesting story beats this episode, there are as always equally interesting aspects of the production to add to the discussion.

Before actually getting into the production analysis itself, I wanted to take a moment to briefly highlight on Gen:Lock. I’m unsure if or when I want to get around to throwing my two cents on the upcoming mecha show, but with this preview and the last one prefacing the latest episodes of RWBY, it’s intriguing seeing how this show has been building up attention between interviews and announcements about it’s cast and production. It’s also a bit concerning the kind of feedback from viewers and what they’ve been approving of and expressed being bothered with. Again, whether or not I’ll touch on its production is up in the air right now, but I wanted to put forth my quick thoughts on the matter.

With that out of the way, let’s start the analysis proper by touching briefly on the Haven Academy vault scene. Not a whole lot to say other than the character acting, which I suspect may be Hannah Novotny. The way mouths are seen as either puckered or with teeth shown clenching are the supposedly calling cards, though beyond that, I’m not really sure whether it’s Hannah or it’s someone else. Regardless helps sell the kind of interpretive facial expressions for a character like Neo and the little gestures of Cinder casually forging different knives add to her overall character in a manner similar to what Kim Newman and Millivette Gonzalez did with Pyrrha in the skit they animated during episode 8 of RWBY Chibi season 1.

Speaking of RWBY Chibi, now would be a good time to move on to the next scene highlighting Maria Calavera’s younger self and the behind-the-scenes story behind her being called “the Grimm Reaper”. Tom Alvarado, a writer brought for RWBY Chibi since season 2 who had a small prior experience in the American animation industry writing the “Metalhead” episode of the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series was inspired by Miles Luna’s thread of tweets about the Apathy Grimm to share his own anecdote. Although presented in a more comical tone, the fascinating piece of information to take away was that he thought of calling Jaune’s superhero alter ego, “The Grimm Reaper” before it changed to “The Hunts-Man.” Although Miles and Kerry Shawcross didn’t specify why at the time, they apparently already had the former title planned for something else. What’s also worth noting is how back during the CRWBY Reddit “Ask Me Anything” event back in February of 2018, Kerry answered a question mentioning that during the writing process, a certain character and sub-plot had to be cut out of volume 5′s script and pushed for a later, yet to be tangible point in the story. Between that and Tom’s tweets, it’s very likely that Maria was suppose to be that character.

Just a theory worth sharing based on scattered pieces of information about the behind-the-scenes of the story’s creative process. Moving on to analyzing Maria’s scene itself which the first minute of it was uploaded via Rooster Teeth on Youtube prior to the episode proper, the choice of camera shots and overall setting display an array of callbacks from certain scenes in past installments of the show. The way we see Maria walk across the bridge and responds to the incoming Nevermore Grimm is definitely reminiscent of both the Red trailer and the volume 4 character short and the overall setting and the is akin to that of of the setting against the Nevermore Team RWBY fought in chapter 8 of volume 1. What makes this work so well is how instinctively recognizable the callbacks themselves feel. This is also not the first instance of callbacks being made instinctive through the cinematography. As stated in the production analysis for chapter 2, the reveal of Salem in her past is very similar to that of Salem’s first proper reveal in the end of chapter 12. Another example was when Weiss got stabbed by Cinder’s spear at the end of chapter 11, where storyboard/camera layout artists, Rachel Doda and former lead producer, Koen Wooten, both stated in episode 11 of RWBY Rewind that Kerry was very deliberate about having that shot be a callback to both Amber and Pyrrha being shot at by Cinder. These are just things worth keeping in mind when watching the show going forward.

At the risk of being a broken record, choreography has its place in a fight scene, but so does staging for both the physical aspect and the story being told. In this case, the choice of camera shots help sell what kind of character Maria was as The Grimm Reaper and what her reputation meant for characters like Qrow and Ruby and how they made their weapons and have fought. With all that being said, the similarities between Maria’s scene and the other scenes with Ruby mentioned end there as the rest of the visual direction from here on gives Maria her own identity. Speaking of which, from the start of her bout with the Nevermore onward, most of the scenes were animated by Megan Pellino, Joe Vick, John Yang and Matt Drury with assistant lead animator, Melanie Stern providing the Maria vs Tock segment in particular. If these names sound familiar, that’s because with the exception of John Yang, this is the same set of people involved with the Cinder vs Neo fight. Since volume 3, the process animating fight scenes changed from Monty Oum and Shane Newville doing individual fights by themselves to having fights be done in groups of 2-4, if not more. The names of people involved with fights may have varied from volume-to-volume, but the approach has remained the same.

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Unfortunately, despite being familiar with these names, it’s still difficult to entirely tell the difference between all the animators and how they go about fight sequences, particularly Megan Pellino and Joe Vick. However, as an educated guess, it’s likely that they animated the beginning segment with Maria and the Nevermore while the latter sequence between Maria and Tock’s group were done by John Yang, Matt Drury and Melanie Stern. There are confirmations of previous sequences done by John and Matt, making it easier to tell their styles apart. In the past, John did a bit of the Blake vs Ilia fight (likely right before Kim Newman’s sequence), Oscar vs Lionheart, and part of Ozpin vs Hazel. In Matt’s case, he animated Ghira vs the Albain twins in chapter 9 of volume 5 (might’ve been his first action sequence) and much of Adam’s fight segments in his character short. Based on these confirmations and comparing those scenes to Maria vs Tock and the bandits, John may have animated the segment from the start of the fight up until Maria’s aura broke while Matt animated the next sequence after. John seems to have this way of how before or after certain swings, strikes and other attacks, a character will maintain a pose for a split-second before striking again, kind of similar to how the animation director of volume 6, Joel Mann has animated scenes. His sequence also tends to have the camera move a bit wildly but still steadily-enough follow each character’s actions, though how much of that is due to John or whoever provided the final camera layout is unclear. Matt on the other hand does not seem to emphasize as much on the poses leaving a dynamic impression and has the animations feel a bit more continuous. Also unlike John, he’s more conservative with the camera shots being more steady, to the point where it feels like watching a side-scrolling fighting game like Tekken or Street Fighter. Again though, how much of that aspect is the animator as oppose to who does final camera layout is uncertain.

At the end of the day, this is all guesswork so it’s totally possible that I may have mixed-up who did which segments. But it’s still fun to estimate none-the-less. At the very least, it’s definitely confirmed that Melanie Stern animated Maria’s eyes being slashed and quite possibly Tock getting the upper hand on her right before and the rest of the scene right after. What’s more interesting is that since her position as assistant lead animator, this is the first episode where she helped lead a fight in a manner similar to how Kim Newman led the newer animators when she was assistant lead back in chapter 10 of volume 5. Hopefully, this serves as another reminder of how it’s important to pay mind to newer talents working on the show, as I’ve stated in previous posts, even when comparing to some anime productions. Before moving on to the next scene, the choice of having the ticking clock sound incorporated into the action sequence also deserves a mention. It’s amazing how intentionally well-timed it came off right down to the timing being precisely 60-seconds, which I imagine was no easy feat to pull off with director, Kerry Shawcross and co-director/lead editor, Connor Pickens having to coordinate between the storyboard, editing, animation and audio departments.

With that out of the way, let’s shift focus from Maria’s flashback to the next scene in the present. There’s honestly not a whole lot to say about the scene between elder Maria and the others other than that there were some great facial expressions between Qrow and certain other characters to expressed how flabbergasted they were about the former Grimm Reaper’s reputation. There was also a bit of neat choice of angling the camera to highlight both Maria’s praise to team RWBY while having Yang’s self-doubting reaction be made clear. Where the visual direction really picks up though is once Ruby answers Jaune’s call and she holds her scroll towards the path towards Argus. Given the earnestly melancholic discussion about whether to follow the foot steps of one who deemed herself poorly and whether one of the older generation could still contribute something to the newer one, seeing an old throwback to character nicknames via Ruby’s caller id for Jaune provided quite an appropriate change of tone for the scene. From here on, things get uplifting, through the piano instrumentation of this volume’s opening theme, the shift of lighting to create warmer color schemes as a result of likely the art and lighting departments and having the camera get closer towards with each invisible wipe transition of the trees as they travel uphill until the payoff of the city in their site is shown.

Next is the reunion scene between the two teams and while there’s again, not a whole lot to add, there are a couple of interesting notes. First, when Nora is first seen, there’s a moment where the camera suddenly zooms towards Nora. This is to serve as another reminder that choice of camera direction between different characters is indeed a thing as mentioned previous posts and in Nora’s case, shots can sometimes have zippy panning or zooms to compliment her very enthusiastic nature. The second thing is a little mention from Asha Bishi about how another animator did the moment where Jaune and Ruby hugged. She didn’t say who it was exactly, but it’s just something I wanted to acknowledge.

Then there’s the scene establishing Argus which has definitely been a highlight for fans. In volume 5, a lot of fans were especially critical due to how what little of Mistral was shown at the time was partially via the composited still art of residents in one of the market. The backlash, though not immediate, was very understandable and it does seem like a bit of a waste to not have enough on-screen interactions between the main cast and whatever new settings they set foot on given Monty Oum’s intention from the beginning. However, if I were to speculate as to why Argus was provided more premium treatment in its production instead, it may be because the main cast are expected to interact and traverse more within the setting. Knowing this, Kerry Shawcross and Miles Luna wanted to make sure more time was allotted specifically for however many episodes would take place. Combine that with a shift in software to model and animate crowds from Autodesk Maya’s Golemn Crowd plugin to Side FX’s Houdini and the creative process behind the color aesthetic and architecture from the art department and here is the end result. As breathtaking as the setting is, it shouldn’t be dismissed how time-consuming it must have been making this setting as fleshed out as it is.

Moving on, we get the first introduction of a character teased for the longest time since chapter 7 of volume 2, one of Jaune’s seven sisters, Saphron Cotta-Arc, fully voiced, modeled, animated and everything! There’s a lot to cover about the Cotta-Arc family scene in general, first and foremost being Saphron’s voice actress, Lindsay Sheppard, who has previously done some voice acting work, most notably Aria from the Pokemon XY anime. Second thing to mention is that seeing team RWBY meet Saphron was actually animated by Nyle Pierson, who you may remember for first contributing to volume 6 through his animation of Yang and Blake walking through the blizzard in chapter 5. Seeing someone new to the show’s production do facial expressions and the right combination of surprise and eagerness from Ruby is delivered very effectively, all while making sure to show the other characters in the background express finding the behavior awkward in response. It’s unclear if the next set of animated cuts are also from Nyle or not due to the similarly exaggerated nature of the expressions and body language of the characters, but kudos to him either way. This is also a good opportunity to talk about the storyboards for the Cotta-Arc living room scene which were done by Cassidy Stone. This is the same storyboard artist that provided the scene of the main cast eating the ramen hot pot in chapter 7 of volume 5 and it was actually Cassidy’s first work on the show. Between that, the scene of Ruby and Weiss in the storage room and now this, it’s clear that her forte is providing lively banter between characters in a way that rekindled some of the aspect more prominent in RWBY’s earlier volumes. The camera layout also deserves some credit, namely for that bit where Jaune firmly points at Adrian and the camera is timed to shake at that moment to sell his annoyance. One more thing to note was Jaune and Saphron’s family photo which may have been drawn by art director, Patrick Rodriguez.

Next is the introduction of Terra Cotta-Arc, Saphron’s wife which has undoubtedly invoked the fan base into a fervor of positivity over a visible representation of a married lesbian couple. As significant as these characters are for adding another log to the fire of making a minority feel more inclusive through fictional media, what especially works here is that in the short screen time, we get an inkling of what kind of relationship they have. Between the expressions, gestures, choice of dialogue and types of voices from Lindsay Sheppard as Saphron and Rooster Teeth layout coordinator and associate producer, Jamie Smith as Terra, we can tell that one is slightly more free-spirited and easy-going while the other is a bit more grounded, stressed and concerned with ethics (i.e: whether students helping professional huntsmen is “legal” or not). Both clearly have a strong rapport at the end of the day, but it’s the small bits of information in-between that gives that insight. Straight or gay, romantic or otherwise, that’s important to depict in any relationship between characters.

That small tangent aside, one more thing to add about the scene was the cast eating sandwiches. This moment was at least partially animated by Collin McAtee who funnily enough, did the scene while eating a Jimmy John’s club lulu sandwich. The animation was nicely done, especially with Ruby’s eagerness to chow down as well as Blake’s subtle reaction through her cat ears. Though what I wanted to note in particular are the modeled sandwiches. Since it was confirmed that the modeling team handled the ramen food in chapter 7 of volume 5, I assume that they also handled the models for the sandwiches by providing different ones for certain characters depending on how much was bitten off. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, though I felt with Ruby eating her sandwiches in particular, there could’ve been different models of the sandwiches not being bitten off as much to make the animation of her eating them feel more seamless. But it’s all really minor.

There’s one more shot at the end of the episode of the gang at the Atlessian base, though given the preview for next week’s chapter on RWBY Rewind, it’s best to put a pin on that until the next production analysis. Speaking of which, that marks in end of this episode’s analysis. Definitely a variety of scenes that all provided different purposes and different tones, all done very effectively. To go from Cinder and Neo to Maria’s backstory to the present to reuniting with team Jaune, Ren & Nora to meeting Saphron and her family, all in roughly 15-16 minutes, was done very effectively and never felt jarring. We’re now officially at the halfway point with what seems to be an overall more well-received volume thus far and it’s pretty exciting to see what else will be in store from here on.

#rwby #rwby6 #rwby spoilers #rwby analysis #crwby #production analysis #production #analysis #tom alvarado #tom #alvarado #melanie stern #melanie #stern #cassidy stone #cassidy #stone

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readyplayerhobi · 6 years ago

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Symphony of Sin - The Graveyard Series

A series where I just post whatever I’ve written of fics I have no intention of finishing. Someone may as well enjoy them! They’re obviously not finished, nor are they proof-read, nor will they likely make sense! Scenes may jump around and so forth but...who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy?

Metal Vocallist!Taehyung x Reader

Word Count: 2.8k

Synopsis: Your world is softness and sweetness, gentle ballads of pure words and light, catchy beats merging together in dreams come to life. His world is hard and loud, songs of anger and rage pounded out of instruments in nightmares given song. But what happens when those worlds collide?

The tinkling of windchimes in the light breeze combined with the warmth of sun as you leaned back on your hands. Eyes closed, it felt like a tiny piece of heaven right here on Earth and you were loathe to ever let it go.

“Okay, nice! I’ve got it!” Momo called out, causing you to open your eyes and look over in her direction. She’s knelt on the floor, a Canon camera in her hands with a large wide-angle lens protruding from it that she’s currently intensely looking at, checking over the photos she’d taken.

You were both shooting your new music single cover image, lovingly titled ‘Afternoon Sun’. Sitting down next to her, you take a peek at the photographs and smile fondly. In the tiny image viewer, you’re sat on the windowsill with rays of sun beaming in and lighting up dust particles the float aimlessly around you.

The sheer, gauzy white curtains are blowing gently and the lighting gives an odd juxtaposition of shadows and brightness. A navy blue dress reaches mid-thigh and your legs drape over the edge, ending in pointed toes that years of ballet have given you.

It looks ethereal and whimsical, like a dream sequence that has been brought to life and to you, it’s like your song has taken physical form. Smiling at Momo, you connect up the camera to your MacBook and begin to upload the images, getting ready to edit them to perfection.

There’s plenty of people that happily call you hippie, deriding your indie music and style with a sneer. Your music is light hearted lyrics that belay deep meanings, softly sung words that when listening closely reveal your soul being poured out.

Songs about love and life, your health and your friends. Songs about heart wrenching love and songs about soul crushing despair. They are the songs that live in your head and are poured out onto paper, a keyboard, a piano; whatever you can find that will let the melodies and words flow.

While artists such as Shawn Mendes, Ed Sheeran, Lorde and Adele have made music and songs like yours more popular, there seems to be a limit to what people will accept. Music that is produced by the big labels is lauded as beautiful and game changing, smaller singer-songwriters like yourself seem to struggle and get derided.

Hippie music, boring music, music to die to. It seems that if there isn’t a voice layered over itself sixteen times along with a little auto-tuning and a ton of electronic instruments, people aren’t interested. It doesn’t bother you though, as you’re just happy making the music you like with the people you love.

Your little musical corner wasn’t very big, and you’re listener count hovered somewhere around 10,000 people on Spotify. Not even remotely enough to make a living off but you enjoyed self publishing your music. Your main job was as a photographer and videographer, though even that made living hard sometimes.

It did make shooting your music videos easy though as you simply asked your friends to help and your boss, the owner of the photograph studio, was always happy to expand his skills on his time off. You’d become a little renowned among your small circle for your high quality videos made on a low budget that spoke of sincerity while showing creativity.

But despite your small following on Spotify and Soundcloud, your fans were incredibly loyal and supportive. Any negative tweets when you were having a bad day were responded to with plenty of love and attention, causing a smile to rise each time.

You loved each and every one of them, even if you couldn’t meet all of them. The small fanbase you had was part of the reason you kept doing this, even though you had no real reason to carry on like you did.

So caught up in your photographs, finding the perfect one required close scrutiny to ensure there was nothing wrong and that the angle and lighting were perfect, you didn’t notice Momo’s sharp inhale of breath next to you.

It’s only when she begins to poke your stomach insistently that you look over, a frown marring your forehead at the interruption. She doesn’t notice though, too busy focused on her phone and gesturing to it insistently.

“Oh my god, oh my god! Y/N, oh my god!” Is all she says constantly, waving her phone around so much you can only see a blur of light. Scowling, you grab her arm to stop her.

“What?! What is it?” Momo looks at you with wide eyes before turning the phone screen to you, allowing you to see the familiar layout of Twitter staring up at you. The tweet is from some verified account that you’ve never heard of, answering someone else’s tweet. The original tweet is in a little box under their answer and you read that first.

Claire Fairngold @3scap3th3vort3x

@enterthevortex Taehyung! What’s your favourite song lately? #kimtaehyung #taehyungtime

The verified account had answered it and your eyes read over it for a moment without quite taking it in.

Enter The Vortex @enterthevortex

Thanks for your question! My favourite song right now is ‘It’s You And Me Against The World’ by @Y/N. Probably not what people expected but check her out, she’s very good!

You stare in confusion at the words, confused as to who on Earth this person was that had recommended your song. It was a year old song and one of your favourites, written when you thought you were in love and could conquer the world. The relationship had fizzled out but you still remembered happy times when you listened to it.

It’s only then that you capture the retweet and like counts and your eyes widen immediately in shock.

67K retweets, 367K likes and over 10K replies, to a tweet from someone you’d never even heard of! Tapping the user handle, the page loads up to reveal a cover photo of a huge arena crowd with six guys stood in front of them, hands held up together as stage lighting illuminates them from behind.

The profile picture is a band logo that is elegant yet imposing at the same time, white text on a black background. 7 million people follow this group, and you’ve never even heard of them. Looking at Momo in confusion, you watch as her lips twist into a smile before she’s leaning over, fingers pressing on the touchscreen and navigating back to your own profile.

“Look at that. That’s just in the last half an hour since he tweeted that. This is ridiculous!” She squealed, hands clapping together excitedly. In complete opposition, you sit in silence as you stare at your own follower count.

It had been hovering at just over 5,000 people for a few weeks now and you’d been pretty happy with it. But now you had over 100,000 followers and the number kept rising and that was to say nothing of your mentions which were exploding with people replying to the original tweet, including your own handle.

“Who...who are Enter The Vortex?” Momo stops looking at the phone to stare at you with creased brows, shock written all over her face like a New York Times bestseller.

“You...you’re kidding right? I know they’re a metal group but they’ve had a few songs hit the Top 40 over the last few years,” Your blank stare causes her to face forward in shock. “Okay, hold on.” She grabs hold of the phone and brings up YouTube, typing furiously before scrolling to find the video she wants.

Turning the device around, the screen rotates to fill out the whole width and you proceed to watch the video. At first there’s nothing but a haunting cello playing, the video taken up by a wide shot of a dead tree surrounded by mist. And then the wall of noise sounds.

Well, a wall of noise is being cruel. You can hear the melodies underneath the pounding bass, frenetic drums and relentless guitars, with an underlying piano subtly heard throughout. But it’s the screaming that causes your face to scrunch up.

Loud, like it has been filled with the rage of a thousand souls who died too soon, the vocals sound as if they are being ripped from the guy’s throat. And just when you think you’re ready to reach out and press stop, they suddenly vanish and a hauntingly sweet voice takes over, harmonising over the top of a deep and sultry voice.

They play with each other, rising and falling together before sliding in between the gaps each leaves open in the song. The unending energy and heaviness of the instruments makes it hard for you to truly love the song, but from a musical perspective you appreciate the complex melodies they have produced and the vocalists take your breath away.

“Well, it’s not my cup of tea I guess but the vocals were beautiful. I never thought that you could have vocals like that in a metal song?” The words are tinged with confusion and surprise, causing Momo to look at you with a raised eyebrow.

“I think you of all people should know to not judge things like what kind of music someone makes, right?” You look down at that, suitably chastised as you remember all the people who’ve criticised your music and put it down.

“Okay, but I did say they have nice vocals. How did they manage to crack the Top 40? This is not Top 40 material.” The video has ended now and it’s only then that you notice that the entire thing had been telling a story, with no band members present. Or at least you’re 95% positive that girl is not a member, though maybe she plays an instrument?

Momo chuckles lightly, taking the phone back as her fingers begin to tap away once again. “Oh girl, metal may not be your style but let me tell you...these guys are to die for. I’m not ashamed to say I started listening to them because I’d let every one of them ravage me.”

Eyes popping wide, you lean back at the phone that’s been shoved back into your face. The image you’re now staring at is of seven guys, which seems a little excessive for a band but what do you know?

And you have to give it to Momo, she’s not wrong. Each member exudes bad boy, and given the music they make they can probably back it up, but you have the disconcerting feeling that they could walk into Gucci tomorrow and come out models.

The main things you notice are muscles, oh holy wow muscles, tattoos, so many tattoos, and piercings. Momo begins pointing to each member and talking about them individually, the drummer called Hoseok with all monochrome tattoo sleeves that match his black hair that’s swept up to the rhythm guitarist named Namjoon, with his black hair shaved on all sides but the top platinum blonde, intricate art scenes blooming up his arms and along his neck.

She taps two individual members suddenly, two fingers pinching the screen and expanding it. One of them looks youthful with bright, colourful tattoos spreading along his arms and throat, a ring speared through the centre of his lip and a ridiculously large number of piercings in his ears. Black hair that looks soft but mussy, as if he’s rolled out of bed and run his hands through it a few times has a slightly blue tinge.

He’s unbelievably attractive with the cocky little smirk on his lips, just a hint of white teeth peeking through but its the glint in his eye that makes your stomach clench. He has a face of innocence and eyes of sin.

“That’s Jungkook, he’s the second vocalist. The one with the higher voice?” Momo sounds uncertain of how to describe it but you nod anyway, remembering the almost sweet voice that soared high. His face suits his voice, but the man next to him does not.

Hands pushing back fire engine red hair that looks soft and silky to the touch, his arms are dominated by bright splashes of colour that spiral their way up his muscled limbs, creeping underneath his shirt only to reappear around his neck. His lower lip is caught between his teeth, tugging the two lip rings on either side gently while his dark, eyeliner smudged eyes are hooded as they stare deeply into the camera, promising all sorts of dirty things you suspect he could fulfil.

Jungkook has the kind of youthful beauty that will make him popular for years to come, but this guy has a refined attractiveness that would inspire statues to last centuries. A sharp, cutting jawline is met with a perfect nose, a ring piercing his septum, leading up to two intense eyebrows that just add to the sheer magnetic pull of his face. You’d never considered eyebrows attractive until right now.

“He’s the main vocalist, Taehyung.” Momo’s voice is almost background noise right now as you observe him closer. This man, this celestial body turned into human flesh, did not look like he was the one who had been screaming out rage. But at the same time, he didn’t look like the kind of man who would croon darkly seductive tones with a deep voice. Everything about this man was a walking contradiction.

A face that belonged in artwork that would be revered in centuries to come and yet he had turned his own body into a walking canvas to be displayed to the world. A voice that could sing an angel into a fall from grace and yet he chooses to strain those vocals with unrestrained power and emotion.

Momo must take your silence as a positive as she nudges your shoulder teasingly. “He’s the one who recommended you, if you can believe it.” A soft giggle lets you know she’s just as shocked as you are, she’s just handling it better.

10 minutes ago, you would have said a metal band was incapable of listening to your music and enjoying it. Hell, even after seeing the pictures of them you’d think the same thing. But looking at Taehyung now, you’re not surprised.

Because his colourful tattoos, that would be taken as gaudy and offensive at first, are interwoven with layers of culture spanning centuries. His left arm, from wrist to elbow, at first looks to be a wild mess of colour but you spot the intricacies quickly. Blues, yellows and whites swirl together beneath musical notes, melting timepieces and more. He’s brought Van Gogh’s Starry Night to life on his arm.

His other arm has a stylised version of Edvard Munch’s The Scream that melts into the hyper coloured world of Leonid Afremov’s paintings. While there are plenty of things merging into these, they cause a smile spreads over your lips without warning as you realise that this man, who’s vocals sound like his throat is being ripped out, is a man of the arts. Something that surprises you intensely, instantly making you feel bad about your stereotypes and preconceived ideas.

Passing the phone back to Momo, you simply smile as she continues to scroll through all your new notifications. Picking up your own phone, you unlock the screen and navigate to the Twitter app, heart racing as you see the continuously increasing follower count. You’re not entirely sure why you do it, given their music really isn’t your scene, but you press that little blue follow button on their account.

It takes exactly three minutes for them to follow you back.

For a few days there’s no more interactions between the two of you, though that might be because you’re too busy making sure that your new song is fully mixed and ready to go. It’s at 12pm exactly that you release the song on Spotify and YouTube, sending out a quick tweet with a link and a little ‘surprise! Hope you all enjoy it!’.

So it’s a shock to find your tweet almost instantly liked by the verified account and a reply a few minutes later.

Enter The Vortex @enterthevortex

@Y/N love the new song!

Is all it says, but immediately your timeline begins to fill up with people practically screaming into it. You can’t quite figure out why this metal band has taken such an interest in your work, particularly given you can’t even get most mainstream artists to listen to your stuff.

#taehyung fluff #taehyung fiction #taehyung x reader #metal taehyung #taehyung fanfic #graveyard series #unfinished fic

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