#you can see exactly where I started to scramble for plot haha

[vroomvroomcircuit]

Sometimes you need to be loud before it can be quiet

Summary: Everyone has their breaking point, even prefectly fine media trained drivers. Especially when people start asking dumb, sexist questions.

Pairing: driver!reader x f1!grid, but mostly Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, Lando and Charles have a bit of a guest appearing

Wordcount: 1.2k (she is a shy shorty, please be nice to her)

🏎Masterlist🏎 _________________________

“My next question is for (Y/N): What do you want to be perceived as?”

Everyone in the post race press conference halts in their movements. (Y/N) blinks once, twice before she clears her throat and gets closer to her microphone. “I’m sorry, can you please elaborate on that? I fear my English is failing me to comprehend what you just said.”

The reporter is not hesitating, jumping into his explanation right away, as if he had chosen the words he wanted to say beforehand. “Well, you participate in a male dominated sport, being currently the only female on the grid line up. You are never seen in typically female clothing. You even wore a suit to the last FIA gala. We have yet to see you in makeup outside of festivities. That’s why I am asking what you want to be perceived as. A man? A woman? Or something in-between?”

Silence has never been so loud. Nobody really knows how to respond to such an audacity.

(Y/N) pulls her microphone another bit closer before murmuring into it: “I rather be not perceived at all. Thank you for the question, I wanted to clear that bit up for quite some time now.”

Her answer brought a booming laughter out of the one and only Daniel Ricciardo, effectively breaking that spell of awkwardness that has been cast over the room by Mr Audacity. Everyone relaxes and joins in the laughter.

As the media representative is about to call onto the next journalist, Max asks a question. “Can we all answer this? Because I want to make it clear, I identify as a problem and want to be perceived as that.”

“Yeah”, Daniel interjects,”of course you do. I want to be perceived as a menace to human kind, please. What about you, Lando?”

“Number 1 Fish Hater, certified and trademarked already,” he answers with a cheeky smile.

Charles breathes “I’m a hot mess” into his microphone before the media representative is able to call onto the next person.

The following race weekend the drivers stand in the media pits with their PR managers, hopping from interviewer to interviewer like at a speed dating event.

“-overall I would say we have a good pace. I’m confident in the team to help us through this race in spite of the unpredictable weather conditions this weekend.” (Y/N)’s answers the usual questions that are thrown at her after sessions.

The journalist smiles at her. “I am sure of that. Now, onto my last question: Last week you have been asked what you want to be perceived as and you never really answered that. Why is that?”

(Y/N) throws a not amused look towards the woman. “I didn’t feel like it. I didn’t want to answer a question that is just a poorly disguised attack towards my femininity. I can like fast cars and dress however I want without having to answer something like that. I’m secure enough in my own gender identity as a woman to be able to express myself in all the ways I want without having my actions impede on my identity or expression of my gender. I will put on a dress when I feel like it, I will get the brushes out for a glam makeup when it is convenient for me and I don’t have to do ‘typically female’ things just to please the public opinion.

Instead of going around and judging, just work on why you have this urge to comment on my expression of gender in the first place, because your insecurities surrounding my gender don’t look cute on you.”

After that (Y/N) is practically dragged away from the media pit by her PR manager, who probably already has a headache thinking about the mess that will follow on social media and certain online magazines.

But the few drivers who stood around them, having media duties to follow themselves, just stared impressed and with deep respect after the young woman. She usually is softer spoken and obviously went through bootcamp media training. This was the first time they witnessed speaking her true mind in an interview.

Back in her driver's room, where she gets ready for the debrief, (Y/N) realizes the kind of mistake she just made.

Her little outburst will definitely get more of a reaction than it would if a Max Verstappen would have said something along these lines.

Before her inner eye she sees the headlines. Something about women being too emotional for motorsports. Her being too young, too hot headed, too much of everything and somehow not enough of everything.

The team will replace her, the negative PR not leaving them any other choice. The pressure on them is too much, they already took a big chance on her by giving the driver a seat in Formula 1 in the first place.

With the news of her sudden contract ending, at least one news outlet will write “The little experiment failed”, paving an even more difficult path for other women trying to prove themselves in motorsports.

And all that just because she wasn’t able to let this stupid question roll right off her back.

A sudden knock on her door breaks (Y/N) free from her downward spiral of thoughts. Max enters the room with Daniel on his tail. “This was amazing. How you told this interviewer off on life camera? And her face? After you went out, we just had to clap. It was so cool. You were so right, too. I’m so proud you finally spoke your mind. The audacity of these people.”

It seems like Max doesn’t need to breathe, judging from his rant.

Daniel has a much softer approach. He puts a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him. “I hope you know that you had to say that back there. Even if you are ‘only’ a rookie this season, the questions you got the last couple of weeks were anything but ok or nice. Sometimes you need to be loud before it can be quiet.”

(Y/N) shoots him a thankful smile, squeezing the hand on her shoulder with her own. “You are right. It was just a bit overwhelming at first. But I can see the appeal now. I think I have to take a few classes with Max, because the concept of saying what you think got a new fan and that’s me. It’s the best thing I have done in the context of handling media duties.”

“No, you won’t do that”, (Y/N)’s PR manager stands in the doorway, probably to fetch her for the debrief. “In this case it was a good thing to do. Important, too, of course. The fans are eating this up on social media. They already made edits with the clips. But I don’t get paid what Max’ or Lando’s managers get, so you will return to your media trained good girl roots.” With that (Y/N) gets pulled out of the room by her. Max throws her a subtle nod, to which she smiles.

Sometimes you need to be more than the good girl, especially if it’s for your own sake. Who knows, maybe this is the beginning of the story of another media-nightmare-driver.

[op-sheepy]

ok so I'm particularly interested in

Bellamy Law

Law and Bible stuff

Law is a substitute kindergarten teacher

shichibukai applications

reverse hanahaki disease (?? do u spit out flowers when your nemesis walks by?)

if you feel like elaborating on any of these!

This is gonna get long and I actually contemplated posting them separately but would that have been more work? Yeah, that felt like more work so for anyone interested, check under the cut. :D

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Bellamy Law

Hm… This would be an attempt to explore the parallels and contrasts between Bellamy and Law. I've always found it fascinating that the former was a foil to the latter.

They both come from well-off  towns in the North Blue.

Bellamy left because of boredom. Law had no choice because Flevance.

Both ended up seeking Doflamingo  because of  his notoriety as a pirate. Both admired him initially

Doffy favored one over the other though. Bellamy always sought his approval but was never really part of the inner circle Doflamingo cared about.

Law got the dubious privilege of being part of the family despite being absent for so long. Even offered one of the highest seats by Doffy's side for seemingly nothing.

Law had no trouble turning his back on Doffy once he realized the man's nature. Bellamy tried to stick to his principles until the end despite admitting that he new he was wrong.

Bellamy can (and did) quit piracy after his ordeal with Doflamingo. Having the option to live peacefully, perhaps a return to his previous life (the one he considered boring). Law can't do that quite as easily what with his Devil fruit and his reputation.

I thought it would be interesting trying to explore what Bellamy was thinking. Did he hear the Donquixote Pirates talk about their missing 'family'? Did he get to see Doffy be amused at Law's rise as a Supernova while he kept being reminded of his own status? Did Law save Bellamy partially because he also saw what he could have been had Corazon not saved him?

On principle, Bellamy should have hated Trafalgar Law. Does. Bastard even saved him without him wanting it. But there was something about the shadows haunting those eyes and Bellamy started to wonder.

He had heard the family talk about Law before. The child personally taught by Doflamingo, chosen to be his right hand. Never was he compared to the man because Law was just obviously better. Smarter. Stronger. Bellamy was ever just an uncouth thug.

He was allowed to 'borrow' Doflamingo's symbol while Law had an empty seat waiting for his return–a seat Bellamy had wanted enough to risk everything for.

Maybe he had resented, Trafalgar Law for carelessly rejecting the things he had that Bellamy had always desired. In the end too, Trafalgar Law did prove to be better. He'd done as a child what Bellamy had trouble doing even as he was now.

But having been given the chance to observe the other man as they all recovered, he wondered, perhaps for the first time, whether despite Law being better than Bellamy, Bellamy had had it better–barring the poor life choices.

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Law and Bible stuff

This is just me wanting to know how many biblical parallels and themes I can draw from Law, the Donquixote brothers, the characters associated with them, and his backstory. Honestly not sure whether this would become a fic and in what style or I'm gonna give up and just make it a post.

Not gonna elaborate on them much but here are the ideas in more bullet points (yay):

Law gets familiar with all four horsemen of the apocalypse: conquest, war, famine, and death. He even survives them.

Law is like the son in the parable of the prodigal son to the Donquixote pirates. Except the themes are inverted.

Doflamingo and Rocinante -> Cain and Abel

Ope Ope no Mi -> Granting eternal life by sacrificing one's own life

Gods descending or living among humans. Also, Homing and his family being prosecuted for other people's sins.

That scene where they were hanged by their arms outstretched looks like a crucifixion. Also, Rocinante was on the right while Doflamingo was on the left. Similar to how the penitent thief was on the right and the unrepentant one to the left.

Flevance being considered a paradise with walls/fences/gates and somewhere Law cannot return to.

In the panel where the Donquixote pirates are seated at the table, there were thirteen of them with Doffy at the center. Same as The Last Supper

There are a lot more of these (David and Goliath, Solomon, Jonah, Job, etc.) but I kinda lost the notes and some are more visual so I can't really explain it too well. This would is a drabble series to emphasize or highlight the parallels so no proper snippet for this one.

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Law is a substitute kindergarten teacher

Originally an idea to get around most of the Heart Pirates being nameless but evolved to include other characters as kids. Chopper is a kindergarten teacher and he convinces Law to take over his class for a week because somehow Law has the qualifications to and free time. Naturally, he wasn't able to say no.

Unfortunately, despite not being terrible at handling children, Chopper's class is filled with menaces. Also, despite not being terrible, Law can still be awkward so...

"Mr. Trofao–fargar—"

"Trafalgar."

The kid—which one was this one again? Shit, he should really get them name plates or something—scrunched up his face and tried harder, "Tar-pal—"

"Law. Just call me Law."

"Mr. Low"—eh, close enough—"can I go to the bathroom?" Wide imploring eyes stared up at him.

"Sure, go ahead." Law gestured towards the exit of the classroom with his head.

The kid just stared expectantly at him and he tried to suppress the need to narrow his eyes.

"Is there… anything else?"

"Mr. Chopper always comes with me to hold my hand."

Really?

"Mr. Chopper isn't here. You should practice doing it on your own now." He said after a deep inhale.

"But the monsters might get me…"

"No, they won't."

"You don't know that."

"I do." Before the kid could open his mouth again to argue, he added, "Besides, children taste terrible so you're safe."

The kid looked stricken and took a step back from him. Uh oh. Glistening eyes, wobbling lower lip… "Alright! I'll go with you." The kid did not look reassured. In fact he looked like going alone with Law was the last thing he wanted to do. Guess, he kinda implied that he ate children didn't he? Oops.

Well, the kid needs to go and he's not going to be cleaning up after him if he wets himself.

Law glanced at the rest of the children. It was Arts and Craft time and they seemed preoccupied enough. Still, Law doubted Chopper ever left these kids alone–already he could see some of them glancing up at him, waiting for him to leave no doubt to cause trouble. That Monkey kid in particular looked extremely suspicious.

He stood up from his crouch and clapped twice to get everyone's attention.

"Alright. Fall in line. Single file."

There was some grumbling and questioning directed at him. "What's going on?"

Law shrugged. "You're all going to the bathroom."

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Shichibukai Application Forms

Crackfic where the World Government and relevant parties review various Shichbukai Applications. Most submitted by the pirates applying themselves, some produced by their own staff. They discuss and debate. As well as judge pirate resumes.

She scanned the document. Terrible format, really. If you fail to impress within the first page, you've failed entirely. There just wasn't anyone promising enough in this batch of applications or any of the other ones before. The last one had been that clown. "Apprentice to the Pirate King," was a pretty hefty credential.

"Oh, how about this one? Three years experience pillaging, and they even listed all the towns they looted." One of the newly transferred administrative staff said.

"None of these are worth considering at all. You know, when Mihawk was asked to submit his application, he hadn't bothered with all of this. He just sent us a card with his name on it and the title "World's Strongest Swordsman," underneath."

The staff perked up. "Oh, there was an application like that." There was scramble and some shuffling before a plain white card was produced. "Here."

"'From Trafalgar Law'. What does this even mean?"

"Well, it did come with a big box..."

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Reverse Hanahaki Disease

(?? do u spit out flowers when your nemesis walks by?)

Haha. At first it was going to be that way (because it is hilarious) but the inflicted would probably choke to death too soon. Or if both enemies had it, they'd end up just coughing flowers at each other until they stopped being enemies.

The version I ended up going with was that this variant of Hanahaki, instead of afflicting those with unrequited love, affected those in denial instead. The reverse part comes from the original idea that this would usually happen if you somehow fell in love with your nemesis (someone you originally hated). So it's not the thought that the other person can't love you, it's that you can't accept that you love that other person. You get cured by confessing to the person sincerely.

This is actually another KidLaw (surprise!). And the flower coughed up directly represents the person they're in love with (I went with Oda's flower representation for them because I found it funny for plot)

So the idea is that, you get sick but you don't automatically know (maybe) who it is because that's part of being in denial. Kid and Law have many enemies after all. In this story they both get it though not exactly at the same time and not known to the other.

He survived Amber Lead Syndrome only to be killed off by a stupid flower disease that apparently knows more about his own feelings than he does.

He glared at the petals. Tulips. Red.

An image of a cocky grin and a shock of red hair flashed through his mind and—nope. That's not right.

He coughed harder, tears stinging his eyes with the effort. More flowers. Now he has enough for a bouquet.

Alright, he was a doctor. He could do this. Differential time.

First, which variant does he have. He doesn't particularly feel unloved or hopeless. There wasn't anyone he wanted in particular to love him. Ok, nothing. It was maybe safe to say he had that other variant.

Which was stupid because Law had many enemies and he hated all of them.

And cue the racking coughs. More red. He was very familiar with that particular shade.

New theory. This was a new variant that somehow makes you sick when you think of the person you hated the most.

Yes, that had to be it. He thought as he all but collapsed on the floor from the sudden paroxysm.

I knew this was gonna get long. :) Oh well...

Thank you for playing. :D

[shtern-and-art]

Awwww. The Skeppy burrito drawing was so cute! Look at him being all soft XD.

As promised I have even more questions hahah XD. Not so many this time because I'm kinda tired.

Do they ever hug at some point, more likely in the future when they know each other better? As in, does Skeppy's touch starved life get the better of him at some point and he just reaches to cuddle Bad on a particularly exhausting day?

And Bad in the town!!! Ooooh. Does he like visiting the town or does it bring back bad memories? N does he remember anyone there or is he much older than he looks and everyone's passed on? :(

Final one! :D Can Skeppy bring out any of Bad's more animalistic natures? I'm not sure when this is set so I don't think laser pointers/torches (flashlights I think others call em) exist but is he able to make Bad chase things? Or (I don't know if you've ever put a bell on a cat's tail and watched em jump about after it haha) but does tying bells to Bad's antlers make him react?

You have no clue how excited I get when I get the notif that you've posted! <3

Eheheh :3c

Skeppy: *snoring like hoard of zombies* Bad: adorable :3 *puts more dirt and leaves in his hair*

And, oh, yeah, they’ll definitely get to hugs-territory at some point! After they started to become friends, especially after Bad told Skeppy about his past, the trust between them grew, and so did the ease of the casual touching. Sleepover cuddles will be a thing for sure!

And there will be more about this AND the multiple visits to the town in the next story post, this is part of the plot and all. That’s actually why it took me so long to answer this ask (so sorry for that =c=) – I wanted to finish translating and prettying up all my notes to see what details will definitely go in the main post. And I finished it all yesterday! Aaaand there’s a lot of text :DDDD Here’s a sneak peek in my Word:

First post was a bit over 2k words. The rest of the text is 6.5k, idk if I’ll be able to fit it all in one post with pictures, will see. But this is everything, with flashback to Bad’s past, and the ending, and all.

I still didn’t go in all of the details, so, if after reading the whole thing you’ll still have specific questions about the visits to the town, I’ll gladly fill in the blanks. And you can keep asking about everything, while I prepare the big post, and if it’s something that I didn’t go in depth about in the notes, I will try my best to answer (:

Oh, and about the last part of your ask:

The story is set in the second part of the 90s, so laser pointers are already a thing. BUT they were invented somewhere in the 60-70s, so Bad, who stared living in the woods in the 50s, probably had no idea they exist. Skeppy definitely used this fact to his advantage for light trolling, hiding in the brush and making Bad scramble around, wondering what this little light is.

But this was more confusion and curiosity, than a roper hunt, I’d say. Rat though, Rat would hunt for the Elusive Red Light Of Doom a little bit to intensely. After couple sturdy trees fell victim to her trying to destroy The Offensive Dot, and Bad had to dig Skeppy up from under those trees, and pull a bunch of splinters from Rat’s gums… laser pointers were banned in the forest, permitted to use only in case of emergencies.

And you can tie stuff on Bad’s horns, but there’s a big chance it will fall off or disappear at some point. His horns always change shape, and the ribbons on them are the wishing charms people tie on the branches, like, exactly the ones people tied to the trees recently or in the past. They’re like little contracts for small wishes and protection people ask for from the forest.

So tying something directly on Bad’s horn will be a pretty intimate action, and may result in some unexpected wish fulfilment :DDD

If you want to see more instinctive (and cute) animalistic traits Bad shows around Skeppy, well. I’d say it happens more often when Bad just woke up from a nap; a normal proper nap, not the one where he stops being himself. Sleepy Bad can play with Skeppy’s hoodie strings, or lazily catch dry leaves falling from the trees, or hide in the piles of them to be sneaky. He’s a real delight :D

I’m really glad that you enjoy this story! It’s always a good day when I get a new ask, and my head starts swarming with all the new things I can share about it all.

Sorry again for taking so long to answer, hope you’re having a nice day too <3

[ichika27]

The World Ends with You

(Yeah, it’s the same screenshot I used for my post about ep. 1. I couldn’t get a new one so...)

Ah, first week without the TWEWY anime to look forward to. I’m actually kinda sad cause I’d miss waiting for the episode every Saturday night (Ani-One posts theirs on that day here). I have some stuff I wanna say about the anime so I thought I’d make one of these plus this is a good way to end the twewy anime blog post series I make every week. I’ll try not to spoil until the very bottom of this post which will have a spoiler warning.

Also, this will be very long and rambly as most of my fandom posts are haha.

Story:

A boy named Neku wakes up in the middle of Shibuya with no memory and finds himself as a player in the Reaper’s Game. For a week he must partner up with a girl named Shiki and both of them must complete missions, battle creatures called noise, and survive as failure meant erasure.

Characters:

Neku Sakuraba - our main protagonist who somehow lost his memories and is now playing the Reaper’s Game. He’s a loner who isn’t too keen on getting close to anyone let alone working alongside anybody - unfortunately for him, it’s a requirement if he wants to survive. As a player he has an assortment of abilities to fight off noise and other enemies (in the game this meant he can use a lot of different pins).

Shiki Misaki - the nice and friendly Shiki becomes Neku’s partner in the Reaper’s Game. Unlike Neku she has knowledge of the game and fills Neku in on things he doesn’t understand. Her ability is to control her stuffed toy called Nyantan/Mr. Mew which she uses in combat.

Beat - the tough skateboarding player, he’s somewhat more like the typical hot-blooded shounen protagonist when compared to Neku. He’s protective of those he care about especially his game partner, Rhyme. He uses his skateboard in battle.

Rhyme - Beat’s game partner who is a lot kinder and calmer than him. Rhyme tends to be the one to reason with Beat when needed and the two are always seen together.

Yoshiya Kiryu - a mysterious boy who seem to know more than he lets on and acts at times acts suspicious. He prefers to be called by the nickname Joshua.

Sanae Hanekoma - a cafe owner who helps out Neku and the others and would give them advice. His advice prove to be very helpful and Neku takes them to heart. Seem to have a lot of knowledge about the Reaper’s Game but doesn’t seem to be a reaper himself.

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Thoughts:

(I tried my best to not be spoilery in the character descriptions so some names weren’t written in full)

The World Ends with You (or in the original Japanese “Subarashiki Kono Sekai”/It’s a Wonderful World) is an anime based on the video game of the same name. It had to compress an entire game’s worth of story within it’s 12 episode run which meant they cut out a lot of things and combined some scenes to quickly run through them. It’s theme song is the anime version of the game’s original OP “Twister” although this wasn’t what was originally planned but an incident involving the band who sang the original theme forced them to make changes. The original voice actors from the game also reprised their roles for the anime. The series is created to be watched before the release of the long-awaited sequel game.

The art style is made to be similar to it’s game version (with a bit of change to adapt it as an anime like when it comes to body proportions). They also retained the effect of the characters from the UG (players/reapers) being brightly colored while those from the RG having darker/muted colors. While the noise are obviously cg, I personally liked this since they’re said to be from a different plane anyways so it’s a nice contrast to those from the UG and RG. They had to update the setting though as years had passed since the original game’s creation and they had to model anime version of Shibuya to what it’s real life counterpart now looks. The characters are also given smartphones instead of the flip phones they had in the game (anime-only watchers who are gonna play the game would have to get used to them still using flip phones though lol).

Okay so story-wise... it’s rushed. Of course it is. They shortened it so that what’s left would mostly be important plot points from the main story but they cut out many scenes that consist of character interactions and several little things that could’ve fleshed out the characters more. The gameplay is also made simpler with some mechanics taken away and the mini games weren’t adapted (RIP to Reaper Creeper and Tin Pin Slammer, especially the latter as you’re severely missed). The game boast an assortment of characters and some NPCs have their own stories but due to the anime’s limited run time, they had to either be cut out (and are just given cameos) or given smaller roles (and their stories weren’t adapted). They did, however, give a few bits and pieces of information that weren’t in the game such as some details about certain characters and one supporting character was given a bit more screentime that they did in the game version.

Despite the rushed nature of the series (which may or may not affect how one views the story itself), the anime made sure to adapt several important scenes and the dramatic stuff is made worse... like, they really had to make some deaths harder to take. The battle scenes were nice as well although my biggest complaint about them is that the boss fights were over too quickly. There were scenes that were changed for the anime version and there are those that I liked and those I didn’t but there are many which I think was as good as the game’s version.

Do I recommend the anime? The game is better, the characters and story are more fleshed out and the way the character/relationship development happens is better paced so of course, me, biased already would tell you to play the game instead if you haven’t yet. Do I recommend those who played the game to watch the anime? Yes! Yes I do. I think the anime is better watched when you’ve played the game and know the stuff that they cut out cause it’ll make better sense that way. Plus I found it enjoyable seeing the scenes from the game animated and the characters are speaking whole dialogues and moving. It’s great!

Even if the anime wasn’t perfect, like I mentioned before, they did their best to condense the entire main story in a 12 episode series and it tried to be as faithful as it could to the original story so despite the deviations when it comes to how things got to the way they did, if you summarize important plot points, they would be the same (with some details changed). Overall, it was very enjoyable and it wasn’t as bad as I feared when I heard how many episodes the anime was going to have.

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Some spoiler thoughts:

It would’ve been better if the anime had more episode count than just 12. Cramming a 3 week story of game into just 12 made the thing very rushed with Week 1 only getting three episodes, Week 2 getting four, and final Week getting five. They had to get to the good stuff so they cut off a lot of scenes where the characters are interacting with each other which means they suddenly get character developments and relationship developments too quickly. It might not be that obvious to anime-only watchers but to me, it felt kinda sudden and it feels like it doesn’t work out well story-wise since Neku had to learn how to trust other people and make friends and with how he started vs. how he came out of it contrasting each other.

By the way, they made the characters look good in the anime. Especially Joshua. Have you seen Joshua? He’s so pretty in the anime. I want a picture of him I could stare at anytime I want to (I do not own a phone, sadly).

I like how they gave Eri more scenes though and that they changed her outfit for the anime so she won’t look exactly like UG!Shiki. All of her scenes though made me feel like I wish the anime gave closure to Shiki’s own story by showing us her and Eri making up. Another scene I liked in the anime is Neku’s fanboying of CAT when he finds out the truth. It was adorable.

Some info was taken away from the anime. Beat and Rhyme leaving home had scene dialogue and unlike Beat just narrating it in-game but they didn’t mention specifically why he was angry and his trouble at home. Joshua wasn’t present when Sota and Nao gave Neku a pep-talk either which is a shame cause I think that helped Josh as well. 

I mentioned before how the anime made things go too fast. They cut off chunks of not-main-plot story that let the characters interact with each other more which means each game day is shortened as well. I think it made sense that Neku wakes up at the scramble in the end and not stressed out because he didn’t go through as much as his game counterpart did. That said, game Neku learned a lot from more than just the main cast in the game compared to the anime so I like his character development in the game better.

They took away Tin Pin Slammer. I am sad and disappointed. I was hoping so bad for Another Day to be adapted even if it’s an OVA. That and the ramen incident are part of Josh’s week which meant some side of him wasn’t shown (I mean, anime fans don’t know he wasn’t there on week 3 since he’s busy playing a kid’s game elsewhere and how he could talk about food like he is from a cooking anime). Speaking of Josh, they made him very suspicious from the get-go in the anime. I understand as there’s a limited run-time and they can’t really afford to be subtle about it but it meant some of the fun interactions with Neku is gone and so are some scenes where they actually got along. At least they had ice cream together, I guess?

(I have more to say when it comes to Joshua cause he’s my fave character but this is long and my thoughts on it would make this way longer. I might make another post.)

In the end, it wasn’t perfect but the anime was fun and enjoyable enough that I found myself looking forward to it every week. Seeing scenes I recognize from the game in animated form (with voice acting!) felt exciting and awesome. I’ll miss this show and I still wish it was longer.

If you’ve read this far well, thank you. And also I’m confused why but still hopefully that was a good time-killer. I have so many other things I wanted to comment on but that’s for another time. Maybe.

[linskywords]

criminal-minds-fanfiction wrote a bunch of questions for authors that you’re supposed to let people ask you, buuuut I felt like answering all of them instead of doing my actual job this afternoon. 😄 Here we go:

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fanfiction?

Like 25 maybe? I started writing about a year after I started reading it. I had a fanfiction-deprived adolescence, y’all.

2) What fandoms do you write for and do you have a particular favourite if you write for more than one?

The hockey boys pulled me in years ago and they haven’t let me go. I do sometimes write other things: I almost always participate in Yuletide, and I’ve actually written a bunch of Animorphs fic under a different name (ask me if you want to see it!). Mostly hockey RPF, though.

3) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

Haha neither. Well, I guess OC’s, if I had to choose -- I don’t read or write reader inserts. But I tend to keep OC’s for original fiction.

4) What is your favourite genre to write for?

I was very confused about fic having genres before I realized this was probably referring to the genre of the canon works. Um...sports. :D

5) If you had to choose a favourite out of all of your multi chaptered stories, which would it be and why?

Don’t make me choose my favorite child. Um, probably the first wolfverse story -- I don’t know if it’s the best one, but I’m very grateful to it for starting the ‘verse!

6) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

None of them, if that’s an option. If I really had to choose...probably the Kirk/Spock fic I never finished even after uploading it to AO3 and promising to finish it this time. I still want to finish it!! But it would be the first to go.

7) When is your preferred time to write?

I don’t have a strong preference. Afternoon/evening. I like having multi-hour blocks, and I use the Forest app to keep me off my phone while I do it.

8) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Plot bunnies come from all over the place: random thoughts, memes, real-life conversations, suggestions from other fandom people. I tend to have a pretty strong “THIS IS A STORY I WANT TO WRITE” response when something grabs me the right way.

9) In your xxx fic, what’s your favourite scene that you wrote?

Haha this is probably why I’m not supposed to just answer all of these in order. XD I’ll answer for my current WIP: the scene where Geno kisses Sid for the first time. So soft. So angsty. 😈 (My own story has cursed me to love Geno. I am doomed.)

10) In your xxx fic, why did you decide to end it like that? Did you have an alternative ending in mind?

In general: I know how my stories are going to end when they start. Sometimes it does evolve a bit as I write. One thing I’d like to play with is including more of the main characters being together at the end of the story, instead of ending it at the moment when they get together; the latter makes sense from a tension perspective, but I’ve been finding when I read lately that I want more of the happy times at the end, so I’m going to try to move in that direction.

11) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

Only for typos, I think.

12) Who is your favourite character to write for? Why?

Ooooh. Either Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews. There’s something so compelling to me about Patrick’s fanon voice. And every love interest in every original story I try to write is Jonny.

13) Who is your least favourite character to write for? Why?

I...don’t really write about characters I don’t like? I wish Auston Matthews would shave his mustache.

14) How did you come up with the title for the xxx? - You can ask about multiple stories.

About fifty percent of the titles I come up with are desperate scrambles because I’ve got nothing. The other fifty percent I have a perfect song lyric for from the start.

15) If you write OC’s, how do you decide on their names?

I only write OC’s in original fiction, but: I’ve been phonebanking lately, and I’ve been writing down all the good names I come across. The best so far is someone with the last name Quackenboss.

16) How did you come up with the idea for xxx?

MAGIC.

17) Post a line from a WIP that you’re working on.

Oh...oh no. Um.

“It doesn’t matter what he was thinking about. His knot popped; that’s the important thing.”

Some of you can probably guess what that’s about. :)

18) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

Mostly on my computer. I have a lot of beginnings of stories I haven’t finished yet; many of them I’ll probably go back to. I tend not to post things until I’m done or close to done with them. (That one Star Trek fic being an exception. Mea culpa.)

19) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

YES. The 1988 timer one and the 1988 story where Patrick’s a girl who sneaks onto the Blackhawks in disguise. I’d love to do a Bennguin version of both of those.

20) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

Hm. Some of them I think I rushed a little. More Than I Could Ever Promise, I think it needs a good old-fashioned battle scene in the mountains at the end to really round out the plot.

21) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

Have I mentioned astolat? What, only two or three hundred times? I should mention her again, then. Give me that woman’s ability to plot. Inject it into my veins.

22) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

Haha. I often have slightly cringy moments in my old stories. You Made My Life an Adventure, I definitely didn’t really know what I was doing yet...

23) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

I usually listen to music.

24) How do you feel about writing smutty scenes?

Turned on.

25) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

Yes. The sequel to My Heart Forgets to Beat.

26) Which part of your xxx fic was the hardest to write?

The Sid/Geno wolfverse story I’m working on now is maybe the hardest thing I’ve ever written. The language barrier is such a new challenge for me.

27) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

I don’t formally outline, but I tend to have a sense of the major plot beats. One reason I love writing fic is that the plot and world tend to be straightforward enough for that. I have a lot more trouble doing that with original fiction.

28) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fanfiction?

This will radically reduce the amount of time I spend writing original fiction.

29) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

Like You Have a Secret I think is less read than some of the others because it’s het, but I really love it. Similarly, some of my stories that are inspired by other works (Tangled, Doctor Who, The Giver) tend to be read less because people think they need to know the source material, when really I deviate from the source material so much it’s not important.

30) In contrast to 29 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

Huh. Probably not. I’m definitely surprised when some stories take off -- Kinda Narrows It Down I wrote pretty quickly, on a whim, and I was surprised by the extent to which it resonated with people. Turns out lots of people think Tyler was coming out in that tweet. XD

31) Send me a fic recommendation and I’ll post it for my followers to see! (The asker is to send the rec not the answerer)

Ooh. Ignoring the terms of this question, but: I just read this TK/Patty story and loooved it. It’s a different take on werewolves than the one I use in wolfverse, and it’s super compelling:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24029188

32) Are any of your characters based on real people?

Hahahahahaha. (I mean...less so than you might think.)

33) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

I absolutely love it when people write screaming flaily responses to my fic. Also anytime anyone says that they’ve been having a tough time and my story was exactly what they needed. Maybe my favorite was the responses to More Than I Could Ever Promise that told me it read like a novel; that meant a lot to me right then.

34) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

Fandom is amazing; people almost never give me concrit. I did have someone ask once if I randomly chose when to stop writing and just ended my stories there. I was pretty offended, since of course that’s not true at all, but I can see where they were coming from: my stories tend to wrap up after the characters get together, and sometimes there’s a lot of potential story left to tell at that point. But stories have to end sometime.

35) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest?

I tend to share them! I find other people’s enthusiasm to be strongly motivating, and sometimes people have awesome suggestions I wouldn’t have thought of.

36) Can you give us a spoiler for one of your WIP’s?

Well, I only have the one. XD Sid...is about to have an important conversation with Mario.

37) What’s the funniest story you’ve written?

Ooh, I’m not sure I’m the write person to answer! No idea, really. My recent TK/Patty is probably pretty funny. Or maybe Quality Time, where Patrick doesn’t understand why he keeps losing track of time when he’s cuddling with Jonny. Anything with a super dumb protagonist, probably.

38) If you could collab with any other writer on here, who would it be? (Perhaps this question will inspire some collabs!) If you’re shy, don’t tag the blog, just name it.

Wow, I have no idea. I’ve never really written a story with someone, so I’m not sure how that would work. I want to say astolat again but honestly I’d be too intimidated.

...no, I’m gonna say astolat. Even if I made a fool of myself I think I would learn a ton.

39) Do you prefer first, second or third person?

Third. For some original stuff I like first person, but third feels right for the hockey boys.

40) Do people know you write fanfiction?

My close friends do. Most of my friends have the vague idea I write fic, but they don’t know my username or anything.

41) What’s you favourite minor character you’ve written?

Patrick Sharp. No question.

42) Song fic - What made you decide to use the song xxx for xxx.

I will legit listen to a new album with a doc open to write down promising lyrics. Titles are HARD, y’all.

43) Has anyone ever guessed the plot twist of one of your fics before you posted it?

I think people guessed where the Tangled fic was going. Though I also liked the guesses that it would be about Patrick’s mullet. XD I don’t really mind when people guess twists -- in the kind of story I write, it’s more about the experience of reading it than about surprise!

44) What is the last line you wrote?

“His parents have always been very respectful of any choices Sid’s wanted to make. They haven’t pried into his private life when he’s tried to set boundaries. But they’re wolves, and they know him a lot better than Jordy does. Sid isn’t going to be able to keep it a secret from them what he’s going through.”

...no guarantee it survives in that form. :D

45) What spurs you on during the writing process?

Getting the story out of my head and into reality! Spoon out that lake, baby.

I also do love the prospect of posting it for people to enjoy and respond to. It’s one of the reasons I find fic so much more rewarding than original fiction, where the timeline to a readership is so much longer.

46) I really loved your xxx fic. If you were ever to do a sequel, what do you think might happen in it?

Things, probably.

47) Here’s a fic title - insert a made up title. What would this story be about?

This exercise might be going off the rails a bit. (If anyone does want to pose this to me, feel free!)

48) What’s your favourite trope to write?

Ooh. Mutual pining. Friends to lovers. Werewolves. :D

49) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

The first fic I ever, ever read was a random Kirk/Spock one I found through google, and I was like “OMG IS THIS WHAT AROUSAL FEELS LIKE”

50) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

Oh man. Angst, as long as it can have a happy ending. But it just wouldn’t be the same without the smut.

[dreamcatcherfication]

We’re Lost and Delirious and Can’t Be Found - Part 1

I’m genuinely concerned @katherinehxward hacked into my google drive and read my murder mystery au before requesting this, haha. But I still loved the prompt, and I’m happy to write this! I’m dividing this request into two parts because the plot I wrote doesn’t really fit in one long fic.

Hello (almost forgot that part)! This fic was requested by @katherinehxward who had a very specific request you can read here. I’m happy to deliver, and thus this fic was born! I don’t have much more to say other than I hope you enjoy! Sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors, I’m a sleep deprived cracker.

Writing Masterpost

If you want to send a request or a prompt, my inbox is always open! I publish a story at 8:00 AM PST everyday, so I’m always in need of new ideas. If you want to be tagged in my works, just let me know and I’ll be sure to tag you!

Prompts | More Prompts | The Trifecta of Prompts | Original Prompts

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of murder, panic attacks, suffocation

Of all the queens to make bad decisions, Anne was notorious for doing so. Usually it was Kat she dragged into her shenanigans, but this time it was Cathy who she had roped into her adventures. It was innocent enough, so Cathy didn’t question Anne’s sudden interest in checking out their neighbor’s garage sale. There wasn’t even anything interesting, besides the occasional old plate with a strange stain on the side.

Despite Cathy’s disinterest, Anne kept picking up and inspecting new items. For someone who tended to be so reckless, Anne was being extremely delicate with the antiques of the garage. “Cathy! Look at this,” she called, waving Cathy over to one of the corners. Anne was staring directly at an old answering machine, one so old that even the queen herself had trouble figuring out how it would work.

Unimpressed, Cathy raised an eyebrow. “It’s an answering machine.”

Anne still had an excited grin on her face. “Exactly!”

“So…?” Cathy trailed off, unsure of Anne’s intentions.

Picking up the dusty machine, Anne presented it like a prize. “Do you know how cool it would be to have one of these?” She spoke in an old, mocking voice, “Ah yes, and we Tudors love all things old fashioned, here is our most modern technology,” she gestured to the machine and broke out into giggles. “Come on, it’ll be funny!” she pleaded with Cathy.

Rolling her eyes, Cathy couldn’t help but agree. “It’s an incedibly stupid joke -”

“It’s still funny though.”

Cathy relented and pulled out her wallet. “This is the only thing we’re buying. We’re not covering the entire house with antiques.”

Eagerly, Anne nodded. “You got yourself a deal.”

With that, Cathy went to the woman in charge of the sale and started pulling out her money. “How much is it for the answering machine?” she asked, pointing to the device in Anne’s hands.

The elderly woman’s eyes went dark as she stared at the machine. “No one ever wants to buy that. It’s been collecting dust for too many years. If you’ll take it off my hands, you can have it for free.”

“Done!” Anne agreed before Cathy could contemplate the strange actions of the old woman. Already dragging Cathy out of the garage and back to their house, Anne was jumping on the balls of her feet. “We got this thing for free Cathy! That’s one helluva deal.”

A nagging tugged at Cathy’s stomach, making her feel sick, but she ignored it. There was nothing to be worried about, so she didn’t waste her energy trying to figure it out. “Yeah. We should go through it later, see if there are any old messages.”

“Ooh, spooky. Maybe we’ll hear the secret love confessions of the old owner,” Anne theorized.

“Yeah. Maybe.”

It was sometime around midnight when Anne crept into Cathy’s room, the answering machine securely in her hands. She had been waiting all day to go through the messages with Cathy, and it was finally dark enough to set the proper mood. She knocked on Cathy’s door, the only one with light still peeking out beneath it, and presented the machine when Cathy opened the door. “It’s time,” Anne smirked, pushing her way into the room, setting the answering machine down on Cathy’s desk.

Sighing, Cathy closed her door behind Anne and walked over to the answering machine. “You don’t even know if it will work.”

“Of course it’ll work,” Anne gasped. “It may be old, but it’s not broken.” On that cue, the handle of the machine broke off and clattered to the floor. “That doesn’t count,” Anne defended her statement, glancing at the broken piece on the floor.

Cathy ignored the blunder and sat down at her desk, playing with the machine. She had checked the Internet earlier on how to replay some of the old messages, so it didn’t take long for voices to start playing. Anne leaned in next to Cathy as she waited for something interesting to be said. The voice on the line was a husky male voice who slurred his syllables together more often than he had a consistent accent. “Martha, I told you to stop calling me when the kids aren’t at school. They like picking up the phone, and sooner or later I’m going to have to explain to them why you can’t come over anymore.”

Anne and Cathy shared a look before playing the next message. “Goddammit Martha, you’ve got to stop calling. I get that you’re lonely and all that, but don’t bother me anymore.”

“This is the last straw, I’m telling you Martha.”

“Rich.” This time the man’s voice was stronger. He was confident in his words, each sound carefully practiced. “I buried the body. Now you have to come through on your end of the bargain.” And then the machine clicked off, all messages done playing.

Unable to take their eyes off the machine, Anne and Cathy were both stuck in varying degrees of horror. Anne didn’t expect the answering machine to actually have anything interesting to say, but right in front of them, it had just played something about, “A body,” Cathy murmured, her eyes wide and unblinking. “Did we just listen to someone admitting to burying a body?!”

“I think we did,” Anne replied, shock still in her system. And then she burst out, “We have to call the police or something -”

“Woah woah woah,” Cathy cut her off. “First off, we don’t know who died. We don’t even know who sent the message. We don’t know where the body is buried, and we don’t know how old this message is. For all we know, this guy could be dead, or in prison. This machine has to be - what - at least fifty years old? We aren’t going to find anything.”

Standing and throwing her hands up, Anne huffed, “So we aren’t going to do anything?”

“Anne, there’s nothing we can do,” Cathy spoke reluctantly. Her eyes were trained on the ground, burning a hole into her carpet. 

Marching to Cathy’s door, Anne pulled it open and spit, “Well this was a waste of time.” She slammed the door behind her, going back to her own room.

Cathy knew Anne wasn’t actually mad at her, but it still stung to have her friend yelling at her. There was so much Cathy wished she could do. She wanted to find the murderer, figure out who died and where they were buried. But the fact of the matter was all they had was a vague message from an antique answering machine. Who knew if it was even real?

“Hello?” Anne broke the silence around her. Slowly spinning in circles, she glanced up and down trying to find anyone else. “Is anyone there?” she called again. The only thing surrounding her was infinite blackness, the crushing weight of nothing holding her in place. She couldn’t move, could hardly breathe and couldn’t see. Everything was black.

It was stifling, the way the black suffocated her throat after each breath Anne took. She inhaled and only choked more on the inkinesss around her. “Anyone,” Anne begged, when the darkness started to press on her chest. She wasn’t having a panic attack - she knew what those felt like - but it was an eerily similar feeling. The tightness of her chest, the inability to breathe, the fading of the world.

“What’s going on?” Anne kept asking for answers she wouldn’t receive. “Please, let me go!” The blackness only got tighter and tighter. A tear slid down Anne’s cheek as she blinked rapidly, trying desperately to keep it from falling. 

Momentarily broken from the bonds holding her in place, Anne lifted her hand to her face. A sob came from deep in her chest when she couldn’t even see her hand through the darkness. All the light was gone. Anne couldn’t even see her body to prove that she was still there. A deep, existential pit took root in Anne’s mind. If she couldn’t see her body, was she really here? Or was she just another part of the endless blackness. Was this death? Anne couldn’t remember her first death, but if she couldn’t manage this for the short time she had been here, (how long had she been in the dark?) how had she made it through five hundred years?

A frantic shaking started to jerk Anne around, pulling her back and forth. She screamed in pain as she was forcefully ripped from the black and back into reality.

“Anne!” Cathy shook the beheaded queen, trying to get her to wake up. She needed to talk to her, but Anne was stuck in sleep. She kept shaking and calling for her friend before Anne practically flew out of her bed, tackling Cathy to the floor.

When her eyes dilated back to normal, Anne scrambled away from Cathy. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, rubbing her head. “I just…” her voice trailed off, unable to explain what had happened.

“Did you have the same dream I did?” Cathy asked, her voice trembling.

In a split second, Anne’s head snapped towards Cathy. “You had it too?”

“With the…”

“Blackness?” Anne finished for her.

Nodding, Cathy looked down at her hands. “Yeah, that one.”

The two sat in silence for a moment as their breathing evened out. “I think I know why this happened,” Anne piped up, her voice small and fragile.

“Why?”

“We both dismissed that answering machine, and whatever that guy meant by ‘burying the body’. Maybe it’s guilt trying to tell us we can’t let this go.” The more she spoke, the more convinced Anne became of her theory. “We have to try and find that body.”

Cathy was not convinced in the least. “No, Anne, we shouldn’t. It was a weird dream we both shared, but that doesn’t mean we should go looking for a body. Not to mention we have no idea where to look.”

Anne stood up robotically and made her way to her door, wide open from Cathy’s entrance earlier. “The answering machine will lead us there. Trust me.”

Fumbling her words, Cathy groaned and followed Anne. “How is an answering machine supposed to lead you to a dead body? Anne, this is crazy.”

Ignoring Cathy, Anne moved through the halls until she was in Cathy’s room where the answering machine was still perched on her desk. “It might be crazy,” she shrugged, “But you’re the one who keeps me from doing anything too stupid. So are you going to let me do this alone or what?”

Grunting in frustration, Cathy shook her head. “Of course I’m not going to let you do this alone. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Let’s try not to get too deep into an old murder plot, okay?’’

Winking, Anne picked up the machine. “Can’t promise anything.”

It was cold out, the winter frost biting at Cathy’s exposed nose. She had been smart enough to bring coats and scarves, knowing that Anne would forgo those in her need to find a body. “‘Do you have any idea where you’re going?” she asked when Anne made yet another sharp turn across the street. The two of them had also neglected to use a car for fear that the rumbling of the engine would wake one of the other queens.

“Nope,” Anne replied confidently, “but the answering machine does.”

Sighing heavily, Cathy simply gave up. “Okay, fine. I trust the magical answering machine.”

“You have to really trust it for this to work,” Anne urged, grabbing Cathy’s hand. She put it on the answering machine and watched her hopefully. Despite the cold surrounding them, the answering machine was warm, it’s circuitry practically humming with life beneath Cathy’s fingertips. The warmth ran through her fingers and up her body, leaving behind a pleasant tingling sensation.

Shrugging, Cathy whispered, “It does feel kinda nice.”

“If you trust it, then we’ll find what we’re looking for.”

All the skepticism in Cathy’s brain turned off as she nodded. “I trust the machine. It’ll lead us to what we’re looking for.” She and Anne shared a grin and followed the answering machine further from the queens’ house.

The lights around them slowly faded as they came across a wooden gate with the words DO NOT ENTER! carved into the side. Bypassing the warning, Cathy and Anne hopped the fence and made their way onto the grounds. There was a menacing house at the end of a cobblestone walkway, but they didn’t walk towards it. Instead, the answering machine told them to go around the house to the under kept backyard.

When they made it to the backyard, Cathy and Anne froze. The answering machine fell from Anne’s hands onto the ground with a soft thunk as the two girls were brought back to reality. “Is that...?”

“I think it is,” Cathy responded, her breaths coming out as shivers.

Because right there in front of them was a body-sized mound of dirt with two shovels laying on top. 

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

Tag List:

@radcowboyalmondtree@boleynhowards@annabanana2401@babeebobo@dont-lose-your-queerhead@everything-insanity@mindless-pidgeon@i-wanna-dance-and-sing-six@thedemidisaster@its-totes-gods-will

[livlepretre]

for the writing ask! 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 30, 31, 32, 44, 48, 51, 53, 54 (any other advice?) - sorry for all the questions. im just really curious, lol

oh geez haha I will endeavor to answer!

8. Favorite trope to write.

obviously enemies to lovers 😈

9. Least favorite trope to write. can I list fluff as a trope 

12. How do you deal with self-doubts?

I hit publish the same way other people do impulsive things like jump off a bridge (I did that too once. woke up with nightmares about it for weeks). When you’re doubting yourself-- and I doubt myself all! the! time!-- the best thing to do is to steel yourself for like 5 seconds, take the leap, and then wait. Most of the time people are incredibly kind and receptive, and whatever plot point was causing the anxiety will either go unnoticed or will be appreciated by someone out there. I feel like so long as the writing comes from a place of honesty and isn’t about sensationalizing or taking advantage of anyone, then it will work out.

13. How do you deal with writers block? I let myself put the work down and don’t stress about it. I have a rule where I only write if I feel like writing. It’s a hobby for me, so if I decide I would rather watch The Office or go for a walk with my husband, I just do what I want instead. A lot of times that’s because I have writer’s block, but writer’s block can’t be pushed. 

If I am determined to write here are some strategies I employ: 

Chances are I’m stuck because I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, or I’m not certain of what a character would do. So I reread the story up until that point, make notes on anything I laid down earlier that is relevant to the part I’m on, and map out character motivations. Hopefully this helps me create a working outline that will push me forward. 

If I’m stuck because of trouble writing the story in a more profound sense, I put the story down and start something new and low stress. In other words, I intentionally start a project where the bar for publication is super low.  For example, both Love Bites and (The Stars Were Brightly Shining) are pretty much first draft stories. I would write the chapter and hit publish same day (most of the time). This gave me something fun to do that was still exercising the writing muscle but also gave me the opportunity for positive feedback and made writing fun again. 

If I can’t write at all, then I turn to reading. I read things that I really like, and I take notes on what I like about the story both from a narrative structure/plot perspective and in terms of the writer’s style and word choice. In theory we’re supposed to read a lot as writers, and writer’s block is a great chance to do so. 

And, eventually, I’ll be cooking or typing up something for work or in the shower and the missing puzzle piece will fall into place. It’s okay if that takes months. I’ve had 4 hiatuses on FE that have lasted 4-6 months each. So long as you want to finish the story, you will. 

14. What’s the most research you ever put into a book? ehhh probably watching seasons 1-2 of The Originals so I could figure out certain plot elements for FE. I do get sucked into research holes every now and then, but as they’re largely useless I try to scramble out of them as quickly as possible. (I say this with fear in my heart for the research I would have to do to write the 1492 time travel story I have in mind) 

15. Where does your inspiration come from?

Poetry, books I read and love, folklore, songs, my unhappy adolescence 

16. Where do you take your motivation from?

Honestly I get A LOT of motivation from everyone who reads and sends me a message. FE is a much bigger and much more arduous project than I anticipated, and the support has been a HUGE help. Also, for my other projects like SWBS, it’s such an inspiration to keep thinking about it and to get back to it whenever someone mentions it to me. I really do thrive on the community aspect of writing. 

Also, it’s turned out that the older I’ve gotten the more disciplined I’ve grown as a writer. I’m 30 now, and there’s a huge difference between my writing habits the last few years and what passed for them when I was 21 and writing After the Fire, But Before the Flood. 

19. First line of a WIP you’re working on.

Three broken ribs, a punctured lung, a broken collarbone, and a concussion, with bruising along her face, from where it connected with the side pillar, and along her throat and chest from the seatbelt. Two dead parents. A low buzz throughout the town: her name on everyone’s lips. - Nights at the Museum

20. Post a snippet of a WIP you’re working on.

Damon looks at her and cants his head to the side and he tells her, voice flip and unreachable as only his can be, “I see you’ve cheated death again.” He makes it sound like it’s him she’s cheated by not finishing the turn. 

She opens her mouth to respond, but what can she say? Death still sits heavy in her lungs. Smoke burns her eyes and blood clogs her nose. She could choke on the smothering weight of it all. On the weight of his expectation in her. His disappointment. 

“I never wanted to be a vampire,” she tells him, finally.

The look Damon gives her strips her bare. Somehow over the past six months she has let him in, and now that he is here, she cannot hide from him. “You never wanted to make a choice with your eyes open.” 

-Innocence 

21. Post the last sentence you wrote in one of your WIP’s.

well this is pretty spoilery for FE, so, reader beware: 

Rebekah has her pinned by an arm around her waist, her back flush to Rebekah’s front, both of them kneeling on the bed, while Rebekah reaches around and slowly fucks her with her hand. - Fairytale Ending

30. Favorite line you’ve ever written.

Right now I am very fond of this: 

Looking up into his face, into his eyes, gone dark and blue as the river back home when the moon was low in the sky, she finally admits the truth she's been hiding from herself for months. The thing she has been most afraid to ever, ever say, even to herself. Her gravest sin, which in this moment, feels like her redemption. "I love you." Saying it out loud is like the moment she drove the knife into her own side. - Fairytale Ending 

31. Hardest character to write.

Damon -- he has a very particular kind of humor and cynicism which I find really difficult to replicate (although I think I’m getting more confident) 

32. Easiest character to write.

Klaus-- literally there is nothing too extreme, it’s so much fun 

44. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten. This will make like no sense but it’s from a creative writing class I took in high school, and the feedback was actually given to one of my friend, and I’ve remembered it ever since: “You have to use your avocado knives.” The context was basically he mentioned a pair of avocado knives sitting on a table and they never come up again. It’s the chekhov’s gun idea: when you put something down in the story, you have to actually use it. Everything in the narrative should have meaning if it’s mentioned, and work either functionally, metaphorically, or emotionally. 

48. Favorite genre to write in. Horror. 

51. Describe the aesthetic of your story _______ in 5 sentences or words. I’ll assume this is for FE: 

Gothic horror, where the blood is both in the grass and on the heroine’s hands. 

53. What does writing mean to you? It’s just something that I really, really like. 

54. Any writing advice you want to share?

I shared the bulk of it yesterday so here’s the rest: do what you want and have fun. 

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Twenty-Five: Flying Overhead ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina, gun ] [ Verse: We’re Not in Konoha Anymore... ] [ AO3 Link ]

How did it come to this…

Sitting in her chair by the window, Hinata stares through the panes at the cloudy night sky beyond. The moon, risen above them, alights the plumes of vapor to create a fantastic landscape of highlights and shadows. If only she could be there, among the clouds, rather than trapped in here.

She’s still not sure how they found her. Their little village had been remote, far back in the mountains. With her family gone and herself all alone, Hinata had been living on her own in the little house where she was born, doing well enough to survive. Most of the other families had perished or moved on...but she refused to leave.

And then...the men came. One bore strange books with symbols that matched the old markings in her home. Those, apparently, were what he was looking for.

...and Hinata herself.

Unable to resist so many adults, she’d been forced to accompany them, refused any explanation or details about why they had come for her, or where she would be going. They had taken her out of the mountains to a nearby city...and now, she’s aboard an airship, heading to goodness knows where. Lethargic and silent, she doesn’t even turn to look when one of the ringleader’s underlings offers her a plate of the ship’s provided food. In truth it smells amazing, and she’s starving...but she can’t bring herself to eat. The less she acquiesces, the better she’ll feel. She doesn’t want to give these kidnappers anything more than they can force out of her.

So, she keeps staring through the glass, wishing to anyone listening for a route of escape.

...and that’s when she sees it.

From between the hills of cloud cover zip several small flappers, each bearing a person as they streak toward the passenger airship. For a moment they hover alongside the cabins, and Hinata recoils as one peers right into their room.

A begoggled woman grins, blonde hair flying askew before the little planes head up toward the front of the ship.

Tension buildings in Hinata’s gut. Even she knows what this means:

Pirates.

Within a few minutes, the distant sounds of a ruckus begin to filter down from the bow. Gunfire and screaming begin approaching fast as the renegades make their way to the cabins.

At once, the men with her spring into action. All three lackeys and their leader barricade chairs and luggage in the corridor beyond, wielding their own firearms and laying down covering fire.

Retreating and leaving that to his men, the mastermind pulls out a morse code radio. “Hinata...I need you to stay still and quiet. You won’t get hurt if you do exactly as I say.” Hunching over the device, he holds the headset to an ear, the other hand tapping out a message Hinata can’t begin to translate.

Edging back from him, she looks around the room. This might be her one bid for freedom…! Her gaze lands on a glass bottle, empty from the group’s drinking. Taking it up by the neck, she inches toward her captor, hands shaking as she brings it up over his head. Now or never. Teeth gritting, she brings it down with a cry. The glass shatters, and he crumples like a sack of potatoes to the floor. Pawing through his jacket, she finds her necklace he took from her, the stone gleaming as she ties it back around her neck where it belongs.

Her heart thunders in her chest. She...she has to get out of here, but how? The door is blockaded by the other men. That...just leaves the window. Taking a steadying breath, she gives a grunt as she pulls up the pane, the passing air quickly whipping hair, clothes, and debris alike as she eases her way out.

Okay, Hinata...don’t look down…!

Toes finding a rib of the ship, she clings to the sill, eyes pinching shut as she affirms her grip. Then slowly, so slowly, she starts sidling her way to the next window. If she can just make it to another cabin, she can hide, or...make a run for it! Whatever happens, she has to get away from these people…!

Back in the room, the pirates force their way through, immediately turning its contents upside down. Reaching for the unconscious man, the captain’s amber eyes narrow. “...so...it’s you,” she mutters under her breath. “Any sign of it?”

“No ma’am! Or the girl, either!”

“Well she has to be somewhere!”

Noting the open window, one pirate sticks his head out, hollering as he finds Hinata clinging to the edge. Gasping, she leaps for the next opening, almost slipping as her hands hold on for dear life.

“There, she’s got the crystal! Get her! You, head into the next room and -!”

Flinching at the ruckus as her feet and hands shake, Hinata can barely manage a gasp as they give way. Like a stone, she begins to drop through the sky, a screech tearing at her throat as gravity takes over.

Panicking, realizing this is the end...her mind goes blissfully blank as the wind tears at the tresses of her hair and the skirt of her dress.

...but not all is yet lost.

Miles below, blissfully unaware, one Sasuke Uchiha scrambles back from his quick trip into town. Despite the late hour, he’s still doing his best to help his boss keep the surface operations of their mine going. A crew of miners is currently still digging, and Sasuke was tasked with fetching the overseer some dinner as they wait.

Jogging his way back and coming up to the edge of the pit, he can’t help but notice a twinkle far above him. “...huh…?” Slowing to a stop, he watches as something slowly descends from the sky, flying overhead and making to land just atop the mine.

Squinting, he tries to puzzle out what it could be...and as it gets closer, he can see it: it...it’s a person!

Eyes widening, he bolts forward, making his way to a ramp along the edge of the crater. Setting aside the thermos of food, he eases his way to the very edge where the person makes to land, carefully holding hands under their form. It looks like...a girl. About his age, and just...floating. A strange necklace - the source of the twinkling he noticed - slowly dims...and then she falls!

“Ah!” Barely catching her, Sasuke struggles to pull her up, knees shaking as he stands at the lip of the platform. After a long moment, he manages to shift their weight enough to collapse on his backside, the girl still in his arms.

...what on earth…?!

Staring at her with wide, incredulous eyes, Sasuke catches his breath before flinching as his boss yells. Having...no idea how to explain this, he decides to leave her for now. Carefully setting her back from the edge, he shrugs out of his jacket and lays it over her. He should do more, but...well, he can’t get scolded, and he needs to tell someone about her!

Taking up the thermos and making his way down, Sasuke is nonetheless interrupted as pipes start leaking, and the hoist sounds. Going to manage the latter, Sasuke stares up at the girl’s distant form, scrambling for the break as the cart makes it back to the surface.

...the results aren’t encouraging.

Empty handed, the crew all sigh and head for home, leaving Sasuke to finish powering things down for the night. Left without an adult to turn to, he gives the girl a glance before getting to work. Only once he’s finished does he retrieve her, carrying her all the way up the hill to the little house at the top.

Thankfully his brother is already asleep, and Sasuke quietly heads in. As gently as he can, he arranges his new guest into his bed, not wanting her to be uncomfortable. Once she’s tucked in, he can’t help but look a little closer. People don’t just...float! It had to be something to do with that crystal, but...it’s dull now. No more light, no more floating. Funny...for some reason, the little insignia carved into it looks vaguely familiar, but...why…?

Having no energy to ponder it tonight, he instead checks on his brother, ensuring he’s still asleep. Listening, he doesn’t hear any rattling in his breath. Good...he took his medicine, then. Sighing, Sasuke then slinks onto a spare set of cushions, mind full of the mystery as he sinks into sleep...

                                                           .oOo.

     Well, I think this is a first xD I can't think of any direct crossovers I've done in this yet, aka a plot-for-plot cross with another story. I've done universes, but not exact scenes. I'm a little leery of it cuz it's not as...original as shaping my own scene, but admittedly I LOVE crossing Naruto with Studio Ghibli, haha!      So this, for anyone unfamiliar, is about the first ten minutes of Castle in the Sky, but with Hinata and Sasuke! And a few other unnamed characters you might be able to guess, but most I don't have specific ideas for, lol - so minor spoilers if you haven't seen that movie...which you should. It's awesome. Studio Ghibli is always amazing xD      Buuut yeah, that's all for tonight! Thanks for reading n_n

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh Ep 24 S3: Blimp’s Ultimate Form

So, I realized as I sat down to the blog today that I’ve been doing this for like...a year and half now? I think? So I figured...how many of these have I MADE? Cuz I thought...I MUST be getting close to the 100th recap pretty soon, and guys, the answer was shocking.

This is, in fact, the 121st recap (including Season 0). That is a LOT of content. I don’t think I have that many pages for my own webcomic (which basically only tells you how long and physically exhausting the drawing process is more than anything else). Along the way I realized I was a.) really bad at numbering episodes, and b.) reaaaaally bad at spelling Kaiba at the start of this series, really cringey how I used to spell everyone’s name, I can’t really look back there.

Anyway, in case you are curious, the 100th episode was the “Pharaoh turns Karibo into a rainbow for some reason” episode. So, unfortunately it wasn’t that extraordinary. I forgot to write down which episode was 69, which is a colossal failure on my part.

So that being said, this is the last episode of this arc! Honestly, this arc could’ve been a lot shorter because at this point the only resolution left is for Noah to be a decent person once in his life and for Kaiba Sr. to die (which he’s already done, so...mission already accomplished)

Noah recently came on the PA system to inform us that he accidentally decided to kill everyone (congrats, recently reformed Noah), and so he’s going to do the decent thing and let them know where the exit is without actually doing a damn thing to make a portal to get them to said exit.

Guess where the exit is?

I don’t know why the hell this show keeps going back to the local Dave and Busters where Tea got attacked on a dance machine.

At this moment, Gozaburo decided to turn into some sort of giant red ghost devil.

Yes. Exactly what it sounds like.

Apparently this was a thing he could just do this entire arc.

(read more after the cut)

The fact that Seto’s Dad can just morph into a giant red demon is like...not even a problem for anyone on this cast. He literally goes back to his side of the field and goes right back to playing cards. Cuz youknow. Cards.

It’s basically a "Anyone with a millennium item can shoot lasers but never actually does” but demon format. Gozaburo *could* turn into the hulk but like...why?

Meanwhile the rest of the cast are playing cards against the card monsters, that are really just 3D models that Gozaburo had on file. He could have used...literally anything to throw at these people and he went with cards. He could have just dropped a boat on them but...I dunno, maybe he didn’t know where the boat folder was.

Yugi trying really hard to not acknowledge the annoying as hell Joey face and give it any more attention than it already has.

Tea and Serenity scramble to the exit largely unscathed, dragging Tristan with them because he is too small to hold a card hologram and is too monkey to be at all useful back on the front lines.

And they just wake up. Just like that. Just like they woke up from a simple nap or something.

And voila, Tristan is no longer a monkey, his brain is back to normal, the writers were like “we really have to focus on Noah right now, please forgive us if we just pretend line all that brain damage Tristan went through, his brain being 5 DIFFERENT PEOPLE at the same time, having his brainwaves turned into an actual monkey, and then back again within the space of a few hours- just pretend he’s fine now. 

It’s fine. Tristan’s fine.

Tristan wasn’t really...all that bright to begin with so...he’s fine.

And so, as our B team is getting back into the real world, Noah sees this little post-it note on the side of his computer that says “PS, Yugi is a main character and must be present for the finale although he will serve little purpose there” and so Noah pressed that intercom mic button to say:

And it’s at this point that Noah says “I’ll just make you a portal and warp you right there” and then I guess everyone standing around Noah kind of looked at eachother and was like “NOW you do that? NOW? AFTER the chase through the monster copy-paste factory?”

The show is desperately trying to convince me that Noah is now fully a good brother but ehhhhh he’s not. Like, I’ll be honest, they give him the best send off they could have possibly given to such an irredeemably evil character. Like, Seto himself is such a bag of pistachios that you really have to stretch Noah pretty far into evil territory to make Seto look like the good guy in comparison, and it sort of made me not really buy this whole Noah redemption arc.

It’s more like a prequel to a redemption arc that apparently won’t even happen in this series of Yugioh. He comes back at some point, and I only know that because I had to do a google image search of this kid for some reason and it was like ah, yeah, this is definitely a screen cap of a later, glossier looking Yugioh. But, for now, I’d say that Noah’s arc isn’t so much about him coming closer to his family or turning towards the ‘light’, as Pharaoh put it last episode. It’s more about Noah finally letting go of his Father, which should have been the arc of Seto Kaiba.

Instead, Seto did absolutely nothing to let go of his Dad, to the point that Seto is now fighting a computer that just kind of looks like his Dad during a missile strike aimed at Seto’s own face, and Seto did not stop till he won, because of his own damn pride.

Like I think I mentioned this in the last recap, but if they wanted to have Seto show any changes in this arc (which he hasn’t done) then he should have walked away. Instead, he’s very clearly still using his past trauma to fuel the obsessive reasons why he’s playing cards in the present.

Oh, and PS, Yugi’s here, I don’t know why he is, but it does make for some good scenery shots for the commercials so you know, why not.

Gozaburo decides it’s about time to turn into a 50 ft rage monster, and he pushes them to a ledge. Ah, dangerous ledge trope, it’s been a while.

And, finally, as was hinted basically since S1, Yugi gets Seto to jump directly off a ledge of a very tall structure. It finally happened.

Don’t think about it.

And into a portal? That gets them to the exit? Like y’all...this is a kid’s show and all so I shouldn’t question any very convenient plot devices but like...what?

Anyways, they’re fine now, don’t worry about it.

And so, now for a brother pow-wow between Mokuba, who is either still very, very much in Stockholm Syndrome Territory or maybe just doesn’t know that Noah dropped a rocket on his face while Moki was AFK.

And so Noah walks off into the fog cloud because he is the only person on this entire show who would rather die than share a brain (and you know Moki would’ve been down. Moki/Noah as the next Yugi/Pharaoh could’ve been a great thing but youknow, also very much way too complicated for this already complicated show).

It was very melodramatic.

And TBH, I will miss Noah a little bit, he had a fun, insane sort of snobby sass, but I can understand why they might not want to keep even more villains around on this show that is already like...dozens of villains, just so many villains.

Anyway, remember that they woke up in a lab and not in a blimp, so they still have to like...get off this damn boat.

Lol nearly forgot this was an anime. Glad Noah got a magic girl moment before he kicked it.

Also, I’m pretty sure it was shirtless Noah in this glowing yellow farmer’s tan that got this episode flagged for Adult Content when it was still in my drafts folder. Tumblr’s bot got super excited to shut this one way down lol.

And then what follows is like one of the best animated loops in Yugioh. One so good that you bet your ass I clipped it to view for my own leisure.

Mokuba, sensing he’s slowing down for no reason makes the mistake of telling his brother “I’m not going to make it” and so, as an unsuspecting Duke Devlin reaches out and says “grab my hand,” Kaiba does...THIS

when the entire time Kaiba was strong enough and had enough jumps to do THIS

Like he could have easily picked up Mokuba but youknow, any chance to throw a kid at Duke Devlin’s face shoe-first, I guess.

Maybe this is why Moki wears a puffy vest?

And so it was here, as the flames encroach on my wonderful blimp baby that I was getting ready to say goodbye, but guess what, she ain’t dead because...of a completely insane reason we’ll get to in a bit.

Oh, and PS Kaiba’s Dad is a flame monster now. Because of...technology?

It’s probably supposed to be metaphorical flames but youknow, apparently Kaiba had the foresight that someone at some point would become a flame demon and try to devour his entire blimp, and so he made a feature you can add onto what ever blimp you decide to buy from him just so you can outrun fire people attacks.

And it turns out Blimp was the real Magical Girl all along.

Blimp lore is getting pretty wild y’all.

Imagine playing cards on it now...

And then everyone collectively decided that Noah WASN’T DEAD. It was very unhealthy! Thanks 4Kids!

The irony about this exchange is that it is Bakura who is the one who’s uploaded to a flash drive, not Noah--Bakura is on a flash drive around Yugi’s neck but they have never discussed this. Like I’m pretty sure no one even has still picked up that Bakura died and that’s going to be the thing I look forward to the most next episode. If they even address it. Which they might not.

And so, Kaiba looks at the wreckage and the rocket parts that he now has to explain to the UN (and probably not for the first time) and he says:

And thus ends the Kaiba’s Kojima-esque War Crimes arc.

Oh man, next time we get to go back to Marik.

Man oh man.

I don’t even REMEMBER what was going on in that arc guys. It’s been like...man.

I might have to read my own blog to refresh myself haha, I honestly have forgotten a lot of details.

Anyway, in memory of when the blimp still looked like a blimp, I guess this is the last time I can ever post this song:

And here’s a link to read these recaps from the beginning in chrono-order

[a-splash-of-stucky]

By Morning Light | iv

Pairings: Bucky x Steve x Reader (though technically no Steve in this part)

Summary: Steve leaves for a mission and Bucky doesn’t handle it too well. It’s up to you to take care of him

Warnings: Nightmares, minor angst, Sad!Bucky. Unprotected sex (wrap it up, kids!), vaginal sex, nipple appreciation (sounds weird, but it’s nothing too kinky). Mention of suicide bombings in passing.  

Word Count: 4.1k

Notes: IT’S HERE!! After many, many long months, it’s here. I got my act together and made myself write this chapter and actually? It’s not what I thought it was gonna be, but I’m still happy with it. Enjoy!

I recognise that the general plot of this story is a bit like some nights (i stay up) and that parts of the description are similar to Steve “Fight Me” Rogers… but I swear I wasn’t trying to copy my own fics, haha.

Series Masterlist | My Masterlist | Wanna be on the taglist? See here

~ even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise ~

Though you hate it when both Steve and Bucky have to go on a mission, life is a lot more miserable when only one of them has to leave.

When you’re left on your own, you only have yourself to manage. You’ve taught yourself how to cope with their absence — or, well. Perhaps more accurately, you’ve taught yourself how to get through each day. After being in a relationship with them for so long, you’ve developed a routine, and you know what you need to do to distract yourself from the matter at hand. Yes, it’s difficult, but at least you only have yourself to worry about.

If one of the boys is at home with you, your routine has a tendency to go belly-up.

Steve’s not so bad.

Being left with Steve is akin to being left alone with a very big, very mopey puppy. He follows you around everywhere, and needs to be touched constantly — though he’ll never admit it.

There’s a restlessness about him. He reminds you of a caged bird, aching to be freed. He’ll flit from room to room like a ghost that has lost its way.

When it comes to Steve, the best thing to do is to keep him busy. You take him out for walks (further lending support to the fact that he basically turns into a big puppy) and bring him to any and every exhibition that might be on. That’s how you ended up forking out sixty bucks each to visit a science exhibition about fungi, that one time.

Steve has a hard time sleeping when Bucky’s away, which means that you need to drive his body to the point of exhaustion before you can get him to shut his eyes for anything longer than a ten-minute power nap. You need to push his body to a stage where it physically cannot function without sleep. There are a number of ways of doing this, but you’ve found that marathon sex and super-intense workouts tend to be the most effective methods.

So, if anyone on the team is around, you hand Steve off to that person, with clear instructions for them to tire him out. If it’s Thor, he and Steve will engage in a game of lightning-frisbee that affects the weather across the whole of New York. Natasha will spar with him until she’s got bruises and minor cuts decorating her sides, whilst Sam will do laps with him around some park or other. Or rather, Steve does laps around a park, and Sam whizzes beside him on his motorised scooter.

With Bucky, your life gets a little bit more complicated.

Where Steve might be likened to a needy puppy, you would perhaps describe Bucky as a feral street cat.

The thing with Bucky is that he becomes more unpredictable. One minute, he could be crawling into your lap like a kitten who needs cuddles and attention, but the next minute, he could be holding you at knife point. You can never tell what he’s going to do next.

Life without Steve is mentally and emotionally draining, both for you and for Bucky.

He reverts back to the behaviour that he exhibited when he first started to break his HYDRA programming. Though you weren’t there during that period of his life, you’ve pieced together the details based on what Steve has told you and from the information that you’ve gleaned from reading Bucky’s files. The anxiety, the nightmares, the meek subservience; they all come rushing back at full force.

You’re not sure why Bucky does this. You think that maybe, it’s because he feels more secure whenever Steve is around. There’s always someone there to watch his back, so he feels comfortable enough to let his guard down. Without Steve, even the smallest thud can set him off; he’s on a hair-pin trigger, constantly on high-alert.

Besides the semi-hostile demeanour, he also gets fiercely protective of you. He’s always making sure that you stay well away from any sightlines and is constantly watching you from the shadows, protecting you from...who knows what. You indulge him in his requests, though it does get annoying when he insists that you use the bathroom with the door left slightly ajar.

Whereas Steve never wants to be left alone, Bucky never leaves you alone. He always ensures that you are within his field of vision, even if your attention is not necessarily on him. There’s an overstuffed armchair in the corner of your home office that Bucky likes to sit in when he’s exhibiting this abnormal behaviour. He watches over you like a solitary hawk.

Bucky can’t leave the house when he gets like this. For starters, it’s nearly impossible to coax him into coming out with you. More importantly, that fearsome protectiveness renders him a potential threat to the public. He sticks close to your side and bares his teeth at anyone who so much as looks at you funny. If anyone touches you, Bucky will let loose a threatening growl, like a guard dog. After one fateful incident which involved Bucky nearly decapitating a waiter at a restaurant, you’d made the executive decision to not let Bucky go out in public whenever Steve went away for a mission.

He doesn’t eat unless you tell him to. He will not rest until you order him to strip and get into bed. He becomes non-verbal, answering your questions with  — at most — two-word answers. It’s torture for you to see him like this, but you know that there’s nothing that you can do.

You don’t know why, exactly, he acts like this, but you think it has something to do with him feeling helpless.

Steve is perfectly capable of looking after himself — uh, most of the time, relatively speaking — when he’s away on missions, both of you know this. However, your theory is that there is some part of Bucky’s brain which believes that Steve is safest when Bucky is watching his six and therefore, if Bucky is not watching Steve’s six, Steve must be unsafe.

This time around, it’s Steve that’s gone.

Bucky is not handling his absence very well.

He left for Jakarta two days ago, and is due to return within the next three days. You’re not privy to the exact details of the mission, but you know that it has something to do with a string of recent suicide bombings in the area.

It’s been a rough couple of days for you both.

Today, you’d woken up with a metal hand wrapped around your throat, and things had gone downhill from there. The only real accomplishment you’ve had is that you managed to Bucky to eat some chicken and rice for dinner, which is basically the only proper meal he’s had the entire day. After dinner, you’d bundled him into bed and forced him cuddle with you.

You fall into a restless sleep sometime after ten. You’ve wrapped yourself around Bucky so that he can’t leave the bed. His back is pressed to your chest, your arm is slung over his torso and your cheek is resting on the back of his shoulder. He will never admit it, but he much prefers being the little spoon when he’s not having a great day.

Sometime during the night, your fitful sleep is broken by the sound of quiet whimpers.

You crack open one eye and squint at the world blearily, as your sleep-fogged brain struggles to make sense of the situation. It takes a second for reality to come into focus, but you soon register the fact that the body beside yours is trembling, violently enough for the vibrations to be felt across the entire mattress.

“No,” he’s saying, voice shaky and riddled with fear.  “Please—please, no, not her, please not her.”

Concern floods your system. It breaks your heart to seem him like this. You swallow and swipe your tongue over your lips to get that unpleasant, cottony dryness out of your mouth as you push yourself into a sitting position. A harsh scrub of the back of your hand over your eyes gets rid of the lingering cobwebs of sleep that cling to your mind. Feeling more alert, you cautiously scoot closer to Bucky.

Waking Bucky up from a nightmare is always a bit of a risky endeavour — usually, you leave the job to Steve, as his body is more capable of handling whatever Bucky might do to him. On the few occasions that you’ve tried, you’ve usually ended up either on the floor, or pinned to the bed with Bucky looming over you.

You take a deep breath to summon your courage.

“Bucky?” you say tentatively, as you gently shake his shoulder. “Bucky — sweetie, c’mon, it’s just a dream. Wake up.”

“No,” he moans, “No, no — no, please, don’t—”

“Bucky it’s not real, honey, wake up—”

“No!” he shouts hoarsely, like he’s suffering the worst anguish imaginable. “Please, you can’t—not her, please not her—”

“Bucky,” you say, more firmly this time, “Sweetheart, it’s just a nightmare. Wake up!”

He jolts awake with a heaving gasp, sitting upright so suddenly that he unbalances you, sending you toppling over. You yelp in surprise, landing on the mattress with a muffled oof. The sound of his ragged breathing fills the room.

You scramble to your knees and reach out to comfort him, but stop yourself before you actually make contact with his skin — you don’t know how your touch would be received.

He is backlit by the moonlight streaming in through the windows and his hair forms a dark, shaggy mane that falls around his face. His torso is bare and sweat glimmers on the planes of his chest, making him look like some ethereal being.

“Bucky?” you say cautiously, “Can I hold you?”

He nods tersely. “Please,” he says gruffly.

You knee-walk over to him and wrap your arms around his neck in a side-hug. Bucky, clearly not satisfied by that, grasps you by the waist and hoists you into his lap to hold you better. Before you can develop a cramp in your thigh, you arrange your limbs so that your ankles are crossed behind his back, and your arms are looped over his neck. You plaster yourself to his chest and press your foreheads together, giving him as many points of contact as possible.

“S’okay, Buck, I’m here — breathe with me, that’s it.”

With some encouragement, you manage to get Bucky to match your deep, even breaths. Slowly but surely, his raw, harsh pants slow down to something more controlled, less pained. With a final exhale, he slumps into you, tightening his grip around your waist as he presses his forehead to your shoulder.

“I thought I lost you,” he whispers, his warm breath tickling your skin. “I���I thought you were gone, and I couldn’t—I couldn’t get to you fast enough, and—”

You shush him, threading your fingers through his thick hair and pressing your fingertips into the base of his skull.

“I’m here,” you tell him, “I’m here, I’m right here, with you.”

Bucky presses his lips to your skin and all of a sudden, the air around you changes. It is as if the dust motes swirling around you have been charged with electricity.

He trails his lips over your skin, leaving hot, open-mouth kisses in a meandering path. They travel over your shoulder, past your collarbone, up your neck, over your jaw and finally, find their salvation against your lips. He kisses you fiercely, crushing your lips together like he is drowning man and you are the oxygen that will save him. Bucky clings to you like he’s afraid that he might be swept away by the dark, evil currents that swarm his mind, holding onto you like you’re his lifeline.

The situation is perhaps not the most conventional, but your body is nonetheless responding to Bucky’s touch. A rush of heat darts from your brain to your belly, settling into a pool of lust that is growing hotter by the minute. That same heat floods your cheeks and burns behind your chest. Your nipples tighten in anticipation underneath the thin fabric of your sleep shirt.

“I need you,” Bucky whispers brokenly, heatedly. His voice is like the whisper of a breeze, quiet enough that you have to strain your ears to hear it. “Please, please, I need you, I need—”

“Shh, I’m here,” you whisper, “Right here. You do what you need, sweetheart.”

In one smooth, seamless movement, Bucky flips you over so that you’re on your back. He hovers above you, a shadowy figure that dominates your senses. His long hair falls around you like a dark curtain, partitioning you from the rest of the world, cocooning you in this safe haven. Your legs are wrapped around his waist and slowly, your drag your calves up and down the back of his thigh, urging him to do as he pleases.

Bucky peppers hot kisses over your jaw and down your neck, pausing briefly to close his teeth over your pulse point. You gasp, throwing your head back and baring your throat. He rumbles appreciatively, worrying the skin of your neck between his teeth.

“You’re gonna leave a mark,” you say breathily, a hint of a laugh tinging your sentence.

“Good,” he replies, voice rough. “You’re mine.”

You swallow, touched by those two simple words. “Always,” you promise, squeezing his hips with your knees.

He growls possessively, which prompts you to press your hand over your mouth to stifle an irrational giggle. He sounds like a goddamn caveman. Your laughter morphs into a moan as he pulls aside the collar of your shirt and teases his lips over your collarbone, focusing on the spot that makes your curl.

“Bucky,” you groan, biting your lip to hold back a whine.

His fingers are trailing up your sides  — one smooth and cool, the other callused and warm. He’s rucking up your sleep shirt as he goes, leaving the material bunched under your breasts as he slithers down your body. Bucky plants open-mouthed, reverent kisses over your belly, stopping to leave gentle nips wherever he pleases. His stubble scratches your skin, making you shiver in arousal.

“Off,” he says, flicking at the hem of your shirt impatiently.

Hastily, you pull the garment over your head, tossing it to some irrelevant place in the darkness. In an instant, Bucky’s fingers are cupping and squeezing your breasts, savouring the feel and weight of them in his palms. You gasp aloud when his thumbs brush over your stiffened nipples.

“Please,” you whisper, though you’re not quite sure what you’re asking for.

A cry of pleasure leaves your throat as Bucky’s lips close around your left nipple, engulfing it in sudden heat. A spike of want flares in your belly, making you shift your hips restlessly. Your fingers scrabble for purchase in the sheets as he flicks his tongue over your sensitive flesh. Bucky alternates between teasing the hard nub with his tongue and gently scraping over it with his teeth.

He releases your nipple from his lips and shifts to give the same treatment to the other one. The man likes his symmetry, so this doesn’t surprise you in the slightest. Bucky switches back and forth between your breasts, taking care to give each one the same level of attention.

His touches eventually lose some of their frenzied intensity, mellowing down to something more lethargic, languid. Bucky allows his weight to settle more heavily on top of you, and rests his chin on your chest. When he takes your nipple between his lips, an expression of contentment settles over his features; you can practically feel the tension bleeding out of his muscles with every second that ticks past.

You leave him be. He’s behaved this way in the past, and if nursing on your breasts seems to bring him some element of comfort, who are you to deny him this small act? You card your fingers through his hair and gently massage his scalp, relishing the pleased moan that rumbles out of his chest.

Whether he realises it or not, the hard line of Bucky’s cock is pressing into your thigh. He’s grinding against you lazily, his movements so small that you don’t think he’s even aware of what he’s doing.

Carefully, so that you don’t accidentally dislodge his mouth, you reach between your bodies until your fingers come into contact with the waistband of his sweats. It’s a bit of a stretch, but you manage to push them down, halfway over his ass, low enough for your fingers to graze the top of his leaking dick.

Bucky jerks in surprise when you palm the head, releasing a shaky moan that is muffled against your skin. His breath skitters over your collarbone.

“Look at you, honey, being so good for me,” you croon softly, tucking a strand of hair over his ear. “You’re hard, Buck — you wanna take care of that? You wanna get inside me?”

He moans in affirmation. You smile benevolently as you continue to stroke his hair.

“C’mon then, get these off,” you say, snapping the elastic.

With great reluctance, he pulls his mouth off your breast to do as he’s been instructed. You take the opportunity to shimmy your shorts and panties down your legs. They too are discarded to some distant corner of the room.

Bucky crawls back on top of you, taking his weight on his forearms, which are planted on either side of your head. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and hook your legs over his waist, pulling him close. He bumps his nose against your chin, tipping your face upwards, so that he can capture your lips in an impassioned kiss.

You moan into his mouth when the head of his cock drags over your folds, sending tingles of arousal dancing through your system. Without breaking the kiss, you wiggle your hand between your bodies and grasp his cock, guiding it to your waiting entrance.

“Sweetheart,” Bucky breathes, his lips brushing against yours.

“Inside, Barnes, c’mon,” you reply.

He slides his hips forward, sinking his cock into your warmth and wetness. You gasp as he penetrates you, arching your back reflexively. Bucky groans, dropping his head and resting his temple against your shoulder. Each of his breaths sends a gust of warm air blowing over your neck. He is still, giving you time to adjust.

When you feel like you’re ready, you urge him on with a word of encouragement and a nudge of your foot. Gradually, he works his entire length into your body, spearing you open in that most wondrous way. His cock is just perfect, filling that emptiness inside you right to the brim. There’s just enough of him for you to feel that pleasurable stretch, but not too much that you’re uncomfortable.

“You feel so good,” you whisper, as you trail your fingers up and down his spine.

Bucky hums, turning his head to mouth wetly at your collarbone. “You too,” he murmurs.

He captures your lips with his own as his hips begin to move in earnest. His movements are slow and unhurried, as neither of you are in a rush to find completion. He rests his weight on top of you, blanketing you with his body, a physical shield against the outside world. This feels right; chest to chest, hip to hip, not even a breath of air between you.

Bucky rocks into you slowly, using miniscule movements of his hips, barely pulling out before he’s sliding back into your core. Your lips find his in the darkness and he latches on, greedily swallowing your sounds of pleasure like they are his ambrosia.

You hook your legs over his waist and cross your ankles at the small of his back, pulling him closer. Though you dig your heels into the top of his ass to spur him on, he continues at the leisurely pace that he’s set.

No words are spoken into the quiet of the night, yet every movement speaks volumes in its own right. Every surge of his hips, every brush of his lips, every caress of his fingers — each touch professes his love for you. Bucky tells you how much he needs you without a single word passing his lips, and you do the same.

You close your eyes and allow yourself to get lost in the moment. You focus on the roughness of his stubble against your neck, the warmth of his breath over your cheek, the drag of his chest over your nipples, the sparks of pleasure burning between your legs. His cock is brushing against all the sweet spots inside of you, the ones that make your head spin and your thighs tremble. The numerous, complex layers of pleasure sweep you away in their current; you feel like you’re weightless, floating on a cloud.

At some point, animal instincts start to take over. Love-making turns to passionate fucking, and Bucky’s rhythm quickens, his hips snapping forward more vigorously. He widens his knees and anchors them into the bed, giving himself more leverage to thrust. You cry out exultantly as your pleasure soars to new heights, fisting your hands in the sheets above your head.

Bucky slides his palms up your arms, until his hands find yours in the rumpled sheets. He laces your fingers together, pressing your hands into the mattress as he fucks into you.

“You’re so good,” he whispers, “So—god, so good, I love you.”

“I love you too,” you gasp, “Fuck, Bucky — Bucky.”

“Yeah, that’s it, sweetheart,” he grits out, as his hips drive forward again and again. Your mouth opens on a silent scream as he nails that spot relentlessly, the one that has you screwing your eyes shut so tightly, you’re seeing stars dancing behind your lips.

He’s saying your name under his breath like a prayer, oftentimes praising you and cursing you in the same breath.

“I love you,” he pants, “I love you — please, stay, don’t go—”

“M’not going anywhere,” you promise breathlessly, “I’m right here, Bucky. I love you so much.”

Your orgasm, when it comes, takes you by surprise. It washes over you like a crashing wave, unrelenting in its intensity. It is powerful enough to have you crying out in ecstasy. You dig your nails into the backs of Bucky’s hands as your back arches of its own accord. Your pulse is roaring in your ears and your lungs have seized up; you’re unable to catch your breath. Your climax seems to last forever.

When you come back to your senses, you realise that Bucky is still hard inside of you, still thrusting his cock into your warmth, though his movements are beginning to falter.

“So beautiful,” he praises, as he mouths at your throat. “So goddamn beautiful.”

You’re loose-limbed and pliant, satiated by your release. A pleasant buzz has settled into your bones, and there is a contented smile on your lips. Your limbs are heavy and uncoordinated, but you manage to hook your arms around Bucky’s shoulders and dig your heels into his back more insistently.

“C’mon, Buck,” you breathe, “Come inside me.”

“Fuck,” he swears.

“Mm, you like that? You wanna fill me up? Make me yours?”

“Sweetheart,” Bucky moans, cock driving into you with renewed urgency. “Baby — baby, oh, m’close, I—I’m gonna—”

“Come for me,” you whisper.

There are many beautiful things in this world and among them is the sight of Bucky Barnes when he comes. He is quite the vision.

All the muscles in his body stiffen, save for those kiss-bitten lips, which go slack with pleasure. He thrusts into you one final time, burying his cock as deep inside you as physically possible. You shiver as his warmth spills into your channel, his cock spurting out hot, sticky ribbons of come. He is quiet, save for a single, bitten-back moan.

You roam your hands over his sweaty back, petting him gently as he rides out his climax. When it is over, he is careful to collapse half on you, and half on the bed, so that you’re not crushed under his weight. His softened, spent cock slips out of your pussy, and you whine in disapproval. You hate that feeling.

Blindly, Bucky fumbles around for his discarded sweats, and uses them to clumsily wipe his cock as well as the mess between your legs. He balls the soiled garment in his hand and tosses it onto the floor, to be dealt with in the morning.

The darkness has just started to give way to shades of pink and orange when Bucky rolls over onto his back and pulls you closer. A new dawn brings with it a fresh start and new challenges, but for now, you pillow your cheek on Bucky’s chest and let your heavy eyelids slide shut as sleep pulls you under.

[forever-more-never-again]

Possession (A Valkyrie Request)

Requested: @littlestfangirl

Word count: 1677

Pairing: Carina X Reader, Valkyrie X Reader

Warnings: Swearing

Request:Can you do a Valkyrie x Fem! Reader where Valkyrie saves the reader from being apart of the Collector's collection since they are the last of their race?

a/n: This was super fun to write! I Loved the idea and it just seemed to flow naturally. See if you can spot the movie The Incredibles reference! :) haha

Masterlist

“Let me go!” You struggled against the arms of the Kree man who held your locked wrists.

“Shut up!” He spat, wrenching your arms up higher, causing pain to spread down to your shoulders.

You gritted your teeth, trying to show no pain. You had been hiding on Nowhere when the Kree had seen you use your abilities to save an orphan kid from a beating.

You had known it was stupid, but your race was known for its kind hearted nature and family values. Which was ironic considering you didn’t have a family anymore.

Your planet had been destroyed by Thanos and you were the only one, that you knew of, that had managed to escape and live. You were the last member of your race.

Which made you incredibly rare. And that's why you knew exactly where the Kree man was taking you. There was only one man on Nowhere who collected valuable artifacts, living and not. Taneleer Tivan...The Collector.

“Why...what do we have here?” The calm cold voice sent a shiver down your spine. But you held your head high and glared at the white haired man.

“I’m not a possession! Let me go!”

The man laughed, waving for the Kree to let go of your arms.

“The last known member of your species. Tell me, what is your name?” He spoke the question as he walked in a circle around you, eyes perusing your tightly coiled body.

“I am [Y/n], Warrior of my people and I demand you let me go!”

The chuckle that came out of his mouth was light as if he found you funny. You spat at his feet, chest heaving and hair falling into your line of sight as you raged against your restraints.

“Payment?” The Kree man held out his hand to the Collector.

“Ah yes, and how would you like to be paid?”

“Units.”

Your fingers worked fruitlessly on the binds on your wrists as you watched the exchange and before you knew it, it was just you and the Collector standing across from each other in his creepy museum.

“Let’s get you situated.” He snapped his fingers and a beautiful Krylorian girl appeared, hands folded meekly in front of her.

She walked up to you, her eyes sad as she watched you struggle.

“Carina!” The Collector barked, you stilled as you saw the way she flinched. Hmm.

You let her guide you past tables laden with inanimate objects, past cages with animals from around the galaxy, past tubes holding species of people in suspended animation, and one that held a Krylorian that had electrodes attached to her, sending electricity through her body.

You winced as you walked past her.

Then you were stopped in front of a metal barred cage.

“In you go. You are to be the star of my grand gala in a weeks time.” Carina led you in, unlocking your wrists.

In a spin to fast to get away from, you had Carina’s neck in a headlock.

The Collector merely looked amused. His finger coming to rest on his chin.

“Let me go or I’ll kill her!” You screeched, flexing the muscles in your arm to prove your point.

The poor girl was frightened, you could feel her heart speeding in fear and her breaths coming in tight gasps. You felt sorry for using her this way, but you were not about to become a prize for a twisted freak.

“Go ahead. I can have another girl here in a minute to take her place.” He waved at you to proceed.

You tightened your arm, taking a step forward, staring him down, “I’m not kidding, it will be so easy to snap her neck.”

He smiled, his brows lowering, a cold, calculating look entering his gray eyes, “Show me.”

You took a deep breath, and then...released her.

The girl, Carina, as the man called her, scrambled out of the cage. The Collector shutting the door and locking it the moment she was out.

You fell to your knees, head bowed to the ground.

“Tsk. For the last warrior of your people, you show weakness [Y/n].”

And then you were alone with the rest of the Collector’s things.

A week passed of you trying to break out of the cage. But you soon realized it was fruitless. It was made out of the bones of the dead Titan and Vibranium.

The girl, Carina, had slowly opened up to you and you had learned that she had been an Orphan on Nowhere and the Collector had taken her in as a daughter, but treated her cruelly.

She was too scared to act against him though, so you were stuck.

Now you were under a sheet that had been thrown over you cage as it was moved somewhere. You listened and heard the murmuring of a lot of voices, and you could see feet walking around your cage from the little bit that the sheet did not cover at the bottom.

“Alright! Let’s get this started! I want to thank you all for attending! And Now I wish to show you my most prized possession! Thought to be extinct after the destruction of their home planet by the Mad Titan! I present to you, the last of their kind, Warrior [Y/n]!”

You squinted from your position sitting cross legged on the floor of your cage as the sheet was thrown off.

“Oh my gosh!”

“I thought they were all gone.”

“Truly marvelous.”

Your tired soul and body was met by the sight of hundreds of Aliens as they gazed at you in wonder.

You didn’t have the energy to glare or yell at them to get a life.

The Collector stood to the side and smacked the metal bars, causing them to ring out. You flinched.

“Truly the best of my Collection. Priceless.”

“I’ll give you a hundred thousand units for them right now.”

You raised your head in confusion and looked out over the sea of people for the voice that rose above them.

A pathway opened up and the most beautiful, strong woman you had ever seen marched towards the collector.

Her thick, raven hair flowed down her shoulders, her arms bare, gray armor covering her chest and legs clad in leather.

Her face was accentuated with white paint, dark eyes glinting dangerously as she looked at you.

“A Valkyrie. The Last of their kind as well. Truly Magnificent.” The Collector's voice dropped as he looked between you and the woman.

You stood up, running towards the bars, you beseeched the woman, “Run! He won’t let you go!”

The woman smirked, the sight causing your heart to stumble. But you didn’t want to see her captured like you. Brought to her knees. Weak. Like you had been.

“I’ll give two hundred thousand units to anyone who can capture the Valkyrie and get her in a cage.” The Collector looked out over the crowd.

The Valkyrie winked at you as she whipped out her sword and whirled towards the surge of greedy aliens all trying to capture her.

You tracked her movements as she sliced and jumped and slid between the legs of the thugs.

The steel of her sword glinting in the light as she cut through them.

In the chaos, you didn’t register the movement beside your cage until you felt a hand on one of yours that were gripping the bars.

You jumped and turned to see the purple face of Carina looking at you. She peered over to where the Collector was calmly watching the fight, before looking back at you.

“Quickly. Go.” She opened your cage.

You cautiously stepped out.

“Go. Now.” Carina shoved you towards the entrance.

“Come with me.” You gripped her hands, tugging her along.

Carina shook her head sadly, “I cannot. Go.”

She pushed you away from her and ran back into the Collector's building.

Turning sharply on you heel, you ran towards the opening. Swiping a dagger from a knocked out Skrull.

Sliding with your feet out, you got past the guards of the entrance and ran towards the docked ships of visitors of Nowhere.

A big spaceship caught your eye. Painted red and gold, it stood out among the others. Grinning, you climbed aboard and over road the commands.

“You know, its poor form to steal from the person saving you.”

You jumped and held your dagger out towards the intruder.

You stayed on alert as you registered that it was the Valkyrie woman, she leaned against the door frame of the engine room, smirking at you.

“Oh yeah. Saving me. That’s why you offered to ‘buy me’ like some sort of pet!” You spat.

The woman sighed, rolling her eyes as she walked past you, you kept your dagger pointed at her, moving so that she stayed in sight, and she grabbed a jug of liquid and chugged it.

“I was trying to get you out without a scuffle, but that didn’t happen. How’d you get out of the cage?”

“The servant girl let me out.”

The Valkyrie smiled as she looked off in thought, “Huh. Carina grew some balls since the last time I was here.”

You sighed and put the dagger in your waistband, “Alright. Are you gonna turn me back in or can we get off this awful planet?”

The laugh that came from the woman was pleasant as it was surprising. “Of course. Of course. I’m headed to Sakaar, you’re welcome to come along…[Y/n], was it?”

You felt a twitch of a smile on your lips as you replied, “Yeah. Warrior. Last of my kind.”

The Valkyrie held out her arm, you looked at it for a moment before breaking into a grin and locking arms in the form of comrades in battle.

“I am Brunhilde. Last of my kind. Looks like we have a few things in common.”

You startled yourself as you laughed, eyes twinkling as you met the beautiful face in front of you with a smile, “Looks like.”

FOREVER Taglist:

@sxph-t @littlestfangirl @rainydaysrnevergrey  @platonic-plots @sociallyawkwardcircus-freak-hi @ayyidkeither @mcuimxgine @mythixmagic @chas-z @iflew-onabus @thefridgeismybestie @strangersstranger

[cheelchan]

the beauty within the beast 1: “Kim Namjoon”

→ summary: “every single day since he turned 18, he wakes up in a universe where his body changes into someone. But ever since he met you, it occurred less frequently. And he just hopes he’d stop changing if he stays together with you more and more each day.”   → au: “the beauty within” and “the beauty and the beast” → rating: T → pairing: ot7 | reader  → series: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | → word count: 1.6k

As soon as he wakes up, he instantly fumbles and checks the color of the strands of his hair. They’re brown today, he surmised, before he proceeds to stretch his limbs, a low grumble surfacing from his throat. He’s obviously male, and oh, he’s also tall.

He starts to walk to his walk-in cabinet to look for clothes to change into. There in the room were different sizes and kinds of clothes, suitable for all ages and genders. He checks his reflection on the mirror and is able to figure out which clothes would suit him for today: Japanese Street style fashion.

He takes a shower and, afterwards, changes into his clothes. However, he pauses as he sees the rose tattoo on his chest. It had appeared when he turned eighteen, but he paid no attention to it as he knew that it was one of the effects brought about by his condition.

His phone rings all of a sudden, interrupting his preparations, but he’s fine with it. He’s already used to getting phone calls first thing in the morning from his best friend, Jackson Wang.

“I’m assuming you’re awake now?” Jackson asked, while he replied with a slow hum. “Good! Actually, people have been waiting for me to ask you if you’ve finished the song for the commercial.”

“I’ve sent it to you already last night. Didn’t you check your email?”

“Huh?” He could hear Jackson scrambling on the other line to check. “Ah yes! It’s here! Thank you, thank you. I’ll place this under your default name ‘BTS’,” Jackson added.

“Yup, yup, you do that. You should know what to do already by now, right?” He murmured, setting the coffeemaker in his kitchen.

“So, what name are you going by today? Is it going to be something dramatic or, perhaps, foreign?” Jackson asked.

“Nah,” he replied before staring at his reflection on the stainless coffeemaker. “I feel like a ‘Kim Namjoon’ today, to be honest,” Namjoon responded.

“‘Kim Namjoon’, hmmm. Not bad! I’ll call you ‘Namjoon’ for the rest of the day then,” Jackson agreed in approval of the name that his friend chose. It was an everyday occurrence, but Jackson always gave his honest feedback on the names his friend would choose for himself. It was necessary for someone whose identity changed every single day.

The phone call ended a little later as Jackson had to excuse himself for another phone call from their customers. The two of them started a small business with him, under the alias ‘BTS’, writing and producing songs, while Jackson was in-charge of selling the song to different companies. It was the ideal situation for the both of them since he couldn’t exactly expose himself to the world, much to his chagrin. But it was a fact that he already accepted, especially because of his condition.

His condition? One might ask.

It was a condition where one’s appearance involuntarily changed everyday without notice. Even if one chose to stay up all night, he would still change. And so, in order to avoid confusion, he would also change his name and identity, especially when his appearance was always fleeting. It started when he turned eighteen, and ever since then, he always had to adapt to how he looked. That was why his walk-in cabinet was one that was filled with different clothes, accessories, and shoes of all sizes and genders, since he could never predict how he was going to look the next day.

The only thing he was assured of was that he would change without fail every single day.

He walks to the coffee shop nearby his neighborhood, the barista walking up to him, unable to recognize that Namjoon was actually a regular already. But, of course, his face had always changed, so why else would the barista recognize him?

“A cup of flat white with vanilla syrup,” he says as the barista named ‘Suran’ nods, a smile on her face, before she proceeds to ask the other barista to make the beverage for her. She paused midway, however, as she sighed.

“Ah wait, I forgot that you’re new to this job. Let me handle the coffee. You handle the cash register for now.” Suran moved to the side as she pushed you to the cash register to take Namjoon’s order.

“Hi! I’m sorry, but I’m still new to this job, so we had to switch midway, but can I please ask for your order again?” You asked him, an apologetic smile making its way to your face. You were obviously new to the job, especially since he didn’t see you the last time he visited, which was last week. He hardly went out for the past few days, trying to finish the song that was commissioned from him.

But, the smile on your face was sweet and refreshing for him. He doesn’t remember the last time someone had directed such smile to his direction since he always avoided people, preferring to think of them as fleeting, especially since he could never have anything that involved permanence. His identity was always temporary and so, long-term relationships were always impractical for him.

Yet, it was the first time he thought of someone in another way for the first time since he started changing his identity.

“Your order, sir?” You asked him again, bringing him back to reality as he blinked his eyes for a moment, realizing that he was spacing out a while ago. He repeated his order to you as you nodded and asked for his name.

He smiled to himself, wondering if it was going to be a name that was going to last inside your head or something that you were going to toss already before the day ends.

“Kim Namjoon.”

He wishes the latter, but he already accepted his fate, anyway.

And so, he stops himself before he would start expecting, especially when he had no plans of involving you in his mess.

You were better off without him.

Anyone was better off without him.

That night, he anticipates that he was going to change again the next day; probably into someone younger or of the opposite gender or of a different nationality. He assumes that he was probably going to look a bit different than he actually did as ‘Kim Namjoon’.

But, he didn’t.

He wakes up to the sound of his ringtone as he immediately reaches out for his phone, but he doesn’t even have to open his eyes to realize that it was Jackson who was calling him. 

It was always him without fail.

“I’ve got another commissioned work for you. It’s for a TV commercial for a famous sports drink. I’m assuming that you know this brand? It’s-”

“Jackson, you do know that I’m not going to remember this because you woke me up, right? Can’t you just text or email me the details because I’m pretty sure I’ll forget about this once I go back to sleep,” he interrupts his friend, but his friend simply pauses, realizing something.

But, it’s not about the job that they were handling.

“You know, I’m pretty sure you’re the more musically-inclined one between the two of us, but are my ears playing with me or do you sound the same as you did yesterday?” Jackson asks as Namjoon immediately bolts his eyes open, the sensation of sleepiness down the drain already.

He runs to his restroom and realizes that he still stayed the same.

He was still Kim Namjoon.

“I-I don’t understand,” Namjoon murmured, trying to take in the situation. Why was he still Kim Namjoon? This was the first time he didn’t transform into someone else for the first time in years.

“Namjoon? Are you okay?” He could hear Jackson’s voice over the phone.

“Yup, I’m good, I’m just honestly astounded,” he replied while still touching his face in surprise.

“Well, that’s not exactly your original face, but I’m happy for you. Do you hear me?” Jackson asked as Namjoon smiled the very first honest and carefree smile he could give in all ages.

“I could not ask for more,” he grinned.

The rest of the day was spent in his house, however, as he tried to finish his commissioned work so he could go out the following day and travel. He was probably going to ride the ferry to another island since that was the most plausible for him to do since he couldn’t get a passport immediately. He also needed to get the hang of being able to go around without having to be wary of people being suspicious of him, especially since he always looked different the following day.

But now that he had stopped transforming into someone else, he finally had the freedom to go around.

He decides to take a shower before he retired to bed, but he noticed another difference on his body as he showered. 

It was the rose tattoo.

The once numerous petals on the rose tattoo had been reduced to seven petals.

What was that supposed to connote?

Nonetheless, he didn’t bother too much, feeling a bit tired from having to come up with a light, but active jingle for the sports drink commercial. It was still pretty exhausting, even if he was just home the whole day.

He goes to bed without a second thought as he smiles to himself, excited for what was bound to happen the following day. That night, he dreams about what his travel itinerary entailed, but oddly enough, someone else had accompanied him — you.

He wakes up right before his alarm clock sets off as he excitingly makes his way to the restroom. He’s obviously still male and tall, but for some reason, he feels a bit different. He pays no heed to it until he sees his reflection on the mirror.

He had changed.

a/n: hi! I started another series haha but it’s gonna be pretty short, since I have the whole story plotted already. I know I have other fics lined up, and I will really try to finish them, but this fic just popped into my head recently and I couldn’t sleep without having to write the first chapter entirely. More fics will be coming and updated, so please stay tuned. xo, cheel

[merryfortune]

fic titles meme

tagged by @seasaltmemories​ - ty mandy

Talk about your 20 most recent fics oh boy, aren’t I just an overachiever? my backlog goes back to the 1st of March 2020. and god this isn’t even including the anon works I’ve done for the fe3h kinkmeme.... 

lowkey offended that i can’t technically talk about the ferret fic since its publication date is [checks notes] 10 to 12 days away still, depending

20. Cheri Piers [Sonia/Piers, Pokemon Sword & Shield]

19. Nice Things [Ryoken/Spectre, Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains]

18. A Fear Unfounded [Forte/Margaret, Rune Factory 4]

17. Pretty Short! Star Twinkle Collection [Multi, Star Twinkle PreCure]

16. Justice Bitch [Michiru/Shirou, BNA]

15. Stupid Boys Like Stupid Girls [Daruizen/Nodoka, Healin’ Good PreCure]

14. A gift from the heart. [Earth & Spectre, Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains]

13. Pushing Roses  [Daruizen/Nodoka, Healin’ Good PreCure]

12. Cake for Breakfast [Ryoken/Spectre/Yusaku, Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains]

11. A Long Week Ahead  [Michiru/Shirou, BNA]

10. Mama and Papa’s Lullaby  [Annette/Felix, Fire Emblem Three Houses]

9. strontium mixed copper [Gakuto/Yuga/Romin, Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens]

8. The silver spoils of dawn [Sothe/Micaiah, Fire Emblem Heroes]

7. Birds of a Feather [Ahirue/Rue, Princess Tutu]

6. Flower Power [Huntara/Perfuma, She-Ra and the Princess of Power]

5. Eureka [Multi, Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains]

4. Pet Names [Eirika/Valter, Fire Emblem Sacred Stones]

3. When the fields were razed  [Eirika/Valter, Fire Emblem Sacred Stones]

2. Scorched Sand  [Eirika/Valter, Fire Emblem Sacred Stones]

1. AtsuKyou Week Ficlets [Atsushi/Kyouka, Bungou Stray Dogs]

Questions

1. How many are you happy with?

the vast majority, actually. Like, this was a fantastic trip down memory lane, I’d forgotten how many of these I had written and I’m quite fond of the majority. both titles and writing quality.

2. How many are…not great?

the minority, I think. Looking at them, I think the only ones i’m not happy with are A Long Week Ahead and A Fear Unfounded but in terms of writing quality. the former suffers more because I’m not satisfied with that title but idk what else I’d call it except “A Porn Parody for People Who Hate The Father/Daughter Dynamic People Have Weirdly Thrust On These Two Characters”

3. How many did you scramble for at the last minute?

I think it’s like. An even split. Some of these were named within the hour of posting. 

4. How many did you know before you started writing/creating, or near the beginning?

just under half of them maybe. like 9 or 10 maybe.

5. How many are quotes from songs or poems?

Cheri Piers is a shoutout to Warrant’s Cherry Pie and I do recommend it for listening when reading that fic, as well as songs by The Cramps since I hc Piers as having a voice like Lux, the main singer of The Cramps. but yeah, all the others came from my head/aren’t a shoutout to a song or poem or anything.

6. How many are other quotes?

Justice Bitch is a reference to something a flamingo said to Michiru in BNA, if that counts. Eureka, again, similarly, it’s a bingo meme for a card game show about hackers so I thought it was fitting. Flower Power, I guess, should count since its name is lifted from the hippie dippy slogan from the 60′s. I might even put Pushing Roses and Scorched Sand in this category as well since the former is a reference to the tv show (I haven’t seen) Pushing Daisies and the latter is just straight up the same title of the video game level its based on.

7. Which best reflects the plot of the story/content of the fanwork?

AtsuKyou Week Ficlets is exactly what it says on the tin lol. Same for Pet Names and Pretty Short! Star Twinkle Collection and even Mama and Papa’s Lullaby. Debatably Cheri Piers as well. A lot of very literal titles in this grab bag, but there’s also a lot of non-indicative, poetic titles as well.

poor Stupid Boys Like Stupid Girls because it kind of has the inverse. its a title which does reflect the plot/content of the fic but not exactly since the fic itself devotes more to the themes of poison vs antidote rather than the supposed stupidity of either Daruizen or Nodoka but I came up the title first on that one so its kinda relic which stuck

8. Which best reflects the theme of the story?

When the fields were razed - its poetic, even has what I consider a romantic lilt to it but it also invokes violence and that’s exactly what a retelling of The Rape of Persephone should invoke, at least in my books. It also alludes to Eirika’s role as the Goddess of Eternal Springtime, I think.

9. Which best reflects the character voice of the story/pov of the fanwork?

mmmmmnot satisfied with this answer but probably Mama and Papa’s Lullaby since I can’t imagine Annette being called “mum/mom” or “mother”. I can maybe see Felix being called “dad” but hm, not really so I think it does well to position them as parents to their little one.

10. Which is your favourite title?

I would like to officially given The silver spoils of dawn this award since it almost got mentioned above (at number 8) but I gave it to my Eirika/Valter fic instead. I just feel like this title flows off the tongue, very sonically satisfying and its a little bit non-indicative since I never use that line in the fic but it refers to both Sothe and Micaiah and how Sothe deserves to be pampered haha

but if you use title in a different sense, I might give Nice Things the shoutout. Poor title but its just from my pseudo/quasi series “asmr: nice things happen to spectre” where i just. do that. write about nice things happening to spectre with a lil bit whump and hurt/comfort on the side and i get to write spectre as a lil gross and rather self indulgent so its just got a very special place in my heart for a combination of all these reasons regarding content, itself, rather than just the title

[abadpoetwithdreams]

Nirvana in Fire Episode 3 Reaction

I’m back with more long-winded babbling about this incredibly complicated show! I mean that as a good thing–this plot has so many plates spinning at once, and so many layers of character interaction, and it’s all done really well and we haven’t even really started yet! This is still just setting the stage! By the end of this episode, however, it feels like things are actually getting ready to kick off more. The basic foundation that we need of who all these people are and what their agendas are is firmly established and now we are ready to see where the story goes. Or not ready? Ready in the mind but not in the heart.

Note: this reaction is really just a glorified recap. I tried shortening it because, uh, LONG, but this episode is SO FULL OF IMPORTANT EXPOSITION that I couldn’t really comment on my reaction to any one thing without having to contextualize it with other things, and any of the few seemingly non-important things were all really fun character bits so I want to talk about them and. Um. I guess I’ll alternate how I format my reaction posts between more streamlined bulletpoint reactions and long-winded recapping depending on episode content.

Also! This was the last episode I watched where I took any kind of notes until episode like 12 (I’m on ep 17 now guys help but I’m holding off watching more so I can write these. Barely). When I write up eps 4-11 I’ll keep my later knowledge from coloring what I remember my initial responses to be as much as possible.

(And a HUGE thank you to everyone who has welcomed me to this fandom and to those of you who have sent me feedback on my recaps and helpful commentary! I LOVE THIS SHOW. I will reply to your comments in a separate post because I want to foster this dialogue, because I LOVE THIS SHOW and want to talk about it! So thanks, guys, don’t hesitate to send me messages or whatever, every one of them makes my day!)

We resume the story in this episode exactly where we left off in the last one (as seems to be the norm with this show): with Ni Huang and Lin Shu–I mean, Mei Chang Su–I mean, let’s be real he’s always Lin Shu whenever Ni Huang is around–ok let’s start over. We resume the story with a slave child getting beaten by a eunuch. When the eunuch realizes the boy has a book on him, his rage only increases, but I’m immediately interested because this slave can read?? Hm.

The eunuch taunts the boy, telling him the fact that Prince Jing favors him does not protect him because no one likes Jing, lol. But Chang Su instantly looks even more interested in the scene, and speaking of Jing, he comes running up, and insists the eunuch stop hitting the kid. The eunuch responds by listing the boy’s punishable offenses (among them “talking back” and like lol did you forget which Prince you’re talking to??? I’m pretty sure all you did was make Jing high5 this kid mentally) and trying to pull rank via the Empress, but while Jing just stands there tongue-tied and stormy like he seems to be a lot (I really love him and his Serious-Sad-Grumpy face) Ni Huang interrupts by WHIPPING THE EUNUCH FROM LIKE SIX FEET AWAY.

Have I said I adore Ni Huang? Because I adore Ni Huang. I love how she uses her popularity and power to sort of defend Jing. Based on the last two episodes we can see what a good match she is for Lin Shu, as she is brilliant and charming and you can see how they click intellectually (even as he tries to disguise himself from her, their minds work together too easily) but here we can also see what a good partnership she has with Jing. I don’t mean romantically. I just mean she is exactly the friend he needs. “Thank you for your help, but I can handle a servant,” he tells her gravely. No, Jing. You can’t. It’s adorable. While Ni Huang kindly explains to Jing about how politics works, Chang Su, who has been watching this all with poorly concealed heart eyes, hurries over to comfort the boy and ask his name. THAT gets the immediate attention of the other two. Jing looks worried as he suddenly remembers that Chang Su is there. Iiiiiiiiinteresting.

The boy’s name is Ting Sheng, and he’s eleven. The big battle that killed Lin Shu’s father? Happened twelve years ago. Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinteresting.

Jing doesn’t seem pleased at this line of questioning. Chang Su looks startled when Jing speaks up, like he was so interested in this kid he had forgotten he was not alone. Whenever he looks surprised about something or like he’s scrambling about something I can’t help but wonder if it’s legit or if he’s just playing what he wants the others to see. This time, it looks genuine to me but he recovers fast.

Meanwhile, back at the tournament, the Crown Prince and Prince Yu look bored out of their minds because Chang Su isn’t around for them to fawn over. As soon as they realize he isn’t coming back, they ditch. I know that doesn’t sound funny on paper, but trust me, it’s funny as heck. I love these actors so much. Their mannerisms as they squabble (both when they’re actually arguing and just in the tension whenever they’re near each other) are hysterically funny, but their power and motivations in the story are very serious, so they remain formidable opponents for our Hero With Three Names. It’s a wonderful balance that the show’s writing and these actors manage to achieve, and I am enjoying it a lot.

(I hope Yu Jin and Jing Rui can relax and have a bit more fun now that those two have left the premises, btw. I want only happiness for those sweethearts. Ha. Haha. Don’t mock me in your replies to this, fandom. I know it’s a foolish hope. Don’t crush my dreams, not this early in the show.)

Back with our dream team, Jing is suspicious of Chang Su. In this whole conversation, Ni Huang plays an intriguing role in both supporting Jing but also defending Chang Su. Chang Su asks Jing why he cares about this boy. Jing, after an uncomfortable pause, says the kid is literate and his mother was a disgraced woman who could read and so Jing feels bad for him and that’s all. And okay, granted, I haven’t been given enough time yet to get to know Jing very well, but what I do know is that he is a TERRIBLE liar. Even Ni Huang looks like she feels a bit sorry for him. I believe what he’s saying–up to a point. But no way does Jing care just because this kid wasn’t born a peasant. There’s more to this for sure.

Chang Su offers to help teach the boy how to read, as I guess he is technically literate but not very good at comprehension yet. The boy is excited, but Jing seems even more unhappy at the attention Chang Su is showing the kid. Poor Jing. Learn to stop wearing your unhappiness on your sleeve, man.. Be like Ni Huang. Everyone should be like Ni Huang.

Then we get some exposition courtesy of our favourite princess, explaining that as a slave Ting Sheng cannot come and go freely, and only a decree from the Emperor could free him, but not only does the Emperor never free slaves, he dislikes even the suggestion that he free them. Thus Jing, who is already on dangerously thin ice in court, has had to keep quiet on the subject, which also explains his worry at Chang Su shaking things up. Our sneaky drama boy just smiles and says he’ll think of something. Attaboy, Shu.

Jing asks aggressively why Chang Su is so very interested in helping this kid, Chang Su replies with what I can already tell is his patented “I’m sorry could you repeat that I can’t hear you over the sound of my illness and harmlessness” smile. Hilariously, Ni Huang then cuts in to turn the question back on poor Jing. Chang Su’s smile turns just a shade smugger at that. He’s got to control himself around Ni Huang. She already clearly suspects him, and he’s only been around her for like ten minutes.

Anyway, I’ve spent way too much time on this scene because I loved it so much (I love these three people so to see them all spar together for the first time was super fun) but the scene ends with Jing walking away with the boy and looking quite adorable as he does, and saying he will wait and see what Chang Su does. And Ni Huang continues to be very intrigued by Chang Su.

Back at the tournament, Ni Huang’s baby brother arranges to have one of his men test Chang Su somehow because he’s alarmed that this strange scholar has been getting friendly with his sister. It’s hilarious that this brother thinks that Ni Huang needs protecting, but also that’s very sweet of him. I guess.

The show is unnecessarily cruel by having the old Dowager’s calling to Lin Shu play as VO as Chang Su walks pensively out of the palace. I’m never getting over that scene. But then he gets attacked by baby brother’s man and doesn’t so much as blink when the soldier charges because Fei Liu is there to save him! THIS KID. He is all ready to Hulk Smash the soldier, but Chang Su almost amusedly makes sure he doesn’t. (Side note: The attacker mentions Chang Su looks weak. I can’t help but wonder more and more if Shu is frustrated about how his body has (apparently?) failed him, leaving him with only his mind and charisma as weapons against the people who wronged his family? Since he’s such a great thinker, I am assuming he must have been a prodigy in warfare as well when he was younger. Since filial piety is a huge thing for his culture (basically virtue #1 if I remember my Chinese studies from college accurately) I am guessing a major motivation for him isn’t just revenge for his sake but for his father’s sake somehow. That’s a huge task he has set up for himself, but his means to accomplish it have been very handicapped, and meanwhile all these other characters get big action sequences and stunts and he just has to. Stand there. And smile blandly. And bury every part of himself that IS himself deep down inside. Related to this, I wonder if the actor himself found it frustrating at times how he just has to dress up and stand in the background of all the fun wirework scenes, lol. Maybe he gets to let loose a bit more later in the series. I have no idea.)

But things only get REALLY interesting here when who shows up but that general I liked last episode!! He’s still great, and dismisses the soldier angrily: “You’re not leaving yet? Are you waiting around to have a meal with me?” -best burn of this show so far, oh my gosh.

BUT THEN.

“It’s been twelve years. You’ve finally made your way back.”

!!!!!!

HE KNOWS WHO CHANG SU REALLY IS.

Not only that, but they apparently were corresponding for five years now, and he is worried because he had repeatedly warned Lin Shu that it would be too dangerous for him to return. But, now that he’s here, he’s 200% ready to do whatever Lin Shu wants and to help him do whatever it is he’s trying to do in whatever way he can. This guy is an AMAZING friend. And, given his high status in the palace as the head of the guard, from what I can tell, he’s an immensely valuable ally. I’m so glad!! I’m honestly also surprised, as I did not expect people to start recognizing Lin Shu as early as episode 3..

(“I’m finally home,” Lin Shu says, and ugh, isn’t that depressing.)

Also, it’s confirmed that he planned to have Fei Liu attack the general so that would serve as their sneaky introduction, because Lin Shu is ridiculously dramatic. Was he always this way, or is that just one of the ways falling off a cliff Mufasa-style changes a soul?

They arrange to meet at his house on Jing Rui’s dad’s estate that night(it’s called Snow Cottage, apparently? Cute name) to talk more freely. Cut to that night: Ni Huang is furious at her brother for his horrible attempt at protecting her. The actor who plays her brother plays the character as so much more casual and spontaneous than 99% of the characters on this show, and it makes him seem both very likable and very young. Don’t hurt him, show. Pls.

Ni Huang explains that Chang Su isn’t just a random scholar friend of Jing Rui’s: he’s the lord of that Eastern Yangtze Alliance and he sent tactical help once when she and her brother were having difficulty defeating their enemy at some battle. She’s convinced there’s more to him than meets the eye.

Then we cut to mister mysterious himself, who has fallen asleep sitting in his chair all wrapped up in his robes and then if that isn’t cute enough Fei Liu hurries up to tuck furs over him and I nearly died from this cuteness squared. Then, alas, the moment is ruined by the arrival of the general–Commander General Meng, actually, seems to be his name proper. Fei Liu still hates him because of their fight, and Meng is concerned that Lin Shu is burning coals in a brazier even though it isn’t that cold. Remember: he’s sickly. The show keeps throwing up little “HE IS UNWELL” flags like this, but so far there isn’t any evidence really of what exactly is wrong with him beyond his restraint in action and his apparent sensitivity to cold. I’m guessing this is planting seeds for episodes to come.

Something else that jumps out at me is that for the first time Lin Shu admits he isn’t 100% sure of what his plan is. He has obviously planned ahead a LOT (he did have 12 years to scheme, after all), but there is a certain amount of winging it that seems to be happening, too. Part of the fun of this show so far is trying to figure out how much of what happens is Lin Shu influencing events 20 moves ahead like a chess master, and how much is him being very adaptable and fast on his feet with strategy.

Meng insists on being Lin Shu’s ally in whatever he’s doing and will continue to pretend they don’t know each other well. He is apparently this loyal because he was part of the Lin army at some point. He asks how many people survived the battle. Shu says as far as people Meng would recognize goes, it’s only him and someone called Wei Zheng. I don’t think we’ve been introduced yet?

Meng then asks what happened in the battle. YES. TELL US THIS.

Flashback time!!!! … It shows nothing we haven’t seen before, though. Dangit. But when we cut back to Shu’s face, he’s got actual tears in his eyes and it’s all very intense. Poor boy is still traumatized, seemingly. And angry. He tells Meng he’ll reveal all when the time is right. I want to argue that the time could be right right now, but oh well. I can wait. Maybe.

Meng agrees, because he is a Good Friend and can see how the topic affects Shu. Then he basically asks for orders, and I guess we will find out what those are later! Next day, Yu Jin and Jing Rui are leaving for the tournament and are greeted at the door by literal wagonloads of gifts from Prince Yu and the Crown Prince. This got a good laugh out of me, I love how their very serious rivalry manifests in absurdity at least in this stage of the game. I also love Jing Rui’s frogface expression of “I am not amused but secretly I rather am.” Protect him, show. I’m worried about how close his story is tied with Chang Su.

Montage time! Jing Rui looks splendid in his fight at the tournament, and Yu Jin actually looks almost as good! They’re both great fighters despite being so laid-back, and that makes me love them even MORE. “You could have won with 58 stances, but you had to stall until the 65th to show off your gorgeous pose,” Jing Rui tells a very, very pleased with himself Yu Jin, and it’s so Good. Just. I want these two to run far away. Now.

Btw, I’m assuming they’re in the tournament to try to take two of those top ten spots, not because they actually want to marry Ni Huang. I’m pretty sure it’s established she could defeat them in combat anyway.

There’s a brief shot of a giant hairy wall of a man who is winning his bouts by punching out swordsmen. I am guessing he will be important as the tournament progresses. Oh, and the boys do get spots in the final two. Yay! I’m very proud of them.

The emperor is pleased that most of the final ten are not foreigners and thus make his kingdom look good. The lady who I think is the Crown Prince’s mother tries to coyly convince the emperor to favor a candidate she likes, but he replies that the Empress has already asked the same thing, just for another candidate. Ha. He then says that it doesn’t matter anyway because he’s not going to judge the exams: some random impartial scholar Ni Huang recommended is going to.

Good Lord, Emperor. You are making a mistake. It’s almost pitiful how wrong you are.

(I am distracted throughout this scene by how beautiful the woman’s eye makeup is. I tend to paint my eyes exactly those colors when I do my own eye makeup, so I feel vindicated. I guess it’s the Chinese ancestry in me coming out in mysterious ways.)

Chang Su’s reaction to the news he is to grade the exams is curious to me. I don’t know for sure, obviously–but it looks like the wheels start spinning very quickly in his head. I feel like Ni Huang requesting him as the examiner was a power move on her part; I do not think he was expecting it and now he has to adapt fast. I could be wrong. But I think his question of “how does the emperor know about me?” is him genuinely thinking out loud. Did he not plan on being this conspicuous this fast?

The giant man at the tournament is Baili Qi, and he is from Northern Yan, so outside the kingdom. This is problematic, because he totally demolishes another one of the finalists in a single punch, leaving the three boys (Ni Huang’s little brother, and the duo) thunderstruck. I LOVED Yu Jin’s tentative “maybe we could beat him together?”/Jing Rui’s incredulous face/Yu Jin conceding that nah, they’re toast. These two. I believe in you guys! Defeat him with the power of friendship!

The Emperor is LIVID. Marrying Ni Huang off to a former enemy would strengthen that enemy with her considerable following and would potentially embolden them to new war. He asks the Princes for a solution, and for once they are dead silent. Meng says when asked that he does not think Ni Huang can defeat Baili Qin, but I wonder if he has something up his sleeve here because he looks a little shifty, and in his nighttime meeting with Chang Su he did ask for orders … He looks uncharacteristically calculating as he watches the princes, is all I’m saying.

Meanwhile, Ni Huang’s little bro (whose name I must learn) is even MORE LIVID. He is acting like he is the one that’s getting married, lollllll.

Ni Huang, however, seems weirdly calm until she asks gently, with a pensive smile: “Do you know what a perfect match is?”

AAAAAAND CUT TO MEI CHANG SU.

I live for obvious editing like that. It was very satisfying. Oh this sad couple.

Now here comes what feels like one of the most important scenes in an episode filled with important scenes (this show is ridiculously dense, guys. I can’t believe I’m only on 3?????): a long bit of exposition explaining the significance of Jing Rui’s name. Told by a gleeful Yu Jin. Can he do all exposition for this show? He’s so fun.

I’m not ashamed to say I rewatched this scene twice to make sure I followed, because it just feels like such an important story I don’t want to be confused ten or twenty episodes on. But basically: Jing Rui was named so to mark him as being related to the Imperial family. This is because (I THIIINK) his mother is the current emperor’s sister??? HOWEVER. When he was born, there was a plague or something that made it necessary for his mother to leave the palace and go to some remote area for her safety. Because the princess is a kind person, she let another traveling pregnant woman (who I guess is from a powerful family in her own right but is not royalty) stay in the same place while she was there, and they became friends. They also ended up going into labor at the same time, and birthing sons the same stormy night. During the storm, however, the lights were doused and in the confusion the babies were misplaced so when the lights were restored, no one could be certain which boy belonged to which mother. This problem was compounded when one of the infants died the next day. So each family had equal claim to the living baby. Instead of solving this problem like Solomon would have done, the Emperor just declared Jing Rui is the son of both families, so he has two moms and two dads I guess but he only lives with one set of parents? Anyway his name signifies that. So it could confuse foreigners into thinking he is the emperor’s son, which we see borne out when one of the Northern Yan delegation bribes a eunuch to find out this whole story.

In addition, him being the son of both families has bound his families together into one big happy family??? The son of one set of parents has married the daughter of the other set and it’s all very confusing but Jing Rui seems comfortable so ok. I don’t know if I’ve met both his sets of parents. I know I’ve seen the princess and the Marquis … Xie? Something like that. Roundish face, beard. But I don’t remember seeing a Zhou or Jing Rui interacting with a Zhou, so. Hmmmmmm.

This story is too detailed. It’s gotta come back to bite us later. I don’t know how, but I’m already upset.

Jing Rui plans to challenge Baili Qi at the feast for the final ten suitors, in hopes of injuring him enough that Ni Huang will be able to beat him. He’s so pure. Ni Huang’s brother bursts into the manor like a breath of fresh air and literally drags Chang Su away, babbling at him about how he trusts Chang Su to defeat Baili Qi and totally steamrolling Chang Su’s attempts to keep his usual reserved and polite man of mystery facade intact. The unspoken rule of this show is that everyone hangs of Chang Su’s every word; Ni Huang’s brother just cuts him off mid-sentence lol. Arguably the best-delivered line of the episode: “If you can’t handle him, I’d have to have him beaten up.”

And then! Chang Su! Is announced! In the palace! Well, it’s his other fake name but whatever. He walks in and Ni Huang looks very pleased with herself and the theeeeeme music plaaaaaaays

The music feels very internalized. This moment isn’t important to anyone except Lin Shu right now but it’s SO important to him, so–MUSIC.

I also got a bit giddy at this whole scene because the camera keeps cutting to show all these characters gathered in one place and it was like–oh. OH. Everyone is here. Our major players are here. The game is officially started. It was a pretty cool moment.

And he gets to sit next to Ni Huang, so he’s already winning. And so is she, judging by the look on her face XD

Prince Yu suggests the finalists duel each other as entertainment. The Crown Prince, of course, immediately bounces up to argue against this idea, but hilariously in the middle of his pompous speech he notices Chang Su ever so slightly shake his head: no. The lame, stuttering backtrack the Crown Prince clumsily manages is beautiful to behold, and Yu looks very smug. Both princes seem to think Chang Su is helping them, which I feel like might lead to problems later, but for now Lin Shu is just having fun with playing them both like a couple of bratty, red-gold fiddles.

Oh, and intercut with this is the harem of Emperor concubines (is harem the right term here? Idk. You know what I mean) discussing Ni Huang’s upcoming marriage, but it isn’t that interesting a scene so I’m glossing over it. It just reinforces that the emperor’s actual wife and favourite concubine hate each other and are playing power games of their own, trying to one-up each other. Meanwhile, Jing Rui’s mother is both angelically lovely AND angelically nice, apparently. I really like this actress’s voice.

Ok but enough of that scene. At the feast, the emperor happily agrees to this idea to have the men fight, and good ol Jing Rui immediately jumps up to challenge Baili Qi. Ni Huang watches keenly, but Chang Su is seemingly entirely absorbed in peeling a tangerine, this jerk. He is having waaaaay too much fun with this.

To be fair, tangerine peeling is a task that requires 100% attention. Gotta get rid of all those white fibers that stick to the segments.

Jing Rui gets into this amazing stance that almost kills me from how pretty it is, and then–fight, fight, fight! This is my favourite bit of combat of the entire show so far (admittedly there hasn’t been THAT much fighting anyway) because of the contrasting choreography. The styles are very distinct and the camerawork is so smooth. I also feel SO BAD for those actors, because filming complex choreographed sequences while wearing all that fake hair and layers of satin and silk must be the WORST. I would know; I’m an Irish dancer.

While Jing Rui easily looks the faster and more disciplined fighter, however, it’s like he’s hitting a wall; Baili Qi is simply too strong. So our boy ends up only barely holding his own, much to the Liang crowd’s distress. Except for Chang Su, who still only looks mildly interested as he chews what looks like the entire tangerine in his mouth. This jerk. I love him so much. No one is even watching him and he’s still gotta be extra.

Yu Jin, worried about his friend, calls out that for the match to be really fair, Jing Rui should have a sword, because that’s what he usually fights with; he’s not a brawler like Baili Qi. The emperor nods, and so Meng CHUCKS A SWORD AT JING RUI. I would not feel like that was a greaaaat help if I was him, but Jing Rui has much better reflexes than I do and so he does this fantastic flip-kick-the-sword-into-the-air stunt and tries to maneuver Baili Qi under it. Alas, he forgets that he is not the stronger of the two, and Baili Qi easily spins so Jing Rui is under the sword instead. In the nick of time, however, Jing Rui snatches the sword out of the air BEHIND HIS BACK and presses to the attack. Once again, however, Baili Qi wins the upper hand and manages to both snatch the sword from Jing Rui AND send Jing Rui flying into a table, smashing into and over it and scattering fruit everywhere.

(“Oh no, the tangerines!” Chang Su says for the benefit of anyone listening, or at least I’m headcanoning this is his reaction offscreen. In the wide shot literally NOBODY ELSE in this entire hall is eating except him. Extra funny: he looks like he’s having issues swallowing that ridiculously large mouthful of fruit he took earlier. He needs to curb that part of him that likes Drama, because if he wants to be inconspicuous he shouldn’t be so obviously flagging that he’s impartial and uninterested here, good lord. LOOK AT ME IM SO NOT WORTH LOOKING AT, he screams. I wonder if he was a prankster growing up, as he seems to get a prankster’s delight out of stuff like this. It isn’t all grim and dark on his journey to do whatever it is he’s doing. Not yet, anyway. I still don’t trust his friendship with the boys. And he’s already manipulating the heck out of everyone, including Ni Huang–although that latter might be a mistake, because she clearly knows something is Up with him.)

Before Baili Qi-with-sword (aka Baili Qi the Grim Reaper) can take Jing Rui out, however, the emperor yells for the fight to stop–and that’s the cliffhanger ending of this episode.

Will Baili Qi marry Ni Huang? (HA. As if.) Will Jing Rui be okay? (I have my doubts about the long run because he is Too Good, but for now I think he’s pretttttty safe.) Will Mei Chang Su manage to swallow that tangerine fast enough to say whatever it is he needs to say to spin this situation to his advantage? (50/50 chance on that one.) Only one way to find out–on to episode 4!

[me-protect-you]

Meta: Leeloo & Diva Plavalaguna

{out of chicken} Look out, folks, ‘cause here comes a meta flyin’ at you, haha. Can we talk about the Diva Dance/Plavalaguna’s death/Leeloo is injured scene? It’s this scene here. And then after that, here.

With my writer’s brain, I tend to read between the lines of things, add background and depth where there is none, or overthink small details to the point of wondering about their real significance. It’s fun for me, actually, and I’m kindof trained to do it at this point by years and years of writing. I’ve written my own books, created my own worlds, made up my own fictional languages, and created thousands of characters. While doing that, you kindof learn to flesh things out to a certain level of detail, even if that detail isn’t exactly relevant to the final story or even gets used in the final draft. So part of the fun of being a fan of something is filling in the gaps in the canon with more detail (as those of you who follow my Nuada already noticed I tend to do with canons). I’ve also run my own D&D games, which again, forces you to think about all possible options your players might pick, and to make sure every aspect of your world/campaign is fleshed out enough so that, should your players decide to go there/do this/talk to this person, you’re not scrambling to come up with things on the fly.

This is what I’m going to do for this little section of The Fifth Element, go through it detail by detail and spill all my observations and theories regarding various things. There isn’t really a point to this meta other than that I have a ton of feels/observations/headcanons regarding this set of events and I feel like sharing, heh. Enjoy, and feel free to reply to this post or comment on what I’ve said however you like!

It’s under the cut because LOOONG, heh. Those of you on mobile where Read More links don’t work, I’m sorry for the humongous post. XD

If You Haven’t Seen The Fifth Element…

If you’ve already seen the movie, you can skip this part. If not, lemme explain a bit so you understand what’s going on. The plot to The Fifth Element basically boils down to this: five elements need to be combined together to create a weapon of light in time to stop an ancient evil that wants to eradicate all life. The evil is basically an angry sentient planet that is approaching earth and wants to end life as we know it forever. The five elements are the traditional earth, wind, fire, and water… with a fifth element, which is Leeloo (my muse).

Now, they never really said what Leeloo was. A supreme being engineered with perfect DNA, yes, but as far as being a fifth element, they came just shy of flat out saying she was the physical embodiment of love, which is my closest guess. But in most religions/cultures with five elements, the fifth one is not love. In traditional Asian cultures, there are five elements and two of them are wood and metal. In the Wiccan religion, the fifth element is spirit/soul. If you’re an elf (haha), you have seven elements: earth, air, fire, water, spirit, light, and magic. So… I’m inclined to think that Leeloo sort of embodies a few things, love and light being the majority.

Anyhoodle, the five elements have to combine together, and aside from Leeloo, the others exist as sacred stones that will be activated to embody their elements when the time comes. Of course there are various people who want these stones for nefarious reasons, and because humans are among the most untrustworthy races in the galaxy, the stones could not be left on earth. They were instead entrusted with other races, with the chain of custody eventually leading to Plavalaguna. This is her:

She’s… basically an alien opera singer, haha. A tall, graceful, serene chick. At such time as the ancient evil becomes a threat, she will bring the stones to earth, another race will bring Leeloo to earth, they’ll all combine, weapon destroys ancient evil, problem solved. Except it didn’t go down that smoothly. Leeloo’s ship gets blown up and she has to be rebuilt from a single one of her cells. Plavalaguna… somehow has the stones inside her own body, tricking anyone who thinks the case her entourage carries around with her actually contains the stones. The plan is to meet with her after she gives a singing performance, get the stones, go to a temple in Egypt, combine everything with Leeloo, and make this weapon of light. Instead… these gnarly, grouchy, war-loving alien dudes called mangalores who are also after the stones crash the party and kill a bunch of folks, including Plavalaguna… which… turned out to be advantageous because she was shot in her abdomen, creating easy access to the stones inside her body.

Now… as she’s performing her song and it picks up its pace, the movie cuts back and forth between that and Leeloo taking on some mangalores in another part of the Fhloston Paradise resort everybody’s staying at. After that fight scene, and after Plavalaguna’s song ends, Leeloo is shot by the head baddie and cries in pain as Plavalaguna dies. I’m going to discuss from the time the diva starts her song to Leeloo being rescued after everything is over.

How/why did the stones get inside Plavalaguna?

So this is something I’ve thought a lot about. I mean, if the world is such that humans are capable of rebuilding a living being from a single cell… then I’m guessing Plavalaguna’s race has a way of getting those stones inside her body without cutting her open? Or maybe they have to do some kind of surgery but she heals really fast? (And well, since she didn’t seem to have any scars.) The second theory seems unlikely, as she didn’t heal at all after being shot in the abdomen. Maybe they were surgically inserted but the scar doesn’t show, or they have some way of beaming them in, haha. I guess we’ll never know. I also wonder, was she told to do this? was she chosen? Did she volunteer? I headcanon that she volunteered. She was that kind of stand-up chick. =)

I have heard/read some people say that her costume in the movie is terrible because her actress can’t even walk right, she kindof waddles like a penguin. In my early years of loving this movie, I chalked it up to well, she’s an alien. Who’s to say how she should walk? That she doesn’t walk like a human is irrelevant. She’s not human. But more recently I thought… maybe it’s because she’s got all those damn stones in her body and it’s freaking uncomfortable! Look at these things!

She had four of those inside her! Haha, I mean… really, how would you walk if your body cavity was full of four heavy, one-foot-tall stones? And even with that, she’s still thinner than me and sings better too. -_-

But… I digress. When/why was it decided that she should put the stones inside herself? Was this decided literally right when the evil came to earth, or has she been walking around with these stones inside her ever since the stones left Egypt 300 years ago? It begs the question of how old Plavalaguna actually is. To me, she seems like a very old and wise being, just from her calm and gentle demeanor and her reactions to certain things. I always headcanoned that she’s had the stone inside her for a long time, but maybe I’m wrong about that.

Assuming they got inside her fairly easily and regardless of when they were put inside her, how did she… expect… to get them back out… without dying? I mean… had she not been shot, how exactly was she planning to give the stones to Korben and Leeloo? She’d… have to be cut open anyway. Right? Which brings me to my next headcanon.

Headcanon: Plavalaguna knew she was going to die and was fine with it.

And I don’t mean in the obvious sense of, well the stones had to come out somehow so she knew she’d have to be cut open. I mean she knew she was going to be shot and pretty much knew everything that was going to happen at that performance before it even occurred. I have a number of clues that indicate this to me. First of all, her song is prophetic. I don’t mean the actual lyrics because I have no idea what she’s saying, haha. But her gestures… mimic what happens right afterward in the first, slower, sadder part of her song. Here is a video of her performing the song so you can watch it and see for yourself (more specifically this part here), but I will also explain.

After her song ends, she’s shot in the abdomen and lifts up her arms gracefully and dramatically before falling to the floor. She’s held by Korben as she tells him that Leeloo is fragile and needs his help and love or she’ll die. She then says the stones are “in me,” and shortly after, she “gives” them to him as he pulls them from her body. If you watch her gestures in the first part of her song, there’s a part at which it picks up pace a little bit and becomes foreboding in sound, like a part of Macbeth or something, heh. She lays her hands over her abdomen, looks at her hands as one might do if there was blood on them, and then lifts her arms up…much in the way she ends up doing very soon after when she is actually shot. Her next gesture is to cross her hands over her heart and smile… which to me is a symbol of love. Next she makes motions almost like she’s cradling something in her hands. Finally, she connects with Korben in the audience, making a giving motion in his direction. This is enough for me to believe that she knew exactly what was about to go down and the song was meant to foreshadow that.

Something else that makes me think she knew about all this in advance is the way she handled it. If you were shot, wouldn’t you be scared, angry, in pain, something? Especially if the fate of the world depended on people getting stones out of your insides? She’s just… not. In fact, she falls very gracefully and does not look to be in very much distress at all, save for a couple blue tears that fall from her eyes. Instead, she’s calm, smiling, answering Korben’s questions… as if to say, this is my destiny, it’s up to you now. She’s not screaming about what he has to do or what’ll happen if he doesn’t, she’s perfectly calm. She strikes me as a very wise being in the first place, but knowing this was all preordained in the first place kinda helps one get over it well before it actually happens, heh.

And if this is really the case, then let me take a moment to just process the fact that, knowing she was going to die and knowing the fate of life on earth hinged upon stones she had inside her, she still got up and sang an amazing song with all the emotion and skill of someone who wanted to genuinely make others happy. What a classy lady. Standing ovation. \(T^T)/

Headcanon: Leeloo knew Plavalaguna was going to die.

Leeloo seemed to have an awareness that stretched far outside herself… when she wanted it to. It wasn’t just limited to the stones and wherever they happened to be, because when the box that supposedly carried the stones was found to be empty, she knew about it. Now I suppose this could have just been a case of the way the movie presented it appearing as if Leeloo was realizing this information in real time, when really she’d just been informed in advance that the box was empty. I buy that, although I also buy her knowing about the other stones because all the five elements are linked. She seemed to have been informed in advance of the whole plan with Plavalaguna, unless you want to say she was telepathically realizing that as well. I choose to think that Leeloo was informed but also could see/feel some things outside herself. Whether or not she could hear Plavalaguna’s song where she was in the resort, I’m not sure… They cut back and forth so it seemed like it, but maybe she just knew that she was singing without really hearing it. I dunno… I tend to attribute a bit more magic to Leeloo than was probably intended. XD

Besides that, though, whether she could hear the song directly or she was choosing to link herself to Plavalaguna at the time as I headcanon, I believe Leeloo knew the diva was going to die. It could have been a prophetic thing where she knew in advance what was going to happen, or she may have been told look, the stones will have to be cut out of this person and she’s going to die in the process. My reason for thinking this is because during the first part of the song as the diva is performing, Leeloo is elsewhere in the resort doing this:

Look at that face. She’s so sad! Now, I always thought that, if she could hear the music whether in reality or in her mind’s eye kindof a thing, that the sadness of the song’s tone at the beginning just overwhelmed Leeloo. She is a very emotional character, after all. But the more I think about it, the more I think she knew the diva was going to die and essentially hearing the song was the beginning of the end for a friend of hers, and that made her very sad. Which brings me on to the next headcanon…

Headcanon: Leeloo may have known Plavalaguna before the events that took place at the Fhloston Paradise resort.

I know I’m really making something of nothing here, but… when the stones were given to Plavalaguna and this whole plan (which Leeloo likely was made aware of in advance) was discussed and formulated, don’t you think they would have introduced Leeloo to the diva to make sure she knew exactly who she was supposed to rendezvous with? I’m imagining that there was a – probably very sweet – meeting between the two, and it might have only lasted a short time, and maybe it was even done remotely somehow, but I assume Leeloo would have really liked her. That and considering what the diva was willing to do for the sake of the world, Leeloo would have respected her a great deal as well. The way Plavalaguna speaks of Leeloo too as she’s dying to me has an almost motherly tone to it, like she not only cares about her as a weapon but also as a person. I’ll come back to that later...

So that makes Leeloo’s reaction to the song even sadder. She knows she’s about to lose a friend by the time the song ends… and there’s nothing that can be done about it. It has to happen. It’s her destiny. Even so, Leeloo probably wishes she could have prevented it somehow.

Headcanon: Leeloo was linked psychically and emotionally to Plavalaguna during the fight scene.

I have always headcanoned that the mimicry of movements between Plavalaguna and Leeloo during Leeloo’s fight with the mangalores was not just movie parallels for the sake of coolness. I believe they were linked, at least Leeloo was to the diva if not the other way around. This might have been because the stones were located inside her and Leeloo is spiritually connected to the other four elements. She could either hear the diva’s music in reality or in her head, and was using it to fuel her during that fight.

At the end when she spreads her arms just like the diva does, there’s a smile on her face if you look close. It’s almost like a tribute to her. Especially because there was no other reason for Leeloo to make that gesture after the fight. She wasn’t one to gloat about killing people, even if they were assholes, heh.

Headcanon: Leeloo could feel Plavalaguna’s pain as the diva died.

If I headcanon that Leeloo was linked to Plavalaguna during her song, why would she not also be afterward? Especially since if I also headcanon that they knew each other beforehand, wouldn’t Leeloo want to “stay” with her friend until the end? Keep the link open until there was no more link to be had? I think so. Or even if it was a passive thing where she was linked to the other elements and until they were taken out of the diva, Leeloo felt everything she felt? Either way, I think there was some channeling of the diva’s situation by Leeloo going on. 

Granted, Leeloo did cry out both “ow” and “help,” and she was obviously wounded, and maybe Milla Jovovich is just an amazing actress (not maybe, she is haha) and can cry like a boss and step all over my feels anytime she wants, but… the heartbreaking sound she made when she cried… really made me think there was emotional pain and grief in that crying, not just physical pain. I think she knew it was happening right then, that the diva was dying, and I believe she could feel the pain of her gunshot wound. That, combined with her own wounds sent Leeloo into an emotional spiral. Hence the incredibly sad crying that ensued.

Headcanon: Leeloo can be killed by her own emotions.

Okay I’m gonna go a little bit past the fight now, but bear with me, heh. I happen to think that her actually physical wounds after the fight were not life-threatening. She seems to have been shot on her arm (the only wound we actually see Korben tending to) and possibly on her side, but that’s it. Maybe on her leg too? Hard to tell because blood was kindof everywhere heh. But she passes out and then is super weak after the scene where the diva dies and she’s lying in the vent sobbing. Then later on the ship with Korben, she’s fairly alert again, enough to turn over and prop herself up while she reads stuff… until she reads about “war” in the encyclopedia. It upsets her so much that she starts crying again, and the next time we see her, she’s so weak and despondent that she can’t even sit up under her own power. I headcanon that Leeloo is a lot like an elf (for LotR fans out there, heh), in that if she feels grief or sadness or apathy too much, she can die from it.

This actually makes a lot of sense as far as what she is. She’s not a natural being, she’s an engineered being with a specific function, made to be the fifth element that will combine with the others and save the world. All the other elements have to be activated in some way. Wind blows, fire burns, rain falls, earth… well they never said what earth did, haha, but you get the point. So Leeloo too should have to be activated. And I mean you might be like well Korben kissed her and told her he loved her. Yes. And that was definitely a part of it. But with Leeloo it wasn’t just a solid action or a string of words that needed to be said like it was with the other elements. With her it was that she had to in a mental state to want to save the world. In order for her to feel that way, it had to have been proven to her that life was worth saving, which… at that point she was feeling like it wasn’t. So if the world was one that ought to be saved with things worth saving in it, those things would present themselves to Leeloo and activate her. If not, then she would not activate, not want to save the world, and the broken world would be destroyed. From a divine design point of view, it makes sense.

So it therefore makes a lot of sense that Leeloo would be very subject to her emotions, and she is presented as an extremely emotional creature, driven by her senses, thoughts, feelings, and intuition rather that facts and rational thought. So I think that what was really killing her at the end was the combination of feeling her friend die, then being shot, then reading about war and all its horrors. She was dying of despair, a loss of faith, and a feeling that she had no use other than to save the world and that no one would want her after that, not of gunshot wounds. Korben tells her love is worth saving, but Leeloo doesn’t know love, and fears she never will.

Plavalaguna alludes to this, telling Korben that Leeloo “needs your help, and your love, or she will die.” Help, yes, because she’s injured, but she also needs love… or she will actually die from grieving for love never obtained. It’s just as important and essential to her health as patching up her physical wounds. I also thought it was very poignant that the diva chose to word it that way. Not, “say you love this girl or the world will end and you’ll all be completely screwed,” haha, but rather, “she needs your love to survive, save her.” It shows that the diva cared for Leeloo as a being and not just as a weapon to save the world. Another reason why I think they must have met each other before the events of that day. Or possibly she just knew that the love had to be genuine for it to work and if it wasn’t to that point already, then saying it in an instant wasn’t going to make it true enough to activate Leeloo anyway.

Phew! That’s all I got, people! That was fun to write, heh. I hope someone actually bothers to read this, haha, and if so, I hope you enjoyed it. =)

[anodyne-sunflower]

Love me like you do (Part 11)-Balem Series

A/N: Okay, no ball this chapter because then I wouldn’t be able to update so quickly lol and this chapter would’ve been long as shit. So I’m splitting it haha.

Few notes, alcazar is what they call the palaces basically in the movie. And clipper is a term used for giant spaceships, saw it in an interview with the designed behind JA ships lol woo. Ummmmm sorry if this chapter is meh. I wanted to get something out for y'all, especially since I couldn’t fit everything I wanted in this chapter.

Also thanks to @jackdawsonsgrl for the beautiful graphic she made for the story.

Mood music: I’m a dreamer by Violet Days

*******

A gasp slipped from your parted lips, head falling back as Balem kissed a trail down your neck. He had you backed up onto the windows in his chambers, his hands sliding down your curves and pulling the corners of your robe up. His fingertips slid along your skin, making you tremble in desire as he whispered dirty promises into your ear.

“Are you wet for me, little bird?”

He cupped your heat in his hand, adding pressure as he rubbed his palm down. Your clit was aching, swollen, and pulsing for attention, and his administrations weren’t helping. You moaned into his face, grabbing his shirt tightly as he chuckled darkly. He continued pleasing you, licking your cheek as he watched you squirm in front of him.

“I can’t wait to have you.”

Balem whispered, nose pressed into your cheek as he smirked. You ran your hands up his chest, whimpering out when he removed his hand and began kissing at your shoulders. He teasingly slipped your robe off, exposing your breasts to his hungry gaze. He hunched down a bit, licking and nipping along your chest until the doors to his chambers slid open.

In a rush to appear decent, you scrambled to grab the robe, but failed to pull it back up in time. Mr. Night walked into the chambers, mouth open to say something only to close quickly as he saw you both in your current predicament. He turned his head away, clearing his throat and awkwardly standing by.

“My Lord, forgive me but you asked that I come and tell-”

Balem cut him off, pulling his cape up and over you so your bare body was not seen by anyone else’s eyes. He pulled you into him making you gasp audibly as you fell into his chest.

“Mr. Night…” His voice was low and irritated, his gaze falling from you to the splice as he warned him to tread carefully with just his eyes.

“Forgive me, Lord Balem. But, the ship is ready for your departure. As you requested.”

The First Primary sighed, nodding his head as he glared at the splice to leave now. Which Mr. Night eagerly did.

You watched him go, blushing softly as Balem released you from his hold, and straightened his cape out. You took that as a sign to move away and start getting ready, and as you pulled the rest of your attire back on, you turned to walk away from him only to squeak when his hand slammed against the window, cutting off your path.

“I did not excuse you, little bird.”

****

“I really don’t think this suits me, I mean it’s a bit-”

“Nonsense.”

Nevaeh was kneeling before you, running the strap of your gold heels around your ankle before smiling up at you.

“You look beautiful. He won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”

She rose up, looking you over with a sense of approval before moving the long golden translucent cape of your dress behind you. Whether you willed it or not, she had decided to help you prepare for Kalique’s ball. And while you could truthfully use the help, since ball’s weren’t exactly a regular occurrence on earth, you didn’t like that she had to slave away at Balem’s behest.

“I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“You really don’t need to do this.”

She giggled softly, still looking you up and down as if she was forgetting an important part of your outfit.

“Don’t be silly. This is a nice change from serving wine and food.”

Nevaeh offered you a smile, cupping your cheek and excitedly fixing your earrings. She seemed far more happy about this ball than you, in fact if she wanted to switch places you would’ve kindly allowed for it. Though, you were more than positive the Primary wouldn’t accept such a thing.

“I really wish I could stay.”

She clicked her tongue at you, disappointed in your negativity.

“You get to go to a ball, hosted by Kalique Abrasax! People tell tales of those balls. I hear Cerise is quite lovely as well.”

“Cerise?”

Nevaeh moved away for a minute, gathering some bracelets and sliding them down your arm as she spoke.

“Her estate. It’s where her alcazar is.”

“Oh…”

You let out a nervous sigh, looking outside the window of Balem’s chambers as she finished dolling you up. You wondered where he went off to after your earlier…gathering, he left rather quickly. Only leaving demands that you find Nevaeh and have her prepare you for the evening.

“Can I ask you something?” Nevaeh questioned, giving you a curious look that somehow made you nervous. She rarely asked anything of you, usually opting to speak of her home planet or the various things she felt you should know of this ever expanding universe. But, now she held a serious expression, as if she was cautiously approaching the subject she wanted to speak of.

“Uh, sure.”

“Lord Balem….” She paused, glancing around as she prepared her words. “Does he treat you well?”

You weren’t expecting such an inquiry from her, but she seemed genuinely concerned about it. With a smile, you nodded trying to ease her worries.

“Yeah, of course. I mean…why do you ask?”

As if to not offend you, she waved her hands around, not wanting you to get the wrong idea behind her question.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just…he treats you different is all. I’ve never seen him like this with any of the other women, and I just thought maybe there was more-”

“Absolutely not.”

You didn’t mean to cut her off, but the direction of the conversation began to make you anxious. And as she stared at you, every nerve in your body ached, making you nervously fidget around. Sure, Balem had kept you around for longer than most of his concubines, but you hardly thought he treated you any different. From everything Nevaeh had told you about the other girls, nothing seemed remotely out of the ordinary. At least, you didn’t believe so. Two weeks had flown by being with him, and you could count on one hand the number of meaningful conversations that took place between you two. Whenever you were by his side, it was either lying next to him after sex or serving him wine by his throne. Sure he showered you with gifts, and clothing but you had no doubt he wanted his mistress to look the part.

“Really? I wouldn’t be so certain.” Nevaeh shrugged, pulling one side of your hair back and setting it with a matching gold pin. “He’s certainly never bothered to extend his hand to anyone.”

She joked, winking at you as you thought back on that day. It was rather odd of him to do such a thing. Up until that point, the only form of comfort or affection he offered was bathing with you. Sometimes even running the soap or oils over your skin as he kissed along your shoulder.

“Miss?”

You shook the images from your head, blushing softly as Nevaeh smiled and walked away from you. She gazed over your entire outfit, finally clapping her hands together and grabbing your hand as she ran towards the mirror in the corner.

“You see? Perfect.”

Never in your life did you think you’d be here at this point, preparing for an actual royal ball. Even more so wearing a beautiful gown, though a bit revealing for your taste and no doubt Balem’s doing. You were the very picture of regal, that was something you couldn’t deny, and you couldn’t help but smile at your reflection.

“Wow.”

Nevaeh’s smile widened, and she nodded at your own shock. “Yes, wow. Now come, Lord Balem is probably waiting on you. And he’s not the most patient man.”

****

“Ready security for deployment. If my beloved siblings are plotting anything I want to be the first to hear of it. Is that understood, Mr. Night?”

Balem walked along the side of the ship docks, standing at the very edge as he looked down at the empty pit below. His large clipper was hovering before the dock, edges expanding as they hooked to the ceiling for balance.

“Yes, Lord Balem. Shall I deploy the shadows?”

The First Primary nodded, his eyes never leaving his ship as it hung above him. He was eager to get this over with, not wanting to endure his siblings company longer than necessary. He knew deep down that there was more to this ball, despite the many denials Kalique gave him. He knew far better than to trust his sister.

“Greeghan.”

“Yes, My Lord?”

The Sargorn’s voice vibrated against his large mouth, a low growl emitting from his throat as he awaited his Lord’s command.

“Close the gates as soon as we’ve departed. Let no ship pass into the atmosphere.”

“As you wish, My Lord.”

Greeghan bowed, his wings shaking as he turned and began walking towards the towers to set the controls. But, Balem’s voice cut his pace short, his green eyes glaring at the reptilian creature.

“If anything happens while I’m gone, I will hold you accountable.”

The Sargorn shuddered, despite his large size, he feared the head of the Abrasax family like no other. For Balem was no liar when it came to his threats. He always followed through, the last leader of the Sargorns learned that the hard way. Greeghan bowed once more, before his clawed feet dig into the metal of the docks and he took off in a brisk flight.

Balem watched him, expression stern as he turned on his heel and moved towards the entrance of his ship. The ramp was slowly coming down, Mr. Night going in first to make sure all was as expected.

“Balem…”

At the sound of his name he swiftly turned, brows furrowing as he was ready to correct whoever would address him so informally. But, as his gaze fell upon you, he stopped, eyes slightly widening. If you didn’t know him so intimately you’d assume he had that same fixed expression of annoyance he always had, but you could tell the difference. Because, the man looked at you in so many ways, that you came to learn what each one meant. The most common being that dark lust filled gaze he always got around you. But, this time…this time it was different. And that’s what worried you.

His eyes traveled the expanse of your body, as if he was assessing your entire appearance which he seemed greatly satisfied with. You waited, silently, in front of him shuffling your heels back and forth as he began to circle you. He stopped just before you, hands clasped behind his back as he roamed his eyes up and down one last time.

“Beautiful.”

A blush crept its way along your face, and you looked up at him in shock as he stared you down. You wanted to say thank you, but his gaze was so intense it only held you in place as he brought a hand up to cup your cheek. His thumb brushed along the flushed skin, making your breath hitch as he ran his fingertip along your lips. You lifted your gaze up, breath coming out in trembles when you finally caught his eyes.

“Thank you.”

Balem hummed back in response, moving closer as he began to lean down making you step back just a bit. You were used to such things in the bedroom, but he rarely ever touched you in public like this. It may have caught you off guard, but that didn’t stop him from walking forward, smirking the entire time until you had no more room to back up, unless you fancied falling to your death. The point of your heel caught the edge of the dock, making you gasp and move forward into his awaiting arms. It never seemed to fail, how he always had you right where he wanted.

“Little bird, you’re going to harm yourself.”

He chuckled lightly, holding you so close to his chest you could feel the warmth of his body heat even through his golden plated armor.

“Are you afraid?” He asked, hand running up your back as he began to lean down again. His lips now mere inches from yours as he awaited your answer.

You rested your palms against his chest, admiring the work that went into his outfit. He looked so handsome then, so kingly, clad in his armor and long gold cape that really brought out the color of his eyes. You didn’t think it possible, but he somehow managed to be even more tempting than usual. It was almost annoying how easily influenced you were around him.

“No.” With a soft whisper you replied, biting your lip as he smiled down at you.

“How brave you are then.”

He seemed completely amused by you, scoffing slightly as he finally closed the distance between your lips. But, he only managed to get one soft kiss in before his guards emerged from the ramp, awaiting his command and entrance into the clipper.

Balem pulled away reluctantly, sneering at them for interrupting his moment with you. But, he chose not to berate anyone this time. He simply placed his hand along your lower back, pushing you forward towards his large ship and up the ramp. You struggled a bit, your heels getting caught along the crevices of the metal, but he stayed behind you the whole way up, hand hovering over your side in case you should fall.

Once inside, you watched as his guards all turned to him in unison, guns at the ready in case anything should occur. He dismissed them all with a single wave of his hand, his eyes once again falling on his intended target: you.

“Come with me.”

He brushed passed you, cape flowing gracefully behind him as you followed suit. His pace was hard to keep up with, especially in your shoes, but as he stopped just at the opening of an elevator you managed to catch up.

“Where are we going?”

“My chambers.”

*****

A/N: Feedback por favor?! Lol Sorry for time skips 🙊 But, they’re useful for parts that need not be written about.