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theafterglow83 · 2 months

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Stray thoughts from an unhinged mind caused by a song called Robin

Since my teens, I have always been a Karlie Kloss fan. No amount of vitriol from the Swifty’s has ever strayed or strained my conviction that Karlie is on many levels, and aside from being absolutely gorgeous, a better human being than Taylor Swift.

By that I mean she seems to project a warmth and a level of kindness and humanity out into the world that is so pure and honest, when compared to Taylors, sometimes vengeful and darker persona ~as well as her being Queen Mother to one of the worlds most vindictive and exhausting cults who would gladly fillet anyone at “Mother’s “ request. Taylor (the brand) has made a career and a fortune from feeding her tales of romantic misfortune and presumed ex lovers to her hungry mob with merchandise to match.

Karlie on the other hand has a nurturing and supportive side to her and don’t let her beautiful and seductive exterior fool you for below that sultry surface she gives off a warm and fuzzy golden vibe- like a puppy. She’s sophisticated, highly intelligent, NYC chic and street smart , often silly and maturing like fine wine while somehow becoming more beautiful as she ages. She also appears to be one Hell of a good mother to those babies.

All that being said about their personalities is exactly why I believe Karlie’s sunshine is the perfect match for Taylor and her moody, broken, impulsive ,often over indulgent, midnight rain personality. Not only are they equal in status - they have a Yin Yang balance to them - Only that sunshine can dry up the rain in Taylor .

I’ll continue.

While listening to songs off of the TTPD I was stopped dead in my tracks when I came to the song, Robin. I listened three times and found a tear rolling down my right cheek. I was choked up and the tiny hairs on my arms stood up . To say I was moved would be an understatement. There was something so raw, so pure and so loving in those lyrics. I had to sit with my thoughts for a while but I feel the need to share them now among those who i consider “my people”.

The Kaylors.

Sidebar confession: Yes, I’m a Kaylor.

I firmly believe Taylor Swift, and Karlie Kloss had a long running romantic relationship. They were more than friends. They were lovers too. The level of denial it takes to doubt that is astonishing. It wasn’t just Kissgate that sealed the deal. It’s the way those two looked at each other and communicated in a secret language all their own. They were deeply in love.

I believe it all started prior to the public meet up at the VS Fashion Show and even long before the “your kitchen or mine cookie “tweet.

I believe Taylor and Karlie first met when Taylor was showing up at fashion shows that Karlie was walking in as far back as 2009. Where they had a relationship then? Probably not because they were both involved with others but the sparks were flying. Thats when the foundation was laid. The attraction was there. The seeds planted. Destiny and the Universe did the rest.

Think Love Story lyrics

“We were both young when I first saw you” which I believe Taylor wrote about Karlie and which also happens to be Karlies favorite song. I believe they had an ongoing relationship that continued on until late 2017-early 2018 and then I believe something happened and they broke up, as many long-term relationships often do. My guts tell me it was cheating and it was on Taylor’s part and the regret from that will haunt Taylor for her entire life because it caused the trajectory of their path to change.

Karlie married in 2018 yet many speculate they were still together and the unofficial story is the real trouble actually came in mid 2019.

Taylor was furious over the masters, fingers were pointing everywhere, cheating rumors flew. This entire story certainly has all the drama of a Netflix series that could easily do 8 seasons

There’s so much more to this Masters incident than the public is aware of. Also the fact that Josh’s families company ~ the Carlisle Group provided the funding to Scooter is an often overlooked storyline.

Was Taylor angry at Karlie for that but how could Karlie control that if she was even in that loop of that drama. Or~ was there more -because in any good mystery - there’s always several layers more .

What did Scooter have to leverage getting that kind of money from them to buy the masters? Being Karlie’s manager at the time perhaps he has something on her or Taylor or both of them and used it as that leverage . It’s a whole other rabbit hole that I don’t have time to visit right now but regardless Taylor is still angry about to this very day which tells me it goes way deeper and my gut feeling is that Taylor’s dad was the one involved with knowing things and not Karlie Kloss who got fed to the sharks over the situation.

So I’m going on record here saying I never believed Karlie had anything to do with Masters Heist. I believe that story was used as an explanation to explain their separation. I know there’s a whole other level of messy lore involving this and a love blackout and Trumps election and Karlie’s association with the Kushner’s but I’m going to skip over that season and move on -except to say that it was absolutely shameful the level of hate Karlie was forced to endure because of that and still her sun shinned while she was being made the villain online and much of it still continues to this day. At any point during that scandal Karlie could have spoken out but she didn’t. She quietly took one for the team.

I’m not going to pretend that I know what happened during that murky period or what is happening now - because honestly -I do not…but there have been a strange set clues and way too many “koincidences to simply chalk up to being coincidences.

It’s just a gut feeling but I also don’t believe their connection went fully went away or ever will for that matter. They are and will forever be tied together even in the times they are apart but I kinda think they reunited ( again) in early to mid 2020.

I’ve read all the theories. I’ve heard all the rumors ,I’ve been to the rabbit hole, I’ve climbed out, I’ve fallen back in, and most days now you’ll find me sitting on the edge dangling my feet still and kinda wondering. I live my life ~ they live theirs.

So am I a LSK?

No, not really, but some days …ok, maybe. You see for as much as I try to say no…there’s just this tiny string I can’t help but see so I keep my feet planted on the ground but my mind open.

By open I mean open to the possibility that Taylor and Karlie are in one of those kind of “relationships” where as hard as they try ~they just can’t seem to quit each other and they go through periods of on and off times. “pauses” is what I like to call the brakes or bumps along the way. You know that couple that’s over but they’re never really over ?

Where are they now? I have no idea.

Taylor has another year of touring and promoting and probably Travis. My money says Taylor Swift will be the halftime show at next years Super Bowl.

Karlie, along with her modeling contacts ( Carolina Herrera, Estée Lauder, Donna Karen etc ) is venturing into the business world. Along with running Kode with Klossy, she’s CEO of her newly formed media company. She bought I-D magazine and also Life magazine, which Josh also invested in , this year. She’s got a lot on her plate

Yes, Karlie is married but is she really married in the traditional sense of what we all consider marriage to be? On the surface, yes… but once again- the layers and the lore here is incredible.

What a character she’d be on that Netflix show I imagine in my head . Just give her an Emmy already.

Does she love Josh? I’m absolutely sure she does- but the real question is…is she IN love with Josh? You know- romantic love -which, I as an observer ~don’t believe she is or ever has been. You can just kinda tell and no matter how many pictures she posts the connection just isn’t there and whenever I see her with her beautiful babies (even if he’s in the photo) she gives off that “ single mother vibe “

That level of chemistry, no matter how the pictures are posed~ or the hand in hand walks are staged -the passion ~ the look in their eyes - it just isn’t there and honestly it never was.

They have always given off that bff energy and frankly ~ Karlie’s friendship with her “big brother “ Derek actually feels more real, relaxed and genuine.Then there are the gay rumors ( past and present) surrounding their entire little multiverse ~but we won’t go into them right now either. We’d be here all night.

And yes, Taylor has had her share of public relationships but have they been real? Have they had their moments? probably. Did some become more than PR for a brief period of time. Possibly She’s been linked to everyone she even walks by or talks to but somehow it all pales and fades in time. I’m sure there have been flings along the way but flings don’t fly and usually run their course in that 9 1/2 week period that flings seem to take.

If I’m being honest, as I observe from the treetops all of Taylor’s relationships and Karlies relationship with Josh, they never reach the level of the real connection and happiness that I saw between Taylor and Karlie. That’s something you just can’t fake or reproduce with another .

Whatever is going on with Travis is so cringey and sadly embarrassing.I tend to think it’s PR but if it’s real then he truly is her obnoxious karma and karma isn’t usually a good thing. But hey the moneys good. Maybe they’ll even get lavender married so she can stay in her closet and continue to throw red meat to the $wifties.

The future is yet unwritten.

All that being said, I’ll get back to my original point of this ramble and that’s a song called Robin.

So yes, I’ve heard the rumors, I’ve read the theories, I’ve seen photographs of visual evidence. Karlie Kloss was in Los Angeles during the pandemic, the same place where Taylor was in fort part of 2020. When she returned to NYC if you count the months - she was pregnant even if she didn’t look it. I also believe Karlie was there in the shadows during the Long Pond Studio recordings in Upstate NY. Jack kind of gave it away when he referenced “Joe the dog” as being who he thought Taylor was talking about when she said “ Joe and I wrote a song”

I’ve also heard the rumor that there was a ceremony between them that they tried to pass off as a ceremony between Taylor and Joe which Tree later denied that there was ever a ceremony of “any type”.

Ok buckle up because here it comes

I’ve seen the “turkey baster”( IVF ) post that Karlie made. Like who uses a turkey baster in May? What an odd thing to do unless you were signaling an IVF pregnancy situation. Regardless ~ she was extremely happy that day.

I’ve seen the cinnamon buns post ( think the expression “buns in the oven ) that Taylor made a few days later back in May 2020. She was “proud” of her cinnamon buns.

Happy & proud …hum

Is that a crazy set of coincidences? Hand on whatever holy book you set before me ~ I’d have to say “yes”

And it’s Absolutely crazy considering the fact that Levi was born a little over nine months later.

Add in the fact of how emotional Taylor got accepting her Grammy for Folklore when Arron thanked his “ wife and kids “during the acceptance speech.

For a few moments there you could feel the raw emotion in her as she nearly burst into tears andJack tried to console her. Blonde was gutted. It cut deep.

Sidebar:

Yes Aaron has a son named Robin but he’s 9 years old and other than the name cleverly used for gentle cover of the truth in case damage control is ever needed~ there is no connection to that child or a secret, no showmanship to cover it up or anything that would make Taylor react as she did. Other than his name there is no connection to the words in the song

But the fact that Levi’s birth was announced during the Grammys absolutely does connect.

So I’ll just put a pin in that and move on.

Listening to that ballad yesterday rocked my entire world . It was so soft, gentle and living. So heart wrenching that I just let my emotions flow through me as my mind wandered back gathering and processing all the previous rumors and lore I had heard along the way. It left me rattled as it tumbled through memories. Could it all have been true?

So now I’m just gonna say it out loud running the risk of being attacked and also sounding like a supermarket tabloid…here goes “could Levi be Karlie’s and Taylor’s child?”

I know it sounds crazy…secret love child but …

I’m not trying to out anyone and I want to respect the fact that a child is involved here. Honestly I had second and third thoughts about posting this but if I’m being real ~ it’s also a collective of things that have been shared openly about Taylor and Karlie here for years. Somehow the song was like a puzzle piece that snapped into place.

…those loving words ,the emotion in Taylor‘s voice as she sings about her strong heartfelt attachment to a young toddler, as she encourages him in being wild and free in his wonder years, playing with abandon and roaring at the dinosaurs~

There was real love in those words

Looking out his window over his kingdom (NYC) and speaking gibberish

She also advocates for him keeping his innocence for as long as possible and then speaks of a secret that a inner circle of people have chosen to keep from him” in sweetness” to protect him and the “showmanship” to cover up that secret that he has no idea of.

And as she watches his unabashed play in his toddler purity she prophesies there will come a time in the future when the world he faces will have harsh words for him and she reminds him that he will bounce back like he now does on his trampoline.

“ and you have no idea

Buried down deep and out of your reach

the secret we all vowed

to keep it from you in sweetness

strings tied to levers

slowed down clocks tethers

all the showman ship

to keep it from you in sweetness

way to go, tiger

I’m not crying , you are and Levi looks just like his mommy 🤍

Let’s keep this in the family ✌️🤍🏳️‍🌈

God I love this show .

Stay tuned for next season

#karlie kloss #taylor swift #kaylor

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bigtreefest · 2 months

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Chapter 2: Cooks in the Kitchen

From: The Rainmaker Series

Pairing: Mob! Steve x Forensic Scientist! Reader

Summary: Everyone hates a backseat driver. And a surprise guest when you’re not at your best.

Word count: 3,234

Content/warnings: TW: dead body and all you would expect in forensic science, I tried to make this not graphic, mentions of bruising, mentions of torture and abuse, sassy and borderline mean reader, awkward Steve who overthinks, reluctant? flirting, allusions to and mentions of murder

Author’s Note: For my dearly beloved @krirebr please know that you’re loved and appreciated by us all. I hope this helps, just a little bit. (Extra angsty, hopefully to your tastes)😘

What I’m gonna say is Decks seems very on edge compared to how she was before. Her guard came up out of ‘nowhere?’ Hm, that’s weird… or is it?

Anyway, these are Loupe glasses, if you’re wondering. They let you see tiny things up close and at a better angle.

Comments, reblogs, asks, and any feedback is so welcome and appreciated. Thank you for reading!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

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After your weekend at the farm, Steve drove you home to return to your normal life. As much as you loved being out in the country, city life was definitely more your speed. You immediately went back to work and were happy to keep your busy routine going. Sure, a weekend away from screens and solvents was a breath of fresh air, but this was where you thrived.

Despite the way there were new, more outlandish cases to deal with, the days were surprisingly routine. Come in, visit a crime scene, run some tests, go home, do it again. You lived for that sort of zen. The detachment of simply putting your head down and getting to work was what you were used to, and then once you were home, it was like a sanctuary. You could lounge, pick up another hobby out of the thousand you’d already started, and crawl into your fresh sheets.

It’s not like you were entirely a hermit, though. You got along with your coworkers and would commonly joke around with them, but first and foremost, you were a proper worker, doing your job. When something really needed done, you’d lock down in the lab, music blasting, and crank out results.

Steve was the same way. He tried to keep his days as routine as possible, despite the way work brought something new everyday. Rival gangs needed monitored and law people needed bribed. Shipments and production needed to be kept on a tight schedule and up to pace with increasing demand.

There wasn’t much time for it, but he’d found certain images and memories start to take hold in his mind. They were different from the grade school ones of Bucky, or his times learning the ropes of his trade, or the first suit he’d ever worn. They were new, they were…warm? Lacked that same rigidity? They were of you. Driving his car effortlessly, petting a baby goat as it bleated happily, teaching him to dance…small, little moments that he couldn’t let go of, but he didn’t have time to replay enough.

He did his best to stay proper in his business dealings. Steve was known for his gentlemanly demeanor, truly a golden boy of the underground, or…at least as much of one as an individual could be given the legality loopholes he was constantly trying to jump through.

On the outside, he was smooth as a beach. Fluid with the crashes of waves this industry threw at him. He’d gotten good at rolling with the punches without a single blond hair out of place. But inside? It was a hurricane. The wind raged and echoed in his ears, putting him on edge. It was sensory overload.

Everyday, he found his attention wanting to wander more and more to that simpler time, not romanticizing it for the lack of pressing responsibility, but for the fact he spent genuine moments with someone who was unlike those in his world. Unlike the men so obsessed with maintaining their place on top or squashing others to get there. They were all about the money, but you were working for the people, and for the betterment of the city. To solve cases and give peace to families. And Steve knew he was all too often on the other side of that, even if he prided himself on only taking out the worst of the worst. The ones who deserved it. They were the ones endangering women and children, who to him, were the distastefully vulnerable and undeserving of wrath, despite the fates they were met with from the awful men Steve rid the world of. He wasn’t breaking his set of morals and rules, he was just breaking the law sometimes. Steve was a good man, he just happened to make his living doing bad things.

He didn’t have time to reflect on that right now, though. Things had seriously picked up in recent weeks. Bucky was soon to return, but it didn’t help that Steve felt like Lloyd was unrelentingly on their asses. Leading the organization when it came to the normal stuff was fine, but the extra protections Bucky was making him run, along with the extensive research and monitoring was already taking its toll. Steve was used to a lack of sleep, he basically lived on adrenaline and black coffee, but another night where he was fielding calls and sending out directives without a wink was causing his emotional guard to fall.

It was early morning as Steve sat at his desk. He’d ordered Sam to head out hours ago, but as the sun was cresting over the horizon, not even that searing glow could keep Steve’s tired mind at bay. The levees against the flood were weakened beyond belief. The hurricane was about to make landfall.

Just then, the phone rang. It was one of his contacts down at the police station. That wasn’t new, but the specific news was and Steve wanted to be there in person to get every bit of information he could... and perhaps catch a glimpse at the one person who could scratch that new itch in his brain. Maybe, finally, at least he could catch a nap in the car, as Steve called Gio to drive him over.

Over the couple weeks you’ve been back, you couldn’t help the way your mind wandered constantly, either. Even your favorite playlist couldn’t keep you on track, so you opted for silence, the scenes replaying of your time on the farm doing plenty to help you block out your surroundings.

You were working on a particularly difficult case currently. There was no time for distractions. The overcast sky just added to the ambiance of the feeling that something unusual was looming over you. You pulled yourself out of your thoughts, along with the keys from the ignition, and took a deep breath, letting it out sharply to get yourself ready. When you’d gotten out of the SUV and to the crime scene, Detective Lang greeted you.

“So I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”

He guided you along the River walk and down the rocky shore where a victim laid, waves still lapping over her feet as photographers and cops gathered around the scene, surveying it for evidence. A small crowd had gathered along the pathway, held back by barricades and uniformed officers. At least you were here before the news crews.

“Bad news first, always. You know that.” You spoke with a purpose, slipping on your gloves after pushing up the sleeves of your department-issued windbreaker and cuffing your pants so they wouldn’t get wet.

“So far, looks like it was blunt force trauma with a side of torture. Very little evidence to go off of, especially considering there are no open wounds and the tools used for this kinda thing could be in any household.”

You crouched down by the body and immediately took note of the bruising. You hummed in acknowledgement and looked back up at the detective, his head framed by the cloudy, gray sky, the rising sun now hidden. Fitting for a tragedy like this. A woman your age subjected to that sort of an ending…

“And the good news?”

He sighed, looking up at the sky, hands on his hips, before he dropped his head back down towards you.

He winced. “Body’s fresh? Disposal doesn’t appear very well thought-out.”

You nodded and looked around for any piece of evidence that hadn’t washed away. He was right, it was gonna be difficult to pull many testable elements.

“Well, I’ll do the usual work-up, then, and let you know when you’re good to get everything over to the medical examiner.”

He curtly nodded and turned on his heel to speak with the witnesses before you began to pull out your kit, swabbing for anything of note.

After you finished collecting everything you could, you carefully slipped back through the background and away from the slew of reporters now blanketing the scene. Ugh, you hated those block heads. Especially Lucas Bell, the weird little ray of sunshine you went to school with growing up. For some reason, he thought the two of you were actually friends, despite never having even given him the signal you appreciated his presence. The worst part: you could tell he wasn’t hitting on you. He would genuinely seek you out at crime scenes, that gross happy smile on his face, calling you by the birth name almost no one used anymore in favor of your college nickname. Every time, it was, “hey, remember me, old pal? Great to see you! Any information you’re willing to share?” Who the hell was so chipper when their job was literally to report tragedies?

You bobbled your head as you mocked him to yourself and got back into your work SUV. Ugh, you hated that guy. And all the other reporters. You didn’t wanna be on camera. What if you wanted to work for the FBI one day? Huh? What then? Can’t have your face out there all willy nilly and then expect to be doing covert ops. Nope. You prepared to race back to the precinct, ready to drown yourself in an afternoon of attempting to suck evidence out of a cotton swab caked in river grime and essentially, air, if you could count that as evidence.

You drove back through the pouring rain. Another thing to be annoyed by. First, the longing for your simple weekend once again, then the intrusive thoughts about annoying little reporters, and now, the near-flooding on the roads. You could hear her in your head now, Bee saying “rain makes corn. It’s a good thing.” You rolled your eyes, to be honest, you liked the rainy atmosphere, but you know what rain also makes? Bad drivers. At this point, it was just best to get back to the lab, buckle down, and stay there, where no one could possibly bother you.

You were hours in to your intensive testing. Your spectrometry readings gave the smallest peaks, hard to say if the readings actually were something or just background noise. You were happy to put in the time, but something just felt…off. It was infuriating and not helping your mood, but you tried your best to keep it separated from work. It wasn’t perfect, but it was your best. Another small thing going wrong could push you over the edge, though.

You opted to just look at a small fabric sample, deciphering if there truly was some thread of note caught in the weave. You just needed to concentrate and you knew you could find something. You were purely focused and zoomed in, using your Loupe glasses, paired with several lamps overhead, with the highest hopes of even a shred of confirma-

“Decks? More like Specks.”

The sudden voice that echoed through the lab startled you, causing your head to shoot up and bump against one of the metal lamps.

“Ow!” At that same time, the forceps and piece of fabric flew out of your hands and onto the floor. It didn’t help that you knocked into your instrument tray on the way, sending all those onto the floor, as well.

Great, now you had to go to the stock room to find a new package of sterile ones. This was the last set left in the lab. You looked up from where you watched the evidence fall, rubbing your forehead with the back of your gloved hand, eyes narrow at the business man in a suit who was previously leaned against your doorway, now tentatively walking towards you to crouch on the ground.

“Steve, what the hell?” You trailed off for a second. “You and Bee really do have the same sense of humor. I thought she just told me that as a selling point.” It came out as an irritated growl. You rolled your eyes as you squatted down to start cleaning your mess.

Steve laughed. Selling point? Bee talked to you about him? And tried to make him appealing? He wasn’t sure why, but he felt a certain warmth in his stomach at that. He pushed it down as much as he could. Either way, he truly did get along well with her.

“Well you know what they say, birds of a feather and all.” He joined you near the floor after having grabbed a glove, picking up some stray instruments and placing them back in the metal holding tray.

You muttered lowly as you finally stood up and turned away from him, after grabbing the fabric off the floor gingerly and placing it in a plastic protective case. “More like wasps of a stinger.”

Steve disposed of his gloves and looked over the results on your computer. You quickly hit the keys to lock the screen, sure to cast him a nasty glare. The last thing you needed was to get accused of leaking evidence.

What was he doing here, anyway? With those broad shoulders and that skinny waist. What did he even need shoulders that big for? How did he even shop for clothes? You swear his waist was literally the same circumference as your thigh. They don’t carry stuff like that in department stores.

Steve looked at you with a confused glance as you removed your gloves and washed your hands. There was a hint of humor in his voice, but it was mostly filled with caution at your attitude.

“Um, I don’t really shop for clothes? I’ve got a tailor. He’s pretty good.”

After your hands were dry, you facepalmed harder than ever before. You couldn’t believe you said that out loud. Maybe you did need to interact with more people outside of work. You were too comfortable talking to yourself. You took a deep breath before turning around and looking at Steve again. His face now mostly held tentative kindness, and that was a nice change to the anger that was sitting in your belly all day today. You still couldn’t help what you spat back, though.

“You have a tailor? In this economy? Of course you do…rich prick.” The last part was grumbled under your breath, but Steve still caught it. Where was this hostility coming from? He thought the two of you had gotten along great before. What changed?

Steve’s hurt caused him to fire back, albeit much nicer than you had. “You’re calling me rich? Decks, I’ve seen your apartment, it’s nice. Especially for this city. Way nicer than my first place.”

First off, what was that supposed to mean? You were still suspicious about exactly what Steve and Bucky did for a living. You knew they made a lot of money. Steve wore designer suits, if he could help it, and you assumed Bucky did, as well, but what business did they have being this built?

You let go of that, though, wanting to just get back to work after the disturbance, but why had you been disturbed in the first place?

“Steven, what are you doing in my lab?”

He was taken aback. Woah, full names. He knew your full name, but didn’t dare to find out what would become of him if he used it. It didn’t seem like many did. He wanted to go about this the right way. He didn’t want abuse his delicate position as a friend of a friend when you were so close to the law…yet.

He stood upright and pressed his shoulders back. Right, he was here on business. He had to remember that. It wasn’t a personal call and he had to stay professional.

“I was actually meeting with Scott, er, Detective Lang. He called me about the new case that came in this morning.”

You nodded slowly. “You knew her?”

Why did that make you nervous? Of course Steve knew women, like, duh, but something burning rose in your chest in anticipation of his response. Why did you care? You didn’t even want him here. Right?

He shook his head lightly. “No…well, sort of? She was an employee of one of my businesses. A salon.”

One of his businesses, of course. A salon was…interesting… but you guessed not out of the question with how perfect his stupid perfect hair always was. Whatever, just because he was here for some questioning, doesn’t mean he had to pay you a visit.

“Okay…so why did you come in here?”

You looked up at him from the odds and ends you were shuffling around your work bench out of nervousness.

“I actually wanted to see you, maybe help out a little?”

You eyed him skeptically, ignoring the way your chest sent a tingle down towards your fingertips. “You know when someone offers to keep close to a case like that, it usually means they had something to do with it, right?”

Steve put his hands up in surrender. “I swear this wasn’t me. I just genuinely care for my employees. Did you check under the fingernails? Maybe there was some DNA there or something?”

Your gaze became even more burning towards him. “Yes, Steven. I checked under the nails. That’s like, the first thing you do in cases like this. But why would you know that, anyway? And how can you say you care so much about your employees if you didn’t even know the girl?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. He was usually much smoother than this. How did you intimidate him so much so suddenly. Oh no…Is that where the name ‘Decks’ came from? Were you gonna hit him? Deck him? Did you have a pension for beating guys up? If he made a wrong move, would you literally punch him? Give him a black eye? Sure, much worse had happened to him before, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to emotionally recover if the damage came from you.

Either way, Steve didn’t want to find out, so he continued quite cautiously and uncomfortable within your domain, lacking the confidence that came so easily to him in all his usual business dealings and the quasi-leadership role he found himself in.

“I um…I watch a lot of CSI shows?” He hoped that was believable, but he knew it came out like a squeak, almost. He may as well be a little kid losing fights in a back alley again. He cleared his throat in an attempt to get his voice back to normal. “I do care for my employees, though. And my reputation, and the ability to make sure nothing like this happens again to anyone involved with me.”

You sighed at that. You can understand the want to prevent future disasters, especially when it came to someone working so low at the bottom of the food chain for such a major company. As you slipped your Loupe glasses back on and readjusted your lamps, you gestured for Steve to take a seat in your computer chair while you moved to a stool by the lab bench.

“Okay, fine. I’ll let you hang around, but don’t tell me how to do my job.”

You couldn’t help the way the corner of your lip turned up, just out of Steve’s sight, as he strutted over and plopped down into the rolly chair, watching you with a smile and his fingers laced behind his head.

Next >

Bonus A/N: I’m very excited for what’s going to grow between Steve and Decks. She’s a lil independent thing and he’s just so “idk what to do bc I’m supposed to be in control but I’m doing everything on her terms” and I love it. Lmk what you think!!!

Series Taglist:

@evie-119

#Steve rogers #Steve rogers fanfiction #Steve rogers x reader #Steve rogers x you #steve rogers angst #Steve rogers fluff #the rainmaker #the rainmaker series #outta nowhere #outta nowhere AU #mob Steve x forensic scientist reader #mob! Steve x forensic scientist! reader #mob! Steve #mafia! Steve #mafia Steve #the rainmaker chapter 2: cooks in the kitchen #TW: dead body

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wing-ed-thing · 7 days

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Of Frogs and Crowns (Ichiji Vinsmoke x Reader) Part II

Synopsis: You couldn't say that being engaged to a man as emotionless and serious as Ichiji didn't bother you. But after a night of sneaking out, you think you've found a quirk to humanize him a bit, and Ichiji finds that he might be in over his head. Two-Shot.

Word Count: 3.8k

Part I Part II

Tags/Warnings: No Reader Pronouns, Language, Arranged Marriage, Royal!Reader, Minor Original Characters, Dancing

Notes: I am very glad this is finished. I accidentally messed this chapter format up and it wasn't showing up anywhere so hopefully everything is okay this time around!

For as quickly as Ichiji seemed to have walked to the garden, he slowed down significantly to follow you into town and did so silently. You took a path that stood out starkly among the grasses. The narrow footpath had been beaten into the ground and looked to have been done so by one person. Even the steeper parts of the terrain appeared smooth and trampled down compared to the surrounding earth.

Ichiji had no issue with the walk, trailing behind you at a short distance. He always kept close and never once offered to help you with your bag or across physical obstacles, but he kept himself uncomfortably present. Although, his trailing would completely stop once you entered the gates.

You were mobbed almost instantly by children.

Cheers and screams filled the air, far too shrill for Ichiji’s comfort. Ichiji was almost taken aback by how they scrambled out of the woodwork, physically recoiling slightly as tiny, sandaled feet scampered through the dirt streets.

He scowled at the small town's appearance, glancing flippantly at the wooden buildings and quaint fixtures. Everything was far too colorful for his liking, painted in yellows and other pastels. The brightly pigmented paint did nothing for the water stains and weathering of the buildings, especially with ugly things like worn clotheslines and chipped orange shudders daring to be within Ichiji’s eyesight. Draping shrubbery lined balconies, but even the greenery he assumed was meant to distract from the dingy houses and rusting farm tools appeared plain and poor.

The people reflected their home, sporting colorful overalls and patterned button-up shirts stained with dirt and clearly worn by time. The children wore oversized shirts, sporting rough edges where the large sleeves were torn off. Traditional garments were mixed into outfits, with each citizen wearing at least a small accessory reflective of the kingdom. And yet, for their sorry state, they greeted you warmly.

The children swarmed around you, and to Ichiji’s surprise and disgust, you even picked one up in your arms, making your way deeper into town as you chatted with the townsfolk. Ichiji trailed at a growing distance behind you, and even though he stood at least a head taller than almost everyone, all eyes were on you.

Each and every citizen called you by your royal title, including the old man mayor who hobbled up to you. You had since placed the child in your arms down, and the mayor took the opportunity to clasp both of your hands in his.

“You don’t have to be so formal,” you sighed, your light tone almost holding a reprimand.

“To us—” The old man’s brows rose to reveal shiny, sad eyes underneath. —“You’ll always be royalty in title, spirit, and more.” You sighed again, gazing fondly at him with a small smile.

“How can I argue with that?” you conceded with a playful dip of your head.

“Oh well, you can’t!” The mayor let out a boisterous laugh. He released your hands with a firm pat. “What are you doing here, my dear? Shouldn’t you be at the castle celebrating your engagement?” You couldn’t help but snicker at the way his thick, gray eyebrows knitted together in concern. You always considered how much he looked like an old sheepdog. His busy beard seemed to bounce as he spoke, and the way he glanced down at your left hand didn’t escape you. “Up to no good are you?”

You gave his hands a light squeeze, leaning forward with a tilt of your head.

“Aren’t I always up to no good?” Your laugh was light like a bell, and the sound shot right through Ichiji’s chest. The mayor’s eyes went wide as he howled with laughter, his mouth forming a round shape as he cackled. Ichiji couldn’t understand what was so funny.

He felt a tug on his slacks and had to physically restrain himself from swatting the tiny hand away.

“Hey, mister—” Ichiji scowled downward to find himself surrounded by about five small children. He shoved his fingers in his pockets with a roll of his eyes, glancing off to the side. But Ichiji’s ignorance of them didn’t make him invisible. —“Your hair’s kinda funny.” The child giggled before running off.

“Yeah,” another chimed. “It kinda looks like a duck butt!”

The mayor began to move, ushering you to a familiar building with a patio and two saloon-style doors. Upbeat music and drums resounded from the other side, and light from the modest bulbs cast a golden glow onto the street. He looked around your shoulder. His thick brows crinkled again before he returned his gaze to you with a smile and a friendly nod.

“Ah, yes, and your friend is welcome as well.”

You glanced behind you, having to physically turn due to your large backpack. Most of the children had already gone inside, but the few that remained had surrounded Ichiji, who looked to be growing more annoyed by the second. Despite his cold and tense demeanor, his lips were moving, and you were surprised he was still there in the first place.

You turned back to the mayor with a shrug.

“He’ll find his way inside.”

***

Ichiji did find his way inside the dance hall before long, trailing a small posse of children behind him. To Ichiji’s relief, they seemed to find other things to occupy their attention.

The hall was large, open, and made almost entirely out of wood. A few tables lined both sides of the room, leaving the center for people to dance. And they did dance; couples, children, and the elderly alike mingled together under the sizable chandelier above, moving in a traditional dance to the music that filled the air.

If people weren’t dancing, they were eating or spectating from the wooden balconies above. Ichiji had to climb a flight of wooden stairs before he found you.

You were set up at a round table on the right side of the U-shaped balcony. Your backpack was completely unfolded and laid flat, revealing a sizable pile of hand-wrapped meals. You handed food to adults and children alike, laughing and chatting amongst your people as they filtered back and forth. The balcony wasn’t very large, especially for the number of people coming to get food, although the space was about twice as ample as the section for tables down below. Despite the crowd of people that surrounded you, your face remained perfectly framed in Ichiji’s gaze.

“And Mary is doing better?” Ichiji somehow heard you over the noise. He began to make his way toward you, bumping into townspeople as he tried to maneuver around the bustling throng you had amassed. He never took his eyes off you, even as the current of people moving opposite him grew.

“Oh yes, she even stood for a bit yesterday.”

Ichiji bumped into another woman, barely muttering a curt apology under his breath.

“That’s wonderful!” Your voice was never drowned out, no matter how loud the music was.

A man bumped Ichiji’s shoulder, sending him a step back in the face of the growing current of people retreating with their meals. Someone stepped on Ichiji’s foot.

“All thanks to that new medicine.”

“Please take extra home to her and tell her I say—”

Ichiji was finally pushed back by the throng of people. Townsfolk came up to greet you, take their dinner, and find a table to sit at if they weren’t taking their food home to a bedridden loved one.

So many people vied for your attention. Ichiji wondered how you balanced it all. He couldn’t fathom how you remembered so many asinine details about others or how you weren’t possibly overwhelmed at the mere amount of voices speaking to you at once. And most of all, he was most astonished at the glow that radiated from your smile.

You hadn’t looked at him like that once.

Not that it mattered.

But after much effort, Ichiji resigned himself to a still spot at the corner where the balcony began to branch off. His forearms crossed over the railing, and Ichiji let his head hang for a moment. The current of people passed around him, and the positioning of the railing allowed him to have a bit of a reprieve, but Ichiji could still see you where you stood on the right-hand side of the balcony despite the bottlenecked footway.

He could see how the people danced on the floor below, creating a sea of different fabrics and bouncing heads of hair. Like the people he saw outside, many wore a mix of farming attire, but some sported complete outfits of brightly colored traditional garb. The band sat at the far end of the hall, and a chorus of foreign instruments blared. People ate their meals all around the hall— it looked to be some sort of vegetable and rice dish.

Ichiji’s gaze finally settled back on you.

“You’ve found yourself quite the gem, deeply loved by every soul here.” A voice sounded just barely over the noise. Ichiji hadn’t realized it was addressing him. He swiveled his head, and only when he looked down did he see the old mayor standing beside him. The mayor barely stood taller than the railing. “It's quite a commitment, aligning yourself with such heartfelt dedication, don't you think?”

Ichiji frowned, staring down at the old man’s bald spot. His gaze didn’t linger. Ichiji jerked his neck to move a few strands of hair out of his eyes. His attention settled somewhere random in the room.

“You don’t make much sense, old man,” he grumbled. The mayor laughed.

“Oh-ho-ho-ho! I never do!” he chuckled, holding his belly in a jolly manner. His other hand slapped onto Ichiji’s forearm, much to Ichiji’s dismay. And just when Ichiji thought he might punch him, the mayor retracted his touch. “You know—” The old man tilted his head to the side knowingly. Ichiji still didn’t look at him. “Serving the people requires more than just a noble birth—it takes a noble heart.” The hand that slapped onto Ichiji’s arm moved to his chest, poking him with emphasis.

“Your gem comes here, bringing extra meals from the castle a few times every week, you know.” The mayor placed his hands staunchly on his hips. Ichiji chose to ignore his wording. You were hardly his yet. “All this food when things are so scarce.”

“I didn’t know,” he said plainly. The old man nodded a few times in emphasis.

“Bless the king, of course! But between you and me—” The mayor lifted himself on his toes, and Ichiji found himself tilting down to lend his ear. —“The people will rejoice in the streets when the new reign begins. They know that it is the individual that cares for them.”

Ichiji rose to his full height, pondering silently to himself. He didn’t care much for sentiment, how much you were adored, and he most certainly didn’t care for having to stand in the middle of the noisy throng of peasants, for that matter. But Ichiji had to admit that perhaps he misjudged you.

In fact, he hadn’t judged you at all, at least not much more than your appearance and some technical data that had little to do with you personally. The number of times and the duration that he stared at your portrait was information that would have to be tortured out of him. And you would never know that it was Ichiji who had approached his father with the idea of an arrangement (and had even put in a great effort to convince him).

And despite your hard times, your kingdom did more than well for itself regarding trade. In fact, your nation basically dominated the grain trade, mined rare region-specific metals on the side, and had shot to the top of citizen happiness polls for the last handful of years despite your foreign conflicts. He had heard rumors of your competence but had assumed that your involvement was on the bureaucratic side, as the involvement of royal families tended to be.

He deemed your personality otherwise unimportant. You were beautiful; your father was well-connected; you opened up new avenues for Germa, and your country did well for itself. Ichiji couldn’t have cared less about settling a raid issue when he knew that, on top of everything else, he wanted you the moment he saw your photo.

(And although he may claim that he could do without the sharp tongue, Ichiji couldn’t deny that he was more than attracted to your fire. A bit of feistiness kept things interesting, after all.)

He hadn’t signed up for any of this.

“I wonder…” Ichiji hadn’t realized that the old man had been staring at him intently as he thought. The mayor tutted to himself, clicking his tongue as he faced forward, hands resting behind his back. “I wonder if your kingdom thinks similarly or if you might find yourself challenged in a new way, my boy.”

By the time Ichiji snapped back to reality, the music had changed, and you were already halfway down the stairs. He whipped around in surprise, not one to miss things passing him by in his surroundings. And without thinking, he followed you, leaving the mayor laughing where he stood by the balcony.

The mayor turned, watching the back of Ichiji’s head disappear down the wooden stairs.

“Oh-ho-ho-ho! Something tells me that boy has no idea how to dance!”

His statement wasn’t exactly true, but it wasn’t false. Ichiji had been taught how to waltz for formal international events for the sheer purpose of wooing other royals and political figures. If it wasn’t a waltz, then it was a similar, simple dance. The Vinsmokes never had many dance lessons and were taught little more than what looked reasonable for young royals of their stature. The princes had also been taught a traditional North Blue dance commonly performed by men for the sake of preserving culture, but those movements were nothing like what you were doing.

By the time Ichiji reached the bottom level, he had officially lost you again. He scanned the mass of heads congregated together on the ground floor before he finally spotted you. You were on the dancefloor this time with your arm locked around some other man’s as you danced around each other. Your opposite hands waved in the air like the elegant feathers of a bird. But Ichiji wasn’t in the mood to admire your traditional dance.

His scowl set in deeper than usual as he decided that it was time to leave.

For no particular reason.

Ichiji marched straight into the crowd of dancing people, unabashedly pushing his way to the center. Everyone jumped to the side in time with the beat, arms flowing in passionate yet fluid motions in sync with the music. The man stood behind you with his right hand behind his back and his left hand twirling in the air while you danced in front of him, your arm movements complementing those of your hips. Another crack of heels thumped with a hearty boom of the drums, followed by a combined shout.

Ichiji shoved his way past one last couple before he reached you, but the harsh demands to leave died on his tongue as you swiftly took him by the hands, pulling him forward as everyone seemed to switch dance partners.

You fell right into him. Your right palms met each other; then, you intertwined your left-hand fingers as you twirled to wrap Ichiji’s arms around you. Your hips moved while your back brushed his chest. Your heel slammed against the ground in unison with everyone else, followed by a resounding shout.

You avoided eye contact with Ichiji beyond coy glances. You were still angry with him after all, and you wanted to dance, which seemed to keep him shut up enough, whether it be by the shock or the sheer overload of your crowded environment. He insisted on coming along, so he’d stay for as long as you desired.

Neither of you said anything as you whisked him around the dancefloor, and you preferred it that way. Ichiji was hilariously stiff, almost fighting you as you looped your arm through his. But Ichiji ultimately allowed you to rotate him around before switching linked arms.

“Are you always this tense?” you teased, and a deep shade of red rushed to Ichiji’s cheeks, much to his dismay. You couldn’t really tell under the lighting but you were more than gleeful to add to his discomfort.

The music drummed on in the background, growing faster with the sounds of heels slamming against the ground and the snapping of fabric.

You resumed a position in front of him; your palm extended out to the left. Your right foot pivoted, moving your knee in and out in tandem with your arm. Energy coursed through your movements as you pushed your right palm to meet the back of your left hand with a rhythmic jerk of your hip. You couldn’t help the snicker that rattled your chest. You glanced at Ichiji from over your shoulder, taking a bit too much pleasure in how out of place he appeared.

Ichiji looked around at some other dancers in the room, and like the man from before, many men held a hand behind their backs while twirling the other in the air as their partners danced more intricately in front of them. And it didn’t escape Ichiji’s notice how all attention was on the two of you.

The collective gaze of the people wasn’t romantic but watchful. The children above held the bars of the balcony railing and stared through the gaps. Men with mustaches leaned against the posts, looking on at how Ichiji stood stiffly on the dance floor. Ichiji even found himself catching the eyes of those dancing around you. Everyone watched the two of you, waiting. Waiting for his next move.

Of course, they knew who he was and why he was there, but no one said a word.

Ichiji met your eye. He sighed deeply with a gesture of his brows. You rolled your eyes, giving him an encouraging nod. Ichiji wondered if you had lured him there on purpose if all of this was your test or theirs.

He glanced one more time around, locking stares with multiple pairs of eyes that didn’t deviate from his. Ichiji wondered if it was worth the hassle, stuck between the prospect of embarrassing himself further or admitting that he was in over his head. His pride wouldn’t allow either.

His gaze locked onto yours, holding little expression other than the slight dip of his lip and a small heave to his chest that resembled a sigh.

Ichiji’s hand raised in the air, swaying awkwardly as he tried to mimic the dancers around him. As soon as he did, the townsfolk let out a boisterous shout in time with the music, and the cheering continued as the music picked up. Ichiji jerked forward as a volley of hands slapped his back. Tight, joyful grips sat firmly on his broad shoulders, almost waving him back and forth. The townspeople didn’t crowd you, nor did they make too much of a show in the face of Ichiji’s reluctant gesture, but they grew louder, their gestures of support coming as they passed you before disappearing into the crowd.

Ichiji wasn’t convinced, nor could he be described as dedicated, but he was interested and willing to go along for the ride. You knew as much as did the town, and the more you danced together, the more you were convinced that perhaps your union had the slightest glimmer of hope.

Ichiji’s expression didn’t change much, but you didn’t think you needed to know him for long to see the apparent shock on his face in the form of his barely widened eyes. The dance floor moved in unison, and despite Ichiji’s inability to keep on rhythm, he didn’t resist you with too much force as you dragged him around once again. Your head dipped as you laughed, the noise coming out silently as your chest shook.

It was all so ridiculous. He was so ridiculous, yet you wrapped your arm around Ichiji’s neck and grasped his hand.

Now, this was a stance he was familiar with.

You could hardly cover your expression of surprise as Ichiji suddenly took the lead, and while his movements were stiff and off-rhythm at best, he moved you across the floor with fire. He dropped onto one knee, his back leg hitting the ground hard enough to shake the floor. Ichiji let out a masculine, almost startling shout with the movement, and before you knew it, his arm wrapped around your lower back as he flipped you backward in the air over his knee.

You landed on your feet to roaring applause. Your wide eyes found Ichiji’s, and he only gave you a slight shrug before rising to his feet to retake the lead. The upward twitch to his lips didn’t escape you.

His motions were harsh, aggressive, and strong compared to yours, which seemed to move like a breeze. You gave some resistance to his lead, wordlessly guiding him back to the beats of the music. However, the effort began to strain your muscles in the face of Ichiji’s newfound rigor. You hardly noticed the space starting to clear around you as you and Ichiji engaged in a dance that was half of your kingdom and half from the North Blue, both halves complimenting each other in a way you would never have thought they could.

Your eyes were only on him as you moved. His ice-blue irises didn’t leave you for a second, even as rhythmic clapping filled the hall. You stomped your feet together, his heel shaking the floor once again. The music swelled to a final crescendo, and in a moment without thought, you fell into a low dip with Ichiji’s strong arm supporting your back.

The music faded as joyful voices filled the air. And still, your gazes remained locked. Sweat beaded on your forehead, and you were sure it had pooled under your clothes. You were too hot to tell. Even Ichiji breathed a bit harder as an unknown expression eclipsed his face.

“I’ll have a better ring crafted,” he conceded, his tone ever flat. You laughed, but the corners of your mouth faltered. Your brows crinkled as you tried to catch your breath. All the commotion around you might as well have been silent.

“The ring wasn’t the problem.”

For the umpteenth time that night, Ichiji pierced you with his intent, steel-blue stare. His head bobbed with certainty.

“I will have a better ring crafted.”

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

The original inspo was from Swayzee - Whales Talk (don't ask me why I don't know). The new soundtrack is 100% Kingdom Dance from the Rapunzel soundtrack

Part I Part II

#ichiji x reader #ichiji vinsmoke x reader #vinsmoke ichiji x reader #ichiji vinsmoke #ichiji #vinsmoke #germa 66 #op x reader #one piece x reader #op fanfic #op reader insert #x you #x reader #reader insert #vinsmoke family

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songmingisthighs · 9 months

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Genesis

introduction pt. i | pt. ii | pt. iii

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ch. xlix - bogus

fashion mogul!mingi × reader

buy me coffee ?

things aren't always what it seems but when even the truth is left unheard, what can people do? one musn't lie but what if the lie is more accepted than the truth? the scariest thing in this world isn't monsters or demons. it's people with no agenda and time to waste.

You were bored out of your mind. You didn't know why you needed to be in the hospital anyways since technically speaking, you were alright. It was Mingi who was paranoid beyond his mind.

Of course you had company like your friends and Mingi and sometimes San and Wooyoung drops by with Seonghwa who came to drop some work for Mingi. But you still felt useless. You tried asking your manager about workload but they told you to just focus on your recovery which was a load off your mind. But between the daytime tv and the nurses who came in to take a peek at the hot guy brooding in the corner that you had to inform is the father of your baby, you were no better than mr. Han who's trying to get his bowel untwisted in the next room.

Your train of thoughts were cut off by Mingi who reentered your room with a frown on his face. "What's wrong?" You asked, instinctively making Mingi shoot his head up at you before looking back down to his phone as he shook his head, "Nothing, just... Stuff," he mumbled.

It had been two days since you've been in the hospital and it had been two days since Mingi got close to you. The look of worried on Mingi's face when he helped you escape the mob haunted you every hour not to mention his tight grip on your body. You could still feel the slight tremble of his hands in the car on the way to the hospital while Yunho throw him profanities the whole way. You were sure Mingi was trembling because of Yunho's threats but you changed your mind when you felt him toying the fabric of your coat near your tiny bump where bean rest, now nestled safely with its parents. You wanted to slap yourself for even thinking about it that way because while you will parent, you and Mingi have yet to agree to be a parenting unit. Then again you and he never agreed that he wouldn't, you just sort of decided that he wouldn't because of what he called you. So against your (and your friends') better judgement, you need to have the talk with Mingi because as much as he has fucked up, he was still involved in the conception of bean. Now all you have to do is get Mingi to look at you.

"We need to talk," awesome, you just shot a guy who's obviously timid and keeping his distance straight to the damn point. Mingi's eyes widened like a deer in headlights after being told that you two needed to talk. In his mind, that could only mean bad things and he was not ready to be separated from bean just yet. Not that he felt like he had the right to the baby anyway. After almost three weeks of no contact and him trying to fix a problem that involved you without you even knowing, Mingi honestly felt rather hopeless among other self-deprecating feelings. Since the revelation that he was expecting a baby with you, Mingi knew that he lacked much skills required to be a parent but he was willing to work to get those skills. His mistake was convincing himself over and over again and only focusing on the fact that he hadn't gotten those skills and not his progress. With that in mind plus seeing the first proof of bean's existence, it burdened him overwhelmingly and he began to compare himself to you. Well, the 'you' in his point of view; someone who was ready to be a parent and is equipped with not only skills but a support system. He on the other hand was only equipped with the knowledge that he got someone pregnant and he had to do the right thing. How was he supposed to tell you that he was having doubts and that he was considering that you and bean would probably be better off without him without it burdening you?

That's why Mingi opted to stay quiet these past two days. He took every jab his friends threw at him, every scoff Yunho sent him, and every stare of judgement whenever he stepped out to give you privacy when the doctor came in to check on you. He just wanted to do one right thing for you no matter how minuscule it was and no matter how much people told him that it was too late, nothing he does matter anymore.

"Uh... I think I have to deal with something," Mingi tried to excuse himself by standing up and making a beeline for the door. "Mingi!" You called for him, your voice sounding a little frustrated because you were and Mingi took notice which made him halt just as he was in front of the door. "Come on, it's been two days, we have to talk about this," you demanded, knowing full well that you were right. "What do you mean 'this'?" Mingi asked, surprising you because honestly, you didn't know what you meant anyway.

"Why did you pull away? Why were you avoiding me?" you blurted out. Whether it was the hormones or the very vulnerable position you just put yourself in, you felt tears brimming in your eyes, "I'm not judging, I just want to know if you were planning on bailing because of bean or me." that seemed to surprise Mingi because he turned to look at you with a worried look on his face, "It was never because of you," he choked, heart clenching at the thought of you blaming or doubting yourself because of his foolishness. Though your tears became more visible, you maintained eye contact with the father of your baby and braced yourself to hear the answer to your next question, "So you were planning on bailing?" Immediately, Mingi shook his head frantically and shuffled to your bed, sitting on the chair next to it where Yunho sat just an hour ago, "I never planned on bailing, (y/n), believe me. I wanted to be there, it's just..." Mingi hesitated to tell you. At this point, he had nothing else to lose but it seemed that your perception of him is just as important as your acceptance of him. Little did Mingi know, you were a person with a big heart (mostly because you have friends who would exact your vengeance for you) and a rather open mind so while you might not understand nor accept every excuse or explanation, you were willing enough to listen to what he had to say.

Without thinking, you reached over to take Mingi's thumb gently in your grip and placed it on your lap, surprising the man who now had his eyes glued on where his hand was resting, "Mingi, we have to tell each other stuff if it concerns bean. I didn't cut you off because I don't want you to be around bean, I cut you off because I need to consider your commitment to being available in bean's life. I realize I never gave you much of an option to decide whether or not you want to be in bean's life and that's on me for not even considering what you may have wanted knowing you went through great lengths just to save your career, but I need us to not make the same mistakes by only considering ourselves when clearly our lives are this tangled already?" Your words struck deep in Mingi because while he thought that he had been considering you in all of his decisions all this time, he had only been thinking of himself and what the decisions he made in consideration of you without you even knowing might affect his own life and decisions. His mouth opened and a choked breath was heard before he looked up with teary eyes and spoke. "I was overwhelmed when I saw bean for the first time in that ultrasound and I panicked. I panicked not because I realized I didn't want bean but because it was the opposite. I was amazed with what I helped make and that made me feel... Inadequate."

Though stunned by his revelation, you tried your best to keep a neutral face on and nodded in understanding. "I get how it can seem very... Jarring? I guess? Because believe it or not, I panicked too when I first got the news that I was pregnant," and it was Mingi's turn to be stunned by your revelation. His tears weren't a lot to begin with and honestly, the redness that came with crying only made him look boyish. "Yeah," you nodded and chuckled, painfully remembering the time you thought you didn't want bean, "I... Even almost don't want bean and I wanted to just... Not be a mom, I guess. Much to Yunho's disappointment because he began calling himself Yunpapi when he found out he was getting a niece or nephew. But... When I first saw bean, I changed my mind. I fell in love at first sight and I think like you, I kind of spontaneously made a decision to be a mom and while it made my friends super excited, I sometimes think about what would've happened had I not felt that overwhelming sense of love? Or was it even love? There might be a factor of 'I think I have to do this because this is the right decision' even if it's just a tiny bit and those thoughts came up every once in a while during hard times and like- why are you looking at me like that?" You cut yourself off when you saw Mingi staring at you with a teary smile. "I should've been more upfront with you but I was scared because you seem like you know what you want, you seem sure of being a parent and I guess... I don't want to... Lose? I guess? For a lack of better word, let's say I don't want to be the second-rate parent for even hesitating even just a moment."

It was obvious at that moment that you two did have a lot to talk about. But none of it directly concerned bean because once you both began talking about your insecurities over the pregnancy and the more you opened yourselves to being vulnerable to the other, the more empowered you both felt. Not that your friends weren't your support system before but once you heard what Mingi had to say, you felt like you found someone who understood you because he was on the same boat. The both of you talked the whole afternoon and when the second visiting hour arrived, your friends could feel the mood had shifted for the better which made them glad. You seem calmer and Mingi seemed less anxious so they figured you two must've come to some sort of conclusion, a conclusion they hope doesn't involve them stopping their verbal abuse on Mingi because no way in hell that was going to happen.

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@cultofdionysusnet @sandsofire @kflixnet

taglist :

@ateezourstars @phenomenalgirl9 @90s-belladonna @yunhorights @yuntokkie @stopeatread @aestheticsluut @spooo00oky @kodzukein @galaxypox @mayonnaisehoeshit @maddiebabyxoxo @dreamlesswonder86 @charreddonuts @jwnghyuns @angelicyeo @axo-l0tl @gxlden-bxbyy @bbymatz @blaaiissee @kyume02 @aurora-tiny @senpai-of-doom @meowmeowminnie @thesolarplanetarysystem @seonghwaddict @miaatiny @soobiverse @alyssajavenss @thatfavouritesong @camillelafaye

@randomness7198

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joifee · 6 months

Text

Heres a lil oneshot I wrote for @stardustanddaffodils!! I really hope you like it, it was real fun to write :D

The off purple patch of mycelium on Jimmy’s finely trimmed lawn stuck out like a sore thumb. Despite usually looking bright in nature, compared to his colorful and fantastic wonderland, it looked dull and out of place.

So no wonder Jimmy had spent the morning looking at it out of the very open window of his kitchen. Silently, he sipped his coffee, wondering if the mycelium would spread further. Yesterday, it was just hidden behind his workshop but seemingly overnight it had wandered further, nearly reaching the door of the barn. The mycelium was spreading fast.

Jimmy knew the source of it. After all, Scott was parading around the island, planting spots of mycelium in every home and settlement he found. And if Jimmy believed the words of the other people living on this island, Scott’s mycelium was a pest to behold. It spread fast, it was hard to get rid off, and even if you somehow managed to remove it, it found its way back to the surface, stronger and faster than before.

He took another sip. Usually, he would mind the mycelium messing up his lawn. He kinda was known by his neighbors to be meticulous about the way it was trimmed and he used to go over it one or two times a week. But this time, it didn’t seem to bother him.

It might be the fact that he himself was part mushroom; a"Funguy", how he half jokingly, half genuinely called himself. Mycelium didn’t turn him away, it felt good under his feet and in his hands, a very natural feeling for him. And it wouldn’t be messing with the aesthetic of his home, he would just let it be. But, like said, he was very meticulous about his precious lawn.

Jimmy set down his empty mug, sighing as he stared at all the mushrooms growing on the mycelium. It was a huge accumulation of death caps and fly agarics, both known to be rather toxic. Despite not minding the toxin of the mushrooms himself, it wouldn’t be the best idea to have them inside the barn. He wouldn’t like one of his animals eating them.

He didn’t know why Scott’s mycelium only spawned toxic mushrooms – maybe it was a side effect to killing mobs. Scott had complained about an invisible force restricting his powers everytime he killed a zombie, skeleton or another hostile mob. Maybe spawning only toxic mushrooms was a punishment for this; at least that was what Scott assumed when he came by to visit a couple of days ago.

With a shovel in one hand and a bucket in the other, Jimmy left his house and walked towards the patch of mycelium. He had decided not to completely get rid of it, just to relocate it.

On one hand, he knew that even if he tried to remove it all, it would come back anyway. The mushroom part of himself could feel how deep the mushrooms and the mycelium had spread inside the earth. He was able to feel the tiny root system, the inner connections of the death caps and fly agarics. And with a sniff of his nose, he got a whiff of the high amount of the spores in the air. So no matter what he would do, the mushrooms would return anyways.

On the other hand, he couldn’t help but find the patch pretty. Sure, it ruined his lawn but then he found himself not minding a lot. He even wondered how far it would be able to spread if he took proper care of it.

He dug the shovel into the earth despite all. Scott would know what he was doing anyways.

’I am connected through the mycelium. If I spread it like this, I can see everything and everyone! You especially!’ He remembered Scott saying. It had been one of Scott’s many, impressive abilities. Jimmy was able to run faster, hit harder or make himself more durable; something which often came in handy when the others pulled pranks on him. Scott as a fungal mage however had so many cool abilities, he himself wasn’t even able to recount all of them.

Jimmy smiled when he remembered their meeting a couple of days ago. Scott came over to show him one of his newest magic tricks. Jimmy already knew that Scott was able to spawn spore clouds to hop for a short amount of time. When he first saw the trick, the fungal mage had mentioned that he wanted to practice this and maybe see how far up he was able to get with it.

And, behold, Scott had practiced a lot. One spore cloud after the other appeared and Scott, nearly effortless, jumped from cloud to cloud and was able to reach the top of Jimmy’s pink villa and join the Funguy himself on the roof without even breaking into sweat. It was very impressive. Jimmy hadn’t been able to take his eyes off his friend. The way the spore clouds had sparkled in the morning sun, the way dew had collected on the big mushroom Scott wore on his head, and the smile the mage had shot him just left Jimmy breathless.

He felt his cheeks heat up if he thought about it again. He dropped the shovel on the mycelium, then let himself drop beside the tool.

That morning, the only thing that had run through his mind was the thought that he wanted to kiss Scott. And the thought didn’t leave his mind every time he saw the patch of mycelium outside. Jimmy hadn’t been able to string a single sentence together back when Scott stood before him, the rising sun behind him, sparkling spores coming out of his mushroom hat. Scott had chuckled at Jimmy’s embarrassment, asking jokingly if he had accidently enchanted him considering he was part mushroom. Jimmy had flushed even more because of these words and he denied it all, while Scott just stood there, smiling knowingly.

Jimmy plucked a fly agaric from the mycelium – it being a good miniature copy of the one sitting above Scotts white hair. Jimmy hadn’t been able to place those feelings for the first days since that meeting on the rooftop. He hadn’t really encountered those before. Or at least not in this intensity.

He always had known that he was different when it came to love. He never felt attracted to anyone, he couldn’t fully understand what Joel meant when he talked about how Lizzie set his heart ablaze, and he couldn’t really follow Sausage’s ramblings about how hot he found certain people he had flirted with during social gatherings.

He had told Scott back then in 3rd Life after he basically got married with the former. Which, honestly, was kinda weird to talk and ask about your lack of attraction just after getting married to one of your best friends. Scott, however, had been so nice about it, taking his time to try and explain and understand Jimmy’s emotions and reassure him that what he felt was completely normal and valid. They ended up being platonic husbands that season and it had been a great time for Jimmy.

After that moment, their friendship became stronger and stronger. Making those sudden emotions even more confusing to Jimmy than ever before. Why would they only appear now? Scott and him had been friends for years. They had spent a lot of time on various different servers with each other. And he never felt something like that during those times! And was it really what he was thinking of? Had he… fallen in love with Scott?

A sudden burst of energy sunk into his body from the ground,startling him. "Ouch", he let out, holding his hand. It felt like a sting, kinda similar to a little electric shock you would get by brushing wool. It just felt a bit different, a bit more… familiar. And his head had formed some words in his mind, he hadn’t thought of before. Something about Scott coming over...

Did… did the mycelium try to communicate with him? Confused, he looked at the purple dirt and clawed his hands into the ground.

And suddenly he saw far away, further away than his human eyes would let him usually see. And he felt so much more than he would feel standing on his neat lawn or in his pink villa. Most importantly, he felt someone approaching in the distance, preparing to travel to someone by teleportation. Someone that made his heart beat faster.

"Oh", Jimmy said under his breath. Yeah, that might explain why he suddenly felt so connected to Scott. And maybe Scott’s silly flirt of enchanting him hadn’t been that far off.

Mycelium after all was known for connecting mushrooms and signaling and communicating through them. And doing that by electric impulses. He basically was connected to Scott though the mycelium the fungal mage had planted. And it was very likely that Scott knew that Jimmy had been sitting on and digging in the mycelium.

Just as he lost the faraway connection, he saw the faint purple shine of the waystone, signaling someone arrived in his wonderland. Jimmy lifted his now soiled with dirt fingers out of the mycelium. And there he was. Scott. Standing under the white-pink pergola, red spores floating around him. He was holding his hand up to his face, seemingly searching for Jimmy in the distance.

The Funguy hid behind a neatly trimmed bush, watching how Scott started wandering around searching for him. Jimmy let out a sigh.

Suddenly he wasn’t that sure about his feelings anymore. Was it really love or was it just a natural connection due to their current matching origins? Yes, he felt close to Scott but he always had felt close to Scott. But that was natural given that they were best friends and have met in nearly every world they have found themself in. Somehow like fate always brought them together. So why should this time around be different? Why should it have a deeper meaning?

It confused Jimmy so much.

Lost in his thoughts Jimmy barely noticed Scott coming nearer. A hand tapped him on the shoulder, startling him.

"WOAH!", he let out, looking at Scott in shock. The fungal mage chuckled at the reaction. "Found you!", he smiled, letting out a louder laugh when Jimmy held his chest in mock offense. "You scared the living daylight out of me Scott! What the hell!"

Scott sat down besides Jimmy still giggling to himself. Jimmy let out a huff, pulling his legs closer to himself. "I felt that you found my mycelium. And here I was thinking that I hid it so well." He looked at Jimmy, who didn’t dare to look back at the fungal mage."I thought you would spot it very soon and try to remove it. I am actually surprised that you just started to do it today."

"I… I wasn’t planning to remove it. I just wanted to relocate it because it got too close to the barn." Jimmy was tempted to hide his face, feeling an embarrassed flush growing on his face. He wasn’t sure if it was caused by shame or just by Scott being so close to him. Scott let out a hum. The look he shot Jimmy was unreadable and he looked away for a second, like he had a question on his tongue. "How long did it take you to find it?" he asked instead.

"I pretty much saw how you made it", Jimmy admitted, finally letting his head hit his knees, hiding the view of his face."You looked pleased with yourself, I decided to let it stand for a while. But then it spread a bit too far and… yeah."

"I guess my spores are very potent. Probably because they are so magical and pretty. Just like me." Scott laughed but Jimmy did not join in, instead turning himself slightly away from Scott. He felt the flush on his face getting worse and his heart picked up on speed. He felt embarrassed and shy. He didn’t want to look at Scott because he didn’t know if he would cry looking at him or just kiss him right away. His feelings were too messed up at the moment to risk it.

Scott went silent as well and pressed his fingers slightly into the lawn. Under his feet and hands, mycelium slowly began to grow, worming its way towards Jimmy’s body. When the purple patch found its way to Jimmy’s feet, Scott began to frown, feeling Jimmy’s discomfort seeping into his own body through the mushroom root system.

"Is everything alright Jimmy? You seem upset?", he asked carefully.

Jimmy didn’t know if he would answer but his body wincing at Scott’s words probably were answer enough to the fungal mage. Scott stayed silent, carefully throwing an arm around Jimmy in an attempt to comfort him. And Jimmy, naturally, just let himself fall against Scott. He let out a long sigh.

"I don’t know honestly… I am a bit confused I guess." Scott softly patted Jimmy’s arm, watching as the funguy raised his head and carefully rested it on Scott’s shoulder, "What confuses you?"

Jimmy thought for a second."I… I am not sure if I really want to tell you if I am honest. I… I don’t know." "Do you fear my reaction?" Scott asked carefully. Jimmy shook his head and looked at Scott slightly flustered. "No, I do not! It’s just… a bit embarrassing and personal. And I don’t know how to tell you."

Scott let out a hum, thinking about Jimmy’s words. He pulled the Funguy a bit closer to him, creating an even more private setting, even though there was no one in sight that could hear their words. "I promise I won’t react negatively to it. And I won’t pry. If you need more time, take it. I have the whole day."

Jimmy nodded. The closeness reminded him of the conversation they had back in 3rd Life. This conversation about Jimmy’s complicated romantic feelings back then had started the same way and the Funguy was sure that Scott was aware of it. Jimmy took a deep breath.

"I think that I am in love with you."

Scott’s eyes widened at those words and his hand briefly stopped stroking Jimmy’s arm. The funguy felt Scott tense up and decided to continue his confession before he was able to regret it.

"I just don’t know if it’s actually real. I feel so connected to you. And well if I am honest… I don’t know if it’s romantic, platonic or if its just the mycelium."

Jimmy felt the tenseness slowly leaving from Scott’s body. It somehow made him lose some nervousness as well. He however noticed through the mycelium at his feet, that Scott’s heart was still beating strongly and that the growth of the mushroom roots deep down in the earth haltered for a second.

After some time, Scott turned his head to Jimmy who was looking at his face. "Sorry, that surprised me a bit. I hadn’t expected that."

"Yeah, kinda sudden, isn’t it?" Jimmy tried to laugh out loud but it was clear that it was just to overplay his nervousness. Scott hummed again.

"That’s actually a good question. Because, I also feel more connected to you than I already do. It feels like the mycelium enhanced my feelings for you." A blush started to raise on Scott’s cheeks, making the white freckles he had even more obvious. His face started to resemble the very mushroom he was wearing on his head. Jimmy swallowed at the image, making his heart race faster. Under his feet, he was able to feel Scott’s heart beating, faster than normal as well. Small little shocks of electricity were traveling through his body from the ground and other than the first time he felt the shock, it felt nice this time around. Soothing even.

"I…" Scott started off again, nervousness creeping into his usually confident voice. "I always knew that I loved you but right now this feeling might set my heart on fire. I… feel like my breath stops every time I see you. I get warm inside and everything is tingling…"

Jimmy’s eyes widened. It was the same feelings that he had when he saw Scott recently. And Scott just said that they were caused by the very suspicion that he had as well. Love. Jimmy licks his lips. "Might be the poison in our blood. I heard… mushrooms can cause that." Scott’s head snaps into Jimmy’s direction, being startled. The Funguy was worried for a second before the fungal mage suddenly started laughing loud, all tenseness leaving his body. The root system under them felt like it started to sing and the mycelium visibly started to grow around them. Jimmy couldn’t help himself and joined in.

"You really are a Funguy aren’t you? Gosh, I just love you so much." Scott hugged Jimmy and the Funguy smiled and hugged him back.

And it felt right. It felt so, so right. Scott’s hand patted Jimmy’s back and it felt very reassuring to Jimmy. He hummed and he felt Scott’s breath in his ear. "It’s okay, if you don’t know how to call what you feel Jimmy. It’s hard to put a name to something. But you know, no matter what it turns out to be…" he whispered, letting go of Jimmy slightly so he was able to look into the other one’s face. "No matter what it is, I will support you. I love you. I value you and the most important thing: I promise that I will be your friend no matter what. No matter how we develop. No matter if what you feel right now is because of the mycelium and no matter how often those feelings will change for you. I will be there and I won’t go." Scott smirked and Jimmy felt dashes of electricity dance around his body, feeling Scott’s own happiness in his own body. Wondering if the fungal mage was able to feel his own.

"After all, we mushrooms will stay connected. And I wish we still will be, even if we might lose those abilities as well."

Jimmy smiled, lowering his head to rest it on Scott’s chest. Scott pressed a soft kiss to his head, holding him close. Jimmy nodded a last time.

"I also hope we do. I love you too."

Jimmy wasn’t fully aware if what he felt was romantic or platonic. But who cares. It was love. And that was all that mattered.

#new life smp #trafficshipping #solidaritygaming #scott smajor #flower husbands #joifeewriting #meantions of 3rd life #jimmy is arospec in this one #arospec #fanfiction #gifexchange

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stray-kaz · 1 year

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A Murder of Crows : a Kaz Brekker x f!reader FF mini : Part Two

Summary: Modern au in which Kaz Brekker and his Crows are in the rescue business. They run an underground anti-trafficking mob. The only thing Kaz hates more than liars are powerful people who take advantage of others and the Diamondbacks are the worst of the lot.

Warnings: Trigger warning: flashback/nightmare of sexual assault under the cut. Kaz probably a touch OOC, but he’s not completely heartless.

One month later...

The compound was dark and quiet, cold as the grave. You wake in a panic to a rough hand clamped over your mouth, wool clothing scraping against the front of your nightdress. Movement over you, movement inside you, and pain. Too much pain.

Outside in the hallway, Kaz was walking his usual round of the Slat, checking locks and making sure the building was safe for the night. He had just tested the lock on your door when he heard you scream. Lockpicks slid from his sleeve before he could think and the door lock was nothing compared with his skill. He was inside in seconds, the door closing at his back with a soft click.

He found your bed easily in the dimness; the Slat was never truly dark at night, for he had learned that many of the young women and children he saved were kept in the darkness and it terrified them, bringing on all manner of nightmares and walking terrors.

You were curled on your side, fists to your mouth, screaming mindlessly into bitten and bleeding knuckles. You had cut your hair, wanting never again to have a man wrap a ponytail around his hand and force you where he wanted, and now it was shorter than Kaz’s, made your eyes look massive and luminous when you were awake.

He moved swiftly despite the injuries he had sustained in that day’s raid and sat down on the side of your bed. Instinctively, even in sleep, you thrashed away from him, tangling the bedcovers around your legs. Kaz called your name, your eyes flickered briefly and then closed again.

“Hey” he said, reaching over to shake your shoulder. “Wake up. You’re safe. You’re having a nightmare.”

You didn’t open your eyes, your scream still one long piercing note of pure fear. Kaz’s ears ached; there was only so much he could take. Steeling himself, he pulled you upright and wrapped his arms around you, fighting back as you tried to shake yourself loose.

Then, as suddenly as it had started, your screaming stopped. He hesitated before turning his head to look at you, your head digging into his shoulder. Your eyes were wide open, gazing up at him with a discomfiting expression. He shifted on the edge of the mattress; you followed him, the thump of his heart beneath your still curled fists a soothing beat of life. In response, Kaz found himself tightening his grip, the soft spikes of your hair brushing under his jaw as you shifted to follow his heartbeat.

“I’m sorry I disturbed you” you murmured, voice hoarse from your screams. “I had a nightmare about -”

Kaz nodded shortly, his heartrate increasing for a moment before he forced it back into submission.

“I know” he muttered gruffly. “I don’t know that they’ll ever go away.”

You pulled away a bit so you could see his face, eyebrows drawing together as you frowned speculatively. What had he been through? What had Kaz Brekker, saviour of the stolen and lost, survived?

You glanced down at your hands then and realised you were leaving spots of blood on Kaz’s shirt.

“Sorry” you said hurriedly, and started to wriggle away on the bed.

Kaz released you and looked down at his shirt, newly speckled with red. He almost smiled.

“Don’t worry about it” he told you. “It’s seen worse. Come on, I’ll fix you up.”

He eased off the bed and helped you to slide off, pajamas twisted against your skin. You let him lead you to the tiny bathroom and sat on the lip of the bathtub to wait.

It didn’t take Kaz long to find the med kit he left in every apartment, secreted beneath every bathroom sink in an inconspicuous white cupboard. He knelt in front of you on the floor, head bent as he searched for the antiseptic and small sticky bandages. Watching him, it struck you how easily he just put himself into a vulnerable position, lower than you, kneeling between your bare feet on the cool tile.

You wondered if he would do this for all the hurting women here, or just you.

“This will hurt.”

You nodded, bracing yourself for the sting of antiseptic. Kaz peeled off his gloves to do this work, and you felt your gaze be drawn to his fingers, pale and clean, quick and dexterous, the fingers of a magician or a pianist. You barely felt the sharp stings of pain as you watched his hands. You knew that those very same hands had hurt, punished and drawn blood, but you still knew without a doubt that they would never harm you.

Kaz could feel the intensity of your gaze focused on him, or rather, his hands as he soothed your injuries. He ducked his head further down in an effort to shield the growing flush in his cheeks. His heart thumped hard against his ribs as he finished the antiseptic and moved on to apply the tiny bandages to your bite marks, his fingertips pressing each one down lightly so the adhesive would work. Your hands were delicate, but scarred, faint silvery lines crisscrossing your skin. A fierce hatred bloomed in his chest at the knowledge that someone had cut you.

“There are more.”

Your soft words startled him and he dropped the med kit. He glanced up into your eyes.

“What?”

“Scars. I have more. These are the least.”

Kaz felt his throat narrow, his lungs struggling for air suddenly. He put his hands on the edge of the tub, either side of your body, and pushed up to his feet. You handed him his gloves in silence, remaining seated. He looked wounded all of a sudden, his blue eyes dark, hiding.

“The scars all heal, Kaz” you said quietly.

He paused in the doorway, head tilted slightly to one side, his gloves clenched tightly in one fist.

“But the nightmares don’t.”

Then he disappeared, leaving you alone and finally feeling the sting of your wounds.

Tagging: @b3kk3r-by-br3kk3r @katiemrty @dal-light @sotragedynut @britishbassett @dearsthings @at-the-chateau @kentisbaby

#kaz brekker #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker x female reader #liss writes #shadow and bone fic #soc fic #six of crows #a murder of crows

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canmom · 5 months

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Last season's anime: Frieren episode 7-10

Shit I guess I'm full on liveblogging this one now.

This time we have episode 7 dir. Naoto Uchida (known for work on Mob Psycho 100), episode 8 dir. Tomoya Kitagawa (who also directed ep. 2), episode 9 dir. Kōki Fujimoto (key animator on a whole buncha stuff, this is his debut as an episode director), and episode 10 dir. Nobihide Kariya (who debuted not so long before as an episode director on Bocchi).

So at the end of the last post about Frieren, I commented that I found the demons underwhelming as antagonists, and hoped they would have their motivations fleshed out some more beyond 'ontologically evil baddies'. Well.

lmao.

So Frieren and the gang are travelling. We get a lot more on the Great Mage Flamme, who is Frieren's mentor figure. At this rate... she's probably gonna turn out to still be alive or some shit.

They roll up in another ridiculously picturesque town. The backgrounds in this show are apparently based heavily on the concept art paintings of Seiko Yoshioka, who gets credited under various roles including 'layout designer' and even 'worldview illustrator'. She did a crazy amount of work to design all the different settings, giving them distinctive cultural motifs and architectures and colour palettes and so on.

Since this town covers a whole four-episode arc, we get a number of different views of it. There's definitely a reasonable amount of historical care put into the design of those city walls - even sketchy and in the distance you can spot the hoardings and appropriately narrow crenellations, as well as the machicolations on the tops of the towers. (Though unfortunatelly some of those details seem to get forgotten in the later episodes.)

The streets in the town seem kinda wide and clean but it fits the austere vibe. The main thing I'm wondering is what exactly they eat in this town - it's triple-walled in hostile territory without much in the way of farmland in sight, or indeed roads that aren't tiny.

I'm pretty sure they built a model of at least parts of this town in 3D, because as well as certain 3D tracking shots (unfortunately hampered by the lack of any parallax mapping on the floor)...

...we also get shots like this one, which feature a crazy 3-point perspective:

I wouldn't say it's impossible to draw this, but it would be a hell of a lot easier to block it out roughly in 3D and then paint in the details.

Mind you, that's not even the wildest perspective we get in this episode. Check this out:

Absolutely bananas. I love it.

But tbh the praise I have for this arc is pretty limited to this kind of technical stuff. Let's get into the story. (Though you can be sure I'll have more to say about the animation!)

At this point the story shifts gears from this fairly low-key exploration of grief and the passing of time, into more standard action anime territory.

Shortly after arriving in this town, our heroes discover that it has been infiltrated by demons in the guise of peace emissaries. Frieren attempts to attack immediately, but she allows herself to be subdued rather than harm the guards, so off she goes to jail.

Luckily, wizard jail still has pretty generous visiting hours, so she's able to explain the deal with demons to the gang. Frieren declares that demons always lie to gain an advantage over humans, illustrated through a flashback in which a young girl demon begged for mercy, only to betray the townspeople a bit later. Having been proven right, Frieren summarily executes the girl.

I think it's worth comparing this storyline to a couple of other similar storylines in other works of fiction.

First of all, in NieR Replicant/Gestalt, there is the story 'The Little Mermaid', which was adapted into a segment in the game in the remake. A postman takes pity on a girl on a shipwreck, not realising that she is a terribly powerful monster who is struggling to maintain her human appearance. The girl starts killing people to try to maintain her connection with the postman. Eventually, the player shows up and discovers what's been going on. Their intervention provokes the girl to revert to monster state and there's a big boss fight. However, at stake in the fight is the girl's identity. Depending on how you play the boss fight, there are two possible endings, and both of them make overt parallels between the monster girl and your party member Kainé, and one portrays the grief of the postman who cannot let go of his affection for the monster.

Secondly, the second episode of last year's Tengoku Daimakyou features a woman who is trying to protect a monster which she believed to have taken on the consciousness of her son after it ate him. The monster has been curiously non-hostile to the woman - she persuades our protagonists to back off, and they agree. Then it abruptly kills her! Oh shit. Fight scene, they kill the monster, etc.

But as they depart, the protagonists are left discussing whether the monster could really have had the son affecting its actions, whether it was just drawn to prey etc. The monster's motivations are left distinctly unclear, and the protagonists conclude there's no way to know the truth. Throughout the rest of the season, the exact nature of the monsters remains an open question.

In both cases, we either know or it is strongly implied that the monsters are fundamentally human, or derived from humans somehow. A certain amount of effort is spared to try and at least raise the question of the monster's subjectivity, and even if a monster has to die, they play it for tragedy.

So, let's return to Frieren. We're introduced to the demon girl. She ate a kid, but she staves off execution by pleading for her mother.

The villagers decide to give her a chance to atone. Before long, she kills the village chief who took pity on her. Frieren's party show up and she does small Shaft head tilt...

She's no longer pretending and talks in a much more level voice. She explains that she wanted to give a replacement daughter to the family of the girl she ate, by removing the village chief, for the sake of living in peace. This goes down about how you'd expect. Frieren goes ahead and kills her. As she's dying, Frieren asks why she called for her mother when demons don't raise kids. The answer she gets:

She is surprisingly forthcoming on this front, and honestly, self-preservation is something like an understandable motivation. The impression you get from this flashback sequence is a being that is amoral, and encountering humans as something alien and, honestly, kinda threatening. Why she killed the girl in the first place is an open question - they explicitly say that the demons don't have to eat humans. Even if she kinda felt like it, you'd think she'd be able to figure out it would be an unwise move.

But as far as the show is concerned, the point of this flashback is to establish one thing: demons are lying liars who lie. Frieren is the only one who knows the truth, which is that you must shoot them on sight.

You might think the show would leave some doubt about whether Frieren is justified in having such a severe attitude towards the demons - is she just prejudiced? But nah we go pretty much straight into the demons saying 'Frieren is right about everything, now let'ss discuss our evil plan'.

Props to this guy (he has some longish German name I can't remember) for making this random bench feel like a throne though. Like on some level he's just soft-voiced evil anime aristocrat guy but he does pull it off.

Anyway, one thing definitely doesn't seem to add up. Frieren says that demons are solitary creatures who speak in a human voice only to deceive, but the demons seem to be pretty happy to natter away to each other when no humans are around and express all sorts of thoughts and even express (fairly reserved) emotions. The boy is arrogant, the girl is protective of her boss, etc. The guy is a smooth liar and manages to wriggle out of being killed by the earl by playing the 'we're the same, let's put an end to this' card. But we're constantly reminded it's fake, he's a lying liar who's ontologically evil.

I think the super-deceptive adversary with no qualms about telling any lie is something that can be done well to create an incredibly paranoid scenario. I can't believe I'm mentioning ratfic again in the space of two posts, but this is something Worth The Candle performed very effectively. Though honestly the fantasy of the perfect manipulator who plays everyone like a fiddle is a recurring device in fantasy.

Here... the acting is strong on our main sussy demon dude. But as a worthy adversary, he's not super convincing. He lets his underling run off and get killed, and his response when the jig is up is to reveal that he's super OP and kill everyone nearby, except the governor, who he tortures. So the manipulation angle seems questionably motivated, like he wants the earl to lower the barrier so the demon army can come in... but you're kind of left wondering why he didn't already just go and kill everyone in the city since nobody who isn't Fern or Frieren can touch him. I guess he's trying to get that low chaos route.

I won't continue the beat-by-beat summary. There is a cool fight scene in Frieren's jail cell though, which has some well-integrated 3D. Frieren totally no-sells the boy's attack and cuts his arms off. Lotta dismemberment in these episodes! The main demon guy has some tasty blood-based powers, lots of monofilament whip slicing imagery (also a thing in Tengoku Daimakyou oddly enough). In general the action scenes in this show continue to be super tight. There is a pretty cute bit where Stark is trying to free the earl and can't cut through the rope holding him to a chair, the earl is going 'leave me', and I was sitting there going like 'why not destroy the chair', and then Stark does. So props for that.

Towards the end of ep 8, we learn that Frieren is actually a suuuuper scary battle mage. She was the one who researched the demon killing spell. OOooooohhh.

Seems our demon guy hasn't changed his style in 80 years lol.

And she did not think it too many.

So we already knew that Frieren was part of the party that killed the demon king, the last living person who knew Flamme, etc. etc., so it's not exactly surprising to see once again that she's kind of a big deal. What we seem to be setting up here - or at least maybe I'm just hoping for something more than 'only our hero is wise enough to know coexistence is impossible and a war of annihilation is the only option' - is to suggest a parallel between Frieren and the demons. They're incredibly long-lived, they love to obsessively study magic, they both have a very cold affect, they're calm under fire. If it turned out that Frieren is a demon that would be a fun angle, but I don't think it really tracks. Rather, the framing is suggesting that, when confronted with demons, Frieren is not so different...

We get a title drop in any case - turns out the anime title is an in-story title for its main character. In Japanese: 葬送のフリーレン Sousou no Frieren. 葬送 is translated by jisho.org as

attending a funeral procession; seeing off the deceased; burial of someone's remains; observing a burial

The fansub I'm watching translate it (when used for the character) as 'Frieren the Elegy', which has about the right vibe! In the context for the show title, they translate the same phrase as Frieren: An Ageless Elegy which involves a little more interpolation, but I think it works. The official English title is Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, which is very direct but not a bad subtitle at all. Then again, maybe the bar is in the floor since 'Delicious in Dungeon'.

Anyway, after all that setup, we finally get the big fight episode. Because you see, in contrast to the earlier story which skipped over decades in a montage, this arc spans a whole four episodes. It's not badly done, but it's definitely feeling much more like a standard fight-driven show at this point.

We also meet Aura, one of the demon generals. She looks like a youngish girl and has a habit of doing the sanpaku eye smirk.

Her schtick is that she has magic scales that let her dominate people. Then she cuts their heads off and walks their corpses around. This is represented by a big army of suits of armour, mostly rendered in CG. They've done some kind of filter to make the linework less even, but the difference in shading style is quite noticeable.

From there it's a lot of 'my gambit vs your gambit' and 'who has more mana'. The fights are, without doubt very nicely animated, although the CG castle set used for the big camera moves feels a bit... lacking in detail compared to the gorgeous painted backgrounds. Anyway, Stark wins his fight by the power of GUTS and DETERMINATION, and Fern wins her fight by being a fast analytical type who can stay cool under fire and also knows Frieren's special demonbuster spell. Though a lot of Fern's fight is just kind of both participants standing still with impassive expressions shooting either blood or big laser beams at each other or zipping all around the castle.

Of course, the major turning points in the fight hinge on flashbacks to moments with mentor figures. This is an anime, and more specifically, it's Frieren.

One thing that is interesting is that the 'point of view' indicated by internal monologue often moves from Fern to the demon guy. We get to see him try to think through how to beat her, unsuccessfully. By contrast Stark's fight takes Stark's POV. I don't think we're expected to sympathise with the demon exactly, it's a way of underlining just how badass Fern has now become thanks to Frieren's levelling up regime.

I admit Frieren has lost me a bit by this point. It's not that it's bad at being a fight anime, it hits us with a whole series of stylishly composed and strongly animated cuts. Not novel necessarily, but absolutely well-executed. But it's not a very interesting direction to take the story! I don't care about this town, we'll be leaving it in an episode or two anyway, and the only named character in it is the earl. I wanna know more about the demons but what we get is kinda just a succession of Guys With Powers. He can make his blood fly around and stab people. She can copy anyone's moveset. He has a monofilament wire. She has a magic scale that mind controls you if she has more mana.

So how does Frieren beat the magic scales? ez. It's kind of spelled out as soon as they introduce the scales, but they spend a whole episode explaining how she's been using a relentless mana retention regimen for the last thousand years to hide her power level so that demons underestimate her. It kinda belabours the point lol. Like it kinda has to because if it doesn't try to make a big deal out of the mana hiding thing, you're just left with 'Frieren wins because her number is bigger'. But... Frieren wins because her number is bigger.

I don't hate fight-driven anime. They can be a ton of fun. But honestly, after the emotional impact of the first few episodes, taking it this way seems like it's wasting the early show's strengths. But, I hear episode 11 sees the return of Keiichirō Saitō as enshutsu, and it's said to be one of the best episodes in the show, so I'm not gonna drop it! It's certainly more than pretty enough to be worth watching through to the end.

There is a good amount of nice stuff in this last episode. The pseudo-Roman town is a cool depiction of a different material culture a thousand years prior to the main story. The 'field of flowers' magic is called back as a specific invention of Flamme - Frieren's whole deal is to kind of go around doing things to commemorate dead people and it turns out the flowers thing lets her do it twice over! We get to set up some parallels - Frieren could intuit that Flamme was a super OP mage, and Himmel could do the same for her.

We also get some worldbuilding stuff about the demons: they have to constantly display their power level to determine their place in the demon pecking order bc they're soooo individualistic. This seems a little dubious to me - like are the demons really so dumb? Is 'hide your power level' such an incomprehensible concept? It seems like it would lead to some kind of Diplomacy-like situation where other demons would team up to take you down.

Honestly, I think what bothers me about all this is like... I don't like the concept of an ontologically evil monster at the best of times, but the demons are obviously not mindlessly malevolent with no inner lives. They talk and scheme and feel things (such as 'proud of their magic'). They have an honour system. But the narrative doesn't quite seem to be able to acknowledge that this is what it's doing. Besides levelling up their magic, we have no idea what the demons want, still, except that it seems to involve killing humans sometimes.

Anyway! kvin has an article about this section, so if you'd like to read about who did which bit and how they worked together resourcefully and where the storyboard creates imagery of separation and so on, there ya go! It sounds from this article like the manga gets a better handle on what it's trying to do with the demons later on, so I'll hold out hope.

#anime #sousou no frieren

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goldenkid · 7 months

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people comparing wild blue yonder to midnight like yeah they're both good scary and unsettling BUT the huge fundamental difference between them is that wild blue yonder is about being trapped in a huge empty space with your friend and this scary thing that wants to kill you and not recognising your friend/your friend not recognising you, whereas midnight is about being trapped in this tiny space with a group of strangers and an unknowable entity and instead of fear of not knowing your friend the fear comes from the doctor not having ANY friends there, from the paranoia and mob mentality. it's a very group-focused story as opposed to wby which is only really commenting on the doctor and donna and their relationship.

there are obvs lots of similarities: twisted reflections, a monster that we never truly see or understand, a 'bottle episode' set in one location, unease and building tension and fear, paranoia, but to me at least wild blue yonder is about friendship and being with your friend but also maybe not with them, and worry that maybe you don't know this person that you love as well as you wanted to think you did...but midnight is very much about not having any friends or allies, and how groups can dissolve into paranoia and blame. wby has no 'one-off' characters whereas in midnight the one-off characters are everything. in wby you're alone in this maze of rooms and corridors...in midnight you're trapped with other people in this tiny little shuttle

tldr midnight is very mob mentality/'little pocket of humanity' focused whereas wby is all about the doctor and donna's relationship, and the different sets - one small and crowded, the other huge and empty - show this off pretty well

#doctor who #this is super incoherent but i had fun rambling about it i hope you get what i was trying to say #also the different sets make them very different episodes just in setup bc in midnight there's no running from room to room #there's no breaks inbetween scenes #no breathers where you see them just walking into a new room or reacting to a new place or running somewhere #in midnight they're just trapped and there's absolutely no respite #no-one gets a breather no-one gets a moment to themselves #no-one gets to do what fourteen did and have a little breakdown and then breathe and carry on #which makes midnight so very tense whereas wby is more traditionally set out with event -> breather/transition/characters reacting to event #whereas midnight no one gets this it just goes and goes and it's so so good because of that #not saying that wby should have done that it works very well the way it's done #just that that difference also makes them very different episodes #i could analyse these eps forever tbh midnight is my all time fave and i was so relieved that at least one of the rtd2 eps is decent #that i enjoyed it even more just by virtue of it not being bad haha

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mycomicbox · 2 months

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Random Thoughts on Persona 5 Royal - Part 3

[Progress: October 13th, 5th Palace conquered]

<<< Part 2

I've been thinking a lot about what it'd be like if I were a Phantom Thief. Perhaps I'll draw that sometime.

God damn, this game is long. I consider myself someone with pretty good JRPG stamina, but I'm about 103 hours into this game and I'm nowhere near the finish line. For reference, my Persona 4 Golden playthrough maxed out at 100 hours.

It took me far too long to notice that the letters on Caroline and Justine's hats spell out "oxymoron".

The Doraemon reference in the movie theater got a chuckle out of me.

I like the little quips from your party members while exploring Mementos. One of my favorites is Morgana complaining about the tiny school desks in the suggestion box.

Ryuji and Yusuke's Showtime attack is the funniest shit I've ever seen.

The fact that Futaba's All-Out Attack splash screen says "Git Gud" is pretty indicative of when this game initially released. If the game came out now, it'd probably say "Skill Issue" or something.

Haru's Phantom Thief costume is probably my favorite. Hats with feathers in them are guaranteed to look cool.

Add Futaba to the list of characters who desperately need a hug. I like the idea of someone willingly asking for their heart to be stolen. After all, the Phantom Thieves don't just beat the shit out of scumbags: they help those who can't help themselves.

I also like how Futaba's awakening is somewhat of a callback to Persona 4, as she awakens to her Persona by facing her Shadow directly (no face-bleeding required).

How is she so goddamn short (then again, I guess being a shut-in could've stunted her physical growth)

You can tell that I have some stuff to say about Futaba. Yusuke has some competition for favorite Phantom Thief.

Another Persona game, another awkward beach scene... (except for Yusuke's lobster gag, that amused me).

TANAKA IS BACK, LET'S GOOOOOO

Why did Ryuji think that Los Angeles was the United States capital? Is he stupid?

HOLY SHIT, MAGICAL GIRL

Shadow Okumura needs to speak up, man. It's like they lowered his volume compared to the other characters (which kind of makes sense with the space helmet he's got on, but still).

Unfortunately, I have been spoiled as to the Black Mask's true identity. I don't care how old this game is, tag your damn spoilers!

When I was in middle school, I went to a water park on a school field trip, and the county schools rented it out for the students. I thought that alone was magical. Imagine getting a whole Disney park rented out just for you and your homies.

With the death of President Okumura, and the tanking of public approval, the Phantom Thieves' resolve is starting to waver...

The sixth calling card is addressed to Sae Niijima. I can't wait to see how this story will unfold.

⚡️Confidant Lightning Round

Beep boop.

My man Sojiro going through it...

With the way that Futaba peppers her speech with video game references, I see a bit of my 15-year-old self in her. I've noticed references to Pokémon, D&D, and RPG terms in general (EXP, trash mobs, etc.).

Imagine meeting a cute nerdy girl and the first thing she does is ask if you're a NPC 💀 poor Mishima, I would've never recovered from that

I like Iwai's little quips about gun terminology.

Takemi please step on me

You're telling me that the Get Smoked hat was from this game!?

I would do anything for a politician like Yoshida.

As I have discovered, there are some unused voice lines implying that Sae was planned to be a romance option at some point. That would've been one hell of an enemies-to-lovers (even if it wouldn't make sense narratively).

Well, I've gotten the Faith and Councillor Confidants to their proper ranks before their deadlines. I guess I'll wait and see what happens next.

#i talk #my gameplay #persona series #smt persona #persona 5 #persona 5 royal

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mopcycle100 · 2 years

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thinks abt how takenaka joins telepathy club the first time in hopes of finding another telepath like him. by the time we meet him, takenaka has had his powers for years, and unlike mob, he's had a negative perception of his powers from the start. Years of dealing with his powers alone, and lashing out at people using said powers to make himself feel better would likely lead to tunnel vision on his end. I see it as similar to pre-mob teru, who believes he's at the top of the world alone and special, but in takenaka's case, rather than seeing himself as special, he thinks only he suffers alone from the drawbacks of telepathy. No one else can relate to him, he's been beaten down so much he can't see it happening. The manga really drives this home, where he explicitly tells Mob that they have nothing in common: the psychic skillsets Mob and the Shiratori brothers possess could not be comparable to his own. He couldn't fathom them understanding his awful experiences (Mob would disagree).

The way I see it in the grand scheme of things... Takenaka doesn't believe other people can empathize with his situation. The invasive property built into telepathy turns ppl away from him too (again, he explicitly confirms this in the manga). He likely feels so alone and alienated (bah dum tss) that when given the chance to possibly meet other telepaths, he takes it. (I understand feelings of intense loneliness considering I lived alone for a year and I'd latched onto the one guy who'd invite me out to places) But when that backfires on his face because it didn't meet his perceived expectations (aka he desperately wanted to meet someone in the same position as him), takenaka retreats within himself more, leading to his more visceral rudeness towards the telepathy club in ch98 when he comes back.

But ironically enough, the telepathy club was the place takenaka belonged to at the end. Not for his initial reasons of joining (hoping to find other telepaths), but because they provide him company, something that he likely deprived himself of due to his powers. Sure, the telepathy club members are taken aback by his powers when he uses it on them, but they brush it off and show their honest desire to make tomes wish come true. Takenaka said it himself that people don't want anything to do with him once they found out abt his telepathy, yet the club is able to brush it off after their initial surprise, only asking him for his help and not judging him further for his powers (even Tome doesn't judge him for his telepathy, and the two share friendly banter in ch99). And it warms my heart seeing him in the epilogue, where he's still in the club, telling mob they'll summon aliens again, and in his tiny cameos, he looks much more happier in comparison to ch 98.

tl;dr takenaka was always meant to be in the telepathy club in a way he hadn't thought of

#balls #incoherent takenaka rambles #<- new tag for me to talk abt takenaka meta but ik I'm not articulate #and I'm scatterbrained too sorr #also I'd like to imagine takenaka has really really horrendous confirmation bias #and is always taken aback when proven wrong (e.g. his only omake appearance and when Mob is openly earnest with him)#even if he doesn't use his telepathy to confirm those biases his standoffishness shows that he's not willing to hear ppl out #it's honestly why takenaka having a crush on tsubomi and joining tennis club for her makes me giggle but also surprises me #he really just is a silly guy #mp100 manga spoilers #<- tagging cuz I talk abt stuff that hasn't been shown in the anime oops

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stillness-in-green · 1 year

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Advisorama Asks

Two from @shockersalvage that have been waiting for an inexcusably long time to one I just got from @plf-advisor-stan that is relevant to the theme. Included: Spinner's advisors, Bindi the Younger and The Question, and Scarecrow maybe has an actual name?!?

She is not alone in thinking that it’s some real BS, let me tell you. Like, if nothing else, I don’t think the back edges of that mob should have even been able to hear all the dialogue going on at the front. Anyway, while I definitely don’t think Kurogiri should have left Spinner on the floor when he even bothered to bring Mic along, if he did, maybe Nimble will live up to her fan name I gave her her position as Spinner’s No. 1 and evade capture long enough to get Spinner out of there.

—

Hmmmm. I assume you meant these two?

I guess they could be. They’ve got similar silhouettes and broad similarities—short hair that divides in the middle; a white mask with a dark pattern—but there’s just enough different going on that I would probably not assume so without further appearances.

In direct comparison, Big Sis Bindi lacks those over-the-eyes bangs, her hair is a darker shade, and she of course has the big sweater neck thing. The left figure’s hair lacking the screentone shading could just be because they’re so far in the background, but it doesn’t seem to be an issue for various other tiny background faces, so I don’t see why it would be an issue for this one. Likewise, the horizontal dash just below the nose could be the outline of the sweater neck, but it looks more like a mouthline to me.

The other figure has the white mask down, but the enormous Kamen Rider-esque eye pattern is quite different from the question mark that should be there. More subtly, the white mask seems to continue all the way down the neck, cowl-style, while The Question has that high black collar.

But! That said, I appreciate that I’m not the only one obsessively looking for Advisor Appearances, so I thank you for calling my attention to it. If anything, I expect we’ll see at least Big Sis Bindi again, probably with Brand, since we haven’t seen where he wound up yet, or possibly Hose Face, though we’ve already seen him once and not, as I recall, with any other pre-established PLF faces.

I do wonder where Spinner’s Number 3 has gotten off to, though…

—

HMMMMM. I wonder if that is his name, or if it's just Horikoshi shorthanding what Scarecrow's whole deal was going to be?

I ran it by friendchat and @codenamesazanka found that the Japanese on the original version of that page is a little unclear; a fan translator took their best guess about it, back when the volume it was in came out, and offered ヴィスガスタス”, visugasutasu, which no one could make any sense of.

However, Nal also noted that if the smudgy first character was di instead of vi, you got disugasutasu—Disgustas, which sounds an awful lot like Disgust, and disgust was a major theme in his speech to the hospital mob, like so:

So is this a reclamation thing? He had the "you're creepy and gross" sentiment thrown at him so much that he decided to take it up as a weapon? Or is it, again, just a shorthand for his general shtick? How does it compare to other examples of Horikoshi's design-phase sketches and notes? And if Horikoshi had the name picked out, why not include it anywhere? Just another example of Horikoshi's ongoing refusal to give plot-significant heteromorphs actual names?[1]

I also initially thought that Disgustas doesn't fit the typical MLA name scheme, but there are enough caveats there that I wouldn't consider it wholly disqualifying. Skeptic, Trumpet, Curious and Sanctum are all well and good English words, but Destro is not the same as Destroy, Re-Destro even less so, and Geten a complete outlier. So "word that resembles a relevant English word but is itself not quite that word" is not completely unprecedented.

It still makes me frowny, though, that the MLA gets shafted, the heteromorph plotline gets shafted, the single most eloquent speaker on the matter of heteromorph oppression gets EXTRA shafted, and also maybe that speaker's name is a reference to how gross the people who oppressed him and scarred him for life thought he was.

Like, for real, I have enough problems with Shouji preaching the moral superiority of passive endurance in the face of discrimination. By contrast, the MLA's whole deal is the violent overthrow of the harmful status quo; they won't even use a term their own founder's martyred mother coined because that term has been too bastardized by society at large. Spinner's #2 specifically decries various aspects of the status quo as phony, a sham, a false and shallow facade that's incapable of providing the "light" that heteromorphs need. He's the last person who should be willing to wear a label foisted off on him by the non-heteromorphic majority.

It all just feels like more of the entirely unnecessary two-faced bent #2 showed at the hospital, and, I suppose, in that regard, it's not entirely unfitting. I even kind of like the way, if his name is Disgustas, he answers his own question with both a verbal answer and a visual one via his dramatic face reveal.

"Take a look beyond the cities! What do they still say there?" In pulling off his hood, he implies the answer is him, his name: disgust. Disgust is what the people beyond the cities say. "'You give me the creeps.'"

It's a powerful moment. Indeed, language reclamation is always powerful. Still, though, that kind of internal calculation runs counter to the true believer zealotry he'd been written with prior to the hospital scene, and I admit I'm still pretty sore about that discrepancy.

But! In any case, thanks very much for bringing it to my attention! Anything about the advisors is a thing I will always want to hear about. For the time being, I'm going to keep on calling #2 Scarecrow, but if he ever turns up being called Disgustas (or Disgastas or Disgustus or however it gets romanized) in a volume extra or databook or something to that effect, I'll make the best of it at that time.[2]

Thanks for the asks, both of you!

------ 1: GIVE HER A NAME, HORIKOSHI. 2: Or I'll keep quibbling about it like I did Dabi's quirk being named Blueflame in the Hawks Villain Report. Like hell it is! ------

#bnha #plf advisors #heteromorph discrimination plot #shockersalvage #plf-advisor-stan #stillness answers

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alectoperdita · 1 year

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6 18 29?

From Fanfic Writer Asks

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time?

This week it's @5cs-fanart-and-misc's How to Turn a Dive into a Shoot. It's just a perfect collision of my interests in fighter Jou with Bara tits and them doing stupid drunk shit together. I would like to subscribe to this newsletter.

I reread The Serpent's Vow about once per year. So thanks for that reminder. It's getting to be that time again.

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

Hahah I will try to think of something that's not that one Lure line.

How about this from an upcoming chapter of Mob? I just really enjoy writing the little minutia of body language like this.

When Jounouchi passed him an amber drink, as dark as brilliant as his eyes, Seto brushed their fingertips together. Slow. Purposeful. He fitted his fingers into the space between Jounouchi's, sliding deliberately over each and every knuckle before he grasped the glass by the rim.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

Chapter 5 of Shoot to Score originally had a first kiss between Jounouchi and Kaiba. But the entire section didn't feel quite right and felt like it was moving too fast. I ended up scraping the scene. I'm very happy with what I actually published, with their conversation on Donki, which I think better fits the fic's vibe. But here's a snippet from the version where they kissed as they walked home together.

---

Jounouchi shifted from foot to foot, then back again. His gaze darted to the sidewalk before flying back to Kaiba's face. "You're really asking me out?" he whispered.

Kaiba nodded, but his heart sank at the lack of an affirmative answer. "Do you not want to?"

"Of course, I wanna!" he exclaimed. "I just don't get why. Why now?"

Kaiba considered a few replies, but in the end, he thought it might be best to show the other boy. Jounouchi's eyes widened into saucers as Kaiba canted his head down and planted a chaste kiss to the blond's soft lips. It was over almost as soon as it started, but the brief contact electrified every nerve ending in his body, confirming he'd made the right decision. Jounouchi made a sound like a whimper when he pulled away.

Looking the blond dead in the eye, Kaiba said, "Because I've been thinking about doing that. And I'd like to do that again in the future if you don't object."

"Does that mean you like me?" Jounouchi latched onto the front of his shirt with a death grip that Kaiba didn't want to shake. His voice and hand trembled in unison.

The cicadas buzzed as the shadows on the street lengthened. Overhead, the street lights flickered on.

He had known Jounouchi for how long now? Almost two and a half months? What did he know about him beyond his name and age? Or that he was on the basketball team and lived with Mutou? He didn't even know what Jounouchi was studying at the university.

In fact, it was ridiculous how little he knew compared to how much Jounouchi knew about him. But today, he had learned that Jounouchi had a younger sister he rarely saw, his parents were divorced, and he worked part-time at the bakery Kaiba used to frequent. Each new fact gave him a tiny rush. A bit of satisfaction that he was finally closing a few of the many gaps in his knowledge about Jounouchi.

Kaiba reached up to cover Jounouchi's hand with his. "I can't be sure my feelings are exactly the same as your 'like.' But I want to spend more time with you. I want to learn more about you. What makes you laugh and smile. What your favorite food is. What you're studying for the future. Is that okay?"

#replies #emblematik #my fanfiction #thanks for playing <3 #I love what that scene ultimately became among the clutter of a Donki aisle

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greatwyrmgold · 2 years

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Holocure Character Guide: Holomyth

NOTE: This guide was written for 0.3.1656470021. The Hololive EN characters didn't change much in the 0.4 update, so it should be mostly accurate, but item recommendations in particular are probably wrong.

Each character has a basic weapon they start the game with, three unique upgradable skills, and a super attack. These interact to make (for instance) Calli and Sana play very differently, even when armed with the same weapons and items. I’ve played each of them at least a couple of times, and will do my best to explain these differences and how best to use them.

Amelia Watson

Ame is a pretty basic character—appropriate, since she’s one of the few ordinary-ish humans in Hololive (outside the early JP generations).

Her starting weapon is a pistol that can only fire left or right (in my opinion, the most annoying to aim out of any starter weapon), and two of her skills just boost damage and critical rate. Her special freezes enemies in place (while boosting her pistol’s firing rate), and her third skill lets Bubba run around, fetching XP and hurting enemies. Pretty much any loadout works on her, with the exception of loadouts that just don’t work at all.

Also, you can pet the dog.

Gawr Gura

Gura’s skills lend themselves to a specific sort of playstyle, focusing on numerous small strikes and not getting hit.

The most important, at least for building her kit around, is her Shark Bite, which has a chance to put a “bite mark” on enemies each time they’re hit, increasing damage taken and potentially healing you when they’re killed. You need weapons that hit a lot for tiny amounts of damage per hit to take full advantage of this mechanic.

Gura’s basic weapon, a fork trident, has good range and strikes multiple times when upgraded, but its narrow attack area means aim is critical (and it struggles with crowds). The Power of Atlantis creates whirlpools that trap enemies and make them more vulnerable to damage. Just be sure to attack them—you aren’t running a catch-and-release program. Her special is pretty straightforward—one big attack, then she “reflects” on her performance gets bonuses to damage and speed for a bit.

Finally, there’s Short Height, which causes enemies to sometimes miss her because they’re used to fighting taller people. After dodging this way, Gura gets half a second of invulnerability and speed boost, which is hopefully enough to get you to safety. Combine with Headphones for, at maximum level, a 57.75% chance of ignoring any attack that hits. Just don’t assume that this combo makes you invulnerable. (For more than half a second at a time, I mean.) Short Height also combines well with Sake and other items items that buff you if you haven’t been hit.

???

I don’t know where else to put this, so I’ll squeeze it in here: Gura and Ina get a semi-unique bonus with the Cutting Board weapon and derivatives. I find this interesting, because their base weapons have something in common—both are long and narrow, compared to other (non-projectile) weapons. This has its advantages, but it has big weaknesses called “sides and back”—weaknesses that the fully-upgraded cutting board solves by throwing extra cutting boards at all of those weaknesses.

Is this a coincidence, or an intentional design choice? What weapons will Ollie, Shion, and that famous necromancer have?

Anyways.

Ninomae Ina’nis

Ina’s a fun one. If you play her right, she’s jumping into the middle of enemy hordes and smashing them to pieces.

The first and most obvious piece of the puzzle is her Special Attack, which summons a bunch of tentacles before turning Ina into a damp, sticky buzzsaw. If you don’t throw yourself into a mass of enemies, it won’t do much. If you do, it can wipe out an enemy mob. The second only-less-obvious-because-it-takes-time-to-unlock piece is Ina’s Cult skill, which grants a damage bonus for having lots of targets around.

Now, jumping into a big pit of violent fans could be somewhat dangerous. Enter The Void, a skill which slows enemies as they get close. This helps mitigate that danger, by making it harder for enemies to reach you. Of course, it doesn’t help any once the enemies do reach you; you still need to avoid running into enemies, and grabbing some weapons with knockback (like max-level Spider Cooking) can hardly hurt.

The last thing you need to worry about is not dying. The Ancient Ones skill helps out with that, turning enemies into harmless ghost takodachis (which still count for the Cult skill, and heal you at maximum level). But it only does so much; you’ll want defensive items as well. Nurse Horns are good on everyone, of course, but they’re worth pointing out; the times when Ina is most vulnerable (in the middle of an enemy horde) are when she should be killing the most enemies.

Defensive items are good, especially the best defensive item in the game. What else? Ina needs some close-range weapons, but mostly to protect her from the enemies she’s jumping into. Cult’s damage bonus applies whether the enemies are two pixels from hitting you or offscreen, so she benefits from mixing short- and long-range weapons.

I haven’t really talked about Ina’s default weapon, Summon Tentacle, because it’s hard to fit into this framework I’ve been building. I’ve been talking about how Ina wants to jump into the middle of big groups of enemies, and her tentacle…has the longest range of any starting weapon except some projectiles, and while wider than Trident Thrust or Bird Feather, it’s still narrower than many other starting weapons.

As for actual advice: You can “swipe” with the tentacle by moving while it’s extended to hit more enemies. This is particularly useful when an enemy you thought you should have hit ends up in one of the tentacle’s weird curls. Advancing a starting weapon to max level ASAP is rarely bad advice (unless you’re playing Baelz), but it’s especially rewarding on Ina, whose level 7 ability is probably the coolest out of the entire cast.

Takanashi Kiara

I would rate Kiara as the best for new players to pick up. She’s pretty simple; run around, slash with your nice broad sword, and set everything on fire.

Kiara’s basic attack is pretty simple—a sword-swing that grows and grows and eventually gets set on fire. Before Calli’s rework, it was by far the easiest Holomyth starting weapon to aim, and it’s still pretty easy. Her special attack, Phoenix Fire, is also straightforward; one big explosion, and some lingering flames to protect you (or to lure enemies into).

Her skills are pretty easy to understand, too. Phoenix Shield can help defend you, but it’s only effective if you only take damage every once in a while. Trailblazer creates damaging (and eventually slowing) fire where you walk; it’s beneficial to inexperienced players, because it lets them do damage by running away. Speaking of running, Dancer provides a damage boost as long as you keep moving. (You can stop for a fraction of a second without losing the buff, but not reliably.) There’s rarely a reason not to move, so this is a pretty easy buff to maintain (unless you’re even more fumble-fingered than me).

Kiara works pretty well with any weapons or items. I personally recommend going for MiComet and Dragonfire, so you can paint the map orange with flames, but that’s more of an aesthetic concern than a tactical one.

Calliope Mori

Calli has gone through some serious changes in recent updates. She’s been buffed, partly by tweaking some skills, but mostly by changing how her scythe works on its own.

Once, the scythe was for many people the trickiest weapon to use; it covered a wide arc, but only a narrow slice along it, some distance from Calliope—and that distance only grew as you upgraded the scythe. Many people found it more difficult to aim than any other basic weapon—you didn’t need to work hard to get the angle right, but you could only attack at a fairly specific distance.

And even if you were better at keeping your distance than aiming, the dead zone meant that enemies surrounding you on multiple sides could easily trap you, unable to attack if you didn’t have some other close-range weapons to fill the gap. And even in that case, Calliope would still be in danger, because she is all about that scythe.

The Rapper boosts damage within a certain radius, which affects all weapons with a shorter range than her scythe, but also affects her scythe. Death causes some extra effects when enemies are killed with the scythe (or by Death’s explosions, which are triggered by the scythe). And her special attack, The Reaper, mostly just boosts her scythe damage.

Sure, it boosts crit damage too, but Calli isn’t very crit-focused. And it’s honestly kinda disappointing for most of the game—it’s not hard to boost your scythe to the point that it kills basically all non-boss enemies for the first twelve minutes. You’ll fall behind the curve if you grab some useful items in the early minutes, but you should catch up before you actually need to kill enemies in a single swipe. For ~60% of the game, The Reaper is a boss-killing special. And it’s quite good at that!

I should also briefly mention Workaholic. It provides a stacking damage buff whenever you kill enemies that only goes away if you stop killing them. This is a big part of why Calli’s scythe is so deadly—it’s very easy to kill some enemies and never stop long enough for the buff to go away.

So aside from buffing the scythe, what should you get? Other weapons that can benefit from The Rapper’s close-range damage buff are ideal, particularly Spider Cooking. It used to be more important, to fill in the scythe-arc’s huge dead space and help judge how close you were to enemies, but it’s still handy. Spider Cooking, BL Book, and Cutting Board help cover Calli’s back, where her scythe isn’t reaping.

She also needs defensive items. Most characters have at least one defensive skill, at least something that slows down enemies like The Void or Down Under, but Calli’s only innate defense is an overwhelming offense. Nurse Horns are an excellent choice for any character, but Calli’s sheer lethality makes them an especially good choice.

If you like living dangerously, Face Mask and Injection-Type Asacoco are also worth considering. They give huge damage buffs, in exchange for making you extremely fragile. ITA and Nurse Horns seem like they would make a potent combination—all the power of Asacoco with enough healing to practically negate the downside—but I’ve never been able to test it.

Old Calli should never take Knightly Milk; it would extend her scythe outside The Rapper’s range, which kinda defeats the purpose of the skill. However, I tested New Calli with Knightly Milk, and it looks like even a maxed-out scythe with maxed-out milk stays within level 3 Rapper’s range. Man, this guide sure had to change a lot after Calli update, huh? I hope no other characters were updated enough to completely invalidate parts of this guide…

#hololive #holocure #holomyth #fangame #guide #I wonder if anyone will actually use this

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kp777 · 1 year

Text

By Henry Porter

The Guardian

May 28, 2023

On 7 May, I tweeted that swifts had appeared in the skies over the shed where I write on the same day in 2022, and predicted, if they kept to their schedule, they would leave overnight on 7 August. My excitement was short-lived. I’ve seen no more than three or four breeding pairs over the village of Blockley, Gloucestershire, whereas last year I estimated 16 to 20 pairs and an end of season exodus of between 50 and 60 birds.

My figures are hardly scientific, but they suggest a decline of between 75% and 85% on last year, an acceleration in an established trend that shows a loss of 60% of swift numbers since 1995.

Last year, I saw something miraculous when returning from a walk at dusk. The village swifts were gathered in a screaming mob. With each pass over the church and the green, they rose higher and higher. At length, I realised they were aiming for a wave of birds flying at great altitude. Binoculars confirmed hundreds of swifts heading south-west.

The disappearance of swifts from our skies is one of the saddest prospects of this epoch of casual extermination. At a minimum, we should recognise what’s happening, and understand that a creature that can fly 1m kilometres in its lifetime and takes our imaginations with its soaring flight is about to join other rare but once common species – the cuckoo, curlew, lapwing, sparrow, numerous migrating warblers, and even the starling.

It’s not as if there aren’t numerous swift groups around the country trying to support the bird with breeding boxes, and inserting swift bricks into walls. Yet these are useless without abundant supplies of insects, and that is where the crisis mostly lies. In the past 20 years, flying insects have declined in Britain by 60%. Worldwide, with current rates of decline, 33% of all insects are at risk of extinction.

I am haunted by a little pink notebook, containing the tiny drawings of my ancestor Anne Porter from 1800 onwards. Between the pages of her view of a watermill, from the 1820s, is a butterfly, perfectly preserved. It is a Scotch argus. This is the only one I have seen, for they are rare and almost gone in England. Between other pages are tiny thunderbugs, or thrips, which hatched in July in their billions but no longer trouble us today.

What haunts me is the unthreatened profusion of bugs in Anne’s lifetime compared with their scarcity today. Go out into the countryside, local park or waste land and you will see far fewer insects than five or 10 years ago. The bugs that smeared your windscreen are almost gone.

So, what do we do? We start by recognising what’s happening on our watch. We put up boxes. We allow our lawns to grow out until July and see wildflowers take hold. We stop using garden pesticides, felling trees and clearing insect habitat. We compel water companies to stop polluting. We form groups and interrogate local farmers about the pesticides they’re using. We show our children, maybe with a cheap magnifying glass, the wonder of a bronze beetle or a red soldier beetle crawling across the lace work of a hemlock flower. Nature is not something separate. It’s not a resource. It is us, our world. Concentrate!

#climate change #ecosystem degradation #insect decline #swifts

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ladyddanger · 2 years

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c!karlnapity..??? for writing thing🧍🧍

Ofc cee. I went a little crazy lmao but I wanted it to be special

My dear beloveds - lost letters of the smp. RPG Au.

QUEST: spy for dream. Objective: sneak into Quackity’s office and find plans for his casino’s grand opening.

(Just as you’re about to give up looking you spot a small trash can almost hidden behind one of the huge bookshelves. You walk over and dig through it. Under piles and piles of old building permits, diet Coke cans and cigarettes butts you find a letter. It catches your eye because of how crumpled it is, as if Quackity balled it up with as much force as possible. You reach down and pull it out.)

[ITEAM DESCRIPTION]

You are holding what looks like a letter. It’s been crumpled up and there are tiny holes all over it. As you carefully smooth it out you see the ink has smeared slightly on the cream colored paper along with what looks almost like blood. Several words and sentences are angrily crossed out making dozens of small rips the paper. Still it’s readable. This is not what Dream is looking for but it could give you more insight into Quackity as a person or maybe even give you blackmail. Quackity will be back any moment. You could read the letter, maybe get more favor with Dream and risk Quackity catching you or get what Dream asked for and get out of here never knowing what the letter says.

[READ THE LETTER?]

[YES] [NO]

[YES]

(You open the letter and start to read)

Dear Sapnap and Karl

Today they played Here Comes The Sun on the radio and I thought of you. Remember dancing to that song in our tiny kitchen? I can’t ever remember being really happy before that. Every other moment is dull compared. It hurt being that happy. It felt like I was burning. I could have died and gone to hell and I would have been smiling. I wish you would tell me what I did wrong. That’s not the point of this letter, I just thought you would like know. I know you both loved that song. Consider it a peace offering to deal with this like the adults we all are.

Sorry for, forgive my rambling I’m not used to writing letters to two people at once. So deal me and my mess one final time because after this you won’t have to anymore. It’s been twelve weeks since we last talked. Not that I’m counting. I just checked.

Right now.

I have a calendar by my desk you know.

Anyway I assumed you both would want your stuff back. This letter will be taped to a package. Inclosed in the package you will find our your wedding rings. They were very expensive and I imagine you would want them.

Don’t worry I cleaned them. Sapnap that dent on yours is from when we where play fighting you bit my ring by mistake. Karl that K on yours is the one you carved into it. You made one in Sapnap’s too. So yeah I didn’t mess with them trust me. Or don’t. Sue me if you want but I’ll take you to court and I’m a very rich man now.

Sorry I didn’t mean that. And not just because threatening to sue looks bad In court. There’s a lawyer tip for you Sapnap! For that magic day you keep claiming is close. You know that one day when you kick those kids off our YOUR lawn and sue them for trespassing instead of feeding them and making sure they’re safe from mobs.

Karl. In this package you also will find your hoodies that I stole and refused to give back because they where big and comfortable. And they did look better on me by the way.

Be careful when you open this package please. (Even though I know Sapnap has probably already ripped it up by now.), some of its items are very delicate, I bought you guys some things for the wedding and it was too late to return them. So. I hope you enjoy. I would ask you to be careful again but I’m sure Sapnap tore through the package the moment he realized he was getting presents.

One more thing and then I’m done I swear. Fuck you both I’m sorry I wasn’t what you wanted Karl but in my defense I tried to tell you who I was and you wouldn’t listen. And honestly it’s not my fault you refused to listen. I am a murder. Your were right about me. But you knew that already. And Sapnap. I don’t blame you for choosing him. Really.

Sapnap if you still want something to do with me you are always welcome. Under everything else you will find a flyer for Las Nevadas. Visit anytime. Karl can go fuck himself. Is not welcome.

I don’t have anything I need back in your place so you can throw it away. Or keep it. Or send it back. I don’t care honestly.

Yeah so this is it. Goodbye. I heard a song and thought of you and I don’t now how long that’ll happened.

It scares me.

I will miss you for the rest of my life.

-Yours

-President

-Quackity

#hope you liked it!#rpg au #letters of the smp #c!quackity #c!sapnap #c!karl #c!karlnapity #c!karlnapityblr #karlnapityblr #quackblr

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