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valcuda · 4 months

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Info Dump Part 3: Carrot Man! (Part 1)

How did it take me this long to do an info dump on Carrot Man's story?

I only really talked about him in Part 1, and I kinda forgot what I said in that despite just reading it so I wouldn't, so I'm just gonna go over everything again.

Carrot Man's IRL Origins

SGA

Carrot Man's story has it's roots in something I created in 2nd grade. It was the idea for a game that I called "Gameventure", before "Super Game Venture" and finally "Super Game Adventure" or SGA for short. (I was addicted to acronyms as a kid, hence why I called myself "TMH" TheModHead)

The only thing that really stayed the same with SGA through all the years, was that it was a flatformer, with a stickfigure as the main character.

Anyways, SGA is when it finally gets interesting, as I created some characters for it, and wanted to tell some simple stories with each game.

Here's a drawing I made with all the characters a while later. Ignore Potato Man, Carrot Man, that blue thing, and the mug, they weren't part of it at the time. (I just don't have any artwork without them) From left to right, they are: Random Facer, Eanie, Fleepy, Pinky, Bluey, Miney, Floopy, and Pencil Kid.

Anyways, one day, my sister shows me a character she created named "Potato Man", and he fit the artstyle perfectly! So I had this idea that maybe I could make a game with him, and his arch enemy would be "The Uncool Carrot", Carrot Man, whose goal was to be cooler than Potato Man, who was the coolest person in the galaxy. Carrot Man's design is basically identical to how it was when he was originally created. In this series, the SGA characters would occasionally appear, helping Potato Man defeat Carrot Man, or sometimes even being playable characters getting antagonized by Carrot Man.

Now then, for my Freshman English class, I ended up drawing a comic called "Random Facers Random Origins", which explained how Random Facer became part of the SGA crew. I have a digital remake of it that I might release, it's not very good cause I made it before I was good at writing or drawing, but some might find it interesting. (I was going to release it in this post, but Tumblr won't let me attach PDF files). (Also I forgot to mention this, but that mug appears in this comic cause one of my friends, who I had to borrow a marker from, had me create them. Their name is Rootbeer Man in the comic)

In this comic, I introduced a new character, "Magi-Facer", who was the 1-off antagonist. He's the blue thing I told you to ignore. However, I had the idea that, in the next comic, Carrot Man and Magi-Facer would team up! They'd be constantly bickering, only staying together cause of their mutual goal to defeat Potato Man.

I then realized I could have Potato Man team up with Random Facer! And then came a massive change!

Adventures of Potato Man

During my freshman year, I began developing the story more and more, and realized the "SGA Crew" weren't very interesting, so I ended up cutting them down, and focused on Potato Man!

Here's what the crew looked like after this!

Potato Man, Random Facer, Pencil Kid, Rootbeer Guy, Magi-Facer, and Carrot Man!

This version of the story is SO developed! There was an actual story with an ending to it!

I also have a TON of artwork from this era, so here it is!

(I should note that I redacted my name from the last 3, it's especially noticeable on the Space Carrot one.)

Anyways, I forgot to mention that, Carrot Man is a fucking idiot in this version of the story. He's constantly messing up, constantly bickering with Magi-Facer who's just as dumb, and seemingly can't do anything right! However, he does have a dynamic with Magi-Facer. Carrot Man is the one who comes up with ideas, like a mech or a space station, and Magi-Facer uses his magic to make it a reality!

As I developed this version of the story, I ended up focusing more on Carrot Man and Magi-Facer, cause Potato Man is completely mute. I don't know why I did that, and it's a detail that remains in the story to this day for some reason, but this made it hard to make him interesting.

So, the story ended up following Carrot Man and Magi-Facer, two villains who want revenge on Potato Man, turning good, and helping save the last of humanity.

Oh yeah! I forgot to mention a critical part of the lore! And this part is still mostly canon!

Long before the events of the story, the humans sent out Voyager 1, which ended up reaching a highly intelligent race known as the "Pencils" (This was to explain Pencil kid, before turning serious.), they ended up replying, and became friends with humanity, before creating the Galactic Union, uniting other intelligent species in the galaxy. Unfortunately, humanity began to grow lazy. They all decided to stay on Earth, and they polluted the atmosphere. They asked the Pencils for help, and they gave them the tools to help themselves, but they refused. Eventually, they went to war with the Pencils, making both species go extinct, with Earth becoming inhabitable.

Fortunately, 2 Pencils survived! Pencil Kid, and Jeffery Benstalk. Rootbeer Guy found Pencil Kid, and began taking care of him, keeping him secret from everyone else. (I should note, Pencil Kid was mute as well) Jeffery Bentalk lived on an unknown planet, where he made plans to revive humanity.

The reason they hid, was due to unorganized "Space Pirates", who'd potentially kill them. They were also the people Potato Man was fighting prior to Carrot Man and Magi-Facer

Eventually, Jeffery would team up with Potato Man, and later Carrot Man and Magi-Facer as well. They'd then go onto the inhospitable Earth, and find a young child in cryo sleep, they'd then decide that Carrot Man and Magi-Facer should take care of them. They'd then try returning home, realize one of them had to stay, and Jeffery would trick them into leaving him.

End of that version of the story!

This would've been what I wrote, if it weren't for...

TheModSeries

This story is a can of worms I'm not gonna open just yet. Just know, this story let me develop Carrot Man on his own! It gave me an excuse to put him in a show I was watching, and I developed him in that show by himself!

This slowly turned Carrot Man into a serious, intelligent, and stern person. He built robots modeled after himself called "Robo-Carrots", they basically Amazon Alexa if it was an android, and this was before I even knew what those were. You'd say "Robo-Carrot!" and the nearest, non-busy one, would come running up to you, awaiting a command.

Post TMS

This intelligence meant Carrot Man didn't need Magi-Facer anymore, he was dead weight. So I scrapped him!

I then continued to develop the series, but mostly Carrot Man. He was now a genius! And the story was now meant to be a comic series again, so I had ideas for scenarios and such, most of which would never get used.

There was one character however, who actually made it to the current version of the story! One who originates from the SGA time period!

He was: THE DIGITIZER!!

His game was gonna revolve around him turning physical objects, into digital data! I absolutely LOVED his design, so I brought him back! He'd be Carrot Man arch nemesis! He was:

Proxy Swift!

It says design not final on that, but it never changed.

He was a rival scientist, wanting to kill Carrot Man... for some reason I never wrote in this version. He was part of the Space Pirates, who were now organized in this version!

His main weapon was "The Digitizer!", which would send out a beam, that would turn things into digital data, before sucking them up! I didn't develop him much in this stage...

The Adventures of Carrot Man

At some point, I realized Carrot Man was 1000x times more interesting than Potato Man, so I made him the main character.

This version of the story is very similar to the current version, in fact, the previous version of Carrot Man's story falls under this umbrella. As such, i'm not really gonna go into detail.

However, Proxy now started as Carrot Man's best friend, before the Space Pirates attacked the Space Carrot, burned Proxy, and he came back a villain, believing it was all Carrot Man's fault.

This is also the version of the story where Carrot Man burned to death!

This version of the story still had Jeffery Benstalk, and Pencil Kid. After Carrot Man burned to death on the Space Carrot, Jeffery saved him, modified his brain so he'd be hyper intelligent, and sent him back to continue his life. At the end, he'd team up with Potato Man to defeat the head of the Space Pirates, tying into TheModSeries as well! Which I've cut due to scrapping TheModSeries.

There's just one of bit of art from this period left that I want to share, a background I made for my PS Vita! (And never used cause I use default on everything for some reason)

Despite having Random Facer and Magi-Facer, this was from this era! I still really liked Random and Magi-Facer, and I'll still occasionally draw them!

---

Okay, that is a LOT more than I was expecting to write! I think I'm gonna have to make a part 2 of this, cause I'm tired of writing.

Part 2 will most likely be shorter, as I don't really have much left to talk about with Carrot Man.

Anyways, I'll see you there hopefully!

I leave you with an old drawing of Carrot Man from the "TAP" Era!

[Dreams by the Creek - Redacted Name Edition]

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fedzkun · 3 years

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Villain Hunt Arc Meta: All For One’s Horrific Guide to Methodically Breaking Down Your Local OFA Holder

Ft. Turning the ‘Overpoweredness’ of OFA into a Setback, and AFO’s Successful Manipulations Of Midoriya Izuku

In which I also give AFO too much credit for all the pain he’s probably caused, and theorize that his plans to break Izuku actually started getting enacted even before he’d escaped Tartarus.

(A.k.a. me loving the angst because this is really good angst writing, but also hating it because the manga doesn’t come with a Angst with A Happy Ending tag unless you count Izuku’s ‘this is the story of how I became the greatest hero’ which isn’t really a guarantee of happiness )

So. What an arc! In the span of ten chapters (starting from the end of the War arc) Hori delivered a full-on Villain-looking, Vigilante Midoriya Izuku. Congratulations, Horikoshi, for finally introducing Akatani Mikumo!

The fast pacing and lack of breather panels are so fitting for this arc truly. AFO never gave them a moment’s rest. Yes, from henceforth as he’d promised... It’s always going to be his turn.

Izuku is making amazing progress with unlocking the full power of One For All. In his words, his abilities might as well already be on par with what a healthier All Might could do, and with no recoil to boot. Plus, there’s only one last quirk to unlock. For villain fights, I don’t think we need to worry about him losing, or him breaking anymore bones at this time.

Which, some might argue, makes Izuku too ‘OP.’

To start with, I want to talk first about the ‘overpoweredness’ of the One For All quirk. It’s a wonderful quirk truly, having inspired and amazed so many because of its sheer power. Used well, it could grant instant victories and restore the people’s wavering faith to the heroes. Because with a quirk like that on your side, everything’s going to be alright, right? There’s always gonna be that bit of hope that something is still strong enough to stand against the looming evil...right?

Yeah. That’s what the people who’d lived under All Might’s Era of Peace thought so too. History repeats.

OFA’s ‘OP-ness’ is both a great blessing and a great burden.

Here are some points on how the narrative has made OFA's 'overpoweredness' a setback:

1. All For One—that bastard—exploits the urge that comes with OFA. Just as ‘AFO the quirk’s’ goal is to steal OFA, OFA’s job is to defeat AFO, and Izuku is sacrificing himself to its cause.

Here’s another thing I want to point out: The conclusion that the heroes drew about AFO planning to capture Midoriya Izuku alive? In rereading, I’m starting to believe it’s nothing but a mere assumption of his plans. Aside from the deal made with Lady Nagant—of which I think AFO didn’t take seriously anyway and set her up for failure— (and while we as readers are already aware of his true intentions to wear Izuku down) it’s weird that nowhere had AFO directly mentioned to Izuku that he’s going to kidnap him and take his quirk from him.

2. OFA made Izuku so brilliant (e.g. Pros and former Pros alike going “This kid...”) that they really can't help but place all their hopes on him. Sighs. In an ideal world, this would be a dream come true of Izuku getting his due credit for all his heroic achievements Pro heroes have started to do to Izuku what they’ve done all their lives to All Might--which is to put him on the pedestal, while they fall back to cover him like guards/safety net. Hence, falling back to the One Pillar Model mindset.

3. OFA makes Izuku untouchable, not only to the villains, but also to his allies. Prime material to reinforce isolation. And if Izuku doesn't want to be caught, he won't make it easy for either side.

4. OFA IS SUS AF, OKAY? What are the Holders doing?! While gaining access to them makes it easier and convenient to have personal trainers in handling OFA, the vestiges prove to add a lot to Izuku’s mental load. If they’d allowed Izuku to come to the point of being caked with blood and filth, they’re not doing very well at guiding him. Realize that most of their arc interactions with Izuku is Quirk Talk. They, of all people, should know how AFO’s machinations work! Hey First, for the love of god, warn Izuku! He’s showing so many signs of being manipulated that you should be picking up on. please /sobs ;;

Tbf, like, I’m pretty sure that the Holders haven’t been as mentally okay either, which would feed into Izuku’s current mindset.

Now that the setbacks have been listed, let’s dive in to AFO’s plans to toy with Midoriya Izuku.

PHASE 1: Pre-Tartarus Breakout

Speaking of OFA being sus, there’s something that has been niggling at the back of my mind.

All For One basically tells Izuku: “You were my main interest that entire time I was in prison”. So, to pass the time in Tartarus (since he can’t use any(?) of his quirks), AFO has been doing nothing but apparently daydreaming and designing a personal hell for the Ninth Holder during that entire period. HOWEVER, it also made me wonder…

…Even before he’d broken out, had AFO made any moves at all in enacting his plans to break Izuku?

Yeah?

And here’s the kicker: he says that before Blackwhip bursted out.

AFO is a master manipulator. Assuming that Izuku doesn’t have any latent AFO quirk (for whatever reason *coughs* maybe dfo if you're a believer) or that Quirk Singularity has anything to do with it, what is the trigger to Izuku suddenly having access to Blackwhip?

I’d argue that it is All For One himself.

Why? What’s his goal? If you notice during the Joint Training arc, Izuku is feeling pretty confident about his progress. He’s rather happy and feeling blessed, and he is making leaps and bounds with base power OFA.

AFO can’t have that. He can’t allow the Ninth Holder to become too emotionally stable, or else he’d have a stronger will. So by somehow activating Blackwhip, AFO makes Izuku feel like he hasn’t made any progress with his quirk at all. During the evaluations, Izuku mentions that he still needs a lot to work on, and while not all of it is visible, with the way he behaves, it’s pretty evident that his self-confidence has taken a rather large hit.

But, wait! If AFO had tampered with OFA during the JT arc, paving the way to unlocking the rest (like he’d also done during the War arc when he tried to ‘steal’ it then), then wouldn’t AFO be sabotaging himself since he’d be making Izuku a more formidable opponent?

Sure. Except that the quirks inside OFA are mostly useless when it comes to the mental part of the fighting. The only thing they’re useful for is for the current Holder to be able to play keep-away in the physical realm. And AFO could easily just find counters for those through his work on Tomura.

You know how else the situation becomes advantageous for AFO? With every quirk unlocked, Izuku’s goalposts keep on getting away from him, and Izuku will always feel like he isn’t ready or prepared enough. Izuku will push and push himself to master OFA to its fullest, to become more powerful, at the cost of his mental/emotional stability and physical wellbeing as he wears himself down.

And every time Izuku grew more powerful, and became more ‘OP,’ he is burdened with all the aforementioned setbacks that came with it. He could be the most powerful person in the world, but it’s all for naught if he doesn’t take care of himself. This plan is both a high risk and high reward on AFO’s part, and as of the moment, with a bloody Izuku staggering all over, AFO is visibly reaping these high rewards.

PHASE 2: Post-Tartarus Breakout

He’s going to toy with Izuku until Izuku fucking breaks. What follows is his series of actions that instills the desired responses from Midoriya Izuku. Let’s see how the master manipulator plays this game of chess, shall we?

Izuku’s plan: Reach out to villains and try to save them.

AFO’s counter: Kill off those who turn their back against villainy and/or acknowledge Izuku as a true hero.

Izuku’s resulting response: Stop reaching out to villains. Gain an instant victory and move on.

After all, what do you get when you block a hero from showing sympathy? You get an unfeeling living weapon.

---

Izuku’s plan: Work with the top pro heroes to bring down AFO.

AFO’s counter: Make plans that will serve to highlight how the top pros are just slowing Izuku down. (e.g. Making moves while it’s raining, so as to divide them, but also to bring out No. 1 Hero Endeavor’s "slowness" in the rain. Nope, I don’t think that’s a throwaway line at all.)

Izuku’s resulting response: Grows more reckless, often leading the charge.

---

Izuku’s plan: Track AFO down.

AFO’s counter: Lead them to dead-ends. Or when they do supposedly reach something, endanger them.

Izuku’s resulting response: His tunnel vision worsens, as he grows more desperate.

---

Izuku’s plan: All Might following him around is okay since it would help All Might from worrying so much, and Izuku could simultaneously keep an eye on and protect All Might.

AFO’s counters: There are a lot to really fuck with this bond, damn you AFO.

Taint that passing the torch memory of ‘You’re Next.’

Declare that All Might no longer interests him. Liar. He outright stated before that he’s one for keeping a grudge

Send another assassin to Izuku [Underlying Message: You yourself are a walking danger zone to those whom you dearly care for.]

Izuku’s resulting response:

Interpret that memory of ‘You’re Next’ as taking up the position of being AFO’s shiny new plaything, and therefore supposedly sparing All Might from the torment (Unfortunately, making Izuku push AM away is just part of the torment ;A;)

Think that AM is no longer in the direct line of fire as long as AFO focuses on Izuku

Finally, push his last line of morale support away, and completely isolate himself.

Btw, I wonder how All Might feels about Izuku using Nana's quirk to get away from him.

---

The suffering doesn’t end.

Izuku’s plan: Save people.

AFO’s counters: (possibly offscreen) Send more villains and assassins to torment Izuku some more with the knowledge that he can’t save them. Sending villains out also puts innocents in danger.

Izuku’s resulting response: He won’t stop for anything. He won’t sleep, won’t eat, won’t slow down. He will always do his best to save as long as someone is in danger.

His body will keep on moving and moving and MOVING on its own.

--- All For One is very effective as a supervillain. He has managed to make the heroes think that his only goal is to capture Izuku alive for his quirk. He has Izuku right where he wants him: dancing to his tune at the palm of his hand, utterly toyed with, left with no escape in sight.

Psychologically vaulted.

PHASE 3

And so, if Izuku is being manipulated to drive himself further and further into self-destruction, what then is there left for All For One to do?

So much more. Because, my god, I think AFO has mastered the art of traumatizing the OFA Holders.

All For One once told All Might, “I will destroy all that you’ve protected.” And boy, is he delivering. He's definitely not done with AM btw.

First, he destroys All Might's image. And he is manipulating Izuku to drive himself to that point. To looking into his absolute worst.

And when that point arrives, AFO will hammer the final nail home.

Something like...

BEHOLD

JAPAN’S SYMBOL OF PEACE.

And oh, how it'll hurt. To see All Might's pride and joy be flaunted about as looking nothing like a hero to the masses, for him to be so utterly humiliated.

"See what I did to All Might's successor."

AFO will be banking upon the possibility that the angry masses will not want to be saved by whom they're tricked into viewing as someone that's the cause of all the pain. Izuku might have the willpower to stay true to his resolve, but with him on the verge of total breakdown, what would happen when he is shunned by the very people he is trying to help?

I once wrote a post about how the current events seem to be a bastardization of Izuku's wildest fantasies: he's working with the top pros, he has the most powerful quirk, and he's working with All Might (whom technically acts as a sidekick to him rn).

AFO has warped all that into a never-ending nightmare. And Izuku...

Izuku is really in need of saving.

Last thoughts:

Let me just say that it shouldn't be a competition about who gets to get through to Izuku. Right now, he’s gonna need all the help he can get, and it can’t be delivered by only one or two people. Saving Izuku is going to be a team effort, a solid support system that sees Izuku as their classmate/friend/student/actual person that they care about. And there’s sufficient space for that.

More hands reaching out means more chances to catch him if he falls.

#bnha #bnha 317 #bnha manga #bnha analysis #bnha meta #all for one #afo #midoriya izuku #all might #toshinori yagi

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princesscallyie · 2 years

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Got some rough designs down. Want to do what I did in this post with the Hopaz kids where I jot the designs down and give random info until I get the final characters finished. The designs could change especially the clothes and accessories. Anyway, I’m just really fascinated with the concept of counterpart or foil characters and that was my main goal. So if they’re giving “[hopaz kid] but opposite” then yeah. But they still have their own character and possibly share some traits as well.

So thoughts on the kids together. Overall they are supposed to represent more unity compared to the Hopaz kids so hence the similar color palette (I’m really digging all the purple!) which is ironic since they are a blended family. They can work together as a group way more efficiency than the Hopaz kids but they still have the typical sibling dynamics. It’s just when it’s time to do work for mother, they get it together. On to the random descriptions that I’m just spitting out.

First, it’s the evil zaddy character. Scorch’s son. I want him to ooze sex appeal, he has to be nasty idc. He probably has a poison saliva and licks his knifes before he stabs ppl, idk something hot like that. Probably has his mother’s manipulation skills and her cunningness. He definitely is a casanova type and leads women on for his own gain. Where Turq is more humble, he is absolutely not. He is the mama’s boy of the family since him and calypso have the most trauma (Will explain later). He probably pisses Turq off for fun and won’t leave him alone (so a tag team partner for Scent) I’m leaning towards bastard for him, but we’ll see. Calypso was married to the other fathers at one point. He has the largest flame like his daddy. Probably just as strong as he was too.

Next it’s the warrior princess chick. Daughter of Everest, a Jonhansen kingdom hunter. She is the “mewman passing” one. Yes, I’m making that a plot point. A major tomboy who Calypso tries really hard to push her to be a proper lady but fails miserably. She knows her daughter can be the fairest in the land if she would just behave for once! They definitely had a “ma, it’s just my hook!” fight at the table. She is a slob most likely and acts like she doesn’t have home training, but in that rare occasion she acts right, she can compete with Delphine in being a fair maiden worthy of suitors. She would definitely burp in Delphine’s face or something or try to trip her.

The bratty prodigy girl. Daughter of Typhoon (thanks for @doomface for the permission to use him, I always liked him but since I didn’t use the air nymphs like I wanted he kinda gone to waste until now). Okay so with song magic, I was thinking it’s has more support based abilities, but with her with the help of her aggressive father, she can play song magic that can kill you. Like maybe her violin shoots lightning out or something sick like that. So that’s why she’s considered a prodigy. I was kinda hinting at Aurora trying to figure out how to do it, but this little demon got her beat. Compared to Phyrus she has the middle child syndrome HEAVY. She’s a bit salty about being overshadowed. She’s polite and hardworking so definitely the opposite of him as well. Also I was not excepting her to have my favorite rough design but here she is…

Lastly, dark Victorian child. Son of a Waterfolk nobleman (I’m still thinking of a backstory it’s important though) Yeah, I’m gonna be changing up the design which is funny cause I kept changing up Vander’s too. Yeah, he’s the quiet but deadly one. Probably has some sick power. Sadistic, doesn’t have much emotion probably. He’s calypso’s fully Waterfolk baby to she’s quite partial to him but the eldest son is still her favorite cause her relationship with Scorch. He is probably the smartest one out of all them or just is more logical. Uhhh, he needs more work but I’m thinking he’s a vital part of how the family became successful cause the family wasn’t really well off until he came into the picture.

That’s all I got for now. Full profile pics and descriptions will come out… eventually…

#wip #future au #calypso’s children

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cherrywoes · 3 years

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cuddle headcanons. (ft. diluc and kaeya.)

title: cuddle headcanons

characters: diluc and kaeya (separate.)

fandom: genshin impact

requests: open.

rating: nice and fluffy

a/n: thank you @sullen-angel24! i'm glad to see you in my ask box dear! <3 istg kaeya's was throwing me for a loop so i went with my best interpretation of his personality and in-game actions thus far. i'm a kaeya main and i struggle to write him smh. anyway! i hope you enjoy it! <3

diluc: cuddle headcanons

i feel like diluc would be one of those people who are intentionally a little skittish around intimate contact of any kind, but secretly loves it on the inside,,,

like there are only so many ways he can express his emotions through his words, usually which come out either wrong or not quite what he meant, so he can convey his emotions better through small actions, whether that be a hug or something else *wink wonk*

but on a more serious note, i do believe diluc is an actions over words kind of guy. he values actions over words, at least, because they mean more to him than anything you could say in the long run.

so cuddling with diluc would more than likely be a "behind close doors" affair, so to speak, he isn't fond of public affection and would much prefer it to be on his terms in a place where he feels safe.

that said!

cuddling with diluc is like cuddling with a heater. it can be comfy, depending on the weather (dragonspine) or it can be absolutely awful depending on the heat (mondstadt or liyue), but either way, the man runs pretty hot on a regular basis due to his abilities, so cool clothing--or none at all--is a must.

diluc very rarely wears much of anything because of it (this is if nighttime cuddles are a thing) so you'd have to be comfortable with an unusual amount of skinship with him. at first he might be a little wary and wear clothes, for propriety's sake, but would quickly grow weary of the whole thing and be as comfortable as possible.

since diluc has strong upper body strength (he has to, being a claymore wielder) he has a rather firm grip when it comes to holding you to his chest. it is pleasant and comfortable, not too hard and not too loose, but just enough to where you can feel comforted and protected--which is the goal.

if you are ever in distress, tired, sad, or anything at all, you can always track down diluc at the dawn winery and know he'll be ready to offer cuddles at a moment's notice, but only because it's you.

play with his hair. do it. he says he doesn't like it but he does. do it when he turns his back to you and just cuddle him from behind and run your fingers through his scalp, twist his hair into braids, muse it thoroughly--he'll be much more compliant and at ease than if you hadn't.

his favorite cuddling position is when he's on his back and you're snuggled right up to his side, resting your cheek somewhere between his shoulder and chest and a leg thrown over his hips, comfortable and leisurely. especially in the mornings, when neither of you have nowhere to go immediately and can just sit and bask in each other's presence.

his second favorite would probably be face to face but it's rare that it happens because he'd much prefer the first. he enjoys just flicking his gaze over your face if you've fallen asleep, or just staring into your eyes in general if you're awake, feeling as if his stare alone could convey the many words he would never say.

at the end of the day, diluc is a pretty soft boi with a fairly rough background so handle his heart with care please!

kaeya: cuddle headcanons

the opposite of diluc, i think kaeya would be opposed to any kind of skinship--for the most part. while he certainly appreciates a good hug or pat on the shoulder here and there, he's averse to contact for extended periods of time lasting longer than maybe a few minutes.

he is able to express himself more thoroughly with his words, i believe, than his actions, because his actions can be easily misconstrued, as past actions indicate. *cough* so he much prefers verbal affirmations to physical ones, but however, if the traveler (yourself) is more skewed towards physical affection, he supposes he can't complain, since it's you, after all.

with kaeya, you would have to start out small; lingering touches, never fully encompassing or heavy, but light and delicate. get him used to your extended presence, so to speak, and he'll be more inclined to be touchier because, despite what he says or indicates with body language, he does crave that interaction with you even if his mind vehemently opposes it.

in a compromise, he'll sit as close to you as possible, but the rest will ultimately be up to you.

cuddling with kaeya, at first, is a bit of an awkward thing. he isn't sure what he wants, so he tries to do what is natural--deflect with flirtatious comments and fond words, distracting you from his uncomfortableness, but you see right through it.

over time, as he grows more accustomed to it, he grows clingier, even going as far as cuddling you in public spaces. the knights of favonius' hq has never known him to be as close as he is to you at any given time.

if he's working late and refuses to come home, you can easily wedge yourself into his lap on his chair and cuddle him that way, which is counterproductive since he can't resist when you do that.

because he runs quite cool, being a cryo user, he's the best to have during mondstadt heatwaves or impromptu trips to liyue. he sleeps with several blankets so if you end up having a cuddle session before bed, either wear cool clothes or be prepared to sleep naked (not that he would mind). *wink wink nudge nudge*

he's a blanket hoarder and collects blankets. you can't persuade me otherwise. i will die on this hill.

in an interesting turn, he doesn't like his hair played with, but he will play with yours, although not in the neat and pretty designs you probably would. usually it ends up knotted and matted worse than before if you came off of a mission, because while his touch is playful, it more than often comes with disastrous consequences.

his favorite position is cuddled up behind you, as close as he can be, with an arm under your head and another wrapped around your waist, his hand close to your heart. you can either hold that hand or reach up and stroke your fingers down his arm and he'll be happy. bonus points if you twine your legs together with his, he loves that.

his second favorite is less of a cuddle and more of a bear hug; specifically, more like a koala hug. it's less of an intimacy thing and more of a "i enjoy being greeted this way" thing, especially if he's the one coming back from a lengthy trip or mission. just leap on him and hold tight with your arms and legs (don't kill the poor bby tho) and he feels loved and appreciated and actually wants to return to you than mondstadt.

kaeya, when all is said and done, yearns for affection and affirmation, so be careful with him; he does, despite what he claims, breaks easily.

#genshin impact #headcanons #diluc headcanons #kaeya headcanons #diluc x reader #diluc x traveler #kaeya x reader #kaeya x traveler #genshin impact diluc #genshin impact kaeya

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recurring-polynya · 3 years

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hi! i love reading all of your writing advice. i was wondering if you had any advice to offer about finishing pieces? i find myself starting so many and losing the thread.

I wanted to answer this a lot earlier, but I couldn't, because when I got it, I was literally in the agonies of trying to end a fanfic, and I couldn't, in good conscience, give advice on a topic while I was weeping and gnashing and rolling around on the ground over it.

However, the fanfic is done, and I am happy to say that the thing I was going to tell you anyway worked decently well, it is now tested.

What you need to do is ask yourself: what needs to happen for this story to be done? What is it that your story needs to do? I am an engineer by training, and in engineering, whenever you are making something, you define (or are handed) some specs or requirements. Make me a nozzle that sprays 1 gallon per minute in a 60 degree fan. Design me some software that takes a user input and securely adds it to a database. A story is an object that you design that fulfills a function, you just need to decide what it is.

The best time to make this decision, I am sorry to say, is before you start writing, but the next best time is right now. I think a lot of times people start a story based on an AU or some sort of scenario, and they have a whole bunch of thoughts about it and they start writing, but they don't actually have a direction in mind, and all of a sudden, it's like, where do I go with this?

Some stories are simple narratives: you have put your characters into a scrape and you just need to get them out. Other times, the story is a mood piece, your goal is to show that your main character loves his son, even though he appears closed off and grumpy. In the story I was working on, which was fairly short, the things I decided I need to do were: 1) have the characters part ways at the end, and 2) end on a tense note (it was a downer of a story, and it was important that they tried and failed to resolve the emotional conflict they were experiencing).

If you're having trouble with this, ask yourself this question: what is my story about? It might be helpful to try to write out something like an ao3 story blurb (I know these are hard to write, but a lot of time they are hard to write because you don't know what your story is about). It doesn't need to be zingy or zippy, though, it can just be something like "this is a story about two people who fall in love but they can't get together because they are from warring factions." You look at that and you can see the various endings: either they end up together, or they don't, those are the choices.

Once you have that defined, then look where you are, and figure out how to get from here to there. In the example above, maybe you decide you want them to live. How can that happen? Do they have to end the whole war? That sounds hard. Can one of them defect? Can they escape to another place? That sounds good! They need a shuttlecraft. Can they steal one? Oh, Character B is a space mechanic, maybe they can cobble some junk together! See how that works?

For a story where the end condition is "learn the meaning of friendship," you may have to sit down and say, well, what is the scenario that would show the two characters are friends now? Can I just do that right now, or do I need to lay more groundwork? What is that groundwork? Have them begrudgingly work together on a project? Have one witness the other being kind to a mutual acquaintance? Have the other learn an important piece of contextual backstory about the first? Repeat until you can draw a dotted line from where you are to where you need to be.

Anytime I write a story that's more than ~10k words, I keep a ancillary Google doc of notes for it (if it's less than 10k, I just keep notes down at the bottom). Here are the sorts of things I keep in my notes:

- Character goals/motivations. Whenever I don't know where to go with my story, I look these notes and say to myself, what can happen to move them further along this path? What would have to happen in this story to make it complete for this character? Keeping this in mind also helps me to know what the character is going to do in any given situation, so it also very helpful for keeping your characters consistent, or if they have character growth, to make sure it progresses the way you intend.

- A lot of the time, I will set time constraints on a story. Let's say it takes place over a week. I'll write out the days of the week and what happens each day (even if it's "nothing"). This is probably my #1 "finishing a fanfic" trick, simply deciding what time frame you're gonna have, and then forcing yourself to deal with it.

- A chapter-by-chapter breakdown, with just a short summary of the important events that happen each chapter. I usually make this after I have been working on the fic for a while, because I usually let chapter length emerge naturally. If you're trying to wrap up a multichapter fanfic, you might just say "I want to end this in three chapters" and then try to figure out what can happen into those three chapters to get you to a satisfactory resolution.

- This has nothing to do with ending a fanfic, but whenever I delete a scene I don't like, I paste it into the bottom of the notes doc, so I can cannibalize it later (sometimes for another story even), or just read it years later for lolz.

I hope this is helpful! Ending things is really hard! I'm sorry I don't have a more fun answer than "planning", because I hate planning more than anyone, but sometimes it just be like that!

Note: I have written all of this under the assumption that what you are asking is "how to I steer an undirected plotline to a resolution?" and not "how do I come up with a last line for a story?" because if it's the second, that is my absolute worst weakness as a writer and you are just going to have to ask someone else. 😂

#writing advice

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officialgritty · 4 years

Text

Sometimes I ask myself

How much could the NHL handle? What would they do if I, Zoe, had the opportunity to become a GM of my own team?

Another short essay by officialgritty. Here is the masterlist, it would be best to read them in order!

The Drafting Process

First of all, I’ll only accept picks for even numbers besides 7, 13 and 69. Odd numbers can choke.

I hate public speaking so I would nominate my assistant (still have not decided on one so feel free to send your applications into my DMs) to call out our picks. It’s probably the smartest decision considering I mumble a lot and have an accent so no ones names would be pronounced correctly anyway.

Personally I would like to draft one (1) beer league player. I think they could really get the team riled up, maybe even rack up some decent penalties for other teams by instigating.

“The Vermont Villains would like to select... big boy INSERT NAME.” - Assistant

“The Vermont Villains would like to select... string bean INSERT NAME.” - Assistant

“The Vermont Villains would like to select... sorry the mic cut out, after this can we have an intermission? I’m starving. Oh, we pick twinkle toes INSERT NAME.” - Me

General Rules / Other

There are no Capricorn’s to be allowed within management or on the team besides me. I was going to say, “I’m sorry I don’t make the rules,” but I quite literally do.

I am banning Crosby and MacKinnon from ever joining the team. In fact, when they visit for games the staff will ‘decorate’ a stall for them in particular.

I will be starting a petition for teams to be allowed 5 non-forfeit forfeits, meaning you get 5 chances to say, “No I don’t want to play that team today.” Both teams get no points though. It’s almost like a mental health day and I think that's neat.

The Team

(art via @chaos-hockey, please check out their account!)

The Vermont Villains are based in Vermont obviously, because there’s not a whole lot happening there. What even is Vermont for?

The team slogan is one everyone should be familiar with:

“No whole body, no murder.”

Our team intro song as players step out onto the ice is Be Prepared from The Lion King.

Our goal horn is someone sneezing, the audience will be sprayed with a light mist of sea water for effect.

Our team song played when we win will be Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked by Cage the Elephant.

As for team rivals, we have @chaos-hockey‘s creation the Insert Team Heres. They seem so sweet, I think the Villains would have a great time messing with them. I also believe we would have some beef with the Penguins, I don’t really have a reason for it, I just feel it deep in my gut. Maybe they get their knickers in a twist because we keep stealing their good stuff idk.

Mascot

The mascot wears a neon ski mask that changes based on the team’s choice in jersey. His name is Monday, because he’s always creeping up on you and causing mayhem through the grandstands. He has a water pistol attached to a tool belt, what's the tool belt for? No one ever truly knows until it’s too late.

Gritty and Monday would get along like a house on fire.

Uniform

(art via @chaos-hockey, please check out their account!)

You may notice the presence of three jersey’s and think to yourself, “Oh there's a home, away and an alternate.” Wrong. We have two home jerseys and an alternate.

On Wednesday’s we wear pink. Seriously. This jersey is only to be worn on Wednesday games.

All of the jerseys have players names written on the back but it’s only in a script font so it’s hard to read. Announcers will be confused, players will be confused but fans won’t be because they are used to it by now.

All of their numbers are written out in Roman numerals.

Each season the team colours change (besides pink Wednesdays). Why? Because I don’t like commitment. We would make hella money on limited time merch too.

Speaking of merch, every player will need to design a pair of crocs for fans to purchase as merch. This is not limited to the players, management must also participate. Yes, you can buy the George from Statistics crocs. I really just want my own crocs and to not be judged for it.

“I’ll take one of the Zoe crocs please!” - A fan

Now we can’t limit the uniform just to the team, I’ll show up to games rocking a power suit Michelle Obama inauguration style. Always in the same colour as the team jersey for that night. Yes, we are implying that I am Gritty.

“I want them to fear me but also want to fuck me.” - Me

(art via @chaos-hockey, please check out their account!)

For all working, team socks must be worn when entering the practise and game facilities. A sock check will be conducted at security. We will not let anyone in if they are not wearing Team Socks™️

(art via @chaos-hockey, please check out their account!)

You may be wondering about the away jersey still but don’t fret. We get to the arena early and steal the other team’s clothes. Some end up in their suits, some in their away jerseys and some are left shirtless. Whatever we can or cannot find before puck drop.

Arena

The arena won’t be boring that's for sure.

Out the front we have a massive V sign, just like how you see a McDonald’s sign from so far away, you’ll know when you get close to the arena.

Instead of stairs, each seating section has a harness that you get hooked up to for when you want to change levels. And each time that you want to get down, there’s a swirly slide.

Music played will be my favourite mashups from the YouTube account William Maranci to psych out competitors. Here is a link to one of my personal favourites:

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Obviously the team will need to listen to these before they are played for the first time to desensitise them. This will be done at the monthly team Disco.

During the intermission, all the lights in the main area will be turned off. Unofficial nap time my friends.

The menu consists of mutton, bagels on a stick, your choice of charcuterie board, fairy bread and fairy floss. For drinks you can either have carrot juice, Corona beer (we have a brand deal with them) or black tea with no milk.

In conclusion, it’s a good thing that I don’t have a lot of money and/or power, the NHL would hate me because they ain’t me and I have too many good ideas in my brain.

Thank you so sticking through it for this long, here’s all my love and affection 😘🥰❤️

Once again a big thank you to @chaos-hockey for bringing my ideas to fruition. Also thank you to Mik for encouraging this whole concept in our messages ❤️

Here is a part 2!

Tagging some of my mutuals/favourite accounts (please don't feel pressured to interact with this if it isn't your thing, I won't be offended):

@scheifefe @nikolajehlers @kempe @bowenbyram @d00dlebob @travisgermy @ifiwasshawnmendesidslapmyself @dmonchld @kiedhara @sortagaysortahigh @matthewthotchuk @babytkachuks @bricksatlandyswindow @canadianheaters @youngbeezersmixtape @pitoftrash @perpetually-anxious @kspitehockey

Sorry if I’ve forgotten anyone, I didn’t want to tag every single person I follow 💀

#no one got tagged :(#I will be doing school with my phone on mute so when I come back to this I EXPECT chaotic responses and chaotic responses only #I really have no idea what to tag this so I guess that’s it #let’s just hope it doesn’t flop anyway #the Vermont Villains #nhl #hockey #z does other stuff

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renegadewangs · 3 years

Text

I had a very strong thought about Barok van Zieks’s character this morning. Normally I don’t like to take too much of a stance on this, because I’m aware it’s a heated topic and I don’t want to be seen as a ‘Barok excuser’ when nobody ever excuses his behavior to begin with. As a writer myself, I only see a fictional character who was designed a certain way for a certain narrative purpose, and he fits that purpose. SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE DGS/TGAA DUOLOGY INCOMING:

The people hating on Barok's announcement tweet once again had me comparing him to previous prosecutors and their behavior towards the defense, to see whether Barok is really worse than most other prosecutors in terms of morality. My personal stance is that he is not. Edgeworth and Franziska sent plenty of innocent people to death row for the sake of their perfection, Godot was never really a prosecutor to begin with and is only a salty grudgelord, Simon never gave off the impression that he cared about the defendants’ fates and instead was only there to lure the Phantom out into the open, plus he kept physically attacking the defense just as Franziska did... And Nahyuta openly supported an oppressive regime, hunting down revolutionists and sending lots more innocent people to their deaths. (Sure, he was coerced, but 'he had his reasons' is the same thing you can apply to Barok's racism.) Klavier is the only main prosecutor who’s genuinely a nice person with a good sense of morals. What everyone seems to forget is that the main prosecutor of any game has, and always will be, an antagonistic force. Not a villain, just someone who impedes the protag’s goal of getting a not-guilty verdict.

So then I started thinking even harder. What do the previous prosecutors have in common? I reached the conclusion before that the prosecutors represent the obstacle/personal turmoil that the defense needs to overcome. They’re designed to be antagonists tailored specifically to the protag. Edgeworth is a close friend who's drastically changed for the worse, but Phoenix wants to prove his righteous old buddy's still in there. Franziska shows up in the second game to rub it in that Edgeworth is 'gone' and it's Phoenix's fault. Godot shows up in the third game to rub it in that Mia's gone. Klavier is a figurehead for Phoenix's disgrace, while Apollo wants to trust Phoenix and prove the forgery thing was wrong. Etc. etc., you get it. The prosecutor is tied to a pivotal moment in the attorney's past.

So my first thought viewing all that above was "Huh, the previous prosecutors all hated on the attorney specifically, while Barok hates on the attorney's roots. I guess because it's a game about an exchange student and the obstacle for Ryu to overcome is racist prejudice?" And then it hit me: Barok isn't Ryunosuke's prosecutor. He's ASOGI'S. If Asogi had made it to England and stood in court, Barok would've fit the usual prosecutor to a tee because he's tied to Asogi's past. But Asogi fell before he could reach that point and now Ryu's there in his stead, saying that he’s carrying his friend’s will when in truth, he’s oblivious to what it is he’s even representing.

Imagine a game where Asogi had made it to court and Barok would've been there to be all "YOU... SON OF ASOGI", and it would've been just like Godot calling Phoenix “Trite”. Just like Franziska's resentment towards Phoenix for what he did to Edgeworth. Just like Simon facing Athena, forcing her to accept the traumatic incident in her past. Would Barok still have been racist on top of that? Sure. Most characters in DGS hold racist prejudice. That’s just what the game is about.

But then things take a turn later, in case 2-4, when we get a role reversal of sorts. Now Asogi, full of anger and resentment (again, just like Godot and Franziska) is at the prosecutor bench, only thinking of defeating the defense because in doing so, Barok will be sent to his death regardless of what the real truth behind the murder is. All that matters is the guilty verdict- the victory, and Asogi is convinced that he’s right. Now he is the one who fits the typical prosecutor archetype.

I’d also point out that like another aspect of the ‘prosecutor arc’ is to be humbled by the defense and eventually see eye to eye with them. Because remember, every prosecutor (minus maybe Klavier) starts off very hostile and dismissive towards our protag(s), only to have their face turn moment. This same thing applies to Barok, who sees the error of his ways and grows as a person, acknowledging that his behavior was wrong and that he owes Ryu a great debt. (Because yes, his prejudice was wrong, and I’m still baffled that some people out there believe that anyone who likes Barok as a character condones racism. That’s like saying people who like Franziska condone physically assaulting someone.)

Anyway I’m not here to defend Barok’s words/actions, or say that you have to like him when you don’t. Anyone is free to not like a character. I’m only here to say that from a purely narrative point of view, Barok is a fascinating character who is just like the prosecutors who came before him.

#dgs #dgs spoilers #dgs2 spoilers #tgaa spoilers #barok van zieks #open to friendly discussion about this

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uschickens · 3 years

Text

Today is wiiiiiild, so have some more qipao!Liu Sang.

After the whatever-it-was that Liu Sang was undercover for, after he meets the iron triangle, after they fold him into their lives (and some of their beds), Liu Sang still performs from time to time. Sure, he’d initially established his ~singing career~ as part of his cover, but he genuinely enjoyed it, not in the least the audience’s genuine enjoyment of him.

Anyway. Liu Sang. Occasionally doing three night sets. Advertised well in advance, always packed. Carefully designed wardrobe for each round of shows. (He totally has a bit of a cult following who track his outfits, try to recreate/pay homage to them, etc.) Usually, he shows up separately from Wu Xie and Xiaoge.

The first night Liu Sang will make eyes at Wu Xie and Xiaoge as they dance together to Liu Sang’s low croon. The second night he will approach them in person, flirt heavily, and conspicuously leave by himself. The third night, well, the third night usually ends with Liu Sang leaving the dressing room towards the end of the evening with faded lipstick (never smeared, nothing so déclassé) and a single lock of hair falling from their perfect curls. The flush is high in his cheeks. Xiaoge and Wu Xie trail out of the dressing room after him, and when he slips one toweringly high heel off to stretch his foot, Xiaoge sweeps him up to carry him out of the club, while Wu Xie carries his heels like a war trophy.

The weibo account that is most known for tracking his outfits (is this how weibo works? Or would it be a topic? I have read things but remain unclear. Anyway, run with it. Social media tracks his clothes.) notes when he repeats outfits, later tracking different elements that he recombines to create entirely new effects. Yes, he often incorporates new things, lovely dresses and hats and flowing jumpsuits and neat little feminine suits, but he’s not entirely profligate. There is joy in rewearing something delightful, whose quirks and beauties he already knew, that is different from debuting something new. However, the Social Medias do, in fact, notice that there are some outfits that only appear once. Well, at least only appear once in public.

And then there’s the cape. This cape.

He usually wears it over his dress on the way to the club, possibly doing a full “Grandma. It’s me, Anastasia” Obi Wan Kenobi style shoulder fling when he gets on stage. This night, though, maybe night two of the three night set, when he’s flirting with Wu Xie and Xiaoge at the bar but goes home alone (where, of course, they are waiting).

After the show, after he’s danced with each of them once, he retreats to his dressing room to prepare to leave. He emerges, hair down a little more but still impeccably styled, ensconced in this cape. He allows them each to buy him a drink, and he perches on a stool with them flanking him, flirting lightly, playing as if they hadn’t woken up together that morning. He leaves them each with a lipstick-red kiss on the cheek, plus, unusually, a little gift bag.

“For you,” he says, “Open it before you leave.”

He floats out, greeting fans as he walks by, clearly moving but not rushing. Wu Xie pays the bill, while Xiaoge sorts through tissue paper. Wu Xie can see out of the corner of his eye when Xiaoge freezes, then peers in the bag himself. It’s a small, neatly folded bundle of silk that Wu Xie takes a heartbeat to recognize as the qipao Liu Sang has been wearing that night. Also included are the silk panties that Xiaoge had slid up his legs just a few hours before. They both track Liu Sang, who has just reached the stairs by the door. He gathers his cape to avoid tripping, showing off one stockinged ankle and his dangerously high heels.

“So he was sitting here, that whole time, wearing nothing underneath that cape but his stockings and garter,” Wu Xie murmurs. Xiaoge doesn’t bother saying anything in reply, just hauls Wu Xie by the wrist out the door as fast as possible.

Xiaoge: intensely goal-oriented. Wu Xie: totally the one to love the idea of taking Liu Sang out to dinner after a show one night, bare under his cape, resting a hand high on his thigh, with only a slip of silk between them. Wu Xie enjoys the *possibility* of doing something, well, not just as much as the actual doing, but it’s a spicy little side dish to the main event.

#dmbj #multipurpose dmbj underground queer nightclub #boys in dresses #liu sang #wu xie #xiaoge #moonlight club!au #wants to be fic when it grows up #pingxiesang #the lost tomb: reboot #lascivious close-ups on wardrobe

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fishyfod · 3 years

Text

(Slightly) more organized thoughts on the V8 finale.

tl;dr I think the finale had some issues.

I’ll start this off by emphasizing again that this is my opinion, so read something else if you can’t handle negative criticism of RWBY. I say this because too often people in this FNDM can’t handle a difference in opinion without insulting or patronizing others, and I want none of that.

Now, RWBY’s general structural issue is a lack of time to fulfill all their ambitions, and they usually tend to neglect one aspect a bit more than others. In volumes 7 and 8 this proved to be quite a problem, because they wanted to tell quite a complicated story while introducing a fairly large amount of new and returning characters. I very much like the story they told in these volumes, but it must be said that the development and focus on the regular cast, and team RWBY in particular, has suffered for it. It’s not a deal breaker for me personally, but I do think it’s an issue.

So when I saw the finale episode only had about 20 minutes, I figured the best course of choice for RWBY would be to focus on the Atlas-only plots, and leave RWBY & co’s stories for the next volume, which by all accounts seems to be focused only on their character. And credit where credit is due, this is what RWBY decided to do with this finale. This doesn’t really solve the underlying issue that the main cast has yet again been relegated to such a minor role in their own show, but I can live with it.

I still do have a problem with how RWBY’s role in this finale was handled, and forgive me because this might be the least well-explained part of this review. The best way to describe it would be that, though I know I’m watching team RWBY, they don’t feel present in the finale? I struggle to put my finger on it, if it’s more an issue of direction or execution, but something about RWBY’s fight felt off for me.

By comparison, when I think of the episode before, I don’t have this issue. While the way Yang fell isn’t RWBY’s best execution, the reactions of RWBY to that fall worked quite well. There was individual focus on Yang falling, Blake screaming and raging at it, Weiss’s heart breaking into two, Ruby falling into more despair - the tragedy works because of it. I don’t feel the same about the finale, RWB fall almost as if they’re passerby rather than the main characters.

Again, maybe this is just me, maybe I’ll change my mind later. Whatever.

I think Cinder is the one I’m most satisfied with. She seems in character, she acts a lot like she did in her confident state during Beacon, and I did get the impression Salem knows Cinder is lying to her. I admit that I did not expect this direction for Cinder, it seemed like the right spot to have her break free from Salem, but it’s too early for me to call where her arc is going to.

The only nitpick I have with Cinder is how she offed Arthur. I felt like it could have a little more focus? I get that his death is supposed to feel completely inconsequential, but I wish there was just a little bit more there. Again, only a nitpick.

Vine - I think my opinion on Vine’s death is quite unpopular. It felt too last minute, without enough setup. See, while killing Harriet here would have its own set of issues, she was well developed enough where you could actively feel for her, while also expecting a possible death. I can’t say the same about Vine; Vine is only a teensy bit more developed than Elm, which isn’t a lot. He’s making a huge sacrifice, but the lack of character makes him seem expendable by design. It feels like the writers put all their efforts into threatening Harriet’s life, realized last minute that actually they could a lot more with her character (good call), so they shoved in Vine in her place because they still needed a bomb sacrifice.

On the flip side, three of the Ace Ops surviving and proving once and for all they broke away from Ironwood too, with Harriet and Marrow still alive - that is good. I’m not sure what more they’re planning to do with their characters, but it’s preferable to far worse alternatives I can imagine. We’ll see.

Then there’s Penny. sigh

I’m not sure what I can add that P5, bell or cosmokyrin, and probably a few others haven’t already said, but I don’t think it was well written. The whole body-thing in “Creation”, sure, I can accept that was a difference of interpretation. This? This whole, let’s resurrect Penny, develop her immensely as a character, reaffirm her autonomy multiple times over, avoid multiple deaths, only to die like this?

I know the common comparison people make here is with V3, and I can see where people are coming from. After all, Pyrrha and Penny’s deaths were impactful and tragic there, and most people agree that was well written. What’s the difference here? Some differences in circumstance are worth visiting here.

Penny of the Beacon era, lovable character that she was already, was not the most developed character. At the end of the day, most of what we knew of Penny then was in relation to Ruby - we knew Ruby cared for her a lot, we knew why they bonded, so we had setup as to why her death would impact the Fall so much. It works, because it gave enough focus on her for us to care about, but not overly so where the shocking factor of the Fall wouldn��t work.

With Pyrrha, I think we all knew the signs were there at the end of the day. I’d argue that Pyrrha’s very conception as a character lead to her death, she was just slightly too perfect for us not to expect a tragedy to occur. Importantly, her major arc in V3 sets us up to her death - through her conversation with Ozpin’s gang and Jaune, the introduction of Ember and the soul transfer device, killing Penny - by the time Pyrrha dies you’re prepared for it, and it still hurts. Even if the tragic scenario presented (losing Pyrrha because of the soul transfer) wasn’t the one used, dying because she tried defending the use of those powers from Cinder made sense. It was enough of a switch you weren’t bored because you expected everything to go to plan, but it wasn’t too drastic where you felt completely unprepared for what would happen.

The trouble with how Penny’s death was handled here, is in part because they just kept pushing us to the edge, making us worry about one tragic scenario, another way for Penny to die, only to alleviate our fears - only to kill her off anyway in a completely separate way. It happened so often in these two volumes, when we were already fresh off recognizing Penny wasn’t dead in V3, that rather than feeling like an expected death that is tragic, is feels like they toyed with out perception constantly only because they could. When you raise and lower death flags over and over in such a small amount of time, the tragedy you aimed to convey is lost. Perhaps unintentionally, the point no longer seems to be telling a tragic story, it’s only playing this cruel game of perception with the audience. What’s the joke about Jean Grey in x-men, that she keeps being killed off and resurrected so often it’s hard to care about it all? Is this how I’m supposed to look at Penny, RWBY’s Jean Grey?

Granted, I’m not sure that if they committed to one consistent death threat with Penny and followed through, that necessarily would’ve been better. I’m not sure how I’d think of RWBY if she died from the virus, for example. At least, however, I’d be more confident in saying that was a difference of direction, rather than a difficult writing choice to comprehend.

It’s only fitting I’d talk about Winter now, huh? I think you all know my stance about her as a character, I’d argue that she, Ironwood and Cinder were the best handled characters in these two volumes by a fair margin, but the finale leaves me very conflicted about her.

On the one hand, it’s everything I want. Winter’s confrontation with Ironwood is like a mix of Blake facing off against Adam and Yang confronting Raven, and while not as impactful in terms of storytelling, they do deliver on the same fronts. Winter calls out Ironwood for his lies, establishing once and for all it was by her volition she broke off, her conscience that was always better, and there is something poetic about her gaining the Winter Maiden powers to fulfill her goal of protecting others.

...but I can’t separate this from Penny’s fate. And it frustrates me to no end, because I love her connection to Penny, I made comparisons of how it reminds of Bumbleby’s relationship, it drives their characters forward so much, heck, I like that Penny took a part in taking down Ironwood with Winter, in a sense. But because Penny’s death feels so contrived, its connection to Winter almost cheapens the importance of their relationship with each other. And it doesn’t seem quite needed either, since they individually as characters already broke free from Ironwood.

I can sort of see that I am supposed to interpret it as a tragedy, and I do indeed think Winter getting the Maiden powers is tragic for her character (not unlike Spring Maiden!Yang theories), and I am excited to see where this is going. I thought this was the end for Winter’s major impact on the story, but there’s a whole other arc waiting, and Penny’s a major part of it too.

To say I’m conflicted about Winter would be an understatement.

The actual silver lining, for me, is the post credit scene. Volume 9 is an opportunity for RWBY to try and change some of the problem I presented initially. My hope is that by focusing almost exclusively on team RWBY, with Jaune and Neo, and putting less emphasis on developing the settings of giant-tree-land and not over-complicating the plot. Hopefully, this would allow them to focus on developing the main cast again, in in particular addressing some of the main issues presented; notably, the Bees confessing, Ruby maybe reaching her breaking point, Yang’s issues being addressed, and hopefully something more individual for Blake and Weiss as well. Neo is an interesting curveball to throw into this equation, and I have a decent amount of hope with Jaune (although then I remember it’s probably going to be about Penny, and, ugh...).

Yeah, that’s all I have at the moment. If you want to talk about it, my inbox and DM’s are always open. If you disagree with me that’s fair, just give me the minimal amount of respect rather than being an ass about it.

#RWBY/#RWBY Spoilers/#RWBY Crit #RWDE #my posts

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secondhand-trash · 4 years

Text

Summer Night Lights

A/N: summer server collab and I’m hypeddddddd go check out the masterlist by the lovely @cellotonin here so you can get the summer romance you deserve with all your favourite characters👀💕

Pairing: carnival worker!Sero Hanta x reader

Description: You thought a summer working at the local carnival would be miserable but your fellow carnival worker was determined to show you the magic of it.

Word count: 6142

Playlist:

東京サマーセッション//HoneyWorks

A Summer Song//Chad & Jeremy

Sherry//The Four Seasons

You knew your summer was ruined the moment your parents started nagging you to go and find a job.

You were stuck in school for months, crying over deadlines and assignments and group mates who just wouldn’t do their part of the project and trying to not fluke that one paper that will make your gpa slip down the drain, you felt like you deserved to take a break during these few weeks of buffer you had before the cycle starts all over again when the next semester hits. But no, apparently not. Not according to your parents who made sure to click their tongues at you and hand you flyers and flyers of all the places that were hiring summer workers.

At first, you were determined that you would not budge no matter what. This was your vacay and no amount of disapproving sighs or constant pressure could take that away from you, you received plenty of those in your daily life anyways.

It was a slow battle of sly comments and blunt eye rolls, mutual torture to see who broke down first.

You did not lose the war, you thought to yourself as you mindlessly followed the smiley man that was the owner of Ringley’s Pier Side Carnival as he pointed to each and every single stall you walked by with an excitement that you could not begin to understand. You merely compromised after being cornered by the monarchy of your parent’s unreasonable authority, that was all.

A job at the carnival by the pier in town. It was take it or have yet another argument, and you did not need to think in order to know which one of these choices would give you less of a headache.

A carnival, but it was more like a rundown section of the pier that has a carousel, a ferris wheel and some lights, that was it. Each sign of the stalls lining up at the sides of the main road was hand painted, the colour long worn off after years and rain and sunshine. The road itself had weed crawling up the edge of the concrete. The only reason why locals still came to the pier was for the carousel and the ferris wheel that lights up every night. You remember being so thrilled to see them light up when the sun set back when you were a kid and would beg for your parents to bring you to the fair. You thought it was the most beautiful sight when the lights reflected off the water and illuminated the pier, children walking around holding the prizes they won and cotton candy so fluffy that it covered up their faces.

But that was back when you didn’t know that outside of the pier, there were places where the light shines brighter and the ferris wheel sitting by the water was nothing compared to the ones you would see in big cities unlike your small town.

The carnival never changes. It had been years and years since you last stepped foot through those gates but nothing was different, and quite frankly you did not understand how people were not bored of it already.

This couldn’t be that bad, you took in a deep breath as you politely nodded while the man talked about how it was always exciting to welcome new members to the family. You could feel the sweat soaking through your shirt, the staff t-shirt that you were handed and would be expected to wear every day from now on was in the most heinous shade of yellow you had ever laid your eyes on, you were sure you would not be able to get the circus music playing from the speakers out of your head no matter how hard you try and it had only been 20 minutes since you started your first day, but this could not be that bad.

You were determined to have a good summer, even though “good summer” now consisted of pretending to be sorry when people didn’t win a price in a clearly rigged game and standing for hours under the summer heat.

You felt a sharp ache in your eyes as the beads of sweat that was rolling down from your forehead fell through your lashes, squinting them together to get rid of the irritation that was added to your existing discomfort.

“Hanta! Come over here!”

Your vision was still blurry when you spot a figure popping out from behind one of the stalls and jogging your way. Blinking as you try to look at who it was that the man enthusiastically called over, you could still see the unmistakable shade of yellow that the blur of a person was sporting.

“This is Sero Hanta, the staff favourite” you rubbed the back of your hand against your eyes to clear up your sight, barely able to open your eyes as you slowly saw the boy who the owner had one arm around his shoulder. He brushed off the compliment with a shake of his head, his lips curling up to show a toothy grin, “he will teach you everything you need to know around here so just give him a call- like I just did,” the man gave Sero a strong slap on the back and laughed before continuing, “when you need help.”

You put on a polite smile as he extended his hand towards you and gave it a light shake. His face was flushed with sweat soaked through the messily cut strands of hair that was stuck to his forehead. He was wearing the same Ringley’s Carnival shirt that you were holding in your hand, only his was much more crinkly and the elastic of his collar was loose and out of shape. The print of the Ringley mascot, a man who looked like a knock off mr pringles with a wide smile on its face and without the mustache, on his chest was already starting to crack, the plastic print at multiple spots already wrinkled and threatening to crack.

“So,” he grinned as he waited for you outside the staff resting room, his back to the door as he spoke. You could barely hear him as you hastily pulled the staff t-shirt over your head. You grimaced at the smell of plastic that still lingered on the shirt from the bag it came in. You thought you had gotten used to the colour after staring it in your hand for so long but as you looked at yourself in the dirty mirror at the corner, you still feel the dread at how utterly tacky it was. “first day, huh?”

Sero turned around the moment he heard you open the door, the smile still hanging on his face as he complimented you on how good the shirt looks on you. (You did not find it to be a compliment at all, but you still did the polite thing and thanked him.)

Somehow his smile reminded you of the obnoxiously happy mascot of the carnival.

“Yeah.” you reply was clearly no match for his enthusiasm but he didn’t seem to mind at all as he only picked up the pace of his walk.

“I still remember my first day at the carnival,” he said as he lifted up the little barricade at the side of a stall and held it open for you as you walked in. It was stuffy and the walls of gigantic plush animals did not help with cooling you down at all but at least you were under the shade now. “spent my entire childhood coming down to the pier every night and I knew at that time that I wanted to work here at some point.” he smiled as he pulled off the heavy cloth that was covering the front table of the stall, leaning his body out to hang up the prizes at the sides, “seeing the pier light up as a visitor is pretty cool but seeing it from the inside? Now that was magical.”

You chuckled, trying your best not to sound too salty. If he had said this to you maybe a good 5 years ago, maybe you could relate to that but now? You knew how the second bulb to the left on the carousel had been broken since years ago and that every time after a particularly heavy downpour, the neon lights of the ferris wheel would blink furiously for a concerning amount of time before it finally calmed down. You did not really understand what was so magical about a carnival that was in some desperate need of repairing but then again, it didn’t really matter to you. You were only here so your parents would give you a break and that was all.

“How so?” you asked, mostly out of politeness and a hope that he would keep talking so you could avoid the eventual awkward silence.

You were a bit taken back by the glint in his eyes as he turned around, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed in front of his chest. “Well-”

“Mom! Look!”

He was interrupted by a gleeful squeal from a distance. Looking up, you saw a young boy pulling his mom towards the stall by the sleeve. He was pointing excitedly at the largest teddy bear that was hanging at the rail, eyes glimmering with excitement as he turned back to his mother and asked if she thinks he could get the big prize.

You felt a ping of sadness as you set up the game after Sero took the token from the boy’s hand. You knew how this works, the cups that was stacked up all had a weight at the bottom of it. Not enough for it to be impossible to knock down, but definitely not an attainable goal for a small child like the one that was standing in front of the tent now. He looked so hopeful, and you could already imagine how disappointed he would be after failing each shot.

Standing to the side as the little boy got ready, Sero was leaning next to the stack of cups with one hand on his waist and his palm supporting him on the table. The little boy got three shots and as you had expected, the obstacles barely even budged even though it seemed like he swung the ball forward with all his might.

“Aw! So close!” Sero exclaimed, “You got one more, aim it at the base and make it count!”

You did not understand how easily he could say something like that knowing how the game was designed so that young children who were drawn to the stall by the only good prize would never win. But he did not seem like he was lying and as he smiled, it was like he really did think that the boy would have a chance at the fuzzy bear that was hung up by the arms.

Perhaps that was what made him the staff favourite, because you felt awkward just standing there smiling and he managed to stay genuine even knowing how things work around here.

You did not have the heart to watch the little boy sling his last shot, and that was when you saw it.

Right as the plastic ball was about to hit at the cup that stood at the middle of the stack, Sero leaned forward just a little like he wanted to take a better look. But since you were standing at his side, you could see the way the tip of his fingers moved just enough for him to touch the edge of the cup, giving it a light push at the exact moment the ball hit. Every move he took was minuscule and unless you really looked, you wouldn’t even see how he poked the base forward, making the entire stack crumble.

Your eyes widened as the boy cheered, raising his hand to ask for a high five from his mother as he pointed to the fallen cups, completely unaware of the fact that if it wasn’t for the lanky carnival worker who acted like nothing just happened and handed him the largest teddy bear that he had wanted, there was no way he would even come close to even touching the plushie.

“Have fun!” Sero yelled as he waved, watching the little boy hugged the bear tight to his chest with satisfaction. His grin only got wider when he turned around to see how dazed you were.

“Did you just-”

“Sh!” he glared at you playfully, holding one finger up against his lips as he winked, “It’s a commercial secret.”

You worked at the same stall next to him all throughout the day until the sun set and every time there was a little kid that came over, you would pay extra attention to see if he pulled the same trick again. It seemed like he would only cheat for the kids who came over with their hands empty, or the ones whose parent seemed to be reluctant to let their kids use up the tokens that they paid for on a game that they knew from their adult minds, was rigged.

There was a special sense of satisfaction that rose in your chest when you saw their eyes widened the moment the loud crash of cups falling down echoed in the tent, and you did not even notice that you were grinning ear to ear until Sero shot you a knowing look by the end of the day.

“You wanna know why I help the kids cheat?” he asked nonchalantly as he pulled down each of the prizes that were still hanging on the rack to put them back into the back of the stall.

You nodded, “Clearly the owner of the carnival wouldn’t be too happy to know that you are helping them lose money?”

He laughed, holding the pink bunny in his arm as he turned around to face you. “If you are running the carnival, would you rather have people win a prize from you once and keep coming back or to get the profit from the one game and one game only?”

You fell silent and he smirked. “I know what you think about this place, that it is worn out and so so small compared to the much nicer parks out there and if you give anyone the choice, there is no way they would choose the carnival over the many exciting places there is outside of the pier,” you felt the temperature of your face raising as he accurately pointed out exactly what you were thinking, “but the lack of magic is what makes it so special.”

“Hm?”

“When kids come here, this is all they are going to get. They won’t see talking mice or fancy rides, it’s just us out here with our simple games and cheaply made prices,” he continued, “so in some sense, you are right. When people step out of those gates, they probably wouldn’t remember what the pier looks like years or months later,” Sero smiled and suddenly you felt so small under his gaze, “but some of them, maybe one of them will still remember winning the biggest teddy bear from the hands of two summer workers who had sweat soaked through their shirts years and years later, and one day when they have their own kids, they would bring them here and tell them ‘hey, see that? I won that when I was your age!’.”

“And that,” he tapped himself on the chest, "is why the carnival is magical even though you can see past the magic so easily.”

The sun had just sunk below the horizon of the ocean, the sound of seagulls flying above the pier filled your ears as you felt the first breeze of wind for the day. The other stalls had already packed up, and from the corner of your eye, you could see the ferris wheel lighting up.

Sero chuckled at your expression, giving you a pat on the shoulder before walking out of the stall. “Just you wait, you’re gonna fall in love with this place by the end of this.”

He cut you off before you could even try to object, “And while that happens, how do you feel about hotdog? There’s this place that everyone likes to hang out at that sells the best chili dog. My treat, aye? In celebration of your first day.”

Your legs were sore from standing all day long and you felt disgusting at how your entire back was covered in sweat. Realistically, you just wanted to go home, take a shower and flop onto your bed. But somehow, hotdog just sounded super enticing right now.

“Sure.”

You had no idea what had gotten into you, maybe it was the side effect of being under the heat for so long that your brain was starting to malfunction but as you take a bite of your chili dog (which you nearly had to fight Sero just so you can pay for it before he did) while listening to everyone else talking about their day on the steps of the pier, somehow you thought the pier actually looked kind of pretty.

Your summer now consisted of standing under a stuffy tent for hours a day and running around to fill in for whatever position that was short in help which was pretty far from what you had in mind for an ideal summer. But somehow you started to feel something other than tiredness in your body when you wrapped things up for the day and watched as the carnival lighted up.

You felt like you were starting to get the hang of being a carnival worker, and you were not sure how you felt about it.

Sero, on the other and, only hollered when you expressed your very genuine concern to him after you moved to stand at the optimal cheating spot in the stall out of reflex without needing any hints from the boy.

You slapped him on the arm when he pretended to wipe away a tear after handing the prize to the little girl with pigtails.

“You have grown up so much...” you rolled your eyes as he dramatically sniffled, “now you don’t need me here with you anymore...”

“Well, it is more fun when you are around,” you paused when you saw the grin he was sporting the moment you spoke, “please don’t-”

“A W E!”

You pretended to push him away as he threw one arm around your shoulder. Indeed, you would probably still be here mopping if it wasn’t for him making this much more enjoyable than you had ever expected it to be.

You would not tell him though, because you had no interest in giving him the satisfaction of “turning you into a carnival lover”.

Speaking of Sero, you wondered where he was now. Probably somewhere that didn’t involve being under direct sunlight and a cotton candy machine that was probably older than you.

You had noticed that ever since your very first day, but you had never been more certain that the owner of the carnival himself was more hyped for every little thing about this place than anyone else when he excitedly showed the entire staff the old cotton candy machine he found at the back room during the morning briefings that day like he had just won the lottery.

The machine was... old and it took you a good amount of arm and core muscle just to get the steel ring of the machine to look somewhat clean to use. You had your doubts on whether the thing was safe to use or not but as your friend commented when he walked past you furiously scrubbing the silver lid of the machine, what goes better with a carnival than cotton candy?

“Have a nice day!” you smiled, watching as the couple walked away from your tiny stall with a huge cloud of pink on their hands.

“No offence, but you kind of suck at this.”

“Just because you said ‘no offence’ doesn’t make it not offensive,” you did not need to look up to know who it was poking fun at you, you arched your eyebrow up as you stared at Sero who stopped in front of your cart with a card box filled with used tokens in hand, “also, if you are so good at it, why don’t you come over and prove it?”

He huffed, putting the heavy box of printed tickets down on the concrete floor before walking towards you and picking up one of the paper sticks at the side of the machine.

“Watch and learn.”

You did not expect him to lean directly over, his left hand hooked over your shoulder as the other shoved the stick with red and white swirls into your hand. You were dazed when you felt his hand holding yours, extending You could feel the heat radiating off his body at this proximity and his cheek was right next to yours. His eyes were focused on the machine that was starting to swirl but you could not brush it off your mind about how you could see each bead of sweat on his forehead and his eyelashes as he looked down.

The sun was burning especially hot today.

You had no choice but to stare straight ahead, knowing that if your eyes even wandered you would have an even harder time holding it together. You could feel each finger of his around your hand and you were starting to feel self-conscious if he noticed how sweaty your hands were. You held your breath as the pink sugar twirled and twirled around the stick. Your mind was spinning faster than the strings of candy that was starting, hoping that he didn’t hear the pounding in your chest you were desperately trying to calm down

What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck-

“There you go,” his chirpy voice snapped you out of your trance and you tried to not show how relief you were that he finally let go of your hand. He was grinning ear to ear as he inspected his handiwork, tearing off a piece of the cotton fluff and put it in his mouth before walking away from you. He hummed at the sweetness, licking his fingers clean before picking up the box of tokens he put to the side and walked backwards away from you. “now you know how to do it like a real pro.”

The heat of his touched lingered on your skin and you breathed, trying hard to put a stop to the stammering in your chest. You stared at the cloud of sugar in your hand, not really knowing what to do with it.

The sugar was melting the moment you touched it. Putting a small piece on your tongue, you closed your eyes as the flavour slowly expanded in your mouth.

God, it was so sweet.

You could not get the way his hand felt on yours out your mind no matter how many times you told yourself that it probably didn’t mean much, that he was just being playful as he was. But the more you tried, the less you could get the thought of what if it actually meant something out your head. Now you read every single thing he did around you like if you looked closely enough, you would find some hint, some sign from him on how you were supposed to take the whole thing.

And with all the time you spent looking, your summer was coming to an end.

“Is it just me,” you looked up at him as you took a sip of your soda (which Sero did pay for because he was near relentless about it), “or is it almost the end of summer?”

You sighed, feeling the fizz that was bubbling in your mouth. The pier was very calm tonight, the sound of water crashing against the shore tickling your senses. “It is,” you said, running your hand down your face to feel the coldness left from the glass bottle, “cannot wait to be back at school next week.”

“Wait,” Sero’s eyes widened, “you’re serious?”

You quirked up your eyebrow in a look of judgement, “Did I not sound sarcastic enough? Clearly I’m not excited to be suffering at school again.”

“No, no, I mean that you’re going back in a week?” he said.

You hummed in response, chuckling a little when he suddenly got quiet, “what? Miss me already?”

“Well, yeah?”

Fucking... how could he just say that out loud without any hesitation? Feeling the heat rising on your cheeks, you quickly picked up the bottle next to you and take a sip of the chilled drink. “I’ve only been here for, what, a month? You did fine before I showed up.”

“It’s not the same! What’s the point of me trying to be funny if there isn’t anyone around to roll their eyes at me?” he exclaimed, laughing as you very compliantly gave him one of those eyes rolls that formed the entire mode of how you communicate, “we should do something fun on your last day though!”

You chuckled, “Like what?”

“Like... like... ” he paused before suddenly lifting up, a thrilled glint in his eyes as he perked up, “Oh, I know! We should go around the carnival and have fun, like we are just another visitor! How long has it been since you had been on the rides?”

“You said ‘rides’ like it isn’t just those two,” tilting your head, you silently recalled when the last time you stepped onto the pier before this summer was. “Around... 8 years ago?”

Sero let out a dramatic gasp and put his hand on his chest. “Then we have to make sure you at least get a taste of the carnival before you leave!”

He did not bring that up again the next few days and you just assumed that he had forgotten about his little plan. You did not want to admit that you were a tad bit disappointed, given how excited he was talking about how much you missed out on the past years, but the thought of bringing it up yourself made you want to crawl under a hole.

The fact that you were so concerned about how he might react that you couldn’t even bring yourself to mention it casually, made you want to crawl under a hole.

You stared ahead as the sun set, silently in awe of how fast time flew by since the first time you witnessed this view. You traced your finger along the edge of the cotton candy machine, smiling to yourself when you remembered how you made working here sound like torture in your head. You would miss seeing the way people beam when they walk away with a prize in hand, or the way the pier lights up with a click at a precise time every night, or eating a chili dog whilst listening to Sero’s dumb jokes.

Or Sero, you might miss Sero.

“Where are you going?”

Ah, speak of the devil.

“Going to put the tokens down at the office and get changed.” you turned around, showing him the box you had in hand.

“What?” he said, taking the box from you despite your protest, “yeah, no, we are going to go around the carnival, remember?”

“I thought-”

“You thought I forgot?” he laughed and the sound strummed at your heart strings, “No way, I’ve been planning this since you told me you were leaving soon.”

You weren’t sure if you were more happy that he actually did intent to hold onto his own words or if you were more annoyed at how happy you were that he remembered.

The owner of the carnival looked like he was about to cry when you came through the office to drop off the box of tokens, talking about how wonderful it had been to have you on the team and how you will forever be a part of the family. “Have fun!” he said in between sniffles. It felt weird to be on the receiving end of that phrase after saying it to people for so long.

You had a feeling he might know more than you do when you turned back to see the smile he was trying to hold back as Sero pulled you out of the office doors.

You were barely catching up as Sero pulled you along the main road past all the closed stalls. “We have to get on the carousel before they light it up.”

“But why?” you asked, “Don’t people usually go on after it lights up?”

He wiggled his fingers side by side as he clicked his tongue. “That’s what people who have never worked at a carnival would say,” he nodded to the technician by the gates as he made way directly to one of the horses at the back instead of the prettier ones that people usually opted for, “I am trying to show you when the magic happens.”

There were a few of the carousel horses that were more loved by the visitors, the ones that kids would race to climb on the moment they were let into the gates. But he insisted that you had to go all the way to the back instead of choosing the ones where the gold paint had not come off yet.

He extended an arm to you and you laughed as you took it. You felt the lump at the back of your throat when he put his hand on your waist as he helped you onto the saddle. Your face burned when you were reminded of the last time you felt his hand and even more so when you realised that he didn’t let go of you even after you steady yourself. For a moment he just stood there, one hand on the horse and him being so so close to you. You could particularly felt his chest against your side and your mind went blank at the contact.

“Oh,” he stumbled back, his hand to the back of his neck as he forced out a laugh at the sudden realisation of how he still had his hand on you, “sorry.”

You were tempted to tell him that you didn’t mind, but swallowed it as he leaped onto the horse next to yours and the crisp ring of the music started.

The carousel started spinning, and you leaned forward on the rail as the horse moved up and down. There were paintings at the side of the carousel but most of them washed out after not being touched up on for so long.

“I still don’t get your insistent about being on the ride at this particular time.” you said, looking to your side.

Sero grinned, like he knew something you didn’t. “Just wait.”

The sky was starting to dim as the last tinge of orange slowly faded away from the burnt up clouds until it was gone little by little.

And then you saw it.

As if on cue, the entire pier lit up in a matter of seconds. Bulbs and bulbs of fairy lights along the side littering all across the sky, like stars but right at your eyes. The carousel was facing right towards the ferris wheel when it happened, and you could not contain the awe when you see the ride brightened up the entire carnival like it brought life to the place. Even though the paint was worn out and the gold had fallen of bits by bits over time, the world around you lighted up as the carousel spun to the music like you just walked into a child’s music box.

It was magical.

As if he could read your mind, Sero leaned against you. “Told you seeing it from the inside is magical.”

For a second, the world that was beyond the carousel melted into nothing more than a blur. It was just you and him, surrounded by the golden lights and the music by your ears.

He was looking right at you, and you did not look away as you smiled.

You had yet to snap out of the trance you just experienced when the ride stopped. Mouthing him a soft thank you as he gave you his hand to hold onto, you carefully leaped off of the seat and felt your heart skipped a beat when he naturally held you in his arm until you got back onto your feet.

You tried not to make too much out of how he didn’t let go of your wrist as he turned around to grin at you, “Come on, there’s one more place we have to go before this is complete.”

Seeing it on the ground was one thing, but seeing it up above was a whole another deal.

The pier seemed small when you looked out of the window from the small compartment you were in. It was cramped and your knees were touching his as he sat opposite from you, grinning from ear to ear as you stared at the carnival below the two of you.

“I’m going to miss this place.”

“Aha-,” he said, crossing his arms as he puffed out his chest, “I told you you’ll end up liking it here."

You wondered what it would be like if it wasn’t him that you were partnered with on your first day. Would you still be mopping over the fact that your summer was taken away? What would you be doing right now?

Turns out, he was right about the carnival all along. The magic was in the people that put their heart into this place and Sero Hanta proved it to you by convincing you to put yours in here too.

The ferris wheel slowly went up and the weight in your heart raised as you got further and further to the top. This was your last night here. You spent your summer looking for signs, what would you do when time was slowly running out?

“Can I ask you something?”

“Hm?” Sero sat up straight, the print on his shirt shifting. The Ringley mascot smiled at you as you stared at him, watching as you slowly opened your mouth.

“How do you feel about the staff uniform?”

“It’s hideous.”

“Oh, thank god.” you groaned and he laughed, and you could not help but laughed as the sound filled the compartment.

This felt right. Laughing with him in a stuffy carnival ride that felt like it was going on forever felt right.

Your legs were touching as you just sat there, the warmth of his skin against your calves. The top of the ferris wheel was the one point in the entire carnival where you could see the entire pier, with the sea extending outwards like it had no end and the lights glimmering off the water.

Sero’s voice was shaky when he spoke up, “Do you know what people say about the top of the ferris wheel?”

“What?”

It was fast and past like the blink of an eye, and if you did not have your eyes opened you would probably think it was just an illusion. But you felt it. You felt it so clearly as he leaned forward and placed the softest of pecks on your lips the moment you were at the highest point of the entire carnival. It was light, lighter than the way a dragonfly would touch the surface of the puddle after a rainy day but the ripple it caused in your heart was like waves.

“I’m sorry, I-”

His eyes were wide as you gripped onto the front of his shirt and pulled him in, smashing your lips together. This time he deepened the kiss, his hand holding onto the back of your neck. Shivers rose on your back as you felt his palm at the small of your back, the hints of sugar on his lips tickling your senses.

So sweet.

His lips lingered on yours, eyelids fluttering open as he pulled back like he could not believe what just happened. He broke into a smile when he saw the way you were trying to bite back your grin.

“Is this good enough for you to remember the carnival in a happy light?”

You laughed, hooking your arms around his neck as you felt the gentle sway of the ferris wheel. “Or I can just come back next year?”

“You’re that in love, huh?”

He pulled you close as you rolled your eyes, laughing as you leaned in to kiss him again.

It was nothing short of magical.

Bonus

“You know kids, I won a big teddy bear like that one right there at this carnival when I was your age.”

“Hanta, I feel like you left out a very crucial detail here...”

“Sh...”

#sero x reader #sero imagine #sero hanta x reader #sero hanta imagine #bnha imagines #bnha imagine #bnha x reader

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miraculousholder · 4 years

Text

We Belong Together ~ Chapter 1

Hey! Just wanted to say that I finally posted my second Miraculous Ladybug fanfic and I am so excited for you all to read it! Will be updated on here and on AO3 :)

We Belong Together - AO3

Summary: It has been years since Marinette Dupain-Cheng last saw Adrien Agreste when he broke her heart. Since then she has moved on and continues to pursue her dreams in becoming a renowned fashion designer. Adrien hasn't forgotten the girl who had stolen his heart, but never got the chance to see her after graduation. But when he decides to secretly have a career in singing and has an underground band, that's when he spots Marinette. The girl who got away in the crowd. Can they both see what went wrong in the past to make it right? Or will they ignore their feelings and completely move on?

Marinette Dupain-Cheng sighs in relief when she finished up her sketches for her senior project. While she still had to make the garnet, it was much easier than designing it. Putting it all together was the fun and best part.

She checks her phone, realizing she had a few missed texts from her friends and one missed call from Alya. Checking the time, Alya should be out from her own class so she decided to call back her best friend.

After a few rings, Alya answered. “Hey girl! By time you answered one of us.”

Marinette chuckles. “Sorry about that. I finally came up with a great concept for my senior project and I had to finish it before the ideas left my head. But I’m finally done with the first part.”

“Oh great! So we’re going out tonight?”

“I did not say that!”

“Girl come on! We’re seniors in college and not once do I ever recall you going out to the clubs or getting drinks with us. While I respect you for committing to the internships and your classes, it’s high time you let loose and have some fun. You won’t be twenty one forever you know?”

Marinette knew that her best friend was right. Her goal was to always become a fashion designer and while she loved what she did, it was definitely time consuming. It was a miracle she even still had friends who understood her busy schedule and made their plans based on her availability.

“I mean, I don’t have classes tomorrow so I guess I can afford to stay up-“

“Yes!” Alya yells and Marinette jumped from her friends loud voice. “Okay, sorry! I’ll text you the details and wear something...with a rockstar vibe.”

“Rockstar vibe?” Marinette questioned. “Are we going to a Jagged Stone concert?”

“Oh you’ll see.” Is all Alya said before she hung up.

Marinette was confused but decided not to question it any further or else she would regret accepting the invitation.

A few hours later, nightfall had fallen over Paris. Marinette ate some dinner since she knew that if Alya and the girls were coming over, there would be some pre-gaming happening before they left to whatever place they had in mind.

Her small pet dog, Tikki, laid comfortably on her Ladybug bed in the living room. Marinette walks over and leaves out a bowl of food for Tikki and refilled her water bowl as well. Tikki already ate but it was just in case she came home late and didn’t wake up on time the next morning to feed her dog.

The door bell rings and Tikki lifts up her head upon smelling familiar people nearby. Marinette puts her dirty dishes in the sink and walks over to open the door.

Alya, Juleka, Rose, and Mylene walk in. All of them wearing concert attire but matched it to their personalities.

“Wow you girls look great!” Marinette exclaims, closing the door.

“And you look good, Marinette.” Says Rose. “I love the jacket.”

“Oh this old thing?” She tugs on her jacket. “It’s just something I’ve had in high school.”

Alya walks over to Marinette’s secret stash of liquor, as Mylene plays with Tikki.

“How’s Ivan?” Marinette asked Mylene.

Mylene smiles when her boyfriends name was mentioned. “He’s doing great! You’ll actually see him tonight.”

“Oh? Is he going to meet us there?” Marinette wonders and before Mylene can reply, Alya hands her a shot glass and she walks over to join everyone by the counter.

Marinette chuckles. “Okay can one of you tell me what we’re doing tonight?”

“Underground concert,” says Alya and hands her a glass. “Nino told me about this band he has been producing songs for and he invited us to go check out them out. Apparently they’re really popular in the alternative scene.”

“Oh sounds like fun.” Marinette and the girls surround her countertop and take a shot. The liquid burning her throat a little but she ignores the feeling.

Rose nods excitedly. “It will be! Alya told me that some of the band members went to school with us!”

Now Marinette was even more curious. “Like who?”

Alya clears her throat. “Lets not ruin the surprise!” She says and changes the subject. “Mari, are you still seeing the guy from the visual arts department?” Mylene asks Marinette.

Marinette has been going out with a boy from the visual arts department as of recent. While she enjoys his company, she isn’t really into him. It just didn’t feel right, but she hasn’t had the chance to tell him they were better off as friends.

“I am but we’re not official,” she assures her friends. “I’m not really looking for anything serious anyways.”

“So if a guy comes up to you and asks you to go home with him, you’ll take it?” Alya wonders and Marinette thinks about it.

“I’ll consider it.”

Alya accepted her answer and they took one last shot before leaving to the club.

The club was in a weird place in the city that was populated with sleazy clubs and teenagers who looked for a good time where they shouldn’t be looking.

The girls go through a dark alley and Alya reads the instructions that her mystery man gave her. She stands in front of a black door and knocks four times.

A minute passes and the door opens, revealing a huge bodyguard wearing a white mask.

“Alya?” He questioned.

Alya nods. “Yup! Carapace told me to come through the back for VIP.”

The bodyguard looks at the girls, stepping aside to let them in. They each held one another’s hand so they wouldn’t lose each other as they entered.

The place smelled like cigarettes and hard liquor, a smell that Marinette wasn’t to fond of but can tolerate. They make it to a small section of the upper floor that had a great viewing of the whole dance floor and stage. The girls sat down and Alya ordered them all a round of drinks.

“Carapace? I thought it was Nino who invited us?” Rose asks Alya.

Alya shakes her head. “No it’s just a nickname that they go by here. You see, majority of these artists are undercover celebrities who like to play music by their own terms or just like to escape the crazy world that they live in. So they make up an alternative identity so they can party or rock out without worrying about the paparazzi.”

“Wait, then how will you know which one is Nino?” Marinette asks. While the concept was cool, she wasn’t sure if she would like to hide her identity from the people she was close to. Unless she really need to.

Alya shows her a picture of Nino wearing a green mask. She then shows the others and they start to be on the look out for him.

“Well I hope he passes by so we can thank him for this cool VIP experience.” Rose says excitedly. “And it’s been awhile since I’ve seen him so we have to catch up.”

Marinette smiles and their drinks arrive. They give a quick cheers before they start drinking.

After twenty minutes of talking and joking around with one another, the lights in their section went down and so did the ones on the stage. The crowd yells out in excitement and the girls get closer to the recliner to watch the show.

Marinette can see a group of boys walk out to the stage and the start of the guitar. The lights turned back on and everyone went crazy over the band on stage.

She can see the name of the band written on the drums, Cataclysm.

What an unusual name, she tells herself as the lead singer begins to sing. He was a fantastic singer and Marinette closes her eyes as she vibes with the loud music playing.

Her friends were clearly enjoying themselves and were maybe a little bit too loud compared to the other attendees who were watching the show in the first floor. She followed along with her friends, also dancing and laughing.

Marinette looked down again at the stage, the band finishing up their first song. The lights were finally on the lead singer and when her eyes stared directly at him, she froze.

(An hour before the show)

Chat Noir, or Adrien Agreste as his most of his close friends and family knew him by, fixing up his black eyeliner and mask. His bandmates were doing the same or sitting on the couch before it was time for them to go up.

Nino comes in and was beaming with excitement.

“What’s up with you?” Jared asks, fixing the strings of his guitar.

“Oh nothing just that Alya and the girls are finally coming to check out the band!” Nino announced.

“Yeah, Mylene texted me that she was here.” Ivan brought up.

Kim was stretching. “Any of them single?”

“Kim, these are our friends from school. Besides aren’t you still seeing Ondine?” Max brings up.

Kim shrugs. “It’s complicated.”

“Actually there is one girl who is single.” Nino answers Kim’s question. “Maybe big shot over here can finally get his first girlfriend.” He points at Adrien who was resting comfortably on the couch.

Adrien opens one eye and looks at Nino. “I can get a girlfriend if I wanted to.” He closes his eyes again and stretches his arms out as he sat up. “But I told you. If I’m getting a girlfriend I want them to fall for me, not Adrien Agreste.”

While he loved his life as the son of famous renowned fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste, it came with consequences.

The main one would be how he made friends. While he was home schooled for a good portion of his early childhood, he was able to attend a real school when he turned fourteen. It was a private school, but to him it was something. But based on how people treated him, he knew he was getting a weird taste of privilege that he didn’t want.

It started with how guys would want to come over only to his place and never bothered to invite him to theirs. Sure his father was strict, but he would’ve allowed it as long as it didn’t interfere with his studies. But no his friends at the time wouldn’t bother.

Then every holiday his locker would be packed with constant love letters or presents girls would leave for him. Not to be rude he accepted the small tokens of appreciation but he never liked it.

He hated this and when he would meet up with his friend Chloe, she convinced him to transfer to her school. It was closer to his place and not as crowded as his private school.

“I mean you’ll still be surrounded by peasants, but you’ll be with me Adrikins!”

And after one long and difficult hour of convincing his father, he agreed to let him transfer to College Francoise Dupont. There he met probably his closet friends and met the love of his life...

“Adrien? Oh Adrien,” Nino says his name in a song like tune. “Time for the show, let’s go.”

Adrien gets up and grabs his guitar. “Let’s do this guys!”

His friends chuckle and they do their backstage circle before they get on stage. While they usually start off the show with one of their classics, they decided to start slow before playing their more hardcore stuff.

As Adrien, he never could be on stage with people constantly watching his every move and wonder how he will fuck up his family name. But as Chat Noir, he belonged to no one. He wasn’t the son of a famous fashion designer. He wouldn’t be in the tabloids the next day. No instead he got to play till his hearts content and go home.

That was until he looked up at the balcony where a group of girls were cheering them on.

And that’s when he spotted her. Even though his eyes were slightly blinded by the bright lights, he can still see her raven black hair that can be mistaken for a dark blue. She blue bell eyes that he can stare at all day. There was only one girl who can ever have him in a trance such as this.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

The girl who stole his heart and the one who will forever be known as his first love.

He continued to sing into the microphone, not removing his eyes from her. “Just another day started out like any other. Just another girl who took my breath away.” He sang, continuing on with his performance. The crowd loved it, girls getting closer to the stage to get his and the others attention.

But Adrien can only stare at one girl.

The one who got away.

#fanfic #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #we belong together fanfic

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