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#it's been almost two years since I posted an SW set
brunchbitch · 7 months
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thought i would do an update since it's been a while!
9/27/23
things are going well with settling in to seattle! i'm doing lots of wedding stuff - got measured for my dress and had a makeup trial last week so it's starting to feel real! 10 months from today! next steps are sending out save the dates and deciding on catering, which will be fun bc we get to taste test everything.
a is doing well! he is taking a creative writing course that starts this week, and hockey starts this week as well. the seattle kraken have an adult league with over 100 teams (!!). he had tryouts (i almost wrote auditions lol) a couple weeks ago and got placed in the second highest division! i'm excited to go see some games, but the first one is tomorrow night at 10:45!!!! so if that's any indication of average game times, maybe i won't make it lol.
it has been raining every day for about five days now... it's reminding me of one of the hardest parts of living in seattle. i need to invest in a happy lamp and get some vitamin d.
as for the job front, i'm feeling frustrated and, before calling the DOH this morning, very confused about my path towards being a licensed independent clinical social worker (licsw). the requirements are pretty different in seattle. you start out getting licensed as a social worker associate advanced (lswaa), which basically means i have the necessary education but haven't gotten required post grad supervision to apply for the next level, which is a licensed advanced social worker (lasw). i'm required to obtain 3200 hours of supervised experience under an licsw which, full time, would be about a year and a half. then i apply to be an lasw, and once i'm approved i can take my sw generalist exam. THEN to become an licsw, i need 4000 additional supervised hours (~2 years full time). so 3.5 years working full time before i can get my licsw, and then have to take the clinical exam. in ma, it would've taken 2 years to get my licsw. i'm not sure why wa state requires so much more, but it explains why the pay ranges have been higher than what i expected.
i've been studying for the exam, bc that's what would be the next step in boston. so that was wasted time lol. hopefully some of it will stick in my brain so i'm not starting from square one when i start studying again in ~a year and a half. so now i really need to just focus on getting a job. i've had one interview and they never even got back to me. i probably would've turned down the job anyway (not exactly what i was looking for - a lot of independent time and not much of an ability to collaborate with other social workers, which i think is important being a new grad), but it still would've been nice to be offered the job lol. i've been getting so discouraged but trying to remind myself that something will work out eventually. even if i hate the job, i can stick it out until i get my supervised hours at least. and then i can look elsewhere.
i have a screening today for a job that is pretty close by my house. it's a primary care center that serves a lot of people who have high resource needs. i was hoping for a more acute setting (like inpatient hospital), but it does seem some of the patients would be pretty acute. so we'll see how the screening goes.
mental health is good - i've really appreciated being able to see L again. still smoking a shit ton, which concerns her, but trying to do better this week.
luna and lia are good - they've definitely adjusted. lia is sleeping on top of her cat tree right now hehe. unfortunately luna is getting a dental done at the vet right now and she had to have two tooth extractions :(. she's had several extractions before due to resorptive lesions, but the last few years her teeth have been good so i was hoping they wouldn't have to take any out. so she'll be on pain medication for a few days, but she's been through that before. i'm going to shower her with love when she gets home!
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twilightofthe · 2 months
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writing patterns tag game
Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!
tagged by @loosingmoreletters thank youuuu but i feel bad i haven’t star warsed on main really since the depression diagnosis which has been a few years so the first 4 fics aren’t even SW ;_; Also i put some of my parts from our collab fics to make me feel better about only having published/updated two (2) solo things within the last couple of years xD
Ok but here goes:
1. It’s just after midnight and Wei Ying is mournfully attempting to wash away his blue balls under the tepid-instead-of-cold shower head.
2. Blacking out after summoning however many the fuck demons who live in your head into the living realm does not always last for long, because blacking out means means you’re retreating inside your head where the demons run amok and they really make shitty company for any extended period of time, so sooner rather than later you end up dragging yourself back to consciousness just to avoid them.
3. The thing about being dead is that it’s a very distinct sensation, putting things if not lightly then the only possible way to put them because how does one explain the feeling of death to someone who has never experienced it before?
4. “Hmm…”
5. After two weeks of traveling at sublight with only the distant, unforgiving stars and his own dwindling sanity for comfort, the far-off, twinkling gem of a planet through the viewport would almost be enough to make Obi-Wan cry if crying didn’t take energy.
6. The first time it happens can be blamed on Anakin’s love of questionable quality holofilms.
7. Whenever Anakin thought about maybe changing his mind on his shift-form, he always reminded himself of the massive amounts of hair over the furniture shed from Obi Wan and Ahsoka alone, and how he was more than happy to not add to it.
8. Considering what had happened the last time he was there, Din Djarin hadn’t planned to set foot in the same star system as Tatooine anytime soon, let alone on the planet itself.
9. Anakin was having a shitty day.
10. Trace doesn’t know how long it had been exactly since Ahsoka left them when the galaxy fell apart.
.
Ok, that’s the past 10! What i realize from them is that firstly, I’m an absolute run-on sentence whore and proud of it lol. Secondly, I internalized WAY too much paranoia about what constitutes a good hook because all of these read like “omg please be drawn in PLEASE be drawn in”. Like they’re not bad, but I can recognize myself and my intentions in my words and I see my eagerness. It’s kind of sweet.
Secondly, I realize that I do really miss Star Wars, but i think a combination of pandemic, a sudden depression diagnosis, and some unpleasant interactions ended up like. Tainting my memories of writing from that era and making it really hard to come back. Plus now I’ve got a newer hyperfixation and i keep reading a bunch of fic for it and stalking people’s tumblr blogs but also doing zero creation of anything to participate. I’ve gotten into some other fandoms in the past two years that make up the first four fics on the list, but even then it’s been hard to publish things that haven’t just been gift fics for my friends, jokes i can take a little less seriously, and collabs that make me less anxious as there’s numbers involved. I really do miss writing though. Like I’m a p decent writer I think, of course I’ve got much to improve, but reading through this and it is NOT as bad as I thought it would be, it’s good! But I wish I hadn’t abandoned so many sw fics, people have been so NICE, and it just feels like I’ve let them down. But I can’t even remember my original ending plans for so much of it and Disney continuing to leech all the joy and energy out of the series hasn’t helped either. But I am still insisting that I’ll be back one day. I will.
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elrhiarhodan · 2 years
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12 and 23 for the fabric ask would be magnificent! 🏜
Fabric? Autocorrect issue? But I am so glad you asked.
12. Favorite character to write about this year
Hands down, Luke Skywalker. I have been in love with Luke since 1977 and I was a very impressionable 13 year old. All of my friends (all two of them) were "Han girls" but I loved Luke with the passion of, well, Tatoo I and Tatoo II burning down on the sands of the Jundland Wastes. I hated how the Sequels destroyed his character and just lost all interest in SW, but I had heard so many good things (plus a free subscription to D+) about the Mando Show, that I started watching. And when he made his surprise appearance at the end of the S2 finale, well, all my love, long buried, burst back to life like a star reborn. Since I was not (and likely never will be) deeply conversant with Canon and Legends outside of the movies and some knowledge that happens just by existing in the world, I felt more comfortable writing an AU and using it to explore things about Luke that I wouldn't be able to do within a GFFA setting.
I am, at heart, a hurt/comforteer, and Luke Skywalker is the perfect character for me to exercise my Force-given rights to cause pain and bring comfort
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23. Fics you wanted to write but didn’t
SO MANY FICS!!!!
(Thank you, Tumblr, for chewing up my post).  Let me reconstruct...)
In addition to falling into the Din/Luke ship, I also fell hard into the Qui/Obi ship.  And there's a funny story to that.  My bestie,@timeforalongstoryis NOT a Din/Luke shipper. Her GFFA ship is Qui/Obi, but when she told me that, I had just finished reading an amazing reverse-padawan story by SPQR (title escapes me at the moment), where the Council denies Obi-Wan his knighthood and makes him Anakin's padawan. I was brand-new in the whole Star Wars fandom and didn't know jack from shit, and this story leaned hard into the Jedi Apprentice books (which I really knew nothing about) and all of the crap that Qui-Gon dealt to poor wee Obi-Wan (Melida/Daan, New Apsolon, even the stupid elevator incident), so at that moment, I was feeling A LOT of unkindness towards Qui-Gon, and kind of shrugged off the idea of Qui/Obi.
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Then I encountered @darkisrising's Vampire AU, and well, that kind of spun me right round baby. (Dark, please finish this. I will bribe you with pretty jeweled things for the end of the story). I got stuck in the hospital for nine days and worked my way through almost all of the Qui/Obi tag, including some truly incredible Old Skool fic imported from the Boys in Chains Archive, some written circa 1999.
Anyway, that set my brain percolating on Qui/Obi almost as hard as it's been bubbling away on Din/Luke. I have notes on the following stories:
1 - Broken Qui/Obi, post Naboo (Qui-Gon lives, of course, no Clone Wars), where the Council is pressuring Obi-Wan to take a padawan. Obi-Wan refuses, disavows his master and lineage. Much, much pain... Not sure how to get to a HEA.
2 - Obi-Wan kills Maul in anger, touching the Dark Side and Sidious feels that, and tries to form/force a bond. In his rage and grief, Obi-Wan rejects it and actually kills Sidious (who is back on Coruscant!) Qui-Gon lives, but is, of course, terribly wounded and is in a bacta tank and a force-induced coma/healing trance for months. When he wakes up, he's told that Obi-Wan is dead. Qui-Gon does not train Anakin (Mace or Depa does), and he spends the next 20 years grieving and doing his diplomacy thing across the galaxy. He decides to retire from the Order, but Yoda asks him to take one more mission, to return an artifact to a small, restricted world on the Mid Rim. Guess who he finds...
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3 - Modern AU where General Kenobi is taking an adult ed class taught by hippie professor Qui-Gon, who is outraged by the bodyguards watching over the damn warmonger student.
4 - And then there was the Beethoven AU that I wanted to write (musician Obi, conductor Qui-Gon) which I tossed out to the wonderful people on the Qui/Obi writer discord, and while at one point, it looked to become a group project, the amazing Temve wrote the whole thing - and it needs to be read: Save Me From The Grave and Wise: A Qui/Obi Fic in Nine Symphonies if you have any love for either music, Star Wars, or breaking your heart and getting it mended perfectly.I've nattered on way too long, but I've got a bunch of Din/Luke and Din/Boba/Luke ideas that I've started but have stuck in my WiPs folder, hoping to get a chance to finish them next year. Right now, I have to write my Qui/Obi Winter Exchange fic, finish Stars/Scars, and finish Lost and Found - those are my priorities. I signed up for the Star Wars Big Bang, but will probably drop out - I don't really need to do a Big Bang, not when I average 5-7 thousand words a chapter. Having art is nice, but not that much of a reason to drive myself nuts. I may let myself get distracted by the Chocolate Box exchange. It's one of my favorite pan-fandom events, and I've always liked what I've written for that.
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martialstories · 3 years
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Tape to tape - Intro
Coops - High School AU
All credits for the world & the characters for @lumosinlove . Truly obsessed with SW and Coast to coast so this is my shot at writing something in that world. English isn’t my first language and this is my first time posting anything so I’m kinda nervous but here we go!
Coops High School AU. Takes place in Montreal, Canada and the age difference is the same (1 year, Remus being the older one). I hope to write more parts to this but we’ll see.
I have no idea how the Canadian high school works, but I googled, so Remus is on grade 11 and Sirius is on grade 10 during this fic. (Basically Junior and Sophomore) On other chapters they might be on different grades.
Happy reading!
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Tw: mentions of child abuse
”Loops! You coming?” Sirius shouted from the bench. Remus was on ice practicing slapshots in rapid sets.
”Jeez, calm down! Five more and I’ll be there with you.” He shouted back and skated over after the shots. ”Let’s go. I need to stretch before shower.”
”I know you do. Plus, we always stretch after practice. You still up for teaching me how the First World War went down?” Sirius asked while walking towards the locker room where the music was playing loudly.
”You really are hopeless at history. You know that right?” Remus turned his back to Sirius to hide his smile. He knew Sirius wasn’t stupid but most of the time hockey just came first and school second.
”Oh come on Re! Please, please, please! I’ll fail if you don’t help me!” Remus glanced at pleading Sirius in the stall next to his. He was looking back at him with wide eyes. The rest of the locker room continued to buzz in the background as the two locked eyes.
”Of course I’ll help you. Now, let’s go to the gym.” The clock was already 4.30 p.m. so if they wanted to get everything done and have time to relax in the evening they really should get going.
After cooling down for about 15 minutes the locker room was starting to empty out. Remus and Sirius said bye to the players leaving the rink as they made their way towards the showers. After stripping from their under armours the locker room was completely empty.
”Boys, you are the last ones. Can you turn off the lights and lock the door after you?” coach asked from the door.
”Of course, coach. See you tomorrow!” Remus answered for the both of them. ”Thank you, Remus. Tomorrow at 10 a.m.” Coach reminded them and left the doorway.
Immediately after the door closed Sirius grabbed Remus’s hand and dragged him into the showers startling a little laugh out of Remus. ”Pads! Are you in a hurry somewhere?”
”Yes”, Sirius answered shortly before turning around, slinging his arms around Remus’s neck and pecking his lips. ”Finally alone.” Sirius whispered with his lips against Remus’s.
Remus kissed him back for a while before pulling back. ”I know. But the faster we are done here the faster we can get home and behind closed doors.”
”Good point, Loops”, Sirius quipped. He turned around and stepped under the shower causing Remus to tense in pain at the sight of his back. Sirius turned back towards Remus, hiding his back again. ”Hurry up, Loop- Shit, I forgot about those.”
Remus walked towards him until he could wrap his arms around Sirius’s shoulders and press close to him under the spray. Carefully he slid his arms over Sirius’s back where there was a couple of purple bruises. A year before Sirius would have just laughed him off, saying that he just bruised easily from hits on ice. These days Remus knew which bruises were from ice and which weren’t.
”You could come stay at mine for a few days, you know? My parents wouldn’t mind”, Remus suggested quietly.
”I don’t want to be a bother, I was at yours last weekend.”
”You are not a both-” Remus tried to argue before Sirius cut him off. ”I know, I know but it isn’t even as bad as it usually is. Father was too drunk yesterday so it wasn’t that bad.”
Remus just hugged him tighter while letting the water fall on them.
”So when are you going to get your license Pads? Soon you’ll be 17 and I’m getting tired of being your personal taxi driver.” Remus teased the dark haired boy while they walked towards Remus’s car. It wasn’t big or new but Remus didn’t need much and he was happy with it.
”Hey! Don’t bully me, you old man! Plus, I know you really love it.” Sirius smirked at Remus before getting into the car.
Remus threw his phone at Sirius. ”Be grateful, and I’m only a year older than you! Now call my mom and tell her we’ll be there in 20 minutes.”
”Yes, sir!” Sirius pushed the call button as Remus started the car. ”Hello, Hope! Thanks, I’m fine. Yes, we’ll be there in 20 minutes. Okay, see you!” He ended the call after Remus turned towards their homes from the traffic lights. He placed the phone on the cup holder and grabbed Remus’s hand. Remus smiled at their intertwined hands and raised them to his lips to give Sirius’s hand a kiss. Sirius blushed and turned the music on louder.
After dining with the rest of the Lupin’s Remus and Sirius went up to Remus’s room to study. 5-year-old Jules wanted to come with them but after realising they were just going to study he got bored of the idea and decided to watch cartoons instead.
“If we study now for an hour and a half and get everything done, we can relax afterwards. How does that sound?” Remus planned out loud as he threw his laundry off a chair and pulled it to the table for Sirius to use.
“That sounds good. Can we cuddle afterwards?” Sirius made puppy dog eyes at Remus. “Of course we’ll cuddle! But first we’ll have to study. Now, can you tell me when did the First WW start?”
At 8 p.m. sharp Sirius closed both his and Remus’s books and flopped on the bed. He had been determined to go home for the night but he wasn’t so sure anymore.
“You sure you don’t want to stay the night? We can go get you a mattress now and if you have to get something from home we can drive through yours before morning practice.” Remus proposed softly.
Sirius let out a little huff and after pondering it a while he let out a little sound of confirmation. “I need to call Regulus to check on him but he should be okay since Linda is there. It’s Friday so my parents are out for the night so they won’t care if I stay here.”
He drew his phone from his pocket to call his brother. Regulus answered after a couple of peeps and confirmed that indeed only he and their maid Linda were at home. Sirius told him that he would stay at Lupin’s and closed the phone after wishing good night.
“Now let’s get you a mattress that you won’t need.” Remus said and helped Sirius from the bed.
“Mon dieu, I’m so tired.” Sirius said yawning as they walked down the stairs towards the storage.
“Boys? Is that you?” Could be heard from the living room. They turned towards the living room where Hope and Lyall were watching the news. “Hey, it’s getting quite late. Are you Sirius staying or do you need someone to drive you home?” Lyall asked kindly.
“I’d like to stay, if that’s okay.” Sirius answered.
Hope smiled at him, “Of course that is fine, hun! Just remember you have morning practice so don’t stay up for too long.”
“Yep, we won’t. We are just going to get Pads a mattress and get something to eat before bed.” Remus answered over his shoulder, already continuing towards the storage room.
“Okay, sleep well!” “Good night!”
After Remus and Sirius had set up Sirius’s mattress just in case someone checked on them they made their way to the fridge. Training usually left them really hungry before bed and this night wasn’t an exception.
Their successful heist to the fridge eased their hunger and they got ready for bed. Brushing their teeth was a bit messy ordeal as it included the usual elbow-knocking and the toothpaste marks on their cheeks from kisses.
Remus spooned Sirius from behind as they laid on his bed. The sky was clear and the moon shined through his window creating a soft glow around them.
“What are you thinking about?” Remus’s whisper sounded almost too loud in the quiet.
“You. I truly don’t know how I got so lucky finding you.” Sirius twisted in Remus’s arms to see his face.
Remus smiled softly and leaned forward to kiss Sirius’s lips. The kiss was broken off by Sirius yawning.
Remus chuckled quietly. “Good night.” “Good night.” Was muttered by Sirius before he burrowed his head to Remus’s chest and closed his eyes.
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tishinada · 3 years
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100 Days of Writing – Day 44
Continuing with the social structure and culture of the Empire as I'm writing it in Dance:
I want to continue from yesterday’s theme of the SI and SW as popular celebrities in the Empire. I’ve written posts in the past about the SI and the betting pools on their feud with Thanaton and how Thanaton backed himself into a corner in that feud, leading to the finale.
But I haven’t spent much time on the SW and rumor and their status in the Empire, which is equally interesting if you put all the pieces together.
First, the SW must have been garnering attention at the Academy if Tremell brought her to Korriban and believed she could be rushed to catch up with an apprentice a year ahead of her in training. Then she killed the Beast of Marko Ragnos, which was such a powerful source of Dark Side energy that Sith like Baras felt its death. And she wasn't even an apprentice yet---she was still an acolyte, early in their trials. That’s the sort of thing that would be whispered about by almost everyone on Korriban, even, maybe especially, the Overseers, and it’s almost guaranteed that the Imperial troops stationed on the planet heard as well. I’d assume one of the few perks of being stationed there would be the opportunity to hear the rumors about the rising stars of the Sith order.
When you arrive on Dromund Kaas, you are Baras’s apprentice. Because he is powerful enough and at a high enough rank that he could have his pick of apprentices, you’re immediately assumed to be the best of the best, someone to start watching. (Though has anyone else noticed that the SW is his only apprentice who is not primarily a mole? A spy? I feel like the SW would wonder about that at times.)
On Dromund Kaas, Imperial troops would appreciate and remember your involvement in helping with the renegade Sith Lord Grathan (especially if you also completed the side mission to search for the missing troops that were being experimented on.) And the troops at the final camp before the Dark Temple would know that you went in...and returned alive and sane. Even other Sith who entered were affected by Kallig’s influence.
On the first two planets after that, your missions are secret. But in some ways, that works to your advantage in building reputation. The missions he gives you on Balmorra (and NS and Tattoine and Alderaan) are very self-serving. But since no one knows what you were really doing or why, what the Imperial troops know is that you fought your way into several of the most heavily guarded Republic posts, setting off explosives and taking out one of the most elite Republic units in the effing Balmorran Arms Factory itself, and without missing a beat, stormed the Sobrik Spaceport and killed or captured a Jedi Knight. Barely months after completing their trials. Absolutely some of the troops stationed on Balmorra were sending friends stationed elsewhere “No shit, you’ll never believe...!” messages. Or as the SW become well known, they brag about meeting you once (appropriately exaggerating or embellishing, of course.) Without being privy to Baras’s motives, this looked pretty damned heroic/patriotic.
Nar Shaddaa would have been a lot fuzzier, but I think there would have been some whispers about her confrontation with the Hutt representatives and her defeat of a Sith Lord. Again, maybe half a year after completing her trials, she took out a particularly powerful rising Sith Lord who the Dark Council believed could take on Baras himself. By the way, the fact they were backing Rathari to take over Baras's operations on Nar Shaddaa is telling (also, in an unrelated thought, I think there was a connection between Baras’s involvement in the external slave trade with his involvement in the slave rebellion on Dromund Kaas which seemed to exist to target a project to celebrate Darth Vowrawn. It would be quite easy for him to plant agents if he’s supplying the slaves.)
I'm going to split this post into two because it's longer than I realized it would be, lol. Tomorrow, the rest of my speculation on the SW as a celebrity in the Empire.
(Day 43 here) (Day 45 here)
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houndin-around · 4 years
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Covenant | Maul
warnings; slight age gap? I guess, can’t remember if there’s cursing oops, boss-employee relationship
a/n; First ofF I’M DROPPING THIS BC IT’S A SPECIAL SOMEONE’S BIRTHDAYYYYY!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENNA ILY<3 @hxldmxdxwn 
- I’ve been avoiding dropping this because I’m super self conscious about my writing but oh well here we goooo! This is a more modern AU even though I use a lot of SW terms/lore but i’ll probably branch out as we go on throught he chapters. Takes place in coruscant and reader is 23! Maul ios around 30-31 haven’t fully decided yet. Uh hope everyone enjoys this!!
Summary; Getting an opportunity at a reputable company, you’re eager to show everyone what you’re made of. The only odd part is...no one knows who the owner is. 
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not my gif
Curses rolled off your tongue as the silence was disturbed by the raucous alarm emitting from your phone. Hurriedly you tried to silence it, avoiding waking up your partner that is sleeping next to you. The clock read 4:55 am and the sky was still pitch black. Yet the lights of Galactic City never died, it was hard to get rid of the illumination in your room. Even some curtains weren’t enough to block the livelihood, something you still have yet to get used to. Staring up at the ceiling, the dread of leaving the warmth that consumed you whole was winning the battle lulling you back to sleep. Another ear-piercing song flowed out of your phone causing you to jolt upright. Rubbing the back of your neck, a sigh escaped your lips before you tossed your legs over the side of the mattress. From the second alarm, your boyfriend grumbled before turning over, aggressively pulling the sheets over himself.
Today was the day of your brand new job. Anxiety nestled in your gut the more you thought about it so you tried not to. Two years ago you were leaving Naboo and your family after school. It was one of the hardest things that you had to do, and being an adult wasn’t easy or all that it was chalked up to be. Living on Coruscant was a totally new experience. Everyone dressed so differently-- obsessing over the latest fashions, erasing the idea of modesty as well. Luckily for you, that’s when you met Kenth Madon. Upon arriving, your ship was having difficulties, and you needed a mechanic. Out of all the shops around you, you chose his almost as if it were fate. Due to frequenting his shop, Kenth got the courage to ask to see you outside of the permanently grungy, gas smelling establishment. It wasn’t your first relationship, although it has been quite a while. It was nice to have someone give you the type of attention Kenth did.
Since he grew up on Coruscant, your boyfriend claimed to know what real fashion was. Hinting at the fact yours was a little outdated. So,  he helped you restyle your wardrobe as you lacked any type of pizazz when it came to fitting in. At least according to him. During your outing, you still were drawn to rather lackluster choices of apparel, but at least it was slightly updated. Slipping on a white puff-sleeve shirt, you quickly tucked it into the black dress pants you were insistent on getting. The reality of putting on this outfit made your palms sweaty, your heart lurch up in your throat. with the realization of starting this new chapter in your life. Grabbing your white one-button jacket, you scanned your room one last time before placing a feathery kiss on Kenth’s stubbled cheek.  
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“Next stop: Galactic Square. Please, refrain from getting up early and blocking the exits. Thank you.” the feminine voice echoed throughout the subway train.
You rubbed your hands up and down your thighs, staring out of the viewport of the train. The job itself was competitive and the position wasn’t guaranteed. Nineteen other candidates were presenting their brand new prototypes for QuanCom, as well. The business that created the HoloNet, the Holocomms, comlinks, and much more. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This job could start you down a successful track, but you didn’t care. It was honestly only for the good-paying credits, since it was hard to find a job degree or not.
With a sudden stop shoving you against the seat, you quickly checked the time on your iPhone. 6:00 am. “Kriff!” you hissed to yourself. You were told work began at 8:00 am, so what in the hell were you going to do for an hour and a half? Being early helped ease your anxiety, though being this early only fueled it-- making it a lose-lose battle. Waiting for the other passengers to exit, you soon rose to your feet, swiftly leaping off the train. Examining the underground tunnels, your eyes shifted all over trying to locate the staircase leading upwards. It was crowded in the subway, yet it didn’t compare to the hustle and bustle that hurried by on the streets of Galactic City.
Humans, Rodians, Twi’leks, and species that you could swear you’ve never encountered before shouldered past you, as if you didn’t even exist. One long blink and an exasperated sigh later, you began to move your feet in the direction of QuanCom. The directions on your phone were confusing. The arrow rotating every once in a while was unable to read your location. Regardless, you continued hoping it was the correct way. The sudden smell of caf penetrated your nostrils, causing you to scrunch up your nose.
“If they sell caf, they probably have some deychin tea and maybe some food…” you trailed off hurriedly toward the small shop named “Caf Project ''.
Inside, it was cozy, brick-lined walls with a large sign hanging over the counter. Swallowing thickly, you stood back just far enough to show you were thinking of what you wanted, but really you were trying to stifle the anxiety welling back up as your mind kept going blank. A jingling sound interrupted your inner battles, and so did the voice of who was walking in.
“I don’t care. I told you to get this done yesterday. Not an hour before I arrived at the office. Is it really that hard to follow through? Do you not realize the utmost significance of this report? I swear I’m dealing with a bunch of imbeciles. Sith give me strength…'' Sucking in a breath, he glanced at you, brow raised. “Shut up for a second, Tannis.” He demanded before turning to you. “Are you in line?”
Your face went completely blank, just a second ago it sounded like he was about to murder whoever he was speaking to. But while speaking to you…his voice was smooth like silk, endearing actually. Swiftly shaking your head “no,” he stepped forward and flashed a warm grin at you, incisors slightly visible. Once again he continued yelling at someone, the barista not even batting an eye. His order was briskly made, though he didn’t even give any notion to what he had wanted. You couldn’t help but examine this stranger before you, attired in a charcoal grey suit that was paired with a very light grey dress shirt with two buttons undone. On his feet were freshly polished black Oxfords, his outfit so simple yet so suave. Once he handed the cashier some credits, you noticed a glimmer on his wrist, by the looks of it one kriffing expensive watch.
Adjusting the lanyard around your neck that holds your ID for QuanCom, the stranger with geometric tattoos all over his face turned to face you. You noticed a shiny stud piercing on the upper cartilage of his left ear. Maintaining some eye contact, you couldn’t help but feel a knot in your stomach. He was quite handsome, and his ivory horns…wow, you thought to yourself, cheeks running hot. “Get yourself together...you’re with someone,” You reminded yourself.
Lips parting, he studied you up and down.
“Good luck.” The words were quietly mumbled as he continued listening to what you assumed to be an employee, on the other line.
“Thank you,” you mouthed back, a sheepish smile tugging at your lips as you continue to fidget with the lanyard.
Maybe, he had heard of the big job offer at QuanCom? Advertisements were flaunted everywhere; it was hard to miss them. Shaking your head lightly, you step forward, showing that you’re ready to order.
“I’ll have a small deychin tea please and…uh- um..a croissant?” Everything on the menu food-wise wasn’t too appealing, but you needed something in your stomach to satisfy the beast. “Uh..how much, sir?” you inquired, pulling some credits from your spotless white jacket.
Shaking his head, the cashier's lips opened to a wide grin, “No need, miss, the man before you covered your order. You’re all set!”
There was that wave of nausea again. Why would he do that? Who even was he? Was it just his generosity for the day? Or did he think you couldn’t afford much based on your attire? Sighing, you frantically think about what you’ll be expecting for this job, continuing on your path toward the QuanCom headquarters. Getting closer to your destination, you glance over your phone, once more checking the time. 7:50 am. Finally, what felt like forever was finally here, and you were so eager to start on a positive foot.
Entering the monstrous building, people were hustling all around you-- confused, lost, and eager to get their days going, as well. You had to remind yourself that you were here as competition and not as a friend for anyone. Though right now, you could really use a friend and some directions as this place was large and filled to the brim. Inspecting the environment, you noticed a few flimsies posted. Maker’s sake, it made things easier by telling you where to go. Padding toward the nearest elevator, you crammed yourself in amongst the other bodies seemingly all going to the same exact floor. Not being able to help it, you held your breath midway until the doors opened on floor 18. Exiting, you followed the tall, skinny woman down the hall to meeting room 1804. To your amazement, it was already quite full, so you took a seat nearest to the door, pulling out some flimsy and a stylus so that you’re ready to jot down any information. The room was white-walled with very little decor besides a large glass table in the center. This is where the fun begins, the long drawn out rules and regulations.
“Alright! Now that we’ve gone over the workplace protocol and the prototype expectations, I will pair you up into four groups of five.” Her voice was raspy, though flat enough to make your eyelids heavy. Everyone around you was also struggling to fight the sleep that tried overpowering them. Names being called brought you back to attention every now and then, but you couldn’t stop thinking about him. “I’m sure Kenth sees more attractive women daily anyway…” you try to convince yourself.
“(Y/N), Fox, Steela, Hardcase, and…Finn. You five will make up group three.” The grouping continued slowly, but the names rang in your mind over and over. “Alright, now that groups are established, get to know one another and start some planning. Each member in your group has a very different degree path; this will help you all utilize one another's skills to create the best results for QuanCom. You have three weeks until you pitch your prototypes to Dooku, the COO.. Remember, 5 pm concludes your workday, so get to it.”
Sitting around your new coworkers, you fumbled around with your stylus, afraid to make the first move for introductions. It seems that you weren’t the only one being fidgety;  the gentleman named Hardcase was bouncing his leg vigorously. If you were correct, he and Fox were clones. After the bill was granted clones rights and citizenship, they ended up all over the system. So many felt that cloning was unethical, especially for the fact they were treated similarly to droids. Though it was nice to see the two making something of themselves.
“Guess I’ll start! The name’s Hardcase. Yes I’m a clone, and--yes--I’m perfectly capable of thinking for myself. I’m great with my hands and can assemble anything together. For a short while, I was working as a mechanical engineer for the GAR.” The clone oozed with excitement and enthusiasm, which was quite entertaining. Clad in a pink-hued dress shirt and a blue suit, which matched his facial tattoos. On his feet were freshly polished loafers still tapping the ground.
“Well, I’m Fox. My skills are geared toward CAD and any type of 3D rendering. Once I devote myself to something, I see it through. You can trust me on this project; I assure you that,” he barely showed any type of emotions compared to his counterpart. His attire was dark-- suit, shoes, everything. It said a lot about him and which made you anxious.
“Well, I’m Steela! Researching is my speciality. Problem-solving is also a breeze. I’ll be able to find the answers in order to help us advance to a whole other level! I enjoy leading projects like this, since I know I can keep us on track one hundred percent!” The excitement radiating from her was encouraging. She seemed like a strong woman ready to lead this team to success. She wore brown high waisted dress pants with a matching blazer, and white blouse. On her feet were suede, caramel heel booties.
“I’ll go next…” the young Twi’lek’s voice was soft and elegant, soothing to everyone in the group. Just as she was about to speak the double-doors swung open.
“Asajj, we have a problem,” her voice hushed but full of urgency as she glanced around the room. “Tannis was fired. We need to fill her position. Now!”
“Gods, I knew this was going to happen. I told her she wasn’t ready for this position. Now he’s going to take it out on me,” Asajj let out a long sigh, arms folding across her body. The woman that just emerged looked similar to her, though her face was more relaxed.
“(Y/N), can you come over here for a second please?”
Everyone in the room glanced up at you before continuing their tasks.. Rising from your chair, you crossed the room sliding past everyone with ease. Asajj acted like she was presenting the finest delicacy in the galaxy; arms held out at you.
“I think she’ll do. A tad on the quiet side, but I’m sure Mr. Crimson can work with it,” Her response was more of a question, as both women had their eyes upon you.
“It’s not like we have much of a choice. You cannot run this and take on two secretary positions. You’re going to need the help,” The woman’s pale grey eyes burned into you.  
“Fine. Take her to Mr. Crimson. You better hope he approves,” Asajj warned, giving you one last glance.
Quickly grabbing your belongings, the conversation you just had replays in your mind.
“Tannis,”
Why did that name sound so familiar? Who’s Mr. Crimson and why did you have to go see him.  Your mind whirled around, anxiety eating away as you set foot in the elevator. It felt like a full rotation cycle before reaching floor twenty. Being led out you walked down a hallway that was decorated lavishly. The flooring was a beautiful dark marble. Each step you took echoed off the walls. Nearing the end of the hall, both of you walked through another set of tall glass double doors. Entering the spacious room, you can’t help but notice the viewport walls. Also catching your attention were two long black desks. They were set across from one another stacked with datapads and pieces of flimsy. Towards the middle was a closed black door that had a frosted glass panel. Without a doubt this room was breathtaking and even though it lacked decor compared to the hallway, the view of Galactic City made up for it. Light knuckles hit against the panel three times, waiting for a response.
“What is it now?” The aggressive tone was enough to send a chill down your spine.
Slowly opening the door to peek her head in. A few words were exchanged before she fully opened the door, motioning for you to follow right behind. Inside was a long glass desk, the legs were black; matching some of the furnishings or complimenting them. In front were two rounded leather chairs, the area rug underneath a bright white. Paintings and picture frames hung on the right side of the room, though you were too afraid to really gawk at them as a gruff voice began erupting again. There he sat, his black leather chair facing the viewports behind his desk seeming to be amidst another phone call.  Something about his voice was all too familiar but the fear bubbling inside you made it difficult to pinpoint. Soon enough he swung his chair around slamming the phone down, right hand pinching the bridge of his nose.
“What was so important that you had to interrupt yet another phone call, Leys. If it’s not about numbers, you know, the job I pay you to do? Then leave. I’ll fire you too. I’ve had it with everyone’s complacent behavior. Any fool could be my financial officer, so if you as so step out of line again, you’re done,” The snarl erupting from this man was horrifying, bringing you back to the Caf shop.
It was him! The same eerie tone used then too, and yet he was able to turn it off so quickly when addressing you. Your hands began to clam up, eyes not even daring to meet his.
“Yes sir, I understand I’m very sorry. I just wanted to bring you Tannis’ replacement,” voice quivering, Leys bowed her head and hurriedly left Mr. Crimson’s office leaving you behind, alone and defenseless.
A satisfied chuckle was released from Mr. Crimson as he watched his employee scatter from his office. Brow raised in your direction, his stare intense, a sneer presenting itself. “Well. Take a seat.”
His hand motioned to the smaller round chairs, eyes never leaving you. Pushing his seat back just a smidge, a polished shoe crosses over his left thigh and his hands fold against his stomach. Releasing the breath you were holding in, you padded over to the seat in front of his desk sitting as straight as humanly possible.
“It seems I’m in need of another secretary. But it’s not an easy job-- I need someone reliable, someone organized, and to understand the urgency of when I say to do something, they do it,” Towards the end of the sentence, his voice dropped a little lower, eyes narrowing. “It is a permanent job that is until mistakes are made. Pays reasonably well especially for dealing with...someone like me. Seems Asajj and Leys picked you and they’re typically alright when it comes to the judgment of character.”
Something about the way he spoke to you made your heart skip a beat. Even the way he stared at you had your arms lined with goosebumps. Trying to compile a coherent sentence was no easy feat with his eyes burning into you.
 “I-I, um..” fumbling over your words caused your cheeks to run hot. “Well...first off I wanted to thank you for this morning. You really didn’t have to pay for me...but I greatly appreciate it. As for my work, I am quite organized and pay attention to directions given, but I don’t exactly have the experience in being a secretary, which would probably be important…” trailing off, you broke eye contact with him to glance at a red light blinking on his phone.
He barely acknowledged your thanks, just giving a small nod. A deep hearty laugh left his lips, “Any fool could be a secretary, but you don’t seem like a fool. No, just the way you speak and hold yourself exudes intelligence. Normally a secretary is chosen from within the company, as an outsider could be one that would leak vital information about QuanCom to its competitors. Someone that has worked their way up the ranks, whom I could trust. However, due to obvious circumstances here we are. If you so choose to take this job you will have limited access to certain databases as I need you to earn that trust. Understood?” The sneer plastered itself once more upon his face, incisors visible this time.
“Yes sir, I understand. I’ll make sure I do this right Mr. Crimson!” a little bit of enthusiasm worked its way to you, eyes lighting up like Coruscant itself.
“Please, call me Maul.” he pleaded, followed by a half-smirk.
Rising to his feet, he outstretched a hand that you mirrored. His callused hand engulfing yours in a gentle embrace. Just this morning you were going in ready to compete against nineteen other candidates, and here you are sealing a deal with the CEO of QuanCom to be his second secretary. Breaking the handshake, he opens up his desk drawer pulling out a datapad, handing it to you.
“That will be yours. You’ll need it for all the paperwork and emails. You’re free to take it home, just don’t lose it. Asajj will send you some emails tonight that will need to be completed before you come in tomorrow morning at 6 sharp. Once you do that you’ll be set up in our system and able to begin your duties. You’re dismissed for the day, but you will be paid for a full day. Just a small token of gratitude.”
Taking the datapad in your hands, you gave a curt nod, ensuring you understood the importance that was just given to you. Getting yourself together along with your things, you exchanged a few words expressing how grateful you are for this new position. Heading toward the door, you outstretch a hand to grab the handle. Just as you’re about to open the black door, his voice cuts the silence.
“Oh, one last thing, don’t mention our little encounter this morning to anyone. Some may think... I’m beginning to play favorites.” his voice honeyed paired with a smirk and eyes ogling you, trying to take in one last visual before you leave.
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taglist: @maulfrk​ @honestlystop​ @pinkiemme​ @idiotonastar​ @nawpitynopenope @maulieber​ @rishi-moon​ 
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sleep-writes · 3 years
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I don’t post on this blog much so I might as well post about books
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Just finished reading these two! I’ve never read sunwing before but I’m so glad I finally did. What a thrilling continuation of Silverwing. I haven’t read silverwing in years so returning to it was very nostalgic! A lot of things went over my head when I was little, like the gore and brutal politics.
I plan on reading firewing next, then finishing up the series with my all time favourite of the series: Darkwing. The otherworldliness of the Paleocene setting is amazing. Like SW, It’s also been a long time since I’ve read it.
My favourite parts about these books is definitely how visual they are. You can almost see every moment in your mind’s eye, and Kenneth Oppel does not spare details. However it’s done very well so the prose doesn’t seem bloated. I love it.
One thing I found mildly annoying with Sunwing was the bits of recap, and rexplaining concepts from the first book, but that can be forgiven as I imagine readers would need a refresher after waiting for the sequel to come out.
Overall, I love the Silverwing series so far and I’m enjoying it a lot! The definitely are that kind of book you can’t put down or stop thinking about
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bittercoldbrew · 3 years
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PLEASE tell me about the alien plant girls im so gay for anthropomorphic fem plants
omg thank you SO MUCH for asking and i apologize in advance for the infodump because i have been thinking about these alien plant people for literal years now, i love them so much. I first started thinking about these guys a little after TFA, because of an oc i was working on for a lil star wars fic that i have mostly abandoned by now--so sorry to the like 3 people who were reading my sidon ithano fic but tlj/tros really killed whatever passion i had for the franchise for a good long time :/ but Mando is great so i've been thinking about them'st again...
anyway i am sticking this under a cut because a) im very attached to these characters and if someone steals my shit i will kermit and b) sweet jesus this got so long, i am so sorry
in the SW universe at least, these plant people (that i still for the life of me cannot settle on an actual name for) were the primary inhabitants of a dwarf planet way out in wild space; they had a pretty symbiotic relationship with a race of sentient insectoid people (basically human-sized bees) who could travel between the planet and their home on one of its three moons (affectionately called the Honey Moon). what the plants didn’t know was that the bees were also able to travel to different planets, and had been doing so for a couple centuries before everything went to shit--but we’ll get to that in a bit.
the plant people weren’t particularly interested in the galaxy around them--they had a decent understanding of astronomy and cosmology, but little cultural interest in journeying to the stars. since the planet was pretty small and distant from the galactic core, it was pretty rare that a visiting ship would even pass them by, and scanners didn’t register them as genuine life-forms separate from the natural flora, so even if someone happened to end up out there it’s not the sort of place anyone would really choose to land. on rare occasions, a pirate or smuggler would try to hide out on what they thought to be an unoccupied planet, and would return to the Outer Rim with tales of mobile, sentient trees and bizarre, organic cities found on some uncharted world; likewise, occasionally a plant person would turn up at the local bar with tales of crashed space-ships and strange aliens that seemed almost like people. neither would ever be taken seriously.
the plants aren’t a particularly verbal people. they understand spoken language (a somewhat-modified Basic, at least, which is what the bees speak hmm i wonder where they picked that up from) and many can talk, but most don’t really bother learning to do so. mostly they rely on an ESP-like combo of pheromones and body language, highly attuned to the point that it’s essentially a kind of telepathy. i think i mentioned in the tags on that post that my character Antheia is sorta kinda a jedi? for these people, force sensitivity tends to manifest as an extra-extra-sensory-perception that causes you to be hyperaware of every living thing in your environment, not just the other sentient ones.
this made her uhhh extremely off-putting as a youth, easily distractable and often disinterested in the other people in the small community she grew up in, where she was already pretty disliked to begin with. there’s quite a lot of diversity among the plant people (a wide variety of skin tones/textures and body types, though few if any secondary sex characteristics; four limbs are most common, though occasionally some have two or more sets of arms; different types of leaves/vines/blossoms/etc in lieu of hair), and though they have a barter-based economy there’s still a lot of classism that’s mostly based around lineage (and thus evinced by one’s appearance and the traits one manifests). to protect (or attempt to bolster) those lineages, prospective parents can apply for a spot in a nursery, where their offspring are propagated and tended--mostly just through infancy before going to live with parents, though sometimes longer, and the very high class have private nurseries that will do all the rearing so they don’t have to.
But, on very rare occasions, certain wild plants will spontaneously develop sentience, and even more rarely will survive on their own long enough to find their way to a community. Hundreds of years ago (or “before the bees could speak”, which is their version of “once upon a time”), these spontaneous growths were revered and cherished, and whoever was first to encounter one would see it as a great honor to be responsible for their care and upbringing. now, with a much more striated society, these “weeds” (derogatory) are considered inferior, feral, dangerous. fortunately for Antheia, the man who found her, tangled in marsh reeds under the light of the Honey Moon, didn’t buy into any of that bullshit. he was a really sweet dad, very attentive and doting on his increasingly-strange adopted daughter; they were very close. but the older she got, the more her unusual ability developed, and the more he realized he was well out of his depth to help her understand that part of herself. eventually, she’s sent away to a kind of temple/convent for other people like her, where she’s trained to hone and control her extra senses, rather than be overwhelmed by them.
many years later, the sudden appearance of several large starships in their atmosphere turns their society on its head. it turns out, the bee-people have been traveling to other planets, forging alliances, brokering deals; they claim they just want to facilitate inter-planetary trade. Antheia is among the first to mistrust these invading aliens and their fleet of well-armed droids who seem hell-bent on mining their planet (which is, apparently, rich with cortosis, which--thank you wookiepedia--is apparently capable of repelling lightsabers and blasterfire alike). She flees her convent, joins up with an underground network of resistance fighters, discovers that her hyperawareness makes her a truly formidable force on the battlefield, and helps lead her people in defending the sovereignty of their home. And then things take a turn for the worse...but we don’t need to get into that right now.
ANYWAY.
my other oc, Shoal, is from the same planet but not even remotely star-warsy; either from a different time period well before the droid incursion, or just like an AU of my own stuff, idk. but she’s great, i love her deeply even though i dont really know what i even want to do with her yet. i mostly just was thinking about what a normal, average person in this world would be like, but then i got too attached. she’s also one of the spontaneous “weeds”, a semi-aquatic plant girl that washed up on a sandbar that occasionally connects a small island with the mainland when the tide is out. she was sort of “found” by multiple people at the same time, since they were making their way across to go trade goods at the mainland market, so to avoid the confusion of who should be responsible for her, she’s just sort of raised by the village as a whole. they name her Shoal, since that’s where they found her (it started as a joke, but then no one could agree on anything else to call her so it just sort of...stuck).
she grows up without realizing that it’s a pretty unusual upbringing. as a teen, she gains the reputation for the island’s best fisher (it helps that she can breathe as well underwater as above, and she’s always been a good swimmer). one thing that’s pretty consistent among all the plant people are their teeth--they all have long, sharp incisors and canines because sexy and also as more of a defense mechanism than a dietary one. they don’t eat much, typically absorbing nutrients from the sun/water/air/soil (mud baths are such a beloved experience, like for the most part they are very dignified people but find them some good mud and they will wallow for days) but when they do it’s pretty meat-heavy. they don’t really enjoy the process of eating very much, especially because they don’t have much gut bacteria so they typically have to swallow some stones to break up their food and nobody wants to do all that. but, at least in the coastal towns near where Shoal grew up, fresh-caught fish is considered a delicacy, and they can trade for quite a lot in return.
as she gets older, though, she starts getting restless. she loves her village, but it’s all she’s ever really known. also, it is so hard to even consider dating when literally everyone your age is practically your sibling, i mean, yeesh. so one day she just packs her bags and says her goodbyes and waits for low tide, then sets off to find her own way in the great wide world. she stops wherever she can, sees everything she can, but eventually settles down working at a tavern in a medium-sized town that’s mostly acclaimed for being a crossroads between bigger and better places. she likes it there, likes getting to know lots of new people and hearing about someone else’s travels more than she actually liked traveling herself. after a few years, the tavern-keeper retires and decides to leave the place to her, and she finds she’s become a permanent fixture in this new community. that’s really all i have for her so far, and i have no idea whether i’ll ever actually do anything with this character lol, but still she is very precious to me so i hope i find a story she’d be a good match for sometime soon.
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carolofdanvers · 4 years
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𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 - nomad steve rogers x sw! reader
steve rogers is not usually the guy to seek out a stranger for relief, but after going into hiding post-avengers-breakup in amsterdam, the sultry red glow emitting from the neon signs in the red light’s district seem more and more tempting each passing night.
( warnings: nsfw, rough, sex work, descriptive smut, slight dom x sub undertones, dark! nomad steve, angsty, oral sex (male recieving), etc. )
Word Count: approx. 4.9k
this is my first one shot, my apologies for making it so long! i got a little carried away. tbh i’m thinking about turning it into a series if people like it enough, i think theres room to explore things here but for now just enjoy! i’d love some feedback if you have any! happy reading!
✧・゚: *✧・゚:*    *:・゚✧*:・゚✧✧・゚: *✧・゚:*    *:・゚✧*:・゚✧✧・゚: *✧・゚:*    *:・゚✧*:・゚✧✧・゚: *✧・゚:*    *:・゚✧*:・゚✧
To say that Steve Rogers was exhausted would be an understatement. After the fight that broke out in Germany, where friends became enemies and enemies became friends, the blonde super soldier had lost track of time. Although the memories seared through his mind like a surgeons cautery pen as if they were yesterday, the image of Tony in a rage and taking hit after hit, Bucky going under cryo in Wakanda, it had been almost a year. It was hard to believe it; the burner phone weighed heavily in his pocket with no calls or text from his former friend and wealthy fellow avenger. But, in the time he had been on the run, Amsterdam had been the most recent place to call a temporary home. He had stayed in places not so pleasant, like the little motels all across Russia as he backpacked further west into Europe, never really staying in any place for long. He was overly cautious; the man had lost faith in most forms of authority, which rang with such a strong sense of irony considering he was at one point the epitome of a law abiding citizen. Poor pre-serum Steve wouldn't know what to think of the man he had become; bitter, closed off, easily agitated, irritable, and even a bit cruel. He hated the world that had suddenly hated him, the world he found himself wishing he had never woken up into. Steve had become so unbearable that he and sam had split ways for a while, promising to reconvene in London should it be necessary. But now, Steve was on his own, staring out the window of his hotel room that had the perfect view of the canals that swirled like ink, and the bridge that lead right into the ever so alluring Red Light District.
During the day, the Red Light District was rather inconspicuous, perhaps slightly less attractive than the rest of the city, if anything at all. The bricks aligned in a herringbone pattern practically guided you past window after window of beautiful women, quite literally anyone you imagined. The closer you get to the area, the louder the buzzing of neon gets. The bars are usually pretty empty during the day, a few stray women, presumably escorts, looking to pick up an alcoholic or two having a drink at noon. Steve often found himself in these bars, but only during the day to find a place away from the tourist infested hotel and his sad, tiny hotel room. He never got anything to drink besides water, since alcohol metabolized far too quickly in his body to have any affect on him anyways. It was times like these that he missed Thor’s Asgardian brews, the only alcohol he had ever tried that made him feel something, any kind of buzz. But alas, he stuck to water in the dimly lit, smokey bars with sunlight seeping in through the above-ground windows.
The women of the Red Light District never tempted him, at least during the day. Steve had never found the appeal in casual sex. Yes, he was a man with desires and wants and needs, but part of him was too unbothered to try anything. He had Sharon, at one point in time, early on in his fugitive life, but they had since parted ways for the same reason he and Sam parted ways. The man was far too distant to really feel anything, but there was something about this place at night that drew him in more than he wanted to admit. Was it the otherworldly red glow that caught his eye? Or rather the shadows of women dancing in the windows, that same sensual red caressing their skin, barely dressed and jewels adorning their skin and necklaces resting against collarbones and heels far too tall for day to day wear? Perhaps it was the EDM that pounded from the many clubs, or maybe there was something else he couldn’t explain, a primal nature in him that drove him to near madness when he lay in bed trying to sleep, the soft red glow haunting him through the thin curtains covering the sliding door to a balcony. Sometimes, Steve would sit out there, watching the wonderland from afar, scratching his beard as he contemplated venturing into the maw of the beast. He never gave in, knowing the risk of being caught was serving time for treason at best.
But this particular night, Steve was insatiable. His own hands couldn’t possibly satisfy the craving that couldn’t be satisfied, the itch that just couldn’t be scratched. He was usually relatively satisfied after a few minutes, his hand wrapped around the thick veiny shaft of his cock and leaning against the headboard of his bed as he swiftly sent himself over the edge. But tonight was something else entirely. He had gone at it three or four times, his bare and sculpted chest glistening with sweat and his lower half slick with his cum. It didn’t help that his neighbor in the suite next door must have brought home a girl, because between the pounding of the headboard against the wall and the fake moans the poor girl had to emit was obnoxious, Steve couldn’t possibly take it anymore. He put on a few layers, as it was starting to get a little chilly in the city, as well as a hat to hide his face behind, and ventured out into the belly of the beast. He wandered for a while, keeping his head low for a while, until he realized how the red lights drowned out most features. his hat cast a deep shadow over his face, his hands shoved in his pockets as he finally lift his head to look up at the scantily clad women in the windows, waving at passerby after passerby. A few spotted him and fear coursed through his veins, but they didn’t recognize him, only thought he was handsome enough to warrant their attention. but he wasn’t drawn to any of them, not like he was drawn to you.
You were something else entirely. Although you were tucked away towards the end of the rows of windows, your presence was enthralling. He moved closer to the window as if you were a siren and he was lured to you by your song. You hadn’t spotted him yet, dressed in what was more of a burlesque showgirl kind of costume, almost pinup style. The crystals upon your leather bra reflected the haunting neon lights into fragments of color, bouncing around and catching the eye, although your perky breasts were just another set of eye catchers. Steve felt his cock twitch beneath the denim of his jeans, cursing his quick recovery speed considering he had left his hotel almost immediately after his fourth orgasm of the night. The super soldier took off his hat and ran his hands through his long hair to disturb it, never once taking his eyes off of you. you had finally spotted him at this point, noticing the handsome figure now smirking at you as you made eye contact. His stunning blues still managed to shine underneath the red light and something about that carnal look behind them made you forget any other potential customer besides him. you moved coyly, turning around to play shy and peeking over your shoulder, but turning around exposed your plump bum and swaying your hips only accentuated such a feature. You checked again to see if he was still watching, which he was, though a smirk was ever so present beneath his thick beard. Your mouth began to water at the imaginary feeling of his beard between your legs, the coarse hair tickling your inner thighs. This is what sent you over the edge, lifting your hand and summoning him with a single finger, your long nails accentuating the movement. Steve hesitated for a moment, looking over both shoulders, before moving towards the door. 
Steve had never solicited anyone before. He had never really had one night stands, let alone payed anyone for sex. He was that kind of guy who wanted chemistry and a relationship between him and his partner, as cheesy as that sounded. He may still be adjusting to the modern world but it didn’t matter when he woke up from being under ice, he would have always felt that way. But he sure as hell felt chemistry between you and him. He entered the room just as you were closing the curtains, standing in the doorway as he took in the layout of the very small room. Where you stood was the giant window that you lured customers through, the lights that once shone through the window were now blocked by thick curtains and that very same red light that haunted his every filthy thought flooded the room. It was tiny, a small bed a little larger than a twin was pressed against the wall, with a sink directly across. It was clean, plainly decorated, but clean. He assumed that every room looked like this. Steve finally got a closer look at you as you stood there staring at him, your painted lips curved into a teasing smile. He noticed that bit of mischief was prevalent in you; he could see it in your eyes, your expressive brows, your hands that wandered your own body to tease him, and god, was it working.
"You're new here." you said, moving in to place your hand's on his broad shoulders beneath his heavy canvas coat, letting them slide down to his chest and slowly unzip. Normally, you'd ask for your payment ahead of time, but this man seemed like he was going to be payment enough. "I've never seen you around, neither have the other girls. Otherwise there would have been plenty of talk. It's not often we get handsome strangers like you in all to ourselves."
Steve was mildly surprised to hear english, tensing up as he felt you unzip his coat, but he couldn't help but let you. Your accent didn't sound like the natives of Amsterdam, making him more and more curious about you. Every new thing he learned about you made him crave you even more, and though he was holding back, he wasn't sure he wanted to anymore.
"Your accent. It isn't Dutch." he was curt, his words getting to the point and it only made you wonder if he would be this harsh and unrefined with your body, something you had been craving from a beautiful man like him.
"It isn't." You pushed his coat off his shoulders to reveal a white t shirt that looked a few sizes too small considering his bulging muscles. The sleeves look like they'd burst any moment. "Would you like it to be?" You purred, arms wrapping around his neck and playing with his long hair, hair that hadn't seen a barber in far too long. "I can be a sweet little girl from London, or perhaps a feisty American woman, or a seductive French Woman fresh from Paris," You mimicked every accent with uncanny precision, leaving the blonde man unsettled and impressed. There was more to you than meets the eye, apparently. Steve was tense as he felt you get even closer, the heat from your bare body enough to make him feel that desire come back full force, blood rushing to his lower abdomen and feeling himself get warm as his large hands finally found their place at your waist, that mischievous smirk growing upon your red lips. "I can be anyone you want me to be." you tugged at his hair playfully.
"To be frank, I don't care. Just be you." he pulled you in roughly, body to body, face only inches from each other. A silent agreement was made between the two of you; this was really going to happen. Your lips collided into a heated kiss. Steve had never felt so sexually attracted to someone in his life without really knowing them. Perhaps that was the appeal, the idea that he had no idea who you were, only that you were willing to do almost anything and be anyone he asked for some euros. He pulled away from the kiss, the two of you now panting as you tugged at the hem of his shirt and helped him lift it up over his head, revealing one hell of a body. What was a man like him doing in Amsterdam alone? Was he single or was he filling the void of a lacking lover with prostitutes in the window brothels? You did not have time to dwell upon those thoughts any longer as his lips found your neck, his arms wrapped around you from behind as you let out little mewls of pleasure. His scratchy beard sent shivers down your spine, lips leaving little red splotches that would surely darken over time. His grip was strong, commanding, a little harsh, but you liked that.
"What can I call you?" you purred, pushing your hips back into his and finding that he had a large bulge that was only getting bigger by the moment. "How does that feel, Sir?" you tested, your hand reaching behind to touch his face while the other rest on top of one of his hands and guided it to your breast. "Do you like it, Master?" Still not a satisfactory reaction from the man you wished to seduce, although he continued to work at your neck and let out a soft groan as his large hand cupped at your breast still covered by the costume you wore. "If you want it, come and get it, Daddy." This was the name, you decided, noticing him freeze at the name before his grip got rougher and he was a little more reckless with you. Steve caught that mischievous look in your eyes again in the mirror and finally the man let go of all his inhibitions. He spun you around to face him before he kissed you again, sloppily and full of need as if you were his life force. His hands wandered your back, pulling you towards him and pressing your body against his chiseled one. the kiss was suffocating in the best way possible, one of his hands sliding up to your face, leaving a trail of goosebumps upon your skin. It settled at your neck, momentarily wrapping around it as if he threatened to tighten his grip, before pressing at the back of your neck to deepen the kiss. He grabbed fistfuls of your freshly done curls that reminded him of the show girls he toured with back in the forties. Everything about you screamed home to him, despite you being completely unaware of what home even was to him, despite him not even having a home anymore. You pulled away only to look him in those beautiful light eyes, the two of you basking in the deep red light that perfectly reflected the heavy heat of the room. Your hands swiftly moved to undo his belt and slide down his jeans that pooled down at his knees, leaving him in his briefs. The imprint of his bulge clearly showed how he yearned for you, his shaft wanting nothing more to escape its confine. you guided him to the little bed and had him lean against it while you wedged yourself between his legs. The way you looked up at him had him going wild, innocent eyes looking up at him through thick lashes as you palmed his cock through the thin fabric. You loved the way he looked down at you, the way his knuckles had turned white from gripping the edge of the bed too rough. He looked down at you with an intensity you rarely saw in a man as you hooked your thumbs into the elastic waistband and tugged down, his member springing out and standing at attention as his boxers joined his other clothing on the floor. Steve watched in awe as you left open mouth kisses on the veiny shaft, groaning upon the feeling of your soft lips where he craved you the most. You were shocked at how large he was, although you shouldn’t have been just by looking at him. You lifted the mattress to grab a condom wrapper, tearing it open and rolling it over his hard member. You, like all the other sex workers in the Red Light District, refused to not use a condom. It was common knowledge and Steve silently agreed to it. He didn't want to make you uncomfortable. His hands found their place in your hair again as your tongue dragged from the base to tip, flicking over the slit that leaked clear precum into the latex. Steve’s body reacted more than he would have liked, involuntarily tensing. A low growl rumbled in his chest as you finally began to take him into your mouth, little by little as your hands with manicured nails wrapped around the shaft. He watched you as you began to bob your head, groans of pleasure escaping him. You looked so beautiful to him, unearthly and sinful with drool dribbling down your chin and watery eyes from taking his thick length into your mouth and hitting the back of your throat. He hadn’t felt the touch of a woman in too long, unaware of how much he had been craving physical intimacy. Watching you move was enough to make him explode right then and there, but he held it back, the coil in his lower abdomen tightening up as he threatened to orgasm.
"Yeah, that's right, doll, take it." he moaned, really getting into things now. You looked up to see his eyes shut and head tossed back. His neck was tense and jaw clenched. He was already close to an orgasm, which was unsurprising to a woman in your field, however you didn't want the fun to end so soon. Your hands moved away from his cock and you braced yourself on either of his thighs as you began to deepthroat him, taking all seven inches down. Suppressing your gag reflex was easy enough, although your jaw ached from his girth. He let out a guttural moan, one he couldn't hold back like the others as your lips closed around him and bottomed out down your throat. He pulled on your hair, the pleasure too overwhelming, but you refused to let him give in. You pulled away with a gasp, strings of saliva connected from his cock to your lips as you breathed heavily and your hands moved at the pace your head had bobbed.
"Does Daddy like it? Does it make him wanna bust? Come on, Daddy-" Steve had enough of the taunting. He lift your chin up so he could look at you, a proper mess with smeared lip stick and drool, wiping it away with his thumb.
"You drive me insane." was all he said before he scooped you up and placed you on the bed. He kicked off his clothes that pooled around his ankles and swiftly undid your own bra, your nipples hardening to the cool air as Steve hovered over you. Once again, his lips found their place at your neck, admiring his marks that had now deepened and went over them again, but unsuspecting you had been so consumed with the feeling of his lips on your neck and trailing down that you hadn't noticed his hand slip away from your waist and slipped beneath the fabric of your lacy promiscuous bottoms. Your eyes, which had previously been shut as you enjoyed his lips on your neck, flew open as you gasped, back arching up towards his hovering body upon feeling his fingers slide between your slick folds. Steve wanted nothing more than to slide into you right then and there upon hearing that beautiful sigh escape you. His cock twitched in need as his lips trailed further down, nibbling on your collarbones and leaving breathy, open mouth kisses until taking the delicate rosebud of your nipple into his mouth and sucking gently while a finger skillfully slid inside you. Your moans were symphonic, like beautiful song, although he knew they weren't faked like the neighbor's girl, her sing-songy moans that annoyed him to no end. He was genuinely pleasing her, and he loved it. You grew wetter by the second, the feeling of his finger, and then fingers inside of you, his lips leaving marks all over your breasts, you weren't sure how much longer you could last. And there was another moment of silent communication, as Steve pulled away, sliding his middle and ring finger out of her and placing them to her lips. "Be a good girl and clean them up." he demanded, groaning as you parted your lips and sucked his fingers clean, tongue swirling around them sensually. His cock twitched at the feeling before pouncing, pinning you down and kissing you feverishly and you reciprocating once more. His hands slid down your body to remove what little clothing was still on you, leaving the two of you bare. Your taste on your tongue was intoxicating, and if he had more time and more patience he would have savored it and perhaps gone down on you, but he was impatient and needed you. Steve's eyes met yours as he lined himself up with you and slid in, the two of you erupting into moans neither of you could hold back. It had been almost a year since the last time Steve had had sex, but you didn't have that excuse. Your moans shocked you. Steve shocked you. You had sex all into the night, every single night, several men leaving this very room and yet none of them felt the way Steve did inside of you. You were unsure of whether or not it was because of how attracted to each other you both were or if he was simply that large (or perhaps it was both), but as he bottomed out inside of you, your nails dug into his broad shoulders and he buried his face into the crook of your neck. You shut your eyes tight, seeing stars from the sheer pleasure of it all, but slowly it began to fade, to which Steve took as a sign to begin to move. He pinned your arms over your head as he pulled almost all the way out, smirking as he slammed back into you. It felt intense as he reached spots few other men had over reached, proving himself superior with every roll of his hips. Steve found satisfaction in the way your face morphed, eyes squeezing shut and nose scrunching before lips parted and formed a perfect "o" shape, letting out another moan that was like music to his ears. It spurred him on, encouraging him to keep going. "You like that, baby?" he asked, although you were so consumed by the pleasure that only incoherent mumbles could escape your lips. Steve wasn't satisfied by this. "Use your words, dollface or else Daddy won't let you cum. Tell me how much you love how I fuck you." He demanded, really getting into it as he picked up the pace, grunting softly as your tight walls gripped him like no other. You were a desperate mess at this point, eyes wild and filled with arousal and fear as the sounds of sex filled the air, skin to skin contact and the faint thumping of EDM from a nearby club. The unmistakable smell of it consumed your mind, unable to form a single proper thought and fully enveloped in this electrifying sense of primal desire. Your body felt hot, a thin sheen of sweat glistening upon your skin like diamonds, your baby hair starting to stick to your forehead from the pleasure of it all. You could feel yourself reaching your climax but you knew he'd deny you of that thing you chased if you didn't talk, if you didn't beg for it. "God, I love how you fuck me, Daddy. You're so big inside of me, you fill me up so good-" You were interrupted by a moan that escaped you involuntarily as he purposely rolled his hips deep into you. You were dangerously close and Steve could feel it too, the way you clenched around him, the way your body rolled like the tides beneath him. He needed to orgasm, but he refused until he heard you beg. "Beg for me, baby girl." He demanded, now thrusting at an ungodly speed. You weren't sure how any human could move like this, but you had no idea who he was, really. You had no idea that he wasn't some average human, you could only assume he was just some guy with extraordinary skills. Steve let go of your hands to get better leverage over you, and your hands flew to his back. "Please Daddy, let me cum," you begged, nails digging into his skin and leaving claw marks upon his flesh to serve as a reminder later when he showered that this was not a dream. "I love how good you fuck me, no other man can possibly compare to you. I love your big cock inside of me, it makes me feel so good. Please daddy, I'm begging you, let your baby girl cum-" You were interrupted by his hand reaching down to find your clit and begin circling it with his fingers, nearly sending you over the edge. But it wasn't his skillful fingers or his thrusting that got you to your peak, but his words, his command that brought you to your orgasm. "Cum for me, doll." Four simple words made you cum, an explosive orgasm that reminded you of the birth of a star. Pleasure ripped through you like white hot lightning and rippled out to your fingers and toes and left you feeling like you were made of stardust and nothing more. You hadn't even realized how loud you were moaning because you were so consumed with the immense pleasure he brought you. Your toes curled and eyes shut tight, head tossed back, shaking violently as your legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him in and deeper inside of you. Steve was close, himself, but you pulling him in deeper and deeper with your strong legs around his waist sent him over the edge. He wanted to admire the beauty that was you as you orgasmed, but he could hardly focused as you had tightened around him and an orgasm was imminent. He thrust into you once, twice, and three more times before he came as well, spilling into the condom wrapped around his shaft. He let out a guttural moan in your ear, his own eyes shut tight. The two of you slowly fell from your highs together, panting heavily. Steve's warm breath tickled your neck as he peppered kisses upon your skin again, softening inside of you. It took a moment for you to recover, as it did for Steve, but he seemed eager to leave. You were a bit disappointed as he got up so soon and threw away the used condom, sighing as he was finally satisfied. for now. "How much do I owe you?" he asked as he started to get dressed again, the jingling of his belt filling the heavy silence in the room. You looked at him, languidly propped up on the bed, staring at him like he was a god. "Nothing." you said after a moment of silence. he paused and looked at you, pushing back his long hair and suppressing a smile. "I've never had sex like that before, you must've been angry for a very long time." You teased, grabbing your robe and wrapping yourself up. You grabbed your cigarette and lit it, blowing smoke out between your smudged lips. He scoffed and shook his head, putting his t shirt back on. "Yeah. I guess you could say that." His voice was low, gravelly and quiet, as if that were a loaded statement. If only he could tell you of his troubles, the tales of glory and triumphs...and losses. He had walked in with slumped shoulders and his guard up, but now you noticed his posture had straightened and he seemed a little lighter on his feet. That alone was enough payment. It amused you. You stared at the wallpaper for a moment as he slipped on his hat and began to push the door open. "Can I be expecting you again?" you asked, trying not to let the hopefulness seep into your words. He looked down at his shoes before looking up at you, your curls all distressed, smeared lipstick, blowing smoke out into the air as you leaned against the bed they had fucked on only moments ago. You were otherworldly, and though sometimes it was hard for you to see yourself as even human, he thought the world of you. Brave enough to let strange men fuck you, enter the most vulnerable state a human can be. He admired that about you. "I don't know," was all he could say. You looked at him and nodded, taking a drag from your cigarette and sighing, smoke exiting your body through your nose. Looking down at your bare feet, you pursed your lips. "Well, you know where to find me." You told him. He took one last look at you before he nodded respectfully, leaving without another word. And with that, he disappeared like a ghost.
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world-of-aus · 4 years
Text
You’re My Mission One-Shot Soulmate AU! (Teaser)
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader
Word Count: TBD
Summary: *work in progress
Warnings: violence, angst, fluff
Author’s Note: Hello! So i’ve just been accepted into my masters program to continue my work in Special education and since i’ve just started my courses i may fall behind on posting ever so slightly, im hoping to have this one shot out on Saturday and Behind The Screen on Sunday, just a couple of days late while i adjust to my coursework. Since i wont be posting an update till later tomorrow i wanted to grace you all with a teaser! I hope you enjoy and thank you to @amanda-the-fangirl​ for sending in her wonderful idea! can’t wait to have the full work finished and edited!
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You awoke with a pounding head; a pained groan fell from your lips as you tried to move your aching body. Panic seeped into you when you found you couldn't move your arms, pins and needles prickling at your fingers as you struggled with the ties that had you bound. You looked around with wide eyes, but there wasn’t much to make out in the dimly lit room. You scourged your hazy brain for something, anything to tell you how you had ended up here in this situation. Your eyes widened in horror.
You quickened your pace as you pushed yourself into the sea of bodies, you pushed against them as you tried to get away from his watchful eyes. You felt the coldness of his stare on you, watching you, studying you, much like the day before, he had only continued to draw closer as the week had passed. At first you had just thought you had stumbled upon the most mysterious man, with the most marvelous crystal blue eyes.  Though when you were walking through the minuscule be isles of your streets corner market and bumped into him once more you had chalked it up to fate playing games. The third and fourth time had you biting your lip with nervousness, surely you would have seen this man before if he really did have the same schedule as you, unless, you had shaken your head of those thoughts, it couldn’t be. You had decided to swallow down your nerves and approach him on the fifth day, you hadn’t known he was there until you felt a chill run up your spine, the feel of eyes watching your every move as you ordered your favorite caffeinated drink from the overly friendly barista. Sure enough when you had handed your payment to the cashier, you chanced a glance over your shoulder to already find his gaze on yours, he had your breath catching in your throat.
You moved off stiffly to the side to allow the next customer to move up, you gazed away from the predatory eyes focusing on the baristas behind the bar, you took a deep breath deciding that you would go over to the mysterious man and confront him, in your mind there was simply no explanation for why he was always appearing in locations you had never seen him before. Your name was called and you took uneasy steps forward taking the warm cup from the smiling teen. Turning on your heel you steeled yourself as you made your way towards the man sitting in the middle of the local coffee house. Taking a breath, you found your words, “excuse me,” you voiced warmly, “ I feel like I've seen a lot  of you in places I've never seen you before, and maybe that’s just a coincidence, do I know you?” you questioned.
His eyes were looked on yours as he shook his head once, you swallowed fingers tapping on your Styrofoam cup nervously.  
“are you-” you paused, “are you following me?” you questioned voice dropping.
Your nearly dropped the hot drink in your hands when his head nodded once, rather than questioning him any further you probably did the last thing you should have done, you ran. Your heart had was racing in your chest as you raced out the doors and onto the busy streets. You looked behind you with wide eyes to see he was feet away. You quickened your pace, continuing to push through the crowds, eventually the crowd thinned the closer you got to home. You didn’t dare chance a glance back over your shoulder, you already knew he would be there. With a thrumming heart you continued to push forward, the heels of your ankle high boots thumping against the cemented side walk. If you strained your ears enough you could hear the pair of feet trailing you.
You were still another 3 blocks from your home, you began to grow desperate as the people on the streets became fewer and fewer. You did what could be described as your next biggest mistake, the one that was going to do you in. You ran, and in your hurry to get away from him you truly weren't thinking, and you ran into an alleyway, a choked sob fell from your lips as your hit a dead end. You baked away from the stoned brick, silent tears fell from your eyes, a silent gasp fell from your lips when you backed into something hard behind you. Turning ever so slowly, you looked up with wide eyes, your mouth fell open in a scream but nothing ever came as the world around you went black.
The sound of a steel door slamming had you jumping in the wooden chair you had been bound too. You waited with baited breath as you heard heavy footsteps approach you. He appeared under the single industrial pendant light. His eyes were set, jaw stiff, nostrils flaring as he looked you over, your body tensed when they landed on the knife in his hands.
“You know, you almost had me thinking I had gone after the wrong person,” he grunted.
Your eyes widened slightly, a look of horror coming over you features, “i don’t even know who you are, what do you want?” you whimpered.
His jaw clenched, “cut the shit and drop the façade y/n, it's just me and you,”  
You quivered in your chair, “i- I don’t know what you’re talking about, how do you know my name?” you questioned shakily, “please just let me go I swear I won’t tell anyone anything I sw-”
A fist to the face cut off your words, your head snapped to the side, blood seeped from your split lip.
Your jaw clenched, spitting the blood that had gathered in your mouth you turned your head back towards him, he was closer now.
You adjusted yourself in the uncomfortable chair, “did you really forget that I can’t feel the pain you inflict on me?” you glared.
Though Bucky’s face had remained the same stoic stare, his eyes looked away from yours, you scoffed. “You know you could jeopardize this entire mission for us right, what the hell are you even doing Barnes, what the hell is all of this?” you questioned pulling at the restraints.
He let out a tense breath through his lips, “I just,” his fist clenched at his side, “I just needed to make sure you were okay,”
A sarcastic laugh left your lips, “and this,” you growled tugging at the restraints, “this is your way of making sure I was okay, didn’t think you cared, if I recall it was you fleeing the moment you found out we were s-”
“don't say it,” he growled, eyes growing dark as he glared at you.
You shook your head at the man in front of you, “see you still haven’t accepted it,” you muttered, “yet here we are, with me tied to a fucking chair because you wanted to make sure I was okay.”
The two of you grew quiet as you murdered one another with the intensity of killer eyes, “can you untie me my arms uncomfortable,” you muttered. Though Bucky personally couldn’t inflict any pain on you the ropes binding your hands now that was another story.
Bucky didn’t utter a word as he went behind you to cut the restraints, your arms fell limp at your sides, a inaudible pained groan fell from your lips. You pushed yourself up on wobby legs, gathering your bearings. Once the feeling had returned to your numbed limbs, you turned to face the stoic man next to you. It took you a second to reel your hand back, your fist flying into the side of Bucky’s cheek throwing him off guard, your foot was the next thing to swing taking a direct hit into the middle of his chest sending him flying a few feet back.
A growl left his lips as he stood, a pained expression on his face, “that’s what you get Barnes,” you hissed standing your ground, “it's been a damn year, and now all of a sudden you decide to “care”, if you even want to call it that,”
“y/n” he tried
“I don’t want to hear it,” you muttered, “does the team even know you’re here, that you’ve been following me?” You seethed, “Pierce could very well have caught on, he has eyes on me, it’s been a year and the asshole still doesn’t trust me, and now you showing up out of the blue to come check up on me, what the hell bucky!”
You could see his façade fall the longer he stared at you, “the team hasn’t heard from you, they were worried.”
An angry groan tore from your lips, “fuck you Barnes, why is it so hard for you to give into your feelings,” you yelled, “the teams well aware I wouldn’t be in contact until I got everything I needed to frame pierce, and IF they were worried why not send someone else, why YOU!”
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stevesnailbat · 4 years
Text
for the first time: part one | steve harrington
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summary: A series of events through Steve’s relationship with the love of his life; their first date & kiss, their first ‘I love you’, their first time, and their first fight.
warnings: fluff, smut, and the slightest bit of angst
word count: 4.3K
a/n: Hi everyone! Thanks for giving me feedback on whether I should post this!! I did end up having to split it into two parts because I had too many paragraphs for tumblr, so part 2 can be found HERE :) Enjoy part 1!
She was all things good and pure when she moved to Hawkins in the blustery cold January of 1984. The perfect girl with a perfect family, perfect body, perfect grades. She was everything that every high testosterone teenage boy at Hawkins High wanted. But nobody seemed good enough for her; she knew what she deserved, and that was the best.
It wasn’t until almost a year later, November 1984, when someone finally caught her eye. Steve Harrington piqued her interest when she heard rumors of Nancy breaking his heart. He seemed softer after, like less of a douche. It was like the breakup had knocked his confidence a bit, and that excited her.
A few weeks after the news of their official breakup had spread, Steve noticed a girl that everyone drooled over begin to pay attention to him. She would ask him for a pencil in English, then go out of her way to bring it back to him at his locker. When walking in the hall, she would say hi, or even brush her fingers across his arm gently. He didn’t think much of it all until it was brought to his attention by the basketball team.
“So are you gonna fuck that girl or not?” Tommy asked Steve one day while they showered after practice.
“I don’t know who the hell you’re talking about.” Steve said curtly as he stood underneath the scorching water and letting it flow down his face.
“Shut the hell up, pretty boy. Like you haven’t seen the way Y/N Y/L/N looks at you. She’s practically begging for you to take her back to your bedroom,” Billy Hargrove sneers as he turns his shower off, grabbing his towel. “If you don’t fuck her, I will.” Hargrove’s comment made Steve’s blood boil, he despised the way he talked about girls, even though they were falling all over him all the time.
After that day, Steve paid attention to the way she acted around him. It took nearly another two weeks and constant backhanded flirtation from the two of them, but he finally asked her out. She played hard to get at first, always saying that she was busy, but he eventually got her to agree. He took her to dinner at the nice Italian place in town, Enzo’s, then brought her to the outskirts of town. He parked his car near a park, where they laid together, laughing about the stupid things Steve would try to point out in the stars.
“Look! It’s the little clipper.” he said as they laid on the roof of his car.
“I think you mean the little dipper, silly.” she joked in return, rolling over slightly to look at him.
Neither of them said anything after that, their eyes locked and Steve froze. He freaked for a moment, but took his chance when he saw it. His lips pressed against hers perfectly as he pulled her body closer. The kiss was short, but they both felt something real when their lips collided. It was like they had kissed before, the way that they felt so comfortable yet so alive with passion in the moment. That night seemed to be the best night of their lives thus far, and she thought it was the start of the rest of their lives together.
Steve tapped his fingers on the steering wheel of his car impatiently after honking his horn for almost a minute, waiting for Dustin to come out of his house. She sat in the passenger seat and laughed, resting her hand on top of his to stop his impulsive and incessant tapping.
“Would you calm down? He’ll be out in a minute.” she says to Steve, who only sighs impatiently in return.
Not even five minutes later, Dustin waltzes out of his house with the biggest grin plastered on his face. He was wearing white sneakers and his best dress clothes, his collared undershirt adorned with a black bow tie. His hair was curly as ever, but the curls were sprayed down and slicked slightly towards the back of his head.
“Looking fancy, Dusty!” Y/N teased as he stepped in, craning her neck to look at him in the back seat.
“You ready to impress some girls?” Steve asks, taking the car out of park.
“The girls aren’t going to be able to get enough of me, they can’t resist these pearls.” Dustin replies, a smirk and purr added to the end of his sentence. The two in the front seat laugh uncomfortably and Steve warns him to not do that at the dance. The car ride was filled with playful banter and some girl advice from Steve to Dustin. He explained how Dustin should ask a girl to dance and how he should talk to her, which made Dustin shake his head and laugh at his serious tone.
“Is that how you got Y/N, or as you called her yesterday, the love of your life?” Dustin questioned after listening to Steve’s advice in the parking lot of the middle school.
Steve’s eyes go wide and and he furrows his brow, trying to act confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about?” he tries to bring a confused tone to his voice as a small smile and blush play on her face.
“You know exact-“ Dustin starts but is cut off by Steve’s hand covering his mouth.
“I think it’s time for you to go in, yeah? You’ll be late if not.” Steve warns, unlocking the doors to his car.
Dustin grumbles shithead under his breath but obliges, moving towards the door as he says a quiet goodbye. Y/N lets out a giggle when he closes the door, meeting Steve’s nervous gaze with her excited one.
“What’s so funny, Y/N?” Steve questions, his hand resting on her thigh once more as he moves closer to her.
“You should have just told me, Steve.”
“Told you what?”
“That you love me.”
“Dustin is just being an idiot I sw-“ he begins nervously, but is quickly shut up when her lips meet his in a soft kiss.
“Steve. I love you too.” she mumbles against his lips before looking into his eyes once more.
He feels as though a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders and he grins widely. Steve has been wanting to tell her for a little while not. Really, he realized he was already falling for her after their first date. His hand cups her cheek gently as he pulls her in for one more kiss.
“Thank God, because I love you a lot.”
Y/N and Steve had been dating for three months now. They both were madly in love with each other, and he wanted to prove his love for her even further. Steve worked for hours to make their night perfect, he knew it was the night he would take her virginity. Her parents were gone for the weekend and he knew that his would be gone for the whole night, so he set up a night in since she could get away with staying over. He picked up her favorite movie, The Outsiders, and made her favorite chicken alfredo pasta. He set up candles at the kitchen table with Chardonnay poured into two wine glasses in front of their filled plates. His room was cleaned, for once, and his bed made as comfortable as possible for the sake of her comfort.
Steve was as ready as he could be when she knocked on his front door. He takes one last look in the mirror as he straightens his sweater around his neck and makes sure the zipper of his khaki pants is up before fluffing his hair one last time. He opened the door to see his beautiful girlfriend smiling up at him, shivering lightly in the blustery cold of an Indiana winter. She had on a tight, maroon wool turtleneck underneath her black winter coat with black high waisted mom jeans and white sneakers. She had on a white, wool hat and her was adorned with a thick gray scarf but he knew that underneath was a necklace that had ‘Steve’ written in small cursive on it; he had gotten it for her last week and she hadn’t taken it off since.
“Hey! Come inside, you look freezing baby.” Steve says warmly before pulling her inside gently, kissing her forehead as he pushes the door closed.
“Something smells good, did you actually cook without burning the house down?” she jokes, removing her scarf from around her neck and coat from her body, placing them on the coat rack near the door.
“Very funny, Y/N. But I made your favorite and rented The Outsiders for us to watch.” Steve says with a grin playing on his lips. “Do you want to eat or watch the movie first?”
“Can we do both?” she asks, a hint of excitement tinges her voice as she speaks.
“You made a mess last time we ate in the living room-“
“I know but I promise I won’t this time!” she practically begs as she cuts him off, “I’ll be careful baby. I just wanna watch the movie.”
She walks close to Steve, standing on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck. Her lips form into a pout as she looks up at him with hopeful and begging eyes. He sighs with fake annoyance and pecks her lips quickly before pulling her to the couch to sit down.
“I had a candlelit dinner at the table ready for us, but it’s fine. You’re lucky you’re cute.” he says before walking to the kitchen to grab their plates and drinks.
The movie finishes after they’ve both finished the pot of pasta Steve had made and a whole bottle of wine. She looks up at Steve as the credits begin, her hand tracing his bicep through his sweater lightly. Her expression puzzled Steve; he couldn’t quite figure out what her eyes were trying to tell him. In reality, she wanted the same thing that he did, but was too nervous to convey it in any way.
“Are you tired?” Steve implores quietly, his hand brushing a few stray locks of hair from against her cheek.
She said nothing and shook her head, her eyes focused only on his soft, kissable lips. Her heart seemed to be beating out of her chest almost, she was surprised that Steve couldn’t hear it. Her palms were sweating lightly as she adjusted herself to face him, sitting off to the side of his lap when she kissed him fervently. She had desire building up inside of her from the time he told her about them having the house to themselves for the night; she knew what was going to happen and she was ready.
Steve was her first real love. Sure, she had dated before. But nobody compared to Steve Harrington. He was everything she could have ever wanted in a boyfriend. She had found someone who treated her like she wanted to be treated and someone who would hold her when she was at her best and her worst. The butterflies that she had when she first realized her feelings for him were still there months later, and that was what she had been looking for all along.
Soon after she kissed him, Steve pulled her onto his lap, his hands roaming her body slowly. His fingers danced along her bare stomach gently under her shirt until he reached her breasts, palming one lightly through her bra. A small moan escapes her lips as she presses her lips deeper into his, her tongue running along his teeth as she does. Her legs wrap around his waist to pull herself closer and her hands are tousling his perfectly done-up hair.
About five minutes pass and their shirts are both strewn across the floor, both breathing erratically from excitement. Her hand travels down to Steve’s belt and she begins to unbuckle it. Before she can unbutton his pants, she feels a hand against hers. Steve kisses down her neck gently, sending shivers down her spine.
“We can take this up to my bedroom if you want baby.” he breathes out after pulling away from her neck, looking into her eyes.
She nods slowly, biting her lip nervously as she does. She starts to pull herself off of his lap but he laughs, his hands gripping her waist. Steve stands up with her in his arms and begins up the stairs as she giggles. She pulls her legs to wrap around his waist fully and she continues to kiss all over his neck, jaw and face until they reach his bedroom. When they get into the room, he turns the cassette player on that was in the corner of the room, which had a mixtape that he had picked for the night in it. He lays her down on the bed and hovers above her, holding his body weight up with his elbows as he presses his waist against hers.
“Steve.” she calls out, her voice cracking slightly as she says his name.
“Y/N.” Steve mimicks, a smirk on his lips as he stares down at her.
“I want you. No — fuck. I need you, Steve.” she whimpers out.
Her typically confident and happy tone was replaced with a very innocently nervous one in the moment. Nobody had ever made her stutter and feel as nervous as Steve did, she was vulnerable for him and only him. Steve loved that about her; he was the only one who got to see the real her. She came off as an independent girl who would kick a boy’s ass if she really needed to. In reality, she needed a specific someone around for support. He saw her during her breakdowns about school, during the crying sessions when she was on her period, during the times where she laughed hysterically until she cried about stupid jokes that he would tell her.
The whimper that escaped her lips turned Steve on to no end, he wanted to take her right then and there. But he knew that he needed to build her up to it. She was nearly shaking underneath him as she spoke, trying to hide her fear of pain that would come from the special moment. He nodded and smiled down at her sweetly, pressing a kiss to her lips gently. His hand snakes around her back as she arches it knowingly, springing her bra open with expert skill.
“I want to make you feel good first, because you know this is going to hurt, Y/N.” Steve whispers against her skin as he presses his lips against the skin of one of her breasts, looking up at her for a response.
She only nodded in return, her hand resting in his hair as he continues to kiss along her breast before eventually making it to her nipple. A small gasp leaves her lips as he does and he gets her pants unbuttoned. He somehow gets her jeans far enough down her thighs for her to kick them off the rest of the way, leaving her in only a pair of black lace underwear. Her breath hitches when she feels his hand slide into her underwear, fingers sliding between her folds slowly.
Pure ecstasy overtakes her body as Steve pleasures her, he had made his way down to between her thighs and seemed to be going to town now. His expert tongue was making her feel things that she had never felt before in her life. Although the couple had done things together before this night, he had never done this for her. It was like he had been saving everything good for the night that she had been waiting for so long to experience. Her hips buck slightly every once in a while but Steve presses them down with a rough hand to keep her in place.
Everything becomes too much soon and she feels as though she can’t hold it anymore. As if Steve can tell without her saying a word, he looks up at her and nods slowly, his free hand making its way to her clit as he uses his mouth and fingers as well. She almost immediately hits her climax and lets out a string of loud moans and whimpers, clenching around Steve’s fingers inside of her.
Steve pulls out of her once she finishes and gives her a satisfied smile, pulling himself up to her face once more. He gives her one small kiss before standing up from the bed. Y/N whimpers when she loses contact with Steve’s body, but stays in place. He quickly moves to his dresser and grabs a condom from the box in his top drawer. She watches him carefully as he moves back to the bed, pulling his pants and boxers off of his waist. He straddles her and presses a kiss against her lips before pulling away again.
“I love you, Steve.” she whispers to him, as if to reassure him that she was ready.
“I love you too, Y/N.” Steve says in return after sliding the condom onto his member. He positions himself against her slit and looks up at her momentarily. Her eyes were filled with fear mixed with overpowering passion as she stared down at where their bodies met. Steve grabbed her chin gently to get her attention and she locked eyes with him as he asks her, “You still want this, right?” He wants to take extra care to make sure she won’t regret anything that happens in the next hour. She nods, whispering a small yes and gives him a reassuring smile, her hand cupping his face as she kisses him once.
Steve lets out a nervous breath as he slides into her, pushing his hips down slowly. He stops when he hears her let out a gasp of pain, seeing tears begin to sting her eyes. She digs her nails lightly into Steve’s back as he stays still inside her, letting her get adjusted to the feeling. He whispers sweet words into her ear as he runs his fingers through her hair. After a moment he looks up at her and she nods, wanting him to move again.
He pushes the rest of his length into her and stops once more when she lets out another small cry of pain. His thumbs gently wipe the tears from her cheeks and he kisses her lips once more. She breathes heavily, sweat building up on her chest and brow as they sit there in silence.
“Move...please Steve.” she whimpers out eventually, getting used to the feeling after a while.
Steve nods and pulls out slowly, only to thrust back into her gently as (I Just) Died in Your Arms by Cutting Crew played softly in the background. Eventually the pain that was once tinged with the slightest enjoyment is replaced with only pleasure as Steve begins to quicken his pace. Y/N moans sporadically and Steve realizes that she is enjoying it more than not now, so he continues to speed up slightly. Although he had been with other girls plenty of times before her, Steve felt like he was in a different world with Y/N. She felt different around him, and he didn’t know how long he would be able to hold out.
Thankfully, Steve holds out long enough for Y/N to near her second climax of the night. Her moans grow louder as she moves her hips in unison with his, digging her nails into his shoulders.
“I’m...gonna cum, Steve.” she whimpers out, staring up at him as a string of moans escaped her lips.
“Cum with me baby, now.” Steve says into her ear, his teeth running along her neck for a moment.
The couple finishes together and becomes a moaning, panting mess on Steve’s bed. He pulls out of her afterwards and collapses on the bed next to her. She looks over at him and giggles softly, her eyes fluttering open and closed every once in a while. After laying together for a moment, Steve stands up from where he laid to throw the condom and wrapper into the trash can. He pulls his boxers over his waist and grabs a t-shirt from a drawer, handing it to his tired girlfriend who laid half-asleep on his bed.
“I love you.” she says as she takes the shirt into her hands, smiling happily.
“I love you too, Y/N.” he says, kissing her gently. “At least put the shirt on before you go to bed, baby. I don’t think I’d be able to stay asleep if I knew you were completely naked next to me all night.” Steve joked, which made her laugh.
She slips the shirt over her body and pulls her lace underwear on before laying down on the bed once more, sliding underneath the covers. Steve slips out of the room momentarily to grab her clothes and bag from the living room, so it would be ready for her in the morning. When he makes his way back to the bedroom, she was already fast asleep and cuddling into a pillow peacefully. Steve shakes his head and laughs, turning the lights and cassette player off. He then gets under the covers behind her and wraps his arms around her waist and they fall asleep together.
She was as happy as can be, and so in love with Steve. He was as happy as can be, and she thought he was so in love with her. Everything seemed perfect in the moment, and it would seem that way for a while.
Y/N noticed that Steve had been on edge for the past few days and it bothered her. But, she wasn’t one for confrontation. So, she let the eye rolling, less affectionate, distant Steve run his course for a while. After a week of Steve acting like everything she said was stupid, Y/N had dealt with enough.
“I’m tired of studying. Let’s go do something, baby. Let’s go to that burger place that’s close to your house!” she said, flipping through the pages of her Chemistry textbook as she laid on Steve’s bed after school.
Steve’s attention doesn’t waiver from the paper in front of him as he shakes his head. He sits with his back facing her at his desk, never turning around to look at her as he bluntly says “Not right now, Y/N.”
She lets out a sigh of annoyance and shuts her book quickly, tired of being ignored. Shoving her books and pencil into her backpack, a string of curse words is mumbled under her breath. “I guess I‘ll just go by myself and you can stay here and be an ass by yourself.” she breathes out, slinging her backpack across her shoulders. She makes her way to the door and still hears or sees no sign of Steve moving from his spot at his desk. Y/N lets out a loud huff and swings the bedroom door open, bounding down the stairs towards the front door.
“Hey! Y/N! What the hell?” Steve finally calls out from his room before following her down the stairs.
“Really, Steve! You’re gonna say what the hell to me? I’m tired of the way you’ve been acting this week!” she shouts out when she feels Steve grab for her shoulder when she gets to the front door.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ve been a grade-A asshole! I ask you if you want to do something and you tell me no or that it sounds boring. I say something at lunch to just add to a conversation and you come back by saying that it’s stupid or that I don’t make any sense. You’re not in the mood to do anything, you don’t even want to have sex with me! Which is very unlike you I might add. I haven’t gotten a real kiss from you in a week. I may be your girlfriend, but you’re not treating me like I am right now.” she says, her loud and strong voice wavering towards the end of her spiel.
Out of what seems to be nowhere, she starts crying. She never cried about stupid things like this, but the accumulation of everything took her over the edge. To top off what seemed like the worst week ever, she was about to start her period and was ultra emotional. She leaned against the front door and hid her face in her hands while she shook her head. Steve’s eyes went wide at the sight of her crying. He only knew her as a strong girl who could handle anything. He had seen her cry before, but never because of him.
“Shit. Baby, I’m so sorry. Don’t cry, hey. Look at me.” Steve says in a hurried voice, his heart hurting as he watches her cry.
He pulls her into a hug and she leans into it, wrapping his arms around her waist. Her face buried into his chest and she lets out a small sob as he whispers ‘I’m sorry’ to her over and over again. After a while, he gently grabs her shoulders to pry her off of his chest, then lifts her chin up and leans down to kiss her forehead softly. Her lips form into a pout and she wraps her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his hand.
“I know I’ve been an ass and I’m sorry for that. I’ve just been really stressed out from school and these stupid college letters I’m waiting on. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you and you don’t deserve that.” he whispers to her.
“Yeah, I don’t.” she laughs, slightly rolling her eyes as he presses another kiss against her cheek.
“It won’t happen again, I promise baby. Now how about we go get those burgers and some milkshakes?”
She nodded at him, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She believed that he would never intentionally try to hurt her, thinking that he was everything she could ever want in this moment of her life.
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cookiedoughmeagain · 3 years
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Haven DVD commentaries: 5.15 - Power
5.15 Commentary with Adam Higgs and Speed Weed (writers for this episode and the next episode)
SW: By the time anyone’s listening to this, we’ll both be writing on different shows. But we can’t tell you which ones yet. Not the same show as each other sadly. AH: Yeah that was a shame. But we will one day in the future, I have a good feeling about that. However for Haven stuff, I think the thing here was, we were trying to reboot the show in a way. SW: That’s right. AH: 514 is the start of the season, or of season 5 part B, but these two episodes [515 and 516] really encompass the new world order. SE: That’s right, they define the world after the shroud is down. Did we call it the shroud in the show? AH: The shroud, yeah. That’s actually a good point because we spent a lot of time talking about what the shroud was going to be called. I can’t remember the other names we thought about, but we went back and forth for a long time. SW: And we talked about what we called it - because often there’s a handle that you use in the room for what you’re talking about, and then you have to remember, did you actually put the same term in an actor’s mouth so that the world inside the show knows what it’s called? AH: My favourite is when you don’t realise that. On another show I did that, it was in the edit that I was like; Oh have we ever mentioned that that’s what that’s called? And going through scripts we realised that no; no we did not - OK, let’s ADR some stuff in.
AH: So this was fun. We’re both fans of The Walking Dead, and we got to do a Haven kind of version of The Walking Dead, or of them just trying to survive. It’s not the Trouble of the Week things so much, it’s … SW: It’s Haven’s version of a post-apocalyptic world, it’s true. These episodes were directed by Rick Bota who also direct 9 and 10 that Adam and I also wrote, so it was good to work with him again.
[Dwight and Nathan talk outside the school] AH: So here we get to see that time has passed since we last saw everyone in 514 and we spent a lot of time making sure that everyone had their own intro so we could showcase how things have changed. And a lot of this episode is about putting strain on these episodes and just seeing how everyone reacts to this post-apocalyptic kind of situation they’re in
SW: There’s Tony, he becomes a bigger character in the next episode. AH: Yeah we spent a lot of time seeding a lot of things. And we shot these episodes in between our set move. So, for other other seasons we shot up until October, or earlier than that even? And everything was shot on our sound stages in Chester. And then this year, half way through the season everything got moved up to Halifax, because of hockey. SW: That’s right. We shot on a hockey rink in Chester. Really anything that has a lot of space and a tall ceiling can be a sound stage for a television show - if it’s quiet outside, if there’s no noise from the street coming in. *pause for the break*
[Duke driving to work in Halifax] AH: This is actually Halifax, this bridge here. SW: That’s right, and I think this is actually one of the first scenes we shot in Halifax. Oh no, we shot that later. AH: Yeah this was shot quite a bit after. And here we’ve got our wonderful mechanic here played by William MacDonald. I worked with William on an episode of Republic of Doyle, so I was happy when I saw him in the auditions for this, and he did a great job. He just has that look, that imposing feel.
SW: So anyway, the people in Chester wanted their hockey rink back, so when we got a 26 epsiode order (seasons 5A and 5B) we had to move sets at this point as we were shooting. And the reason these episodes take place almost entirely in the school (this storyline [Duke in Halifax] excepted) is because all of our standing sets were being taken down in one place and being put up in another. So you’ll see in later episodes those sets coming back AH: We slowly start to see the sets getting put back up. But these scenes with Duke in Halifax were shot after - well after - because we had to shoot everything in the school for this whole block.
[As Duke is leaving his voicemail to Monty talking about the kind of job he’s looking for] SW: What do you do when you’re responsible for having given Troubles to thousands of people? AH: Go to disneyland. But no, that is exactly what we were trying to figure out here - what happens to Duke? After the explosion how does everyone pick up the pieces and move on?
AH: And another goal for these episodes was trying to get the characters to an interesting place, or a place we can build off of. And the relationship between Audrey and Charlotte was an important one to build (over this and the next couple of episodes) to see if we could get them to a place where they can trust each other. Because it’s like Speed said, what do you do after you gave everyone Troubles? What do you do when you find out that this woman that you’ve been missing your whole life [your mother] has been an obstacle for you for the last couple episodes? How do you respond to that? And we do try really hard on this show to create some level of reality, maybe not in terms of the supernatural, but at least in the emotions characters have.
SW: The other thing that was a challeng early in the design of these episodes, and it was really cool talking through with Adam in the room, was how we got a super deadly - oh I should pause, people are psyched about this kiss [Nathan’s and Audrey’s ‘I like the view’ moment], enjoy the kiss. AH: This hasn’t aired yet, I just realised. And I’ve been waiting to see the Twitter response to these kisses, because we ramp up that lovefest, in these two episodses especially. And there’s some really powerful scenes in 516. SW: It’s true. Or I should say, I believe you. I’ve actually forgotten what happens in 516. You know we do have a portion of fans who are not on Team Naudrey. We have a portion of fans who are rapid Duke/Audrey lovers.
SW: So, we really worked hard to design a Trouble that was super-deadly, and really scary, and didn’t require any production budget. So we talked a long time about the darkness, like - when you were in the dark a monster would come and eat you, but then we thought you’d have to produce something for that. So it became just the darkness itself. AH: And we even talked later about whether there would be a sound cue or not a sound cue. SW: Sound is cheap. AH: Yes, but this was a good one. We went back and forth on what to make this look like. And you’ll see some of that production-friendly magic throughout these two episodes. But the darkness I think worked well in just keeping everyone scared. Because it’s kind of human nature to be afraid of the dark.
[Dwight giving his banishment speech to the assembled crowd in the school hall] AH: We got to give Adam Copeland some cool stuff to do, and just showing where Dwight would go if you pushed him to the edge. And I’ll admit, we went further with Dwight in the early drafts. Dwight was Ned Stark in the early drafts, and he was a little bit more complicit in some executions. But we looked at the character and had to pull back a bit on that, I was a little zealous there, I think it was good to pull back. SW: Well you had The Walking Dead in mind, you know. But the truth is ultimately, we’re not that show. We are more heartfelt and lighter, and we protect our characters.
[Nathan discussing his trip down Trouble Alley, and Audrey pointing out cell phones don’t work.] AH: Cell phones. SW: We talked a lot about cell phones. AH: We did, we talked about whether or not we wanted them to be able to use cell phones, or not to use cell phones, could cell phones work that way? SW: Could they get through the shroud? Well, we knew they couldn’t get through the shroud AH: How did the shroud work when it came to people outside? There were a lot of rules that we inside the room spent a lot of time discussing how things would work.
[As Nathan is telling Audrey who he’s taking with him to the power plant, and the camera cuts away to show those people, and Vince and Dave’s argument] AH: Speed, I have to give you big props for pushing with the intercut here, because it’s not something we usually do on this show. And you really encouraged me to push it further and I think it ended up working really well. SW: Well you did have the instincts to do that, and TV now can really jump all over the place and audiences follow it. Haven has typically followed a pretty standard way of story telling. But, for film students out there, this started (and we’re now back to) a conversation between Nathan and Audrey, that cuts forwards to a walking shot [of the group coming up to Trouble Alley], that cuts back to a flashback of Dave and Vince, and then comes back to the overarching narrative [Nathan and Audrey’s conversation]. You’re following that as you watch it, but it is - at least to the tastes of this show - a risky re-arrangement of time. AH: It looks good though. SW: And it’s very efficient story telling. You can get more story in in less time. AH: We did get very efficient on this show, I have to say.
[Vince and Dwight’s conversation in the office about the batteries] AH: This relationship was a lot of fun. And it was great to build it, and talking to Adam Copeland about it, he really thinks of the character, of Dwight, that Vince is his dad so to speak. When he’s thinking about how to play a scene really works in that kind of structure.
SW: To be clear, in case we got confusing before, Trouble Alley has no cell phones working. Cell phones work within the school, and around town inside the shroud, except for Trouble Alley where - did we explain it, I can’t remember, but there’s some kind of electromagnetic Trouble there. AH: Yeah and EMP kind of Trouble that’s knocking out a lot of the power.
AH: This episode moves a quite a clip. And again we’re back here in Halifax. SW: Actual Halifax. And here is Hailie. AH: Hailie, played by Tamara Duarte. SW: She just had a spot on audition. I think Shawn Pillar, our executive producer director, knew her, and she delivered a tape that was just perfect. We needed somebody who was broken and hard, and yet also vulnerable which is not easy to do. And she’s a young actress. AH: And she can sell stuff so well with expression, that’s one of the things she brought to this. And this character ends up growing. We originally only had her in these two episodes [515 and 516] but then she becomes integral to the story. And that was interesting because we hadn’t actually shot these scenes yet - as we were talking about earlier, the Duke scenes were shot much later than the rest of the episode - so we had to go back and change things a little bit to make sure it lined up with the mythology that we were putting in to the show to pay off in epsiodes like 21, 22, 23. It was interesting. SW: And we designed her Trouble before we thought how we were going to use her later (to phase through the shroud). But it was kind of cool, we essentially took a tool that we’d built off the shelf, instead of designing it specifically. SW: I love the story Matt McGuinness tells about when he was in Vegas with some of his friends from Franklin & Bash on a retreat there. And they were getting into a hotel van to go down town for dinner or something like that. So they’re this goupr of 50 year old men, and in climbs a group of good looking 50 year old women who were there for some sort of party. And they get to talking and flirting. So it’s like; What do you do? Oh we write for TV, Franklin & Bash. And that drops like a lead balloon; nobody cares. So Matt says; Well actually I write for Haven - and they all light up. And one woman says to Matt; You know what I love about Haven - it’s so complicated, but I know that you guys have everything absolutely planned out right from the beginning, so even though it feels confusing at times, I feel safe in your hands. AH: *laughing* What did Matt say to that? SW: He nodded and said; You’re right. And then he came back and told us that story. And, it’s just not true folks, I’m sorry. We are scrambling at every moment to figure it out. I think we do. AH: I think we do. That’s the thing, we make it work. Unlike other shows (nothing against them) we do take pains to make sure that if we set it up, we fix it, we make sure it works. We sometimes spend long days on getting that stuff to work.
[As Nathan is about to take the group into Trouble Alley] AH: I do enjoy this bunch of ragtag misfits working together. SW: Notice, another invisible Trouble. That’s a crew member with a wire in their hand; that’s cheap. AH: But if you’re wondering what I think it looks like, I’ve always thought of it as like Godzilla, a smaller version of Godzilla. SW: Cool! AH: Just invisible.
[As Charlotte gets her foot caught] AH: Oh, and again, talking about The Walking Dead transitions, Nathan in the original draft was super dark here where instead of saving Charlotte, Nathan basically blackmails her freedom in exchange for information. SW: Right, it was jumping up a wall originally, and he was only going to pull her up if she gave up the information about the aether. Whereas here now she offers it because she’s in trouble. AH: So I think it was a good note to pull back on that, but again it was just getting into that head space of Game of Thrones, Walking Dead.
[Duke on the phone to the bank who refuse to recognise the existence of Haven.] AH: And again here we are putting in some rules of the shroud, how does it work with memory, what do people of think of Haven, that are outside of the shroud. SW: Yeah, important for the rest of the season. AH: And are these - yes they are, the first episodes to really start Duke on this journey of him walking the earth. SW: Oh yeah for sure. Last episode he was in Haven. AH: And that plays out for quite a while. SW: Yeah he’s out of town for a while.
[Nathan and the others arriving at the smashed up Herald] AH: This scene I felt was important, just to show how the world has changed so much for everyone. You know, no one is safe. And it’s not just Troubles, there’s looters and stuff where the Troubles have set off a fuse, but at the end of it is just crime and everything. SW: And very poignant that it’s Dave here in the Teagues home, because for most of the series they were the keeper of the secrets. If everyone else was confused, they knew what was going on. And then a little bit in season 4 it started getting out of their hands , and then certainly in season give they are way out of their depth. And this their vault of secrets has been affected.
[As Charlotte is telling Nathan that aether might help her solve the Troubles AH: Here we had to be very specific about this receipe for success and how it would work.
[Dwight to Audrey; It’s easy making choices from the side lines] AH: This is the ‘heavy is the head that wears the crown’ aspect
[As we see the power plant] AH: This was actually a power plant SW: Yeah it’s so cool. Very unusual looking place. AH: So that was neat that we were able to get an actual power plant with the turbines and everything. I will say for myself, that I am not mechanically inclined at all. So there was a lot of help from the room in figuring out how electricity works. And this is Kira Fletcher, this is our third Fletcher that we’ve used on this show.
AH: It was nice to get everybody in the dirty clothes and everything too. And they wore it all well.
[As Nathan takes the wires from Kira] AH: That’s the other thing, in these episodes I really wanted to make Nathan as active as possible. He’s trying his best to put this genie back in the bottle. And just every time he tries to do something good it seems to backfire. SW: Well, it’s sort of the theme of the show; No good deed goes unpunished. AH: And we’re going to see that with Duke right here.
[As Hailie is asking Duke about her mom’s ‘superpower’ AH: And again, a lot of this story we had put in here, and we didn’t have to alter it when we came up with the fix or the solution or the mythology for 21, 22, 23. SW: Well and episode 20 as well. AH: Yeah, her mom is seeded in right there. SW: If you haven’t seen it yet, epsiode 20, Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn wrote a retro Haven episode that features Hailie’s mom. AH: And I remember there was talk about using Tamara to play Hailie’s mom. But I don’t think we did that in the end.
[As Duke and Hailie finish their conversation outside the garage] AH: Oh, somebody listening in. SW: 26B, is that what Matt calls it? AH: Yeah, 26B SW: Matt’s code for someone overhearing.
AH: This was fun with Charlotte as a character where she comes from another world that’s much more advanced, so she’s not a mechanic, she’s not an engineer by trade, but our technology is so simple to her. SW: It’s like playing with a paperclip to her. There’s a word that we use all the time in the room that isn’t actually in the show; Arcadians. Just to ourselves, Charlotte and Mara and her father are Arcadians. And William.
[As Audrey finds Vince with Rolf’s body, the latest victim of the No Marks Killer] AH: And this was some heavy mythology to drop as well. There is a lot going on in this episode! SW: Yeah it’s really the season premiere AH: It was nice to bring the Teagues back into the main cast. They’ve been out on an island almost, having their own plot and learning a lot of stuff that was very important. But it was nice to bring them back so that they’re interacting again with Audrey and Nathan, and Dwight. SW: And they do well when they’re holding secrets. They’re built for that.
AH: Eric Cayla, our Director of Photography, did some great work with darkness and shadows in this episode. [Audrey; Did they force you to do this? Because I can get you out.] AH: And there’s that Audrey compassion that’s going to play a big role in 17 SW: We like to, on this show to set up things, especially as it’s become more serialised. And with that litle line there, Audrey just sealed her fate for episode 17, or the end of 16. AH: Yeah, that was another one, like we talked about with 9 and 10, where the ending moved back and forth.
[Dave to Charlotte; Is there anything I can do to help? Back rub? Water?] SW: *laughing: Oh Adam. You have a way of getting humour in. That’s just terrific AH: *also laughing* I remember there was some debate though about that ‘back rub’ if he was coming on to her. And I was just like: No, no - he’s just in an awkward situation and doesn’t know what to do. Being an awkward person myself, that’s coming from real experience.
AH: And this was great work by the art department on these power schematics. It really helped tell the story.
[people in the school fighting over a flashlight] AH: Chaos! And this is again that post-apocalyptic landscape [Dwight; Alright everyone take a deep breath SW: That’s what I say to my kids when they throw tantrums AH: But not the rest of the speech. And this just shows how Dwight has elevated in the eyes of the town.He really is the leader. So interesting where you started with this character and where he ends.
[As Nathan and Kira find the mine shaft where the aether seems to be] AH: So we were talking this through, if this is where William’s stash of aether is held, our idea behind it is that he stashed it in a natural cave or underground area, geological formation of some kind SW: Like 500 years ago AH: And then things were built over it. It’s not that William went there when that building was built and buried it there. SW: Right, just to line up with the backstory that William and Mara were trapsing round New Engliand in the 1500s.
[Mechanic on screen; I looked you up Hailie Colton] AH: Oh I remember we didn’t have a last name for her initially. We had to go back and add that in.
[Duke runs the mechanic over and drives through Hailie] AH: Yes, Duke knew that was going to happen. He was not trying to kill Hailie. And props to Shawn and Rick for blocking this, it was not the easiest scene to block - a lot of moving pieces.
[As Audrey is packing a bag to go look for Nathan] AH: And here we were trying to have a nice mother/daughter moment SW: Yeah you did a great job. The slow arc of getting them together. AH: I think that’s the other thing we tried to do with these episodes is re-establish that anything could happen. That this is a new world order, bad stuff, people are dying. And it could be one of our characters. SW: Yeah we talked about where to end this episode and start the next one [The implication being they considered ending the episode before Nathan gets back, and so with the suggestion that he is actually dead] AH: I think a lot of these background extras here [as Nathan arrives in the hall full of people] were comped in. SW: They had 300 extras on the day AH: Was it 300? Maybe they weren’t then, maybe it was all practical.
AH: Thank you for listening SW: We’ll see you on 16
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xoruffitup · 4 years
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AITAF’s 11th Annual Broadway Show
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It’s surreal that this was my second year attending and I’m sitting here typing up a second recap! It hardly feels like a whole year has passed since last November, as the time has been so full of Adam and SW-related joy. After last night’s show, Sarah (the same friend I adventured to TIFF with) and I reflected that following/loving Adam has brought us so many extraordinary experiences we would never have sought out otherwise. Attending military-oriented events and creating stronger ties with the veterans and service members in each of our lives, traveling to Toronto (and shortly to London!!) together, and cultivating the most unlikely and incredible friendships. It’s been an eye-opening, whirlwind year of new and wonderful experiences - chief among which was sitting in a theatre largely full of military personnel and having each of my preconceived stereotypes challenged.
The group I gathered with outside the American Airlines theatre was even bigger than last year. We had my friends Sarah and MP ( @reylonly​), my dad who usually abhors the “veteran” label and yet - to his own surprise - confessed to being deeply moved by last year’s show, a retired Army nurse and her husband, a cousin I hadn’t seen in ages who’s currently enlisted, and her two friends from the army. Our sizable group was first to queue up outside the theatre, with more than plenty to talk and catch up about while we waited.
(Fun/Amusing Fact: That enlisted cousin I hadn’t seen in ages? We reconnected ahead of this show when she messaged me on Facebook: “Hi! I heard from X family member that you like Adam Driver. I’ve attended AITAF performances before and I’ll be going to their NYC event, if you’d like to come as one of my guests?” Yes, that is my rep spreading through the family and you bet I’m proud. :’’))
We thought we had an idea what to expect from last year, but this year’s show surprised and took us off guard in almost every way.
After entering the theatre and passing right by Joanne (looking hella fierce in a fitted tweed suit), we headed up to the reception. Here came a surprise I was personally AMPED about!! While MP, Sarah, and I waited to go in the photo booth they had, we saw Scott Burns and Daniel Jones come into the reception area! I explained a bit in my TIFF recap post about how The Report (aside from being just a stellar film) really engaged me personally because not only do I have a human rights-related job, but the Executive Director of my non-profit is also renowned for being one of the first high-ranking whistleblowers against the CIA torture program when he previously worked in the Department of Defense. His name is Alberto Mora and after I heard Scott Burns namecheck him in several interviews, I talked to Alberto about his involvement in the film. From that conversation with Alberto came the idea to arrange a staff screening of the film, given its relevance to our nonprofit’s mission. In addition to seeing the film at TIFF, I also had the chance through work to attend the DC premiere of the film last week, attended by human rights advocates, House Representatives, and Senators (most depicted in the film - including Diane Feinstein herself!) who were all clearly riveted by the film and the discussion with Scott Burns and Dan Jones that followed. SO (sorry for this digression but I’M STILL SO EXCITED BY THIS) when I saw Dan Jones mingling, I practically started vibrating with everything I wanted to say to him.
After psyching myself up and angsting with MP for a minute (“But it’s gotta be the right time - I don’t want to interrupt him!”) I went over and introduced myself to Dan Jones, saying I’d been at the DC premiere of the film last week and how powerful the evening had been. Long story short - omg what a chill and approachable guy to talk to! I explained quickly that I work with Alberto and I’ve been looking into arranging a screening, to which Dan said he’d “absolutely love” to help with! He told me how to contact him and holy shiiiit now this definitely has to happen!!
So after that reception highlight, we ate a little more cheese and fancy crackers before heading downstairs to the theater and our seats. And there we needed to hold onto our hats and strain to remain chill, because like some Adam-related VIP guest list, we brushed shoulders with Noah Baumbach and Laura Dern as we entered the theater! WHATTT!! It certainly made my heart glad to see so many of these high-profile collaborators of Adam’s supporting him and taking an interest in his non-profit work. And just to see that they’re all friends even off set!
This year’s choice of play, A Raisin In The Sun, immediately set a much different tone than last year’s True West. While last year included a cast of only 4, with Adam and Michael Shannon lifting the majority of the performance as the brothers-at-odds Lee and Austin; this year included a cast of 9 almost exclusively African American actors, who would share the stage in a rotating balance. But before anything else... the show began with AITAF’s Director giving a rundown of their recent and upcoming programming, before she introduced Adam to speak. Annnnd out onto the stage he strode in a black suit and tie (pushing the boundaries of fashion for real) looking so striking and handsome my brain and heart jumped into an overdrive race with each other alsdfjslfjalsdfj :’)))) (Yes, the first moment when I see him in person still makes my heart fly up into my throat.) Most of the audience tried to leap to their feet to give him a standing ovation, before Adam quickly made some slightly panicked abortive hand gestures and everyone sat back down. We were seated so close to the stage that that proximity was really the best kind of intense <3333
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First of all, I want to assure everyone that our bb does look like he’s gained some weight back. I think his face looked a bit more filled out than at TIFF (and boy did he fill out that suit just right). Adam recognized all of the active service people and veterans in the audience, thanked the actors and AITAF staff for making the evening possible, and gave his background speech on AITAF’s purpose, journey, and mission. He also spoke a bit about the play that was selected this year, quickly adding “I’ll let the play speak for itself rather than butchering it with my interpretation.” Everyone laughed and my heart was only barely beating under the adoration because at the same time I was getting such a good look at just how big he is, being so close... Not only the height, but the shoulders in the suit and the giant hands that fly around when he’s talking, then he stuffed his hands into his pockets for part of his speech and that just made him look taller and more attractive and alsdkfjalskdjf sir you should really take my health into consideration a little bit!!! ;___;
Fangirl feels meltdowns aside, there were a lot of other beautiful things happening on that stage. It was stirring to listen to Adam introduce the cast (and pronounce all of their names correctly, thank you) with all the deference this play deserves and a cast to do it full justice. In a setting where the audience was largely comprised of a military demographic that is often considered to embody more conservative values, it was poignant to see Adam using his platform in AITAF to push the narratives further and confront the audience directly - not with what separates people, but to draw out the humanity that makes us all so very alike. That is, after all, AITAF’s guiding mission. 
Skipping ahead for a quick moment - one of the actors in the talk-back after the performance brought up how difficult it had been to fund this play when it was first produced in 1959 because investors feared it was “too black” and wouldn’t resonate with audiences. Last night was the most blatant demonstration of how close-minded such fears were, as the almost three-hour long reading kept the audience entirely enthralled, caught up in the humor and the heartbreak and the enduring human spirit that keeps the Younger family’s pride and love for each other in tact; then followed by audience members standing up to share deeply personal and candid accounts of how they saw their own struggles with searching for identity and purpose between military-civilian spheres, and their own experiences of trauma reflected in these complex, lively characters. 
As much as I so enjoyed internally flipped my shit completely getting to hear Adam speak in person at the beginning, it made me more proud than ever to love him as I do when I watched him step back and pass the stage and spotlight to an insanely talented cast of color. AITAF is a force and space that aims for all voices to be heard, and Adam appeared only just enough to underscore and enable that last night.
I hope I’ve already made the point that the cast were simply phenomenal. This year’s performance felt completely different than last year’s in terms of the energy and mood. Last year, Adam and Michael Shannon filled two hours with simmering frustration and aggression that grows increasingly outrageous until it culminates in violence. Adam and Michael moved freely around the stage a lot. I’ll never forget Adam doing handstands, collapsing to his knees right at the front of the stage and his lush long hair falling everywhere (UGH <3), Adam yelling about toast and stealing TVs, barking like a coyote, and finally choking Michael in the final scene. This year, the 9-person-strong cast barely moved from behind their script stands, and yet the emotional impact they delivered was simply stunning. The immediacy of this reading-style performance is just incomparable. I do see a lot of theatre and really enjoy the medium, but watching actors like last night’s cast put on a performance that’s completely uninhibited - completely instinctive and raw - was simply unforgettable. It cuts straight to the emotional core and deepest layer of meaning within the material and the characters. There is nothing between the audience and the existence of these characters’ lives, and the actors lost themselves in the roles completely. It was simply breathtaking to watch, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to witness it. Falling in to the Adam bandwagon truly enriched my life in ways I could never have expected
While on the topic of things I couldn’t have expected: Chief among them would be (to be painfully honest) voluntarily attending an event geared for military audiences - and even less enjoying and feeling moved by every second of it. I should probably clarify that although my Dad is a National Guard vet, he rarely speaks about the experience because he was drafted straight out of high school. The memories aren’t easy for him when he knows how close he could have been to being sent to Vietnam; alongside (he admitted to me for the first time following last year’s AITAF show) some amount of guilt towards the friends who were sent and lost their lives. My Dad has never embraced the veteran identity - he felt neither a right nor an affinity to it - and a military settings isn’t one I ever pictured myself feeling comfortable in. And yet, a single AITAF performance was enough to achieve their goal in my heart of building bridges and highlighting commonalities between military and civilian spheres. The military identify is multifaceted, and attending last year’s performance was enough for my Dad to unlock some new acceptance or understanding of that aspect of his own identity. It seemed to let him think of that period in his life in ways beyond antipathy or guilt. It was at least enough for him to open up and speak more candidly to me about his experience than ever before. 
This year’s Q&A was moving, deeply personal, and at times painful. And yet there was truly no better showcase for how a shared experience of theatre can serve to knock down all barriers that might have existed between people when they entered that theatre only hours before.
Highlights:
A man who recently ended his service spoke about how much he connected to the character of Walter Lee in the play. Like Walter, he too feels restless and unfulfilled in his (civilian) job, always feeling like he should be striking out for something more meaningful, something bigger, and never feeling right in his current place. For the audience member, this resonated with his own struggle to find meaning in his civilian life as he navigates the transition of leaving the military. This moved the actor who played Walter Lee (Colman Domingo, who had been TERRIFIC - I mean full-on crying several times throughout the reading) to speak about the personal inspirations and experiences he brought to embodying the character for this setting. Namely, trying to support his veteran older brother’s struggle with drug addiction. As Colman spoke candidly about how the experience with his brother had seeped into his performance, at least two other cast members dabbed tears from their eyes.
The most emotionally difficult and yet moving moment shared throughout the whole theater. A man in the balcony asked for advice on finishing a play that he began writing as a means of trying to process and work through unresolved trauma he experienced in combat zones while deployed. He explained with something of a despairing tremble in his voice that he’s reached a point where he feels emotionally blocked - where confronting the memories of comrades dying in his arms simply freezes him and he can’t seem to move any further. The theater was silent as he had to pause speaking for a moment, audibly overcome for a moment in the effort of speaking and sharing this aloud. Since the speaker was up in the balcony too far back for me to see, I was watching the cast and AITAF team on stage. Being so close, I thought I saw something visibly pass over Adam’s face. Later that evening, the cousin I just reconnected with at this event was the one to bring it up unprompted when she asked, “Did you see his eyes when the man was talking about his struggle to write?” So yes, it’s confirmed, I wasn’t imagining that Adam visibly choked up for a moment listening to this audience member. After the commenter was able to finish speaking, a few cast members responded. Adam, after being silent for most of the Q&A, then held his hand out for a mic and spoke up, telling the audience member something like, “In a way, you’re already doing it. You’re already writing. You’re already processing. I don’t think anyone knows what they’re setting out to write or how it will take shape until they do. But you’re already doing the hardest part.” Then, in a touching moment of connection, another audience member spoke up about a veteran writing group he’s involved with whose members seek to do exactly the same thing. The safe space the questioner was so dearly seeking did, in fact, already exist, and the people were there in that theatre to help guide him towards it. 
I didn’t think anything could have equaled my experience at AITAF’s 10th Anniversary show last year - and yet, last night was every bit as powerful of a performance, followed by a Q&A discussion in which audience members bared revelatory vulnerabilities and saw their own struggles through the eyes of others. My group went to a late dinner afterwards, where we continued discussing the performance, the dialogues thereafter, AITAF’s work in general, and (my favorite) gendered attitudes and embedded patriarchal norms within military settings and how AITAF challenges these norms even while being forced to work within them. 
It was an evening of connections of all types - between people, experiences, and insights. I can’t laud AITAF enough for enabling such valuable and productive exchange, and I hope to experience much more of their work in the future.
(And if performed with a showcase or even a side of Adam, that would be even better! <3)
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Thanks so much for reading! : ))
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migleefulmoments · 4 years
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"Hahaha. A friend pointed this out. W online shops too!" What does this even mean?! I don't know anyone in 2020 who doesn't online shop besides my 80 year old grandparents because they refuse to learn how to use a computer 😂 I don't get how Will, a 30 something year old man, online shopping is worthy enough for Abby to comment on it. I'm sure Chris does it too. And Darren.
On Nov 5, Darren wrote this post and the cc fandom lost their shit.    
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They decided that organizing 10 costumes for multiple events in two different states for two different people was not worthy of acknowledgment- especially since they wore several purchased costumes. They spent the next 30-ish days mocking her “online shopping skills” like the petty idiots they are and now they bring it up two months later. 
Anonymous asked: this is funny, C posted a photo of beard, D posted photos with the beard. Almost like they were sitting next to each other and saying “ok ok I will say this”
ajw720 answered: The only difference, C controls his SM and the bearding, D does not, but they knew the Halloween post was coming when C posted his belated b-day wishes (not that he acknowledged they were late).  
It really is, if you can remove the very human, tragic element, like a script for a really bad D Movie.  C posts “Happy Birthday, Babe!” a day after the man’s actual b-day and “D” praises his fake bride for MAKING TEN costumes.  Sure praise her if she actually designed them and sat with her sewing machine.  No, she went online and ordered things (I doubt she even went to a store).   And 3 couple costumes were cheap frankly.  The only thought was how narcissistic she could be in their execution (as @flowersintheattic254pointed out even the Mario costume had  a reason, it was a reminder of Japan and the fake encagement by referring to the ad that paid for their trip there).
And seriously how are people not questioning that she spent the entirety of her month picking TEN costumes?  Who has time for this?  I know, i know, a person whose only role in life is to play fake plus one.
I am just so tired by D in particular being utterly dragged down by the useless dead weight by his side and his team’s sole ambition to promote her and make her sound like a decent person.  
If they wanted to praise her, maybe they should have forced her to participate in the zero waste initiative instead of sitting drinking by the pool or have her volunteer to help young girls who have been kicked out of their homes, or have been raped.  Or pick any cause and truly volunteer her time to promote it.  If she is not going to actually get a job and pursue a career, please force her to do something that is actually of value and contribute something good to the world. But to praise her for picking TEN costumes?  
Praise that comes from a man who this year alone won three awards, is starring in a show he created and wrote the music for, has his first big movie premiere this week, is exec producer and star of a huge show on N/etflix, just announced his starring role with 2 A++ lists actors next spring on Broadway, celebrated the 5th anniversary of the festival he created, volunteered his time for the zero waste initiative, performed at several charity events, and was just yesterday name limited series actor of the decade.  Where is the praise for him from his “bride”?  He at least deserves it.
How do they not see how ridiculous it is for someone with D’s accomplishments in 2019 alone praise a person for purchasing TEN costumes for Halloween?  And stans, how do you accept that this is right or normal.  You really know nothing about him and have such little respect for him as a person if you continue to accept the character his idiotic team has created on his behalf.  It is so far from the person he is and that he generally holds himself out to be when given the opportunity.  
This isn’t about being a “gay fetishist” or “hating woman” this is about wanting for D to be fairly and accurately represented and no longer forced to participate in this stupid, life sucking game to promote a person that contributes absolutely nothing to the world.  If you want to have a strong female role model, there are so many, i’ve talked about a few in the past few days (thus far Nancy, Lea, and Phoebe) and will continue to do so, but please stop worshiping a person whose sole reason you are speaking about her is her connection to D, even if you refuse to accept it is fake.  
klainecentric Finished reading the funniest ig story of the day, the qween being praised for sitting in front of either a sewing machine or computer...bravo your majesty qween....your my hero well done.👏👏. And all I can think of is how irrelevant the statement D made about being an emotional horder, being a very private person and finally D saying he's lazy when it comes to social media, I'm internally screaming in frustration because yeah we know D wouldn't have written a post praising that lazy good for nothing waste of space but he's coming across as a lier and it's extremely damaging to his character as a person. I absolutely hate lying and every time another "private" moment is posted to the world is another small piece that's chipped away from what D has originally stated about privacy. PBB, nobody cares about your cheap arse highly flammable costumes you buy online, did you forget about your piano baby adult strip club. I'm sure there are still plenty of people out there you can hire to rub and flaunt their flanges all over the beer taps, why don't you keep busy on that instead. If you want to make costumes, I'm sure you can sew some mighty fine titty tassels together. It'll be cheap nasty, sound familiar.
souly So, let me get this straight. We should all praise a person for going online, looking up different costumes in online stores, putting those in their shopping basket and hitting “buy”? Because I do that at least once a week with other stuff. Do I get praised for that now? Pretty please? I’m doing good work there and buy a lot of stuff, therefore I must be the best person ever!
notes-from-nowhere You’re my Queen. Please, love me.
souly
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(I think I got it right. I’m getting the hang of what said person is doing. Wheee! ;))
notes-from-nowhere You nailed it 🤣
ajw720 Yesterday I got a delivery of car food. And instead of his usual seafood mix up greats, I got him shrimp flavor. I’m awesome!!!!!
souly Oh, hey! I think we should all take pictures of whatever we bought online during the week or month and make individual posts on all of our social media accounts about it. Because, you know…
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cassie1022 I picked up stuff I ordered online at Target and PetSmart. Does that count? Should I receive accolades because my cat will have fresh litter to do her business on?
souly Only if you post the pictures to prove it! ;)
ajw720 As soon as I get home. Pictures forthcoming. Shrimp cat treats and I also got a burgundy blanket for my new comforter!!! Life goals!!!!!!!!!!!
souly Okay, so, let’s see… What did I buy online during the past month that can be shared as pictures? Some things are gifts, so I obviously can’t post anything about those yet. But I think these here are safe.
Let’s start with one of my fav new shirts. (Excuse the grainy quality. I had to quickly edit it for privacy reasons. :p And yes, that’s a butterfly mirror.)
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The rest are behind the cut to save your dash from drowning in too many pictures. ;)
cheekyface72 You’re my queen from now on…
ajw720 I think emmy/sag/gg/CC winner DC should write a post @soulypraising your awesome, amazing, unparalleled online shopping skills!  You earned that praise.  That cat toy is particularly spectacular.
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Just A Taste of M’s Amazing Online Shopping Skills that are worthy of such Praise
ajw720
Super Mario with inflatable Dragon $54.66 (x)
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Princess Peach $78.99 (x)
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chrisdarebashfulsmiles. i can’t
flowersintheattic254. When you add the fact that the wedding was sponsored so heavily, and her history of outfits I think it shows Mi@rren is something that’s always been done very much ‘on the cheap’.
From work vacays (honeymoon included), RC ‘glue gun’ looks, thrift shoes and subsidized weddings.
It’s BUDGET BEARDING!!!
leka-1998. It’s not worth more than this, that’s for sure.
notes-from-nowhere  We are so ungrateful. She worked hard to find the gloves.
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I bet she had to click on another link to find them. She deserves another accolade.
ajw720 @flowersintheattic254 Budget Bearding!  I LOVE It! (and something tells me D’s SW costume in particular was far cheaper than either of these).
souly That Snow White dress can be found for about $25 in a ton of online shops. I stumbled upon it even before Halloween way too many times. 😂
@notes-from-nowhere The plush question mark block can be found in a couple online stores like this one. She simply glued it onto some gloves - or asked L to do it with that glue gun of hers.
flowersintheattic254 Well funnily enough I think we may have confirmation that 🚽🚽 glued on the puppies so I guess YES to the question mark block too!!!
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cassie1022 They can’t even glue things properly. Why am I not surprised?
leka-1998
SW
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So, so amazing. Bow to the kween and her not so helpful helper.
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There are lots more...I figured enough of your brain cells died reading the ones I posted.  On Nov 30 she is STiLL bringing it up”
Anonymous asked:
Whenever I see miarren gifset they always use the same quote underneath (the rolling the windows down quote) and at first I rolled my eyes and thought uh not that quote again, and I can't believe it took me this long to realise it's because there is literally no other quote that can be construed as loving. You can hardly put down "she's a big girl" whenever you make a set of gifs with M beaming and D looking like someone murdered the dog he's allergic to.
ajw720: And I love the Emmy quote as it was an absolute reference to his character who was a psychopath. Pretty telling if you ask me. But that reference is over their heads.
And pretty much the only one. Guess saying he’s a ball and chain kind of guy isn’t romantic. They can’t even take pooping exes as he clearly steered the conversation away from her. Lovely lady of many moons? Nah she sounds like a stranger. Saying nothing changes after marriage? Sounds boring. It’s a struggle. But hey she’s an excellent online shopper that he done got hitched to!!!
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callioope · 4 years
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Good Things in 2019
@theputterer and @the-strongest-stars tagged me in the awesome annual end-of-year Good Things meme! I’ve done this in 2018 & 2017 and always think it’s a fun exercise of both reflection and looking forward.
Oh boy, though, my first thought was, what even happened in 2019? (Looking at a calendar helped! It reminded me of a few things I forgot)
It’s been a Rough Year, friends. Between OCD and basically travelling almost every weekend in the latter half of 2019, I am very much ready for a new year and hopefully a new slate.
But this is about the positives!
Personal
Played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons! I am now officially in two campaigns. This year, I endeavored to recruit more women to play, including the wonderful @allatariel. I play both my beloved cleric, Maritsa (who I’ve been playing her years now) and my new character, Noara, a ranger elf with a red panda familiar (yeah, my DM let me do that for funsies, so I could get an animal sidekick but also still try out the Horizon Walker subclass). 
Speaking of red pandas, I accomplished my LIFE GOAL of meeting a red panda face-to-face. I got to feed Harriet at the Cincinnati Zoo for 30 minutes. She was adorable. 
Completed all my dental work and had a clean bill of dental health two cleanings in a row! 
Attended DC’s Around the World Embassy Day event, always fun
Attended Star Wars night at a local library, where I got to participate in a short demo/lesson on how to fence with a lightsaber!
Attended 50th Anniversary Celebration of Apollo 11 / landing on the moon (dude they projected the rocket on the Washington Monument and it looked so cool)
Returned to the NY Ren Faire and upgraded my ren faire garb
Celebrated at THREE friends’ weddings and got to catch up with old friends I hadn’t seen in awhile
Ate ice cream at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Vermont
Went to NYCC for the third year in a row. Got to wear 2 costumes this year: a 1920s flapper interpretation of an occamy and my Endor!Leia costume (repeat of 2017). Learned the True Pain of sewing. Created feather shawl for my occamy costume. Learned the True Pain of crafting.
Celebrated one year anniversary with hubbie down where we got married: visited the museum we got married in and actually got a chance to enjoy the exhibits, went to our favorite brunch place down there, got to check out Fleet Week and tour an aircraft carrier and uh... I think it was a missile cruiser? 
Went up to PSU for a women’s hockey game for sister’s birthday (made embarrassing HAPPY BIRTHDAY sign for the cameras); also it was an absolutely wonderful fall drive on the way up there
Got to see The Rise of Skywalker in IMAX at the Smithsonian Air & Space Center with the awesome @allatariel! (thank goodness we had each other to get through that movie lol) also got to reuse my Endor!Leia costume. I did my own braids for the first time ever! (usually my talented sister does them) They looked like braids done by a n00b, but I didn’t care because they were passable and I did them myself and that was a Big Thing for Perfectionist Me (to not just... say screw it and undo it and just. give up. but to just let them be as is)
Worked hard at therapy and self care
Got a Sleep Number bed and holy shit let me tell you. i can actually sleep now.
OH! I almost forgot!!! Started playing Assassin’s Creed! I’ve only ever really played the LEGO Star Wars and Harry Potter video games so like. This was big for me. 
Writing
Finally finished Learning Curve. TBH I was a bit shocked that this was in fact the only fic I published in 2019. What a travesty.
However! I have been writing
@allatariel & I sat down, overanalyzed You’ve Got Mail, and drafted up the outline for my in-universe AU, something I’ve been dreaming of starting for years. Have about 4300 words so far.
Just under the wire, I did manage to start my NatGeo AU, which I’ve been dreaming of since my honeymoon in Nov 2018
Started editing/revising my original young adult fantasy novel
Poked a little at my epic fantasy pirate travel novel idea
Books
I read exactly one book, Among the Red Stars, which I enjoyed. It’s about women fighter pilots in Russia in WW2. Inspired by real people.
Music
Saw Panic at the Disco! in concert. I went along with my sister. Not like a huge fan, but they put on a pretty fun show!
Saw Waitress on Broadway!! OH MY GOD. And Sara Bareilles was starring in it. Amazing. I freaking love her music (”How does she know / what a heart sounds like?” gahhh). She was so good, and the show was so good. I literally cried all the way through it just because I was so happy to be there, but also because of the content. Man.
Saw Sara Bareilles again, in concert, in Philly. I love her so much.
Television
Finished Critical Role Campaign 1! Oh man, what a ride. Gosh, I love that show. I really need to catch up in C2 now. I’ve started it but I’m only on episode 26 or 27.
I’m not sure whether I finished The Clone Wars in 2018 or 2019. I think it was early 2019. This show was amazing and this was the character development that Anakin Skywalker needed. I love Ahsoka Tano. I cannot wait for the last season.  
Finished Rebels!!! AGAIN, what a ride!!! I still love Ahsoka Tano. I also love Hera Syndulla and Sabine Wren. Sabine’s Darksaber arc was fantastic.
The Mandalorian OMG BABY YODA!!! Yes, I have succumbed to the adorableness of Baby Yoda. Most adorable SW character forever. But also just an enjoyable story in general. This, this is how you craft a story. still NOT over the darksaber omg. 
The Good Place is continuing to be good. Not as crazy about season 4, but I’m so glad they decided to limit the seasons.
Got my sister to watch Rebels!! And then even a few episodes of The Clone Wars!!! Mwahaha >) 
Finally got around to watching The Great British Bake Off, what a sweet show!
OMG I ALMOST FORGOT Anne With an E!!! Gosh what a wonderful wholesome delightful show. No I haven’t watched S3 yet because I am Lawful Good to a fault and just patiently waiting for it to come on Netflix
Film
So, I woefully neglected to mention The Aeronauts in this post about my favorite movies in the 2010s and that was a Mistake. Because I really enjoyed this one
But otherwise probably check out that list. Because I don’t go to the movies that often, actually, and anything I really loved from 2019 is most definitely listed there.
Did I meet my 2019 Goals?
Writing: Fandom
Finish Learning Curve YES
...and How to Lose a Spy in 10 Days Uh, no, not so much
Begin and complete the in-canon universe You’ve Got Mail AU YES, it is begun but no it is not complete
Try to knock out a few other projects on my 30+ SW ideas Umm, I did start / poke at a few things in addition to the YGM and NatGeo AUs, but nothing really “knocked out”
Try my hand at creating more visual fan works (like moodboards/photosets, step 1, learn proper terminology) ahahahah, no. 
Writing: Original
Query more agents for my completed original novel YIKES, No. But I wasn’t anticipating that I’d decide to heavily edit/revise my manuscript.
Actually get around to deciding which idea I want to work on next and work on it Yeah, sure, I decided. How nice of past!Liz to make this goal so reachable as “deciding” lol
Reading
Be more supportive in helping my friend run Book Club so that it can actually meet more regularly HA, oops. Book Club died, but kind of in favor of being able to start a second D&D campaign. At least that’s the trade off I’m looking at. I had some OCD-related glasses issues this year that inhibited reading a lot.
Try to read at least one book for myself outside of Book Club lol WELL the one book I read this year was not part of Book Club sooo
Goals for 2020
Writing
I’m not going to make this a completion goal, but instead...
...I’d like to just focus on creating a regular writing schedule/habit. Whatever the project, I just want to make sure I carve out significant time each week just to write. I don’t want to set a specific goal like “x hours a week” for now, but I want to make sure that I am writing each week.
To achieve that (because what are goals without maps):
If the words don’t immediately jump onto the page, then I’m going to try outlining or summarizing. I’m going to let go of overthinking how sentences are phrased, and just pretend I’m describing the story idea to a friend.
That blank page is staring at me and I’m just going to fill it with words no matter what I might think of them!
And I’m going to let everything else expand from there. And see how that works.
Edit my original manuscript
Query more agents re: original manuscript
Look into the idea of perhaps forming or joining a writer’s group for original writing oh gosh that is so scary
Other
Get back into reading
Develop a routine for working out
Eat healthier
Continue focusing on therapy goals
Get around to watching: Black Sails, Mad Max: Fury Road, Arrival
Get better at responding to things in general
Tagging: @allatariel, @magalis, @mythologicalmango, @skitzofreak, @threadsketchier, @brynnmclean, @ruby-red-inky-blue, @siachti and anyone else who sees this and wants to do it!
Happy New Year y’all!
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neonbutchery · 4 years
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Some notes on drawing Iktotchi (a fanmade guide)
Hey everyone! I’m back with my Iktotchi shenanigans. They’re one of my favorite species in the Star Wars universe and I feel like I needed a handy guide when drawing them, so I put this together. As always, the disclaimer: this is a FANMADE guide. While I did put together facts from Canon and Legends, some of the information here is made up by me. This is just a quick post to help anyone who might be interested in making an Iktotchi OC; and was inspired by deer-head-xiris’ work.
BASIC DETAILS
To paraphrase the Canon Wookiepedia article: the Iktotchi were a species of near-humans distinguished by the two large, curved horns protruding downwards from their heads. They had a skin-tone often varying from peach to brown, battering-ram foreheads with hardened, dense skin, and big, fleshy hands. In the Legends article, we get more information: their average height is around 1.8 meters (similar to that of a human); they’re built thicker than a regular human, and their average lifespan is about 90 years. Of course, note that it’s average, so you can always sprinkle a little bit of variation in there: my own OC, Dishun, is around two meters tall (6′7) and lean.
Besides their horns, probably the most important characteristic about them is their precognitive and telepathic abilities, but since this is a guide focusing mainly on visual design, I will not touch upon them that much. However, I recommend reading further on them!
HORNS
First things first, the thing that sets Iktotchi apart from other species: those gorgeous horns! According to Legends canon, Iktotchi are actually descended from goats. Yes, I’m not kidding. Do with that what you will, but I like to think that their horns grow as they age, and I often like to base them on actual pictures of goats/other mammals with horns and their growth pattern. 
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So for example, an Iktotchi’s horns might grow like this:
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(NOTE: This is pure speculation since almost all of the Iktotchi we’ve seen in canon material are adults.) 
Another point to consider is that they have CRANIAL horns, which are directly part of their skull; therefore, they can’t move them like Twi’leks or other species can move their lekkus/head tendrils. In SW Rebels we got to see an Iktotchi skull in Path of the Jedi, pictured down below: 
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Besides the horns, other important parts to note are the bumpy ridges on their head, and the upper part of their horns is often covered with skin. 
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As well as that, Iktotchi have also been shown to have variation in their horns, so my personal recommendation is to, again, look at reference pictures of goats/sheep/buffalos/whatever and go wild with it!
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In Legends, the horns are able to regenerate; in new Canon, they aren’t. 
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And while not shown in canon, I think it’s possible that prosthetic horns exist, as well as headdresses and decorations for them.  
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OTHER FEATURES
Most Iktotchi have been shown to have a protruding brow ridge thicker than most humans’, as well as usually stronger facial features. The back of their heads is also thick and rounded. 
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They’re also described as having rough, thick skin, but it’s your choice whether you want to depict said textures in your art. Personally, I don’t usually give them wrinkles or ridges unless it’s to indicate age, but feel free to do whatever floats your boat!
Despite having been shown with hair in some Legends material, most canon depictions feature them as a hairless species. 
Their hands are often bigger than a human’s and have thicker fingers. So uhh yaoi hands??? here’s a small comparison I made. 
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SKIN TONES
Iktotchi have mainly been shown with pink-ish skintones that resemble those of a human, but there are also Iktotchi with orange or reddish skin. While not entirely canon, I compiled a palette with possible skintones. Feel free to use it, no credit required!
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That’s all! Hope any of this helps. If you have any extra information, feel free to reach out to me or add it in the tags! I love Iktotchi and it’ll be super nice to see more appreciation for them. Thanks for reading!
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