#it's gotta be how brilliantly different perspectives come together

[mythvoiced]

Aeri can’t decide what she hates more - the way the bejeweled pin in the victor from District 8’s hair is lopsided, or the girl herself. Oh, what Aeri wouldn’t give to wear such an accessory again, or even wear the finery the victor has been gifted to wear to the viewing. That was her once, wasn’t it?

But now? She’s stuck here, watching this spectacle. The brat, who has no idea what privilege she’s been presented with, keeps on creasing the delicate threads of her gown and her stylists also clearly have no idea on how to do the brat’s makeup. And then there’s that damn pin- Aeri’s pin once upon a time- only in place because it’s tangled in there-

And Aeri can’t hold back. When the brat’s stylists are gone, she reaches into the girl’s hair and extracts the pin. Her fingers, callused from years of hard labor that still feels foreign to Aeri, are quick to untangle most of the obvious knots in the brat’s hair before shetwists the locks into a ponytail and then a bun. The pin goes back in.

Aeri glares at the girl through the mirror. Don’t you dare mess up my work.

( congrats lenlen!! you get....aeri, being really resentful, i hope marìa doesn't mind too much ^^' )

@stillresolved | !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET HER BE RESENTFUL

---

There's a harshness to being dolled up when you are in no way receptive to it.

María isn't foreign to the roughness of life - she's a fucking Victor, after all, isn't she - she's started working in factories just about around the age even the most moral of District 8 people might turn their back in fear on seeing her walk in, pretending not seeing her would free them of the responsibility of working with a child.

Her hands and nose and palate and lungs had long gotten used and keep getting used to the aftermath of working with chemicals, of being so very intimate with garments and colours, with fumes and heat, with the hard work of surviving, with the hard work of fighting to be allowed a minimal chance at said survival, at figuring that there's little more for people from District 8 to fight for.

Still... it's not the same.

Being pushed around, dressed in things she would have never chosen for herself to serve a people, a man, because she's not stupid enough to not be able to tell what is Capitol and what is Snow and how Capitol is Snow, it's a kind of biting and harsh and rough that doesn't leave behind the usual kind of scars and memories and bruises.

Even surviving the Games had come with a desperately accepted sense of relief, one covered in blood and the humiliation of all she'd done and all she'd thought she'd get to accomplish, only for reality to crash in on her in a victory she hadn't wanted to partake in, hadn't wanted to make possible, when she'd wanted her Games to be victor-less in lieu of ending the Games themselves.

This... this is humiliation in the long run. This has hardly any hope attached to it, waiting for her on the other end of the line. Sometimes, on the worst days, it feels like the true brunt of the battle, walking with blood-stained soles and palms and sparkling as she does, wearing all that might make even the softest source of light appear like flames reflecting off her frame, covering her in fire that had not eaten her alive - much to a few people's disdain.

Picking at things, not holding still, grimacing, shifting her muscles, arms, face to make her stylists' life as difficult as possible, it was all she had to fight back.

The Arena came with death and violence, and living back at home had been physical labour upon physical labour, straining her young body until she could no longer tell if she was broken beyond repair or fitter than children her age should be - had they grown up privileged within the Capitol's safety.

Here she has only threads to tear apart and reflections to glare at.

And a new challenge behind every door.

She feels yanked back, an intensity of motion caused less by the avox suddenly in her hair and more her own stiffness that hadn't prepared her for submission to someone suddenly rearranging her.

After her stylists had left, she'd succumbed to the tension of not wanting to be there, without the added hard work of making sure everybody else does. Lost in her thought, somebody's hands suddenly returning on her had fortified, molten it into a newly forged blade, stiff and ready to strike, tensing everything within her and making a few fingers in her hair turn into a grappling hook tied to a moving mountain.

María is startled enough she can't remember how to glare.

A frown does accompany her widened eyes anyway, making her look... appalled, almost, an addition to her expression so unsuited to typically frightened features, youth tainted by the face of someone used to having to fight to stay alive.

It almost happens in a flash then. The reflection moves and adjusts and fixes and what had started as something that had María's lips split into something acid and trembling, turns into something unpleasant and acrid, but silent, as María sits and lets herself be mandhandled one more time.

That's when she glares. After the avox finishes up, after their eyes meet in the mirror and María sees none of the downturned gazes they're trying to make her accustomed to.

Seeing avoxes pisses her off.

Why take it out on them.

She understands what they are, what they're supposed to represent.

To her, an avox is a statement. No longer a person but rather someone rid of their innate right to be considered one. Even with the determination and life in this avox' eyes, María has come to understand them as tools Snow uses to assert his dominance, people from all circles of life, punished with the robbing of their words... and their detached tongue metaphorically forced to lick away at the tip of the shoes of people like María.

All a scheme.

Infighting.

Use the prey on the prey, make them take each other out.

It'd be easier to feel pity if María could sleep, if the avox hadn't adjusted her appearance, and if the avox wasn't staring her down as if she had any right to do so.

She's oddly beautiful.

She's oddly familiar.

"Why are you helping them?" she hisses, low, whispered, because she might never admit it, but she's... she's a little scared, isn't she? Lately? Devora's face swims before her inner eye, so stern, so wrong.

"I'm on your side more than they are," she adds, pulling a strand of her hair out of the freshly adjusted bun.

[fanficsandfluff]

A Polka Dot Drabble

Fandom: The Suicide Squad (2021), DCEU

Characters: Harley Quinn, Abner Krill (Polka Dot Man)

Completely stolen inspiration from @fluffy-lee-boa and their post ! I'm so sorry, I had to, the idea was SO FRICKIN CUTE!!! First fic in a while, and it's short and super fluffy, so I hope y'all like!

Abner Krill did not look people in the eyes. Anyone: humans, animals, monsters... no one.

"How many you got on there?"

Abner lifted his eyes to the general direction of Harley Quinn, seated beside him on the flight back home.

"How many what?" his soft voice asked back.

"Polka dots," Harley poked one on his arm.

"Oh, um.. I don't know."

Switching perspectives here for a second; Harley was always one to please. If she felt the love, she gave the love. Abner needed a little. He was looking real low to her. So, she sat next to him on the plane on purpose and kept shooting him smiles and glances in hopes he'd look back. No such luck, so she then had to ask.

"Let's find out together. I'm sure you're dyin' to know!" Harley pressed, teeth in full show with an eager smile. She turned herself towards the Polka Dot Man, tucking one leg beneath her opposite thigh to more comfortably sit.

"N-No, I don't really-- I don't like being-- Harley!"

"1 2 3 4 5 -- What?" she inquired, high-pitch in tone. Her eyes were wide to feign innocence. She had started veering her fingers down towards the dots on Abner's side and stomach when he called her name.

"It--," he gulped down any further words he was planning on spouting.

"You ticklish or somethin', Abby?" Harley leaned in a bit closer to Abner's ear when she asked, a squeak of giddy energy following her question. She started poking again, this time watching his face more closely as opposed to focusing on the dots.

"Noho!" Abner choked out and his arm cinched to his side.

"No??" Harley gasped, "Uh ohhhh," she drew out, now switching to pinches, "Liar liar pants on fire!"

Abner was... a bit stunned, to say the least. Why did he invite such playfulness? What was he doing different from normal that Harley picked up on? Why was he laughing? Why did his insides want to crawl to his outsides?

"Whoops! Gotta restart the count! Geez, Abby, pull yourself together or we're never gonna crack this case," Harley used a few fingers now to press and wiggle into every polka dot she set her sights on, even a few spaces in between.

"Stop!" Abner whispered, "W-Wait-- HA!"

His arms were frozen at his sides, unable to make much use out of them. His laughs were coming out in giggles and in breathy gasps and hissing.

"Okay okay, ya big baby," Harley lifted her fingers from the fabric of Polka Dot Man's suit but kept them poised an inch above his sides, ready to strike again.

Abner had wound up rotating himself so he was facing Harley, in the midst of his shuffling and laughter. Probably not the best position if he wanted the tickling to stop. But something in him told him that was his best chance at his defense.

"Nohoho no--Noho!" Abner jumped in his seat when he saw Harley's arms move in. Harley herself was chuckling away, finding Abner's childlike laughter extremely endearing.

"You two gonna get it over with or what?" Bloodsport over on the other side of the plane semi-shouted.

"I'mmmmm gonna getcha!" Harley teased Abner, flexing her fingers and rotating her wrists to mimic another tickle attack.

Abner raised his hands on instinct to cover his reddening face and smiling mouth. He couldn't handle the teasing, nuh-uh, no way, no how.

Harley took the lead and she shot her hands to Abner's now exposed belly. Both hands, fingers digging in wildly. Her thumbs even found their way towards the small man's dips in his hips while the rest of her fingers kept working their magic.

Abner lost it. He fell forward into his own lap, effectively trapping Harley's hands right where they were. His snickers shook his whole body. Loose pleads were gushing from his lips, largely silenced by his budding laughter.

"Someone's a little tickle bug," Harley cooed, wrestling her hands free but not without landing some more pokes along the dots covering Abner's back as he recovered.

Abner remained totally hunched over, catching his breath. His insides were bubbly again. And he knew it wasn't from the parasite eating him alive.

Blinking his teary-from-laughter eyes open, Abner slowly righted himself in his seat. His deep brown eyes were trained on Harley's knee but he slowly lifted them up. He shut them once more with a prepping wince before opening them again. He looked right at Harley's brilliantly beaming face and he found himself smiling no longer from the tickling she inflicted on him. He then looked towards Bloodsport, then Nanaue, then Cleo. They were all smiling at him in one way or another.

"Heh," he let out a happy breath, sucking it back in when he glanced Harley's way again.

"Thank you," he mumbled, bashful again but happy.

"Anytime, Abby," Harley pinched his cheek affectionately.

No more mother for right now. Not one of them was. His friends were all beautiful and handsome and cool. He could look them in the eyes now, that's for sure.

[paperclipninja]

Lucifer post-ep ramble 5x01

Hi there, long time fangirl, first time Lucifan. After devouring all 4.5 seasons of this magnificent show in an impressive/alarming (all a matter of perspective) amount of time, I have very quickly found myself well and truly obsessed dedicated to all things Lucifer. And when a show grabs me like this one has, I tend to have a lot of thoughts and feelings that I can’t help but share, and so the post-ep ramble was born. It will probably contain many words, it may or may not be particularly coherent, there will definitely be over-analysing, but I thought I might indulge in re-capping the season 5 eps as I re-watch, so this is the first ramble off the rank. 

‘Really Sad Devil Guy’ (A+ ep name btw) kicks off as we’re still scrambling to pick up all our heart pieces after the season 4 finale, which is why Mr. Said Out Bitch (aka Lee Garner) being in Hell is such a cracker of an opening. Lucifer just waiting below deck on Fishizzle II (wth happened to Fishizzle I??) to greet him with his trademark ‘hello’ made me disproportionately happy, mostly because he was on my screen but also because his encounters with Mr. SOB are always great and this was no exception. Getting an insight into ‘life in Hell’, the way the characters in the Hell loops are played by Demons and Lucifer in action as the King was fab at this point in the series. And does anyone else have a visceral reaction to Lucifer stopping that bullet? I know it’s brief, I cannot explain it, it might be the command he has, the fact it’s awesome, but it makes me FEEL things. Just me? Cool.

I think what really strikes me in the way Lucifer just has to pop in on Mr. SOB upon hearing of his arrival, is the fact that he is a link to Lucifer’s life on Earth. They’ve existed in the same places there, breathed the same air, it’s a way for Lucifer to make that connection to his home more tangible. And when he realises where Mr. SOB’s hell loop has them moored, at Marina Del Ray, the way Lucifer says 'Los Angeles' with such yearning makes those heart pieces I had started cobbling back together really begin to ache. What this episode pulls off so brilliantly is the way Chloe and Lucifer remain connected despite being apart, and it’s all set up when Lucifer tells Mr. SOB, ‘You know, there's a good chance I know who's on your case. To them it's only been a few months, a blink of an eye, but here it's been much much longer’.

What’s happening ‘below deck’ in Hell (sorry...or am I?) is of course mirrored at the crime scene, where Maze is still calling Ella Ellen (never change Maze ILY) and Ella is banging on about Lucifer not responding to her DM’s and texts and it’s all so on brand and the thought of her sending Lucifer a clip of a parrot dancing to techno and him finding it funny is just too perf. Maze having Chloe’s back from the get-go and telling Ella to ‘read the room’ just shows how far this Demon has come. And of course Chloe saying that she hasn’t even really thought about Lucifer since he left...(spoiler alert: she has).

Seeing Maze and Chloe out drinking and dancing, somehow they're kinda dorky together and I love it, but it’s also really clear that they’re both leaning on each other pretty heavily and being there for one another and honestly, I love literally every combination of characters on Lucifer, you put any two together and the dynamic is 100% their own and these two are up there. It’s so weird seeing Amandiel running Lux, I big L LOVE Amenadiel but it’s just...wrong. Plus hats off to D.B. because his delivery of ‘No one sells drugs in my place...without me getting a piece of the action’, not gonna lie, I was THROWN.

So are we assuming that the number of months Lucifer has been gone = the number of times Chloe has rocked up to work with a hangover? Lol at the sunglasses but also, you do you Chloe, whatever you gotta do babe. Just like Amenadiel running Lux is like watching a slightly off AU version of the show, so is seeing Maze and Chloe as partners at work. Don’t get me wrong, Maze clearly supporting her and when they’re interrogating a lead, seeing Chloe and Maze have such a groove that they’re finishing each other's sentences and communicating without talking, I dig it. But I love that while it’s great, it still doesn’t feel right. Because that there is why this show is so clever, as an audience we crave the return to the way things were just as the characters we are watching do.

Linda being a completely OTT mum is so fab. I could write an entire essay about my Linda love. Her adamance that ‘Charlie’s special’ and Ella’s ‘every child is special in their mum’s eyes, huh?’ sums it up perfectly. Did I mention I adore Ella? I definitely get the distinct impression Ella is doing a bit of self-reflection, her comment about being drawn to the bad boys for some reason clearly foreshadowing, but also her reflecting that she deserves a good guy for once (just not this ep when there is a bad boy/potential suspect to be hooked up with). I am curious to see the ‘darkness’ Ella has alluded to in earlier seasons being explored further and feel like this is sowing the seeds and I’m also waiting for a significant Linda/Ella D&M at some point. But clearly not this point, because 'science lesson Wednesdays...I checked your schedule and that's your day off' Linda is NOT about deep and meaningfuls (or anyone who isn’t a 2 month old baby), you need to DIAL IT DOWN friend.  I love that it takes Trixie pulling some funny faces and Dan offering some sage parenting advice as he returns the self-help books (love the irony there) for Linda to begin to chill a bit.          

So Dan has gone all new age with his oils and self improvement and you know what? I love it. And then of course we have Amenadiel needing to help make the world a safer place, he just needs to make sure for Charlie ya know and ugh my ovaries. I must say, I was relieved to realise that the club life had not in fact corrupted the delightful warrior we all love after all - it’s all a ploy to catch a REAL BIG TIME drug dealer (nooooo I can feel the second hand embarrassment already...)! Amenadiel setting up the ‘drug bust’, telling the dealer, ‘looks like gooood drugs’, oh you dear sweet naïve Angel you. We of course discover that the bust is, well, a bust, because the ‘drug lord’ is actually a kid trying to offload his mum’s pain meds *insert facepalm emoii here*. But rather than ridicule or be angry, Dan is so understanding and supportive of Amenadiel and once again offers up advice and I really am so into this friendship on every level and the care and openness it models.

Meanwhile, the genius parallel between what is happening on Earth and in Hell really takes effect as Chloe and Maze go undercover (I mean, they are a glam couple lbh) to the poker game while Lucifer is at a game hosted by the same suspect in Mr. SOB’s ‘exquisite’ Hell loop. His exclamation that it’s exquisite reflects that Lucifer and Mr. SOB are not that different, that it’s the kind of place Lucifer might manifest as well, but I also feel that Lucifer could be admiring his own Kingdom’s handiwork at creating LA with such accuracy from someone’s subconscious. He allows himself to be absorbed in it, ‘City of Angels, I’ve missed you’, and I can’t help but get the impression that hearing Lucifer call LA this for the first time is confirmation that his Heaven, or place of Angels, is in fact there with Chloe.

Chloe remains firmly in the forefront of Lucifer’s mind this entire episode, with him asking ‘what would she do?’ and wanting to replicate the life he had with her at the precinct. But of course he is soon reminded of his reality, as he tries to get more information from Mr. SOB who is being useless. Lucifer incorrectly calling him ’Detective’ shatters the illusion that he is any closer to Chloe, and this is impressively emphasised as he erases the LA cityscape to reveal the Hellscape. For a moment he’d let himself believe he was back there. Back home. His, ‘you’re not her’ making some of my heart pieces fall out once again.

But then the messenger arrives, ‘Lord Morningstar, there’s someone you should meet’ and lo and behold it’s guy who just got hit by car up on the Earth-side of this investigation and I.am. loving. it. Also, did Lucifer put out a Hell-wide memo that if ANYONE arrives from LA they are to be bought to him so he can send messages to Chloe through their bodies??? NO REALLY I'M FINE. Having a Demon possess the dead dude’s body to pass on the tip from Lucifer was just TOO MUCH. His, ‘hey is that Mazikeen?’ made me actually lol but also, look how far we’ve come! Chloe doesn’t even flinch when the dead guy wakes up possessed to pass on Lucifer’s message. I’m so proud. 

'It's safe where you stored it' caused me way more amusement than was perhaps intended, but Ella, Maze and Chloe together, trying to figure out what it meant, it's such a great moment and the comedic timing is gold. Also, the fact it actually helps the case, ugh, Chloe and Lucifer are still connected and working together even though they are not on the same plane of existence and I’m just going to need to curl up for a minute because feelings.

You know who else is having a lot of feelings in this ep? The Devil himself. After he is satisfied he has passed on the message, he’s done with Mr. SOB, sending him, ‘back to your torture. And me to mine’. Any remnants of my heart are now once again shattered all over the floor in case you’re wondering. Lucifer doesn’t even try to hide the fact that being away from Chloe is so painful, almost revealing more than he ever usually would when Mr. SOB asks if she’s ‘somebody important?' to which he replies, 'more than you could ever know'. 

He only just stops himself before telling Mr. SOB her name, when he realises he's trying to manipulate him. And I'm so glad, Lucifer so sparingly uses Chloe’s name, it's always significant when he does and I feel like he reserves those moments for only between them. But Mr. SOB really does sum it up when he observes, ‘you just seem like a really sad Devil guy’, BECAUSE HE IS A REALLY SAD DEVIL GUY (can we just take a moment to appreciate how not at all scared of Lucifer Mr. SOB is, he doesn’t even refer to him as THE Devil, just ‘Devil guy’. It’s kind of nice that he sees and accepts him as both Devil and human without really questioning it). 

The parallel continues as Chloe and Lucifer are talking to a sister and brother  and the way this highlights the place they're both in. It's just brilliant writing and execution. Chloe is talking to Meg about her brother’s death and both her and Lucifer's yearning for one another is palpable. At the same time, Maze telling Chloe that they don’t need Lucifer and kissing Chloe highlights Maze’s desire for connection and love. She wants it so badly and the way she shuts down when Chloe suggests they stop working together breaks my heart.

When Lucifer takes Mr. SOB to the root of his Hell loop, yes, it’s about Lucifer projecting his own guilt and lack of self worth onto him, but his assertion that, 'it is inevitable sooner or later you're going to disappoint them all over again. So you'd rather stay away for all eternity’, really feels as though it carries multiple meanings. As a self-referential comment, is Lucifer talking about Heaven or Earth? Is it his fear of disappointing and letting down Chloe and the other humans or is it his belief that he disappointed his family? And if Angels self-actualise does that mean he was never 'stuck' in Hell at all and could have returned to Heaven? I certainly feel there is some sort of realisation occurring here. Or could be completely over-analysing it. Why not have both 🤷‍♀️

You know the line that just up and got me though? ‘Whose hell is this anyway? Are you sure this is my hell? You just here torturing yourself’- Mr. SOB calling Lucifer out is A MOMENT. And I can’t help but wonder if a part of it is Lucifer wanting Mr. SOB to come to terms with his own guilt, wanting to help him because he knows he’s not evil and he is trying to reconcile his own guilt too. If he can help Mr. SOB face and let go of the guilt then he has a chance of it too. And that’s when Mr. SOB challenges Lucifer, pointing out that he missed his chance, ‘but what about you?’ 'The self-centred simplicity of you humans never ceases to amaze me...I am here out of responsibility, I had to protect humanity, I had to protect HER', the delivery of this line, the frustration of being misunderstood, of ppl thinking that he acts for himself when his very reason for being back in Hell is for others, I can feel it through the screen.

The dead guy we saw get shot in the kitchen appearing at that moment with news about ‘the Detective’ and then cutting straight back to the shoot up in the house, file under: how to brilliantly edit. “Lucifer” appearing; the whistle, the casually strolling in, the ‘hello bad guys’ = I was FOOLED. I mean you have to admit, the ‘thought I'd give you a hand' pun was well played, classic Lucifer, very convincing.  My shipper heart was SO FULL for the split second Lucifer and the Detective kissed, until Chloe realised that something was off and her open eyes told us something was up. The cut back to Hell and seeing Lucifer still standing there with Mr. SOB...you may have heard my ‘noooooooo’ from wherever you are. ‘She’ll be just fine without me’...said every Devil who has a dick twin brother who’s going to try and destroy, nay STEAL, his life and love of his life ever.

Michael, you're an evil bastard but damn you nailed that villainous smirk over-the-shoulder pose in the final shot. Whatever you have in store, I will no doubt revel in your awfulness and be confused about whether or not I hate you. 

[woodyshrubs]

Prelude: The King and the Knight Commander

hi i wrote an interpretation of the opening cutscene of pokemon sword and shield from Rahian’s perspective i hope u like it thanks

“Now, turn your gaze to Galar’s strongest Pokémon Trainer, your undefeated Champion…”

Raihan winced internally at Chairman Rose’s praise of his rival, then admonished himself silently for his reaction. Well, he, mused, Mr. Rose hasn’t said anything untrue. And he is the chairman’s favourite. All the same…

The brilliant azure sky swept above Wyndon Stadium’s open ceiling and allowed a gentle breeze into the battle arena and filled the building with the uniquely earthy aroma that springtime brought to the Galar region. Far overhead, the sun warmed the reawakening earth with gentle rays of light, and every color within the coliseum seemed to pop especially brightly. The packed stadium was filled with the sounds of excited spectators of all ages, gathered to view the legendary exhibition match between the top two ranked Pokémon Trainers in the region to kick off the start of the new Gym Challenge season. Despite the good weather, Raihan could not help but feel uneasy. He pulled at his fingers and rubbed his wrists, his nervous hands hidden from the crowd in the pockets of his hoodie. He stood in position near the center of the stadium several feet away from Chairman Rose, who continued to introduce the reigning Champion. Raihan was joined by trusted Duraludon, standing shining and stalwart by his side instead of resting in its Pokéball before the coming battle. Raihan glanced again at the sky. Good weather...but it could be better.

“It’s time for Champion Leon’s exhibition match!” Chairman Rose flourished ceremoniously and gestured toward the area of the arena opposite of Raihan as a showy stream of smoke bombs activated with a pop, pop, pop, pop! A final smoke bomb boomed ahead of Raihan before the stage mist began to clear and reveal his opponent. The spectators in the stands cheered wildly, waving their arms, merchandise, Pokémon, and children around with rabid enthusiasm.

The springtime breeze lifted the ends of the Champion’s long, velvet red cape ever so slightly, as if paying respect to his strength by keeping his raiment from becoming soiled as it hung mere inches above the ground. The cape billowed around the Champion’s form, working together with the fading smoke to obscure his figure for a moment longer. Raihan forced himself to stand his ground, but the waves of pressure radiating from the man who stood before him crashed over him, threatening to knock him over despite Raihan towering nearly a foot over the Champion in height. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention.

The wind strengthened, blowing away the rest of the smoke and revealing the unobstructed form of the Galar Region’s Crown Jewel, the undefeated Champion Leon. Behind him stood his longtime partner Charizard, wings spread intimidatingly wide and tail blazing brilliantly. Raihan sized his opponent up, scanning Leon’s figure just as he had done countless times before countless past battles--all of which he had lost. He felt the unease in his gut settle and quickly change to excitement as he surveyed Leon’s familiar features; the Champion’s coat-of-arms blazing across the chest of his jersey, the long, violet hair that burst forth from underneath the crown-detailed cap atop his head and cascaded over the sponsor-stamped cape which hung from his shoulders. That ridiculous beard that Leon refused to shave, despite his thin facial hair’s equally stubborn refusal to connect in the middle of his chin. His aurous eyes shone like polished jewelry, somehow piercingly intense and eerily serene all at once. 

The two locked eyes, and Raihan’s mind flooded with imagery from past battles against Leon. Their matches had been closest at the beginning of their rivalry. As the years passed and their journeys continued, Leon began to win with increasing ease, drawing farther and farther ahead. Raihan trained tenaciously and was able to soundly defeat nearly any other opponents who had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of his brilliant battle strategies. He and his Pokémon learned to exhibit a mastery over the weather that soon elevated the young trainer to greatness and recognition as the strongest Gym Leader in Galar. Raihan took pride in his ability to outsmart his opponents in situations where other Dragon Tamers were quick to rely upon brute force to secure victory. 

But Leon was different. Raihan had never once managed to put a dent in the Champion’s daunting undefeated status, despite all the planning and training he and his dragons did together. No matter how hard he battled, Leon had always managed to come out on top. An earlier loss to Leon that proved to be particularly painful prompted Raihan to take up the practice of photographing his defeats as a measure to avoid forgetting the sting of defeat. Leon’s natural talent for Pokémon battles has always been alarmingly impressive, but now the dominance he displayed in battle was downright scary.Their professional record was 0-9, although Raihan had lost many more times to Leon outside of the Gym Challenge.  Raihan suspected that the bouts he had come closest to winning in the earliest parts of their rivalry were due only to Leon’s lack of experience at the time, although the Champion had yet to confirm this hunch. Their latest battle had been his closest yet, and although Raihan had been celebrated region-wide for the accomplishment of being the trainer to come closest to breaking Leon’s indomitable streak, he was unsatisfied with another defeat to his rival. If I could just get past his blasted Charizard...

Raihan’s mind snapped back to the present. Leon continued to hold his gaze, and the two shared a silent moment of familiarity. The excitement bubbling in Raihan’s stomach began to boil, filling his veins with adrenaline and quickening his pulse. He couldn’t help but grin, and he heard the spectators in the stands reach a fever pitch. Leon turned to the crowd and tossed his cape over his shoulders with a monarch’s dramatic flair, then squared his stance and raised an arm skyward, striking his fan-favorite Charizard Pose.

Raihan snorted, but the stadium erupted in approval, mimicking the Champion’s stance. Seriously? he said to himself. I’ve gotta get me a pose for myself. He rolled his head, cracking the joints in his neck. His nerves had settled completely, replaced by a drive for victory and hungry anticipation for the thrill of the match to come. Despite every bitter loss he had suffered to Leon, there was no other trainer who pushed Raihan to improve quite like his rival did. Raihan was acutely aware that without Leon to challenge him, it was very possible that he might never have made it far enough as a trainer to even claim the grand title of second best in the region. 

But Raihan would settle for second best no longer. This was it-- if he could defeat Leon on this grand stage during an exhibition broadcast across the region, he would finally be able to take his place in the Hall of Fame as the Galar Champion before the Gym Challenge even began, allowing him to preside over the battle tourneys happening all over the region that would forge a new generation of powerful trainers to challenge the throne. He would finally ascend beyond Leon’s insurmountable power, retiring the sword and shield of the Gym Leader’s Knight Commander for the ever-coveted crown of Champion. He could hardly wait. Duraludon rumbled at his side, brimming with anticipation. Raihan grinned again. I’m ready too, buddy.

Raihan drew his hands from his hoodie’s front pocket and gestured to his rival. “Exhibition or not, Leon, your pristine record is about to end-- when I beat you here today!” he proclaimed, his voice clear and steady.

Leon matched his gaze, fire dancing in his eyes. He threw his cape behind him once more, readying himself. “You know I don’t lose battles, Raihan.”

Raihan tensed and felt Duraludon prepare itself beside him. Here it comes. Here we go.

Leon spread his arm out to his side, the Dynamax Band on his wrist glowing with the roseate energy that flowed through the veins of the Galar region. “Charizard,” he called to his partner. “Dynamax!”

The spectators oohed and aahed as Leon’s Charizard began to glow a radiant pink and grow rapidly in size. Flames leaped from Charizard’s body as it grew, wreathing its wings and shoulders and spilling uncontrollably from the side of Charizard’s mouth into the air. Heat billowed from the still-growing Pokémon as its new form increased its internal combustion and heated the flames it produced even further. Raihan had to crane his neck back far to look at Charizard’s face by the time it finished its metamorphosis into its powerful Gigantamax form.

Charizard bellowed, its deep roar shaking the ground throughout the stadium to the delight of the spectators in the stands. Raihan could feel the air heat up further; the heat used to bother him, but long hours training in intense, beaming sunlight and in blustering, abrasive sandstorms had made him indifferent to elemental extremes. He looked down again at Leon, whose hair and cape had been lifted by the winds that resulted from Charizard’s transformation. Leon stood firm despite his giant mantle flapping wildly, his arms outstretched and basking in the heat that Charizard emanated. The fire in his eyes blazed brighter, but Raihan matched his gaze evenly.

He was ready. Duraludon trumpeted a challenge back to Charizard.

This is it. Here we go.

[achiara]

10 Answers & 10 questions

Tagged by @while-i-procrastinate I’m 400 years late but here it is as promised and thank you for including me ^_^

Your most favourite scene in a drama ever?

I didn’t have to think twice. As soon as I read the question, the beach scene in Coffee Prince is what instantly came to mind. For me, it was excellent and brilliantly executed. The music, the mood and the lack of dialogue, everything worked so well to convey the feelings of despair and Han Gyul’s inner struggles. Simply looking at Eun Chan’s peacefully sleeping figure, he seemed to be at his most vulnerable, and when he finally caved in and lay down next to her, there was a mixture of fear and resignation. He had never been so scared but at the same time, he couldn’t deny his heart anymore, all of these complexe emotions were portrayed perfectly and, I don’t know, it was beautiful and I could never ever forget it.

A drama you could scrub the memory of so that you could watch it again for the first time?

I almost never rewatch dramas, or anything else really (I only started doing it for the White Christmas yearly event on tumblr because it’s fun when it’s done in community) but if I really had to choose, it’d be Secret Love Affair. It was that perfect.

Romantic comedies or Angsty romance?

I’m a gloomy person by nature and so angsty romance all the way, though dramaland tends to be, well, dramatic. What I like is simple yet realistic portrayal with relatable emotions, while most angsty dramas go all melo and turn into tearjerkers (terminal illness, death, etc.) and that doesn’t always work for me.

A terribly typecast actor/actress?

Hm. Kim Seul Gi? I’d like to see her in a completely different genre than comedy.

How willing are you to overlook moral/ethical issues in dramas if they are otherwise enjoyable?

I think I was more willing to do this when I was younger and didn’t know any better but now, as I keep learning and opening up to more perspectives about many issues, I don’t think I can turn a blind eye to it that easily. It also depends on how the drama is actually addressing it (which, let’s be real, is usually a big mess). If it’s a problematic segment that’s only showed in passing, I might let it slide (not without giving it the side-eye it deserves) but if it’s something more important and at the centre of the drama then chances are I won’t be able to keep watching.

An actor/actress you would watch a drama for due to the mere fact of them being in it?

I’d say Kim Hye Soo or Kim Hee Ae because they’re my queens and I love them but if I am honest, I gotta admit this is also something I used to do before but not anymore. As much as I love my faves, I’ve become picky and as I’m getting older (yes I’m an old lady) I realize time is not something I can afford wasting like that.

A drama from a genre you don’t ordinarily watch that you loved?

I’m generally open to all genres but Shopping King Louie maybe. Shiny light, cutesy lovey-dovey acts aren’t my thing and I feel like had the cast been different, I would have dropped it after two episodes or something. It was silly for the most part and had no plot to speak of but damn if it wasn’t heartwarming overall with probably the most wholesome relationship in dramaland ever, I couldn’t help but keep watching and rooting for almost everyone.

Favourite non-main character in a drama, and why?

I’m sure I have tons of them but I’m stuck and the one that comes to mind right now is Taltal in Empress Ki. He was a man of the shadows, quiet but clever and resourceful. He had an amazing chemistry with Empress Ki, I still wish he was the one paired up with her. Even in a non-romantic way, they worked together the best. They were equals and perfect partners, understanding each other with just a look and developing mutual trust in each other. I don’t think they gave us his backstory and I wouldn't have minded him having a bigger part.

Sageuk favourite?

I’m sageuk trash so this is a tough one. It’d be a tie between Jumong and Six Flying Dragons.

Most over-hyped actor (You can’t say Lee Min Ho!)?

Why must you make people hate me ;_;

Lee Jong Suk? Oops.

My questions (believe it or not, coming up with ten was the hardest part of this whole thing lol thus the boring unoriginal questions)

Favourite OST.

An actor/actress you initially didn’t like but slowly grew on you.

Your dream cast (an on-screen OTP or an ensemble of actors).

Drama/premise for said dream cast.

The last drama you dropped and why.

Your “guilty pleasure” drama.

Your ultimate pet-peeve in dramaland.

The ultimate trope you’ll never get tired of.

A genre you’d like to see more of in dramaland.

Is there a drama that you found informative beside being entertaining? As in it opened up your eyes about a reality/issue in korean society you weren’t exactly aware of before (like office life, educational system, etc.)

Tagging @banghae @kdramastuff @outside-seoul @swordsandparasols in case you weren’t already tagged and/or want to take part in this.

[oosteven-universe]

The Cimmerian in Iron Shadows In The Moon #1

The Cimmerian in Iron Shadows In The Moon #1 Ablaze Publishing 2021 Adapted from the work of Robert E. Howard Written & Illustrated by Virginie Augustin Lettered by Dezi Sienty A young woman in danger is pursued by her vile master. Conan, whose family has just been wiped out by this same master, puts an end to the beauty's pursuer, and saves her with a blow of his sword. Bound by fate, the couple decide to hit the road together. Their journey takes them to an island where they discover strange ruins inhabited by dark magic. Their paradise-like refuge soon turns into a suffocating nightmare where shadows lurk. Who knows the extent of the dangers that lie there? They will quickly learn that on an island, the biggest threat does not always come from the outside… This has become one of my favourite series since the first issue of the first arc hit stands.  I may not have always been a Conan fan but this series with different creators taking on short stories and bringing them to life they way they have has been completely and utterly phenomenal!  This is great because it’s unapologetic in every facet and I gotta say with the reputation that he has he sure does find a lot ways to be the good guy or a nice enough man to help out those in need. I loving the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well.  I mean that we don’t see her run away to open up the issue, we see that in a flashback, and instead start off where Olivia is found first by Shah Amurath and then saved by Conan is just the way it should be.  The character development that we see is fabulous and as we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter alongside the dialogue really manages to flesh them out as people.  The pacing is fantastic and as it takes us through the pages and sets up the story at hand it pulls us into this crazy world they inhabit. With how we see this being structured and how we see the layers emerge and move alongside the main arc we get to see a broader look at the nooks and crannies in this world that seem to be unexplored and/or abandoned.  With how everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow and works to move everything forward is beautifully done. The interiors here are gorgeous!  The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the attention to detail is pretty stunning.  So while we see Conan looking more caveman at times it feels more like a reflection of how he’s seen rather than who he actually is and it’s really an interest boost.  The way that backgrounds are utilised to enhance the moments and bring us this great depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is perfectly rendered.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a marvellous eye for storytelling.  The colour work is magnificent.  How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows some great talent.  As does seeing how colour is utilised for definition in the green foliage or the gold armour and all throughout the book there are numerous examples of how colour is utilised to really bring out the extra features. The way this is being told is just brilliantly done through the writing and interior artwork and even more impressive is that Virginie does everything on her own.  So what we see is precisely as she intends it to be seen, felt and experienced by the reader.  It is no wonder that Ablaze very quietly has become home to some of today’s most consistently amazing storytelling.