#(it was a bit hard finding the haircut and clothes that worked out but)

[shepherds-of-haven]

How would the ROs rate their own attractiveness? Like do they consider themselves attractive?

Huh, good question!

Blade: he is distantly aware that other people/society in general considers him to be good-looking in some capacity. (By Ket standards, he and Gladius both are considered to be blessed with markedly good looks, but almost in a 'pretty boy' kind of way. Gladius is considered like stunningly beautiful while Blade has more of 'effortlessly hot' aura). So he would say other people probably think he's "above-average" in looks (but he also believes it to be more of a muscularity/strength thing than things like his facial features. Like women, if they do find him attractive, probably think so because he looks like a strong provider LMAO). But he himself doesn't think about his own attractiveness or appearance beyond what good hygiene and proper presentation dictate... he hardly spares himself a glance in the mirror most days. As you can tell by his haircut choices

Trouble: he considers himself to be average in looks, neither particularly handsome or particularly ugly, just exactly in the middle of the road! If asked to describe his own attractiveness in more detail, he'd probably say something like, "I clean up okay. I'm a decent-looking working-class guy? *shrug* I don't think anyone would be mad if I showed up at their doorstep with a bouquet of flowers, but artists aren't swooning over my cheekbones, either"

Tallys: Tallys considers herself to be a good-looking woman, probably an 8 if we're using a scale, a 9 if she put more effort into being conventionally beautiful (doing things like growing out her hair (!), using makeup or perfume, dressing well, etc.). She's confident in her own attractiveness and doesn't find much fault with her own features or body, but she also knows that doesn't mean she's everyone's specific cup of tea, either! She just believes that, according to a general standard, she rates highly in most areas, and no one could sincerely call her ugly. It helps that she's an Elf, since most of them have a high standard of confidence when it comes to their natural beauty!

Shery: before she joined the Shepherds, she believed herself to be average or below-average, and believed herself to be "mousy": hiding behind her bangs and spectacles was not something she ever saw conventionally beautiful people doing, so she grew up thinking she was forgettable or unremarkable, though not necessarily ugly or outright unattractive. Just sort of "plain." However, since joining and noticing that there are people who seem to compliment or even crush on her, she's since come to tentatively revise that opinion and thinks she could probably be considered "cute" by some people's standards, but she still thinks that her personality makes it hard for anyone to really notice her or become completely enthralled by her... so she would say she's probably like a 6 or 7 by looks alone, which she's content with!

Riel: as like a work of art or a painting (so judging by pure aesthetics alone, devoid of other considerations), he believes he rates around an 8 just going by the symmetry of his facial features, his taste in clothes, the fact that he's well-groomed, but he's a bit self-conscious of how he rates in terms of desirability or sexual appeal, which is a different thing entirely (in his own mind). Like, you can admit a painting is beautiful, but you don't want to fuck a painting? In those terms, he believes he falls well below the standards of the masculine ideal, probably resting at a 5, though he believes he makes up for it in other areas (wealth, intellect, uniqueness, etc). It doesn't bother him that much, but it is something that he is aware of at the back of his mind!

Chase: He thinks he's pretty good-looking (🙄), but that the effect is best felt and supplemented by his in-person charisma, charm, aura, and general personality. This is an extremely topical/dated example, but it's sort of like how a lot of people were largely indifferent to Glen Powell going strictly by looks alone, but then they saw him acting in Twisters or Top Gun or whatever and saw his chemistry with his co-stars and were suddenly like "oh 😳" Like he needs to be seen in action to really feel attracted to him?? Anyway, Chase thinks that if you were to see a perfect painting of him in a gallery, he's good-looking enough alone to make you stop and admire him, so probably like an 8... but his magnetism in person brings that to a 10 LOL

Red: He "doesn't really think about it" (🙄)--he more spends time grooming and styling himself to his own standards rather than really fretting over what other people would perceive or rate him as, but if you really pressed up, I think he'd say he's an 8 on a good day, potentially a 9 if he were to try very hard, but he'd sort of vaguely look around at everyone else to confirm if this was an arrogant thing for him to say lol, so he's definitely not totally sure about it! There aren't too many things he finds fault with when it comes to his physical appearance or body--he's generally satisfied and content in that department--but he also would never argue he's some great show-stopping beauty or gorgeous model: he just quietly lives with the idea that most people think he's a naturally pretty handsome guy!

Ayla: this is sad, but she probably rates herself a 3, maybe a 4 on a good day. 😕 Ayla thought she dispensed with thinking about her own appearance or attractiveness long ago, having accepted the fact that most people perceived her as this ragged, scrappy loner who mostly lived on the road and was lucky if she could find a stream to wash her hair in. She never possessed a mirror and, the rare times she stayed in a room that had one, she used it to check herself over for hidden injuries or things on her back and then went on her way... and none of this really mattered to her because she spent so much of her time alone. No one was really looking at her, she wasn't looking at herself, so who cared if she looked like a half-drowned rat with her hair growing into her eyes while she shook sand out of her clothes? Since joining the Shepherds, however, her private consciousness of her appearance has naturally increased, and sometimes she can feel quite down about it (especially when faced with the elegant grace of Tallys, the feminine cuteness of Shery, or the show-stopping beauty of Lavinet). Part of being in a group that she avoided was the vulnerability of natural comparison: no one's comparing you to anyone if you stand alone, but with the Shepherds, of course that's going to happen, even if only in her own mind... Anyway, this is a lot to say that she considers herself to be below-average in attractiveness, but is filled with a sullen self-loathing and pride when she considers doing anything to try to change that fact, so she just... resigns herself to feeling that way forever, if that makes any sense!

Briony: she thinks she's cute and can edge over into pretty when she tries really hard, so she'd probably say she hovers between a 6 and a 7 on an average day? While she thinks she has advantages like her striking hair color and eyes, she has areas that she privately feels a bit insecure about: she feels her face is too round, her nose is too short, feels like she's a bit short and compact and boyish in body when she's rather be tall and leggy like Tallys or buxom and curvaceous like Lavinet, etc. etc. It's not something that really bothers her--she figures that everybody feels that way about themselves--so she's happy with being "above-average" on most days. It's only when she's crushing on somebody and isn't sure of how they perceive her that she gets really unsure and self-conscious about it, and then she really obviously throws herself into styling herself to appear more feminine!

Lavinet: don't hate her, but she definitely thinks she's a 10 LOL. This is partly due to the fact that, by Blest beauty standards, she pretty much is a paragon of desirability, and everyone in her life has treated her as if she were a 10 or even outright said so... so there's really no reason for her to think otherwise! There are always small things she would tweak if she gave any thought to it, but in general she's been very happy with her appearance and how she's been able to use it as a tool to accomplish her goals in life!

Halek: he is well aware that he's gorgeous... he wouldn't say this out loud because he knows he'd get endlessly ragged on, but he'd probably say he's a 10 LMAO, maybe 9 so as to give the appearance of some humility... It's not even something he's arrogant about, he's just like aware of general beauty standards and is like 'yeah by no choice of my own and by complete accident of birth, i happen to fit these really well? *shrug*" It's nbd... and it's part of where his bde comes from, I'm sure

[erosauriarts]

SSKK^2 As Teens [Headcanons]

Outfits: 

Acchan wears a lot of J-pop fashion - athletic wear. Open and easy to move in. The designs are simple, but with his brother’s help, he makes his clothes his own. 

Ryuuchan paints little designs on his clothes - some of which are inside jokes that not even Atsushi and Aku know. 

Acchan likes it when no one knows what his designs mean, and he flaunts his custom sweater/shirt around. 

He wears crocs. Unironically. He likes he can kick them off whenever to climb anything he wants. Everyone hates them, but they can’t handle it when he tries to go find them.

If he can get away with it, he’d wear clashing patterns.

He’s destructive to pants in specific- he goes through them quite a bit. Atsushi can’t get him to stop.

Ryuu-chan is very simple. He likes self-expression and to look smart. He tends to wear layers, and Acchan encourages colorful jackets for Rashomon. He gets told he dresses too old for his age; to his reply is ‘yuh.’

He likes it when his outfit’s pallets match. He will test color theory on some outfits, but rather they’d just match them. 

He likes it when his jacket is darker than his shirt.

Though he makes designs for Acchan, he doesn’t really like wearing graphic tee/sweaters. 

~More Headcanons and Context ~

Haircuts:

Acchan watches a lot of TV - some of which are 80s TV. HE REALLY WANTED A MULLET. He kept telling everyone he was going to grow one, but Atsushi was insistent he didn’t. Aku stepped in to let him know that hair is important to a kid’s self esteem. Surrendering his rejection; Acchan is allowed to grow out his mullet. He doesn’t brush his hair, so he tends to look like he’s been electrocuted. 

Ryuuchan grew his hair like Chuuya's [mostly to try it out]. Unlike his brother, he cares for his hair really well. He prefers to pull it back to keep it from getting in his mouth. His hair has never passed his shoulders, and he’s ok with that. [It grows too fast, so he gets major cuts periodically. It returns to the length after a few months.

Academics:

Acchan is either really good at school or fails hard. He has a natural understanding to patterns and repetition but if school requires critical thinking; he panics and answers like “fish” on a math test. If there is a formula to the school work - he will blossom. He’s also been asked to join sports groups because he is the fastest runner in his class. Atsushi encouraged it until Acchan played soccer and kicked the ball so hard with the tiger that he had to pull him from sports that required kicking or throwing. [Atsushi was mostly worried for other kids' safety]

Ryuu-chan is attached to creative classes, though he does really well in all his closes. He, however, gets stressed with the school starts to bring up university.  He gets in his head and tends to over study and get exhausted on test day. 

Personality:

Acchan is really sweet to everyone he comes across. He tends to come home late from school because he gets stopped to do a series of heavy labor requests for the neighbors. He’s also very hungry and asks for food for payment. He comes home with snacks everyday. He’s well spoken if he is interested in a particular subject but when him and his brother fights over hypotheticals - all intelligence leaves.

Ryuu-chan is pretty reserved - though not socially avoidant. He’s too polite [engrained bc of Atsushi] and tends to do everything everyone asks. Unlike his brother, Ryuu-chan gets asked to do complicated tasks. Old people also really like talking to him, and it often feels like they seek him out to talk to him. He tends to dip if his social battery gets too much.

Context:

@sskk-squared

[isaacswhy]

hair

yumi x afab!reader (nsfw) summary: yumi tells you he needs a haircut, and you convince him it's a bad idea. requested?: by poll tags: oral (afab!receiving), hair pulling, somewhat sub yumi, no gendered terms or pronouns just anatomically afab MINORS DNI

"I need a haircut."

Those were your least favorite words you had to hear from your boyfriend, Blake. Even as you'd been conditioning him to get his hair cut a reasonable length and not to look like a toddler, it was hard. Every single stylist you brought him to would fuck him up.

Seated on his bed, you looked up at him from your phone and glared at him, to the best of your ability. "The hell you do."

"I do! Don't you see the fuckin' mop on my head?" Blake made a dramatic motion to his hair.

You frowned. You'd been learning how to cut hair in secret for the last few months, and you weren't quite ready to put your skills to the test. Most of your work had been on Isaac, who was willing enough to let you practice on him. Not like he was appearing much in videos anyways.

"Yeah, but it's my mop. It looks so pretty when it grows out, you can actually see the little waves in your hair," You said, making a little wavy motion with your hand.

Blake let out a dramatic sigh. "We can find a new person to cut my hair, a real professional, but please. I need to be able to see my screen one of these days."

You cocked a brow at him. "Then put it up or something. You know I think it looks sexy pushed back."

"It looks fuckin' stupid pushed back, and you know it."

"Not when I push it back."

Blake's head whipped over to you, as he had turned somewhat back to his computer. His cheeks flushed a little bit and he let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, well, that's a different, uh, thing."

"What? You know I like to put my hands through it and everything. Like when you're in my lap or-" You paused for a moment and let out a loud laugh, "Holy shit, Blake, that was not what I meant."

Blake put his head in his hands for a moment, letting out a long sigh. "Well.."

You began cracking up into a small fit of laughter. "Holy shit, you are so sex-brained it's crazy. You horny bitch, you like it when I pull your hair like that?"

Blake's face was completely covered by his hands, but you could see the redness in his ears. "Fuck off."

You stood up from his bed, leaving your phone on his comforter. Walking over to Blake, his face was still buried in his hands as you ran a hand through his soft, brown hair. He leaned into your touch on impulse and you smiled, opting not to make a comment about it.

"I know you like giving head, baby," You said in a softer voice, "There's no reason to be ashamed of it."

"I know," Blake whined as he pulled his head from his hands and looked at the ground, "It's just not super normal. Every guy I grew up around only ever talked about just dicking their partners down."

You nodded as your fingers worked through different strands of his hair. "But it's okay to not just want that. To like doing other things, too. You know that, right?"

Blake looked up at you. "Yeah, I know that, too. It's just- I think about it a lot. Drives me crazy sometimes."

You laughed softly as your eyes met his. "You are the horniest man on planet Earth, I think. But.. I don't mind, if I'm getting head all the time."

"That you are," Blake grinned as he slowly stood up, you taking a step back to give him room to stand.

You took his hand and pulled him over to the bed, and he followed along eagerly. You stopped him near the edge of the bed, putting a hand in his hair and pushing him down to his knees. He leaned forward, pressing soft kisses to your clothed thighs, eyes closed.

His hands trailed up the back of your thighs, groping at your ass briefly before his fingers looked to hook under the band of your sweatpants you had taken from his wardrobe. He successfully was able to, slowly pulling them down until they hit the floor, him now pressing his kisses to the skin of your thighs.

He was a little hastier to get to the hem of your underwear, pulling it off the same as he did with your sweats. His kisses trailed up, making you hold your breath as he got closer to where you wanted him to be. He teased just a little, kissing over the folds.

Before you could say anything, he stopped you just as you opened your mouth by dragging a tongue between them. The first bit of stimulation shut you down almost immediately, your right hand grasping into his soft hair. You heard him let out a small sound as his tongue dragged along your clit, making a slow circle that had your breathing turning shaky.

You stopped him for a moment, using your hand to pull him away, before sitting down on the edge of the bed. Your legs spread apart, because you knew he could work well with better access. He was eager to continue, your hand guiding him back.

He took a few long licks, his tongue pressed flat, before he began what he was best at. His tongue circling your clit, his lips sucking softly to create a mind-numbing feeling of suction. Your head rolled back on your shoulders, letting out soft moans as your grip in his hair tightened.

His hand slid down your inner thigh, kneading at it briefly before coming closer to his mouth. One of his fingers dragged closer, finally teasing at your entrance. You could feel just how slick and hot you were, and it was bad. With Blake between your legs, how couldn't you be?

As soon as it slid inside, you let out a whine, feeling him push in and slowly begin to stretch you out. His fingers were thick enough to have one making you squirm, panting softly as his mouth continued to drive you crazy. The finger worked slowly but thoroughly, pushing in deep and curling to hit the sweet spot.

As soon as he pushed a second finger in without warning, you doubled over and keened. You'd turned into a mess, moaning and softly repeating his name under your breath. Blake seemed fine, totally under control as he licked and sucked at your sensitive points, his fingers driving in deeper. He looked almost entranced, his eyes closed but his mouth and fingers working rhythmically.

Your grip was slowly starting to tighten further into his hair, the feeling of pleasure only intensifying. Every second, it was getting more and more overwhelming and it signaled your orgasm was quickly approaching.

"Blake, baby," You said through shaky breaths, "Getting.. close."

He looked up at you with a devilish grin, and you felt your stomach fill with butterflies. You could only hold his gaze as his fingers pushed in faster and deeper, his mouth and tongue working overtime. The release came at you full-speed like a train, feeling like a coil snapped inside your guts. All of the sudden, you were moaning out like a whore and pulling Blake's hair hard.

As the waves of pleasure cascaded through you, clenching around his fingers, he slowed down and pulled his mouth from your sensitive, twitching clit. He gave you a soft smile, kissing you briefly. "Was that good?"

"Was that-" You scoffed and looked at him like he was insane, "Are you kidding me? That was amazing."

Blake grinned, pulling his fingers from you and licking them clean. "Tastes so good."

"God, you're so.." You trailed off with a groan. He drove you insane, always so positive and goofy but looking to please at any given minute. It was like the universe had made him for you.

"So what?"

"So perfect," You sighed, "So, are you going to cut your hair now?"

Blake took a second to think before shaking his head. "No, I think I'll survive a few more weeks."

"That's right," You smiled and ruffled his hair with your hand, "Don't take this beautiful mop away from me just yet."

[iliketangerines]

sex pollen

a/n: if i see any bullying of zhang, i will actually bite your fucking head off. don't disrepect my homeboy just because he has a traditional haircut.

pairing: zhang x afab!recom!reader

warnings: nsfw (MDNI), mating press, dubcon (bc sex pollen), overstimulation, pussy eating, finger fucking

you were going to kill Zhang for dragging you out here, you swear to fucking god you were going to kill Zhang once the both of you make it out of the forest

he had dragged you out into the forest to look at some of the greenery, wanting to feel the grass on his feet and his hands, and you had agreed because you had been itching to do so as well

back on earth, seeing greenery was a privilege, touching it was an impossibility, but on Pandora, it was everywhere, all-encompassing and overwhelming

and then the two of you had found a waterfall in the forest and stripped down to your underwear to take a dip in the pool, but when the two of you climbed out, it turns out he had forgotten to bring a compass

now, the both of you trekking back, trying to retrace your footsteps unsteadily, boots held in your hands and only your pants clinging to your moist skin

you’re starting to understand why the na’vi wear such skimpy clothing when it was blazing hot in the weather, and the clothing sticking to your skin was starting to irritate your senses

Zhang, on the other hand, is doing much better than you, fingers trailing along the trees and ears flicking every which way to listen to the fauna of the forest

he’s even humming a song underneath his breath, and you growl and continue to trudge through the shrubbery while slapping at another bug trying to bite you

looking back at you to make sure you were still there, you scowl at him, and he rolls his eyes, not noticing the root of the tree that was lifted off the ground

in an instant, he’s on the ground, hands planted into the greenery of the forest floor as he catches himself, and he frowns as he lifts himself back up and finds his hands covered in a yellow pollen

you struggle to hide a laugh as you grab onto his hand and help him off the ground, and he thanks you quietly, wiping his hands on his pants before rushing some dust out of his face

rubbing your eyes to get rid of some of the sweat and tiredness, the both of you trek for a few more minutes, and you nearly cry in relief at the sight of the compound coming back into sight

your footsteps hurry to rush back into the air-conditioned building, and you nearly moan at the blast of cool air to your heated skin

Zhang lets out a huff of air at the feeling, and he bows his head slightly to say goodbye to you as the both of you head to your separate rooms

the door shuts behind you as you strip off your dirty clothes, and you turn on the hot water and place yourself underneath the spray, moaning at the warmth

while the waterfall was its own type of refreshing and amazing, nothing beat a hot shower, and you soak in the heat, tail flicking and banging against the shower walls in pleasure

the rest of the day passes by idly, training as usual and then working out, and at dinner time, you shove food onto your plate, bits of it falling off the sides

as you sit down to eat, Lyle raises an eyebrow at you, saying that you don’t usually eat this much food, and you glare and growl at him, telling him to back off

he raises his hands, simply sending you a smirk and saying that he was just making an observation, and he goes back to eating his own food

and then you blink, confused as to why you had reacted so aggressively to Lyle making a simple comment about your food

today’s workout was just hard, and you were on your last senses

with that excuse, you go back to your own food, sniffing it carefully before shoveling it into your mouth

a sort of feral hunger has settled into your gut, begging you to eat and eat and eat, and after dinner, you can barely move, stuffed full with food

in your own preoccupation with your thoughts, you don’t notice how Zhang has started to load up on the food as well, plate just about the same size as you

when you arrive back at your dorm, your bed looks empty and sad, hard and cold despite the blanket and pillow you usually only slept with

your hands dig into your drawers, pulling out every soft bit of material that you can find, and you pad up your bed, filling every nook and cranny, fixing the clothing, ripping it apart and starting again until you’re satisfied

it’s a mish mash and mess, shreds of your torn clohing scattered about the floor and all over your bed, in a pattern that only your brain could comprehend

you crawl into your bed satisfied and curl up inside of the softness and let your tail wrap around yourself before falling asleep

the next few days, you feel sluggish at training, mind unable to focus, and you let your body move on instinct to Quaritch’s orders as you try to process through the brain fog

perhaps you were sick, coming down with something, could the recom bodies even get sick?

you’re not sure, but you know for a fact that you can’t seem to focus and let yourself settle into your military training as you turn your brain off

you had attached yourself to Zhang the past few days as well, unable to part from his side for longer than just a few minutes, but he seems just as obsessed

on breaks, his face can be found in your neck, nibbling on the soft skin, and your hands can be found buried in his hair as you purr contentedly

he shoves his clothing into your hands after workouts, soaked in his sweat and his scent, but you only chirp happily and nuzzle into him before scampering off to fix your bed

he sits next to you during meals, and you preen with happiness every time, leaning in closer to him to push the side of your thigh into his

Zhang lets out contented rumbles and presses his shoulder into yours, and you wriggle in happiness as you eat, a smile ghosting your lips

it’s a warm day, and you had just finished training and had made your way to the lunchrooms, tail intertwined with Zhang’s

you shovel food into your mouth, uncaring of how much you were eating, and as you stare at the empty plate, you crave for more

he seems to know and gives you his plate, saying that he’ll grab some more, long legs carrying him easily to the food area as you dig into your meal

Fike elbows at your side, telling you to slow down on the eating with a playful smile, and before you can even turn to respond to the recom, you hear the familiar pounding of Zhang’s feet against the tile as he tackles Fike, snarling and growling like a feral animal and telling him to keep his fucking hands off of his mate

just like you, he had been eating much more than he usually does, putting on more weight and strength onto his body, and you hadn’t noticed with your own preoccupations with your own problems

right now however, as you hear utensils clatter and the resounding shouts of the others telling Zhang to stand down and get off, you don’t move and only watch as Zhang acts like a wild animal

as he claws and growls, Lyle and Z-dog grabbing onto his arms, you feel a twinge inside of you, something angry and dark and possessive

you’re not aware of your own body as you rip Lyle off of Zhang, baring your teeth and hissing as you sink your claws into Lyle’s arms to get him to back off

Lyle lets out a shout of pain and anger, and he uses his strength to throw you to the side to get back at pulling Zhang off of a bruised and swollen Fike

Zhang ear’s twitch at the sound of your yelp and turns his gaze to Lyle, his eyes more pupil than iris as he hisses and struggles in their grip, shouting something incomprehensible

you breathe heavily, the world muffled and body much too warm to be normal, and you stare up at the ceiling as you try to focus back on your surroundings

standing back up, something pricks you in the neck, and you sluggishly turn around to find Quaritch with a tranquilizer gun in his grip

it’s the last thing you remember before you pass out

you wake up to a cold room, floor hard and unforgiving as you wake up, and you whimper when you feel cuffs digging into your wrists

heat prickles underneath your skin, and you groan uncomfortably at how your clothes stick to your sweaty skin and how the bright lights burn your eyes

the room is empty except for you cuffed to the chair, and you let out a low whine at the cold and harsh room, it was everything unlike your soft bed

thinking feels like a struggle as your tail lashes behind you, and your hips rut against the chair instinctively, trying to find some sort of friction as your brain slowly processes the claws of arousal deep in your gut

agonizing pleasure runs through you, and you whine and whimper as you keep rutting your hips against the chair, the friction of your underwear dragging against your sensitive clit

it’s only you and the sound of the chair squeaking as you uselessly chase for a pleasure that won’t come your way

no matter how fast or how hard you try to grind into the chair, your orgasm sits just out of reach, teasing and torturing you as it slips by your fingers every time

time seems to tick by slowly as you start to cry tears of frustration, and your hands clench together, trying to claw at the hard metal to get yourself free

the door opens in your room, and you can barely recognize the figure of your colonel in the room, his body flinching as he sniffs the air

he clears his throat as he uncuffs you, but his touch only sears your skin and your body flinches away from his fingers as he uncuffs you

his heavy hand grabs at the back of your kuru, and you’re helpless to let him guide you through the hallways, steadying your stumbling as you pant heavily and try to deal with the pain cramping in your body the longer he touches you

there’s the sound of something whooshing open, and then Quaritch gently pushes you into a dimmed room, the familiar scent of your bedroom hitting your nose

you rush over to your bed, nearly jumping into it before you realize that doing that would only ruin the carefully built fortress you had built

relief floods you as you bury yourself into the sheets, and you bury your nose into the linens as you sigh in relief, fingers curling into the soft material

a low whine leaves your throat as you hump your own bed, desperate for something more, and there’s a low sob as you bite your lip, orgasm still just a breath away from you

the door creaks open again, a sliver of bright light illuminating the room before it disappears, and you sniff the air, ears perking up as you scent Zhang

he rushes to you, pupils dark and golden irises nothing more than a razor thin ring, and you growl as he steps into your bed without your permission

Zhang pauses, muscles straining with the effort of listening to you, and you get up on your knees and tug at his shirt

hurriedly, he pulls it off and hands it to you, and you press it to your nose and search around your bed on the perfect place to put the soft material

as your hands press it into one of the creases, a small purr leaves your chest and your tail flicks behind you happily as you finally complete your bed

something clicks in your head, and you look back to Zhang, tilting your head for him to come in

slowly, he steps into the bed, and he brings his hands up to cradle your face, his breaths slow and deep as he fully takes in the scent of you and your arousal

and then it’s the clash of your lips against his, claws tearing and ripping at the clothing clinging onto your skin and his

his hands push and pull at the weight you’ve gained, groaning in appreciation at the plush curves, and your hands do the same, squeezing at his thighs and brushing over his soft stomach

his lips never leaves yours as you fall down onto the bed, back pressed into the soft linens, and he ruts his hard cock into the plush of your thigh

Zhang only pulls back to attach his lips to the curve of your jaw and then to your neck, teeth nipping at the sensitive flesh and sucking dark hickeys into your skin

your hands bury itself into his hair as you moan into the air, your hips meeting his as you grind against each other

he pulls a high-pitched whine from your lips when he moves further down and licks at your chest, sucking and placing long flat licks over your nipple

you whimper and arch your back off the bed, pushing your chest further into his mouth, and your legs part further to make way for his body as he shuffles further downward

his teeth bite into your nipple, his other hand kneading at your other breast and rolling the sensitive nub in between his calloused fingertips

he can’t seem to get enough of the taste of your skin, moaning as he teases your chest, and you can barely stand the pleasure swirling in his head

it’s a heat that crawls underneath your skin, one that melts your brain and only heightens everything that you feel, but his touch is only cool to the touch, soothing and calming the fire that burns your nerves

pleasure clouds your thoughts along with need and want and the overwhelming scent of Zhang

he stills your mind while also riling it up at the same time, bringing your head out a fog of unsurety and into the haze of him

his mouth detaches from your nipple with a loud pop, lips swollen and fangs lightly gleaming into the low light of the room, and he moves his mouth to your other nipple

never once does he stop rutting against the bed lazily, his hands kneading at your skin and your chest and everywhere else they could possibly touch

and his tail lazily sways behind him, content and happy with how he tastes and worships your body

finally, Zhang trails his kisses down your chest to your stomach, biting into the slight fat of your lower belly and purring in contentment at the sight

his hands part your thighs wider before he uses an arm to press the tops of your thighs into your torso, presenting your pussy to his eager mouth

he uses his other hand to part your swollen folds, salivating at the sight of your cunt drooling just for him and your clit aching for attention

you whine loudly, hands clawing at the sheets as his tongue presses into you and his nose grinds against your clit so deliciously

it’s too much and not enough at the same time, his tongue fucking into you and trying to find your sweet spot to make pleasure explode behind your eyes

Zhang moves his mouth up to your clit, tongue laying flat over the sensitive and swollen bud and dragging up it as his fingers goes to slide into your pussy

he groans at your taste, and you squirm and gasp underneath his as he sucks on your clit and curves his fingers up inside of you, the rough pads of them massaging right into something devastating

you whine and grab onto his hair with your hands, tugging and pulling at the strands as he laps at your clit, and he only groans as you pull at his hair

his gaze is focused on you however, his eyes meeting yours and watching your every move, how your chest heaves up and down and how his marks litter across his skin

it makes him growl and fuck you on his fingers harder, desperate to make you cum first, and small little whimpers are punched out of you at the pleasure

your pussy clenches around him, so close to your release, and Zhang knows it too, smiling up at you and flicking his tongue back and forth across your clit while his fingers press into your sweet pot

a loud cry pierces through the room as you arch your back off the bed and clench down on his fingers hard, cummong on his hand and letting the tidal wave of pleasure carry you down into the deep

there’s a haze in your mind that curls and coddles you, bringing you into its warm embrace, and you can’t think properly as Zhang fucks you on his fingers through your orgasm, making it last for as long as possible

his fingers slow down in their pace, and he detaches his mouth from your clit as he pulls his fingers out, eyes flicking to look at how your release coats his fingers

white and creamy and dripping down his hands, he places his two fingers into his mouth, tasting your release and moaning at how sweet it is

you can’t notice, head too busy in the clouds to really comprehend what was happening, and you let out a small groan as Zhang shuffles upward, hooking your knees over his shoulders and moving up until you were in a mating press

the length of his cock presses against your folds, hot and heavy and long, and you whine for him to fuck you, please, you need him to fuck you so badly

he licks his lips at your begging and slightly brings his hips back, just enough to line himself up with your drooling cunt and slowly slide in

tilting your head back at the feeling, you whine as he pushes in further and further, seemingly never ending, and you paw at the sheets, overwhelmed

Zhang groans and stops, giving you and him a breather, and you whine that you can take it, just please, you need him to fuck you, please please please

he lets out a slight grunt, saying that he was only halfway and that he needs to give you a second, and you blink at him owlishly and bite your lip, trying to contain a small moan

you already felt so full, you’re not sure if he can even fit all the way, and as if he catches the look on your face, he says he’ll make it fit, a rare smirk on his face

his statement distracts you enough for him to thrust in a little more, and it punches a whimper out of you as you gasp for air

he fucks into you slowly, hips moving back and forth, sinking you deeper and deeper on his cock until finally his hips meet yours, grinding into you and against your clit

stars trail across your vision as you gasp for air, and you whine and groan, the small tears in your eyes falling at how stretched you felt

Zhang kisses the small tears away, and small whines and whimpers escape from you as you try to calm down and adjust

you’ve never felt so full, so full of him and surrounded by him, ever bit of his skin touching yours seems to send your brain in a fritz, and the sound of his heavy breaths as his eyes stare into your sends you heart into a frenzy

soon enough, the pleasure outweighs the pain, and your hips slightly rut into his, begging him to move and fuck you, the instincts in your body driving you to have him

he wastes no time, hips grinding and then fucking into you ruthlessly, the sound of wet slaps echoing in the room along with both yours and his moans

with every thrust, his pelvis slaps against your clit, sending jolts of pleasure into you, and he keeps eye contact with you, refusing to let you look away from him

it makes you whine and your head to grow fuzzy, and you can’t help it as your cunt clenches down on him and you cum on his cock

a growl escapes from his throat at how your pussy hugs his cock, but he keeps fucking into you, hips never faltering or stuttering as he fucks you through your orgasm, trying to chase his own and fill you with his seed

his thrusts are relentless and brutal, bullying your walls, and you let him drive you into overstimulation, cries and sobs leaving your throat

with a barely noticeable stutter of his hips, he groans deep and leans his head down to rest his forehead against yours as he cums into your abused cunt

and yet, he still doesn’t stop, fucking his cum deeper and deeper into you as he paints your walls white

his pace slows down eventually, the last bits of what he had to give you filling you and seeping out onto the sheets of your bed

the both of you pant, and he moves your legs from his shoulders to wrap around his waist

but he stays buried deep inside of you, and he presses his weight into your body and also slots his lips with yours

you sigh into the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck and closing your eyes as he moans into your mouth and hums at how your legs squeeze his slim waist

it was strange how quickly you had grown attached to him, but the thought flies from your mind when he parts from your lips and flips you around so that your ass is high in the air and so that your face is smushed into the softness of your bed

he mutters that he needs more, needs to fuck you again, and you whine as he fucks into your overstimulated pussy, one hand reaching underneath you to rub at your swollen clit

in the research room, Quaritch sighs when he hears from the scientists that you and his best sniper wouldn’t be available for at least a week, something had triggered your heat and Zhang’s rut, and all of you were helpless to nature

[serenhoshi]

𝐉𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝

got a request for jeonghan, so here it is! I had quite a hard time writing this one :’) i might rewrite it in the future

Yoon Jeonghan is a confusing man

he always jokes around, in dating situations as well

he flirts but not really???

with literally anyone he finds pretty too

its like he doesn’t believe in boy & girl friendships, but at the same time he never goes as far as making people actually fall in love with him

as a result, he doesn’t make any new friends, and dates no one either

very clown-like behavior

but if you tell him that he’ll deny it

at some point he starts jokingly flirting with you, since you work for Hybe as well

and for the sake of the story, you don’t react like others

other people were flustered and giggled at his pick-up lines (some, rare as well, didn’t react at all and told him to leave them alone)

you, being different, answered to his flirt with flirt

it confused him at first but he went on, and you did as well

so almost every day (any time you crossed paths at work) you either commented each other’s outfit/haircut/makeup look, or said a cheesy pick-up line, or anything that would make people around you roll their eyes and laugh quietly

he truly found you attractive and funny, and you did as well

maybe you’d consider yourselves as friends if you knew each other well enough

because you both joke around and stuff but you know nothing about the other

it takes some time for you both to notice it

once jeonghan does, its almost too late

he had seen you many times with one of your coworkers, you were great friends, and he asked you out on a date

Jeonghan didn’t show any reaction, but deep inside he felt jealous

either because he wants to be the only one to be flirted with by you

or because he knows that this date between you and your coworker could lead into something deeper, like an actual relationship

and he didn’t want that

but he didn’t want to show it, and at the same time, if he didn’t interrupt your co-worker’s date proposal, then his chances of getting in a more-than-friends relationship with you would be gone

because he actually wants this more-than-friends relationship

teasing you everyday made him grow fond of you 

he memorized your work schedules, noticed when you changed something with your everyday makeup look, when you bought some new clothes, or when you changed your perfume

he was falling in love with you real fast, and couldn’t let you slip through his fingers, going with someone else

so he interrupted your coworker while he was asking you out on a date, pretending that there was an emergency meeting you had to attend

so you followed him in the corridors of the building, a bit surprised by the whole situation

when you got in one of the many meeting rooms, no one was there, only the two of you

so he used this opportunity to tell you how he really feels about you

he seems kinda distant in his way of saying things? jeonghan always sounds a bit detached from things when he tells a story or speaks important matters

but he is very honest with you, he looks at you straight in the eyes and just tells you all the things he feels for you, even how jealous he was when he saw your coworker trying to ask you out

From then on, you started dating

at first you went out a lot, going to the museum, or some coffee shop, basically anything that could make you see each other

a bit of physical touch was progressively added, then some sincere compliments

all of this before your first “i love you” 

then you started sleeping at each other’s place

the members knew you already, and they were like “omg they’re finally together! what took you so long??”

they liked you lmao

but jeonghan preferred the intimacy of your appartment, its like he left the dorms at some point, because he was always at your place

cooking together was your thing

more like cooking experiences, because it was messy everytime

you once tried to make pop-corn in a frying pan, but there was too much corn in the pan so it overflowed and went everywhere in the kitchen, making a big, big mess

you even messed up some pizzas once

so you end up ordering take-out most of the time

also your dates go on, its like a habit, once every week (except when hes on tour) you go out somewhere to discover a new place

this involves you being a part-time photographer for jeonghan lmao

you never ask him to take pictures of you, but he still does, when you’re not looking, and when you look like your most natural self, the person he fell in love with

also jeonghan is very much in the traditional korean couple idea

so he celebrates your relationship’s anniversary every month during the first year, just like koreans do

he loves matching outfits, accessories, pins and everything

he also likes trying out your hobbies

so if you paint, he’ll try, same for reading, drawing, sculpting and stuff

sometimes it looks bad but hes very dedicated to anything he makes

at some point he’ll make a storage shelf in which he’ll put all of the artworks you made together, you often find him looking at it with a coffee in hand, as if he was admiring a museum’s masterpiece

he makes plans quite fast with you, in his mind at least

he projects himself a lot with you, but doesn’t want to scare you so he keeps it for himself at the beginning

like he always wanted to adopt a kitten and a puppy, giving them the names of some of your funny artworks, like “kerfuffle“ or “gobbledegook”

ofc he wants to get married, and maybe have children as well, if you want to

in the end, he went from joking around about love to getting in a very serious realtionship x)

smutty part below :)

first of all, i think that jeonghan isn’t that fond of sex

i think he’s one of the members who has had the least one-night stands, if not zero

he never flirted as far as getting himself in a sexual thing with someone

so he doesn’t have much experience with you, and i think he’ll get shy lmao

poor man can’t look at you without blushing  h a r d

but once he gets really comfortable, he becomes more and more of a tease

his dominant side shows more, he talks more and teases you both with his words and acts

because he enjoys seeing how flustered you become when he does

as we know, he is the most sporty guy with absolutely NO stamina, so he rarely does more than one round 

he is VERY good with his hands 

like he analyses your reactions over his touch, and knows what to do to stimulate you 

loves kisses too, everywhere, mostly in your/his neck

he also likes when there are risks of being walked in, or heard

he loves the thrill of it, and he feels some sort of pride knowing that people are hearing you moaning his name

speaking of moans, this man is noisyyy

when he isn’t talking to tease you or ask you how you feel, he just moans and groans

his low groans in your neck always make you shiver, and he knows it 

aftercare with him is always either a bubbly bath, or just you both staying naked on the bed, cuddling while waiting because you’re both too lazy to move

at some point you’ll go shower because the heat of the act left, and it’s cold quite fast

[mariaace]

CHOSO HC'S (CHOSO KAMO X GN! READER)

A/n:soooo i already did Megumi and i thought that Choso would be a good idea too🤷‍♀️if you have any requests for someone go on.

Warnings⚠️: none

Loading...

•Choso is sooo clueless like boy never been in a relationship with someone and doesn't know shit. But of course that won't stop him from being with someone. He would just ask ton of questions, like a loooooooot. Like "is it okay if i do that?" "Is that normal" "what am i supposed to do now" etc.

•He would be very observant about the things you like so he would know and make yo surprises or just take you out at places you like.

•Choso would put his hair down only Infront of YOU. He would let you do his hair, play with it, brush it, try haircuts on him. He wouldn't mind whatever you do just, because he trusts you with it.

•Choso would got and ask Yuji for advice before you two started dating, cuz he doesn't want to mess things up or just doesn't know what to do at all.

•Choso would ALWAYS lays his head on your lap whenever he has a choice. Like he would not waist any opportunities of it. He just thinks it's comforting for both you and him and would find it really calming whenever he had a rough day or just wants to spend more time with you, but he is really tired to do so.

•If you are going through hard time or you are just not feeling the best Choso would litterly do ANYTHING so you could feel better. He would just stay and listen to you talking about whatever the fuck you want or need to takk about. He may not really know how to help you, because he doesn't really understand these things, but he'll try his best.

•If you ever ask to borrow Choso's clothes he would be a bit confused at first like "do you not like yours" (AHH HE IS SOO), but he wouldn't have a problem. You like something he has? It's yours

•I feel like he would always like when you tend his injuries after a fight. Like you are just standing there talking with him about random things while you are bandaging his arm or whatever he has hurt on himself.

© mariaace 2024 do not modify, plagiarize, copy or claim any of my works!

[banes-favourite]

I doubt the House of Hope was the most hygienic place, and even before Enver was sold his parent's house probably wasn't that hygienic either because of the area they lived and how it sounds like they were living in poverty

So do you think this has had an effect on him as an adult? Does he still struggle with certain aspects of keeping good hygiene since he never really got into the practice of it before, or maybe he is almost obsessive over keeping himself clean and wearing some sort of perfume to distance himself as much as possible from that time? Or maybe he usually ensures he's clean at all times but occasionally struggles with it either during some period of time where he's completely focused on his work or when he's having an episode of a decline in his mental well-being

Maybe before durge disappeared he tended to have a bit of a more kept together appearance, but after durge vanished he found that he just no longer cared that much, or it felt more like a chore and he struggled to find the energy. So instead he just dived further into his work(probably not hard to do with him likely already being busier due to Orin and having more things to do in preparation for becoming archduke and reaching the last stages of the plan).

No cause you're so real for this. I think about this often cause like, this man is a Lord. He climbed the ranks by mingling and talking and socialising and manipulating. His image Should be his everything. And to a point, it is, because he wears these needlessly flashy clothes and accessories and holds himself up with so much confidence it's impossible not to find him impressive just by looking at him.

But then you look a bit closer and he's so unkempt? His stubble, his wild ass hair, his face looks like it hasn't been washed in days? And it's just., how did you become an archduke without paying attention to your appearance baby boy?

But then you think about it more and you realise he never had the LUXURY to care about basic hygiene because he was in constant survival mode since the moment he was born. Who cares about haircuts when you're struggling for your next meal? Who cares about washing up when you're going to get beaten to a bloody pulp anyway? Mf had to fight with teeth and claws to make a name for himself, I doubt hygiene was even on the top 20 things on his mind.

So I think there's two ways to interpret it. The more realistic approach is that he does not care, he cleans up when he's meeting someone important, just enough to keep up appearances but he never truly gets the hang of it because he simply never had the time to worry about it.

But personally I love the idea that as an adult, it does become an obsession, because finally he's reached his goals and he finally has the time and money to take proper care of himself. That he cleans his own clothes because he believes the servants are unclean, bathes twice a day with scorching water by scrubbing his body raw, wears gloves to protect himself against the germs he was forced to constantly be around in his younger years. He cannot stand the idea of being untidy because in his mind it's the same like being dirty, so his desk has to be perfect, his clothes have to be perfect, his chambers have to be perfect, and the moment anyone fucks up this careful environment he's built, he loses his shit. He reacts very strongly when Durge picks up dirt or blood and spreads it in his home, on his precious floors and carpets. He has to throw everything away and buy new, clean things every single time because he can afford to and otherwise he won't be able to sleep at night. It's an obsession, sure, but it's also a reminder that he's grown and got himself out of the shithole of poverty and enslavement. He holds power over his things, his body, his surroundings, and he'll do anything to keep it.

This interpretation also makes it all the more gut-wretching when his carefully built obsession starts slipping after Durge's disappearance. He no longer sees the point in putting so much energy in vanity or cleanliness, throws himself into work and work alone. He spends days building in his workshop and he doesn't even fucking care to wash away the oils and grease from the machines. He stops bathing, stops shaving, stops styling his hair, and it'd be super unnerving to watch him go from this perfect pillar of confidence to a sleep-deprived, dirty man in grief who has ran out of the energy to care.

(Both ideas work well with him drowning himself in his vanilla perfume also, either to cover up his stinky ass bc he Does Not Give a Shit or obsessively spraying himself every hour or so to smell as clean as he wants to feel)

[eternal-armin]

ii. SO, HOW SHOULD i begin this?

part two woo. hopefully i'll be able to catch up on this and maybe publish some other stuff now that i'm home a lot more often (yay pain and mobility issues), maybe some arcane stuff since that would be fun, branching out into my last hyperfixation again lol. i've proofread so it should be good :>

pairing : five hargreeves x male/transmasc reader [he/him pronouns]

─────

where : after trying and sort of succeeding to get on the hargreeves' good side, five and [y/n] try rationalizing the situation and figuring out something, anything, to do about it.

─────

warnings : mentions of trauma, threats [of physical violence and murder], reader is still totally exhausted because how could he not be, depression, dissociation, pain, bits of shouting, not necessarily a warning but viktor is always viktor in the multiverse because the boy deserves it okay, existentialism, philosophical nihilism, family issues.

five adjusted his clothes in the mirror. although he wouldn't be able to have a proper retirement, he could look like a retired old man, couldn't he? who would've thought that someone could get so excited for beiges and tans. he got an amused look of subtle approval from you. beyond that, it wasn't very hard to look past your façade if he was being honest, you looked hesitant; though could he blame you? there were probably millions of worlds where his family fucked you over or just straight-up killed you. and yet, you also looked too tired to care. he couldn't blame you for that, either.

he touched your shoulder again. in a flit of light, which once again made you feel horribly nauseated and woozy, you were downstairs. surprised exclamations roused from his family.

"anyone know where vanya and allison are?" five asked, glancing with narrowed eyes across the lacking table.

"nope." and after that short reply diego went back to finishing off his meal—for someone who often scarfed his meals down, he seemed to be taking his sweet time. either that or your fun conversation with five had not taken as long as you'd thought; either possibility was equally likely at this point, really.

"nuh-uh... sorry."

"not a clue, unfortunately. something wrong, tiny dancer?" klaus asked.

"well, we have a new problem."

"who's this guy?" luther pointed at you wish his thumb, not caring to cover his mouth; your nausea was worsened to see someone talking whilst eating. diego looked at you then, and you hated how his glare bore straight through your soul. he really, really didn't seem to appreciate your presence. how both of them could so willingly ignore the phrase 'we have a problem,' especially from five, was unknown to you.

"this is [y/n]. he's one of the sparrows."

you waved once to everyone. whether the sluggishness of the motion, and the weak smile which accompanied it, was due to shyness or exhaustion was incredibly murky and unclear.

"so now we're getting all buddy-buddy with the enemy? do you know how stupid that is?"

"i'm sorry, diego, did you not hear me say that we have a problem?"

"well, you say that a lot, little brother!" klaus leaned forward to see you clearer, giving you a smile. it didn't really placate your anxieties or your strong desire to run, however it was appreciated. he waved, and you again waved back politely, still feeling very... guilty for your earlier flub. it wasn't a new thing, either, and that made you feel even worse. "hello, little enemy! how do you look so young? do you use those, like, '10 years younger' face creams? i didn't know they worked that well—"

"that is not a relevant question, klaus, now can someone please tell me where allison and vanya are?"

you cleared your throat slightly. "vanya is most likely getting a haircut. allison is trying to get to claire, but she's... not going to find her." it left a bitter taste in your mouth to refer to viktor in such a disrespectful way, but you couldn't take that from him. upon receiving suspicious stares from the younger hargreeves brothers, you mumbled a quiet "maybe."

"mind telling us what the hell is going on before i deck this mini-muffin across the lobby?"

"hey, hey, do not use mini-muffin as an insult! those are beautiful things, there's nothing better than mini-muffins when you're on a bender at, like, three in the morning!" klaus got a confused and heavily judgmental look in return for that... beautiful insight.

"[y/n] has the ability to see all other timelines, so he can usually find out the most probable events. okay? good. now i need to find allison, so can one of you fetch vanya, please?"

"no, not good, and no thanks! after all we've gone through, we deserve a proper explanation!" klaus objected. after a second or two of awkward silence, and a scowling glare from five, he gave in with a curt sigh. it sounded more like a groan. the brothers looked at you; klaus was the only one to seem patient, showing the approval of a parent understanding a kid's fear of giving a speech; luther stared at you with a puzzling mix of intrigue and subtle impatience; and diego stared at you with a raised eyebrow, leaning his head in slightly as if to say 'i'm waiting.' five's glare, although still quite characteristic, was a bit softer when aimed at you. you could never feel more put on the spot.

"you've gotta say something, little man, we can't read your mind," klaus encouraged.

"well, uh... i don't know exactly what it is yet, but something is wrong."

"aren't you omniscient or some shit? you can see literally every reality!"

the shouting scared you quite a bit and certainly made your headache worse. you put one of your hands to your head, mumbling, wishing you could just get some painkillers. if only five had given them back.

"don't shout, for fuck's sake," five grumbled, annoyed in his own right.

"i'm not omniscient. if no other worlds know something, then i can't, and... no other world knows yet. but something is wrong." your quiet voice was juxtaposed to diego's, still loud and stubborn like back in the academy. around 79.4 percent of every single alternate world which had diego in it found him like this, angry and short-tempered; it was very interesting. "you aren't supposed to be here. you guys, as you are, don't exist here. i don't think reality appreciates you showing up all of a sudden. and if versions of yourselves already exist in this world, then something will need to... iron out the wrinkles, i guess." you pursed your lips for a second. "not to be too brash or anything, but, to really, really dumb it down, you're a mis—you're mistakes."

"seriously? five, i thought you said that this timeline would be safe to stay in." luther looked like a scolded puppy. you felt bad. he was far too sweet—naive? yes, naive—for this kind of life.

"yes, that's what i thought, but second opinions are pretty valuable in my line of expertise. turns out it was sorely needed." his brows pricked up a few times while he spoke. "but, like you said before, it may be a problem we can solve."

diego remained, unsurprisingly, unswayed. "you better not be including this wad of chewed gum in that 'we,' five."

"what is with you and insulting him? he wants to help. jesus christ."

"last time i checked, his entire family just kicked our asses out of our own house, i have a right to be pissed, and he's lucky i'm in no killing mood."

"i don't agree that he should be killed," luther began in solidarity, "but we have a reason not to trust him, right?"

you took a little breath and exhaled it in a quiet sigh. "i know my family can be... extreme. and bad sometimes. trust me. and i totally understand how you can be angry with them and with me and think that i'm not honest. but i never hurt anyone, and i want to help you guys. you're eccentric yourselves, but usually you're good people. you're, like, an actual family," you added, trailing off, "not a group forced to stay together for monetary gain."

five squinted at you slightly. was that one of the reasons you chose not to grow up? you couldn't be associated with the sparrows if you were half their age. throw on a pair of sunglasses and nobody could recognize you.

jeez. didn't that sound nice.

"you guys really deserve a place to rest. a stable place to live, even. and if we can figure this out, then maybe you won't have to live in constant fear of coming into contact with your doppelganger or something. live, like, normal lives. as normal as they can be, anyway."

diego, much to your surprise, seemed to listen to what you were saying. sure, he still looked quite ticked-off and impatient, but you couldn't really ask for too much from him, could you?

"and you're sure that this is a problem we can actually solve? for good?"

"i'm not exactly sure what the problem even is yet. all i know is that something is wrong. but every problem has a solution, even if it seems impossible sometimes." there was a twinge of sage, melancholic hopelessness somewhere in there, some subtle disbelief. "five is quite the expert in timelines and time travel-related problems and paradoxes, and i'm an expert in alternate realities and manipulating reality itself. if anyone can figure it out, i'm sure we can. and i have no doubt that all of you will also play large parts."

luther's face was screwed into an expression of brazen confusion. "so... we're, like, completely blind, and need to fight an enemy we know absolutely nothing about."

"pretty much," you mumbled.

"surprisingly poetic way to put that, luther, i'm impressed," five mused rather sarcastically. "unfortunately, however, it seems we're gonna have to do something terrible and unprecedented." perhaps for dramatic effect, perhaps to quell his own annoyances, he paused and sighed out a breath. "we're going to have to work together." he did not need to specify the parties specified in 'together.'

"well, personally, i think this is a splendid idea. perfect opportunity for family bonding, i'd say! we're surrounded by decent chinese food and competent beds and cable television. decent music, too! and diego can finally figure out some self-discipline by not constantly threatening to kill [y/n]! marvelous idea little ones." admittedly, klaus's unique way of talking and gesturing was quite calming to you. you were very grateful for him. oddly enough—maybe you should've stopped saying that when it came to the umbrellas—klaus seemed to be that pillar of tranquility for you. viktor as well.

"calm down, calm down. you know that he won't turn against us or whatever? you're sure?"

the question was directed at five but you answered for him. "i'm not strong and i've never been in good health. even christopher, without his powers, would be better at fighting you than i would."

"the fucking cube?" you nodded. he plastered a grin over a pouting scowl. he sighed, giving into the plan. perhaps some remaining distrust still lingered, however, he could deal with it. "we've gotta clue allison and vanya in now. i'll go get vanya."

"finally," five huffed, shaking his head. "i'm going to find allison. you said she's going to try and find claire? i'll go to her old house." and then, the next second, he was gone. a few seconds of... incredibly awkward silence passed, where luther was staring at you whole-heartedly.

"go on and take a seat, young whipper-snapper. do you have any dietary restrictions? or allergies? we've probably got something here you can eat, if you want."

you had asked to walk back home with five.

"why with me?" "it's a little bit selfish, but i really don't want to be alone right now, and you're the number one person i trust right now." "flattering," he muttered. "then why walk?" "i think better when i walk."

admittedly, walking was taxing for you right now, so it may not have been your brightest idea, but after this entire day you needed a nice break; the picturesque city sunset was nice, the breeze was subtle and sweet, and it smelled like food out there on the streets. viktor had offered to talk with marcus and try to make a deal; you'd asked him to be very, very careful. "i don't know if purposely seeking out the anomaly would be more effective, or if allowing it to reveal itself would be better. maybe we should seek it out."

five nodded slightly. "allowing it to reveal itself could mean that it becomes too powerful to stop."

"that's kind of what i was thinking. we don't know how it would reveal itself. what if it destroys something, or changes something? what if it hurts people?" your voice was quieter with that last proposition. it was the worst possible option in your mind; buildings could be rebuilt. changes could be undone, with enough time and patience. but people could not be undamaged, and they could not be brought back to life.

well, not permanently, anyway.

five's pace slowed a bit and he peered at you, strangely, for a moment. you avoided his eyes.

"surprisingly enough, i don't think this is the... worst outcome." "forgive me but i don't really believe you. we've got jack all on either side. essentially, we're alone." "you're used to it, five." "hmph. and you aren't?" "not in this way, i guess." there was more he wanted to say but you would not give him the opportunity to dig too deep. "there are worlds where your family is on board. trusts me, even, after some convincing. and there are also some where we narrow the options down. i'd love to be in one of those. but at least we aren't at each other's throats again, or diego's choking me to death." your voice soured. if you got too close, you could feel that pain. there your mind went then, trying to save your other selves out of some ethereal desperation you could never claw yourself away from.

"ow!" you hissed, clapping a hand to your neck where it had stung, sharp and sudden. "what was that?"

"you were seriously so spaced out you didn't see me?" five asked, though it barely sounded like a question. he sounded just barely concerned. you had looked like a glove without a hand. "jeez," he scoffed, shaking his head. "did you see anything helpful, at least? anything at all?"

your mind was still seared and shattered across uncountable realities and he could see that struggle to ground in your eyes. hear it in your breath. you had little mental fortitude left to respond. "sorry? can you repeat that?"

five didn't roll his eyes. unfortunately, he knew dissociation. he carefully took your hands in his, rubbing your knuckles like he'd seen you do before, and that seemed to give you... some amount of usable energy. it was also sort of difficult not to notice him, of all people, doing it, even while he sported an expression of general distaste for the situation; you couldn't tell if it was falsified or not. slowly, you were returning to your body, and it felt heavier than ever before. "what did you see?" he repeated, just as you asked, meticulously annunciating each word and using a decent pace.

you nodded slightly. "i saw a few other timelines. less fortunate ones." you didn't need to elaborate for five to understand what you were referring to. the broad strokes, anyway. "nothing really useful, though," you added after a second in total defeat.

"shit. well, that's alright." and though it clearly wasn't, you didn't say anything.

"how long have we been standing here?"

"... a minute or two."

"oh, great," you mumbled, shaking your head to yourself. your record was around two hours, sure, but it still sucked. "the... we should seek it out."

"wow. you remembered."

"we were having the same conversation a whole lot. given i was still alive and actually grew to trust you." it was a half-joke but it succeeded in getting a bare grin out of five. "we can't risk hurting other people."

"or destroying something," five added.

"or destroying something," you agreed, then furrowing your brow slightly. a cafe nearby was playing pleasant music; that was something keeping you tethered to this world in particular, as if five wasn't enough, but even he was quiet sometimes. "the only problem is we don't know where it is."

"or what it looks like. if it even looks like something at all. it could very well be invisible or incomprehensible." he scowled for a second, though not out of irritation, thinking rather loudly to himself. "we should start where we appeared, i think." you nodded in agreement. "if your... 'family' decides to work with us, all of us, then we can search a whole lot more. but we should get the basics out of the way."

"the beginning is always the most logical place to start."

"quaint way to put it, did you write the sound of music in another universe?"

"what part about 'literally any possible, feasible universe' do you not understand?" you joked, managing a small smile of your own, and five would be lying if he said he didn't feel a little bit relieved to see you humoring yourself again.

"i deserve that." he paused for a second. "i know you said that walking helps you think, and you definitely need to do that more, but you look like a dead man standing right now. i'd rather just drop you off at the academy and get back to my own family. are you okay to teleport?" you did not respond at first, taking careful account of how you felt and how you may feel after. eventually, and rather subtly, you nodded.

"my room is klaus's old room back in your universe."

"wow, that... makes it easier. safer, probably." that was the closest you were going to get to 'thank you' so you took it. you shut your eyes tight and breathed deep through that half-second nausea-bomb. you were happy to see your room when you opened your eyes; smelling like home, looking like home, feeling like pure comfort. five glanced about your room. somehow it looked exactly like what he expected from you, which was a compliment. it was cozy. well-lived—especially the bed. there were many blankets and pillows and a few stuffed animals, unmade, probably because you barely left it. he couldn't blame you, either.

looking at you, you seemed totally relieved and excited to be back home.

"are you going to let go of my hands now?"

five stiffened for a second, mumbling a hushed apology before letting go, shoving his hands in his pockets. you couldn't help but grin a little, tiredly, and he scoffed when he saw it. "don't look at me like that. i was helping you ground, since you evidently can't do it yourself sometimes." not that he could blame you, really. he couldn't imagine what it would be like to be... you.

you ignored the jab. "i'm surprised you're willing to wait to take care of this," you mumbled, hanging up your scarf and sweater, lazily rifling through your dresser to find something decently comfortable to pass out in. "you always insisted on getting things done quick. if not immediately."

"i'm desperate for one damn moment of peace. the world isn't being decimated just yet. i just want to sleep decently for once."

you smiled slightly. no one could work while exhausted, especially not when it came to your quandary. "go on and sleep then. i'll meet you at the obsidian again tomorrow."

"yeah. oh, uh, just remembered something. close your eyes for a few seconds."

"why?"

"just do it."

you scoffed, though without any sort of animosity or annoyance, shutting your eyes tight like he told you to. you heard the familiar sound of his blinking once, twice. "alright. you can look. here." he held out to you your bottle of painkillers. "nearly forgot to give them back."

"oh, sh—thank you." the relief on your face was quite plain and sort of comforting as well. he mustered a slight hum in response.

"good night."

"night, five. sleep well."

"hmph. we'll see."

[adobe-outdesign]

I don't think you've done a review for flittle + espathra yet! Love the murder ostrich

Flittle always felt a bit odd, mostly because it's a bit hard to tell what's going on with it at first. It's supposed to be a tiny bird chick, but it looks like either a squid or an amorphous blob. Elements like the triangle on the head (meant to connect to the triangles on Espathra's wings I guess, but Espathra's are way more subtle) also feel kind of random. It does make sense when you see what it evolves into and the shared elements of both, but it alone feels a bit loose conceptually.

Otherwise, it's okay enough visually. I don't see the reason for the pink in the design—it could have easily been purple or white—and the forehead feels too smooth and round despite the white "hair". I'm also not the biggest fan of the eyes or beak for reasons I can't quite place. However, with that said, all the elements at least tie back into Espathra, and you at least can't say its boring.

Also, side note: I do find it a bit jarring that this line goes directly from Ambiguous Floating Blob to Murder Ostrich; Espathra is so much more complicated and has so much anatomy compared to Flittle that it feels like too much of a jump. I think a middle stage could've benefited this line. It doesn't even have to be an ostrich fledgling; it could be a different, smaller bird, like an ibis or something else native to Egypt.

All that said: Espathra is fantastic. I don't know how they managed to make Egyptian-cloth-psychic-ostrich work, as none of those elements have anything to do with each other, but they did. It's just such a pretty design with an excellent flow, and the colors and repeated elements really make it stand out in my brain.

The blue eye pops and the ring-like look gets across the psychic typing nicely. The neck leads into its wings, which have this lovely layered, ruffled look to them that really looks beautiful. This idea of patterning is reflected in the neck and legs, which have striped, slightly three-dimensional rings. The ruffles on top of the head reflect the design of the wings and also loosely invoke ancient Egyptian haircuts.

My only real nitpick with it is that something about the colors feels vaguely off—I think it's that the neck is orange on purple but the legs are white on purple. I think having the neck be white would help draw more attention to the wings, which are the focal point of the design, and would better match the legs. Also, it has one of those bothersome under-the-head mouths that I always dislike; I would've much preferred it just having a weird proboscis beak instead of having a mouth at all. Both of those are minor, however, and as a whole I really like this design.

(Side note: The above art is from Hitoshi Ariga, who designed the line. I love knowing which artists created what 'mons and seeing their original art of them).

So overall: Flittle feels a bit half-baked and is fairly underwhelming, and it feels like this line needed a middle evo. However, Espathra more than makes up for it with an elegant design and unique theming. Definitely worth catching this one if only for Espathra.

[youlikefanficdontyousquidward]

Little less than super, soldier

Part two because I like to split bits up

Previous / Next

Summary: You have to play the part while in Madripoor despite your discomfort with your situation. Zemo finds out a little more about Sam's companion.

Zemo X OC (but written an reader insert in-case you wanna play in the space. backstory linked in part one ✌)

Also forgot to mention but I've been substituting Sokovian for German, translation will be provided.

Warnings: Violence, eye trauma,

scheisse - fuck

Schatz - treasure (a pet name)

First stop was a fancy little boutique outside the city an old friend of Zemo's owned. If this was going to work you'd all have to dress the part. The dark wood and smokey smell was pleasant but your nerves were still fried from trying to keep peace on the plane.

You'd taken to allowing Zemo to try press you for information once he'd gotten bored of Sam and Bucky.

"So where'd you learn Sokovian?" he'd queried, leaning forward into your space.

"In Sokovia." You replied, narrowing eyes at his closer form.

"And you know Bucky and Sam from...?" He continued forward, elbows resting on his knees.

"The US." You answered, shifting lower in your seat. A bitter rush of anger flooded you again. You slouched even lower, kicking a foot up onto his arm rest. If he was going to invade your space like that you'd just give it right back. He didn't move only staring harder at you with a slight smile.

"Leave them be." Bucky warned, Zemo chuckling tipping back into his chair. You let your foot drop now, returning to your personal space.

"I'm only making conversation Sam" his voice was like velvet, feigning innocence. Out the corner of your eyes you saw his head tilt to you again but you were distracted looking out the window. The man in front briefly forgotten as you peered excitedly at the passing land bellow.

Now you were avoiding his eyes again, poking around the fancy clothing while trying to avoid Bucky too. After he'd stepped out in the soldier gear you'd had to take a turn about the room. It was distressing even with his new haircut. Too much like old memories.

"Okay so he's all set but what about us huh?" Sam questioned, eyebrow quirking at Zemo in his fancy coat.

"Ah well I have someone in mind for you, as for your charming companion..." His eyes drifted back to you. "They might have a little harder time passing as anyone."

"Y/n." You said finally willing yourself to speak more than a couple words to the guy. "And I'm not exactly new to this." You leaned round gowns, hoping that your forced confidence would work.

Sam disappeared behind the curtain with the shop keep, returning shortly after. He sulked out of a changing room in an amazing suit. You forgot yourself a moment hands hiding a wide grin stretching across your face.

"Don't Y/n... I look like a pimp." Sam frowned at you making you bark out a laugh. He shot Bucky a warning glance, as he just smiled at his friend.

"Only an American would assume a fashion forward black man looks like a pimp." Zemo rolled his eyes, glancing back to yourself. You dropped your smile, crossing the room to Sam.

You weren't keen on letting Zemo be alone with either of them in this city. So you'd have to go too. Which meant crowds and someone touching you. Steeling yourself mentally you slipped an arm in Sam's.

"So if I'm hard to place, surely I can be someones date?" You queried. Sam straightened, he'd have to work on that if you would pass as a couple.

"Ah unfortunately not Smiling Tiger here." He stepped between you both causing you to shift away to avoid him. "He's pretty known for his devotion to his partner." Zemo smirked down at you, a hand on Sam's shoulder.

You sensed a challenge in the air, forcing a smile back to your face. "And I suppose it's too much to expect your soldier to have one." You purred stepping in closer to him, letting a hand rest on his chest. It almost sickened you how quickly you could slip into the act.

You caught the way he froze a second, must not have expected that from you. Still he caught himself quickly, looking unimpressed. Your anger flared at him. He was belittling you? Maybe it was better he underestimated you but your pride was wounded.

"Y/n." Sam spoke softly. You let your gaze shift to him but remained in proximity to Zemo. Sam stared at you for a second till he confirmed your resolve. He rolled his eyes, sighing.

"You got something for them to wear then?" He asked, rubbing his brow.

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

Zemo mind kept getting stuck on Sam and Bucky's companion. He'd had Oeznik look into you but he'd come up with nothing so far, though he'd be in contact with any news. Still there was a niggling feeling in his mind. Some kind of recognition he couldn't place.

You weren't Sokovian, your accent proved that much but you'd spent time there? Enough to have strong feelings on the matter. Maybe enough to share some sympathy? Get you more to his side, drive a wedge between you and them.

Then there was the way you tensed when James had stepped out in his winter soldier clothing. It wasn't subtle the way you practically jumped away to stare at a blank wall. So there was a history there? To think of it you'd stepped up when Barnes had threatened him too.

You didn't entirely trust him. So you were the weakest link in this team. If he wanted break the chain I'd be easiest to play you against Barnes.

Still your willingness to come here for Sam could pose some problems. Though even in that relationship you seemed closed off? Maybe a softer touch with you could work and a wedge to block Sam out. For now that's all he could use on you.

Helmut sat with these thoughts while he waited for the shop keep to finish with you. If he played this smart he could even get an ally in you. After all you'd come to his defense once before and it'd been amusing watching your reactions to him. How hard could it be to make you distrust James some more. He missed the curtain pulling only realizing you'd finished when he heard Sam.

"Wow Y/n you look...." Sam had began.

"Ridiculous, yes?" You quipped. Helmut heard heels clack as you approached, lifting his gaze to appraise the change. His jaw dropped, you were stunning. Sure he'd noticed your pleasant features before but you'd had a sort of disheveled look to you. Only sparkling in the little moments of wonder he'd witnessed on the plane. Now you shone, filling out the tight clothing just right.

"So this work?" You cocked a brow at him. Zemo tore his eyes from the maroon fabric matching his jumper. You looked like incredible and you looked like his, Selby might actually buy this.

"If you can act the part." He hummed, tilting his head. He slipped out of his chair and circled you. Your shoulders only tensed subtly when he took your hand, placing a bracelet around your wrist.

"Oh I can act the part, can you?" You challenged, jaw clenching and sliding in beside him. You linked an arm in his, resting a cheek against his bicep. He stifled a reaction to your sudden closeness. Cursing himself at loosing the upper hand again. You merely looked up at him through lashes and suddenly his nerves were alive.

"Don't think that'll be a problem." He smirked down at you. Your eyes widened slightly before your gaze shifted to Sam. Zemo preened at the flush rising to your cheeks. It was amusing watching you squirm but he really should try being kinder if he wanted your trust.

"Yeah maybe just don't talk." Sam grumbled though Zemo was miles away again.

All the way from the shop, to the escorted car, then to the club you kept up your part. Body pressing against his arm so close he could feel your heat through his coat. It'd been so long since he'd had someone close like this and he didn't realize how much he'd been missing it. Or any contact really.

He tried not to dwell on the exposed skin or the softer look you'd given him when he'd offered you a hand out the car. Nor the way the way he found himself wanting to pull you closer. To hide you away from the prying eyes around them.

Part of him wished he'd worn a thinner coat or skipped the gloves. To have been able to enjoy this moment unfettered. Though he couldn't allow his guard down now. He had a plan and you were a nuisance at best.

Zemo he relayed the plan to Sam, Barnes and yourself, keeping up an indifferent attitude. It was a simple plan but it should get him and Sam in front of Selby. Honestly if you entered the club alone looking like this, you'd probably get a private meeting with her in seconds. Though he doubted Sam would let that plan go ahead.

The Brass Monkey Saloon was busy this night, though they got in alright with the expensive look about the group. Even the leather he had James wear was designer.

Zemo led the group to the bar, dropping the title of winter soldier as they passed by groups. He kept a hand on your lower back as he led you through the crowd. With the low cut of the garment he could feel a slight shiver even through his gloves.

It was certainly a lot warmer inside. You were nervous. You showed no other sign of it but with that realization your actions were making more sense. You weren't just playing the part, you were clinging to him! Zemo pulled a seat out allowing you to sit as he stood close to your side. He kept his arm securely around your waist as he shot a look to a patron beside you.

He started talking business, enjoying the way Sam paled at the snake guts shot before a gruff looking guy appeared over your shoulder. He placed a hand on you and Zemo held back venom.

"Word from on high, your not welcome here. They can stay." The man commanded, his hand moving from your shoulder down your arm as his eyes traced your form. Zemo caught your eye for just a moment, the discomfort only flickered a second before he was giving the order.

James was on the man in a flash, wrenching him off you in a swift motion. You flinched back slightly into Zemo, your back remaining against his chest as Bucky beat the man down. Helmut tried to convince himself it was part of the act but truthfully he didn't like seeing you distressed like that. It wasn't like the way you flustered before. There was real fear behind your eyes and he couldn't stand it.

Another man approached from your side and Zemo pulled you closer to him, shoving the man back towards his soldier. He could feel your hand against his abdomen shake as your fear grew at the sight of James in action. He was right, you were afraid of the man. Why was a question for later, for now this was working in his favour.

Zemo quipped a comment about him to Sam too for good measure before guns were drawn. You seemed to snap out of your state, standing more firmly away from him and closer to Sam. He snaked his arm around your shoulders, before telling Bucky to stand down. It was strange to watch what frightened you. It would seemed you couldn't care less about the guns. Your wide eyes were still caught on Barnes.

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

You could still feel the quake in your fingers. Some last trace of adrenaline coursing there. Still you strutted by Zemo's side, a cold leather clad hand on your exposed back.

It shouldn't feel as comforting as it did but you couldn't think about that now. You were deeper in the lions den now and you had to stay focused. There would be time to wallow in your pathetic thoughts later.

Selby wasn't quite what you'd expected, still she had that sense of power that came with territory. She was just chipper in a way that felt like she was talking down to everyone. Zemo made his way to sit in front of her, leading you closer to danger.

It was a ploy you soon realized as you watched her speak to him whilst her eyes traced up your legs. It disgusted you to use old tricks again but you couldn't hate their effect. Anything to keep the eyes off Sam for now. You sat on Zemo's armrest, his hand reaching to touch your thigh where Selby's eyes were.

Her gaze flicked back to him as she continued. You took the opportunity to look around the room as she spoke with Zemo and Sam. There were four armed guards around the room, blocking exits and keeping everything in sight.

You didn't like Sam being so far away, if things kicked off it'd be hard to take the hit from your position. Moving wouldn't be an option, you were supposed to be an obedient little ornament right now.

So you stayed seated as Zemo got up to show off his winter soldier, watching as Selby's attention drifted away from you to Bucky. You didn't like the predatory smile she wore looking at him. It'd been better when her focus was on you, at least Bucky hadn't looked so uncomfortable then. Though the act was good, too good. The stillness he'd adopted was still sending your heart thundering against its cage again.

Zemo returned to his seat, hand on your leg again, as you tried to maintain an almost bored smile. You found yourself calming somewhat before, though the realization was distressing in itself. Maybe it was the contact alone? You really hadn't been this near another person in some time. Not for any length of time anyway.

You tried to focus in on the conversation again, letting your eyes rest on Selby. The serum was here but she wasn't just going to tell you where it was, no matter how you rubbed your legs together.

"Your friend isn't distracting enough Baron, the bread crumbs are free but the bakery 'll cost you..." She began before a buzz from Smiling Tiger caught everyone's attention.

You stiffened as Sam was forced to take his call. Zemo's hand shifted on your thigh, squeezing it slightly. You looked down as he gently shook his head. He knew you wanted to go to him but he was right, you had to try maintain the cover.

"Sam?"

Oh shit. Before you could react Selby was shot and on the floor. The next second you were up and in front of Zemo. He grabbed your waist moving you away to attack one of the guards. Bucky and Sam had the other two it seemed. Leaving you the one setting his aim at Sam.

You tackled him, knocking him to the floor. You straddled him briefly before a boot slammed into him head. Zemo held a hand out to you, an incredulous smile on his tilted head. You took his hand, letting him pull you up. Though you let it go the second you stood, straightening your clothes.

Sam and Bucky regrouped, sure that this hit would be blamed on your group. Zemo tossed a gun taken off the guard aside, instructing Sam and Bucky to do the same.

"Follow my lead" Zemo almost whispered over your ear, his breath sending a shiver down your spine but it didn't feel like fear. As confidently as you could you all walked out of the bar, Zemo's hand in your own. You rubbed a thumb on the smooth leather, trying to relax yourself as you walked into the street. You focused on the imperfections, the seam under your thumb as your breathing eased.

Each quick step matched the hard thump of your heart. Phones went off all around you as the bounty must have been set. A cacophony of tones, buzzes and lights illuminating wicked grins. You kept pace with Zemo's stride praying you'd slip away before anyone made a move.

The prayers were dashed at the first gun shot. In a moment the night was alive with muzzle flash and gunfire. Zemo tugged you sharply along with him as he darted into an alleyway. Your heals splashed as he half dragged you after him.

"Wait! Sam and Bucky went that way." You yelled as you tried not to fall in your fancy shoes. Zemo didn't respond instead leading you through a winding path. He took a sharp corner suddenly spinning you against the wall.

It felt like the air had be knocked out of you as Zemo caged you in His long coat obscured you as you heard more footsteps splash past you both. Legs felt shaky as your heart remained thunderous. You stared up at his pale face, bathed in neons of the city, his dark eyes still watching for a movement. He paused looking back down at your wide eyed expression.

You were so close, his breath hot and fanning over your features. You could smell his expensive cologne, something smokey. The heaving in your breast settled bit by bit as you kept your eyes locked on his deep brown ones. He didn't back off a lazy smirk drifting onto his face.

For a second your eyes darted down to his lips before a pain shot through you. You doubled over, Zemo catching you before you fell. A growing heat blossomed out from the bullet wound you'd failed to register. The red stain seeped out further against the purple fabric.

"Oh, I actually quite liked this outfit." You joked, hand coming away shaky and red. It hadn't shot straight through, embedding somewhere in your gut.

Zemo's hand immediately came to cover the wound, applying pressure as he slung your arm over his shoulders. You let him half carry you out to where Sam and Bucky were, not caring much for whatever they were talking about.

No matter how many times you'd been shot, it never got easier. Without the adrenaline the pain was excruciating, almost blinding in it's intensity. With that and the groggy feeling blood loss gave you, you had no real reaction when Sharon turned up.

The talk was short, but soon you were in a car. Bucky hovered close, your head in Sam's lap as he tried to explain the situation to Sharon.

"Are you joking your friend is going to die!" Zemo protested against your slurred response, staring back from the front seat.

"Relax, she'll be fine let me just..." Bucky started before digging a digit into the wound. You screeched at the sudden rush of pain writhing as more shouting surrounded you. Then you went limp. There was the itching sensation of your skin reforming and silence in the car.

"What the hell..." Zemo began, eyes glued to the sight of your wound stitching itself back up. His eyes shot up to yours, somewhere between disbelief and something else.

"Guess you could say they've an invested reason to want the serum gone." Bucky spoke for you as you groaned sitting up and off of Sam. It was still painful, the internal still reworking itself but in a few minutes even the ache would be gone. You tried not to show how rough you felt. While the wound wasn't huge here was a lot of your blood soaking Sam and yourself.

You said no more until you were back at Sharon's. Still feeling too weak for the first few minutes and then ashamed by Zemo's silence. You showered and redressed in another fancy outfit at Sharon's. She had a party tonight and you'd all need to attend.

She'd almost given you an out when Bucky had said you were fine now. You cringed inside as you felt Zemo's eyes burning into you. Of course he'd hate you now and god knows what that meant for you going forward.

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

Zemo watched you over his whisky. Sam, Bucky and Sharon seemed involved in a conversation he was not invited into. Seeing that he watched you pause, shifting awkwardly by the bar cart. His heart still pounded looking at you. Despite everything you were a vision, another less revealing outfit still accentuating your body.

His curiosity was peaked, far more than any anger at this having been kept a secret from him. Made sense they didn't share that detail with him of all people, still he'd like to know your intentions.

He caught your eye, raising his glass. You seemed to hesitate a moment longer before joining him. The whole walk over took seconds but in those moments Helmut realized where he recognized you from.

Something in the more timid expression brought to mind a photo he'd seen in Hydra's files. He'd have to get it soon, until then he'd keep you close. Figure out where you stood in all this.

You sat across from him, toying with bracelet from your previous outfit. Helmut thought to break the silence before you suddenly looked up.

"I didn't ask for this." You stated, meeting his gaze, brows knit. Zemo kept his face passive.

"Never said you did." He responded, coy smile returning.

"Good." you nodded, leaning back in your chair.

"Good." He stated. There others he'd found out about always had. The HYDRA soldiers, the flagsmashers and even Steve Rogers all chose it. Though you wouldn't be the first to have the choice taken from you. Perhaps that's where Bucky fit in for you.

"Do I have to worry about more of you?" He probed. If they'd experimented with yourself there was no reason they wouldn't have tried to make more.

"No... it's just me now." You continued, eyes casting down. They looked glassy in the low light, he'd struck a nerve there.

"I... it's not like with Steve or even Bucky okay. It's the healing, that's all." Zemo watched you squirm. Clearly you were fighting two needs here, your secrecy and a need to explain yourself to him. He hummed considering you for a moment. That's all? As if what you did wasn't incredible?

It confused him slightly why you were struggling so much to try explain yourself. Sure it could just be self preservation, he was most known for his hatred of the Avengers. Though with friends like Sam why you'd need to ingratiate yourself to him was odd. Unless you weren't with their team.

You'd need a clear out too when this was over and the less anyone had on you the better. So you'd risked yourself to come help Sam deal with this super soldier problem.

"Does that mean you can drink?" He smiled pouring you a glass.

"Yeah I can drink." You answered, taking the glass from his hand and returning his smile. He let his fingers graze against yours and watched for your reaction. There wasn't one he could see, so hopefully you were more comfortable with him now.

He'd gotten a message off moments earlier with the phone still hidden in his jacket. He'd have your file soon enough. Until then he could trust you weren't going to get in the way of his mission and clinked his glass to yours.

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

Zemo couldn't lie to himself, he was enjoying your company greatly. Having cracked your shell a little he managed to get you talking about your time in Sokovia. You were light on details that brought you there but were delighted to reminisce on the city.

After heading out to Sharon's party he found himself glued to your side. Especially after Sam and Bucky left. Though it would seem they'd asked you to keep an eye on him as you followed him even onto the dance floor.

It was clear you hadn't had much opportunity to dance before but he couldn't judge, he was rather rusty himself. It was amusing to watch you twirling in this space. Despite an initial discomfort you were all open smiles and singing to yourself now. Clearly whatever happened before now had deprived you of lives many joys.

You spun and swayed for a time before the crowd in the area seemed to get too close. Zemo ushered you to follow him to another room, using an arm to block others from you.

Sam and Barnes where still no where to be seen. Though he had no plans of escaping until this serum problem was gone. Which meant he was free to enjoy your rather charming company in peace without their interruption.

The genuine dazzle returned to your eyes, the same one that made him pause his questioning on the plane. You stared up at a painting, a classic piece, oil and stretching across the entire wall of this room. Helmut smiled, stepping beside you again to tell you about it. You listened eagerly before turning your attention to the other art expectantly.

Zemo couldn't be sure he had an ally in you yet but it was pleasant none the less. He liked having you enjoy his company like this. Now all he needed to do was drive a wedge between you and the others and that file should help.

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

The morning came and you were off with Sharon to the ship yard. As always your ability to heal didn't seem to extend past poison not killing you. Your head pounded in the morning light.

You'd awoken feeling guilty about last night. Sam had asked you to keep an eye on Zemo and you suppose you did. Only your sure he didn't mean follow him onto the dance floor and drink with him. Still it wasn't like anything happened. You just didn't like the look Sam gave you before heading to bed.

"You should stay with Sharon." Bucky said. "Keep an eye out with her." You nodded a response, following after her. He and Sam both knew how you felt about the serum. You weren't exactly going to be easy on this guy. Probably best you didn't meet him face to face.

You followed after Sharon, her signaling you to go left while you kept a eye out around the containers. It was only a couple of minutes before the samey look got you lost. You cursed, wishing you'd taken note of the numbers on them or something.

There wasn't time to worry about that, gun shots echoed through the containers and you were sprinting towards the source. You rounded the corners at speed, coming to the container you'd split from Karen from. She was worse for wear, bruised but not hurt near a badly as the bodies behind her.

"God you're so cool." You smiled, her returning a pained one before you both rushed to get the boys. The chaos hadn't finished though, as you entered the lab Zemo shot the scientist.

Sam yelled out, him and Sharon rushing to un-arm him but it was done. You peered over the mans body but there was no helping him. Though you don't think you'd have found it in yourself to do so. There was no time to think anymore on the mater, the lab behind you exploded and you were sent hurtling back towards the others.

Your ears rang you could smell smoke billowing around as you tried to regain your bearings. You'd clipped an arm on something as you shot past, the bones bending out at odd angles. Still you struggled painfully to your feet, trying hard to ignore the biting pain as your arm snapped back into place.

You stumbled, crying out and trying to force your eyes to work but sharp pain scratched as you tried to blink. Glass... there was definitely glass in your eyes. God you shouldn't have turned to look at the explosion. You felt a strong hand grab your shoulder, pulling you back down the stairs to the shipyard.

"Sam?" You questioned, light filling your vision but not clearing it yet. You were stumbling after him, still blind but you felt a piece of glass fall to the ground.

"Not quiet." Zemo's voice lilted out before another explosion sounded off. You went to scream, to call out for the others but a gloved hand covered your mouth and you were pulled back against him.

You struggled a moment, thinking of biting his hand to let you go but stilled. With some sight returning you could see dark shapes passing by you. He didn't let go till they were round another corner and you stepped away.

"Let me see..." His hands returned to your face, you pulled away for a moment but relented as his grip remained firm. "scheisse, there's quite a big... should I remove it." You hissed, adrenaline gone and leaving you in a lot more pain than you'd expected.

"Please," you all but whimpered, gritting your teeth when you felt him tug. He was kind at least, one sharp tug and it was out. You bit your cheek, whining as your hand came up to stem the leaking blood.

"Stay back." He commanded, gripping your shoulders a moment before disappearing from your returning sight. God you hated eye stuff, eye stuff was so gross.

You slumped against the metal a moment before hearing Sam and Bucky's voices between gun shots. Without another thought you tried to follow pausing back from an approaching group.

Above them you saw Zemo, calmly he walked atop the containers before firing at a gas pipe. In a fireball the majority of the threat was gone, leaving only a few stragglers shooting blindly.

You watched him leap down, picking off the bounty hunters quickly. You shouldn't have been surprised, you knew his background but still it was impressive to watch.

Bucky and Sam were no where to be seen. You paused uncertain what to do at this point. If they were taking fire somewhere you should be with them. You searched around before you heard a shout.

"Schatz!" Zemo called over the fire, motioning you to follow. You sent a last glace around before you ran after him. Sam and Sharon had to be around here soon and you really should keep an eye on him right?

Zemo paused ahead of you at an open container. You followed, slowing your pace as you neared him. He shot you a grin before stepping inside, slowing you rounded the door to see a very fancy car. Zemo already at the open passengers door. He gave a wave of his arm.

"After you, schatz." He smirked and you rolled your eyes at the pet name. Still couldn't help but laugh as he tore out at speed. The wind was whipping against your face as he sped through the ship yard. You weren't sure you remembered ever sitting up front in a car before. Definitely never one with an open top, it was exhilarating.

He skidded round a corner, stopping sharply in front of Sam and the others. You grinned, feeling a little dazed from the passengers seat. Bucky awkwardly climbed into the back, Sam approaching round the corner with a harsh glare directed at Zemo.

Sheepishly you rose, climbing into the back as Sam took the seat up front. He tore his gaze from Zemo, turning a kinder look to you before shifting to Sharon outside the car.

"Your not coming?" You asked her, turning your face a little to wipe the viscera from it on your sleeve.

"I can't..." She turned to Sam "Just keep that deal alright." Then she was gone and you were speeding off again.

[manias-wordcount]

The Sweetest Treat (Satoru Gojo  x Reader)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟳 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝟭𝟮 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲!  

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁: 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦/𝗼.

𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗲 (𝗳𝘁. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿) 𝗯𝘆 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

The dull thud of approaching footsteps tells you that you’ll have a visitor soon. Despite this, you keep working. Your head stays down. Your fingers keep moving. You’re on a mission. A mission that no one will stop you from completing. A mission that no one will keep you from fulfilling. A mission that no one will distract you from.

 “Well, well, well. What do we have- is that one me?!”

 Not even him. 

 The thing he’s pointing at- the cookie he’s pointing at is most definitely him. You had pulled a freshly baked pan of gingerbread cookies from your oven not too long ago. And with just how good everything was starting to smell around you, you knew you had mere minutes to get to work. Especially with your boyfriend relaxing upstairs with nothing to distract him. So once you deemed that your cookies were perfect in every single way, you set off. Your bags of icing and your gumdrops and your candy balls and your every other type of decorating treat in the world are ready for you to use. 

 You chose to do him first. You figured it would be the best course of action considering just how likely it would be for him to ruin your surprise for himself just by getting a little too curious at the smell (and ignoring all the times you asked him to stay out of the kitchen while you were busy today). But luckily, you were able to get his cookie out in record time. A nice, neat little recreation of him that you managed to pull off from memory. A memory that served you very based on the way the little cookie on the pan greatly resembled your muse.

 Still, you have a hard time containing your soft laughter at Gojo’s sudden exclamation, but you manage to keep working anyways. It was obvious from the get-go that you would be seeing him soon enough if you kept up the work that you were doing. So to say you were surprised to find your very powerful, very affectionate sorcerer boyfriend standing behind you and looking over your shoulder as he presses close to you and holds your hips would be a bold, bold, bold lie. A lie not worth even trying to tell. Besides, distraction or not…

 …this does feel nice. A little too nice even.

 “Mhm,” You finally confirm, only sparing him a quick smile and an even quicker glance before putting your head down to regain concentration. You don’t miss the way his eyes are trained onto the little gingerbread man that resembles him. Cute, right?”

 It’s safe to say that despite this one being your first, having a clear image of how you wanted it to look like in your head rather than just the word “cute” made things a lot easier. And a lot more successful. With careful hands, you were able to replicate his haircut when without the bandana over his eyes using the royal icing. The exact same haircut that’s currently tickling the back of your neck whenever he moves in too close. The gingerbread's outfit wasn’t that special- it donned his typical dark clothing with the high collar. Though the colors really did match a bit better than you expected. And thankfully too. You did take an awful lot of time at the store trying to make sure everything was right…

 But what you loved most of all were gingerbread Gojo’s eyes. Two brightly colored light blue jawbreakers fulfilled that role. They were so small in your hand yet so perfect to be the finishing touch. So, so, so perfect. 

 “Of course.” He agreed easily with your questions, and you could just feel the more than pleased smirk growing on his face. Though his attitude is more than contagious as you quickly found yourself swelling up with more than enough pride for two people as you look down at your hard work. Yet still so much to do….“Though I think he’s nothing like the real thing.”

 At that, his grip on your body tightens. It only takes a small amount of his strength to pull your body away from the kitchen’s island counters that you were working on so he could slot himself instead. Almost immediately, you begin to protest the sudden moment. He is in the way of you completing your very, very, very important business after all. But then he looks at you- peering down at you through pure white lashes with those gorgeous bright blue eyes. And suddenly? You’re cracking. Then the corner of his lip quirks up, revealing just enough of a pearling white smile to get anyway hot under the collar. And suddenly? You’re crumbling. And then he raises an eyebrow and gestures to your now-neglected project with a jerk of his head and a warm chuckle. And suddenly?

 You’re folding.

 “Satoru.” You try to warn him with a stern voice, but it shakes underneath his heated gaze. It doesn’t take long for your expression to melt into an exasperated yet joyful smile as he feigns innocence. You were expecting something like this to happen too. Though as much as you tried to prepare yourself for it- as much as you tried to think of ways around it- you knew that you were up for something a little more than a challenge when it came to dealing with him of all people. “Satoru, move! I don’t want everything to set before I’m done!”

 “Hmm…” He stops for a moment and pulls a thoughtful expression on his face for a second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four. And then finally, he turns his smile back towards you. “No.”

 You let out a groan and rolled your eyes but all that earned you was an all too innocent-looking shrug from the man behind the problem itself. In hindsight, you probably should have tried to time things a little better. Knowing your boyfriend and all his little antics, that’s what all your friends suggested to you at the very least. If you found the time to work while he was away at work, maybe you wouldn’t be in this little predicament. If you were a little more proactive about your plans, you could have even pulled it off as a welcome home gift regarding the business trip he just returned from a couple of days ago. But it’s far too late to care or think about such things now that the kitchen is a mess of all different types of ingredients and the whole house smells just like gingerbread. Far, far, far too late. 

 But it could have been worse.

 Way worse, you think to yourself as that smile you’ve been fighting off appears back on your face. And you’re right. This situation, this moment, this relationship? It all could have been so different. He could have came down earlier while you were still decorating his cookie. He could have told you that his cookie was ugly. That it was unrecognizable. That it looked nothing like him at all. He could have thought that the idea of baking and decorating cookies all by hand was a dumb idea. That it was a waste of time. Impractical even. So now, you can’t, but be happy. So, so, so happy. Because out of everything- you get to have him here. With you. Holding you. Complimenting you. Loving you. Cherishing you.

 You get to have him here with you.

 “Well…if you’re not going to move, then you have to finish the rest of them!”

 “Wait, no-”

 And isn’t that the sweetest treat of them all?

[agentsnickers]

Spot and race in the star wars au? (Also big congratulations on the anniversary)

Race doesn't usually get hurt on missions, but when he does it's always more complicated than just an injury. Once, he'd twisted his ankle and it led to him stranded alone on a moon with the ISB agent who'd been tracking them.

Today, he's coming home with a little head trauma, a little emotional trauma... and also he's about eighty percent orange.

He doesn't know what was in that fountain - dye, or something water-adjacent that happens to turn everything it touches orange - but he had wound up soaked to the skin and mottled orange except for his left arm and shoulder. His clothes are orange or orange-tinged now, his skin save for the aforementioned arm is orange, his hair is orange -

"Oh, aren't you a sight," Spot says before he's even walked all the way down the Ghost's ramp.

"I don't want to talk about it," says Race.

"His clothes are a lost cause, and we haven't had much luck getting it off of his skin either," Davey reports anyway.

Spot hisses through his teeth, sympathetic. "Why do things like this always happen to you, Racer?"

"I wish I knew," Race replies. He pushes past Spot. "I'm going to find something else to wear. I was afraid to change into something else of my own, in case this rubs off onto them and ruins something else."

"But Rebellion-issue you have no qualms over ruining?" Spot says, trailing behind him.

"Never."

They walk to the quartermaster in silence, after that, and back up to the room on base that the two of them technically share, for all that Race rarely sleeps off of the Ghost.

"You change," says Spot, nodding toward the door. "I'll be right back, I want to ask Niamh about something."

Race changes quickly, and it's a relief to have the orange clothes off even if the rest of him is still orange. He feels a little bit more himself. And he's happy to see that the orange doesn't rub off onto his new clothes, so even if he's orange for the foreseeable future he can wear his own clothes.

There's a tap on the door. "It's me, can I come in?"

"Yeah," Race replies.

Spot comes in, carrying a little box in one hand. He sits down next to Race on the bed-that-is-technically-his. "Give me your hand."

Race does, without question, because he trusts Spot. Spot pulls a tissue - no, a wipe, it's damp - out of the box and dabs it against Race's hand and, miraculously, the orange starts to fade.

"Where'd you get that?" says Race. "Nothing we tried on the ship worked at all."

"It's makeup remover," Spot says without looking up from Race's hand. "Niamh's. She always says this can take off anything, so I figured it was worth a shot."

"Thank her for me," Race says.

"Thank her yourself, I think you'll need to buy her some more after we're done here," Spot replies.

They work together to get the exposed parts of Race's skin clean - he'll get the rest on his own, thanks - and it's oddly intimate for how strange an activity it is. Their room doesn't have a mirror, so Spot is getting Race's face which, again - oddly intimate. They're very close together, and Spot is concentrating very hard on Race's face, and -

"All done," Spot says, leaning out of Race's personal space for the first time in almost an hour. He tugs on one of Race's curls. "Pity I can't do anything about this, though. You don't make a bad redhead, but it doesn't feel like you."

Race flushes. "Guess I'm just Al's brother 'stead of Charlie's for a while, 'till it fades on its own or I get a haircut."

"You'd be an improvement over his real ones," says Spot.

"Right," says Race. "You're sure it doesn't look bad?"

Spot tugs on Race's curl again. "No, not bad, like I said. Just - I like your hair, it suits you."

"Oh," Race says. He is definitely very, very red now.

Spot stands suddenly. "Anyway, I'll, uh - I'll leave you to get the rest of the orange off, yeah?"

Before Race can respond, he's gone.

[i-have-not-slept]

The Last Hours Fashion Pt 2

Chain of Thorns comes out TOMORROW!!!! Just in time, here’s my analysis of the official art by @nicole.deal.art in terms of historical accuracy. I’ve already reviewed the girls’ outfits, so now it’s time for the guys!

There aren’t as many primary sources available for Edwardian menswear, and men’s fashion in general tends to change less from era to era. Men’s business and formalwear has stayed basically the same shape for the past 130 years. Keeping that in mind, let’s look at some of these pictures and see how well they hold up.

James

James looks pretty good! The picture looks like it’s at night, so he’s probably wearing evening dress. The high collar and cravat is a distinctly Edwardian style, as seen in the outfit on the right here:

This guy is also wearing a wrap-around waistcoat in a similar style to James’. To make it really accurate, he’d be wearing a hat and jacket, but this picture is obviously showing a fight scene so I can imagine that he lost both at some point. If we’re being really pedantic, James’ hair should also be a bit shorter, but I appreciate that a haircut is probably not high on his list of priorities right now.

Accuracy: 8/10

Matthew

Matthew is a self-described bohemian, and is also very concerned with fashion, so we can expect his clothes to be a bit more colourful and decorated than was possibly the norm. This is also at night, so eveningwear again. It looks like he’s wearing a tailcoat— if you look closely, the cut is similar to the ones in this picture from 1904:

The slight problem with eveningwear is that every source I’ve found suggests that Edwardian evening dress for men was almost exclusively black-and-white tuxedos. In fact, menswear from this time was pretty boring in terms of colour. However, Matthew is, as mentioned, a bohemian, and textually wears very colourful clothing. Same issues as James re: hat and hair, but I can justify it the same way as with James.

And some pictures of cravats for comparison:

The gloves are also interesting. Evening gloves were almost always white, whereas these are dark grey, but I’m prepared to believe they’re either Shadowhunter fighting gloves or worn for warmth in the street after a party.

Accuracy: 7/10

Thomas and Alastair

They’re wearing Shadowhunter gear, which there are obviously no historical references for, so I can’t really analyse it. I’m interested in how their gear differs— Thomas’ seems to be mostly leather, whereas Alastair appears to be wearing a vaguely Georgian puffy white shirt with metal throat, shoulder and wrist guards. We don’t have very many canon images of Shadowhunter gear, so it’s interesting to look at.

On a side not, Cassie said on her Instagram that this picture is of them in an abandoned Paddington Station. I’ve been to Paddington, and the background looks absolutely spot on. Kudos to the artist!

Accuracy: 10/10 just for the background.

Jesse

I don’t have very much to say about this one. The shirt is pretty generic but the trousers are interesting. The distinctive front flap with the two buttons isn’t a style you see with the Edwardians, who have moved on to someone more resembling the modern fly. And yes, I googled “how did the Edwardians fasten their trousers” to find this information. Jesse’s trousers more resemble Regency breeches, as you can see in this pictures:

This is interesting, considering the links I drew between Grace’s dress and Regency fashion in my last post. Guess we’ll find out tomorrow if my time travel theory was correct!

The jacket looks like a fairly Edwardian standard coat with the sleeves rolled up. Not much to say except that the deep green colour is possibly slightly unrealistic but it’s a tiny thing.

Accuracy: 6/10

Christopher

Christopher’s hard at work in his lab, and accordingly isn’t wearing fancy clothes. Like Jesse, this is a fairly basic trousers and shirt ensemble that fits pretty well with the period.

Things get interesting when we start looking at the apron and goggles. PPE (personal protective equipment) isn’t strictly fashion, so I had to do a bit more digging into this one as it’s not an area I knew much about.

The goggles could be period inaccurate, depending on how you look at it. The first form of eye protection for welding was developed by the inventor Powell Johnson in 1880. Johnson called his invention “eye protectors” and it was simply two strips of opaque cloth that could be seen through while still offering some protection.

Safety glass— glass coated in plastic to prevent shattering— was invented by Edouard Benedictus in 1903, when TLH is set. However, it wasn’t until 1909 that the first safety glasses were invented by Julius King. So Christopher’s eyewear is about six years ahead of its time. On the other hand, it’s entirely possible that Shadowhunters— probably the Iron Sisters in particular— were using protective eyewear before mundanes and Christopher is simply adopting the technology. But if we’re going by a purely historical standpoint, the goggles are a bit off.

The apron nearly drove me insane because I could not find any sources from the Edwardian era that show a similar style. The best I could find out is that bib aprons have been worn for welding since the 1880, so it’s reasonably accurate. Christopher really needs to pull it up a bit higher, though. Your shirt’s getting scorched, mate. PPE is no joke.

Accuracy: 5/10

As a last note of interest, while I was researching I came across this image I just had to share. It’s a cartoon that appeared in the Tacoma Times in 1903 and satirically depicts “men’s clothing designed by women”. Look at these guys. The og malewives. Poor little meow meows.

Sources:

Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute

Fashion History Timeline

Vintage Dancer

OHS

Bakersgas Welding

Aaand there we go! I probably spent way too much time on this, but it was fun. I’ll see you all on the other side after I’ve finished Chain of Thorns. Remember to tag your spoilers!

[rotationalsymmetry]

Ayyy.

So I got a little into the tags on this one. And it's wild. (Transphobia discourse ahead including brief mentions of sexual violence, physical violence, and police and prisons. feel free to scroll past if you don't want to see it.) (btw I'm talking trans fem and trans masc a lot and I realize some non-binary people don't think either term is really applicable to them and...I think that's legit I just don't know what to say about it. Apart from yeah exorsexism is also its own thing. Sorry.)

Here look. Do trans women and trans femmes have some pretty epic issues that are much more a thing they face than a thing that trans mascs face? Of course. If I walk down the street in a short haircut and a binder, I'm not going to be especially worried that a cop will decide to harass me because they think I'm a sex worker. I'm not at especially high risk of a lover murdering me because he's so freaked out at the idea of maybe being a little bit gay because the woman he fucked turned out to not have been born in a body the doctors recognized as female. If I get arrested, well, a lack of hearing about transmasc prison horror stories does not mean they don't exist, but I have heard transfem prison horror stories and they are horrific.

Plus the extra layer of some feminists (terfs) being utterly convinced that trans women are a unique and terrifying threat to feminism and should not be allowed in women's spaces or to even, like...work for feminist organizations? Anyways. It's a whole thing.

And I've known about at least some of this stuff for as long as I've known about any trans issues. And it's horrifying and very much worth talking about and doing stuff about. And it also as far as I can tell does get talked about extensively when people talk about trans issues at all. Which I mean. They often don't.

At the same time, I have also seen a sort of overcorrection, more from cis people than trans people I think, to go "well ok clearly we have to draw the line somewhere, if feminism can include trans fems we have to exclude someone so I guess that means feminism does not apply to trans mascs."

Which is ludicrous.

Misogyny affects trans fems. Street harassment and job discrimination and a million other feminist issues affect trans women. (In fact, trans fems often offer a uniquely valuable perspective on these things, as they can compare how people treat them at different stages of how other people see them.) Misogyny affects trans fems, again not surprisingly because is there any group of women that misogyny does not affect, so feminism should include trans fems.

And misogyny affects trans mascs. Abortion access and contraception access affects us. The restrictions placed on girls affect us, since most of us didn't transition at age two. Clothes without pockets often affect us. Sexual harassment and sexual assault and unfortunately in some cases corrective rape affect us. And here look, I pretty much look like a cis woman who doesn't shave her body hair, but trans masc who look like guys have this really unpleasant problem where often they still need "women's health care", Pap smears and whatnot, because "women" need a lot of health care, while looking like guys, where the worst scenario is getting refused care and the next worst one is getting care but being misgendered the entire time and the best case scenario of getting appropriate care and not being misgendered and also not being slammed by dysphoria or the psychological residue of past health care experiences too hard, is hard to find. Ok?

If misogyny affects trans mascs, and again it does, then trans mascs belong in feminism, ie the struggle against misogyny.

If misogyny affects trans mascs in a way that intersects with transphobia -- if trans mascs get special experiences that are much more common for them than for either cis women or trans fems or cis men -- then there should be a word for that. And in theory you could talk about transmisogyny to cover both, because hey intersection of transphobia and misogyny what else are you going to call it, but a lot of people are deeply convinced that transmisogyny means specifically the oppression that trans fems expeiences so it's almost less effort to just coin a new term than to fight over what transmisogyny should mean. So. Here we are.

It's really wild that any of this is controversial. Let alone that people will get so intensely angry about it.

[gyuyoungarchives]

💬 Daily Sports : [12072023] Press Interview Highlights for Celebrity

Actress Park Gyuyoung is making strides to capture the hearts of audiences worldwide, not just domestically. From the role of an ordinary office worker to a powerful influencer with 1.3 million followers and even a darkened character, she is meeting viewers with a more diverse range of characters through the Netflix series "Celebrity" released on the 31st of last month.

"Celebrity" is a story that depicts the glamorous and fierce bare faces of celebrities encountered by Ari, who dives into a world where becoming famous translates into money. According to the OTT ranking site Flix Patrol, as of the 10th, "Celebrity" ranked 6th in the TV series category and 2nd in the domestic chart.

"I'm not actually a celebrity, but it feels good that people enjoy watching it. I really didn't expect it to rank on the global chart. I think it's a bit of a reward for the hard work of many staff and actors. I'm proud and happy. I'm also grateful for the feedback we've received. One of them mentioned that my vocalization has improved, which is something I actually paid a lot of attention to, so I'm even more thankful."

Park Gyuyoung portrayed Seo Ari, who goes from being an ordinary office worker to a celebrity with 1.3 million followers in the drama. Seo Ari, who steps into SNS out of curiosity, discovers the law of success and becomes a famous celebrity with 1.3 million followers overnight by adding her own charm and personality.

"I thought it needed to be portrayed realistically. We already know how the SNS system works. I think we paid a lot of attention to realism so that viewers could immerse themselves."

Park Gyuyoung aimed to meticulously portray the process of Seo Ari becoming an influencer. She explained, "Seo Ari is a character who grows. As we move into the middle part, many events happen, and Ari starts to become more independent. I thought it wouldn't work without persuasiveness, so I tried to stay true to the emotions I felt at the time."

In "Celebrity," watching Park Gyuyoung's styling is also a delight. From the appearance of an office worker to Ari as a celebrity and conducting live broadcasts, the diverse outfits attract attention. Especially since it's a story about the glamorous life of an influencer, luxury brands continuously appear, supported by Netflix's solid backing.

"There are emotional and acting expressions, but I thought there needed to be visual changes so that viewers could find it fun and immersive. The director gave a lot of input on styling, and a dedicated styling team was assigned to Seo Ari. High-end items were supported by Netflix, and I'm very grateful that I got to film wearing a lot of nice clothes. It's an experience I'm grateful for."

While the glamorous outfits stand out, Seo Ari's bob haircut draws particular attention. Park Gyuyoung described Seo Ari's hair as a "Lego hair." She said, "There are beautiful sisters and brothers who appear as celebrities, and everyone's styling is glamorous. I thought if Seo Ari had Lego hair, it might be memorable. I think it was a good choice. It was styling that could only be completed through sharing opinions with everyone."

"Celebrity" features influencers suffering from malicious comments. In reality, not only influencers but also celebrities are voicing their pain from indiscriminate malicious comments. Park Gyuyoung opened up about how this is a natural part of being in a visible profession, but it's not easy.

"Seeing colleagues hurt by malicious comments makes me wish for societal improvement. I accept what needs to be accepted and just move past what needs to be overlooked. I don't actually receive a lot of malicious comments, but when I was acting as Seo Ari, I received a lot, which made me empathise with Ari."

Park Gyuyoung's real Instagram followers number 1.88 million. In the drama, Seo Ari is an influencer with 1.3 million followers. Park Gyuyoung mentioned that before "Celebrity" was released, she had 1.74 million, but it increased by 140,000 to 1.88 million currently.

This is thanks to the power of works like "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" and "Sweet Home," which spread worldwide through Netflix. "I'm living a normal life even after my debut. I'm at home, on set, and exercising repeatedly." When asked if she feels her popularity, she said, "When the work I've worked hard on is released, I do. If the reaction is good, I physically feel it," expressing her pride.

Park Gyuyoung also shared news of joining Netflix's series "Squid Game" Season 2. "I think it's really fortunate to be able to show myself through a good OTT. It's a medium that allows for diverse storytelling, and I'm most thankful for the opportunity given."

"When we make a project, we don't think that only our work should be successful. Overall, I think it contributes to the direction in which Korean content should move forward. Pressure is pressure, but what I can do is to play the character responsibly."

[sixohsixoheightfourtwo]

15 people 15 questions

tagged in this meme a few weeks ago by @isaksbestpillow!! here we go

1. are you named after anyone?

My first name is the name of a specific figure from UK history! someone a lot of uk people have heard of, but it's unusual to actually have this as a name. I get some incredulity and some people who politely ask where i'm from. I have to say i'm not 100% sure what answer they're expecting.

My tumblr url is a B-52s song which seemed somehow relevant back in uhhh 2013 or whenever it was.

2. when was the last time you cried?

I thinkkkk possibly when i was doing my taxes back in january. These days I tend to cry from stress and anger and frustration but it's really bad for me because once I start I find it VERY hard to stop, it makes my emotions spiral, I get more and more upset, so I really have to squash it down. For me crying is not cathartic, it just ruins the day.

3. do you have kids?

No - BUT - I have a lot of much younger cousins - and I babysit them & help with childcare fairly often so I am quite used to kids. Fortunately my cousins think i'm super fun

4. what sports do you play/have you played?

I am extremely noncompetitive! I was terrible at team sports at school and also had terrible hand-eye coordination. I have been at times an OK swimmer and I played a lot of table tennis in my last couple of years of school with the other four or five people who'd been deemed too useless for netball etc. As an adult I do youtube yoga, I periodically do app-based running stuff like Zombies Run or Nike Run Club. Ideally I'd like to go every day on like a 5 mile walk in an interesting location with a reasonable amount of ascent and descent but in a city it's hard to orchestrate that. Also I put my little cousins on my shoulders and get them to direct me where to go so they can learn the difference between left and right

5. do you use sarcasm?

I think I actually don't! Maybe a little bit sometimes. I tend to me more uhhh. pedantic and literal. tend to deconstruct .

6. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

uhhhhh probably skin texture . or haircut . or I look at their clothes. i don't know . sounds creepy. sorry.

7. what’s your eye color??

I think if you average it out it's brownish / greenish . think filippo berio bottle . maybe a bit browner / greyer than that. I tried to take a picture but it only confused me. Also when you look close enough at someone's eyes you might get flecks of like eight different colours.

8. scary movies or happy endings?

I do watch and enjoy scary movies and I have learned that I have a higher tolerance for them than some people BUT if I must pick between the two - I am team happy ending.

9. any talents ?

Little bit doublejointed! Can play a little bit of ukulele. Good memory. Good cook. Can make cocktails .

10. where were you born?

London, UK

11. what are your hobbies?

cooking, language learning, walking. Tumblr . opening new browser tabs . I'm getting some wine qualifications which is partly work related partly hobby.

12. do you have any pets?

no but my sister & her partner just got a dog and I do feel I am now an auntie

13. how tall are you?

167 cm I think? i think that's 5 ft 6? normal amount.

14. favourite subject in school?

probably languages ........... honestly I don't remember. unfortunately I had a thirst for knowledge and enjoyed most subjects.

15. dream job?

What I do now (print media production work, magazine production work) is pretty good for me

I'm going to do what @isaksbestpillow did and tag the last 15 people in my notes, that seems fun. no obligation obviously! @rociopath @fizzbuzzbananagram @magicmarker @autisticmisabel @starburger @the-omnishambles @itsmapes @youvegotaluckyface @misterhaderach @jestershark @lanninglurksnomore @sirquacklesdefoof @tracybaconnnn @321claratin @alien-ally