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i-smoke-chapstick · 2 months

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Hi! Can I please have Zsasz from Gotham with a reader who is like his partner in crime and kills with him and stuff? Thanks

‘IN BLOOM,

-GOTHAM!VICTOR ZSASZ X READER-

⋆ 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 ; you just might be his favorite girl.

⋆ tags/warnings. GOTHAM!victor x female reader. wrote hcs! readers a bad bitch. victor and reader being partners in crime. victor becoming obsessive after like, 5 seconds. Might write a part two to this ahh

♫ “And he likes to sing along / And he likes to shoot his gun” In Bloom by Nirvana

⋆ Oh, he didn't know it was possible to be so head-over-heels. Victor is self-aware to a fault, he knows when he's being a bit of a creep. And with you? It's as if all his deepest sadistic urges are brought to a front. And he gets drunk on it.

⋆ He has a cold heart, naturally. Not a fan of getting attached to people, especially those who may become a future target. And god knows he doesn't like competition, either. Which is why discovering you was a revelation; that he could for one even like someone so close in his ball game.

⋆ There had been plenty of whispers about you in the streets of gotham. He didn't care much. The only thing he should care about was who Falcone ordered him to kill next.

⋆ But, alas, when he heard the growing commotion about "Y/N, gothams most dangerous hitman," he got a bit...irked.

⋆ What the hell? Isn't he gothams most dangerous hitman?

⋆ Victor takes great pride in his work, and in his title. He knows he has exceptional talent and even greater work ethic. So why is this woman threatening him?!?

⋆ So, he decided to pay you a little visit.

⋆ For gothams newest most dangerous hitman, you certainly have a way of making things easy.

⋆ He found your apartment in no time, gladly making the place his own. It was surprisingly ordinary, pictures of you and friends littering the wall. It was your collection of guns that made him stop in his tracks. He analyzed the wall with great fascination, silently gazing at an assault rifle. His gloved hands danced over the barrel, making it his own. He let out a low wolf whistle as he peered down it's scope.

⋆ "It's an AR-70." A voice pulled him out of his thoughts. It was the first time someone had managed to sneak up on him, not the other way around.

⋆ It took every fiber of his body to remain stoic.

⋆ He turned to face you, the owner of the weapon. Victor glanced at the gun being referred to and nodded his head slowly, still looking at your face. His confidence returned to him easily.

⋆ "Hot-damn. Some top-notch stuff you got here." His voice was slow, and his gaze returned to the wall. He dragged his finger along some of the firearms hung up, before turning to you once more.

⋆ "Should really make yourself harder to find if you're going to be in the business. It's unprofessional, you know?" He cocked his head and gave you a fake grimace. You just smiled.

⋆ "And what does Victor Zsasz want with me? You on your bosses orders?

⋆ "Nah." He responds, casual. "I only wanted to meet you in person, just to know who you are. Check you out. Don't worry about it, you're not on my list," He clicked his tongue. "yet." He finishes, as he toys with the gun from the rack, checking its quality.

⋆ "You like the rifle?" You study him, head to toe. His trigger finger expertly dancing along the weapon.

⋆ Without turning his head, he answers you. "I do, but I prefer my handguns." You hear the click of him checking to see if the gun is loaded.

⋆ You hum. "To each there own. You want it?"

⋆ This takes him by surprise, and he finally tears his gaze away. You've piqued his interest even more now.

⋆ "...For real?" He narrows his eyes on you. "...You're just gonna, what, let me keep it?"

⋆ "Why not? I got plenty." You nod towards the wall, biting your lip. His eyes glance at your mouth.

⋆ You catch him off guard. He actually seems amused by you. Maybe it's your attitude that's rubbing off on him. A few moments pass then he shrugs. You can't read his expression but his body language speaks volumes.

⋆ "...Yeah, I'll take it."

⋆ "Ah ah ah..." You whisper, taking a step closer. He still clutches the gun in his hand while he feels your own rub over his leather-clad arms. He keeps eye contact with you, mouth slightly agape. "On one condition." You continue.

⋆ He perks up and looks at you curiously. His eyebrows raise, ready to hear you out.

⋆ "Invite me to your next hit. We can double team it, or something. I dunno," You pause, looking up at him. "Would be an honor to kill with you, Victor Zsasz." You whisper into his ear, only moving back when you're done.

⋆ Your proposal actually made him laugh. You see him crack a smile as he looks away from you for a second. Look at you, he thinks. Coming by, kissing the ring. He can admire the respect.

⋆ "Quite the character, aren't you?" He pauses, "I've got a job to do tomorrow, wanna tag-along? It's gonna be an easy one, I won't go too hard on you."

⋆ You both feel the corners of your mouth twitch at this, in anticipation. This is where the seeds of obsession first blossom for him. Oh, he likes you.

⋆ When he finally leaves, he feels like a kid in a candy store. New rifle in hand, and your phone number elegantly typed into his own. He forgets all about his previous misgivings with you.

⋆ You on the other hand are left smiling, for a sociopathic sadist, he is real fucking cute.

⋆ The closest way into a mans heart is with a gun. You chuckle.

#gotham #x reader #gotham x reader #batman #dc comics #victor zsasz #victor zsasz headcanons #victor zsasz x reader #gotham victor zsasz #victor zsasz gotham #gotham villains #gotham villains x reader #gotham imagines #batman x reader #batman rouges gallery #batman rogues

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hezuart · 6 months

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A handful of songs for Mono and Seven, but let's let Six have some glory and discuss a song for her:

Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day.

This song might fit multiple LN characters, but I think it fits Six the most.

You said that Six is a lone wolf, so the song's constant theme of being alone suits her. The 'what's f*cked up' bit could reference her being repulsed of screwed up things like her finding out that kids are being cooked and served as food in the Maw (cannibalism), and she has to choose picking between the sausage she knows is made of human flesh or a Nome (just a critter as far as she knows and that she may have hugged up to 12 of before).

And the line from the song that's made for her is 'My shadow's the only one that walks beside me', because of Shadow Six.

Ah, a Six playlist!

Yes, Boulevard of Broken Dreams... the lyrics fit well. Great choice! ~~~

Ruins (Ella Isaacson) - Voices in the head, trapped in a madhouse, burning betrayal, the ending is an escape... walking away from the ruins.

Blood // Water (grandson) - Sacrifices, corrupt systems, the price of greed, poisoned.

Without Me (Halsey) - Supporting someone you feel left you behind. In a way, that person moving on to bigger more powerful things because of what you did for them... even if the context for this is wrong.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (XYLO) - Circling tides like time, drowning, needing saving; the choice between the chaos of the land or the chaos of the sea and being stuck amidst both of them.

Run Boy Run (Woodkid) - Also befitting of Mono and Seven... Fleeing from a world not meant for you. People trying to catch you. One day you'll grow up, but for now you are young and must flee when you are powerless.

Living in the Shadows (Matthew Perryman Jones) - Confused on who the enemy is. Shadows. Feeling like something was taken from you. Seeing a truth others can't. No longer hiding from one's dark side.

Falling Inside the Black (Skillet) - Dreaming of the way things used to be. Having a connection with someone. That someone leaving you in some way. Begging to not be alone. Falling into darkness.

Youth (Daughter) - Those who still breathe are lucky, because you breathe through corruption. Shadows settle in after someone left. Chasing the future. One day revealing the truth that could threaten your life. Apathy. Old memories recollected. Destruction caused by someone important, a shocking revelation. A silhouette, a shadow of yourself than you were before. Bitter feelings. Perhaps still missing the one who your feelings have soured for.

Vandalize (ONE OK ROCK) - Safety, rebuilding... caught off guard, broken heart, betrayal, marked by those you once knew.

Goodbye (Ramsey) - Memories of bloodshed; smoke up ahead. No longer recognizing one's home... wondering where your childhood friend disappeared to. Deciding its time to say goodbye to it all.

Fault Line (The Rigs) - Standing up to a world as a hero, only to flee and hide when the world bites back. Crushed dreams, caught in the wreckage, unable to tell friend from foe. Caught in the crossfire of the war inside one's soul. Searching for that someone... no matter what side they are on.

Living Hell (Bella Poarch) - Don't let people close. Threaten to make one's life a living Hell. Won't change. Always been cruel.

Two Birds (Regina Spektor) - Two friends. One rambunctious and free. The other promises they too will be like this... but lies.

Carousel (Melanie Martinez) - Round and round like a time loop. No turning back. Running through playland hand in hand. Freakshows together. Disappearing act.

Tag, You're it (Melanie Martinez) - Playing tag. Rough housing. Getting kidnapped.

Milk and Cookies (Melanie Martinez) - Lunacy, craziness. Singing a lullaby where you die at the end. Cookies baked sweet and poisoned for you. Never want to see you again. Ashes burning down.

Playground (Bea Miller) - Playground of nightmares and fantasies. Welcome to the lost and found. Prices to pay, sinking into the wasteland.

Mountains (Message to Bears) - (Also works for Mono and Seven) Running away into the night, always could have. Maybe never could have.

Gasoline (Halsey) - Been insane, been in pain. Wasting a pretty face. This isn't a dream. Part of the machine. Not human. Living on a screen. A face made up. Lighting matches. Pointing fingers. Voices in your head. Heart of gold, but hands are cold.

Season of the Witch (Donovan) - Things to see. Strange faces, strange places. Witches and stitches. Surreal and paranormal.

DARKSIDE (Neoni) - No heroes or villains. Shadows in your head. Phantoms. Monsters and demons. Darksides. Embracing madness. Living in nightmares.

Dolls (Bella Poarch) - Cute, polite doll. Deranged and backstabbing beneath. Knife under the sheets. Bitter and Sweet. Provoked and then attacked. Walking all over those who went after you.

INFERNO (Sub Urban, Bella Poarch) - Sweet but villainous. Run away. Be afraid as she loses her head.

Evil Spider (BENEE) - Tangled together. Never letting go. Won't bite unless you hurt me or struggle. Fangs out. Run and hide.

#six #LN six #little nightmares #playlist #spotify #spotify playlist #ask #text post

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alphagodith · 2 years

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hear me out; vampire ingo

if there is any way to insert vampires into an unrelated piece of fiction, I WILL FIND IT. today’s example is pokemon!

so ingo’s stuck in the past with no way to return home to his friends and brother who verrrrry much needs/wants him back, yes? if traveling through time instantly is not an option, why not just sit it out in real time? vampires are immortal and can even spend centuries just sleeping if they don’t feel like being awake the whole time, so... let’s turn ingo into a vampire so he can get back to the future the old-fashioned way!

and then emmet can catch up to him in years and once they look to be the same age again, ingo can turn emmet and we get immortal vampire train men! i see absolutely no downsides to this.

(if anyone wants to do anything with this concept feel free, just, plz tag me cuz i wanna consume all vampire ingo content)

my personal vampire rules for reference;

- immortal, do not age at all after turning, wounds do not scar tho scars from before turning don’t go away unless re-injured.

- appearance changes are minimal from turning. paler skin is a natural, gradual consequence of avoiding sunlight. eyes may glow, especially in the dark. fangs, obviously, but small enough not to look too out of place when not in use. gain a more beastly appearance when injured/starving/scared- pointed ears, slit pupils, elongated fangs, claws, bruising around eyes, darkened/visible veins.

- turning requires blood sharing and death. drain out the old blood and replace it with vampire blood, vampire blood reacts to dying body and turns it into an immortal body.

- can feed without killing, human blood is significantly more effective but pokemon blood (if red) works as well. you could feed once from a human per week or four times a week from pokemon and survive just as well. basically blood is better for a vampire/tastier to them the more similar it is to their own blood (easier to digest). this is why many vampires prefer blood of a specific type. (also this would mean that emmet’s blood is INSANELY delicious to ingo since they are biologically identical)

- vampire blood naturally heals tissue it touches, so small amounts can be used to heal humans. emphasis on small tho, unless you want to turn them. handy for sealing bite wounds.

- react to blood the same way humans react to tasty food; if they are hungry it will take some effort to resist but if they are fed they won’t bat an eye. if they get so hungry that they are actively taking damage/dying, THEN it becomes a problem they can’t control.

- allergic to sunlight but don’t IMMEDIATELY combust upon contact. being in sunlight is essentially like being way too close to a flame, uncomfortable and sickening at first/through clothes but gradually becoming more and more painful until one is sizzling and burning. ie, a hood and glasses would be enough to get to/from work without causing a scene, but longer would leave one weakened, and being directly exposed for more than a minute or two would be VERY bad.

- silver/holy water can cause burns as well if you want but i don’t care for religious stuff like that, particularly in the pokemon universe where i don’t think christianity is even a thing. garlic is bad just cuz vampires have heightened senses and it’s already strong and unpleasant for humans.

- vampires do not have a heartbeat, do not produce any more body heat than necessary to keep their blood from freezing, and do not need to breathe. their blood still runs through their veins due to the same magic that keeps them ‘alive’, but it’s a continuous flow rather than a pulse. they prefer colder temperatures, so sleeping underground is great, but get them so cold they freeze and that is a problem (tho they thaw out just fine). forgetting to fake breathing is a common problem, also forgetting that you have to inhale in order to speak, tho younger vampires often ‘pant’ on instinct when exerting themselves.

- a vampire is 4-10 times stronger, faster, etc, than a human, when well-fed. get stronger as they age, may gain powers like flight/invisibility depending on clan. directly related vampires (sire/childe) have a mild telepathic link, able to sense eachother’s locations and communicate with just thoughts over a short-ish distance (like within a mile of eachother). this can tie-in with the ‘twin telepathy’ myth if you want, enabling ingo and emmet a deeper bond even before emmet is turned and being hugely magnified after.

- a stake to the heart causes paralysis by blocking the flow of blood/magic that keeps them animated. whether they remain aware in that state or not depends on how complete that blockage is. (bigger stake, less awareness)

- can only be permanently killed by the head being totally torched/incinerated. significant head trauma can cause issues with regeneration tho, such as memory loss, or leave the vampire BASICALLY dead unless someone else intervenes (such as gathering their parts up together and dumping them in a blood bath).

#pokemon legends arceus #pla #ingo #emmet #kudari #nobori #shippers and non shippers alike are welcome to interact #cuz i'm a rational adult and don't confuse my phobias for morality #prompt #vampire au #submas #immortal bond #immortalbond!au #vampire!ingo

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localgrem1in · 9 months

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Second intro! Let's go!

Hello, hi it's me again. I'm finally starting to hunker down and establish myself, and so I figuered I was overdue for another introduction!

Ya'll can call me Loca or Local! If you see someone call me something else, no you didn't <3

Prns are he/she and I'm an arospec acespec queer. I'm also Christian!

Currently still a minor. For now. [I'm so close to leaving highschool hell behind].

I am a completely self taught artist. I barely know how to operate a drawing program since I taught myself. My anatomy and colouring picking is still a work in progress, and rarely consistant. I use Krita and a newly gained XP 15.6 Pro (it cost me so much) for digital art. My set up is slowly improving, but we work with what we got.

I have something known as aphantasia. Essentially, I cannot picture things mentally. Please, don't ask why I decided I wanted to be an artist, I don't know why I wanted to make my life difficult. /lh Pinterest is my best friend, as well as those people who post pose references.

I'm a MCYT, Zelda, Magnus Archives, Phasmophobia and LotR / Hobbit fan! That list will probably continue to expand. As such, expect reblogs of all these contents, even though my art is generally MCYT.

[Edit: The Magnus Archives brainrot has hit in full, please expect art from tma as well.]

[Edit x2: Nimona has joined the gang. Obsessed with both the movie and the comic <3]

We are a SFW blog here! Occasionally I may like/reblog something that is slightly suggestive, but it WILL NOT be explict. Keep asks and such appropriate to these rules.

My ask box is open. I love getting to interact people, so don't be scared to pop in and say hi. Requests may be opening sometime in the near future, so keep an eye out for that.

I use tone tags. If you ever need an explanation of tone tags, or need to know what a tone tag means, feel free to ask me!

My art can be found under the tag #loca art. When I start posting writing, my writings will be found under #loca drabbles. My rambles and thoughts will be under #loca screams

[Link: Ao3]

I have been incredibly busy, and am no lonnet posting once a week. Hunker down with me, we take what we can take here until I can catch summer break y’all!

You've reached the end! Remember to take care of yourself and have a lovely day/night dear reader! <3 /p

[P.S. My pfp is indeed mine, and it's a drawing of my traffic!sona that might as well just be my actual sona now. He's a silly guy <3]

[Link: pfp post]

#intro post #loca art #loca drabbles #loca screams

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crowdvscritic · 11 months

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round up // MAY 23

Hot off the presses: You can now catch me on the airwaves!

Thanks to an invite from critic Joshua Ray, I am now semi-regularly reviewing films on Friday evenings on KMOV 4 in St. Louis. Joshua and I tag-teamed my first visit to the studio reviewing The Little Mermaid. Check out our takes on KMOV’s website, including what updates were made from the original and what we think of the underwater photography.

And because more people have asked me about my thoughts on The Little Mermaid than any other movie in awhile, I joined Max Foizey (aka Max on Movies) on KTRS for a discussion of how the movie compares to other recent Disney remakes. Listen to it on Soundcloud.

But don’t worry—the bright lights of TV and the broad reach of radio haven’t changed me! You can still find my top Crowd and Critic picks in the order I experienced them in this month’s Round Up. Though I also stopped by KMOV to do an opposites-attract double review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and You Hurt My Feelings, those reviews aren’t available on their website yet. I’ll share it as soon as it’s posted on their website, but keep scrolling for why I think those films are both worth checking out.

May Crowd-Pleasers

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

How many writer-directors love their characters as much as James Gunn? His affection makes them a wonderful bunch of weirdos who may be able to fight off their greatest foe yet: audience malaise. Vol. 3 features many classic MCU problems, but unlike almost everything since Endgame, the Guardians keep them in check. Read my full review at ZekeFilm, see where it ranks in the MCU for me, and read more about actor Chukwudi Iwujj’s process for creating the villain. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

2. Irreconcilable Differences (1984)

Now I have watched every Nancy Meyers movie! (And you can see all of them ranked on Letterboxd.) Though it wasn’t without a little effort. Why is this rom-com so hard to find? Irreconcilable Differences is imperfect, but it's a hidden gem no one should be embarrassed by. Funny and romantic (with a pinch of bitters) all at once, it’s an excellent and hilarious spoof of Hollywood that confirms Drew Barrymore has always had it.

If that doesn’t sell you, consider it feels like a practice run for future hits like Baby Boom, The Parent Trap, It's Complicated and The Intern:

A woman revamps her life with a new career after her family life is upended

A kid tries to get her parents back together

After learning of her husband’s infidelity, a woman must figure out how/if she wants to single parent her daughter

The conniving woman who swipes away her rich father is named Blake (a lá Meredith Blake)

Perhaps it will be telling of the things to come in Paris Paramount? The plot of that work-in-progress is reportedly about two Hollywood types who break up and reunite for a film, and this story is about two Hollywood types working together until they can't make their marriage work. Plus, they make references to Ernst Lubitsch, who inspired the upcoming title. All this to say, I can't wait for whatever that film is whenever some studio isn't silly enough to let this project get away from them. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7/10

3. The Album by the Jonas Brothers (2023)

The Jo Bros are back with their boppy pop-timism! This album feels like 4th of July weekend, and not just the track called “Americana.” Every second sounds like summer, and not just “Summer in the Hamptons” and “Summer Baby.” With mentions of baseball, July heat, and at least nine U.S. states (plus a shout-out to our Missouri icon Nelly), it’s meant to be played at a picnic or poolside. The best track, “Waffle House,” taps into one of their most reliable wells: autobiography. In that same vein, does their daughter-doting track “Little Bird” mean they have entered their Dad Rock phase? Somehow it looks good on them.

4. Fast X (2023)

If this is not the silliest movie I’ve ever seen, I can’t remember what beats it. But is it also my favorite Fast and Furious flick aside from the very-differently-vibed Hobbs & Shaw? Kudos to Jason Mamoa for creating the exact over-the-top villain a dumb movie like this needs. Eleven titles in, this franchise follows no rules, and neither does he. Crowd: X/X // Critic: 5/X

5. Missing (2023)

A thriller that takes place entirely within screens may be a gimmick, but it’s a surprisingly engaging one thanks to the clever ways technology is used and thanks to actors like Joaquim de Almeida bringing those screens to life. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

6. Falling Down (1993)

The chaos of the world literally drives Michael Douglas to violence! Imagine every terrible thing you’ve wanted to do when someone cuts you off in traffic or you can’t order from the breakfast menu at 10:31, and you’ll get a pretty good idea of how bananas and unpredictable this action thriller is. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

7. Double Feature: Female-Directed Rom-Coms: The Wedding Date (2005) + Rosaline (2022)

The full description of this double feature should be, “Female-directed rom-coms about women who work with a forced love interest to win back an ex while a relative gets married, but then it turns out she’s in love with the forced love interest after all.” In The Wedding Date (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10), Debra Messing hires escort Dermot Mulroney as her date for sister Amy Adams’ wedding because the Best Man is an ex she still loves. In Rosaline (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10), Romeo’s one-time lover (Kaitlyn Dever) attempts to break up his new romance with her cousin Juliet all while hiding her plotting from her dad (Bradley Whitford) and nurse (Minnie Driver). Unfortunately, I have no clue how you can watch Rosaline anymore thanks to Disney’s not-user-friendly decision to remove select content (with no clear rationale) from Disney+ and Hulu, which also includes my beloved The World According to Jeff Goldblum.

8. Kandahar (2023)

As you might expect from this paint-by-numbers action-war-thriller, I can’t explain back to you the real world political implications of Kandahar, but its race across the desert plot engine is more than thrilling enough to sustain it. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7/10

9. Higher Than Heaven by Ellie Goulding (2023)

Ellie Goulding’s breathy sopranos are back for melancholy synth electro-pop about the dream state that is falling in love and the disorientation of heartbreak. Cue up “Cure for Love” or “Easy Lover” for a dance party and “Tastes Like You” for angsty swooning.

May Critic Picks

1. The Coronation

You know I love some pomp and circumstance! More than anything, I’m fascinated by a significant historical moment, which means I have no qualms about any mixed (or less-than-positive feelings) about the monarchy. I have found myself digging into the symbolism of the objects and rituals as well as what the decisions about the ceremony might mean for Charles's reign. A few pieces that got me thinking:

"Why King Charles III Will Be Worth the Wait,” Time.com (2023)

“Ateh Jewel on the Monarchy: ‘For Better or For Worse,’” SoManyThoughts.stubstack.com (2023)

“Elizabeth Angell on the Moment ‘the Royal Family Presents Itself Officially to Us,’ SoManyThoughts.stubstack.com (2023)

“Tariro Mzezewa on Why She Won’t Be Watching the Coronation,” SoManyThoughts.stubstack.com (2023)

2. The Virgin Suicides (1999)

Now I have watched every Sofia Coppola movie! (And you can see all of them ranked on Letterboxd.) Like Bonnie and Clyde, it so blew me away with its dreamy visuals and complex writing I needed to know what Roger Ebert and other critics thought before I could fall asleep. Crowd: 7/10 // Critic: 10/10

3. Jesus Christ Superstar National Tour

I’ve rarely (if ever) made connections between Jesus and heavy metal music, but Jesus Christ Superstar made it work better than I anticipated. This Andrew Lloyd Weber musical is also more poignant than I expected. Though not 100% Biblically consistent, making you sit and watch Jesus be lashed 39 times and then hang in near-silence on the cross challenges you to reckon with His suffering in a way I hadn’t before. It also forced me to consider about Judas’s point of view in new ways. Because of the scream-o musical style that made it difficult to understand all of the lyrics, I’m not sure I’ll be rushing to this show again, but I’m glad I made the time for this innovative and moving production.

4. Alfred Hitchcock Marathon: The 39 Steps (1935), Foreign Correspondent (1940), Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941), Rope (1948), I Confess (1953)

For no particular reason, I went on a “Hitch-kick” this month. My favorites:

The 39 Steps: A fun practice run for North by Northwest!

Foreign Correspondent: An exciting war journalism thriller! I’ve added it to my Letterboxd list of my favorite journalism films.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith: Because Hitchcock could apparently direct anything, a romantic comedy that makes a great double feature with You Hurt My Feelings!

Rope: The perfect murder gone wrong thanks to the sleuthing of Jimmy Stewart!

I Confess: A priest (Montgomery Clift) must figure out what to do when a parishioner confesses to murder!

5. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006-07)

Justice for Studio 60! I’ve always gotten the vibe this behind-the-scenes dramedy about an SNL-style show is the underwhelming, ignored stepchild for Aaron Sorkin fans. Now that I’ve watched its single season, I’m thinking that must be because A) it followed the nearly-flawless hit that is The West Wing, and B) it had the unfortunate timing to premiere within a month of the similarly-named and premised (and intentionally much funnier) 30 Rock on the same network. Whatever the reason, it’s not that Matthew Perry wasn’t firing on all cylinders, that anyone is better lovelorn than Bradley Whitford, or that its interrogation of the intersection of comedy and politics isn’t relevant today. Though Sorkin and Co. got enough notice to craft a satisfying finale, I wish we lived in a world where this was just the beginning of seven seasons with Matt, Danny, Jordan, Simon, Harriet, Tom, Cal, and Jack.

youtube

6. Good Reads (and One Good Watch)

Thoughts on the Hollywood writers’ strike:

"Anonymous Strike Diary: The Well-Known Creator,” HollywoodReporter.com (2023)

“Anonymous Strike Diary: The Disillusioned EP,” HollywoodReporter.com (2023)

“Hollywood Thinks It Can Divide and Conquer the Writers’ Strike. It Won’t Work,” TheGuardian.com (2023)

Memorable moments in the world of music:

“Ed Sheeran’s Court Victory Reveals the Paradox of Putting Creativity on Trial,” TheGuardian.com (2023)

“‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Breaks Down His Most Iconic Tracks,” GQ on YouTube (2023)

“The 50 Worst Decisions in Music History,” RollingStone.com (2022)

Figuring out how to be an adult:

“Wading Through Quicksand,” CharlotteSometimesGoesToTheMovies.com (2023)

“What’s the Deal With Adulthood? 25 Years Later, Seinfeld Feels Revelatory,” NYTimes.com (2023)

"I Am Eight Years Old and Would Like a Batman Movie Aimed at Me, Please,” McSweeneys.net (2022) - Pardon some French, but this captures my feelings about how there are too many Batmen

7. You Hurt My Feelings (2023)

What if you got caught in one of your little white lies? When author Beth (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) overhears her husband Don (Tobias Menzies) admit he hates her new book after years of singing its praises to her face, she spirals. It’s a comedy of manners, and it’s refreshingly grown-up, honest, and light on its feet. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

8. Rashomon (1950)

Before The Last Duel, there was Rashomon. When a samurai dies in mysterious circumstances, a tribunal hears everyone’s side of the story. The twist: No two people’s stories are exactly alike, so it’s less about the facts and more about the truth behind everyone’s reasons for how they tell their stories. Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

9. Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller (2014)

I was almost finished with Keller’s book about finding meaning in our work when he passed on May 19. His book has been an encouragement to me in a challenging time, as have several other books and articles in his career. His obituaries in The Washington Post and The New Yorker capture why he meant a lot to many people.

Also in May…

You thought we were done with The Little Mermaid, didn’t you? In addition to my TV and radio reviews, I wrote a review for ZekeFilm that digs into more details than I could cover on the airwaves. You didn’t think there was that much talk about, did you?

Until my June Round Up, you can see what I’m watching in real-time on Letterboxd, Twitter, and ZekeFilm.

Photo credits: Jonas Brothers, Ellie Goulding, Coronation, Jesus Christ Superstar, Tim Keller. All others IMDb.com.

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under-snow · 2 years

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tagging things serves two main purposes that are a bit interrelated/support one another. one purpose is to label content for either inclusion or exclusion purposes (ie i do want to see content tagged for this/i do not want to see content tagged for this), and the other purpose is to create a rudimentary archival system, a type of memory or history of content (ie i want to look up content related to this tag or category and this way i can easily pull up content from months or years or even decades ago). both of these purposes help to create robust and accessible communities where you define community by "individuals who talk to each other" and "a group that has a history of some sort that can be referred back to and built upon". forums used to fill this role but forums have mostly died out, and what we have left are networks of people who group together by tags on various social media. chat clients like discord fulfill the function of "individuals who talk to each other" but don't have much in the way of "building group history" built in to the functionality aside from being able to pin posts and create/archive threads. also because of the fast moving nature of most active chat groups, it does exclude people just by nature of presence or absence and making it difficult to catch up. journaling sites remain but also work by systems of tags in order to organize and find/exclude content. im speaking specifically of fandom right now but this applies to any online culture really. so tags are by nature visible because they don't work as intended unless they are visible (unless you're using personal tags for your own personal system which is by nature not a community and so not gonna be talked abt for these purposes). tags are integral for building online community spaces. tagging in fandom was not at all common until the advent of livejournal and its memory system, and didn't become ubiquitous until the advent of social bookmarking sites (delicious to start with, then pinboard), exploded with tumblr, and now it's a hallmark feature of AO3. this is part of why censorship of tags does actually hurt communities, because it impedes the two main purposes of communal tags - 1) allowing people to talk to each other now/find current content, and 2) allowing people to search through the tag's history and see what has been already said and understand how current viewpoints evolved; to recognize when old arguments have returned - sometimes in new clothing, but with the same bones; and to point towards what the future may look like.

#fandom #tags #tagging

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morganas-pendragons · 2 years

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Mend | The Master Chief

I had more ideas for the fourth part (I'm not too thrilled with this one), which will be called Coalesce, but I am really enjoying writing for this version of John and may even open requests for him in May!

This will contain spoilers for Episodes 3 & 4. Enjoy! Reblogs and comments mean more to me than likes do. It means you're interested and engaging. Let me know if you want to be tagged in this series or/and in all future Halo fics!

tag: @world-dominating-kitty - @ageless-aislynn - @lialacleaf - @shondlenoodle - @pinheadbanger - @all-the-things-i-done - @sashayazie -

if you want to really hurt while you read this, listen to the 8-hour version of one song from the ODST soundtrack. Have fun! Also points to the person who catches the reference from my current favorite TV show!

***

You take it out yourself. You've grown accustomed to dealing with pain alone by now, by dealing with things like this entirely by yourself, and you refuse to place the burden of your newly returning memories on someone as innocent as Cortana.

You refuse to taint her. She's so young. You refuse to be the reason she loses that innocence.

You grimace as the pellet falls, droplets of scarlet following it, and you bend down to retrieve both your discarded shirt and the pellet itself to turn it over in your hands.

Damn her. Damn Halsey.

And it's like everything coming back to you at once. What you are greeted with is too much far too much for one person to be able to deal with at once, and you collapse on the bathroom floor in complete surrender to the memories of your life you've been forced to forget.

He's there. He's in all of them. Even if he is lingering in the background of the beloved forest where you spent so much of your childhood, he is ever-present and always looking after you.

"What's your name?" You're both young, young enough that the world hasn't broken you yet, but he's your neighbor and you're too lonely on a planet like this one to not have at least one friend.

"John. And yours?"

"Y/N."

The two of you were best friends, having grown up so close to one another on Eridanus 2. You were not particularly a fan of the outdoors as a child. Most of your days were preferred with your dog and a book you could write your daydreams in. Those were better. Much less boring!

However, having a friend like John, you were forced into the early morning sunlight atop the canopy of the trees nearly every morning to go to the cliff. You could get used to mornings like this if it meant you got to spend more time with John.

Your John. Barely seven years old, and one of the best friends you would ever know.

The cliff, the cliff-- the same cliff that marked the day you'd been taken for the Spartan 2 program.

"Soles-S, can you hear me?"

Little known to you, you've been writhing on the floor of the bathroom long enough for Cortana to take notice. She didn't know what else to do. She didn't know how to get your attention and save you from immersing yourself too deeply.

"No-No, JOHN!"

The entire base could hear you screaming. You are thrashing and kicking at your captors, eyes pleading and blurry with tears as Doctor Halsey and your least favorite person on the planet - the Sargeant who had trained the Spartans, Franklin Mendez - took the boy you've come to love and began to drag him away from you. The crash of thunder and pouring rain doesn't do much to hide the very obvious pain both of you are feeling.

John just hid his much better.

John knew he couldn't do anything. He didn't stop Soren from leaving, he can't stop you from whatever is going to happen now. Sierra-117 goes limp in his captors' embrace.

The last thing he remembered is the lightning illuminating the pure, abject terror on your face before you were both lost to each other.

"Master Chief!"

John hasn't realized he stopped moving, let alone stopped breathing. He had been thinking too much about your face over the last few days. While Halsey had outright refused to even tell him about you, let alone where you'd gone, there had been something familiar about you that made his chest ache to the point where he'd had to go seeking it himself.

Between the returning memories from the artifact and the records that were sealed to most people - but not him, perks of having a ridiculously high-security clearance - due to ONI wanting to keep everything close to their chest, he'd learned enough. He would learn more in time.

"Cortana," His tongue was thick and heavy in his mouth as he knelt down beside you. "What happened?"

He's having a hard time concentrating. You weren't just a dream. You were here, and real, and currently immersed in something so painful that your cheeks were wet. You were crying. Why?

"The two of you are from the same planet. Eridanus 2," Cortana explains. "You grew up in the same forest and were best friends as children before-"

"Before what?"

"Before you were taken into the Spartan 2 program. You two," Cortana motions between you both. "Were best friends. Halsey didn't like that. She-"

John grinds his teeth so hard that his ears rang with the force of the sound, and hazel eyes flicker between the hesitant AI and you before he asks, "She what?"

Cortana has to take a minute to consider her words carefully before she replies. She's been spending most of her living time getting to learn the ins and outs of humans. Even Spartans. Spartans are humans too, but Doctor Halsey seems to think of them only as a means to an end.

"Halsey took matters into her own hands. She led Y/N to believe that her memories had been totally wiped, morphing her into a weapon capable of following even the simplest orders. She is the only Spartan 2 headhunter. She is the pride of the Headhunters, while you are the pride of the UNSC. The two of you have quite the reputation.. but to get that, she had to sacrifice your relationship. Years of it." Sad blue eyes flicker down to your now still form where John has somehow subconsciously begun to run his fingers through your hair. It's such a tender expression of intimacy.. and yet he doesn't seem the slightest bit hesitant about it. "So she did the same to you. Kept the core of what makes you a Spartan, but took away the one thing she hated. Your love."

Your love. The pellet took away your ability to love.

"Well," He bends down to scoop your limp form into his arms, careful to rest your head in the crook of his neck as he stands to his feet. "That won't happen again."

I refuse to not feel anything anymore.

***

It takes a lot a lot of convincing for Halsey to let you come. She hasn't quite realized yet that you are.. not you... but you don't allow that to phase you as you slowly wake and find yourself laying inside the belly of a Pelican.

There's a seven-foot hulking mass of Mjolnir armor across the aisle, and you can tell he's watching you even through the gold of his visor. You slowly bring yourself to sit up at the waist and move to lift your hands toward the seal that releases your helmet.

An image appears in the corner of your HUD. You pause mid-movement and smile softly as Cortana's image flickers to life. She looks absolutely thrilled to see you. "Hello, 343." The AI said softly. "Otherwise known as Y/N. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Your name. That is your own name being spoken from her mouth and it might be the best possible thing you have ever heard. It sounds... right. Like it belongs to you.

"Likewise, Cortana." You reply.

"Before we can continue, there are some things I need you to know. There is a chip placed into the central port part of your helmet where your previous AI, Artemis, was held. I am your AI now in a different capacity than I am for The Master Chief. Doctor Halsey is not currently aware of what has occurred and remains in the dark about it." Artemis wasn't nearly as sentient as Cortana was, but you had enjoyed your time with her. "Speaking of. Master Chief, wouldn't you like to say hello?"

John hasn't said a word since they'd brought you onto the Pelican. It had taken far too much effort to convince Halsey to let you come. She believed you were meant to be in solitude, to live only for the orders that came and went.

That wasn't what was really bothering him though. It was what he'd found out through your file.

[continued: Only Spartan-IIs who had survived two or more specially assigned training missions would be evaluated for induction into the Headhunters.]

He'd had to do some digging, but what he'd discovered had rattled him to his core. The mission that ONI had sent you on was when you were only a teenager, barely seventeen, to infiltrate a Covenant carrier for intel. The UNSC and ONI were lacking in crucial information needed to establish files about the Covenant.

That came through you. Your mission, your pain, your torture. All of which had come through your time as a prisoner at the hands of a Sangheili Terrorist. The only reason you’d been made a Headhunter was because you eventually escaped - because God forbid they waste valuable resources to try to rescue you - and lived to tell about it.

Why did they let you endure such heartache? Such pain? No one deserves that. Spartans are-

That's just the thing. Spartans should be able to compartmentalize. Mission first. Pain second.

Maybe that was why you'd forgotten about it. It was just too great of a traumatic experience to bear, and your brain had locked it up. Cortana had told him that was called having repressed memories. That was common for soldiers.

At least he knows the two of you have that in common even after all of that time apart.

"Cortana?"

"Go ahead, Master Chief."

"Can you establish a private line connected between the comms of our helmets so I can talk without other ears?"

It took her a minute to realize what he was asking, but she consents with a gentle hum and sets to work on what he's asked of her. You are blown away at the capacity she's been programmed with to work. Logistical and tactical appraisal for the Master Chief. Hm. It made sense.

"Connection established," Cortana says softly. "You're able to talk freely."

Your breath catches in your throat as you're left to look at each other through your HUD. His eyes are a startling green, soft and vulnerable and inviting as he meets your gaze. "I remember the first time I saw you again after all these years. I couldn't figure out why it hurt to look at you. It was just.. familiar."

"John-"

"And then I took the pellet out, and then I saw this couple on the train I was on. Just wanted to get out of the confines of the base. I saw it and I realized something. Something I haven't felt since we were teenagers. I want that." He continues, and your breath catches in your chest as it hits you. You're both feeling this. The pain of being apart for so long, the ache of wanting something better - something to share together that you have been deprived of since that night - and it's not just you who knows a very simple truth. "Y/N-"

"I want you." You say softly, and then you're moving across the floor to kneel in front of him and reach your hands out to remove his helmet. "And I think you want me too, and it terrifies you."

He doesn't have time to reply. Just as your fingers touch the seal that disengages to release the Mjolnir helmet, the door to the cockpit of the Pelican begins to open.

Neither of you has ever flown backward so fast.

"We're about to touch down on Eridanus 2."

***

Most of the walk through the forest is silent. You can hear Halsey and Adun rattling on about useless information that means absolutely nothing when you and John are returning to the source of your memories.

It's familiar. All of it. You can see child-like forms flashing in front of your eyes - memories of you and John - all over the place. It's like watching your childhood replay in front of your eyes for the very first time. For you, it is.

John is too engrossed in what he's seeing to realize you're nudging his fingers with your own, and the two of you lift your heads to meet each other.

Spartans have their own silent code. Just the body language is enough for them to read. For John, the way you're standing there beside him is enough for him to go "She's here, and she's not going anywhere." which somehow makes this entire situation much less anxiety-inducing.

The two of you eventually piece enough together to figure out where John's father buried what you originally assumed was the artifact, but it turns out to be an entire container filled to the brim with drawings. John’s drawings.

Another memory you’d forgotten seeing as how there’s one of you right on top of the stack. That happens to be one of the ones Halsey notices first before John’s attention is drawn to the house.

If he wants real answers, he’s going to find them in there.

“Master Chief,” 117 turns around to face you, hazel eyes gentle despite the anger simmering behind them, and you finally remove your helmet to meet his eyes with your own. Whatever weight has settled onto your shoulders with all that’s aspired recently dissipates just by being near him. There’s something about John that just makes you feel... weightless. Like you can both carry the burden of the other's pain and you just hadn’t realized how desperate you were for it until now. “I’m right behind you.”

“I’ve got your back, Jonny!” John can barely hear your voice from the cliff on the other side of the forest, but he knows you’re telling the truth. It’s him and you and you and him. Always. “Always and forever!”

No one has lived in the house in decades. There are nearly no memories you can draw out from possible times spent here since so much of your relationship with John took place outside, but he’s clearly seeing things that you are not.

On the other side of the room, Catherine Halsey holds her breath and waits for the inevitable fallout. You can tell just from the way she keeps looking at Adun that they’re both hiding something.

That’s not on your priority list to care about right now. Right now, it’s John unveiling a truth he’s desperately seeking answers for.

John doesn’t talk for most of it. You follow him throughout the house, from room to room as he walks through memories of his childhood with his mother and father until he hits the bedroom.

That’s when you appear. Just as beautiful as you are now, but so much more carefree. You’re sitting on the table beside him as his mother removes both of your shoes that are caked in mud.

Then you have your chin tucked into your hands as you watch him draw. It’s almost like you’re.. guarding him.

What could she be guarding me against?

You are everywhere. You’re there in his house, on his heels, following him down the hole to the second part of the Artifact. You are what gets him back through the danger wall after forcing him to part from it and you are what kept him safe.

It’s because of you John is alive. That he made it past childhood.

It’s because of Halsey that he became a Spartan. It is because of Halsey you were unwillingly cast into the Spartan 2 program solely because of your ability to do what he couldn’t. You were his perfect opposite.

His perfect counterpart. And The Master Chief needed a partner who could counteract his flaws and weaknesses.

The perfect Headhunter and her perfect Master Chief.

But... that’s not who you two really are.. is it?

“John,” Halsey calls out. “Are you alright?”

And when John pulls his helmet off, you are greeted with an expression that’s one part anger and one part fear. It breaks your heart. You silently slip your helmet back on and tune your comms into his own to talk to him through the comms that Cortana established for you.

Out on the porch, he puts it back on.

“Tell me what you saw, John.”

You’re suddenly thankful that Halsey can’t hear you, but you know you don’t have long until she figures out what’s going on.

“She was there with both of us. You..” He swallows the knot growing in his throat and curls his fingers into fists so tightly that he swears they’re probably turning white. “You were there too. Constantly keeping me out of danger like you knew that I had to make it to the future because I had a greater purpose. You kept me safe before I knew how to keep myself safe.” John’s hazel eyes meet yours through the HUD, and a soft sigh of relief passes through someone’s lips. You are not sure if it’s him or you. “Thank you.”

“Always.”

“She was there doing that stupid coin toss game with us both. She took me because I was ‘’special’’. But why would she take you?” He asks. It’s a good question. You really didn’t have a purpose to the extent that the other Spartans you’d met did. Unless Halsey had seen some kind of unfounded potential deep inside of you that was connected with John’s. “Why would she wants to ruin something so..”

“So what, John?”

“So good.”

You snort. You can’t help it. For someone you feel as if you’ve known your entire life, he definitely does not know this version of you yet. “The version of me you knew as children burned away. Halsey saw to that when she left me to die in that Covenant carrier and then proceeded to repeatedly lock away my memories when I returned. She wanted you to be the shield that protected humanity, and I the sword. We are each other’s perfect counterparts.” A pause. “Spartans must be bonded to one another.. and nothing else.”

There’s this fire in his eyes when he looks at you after you’ve said that. It’s... oddly comforting. Like he’s trying to tell you that he refuses to let you endure such pain ever again.

The ferocity in his eyes speaks volumes. Neither of you speaks after that, but you don’t need to.

Halsey returns to where you both stand on the porch for a conversation with John. He immediately questions her on why she’d been here - in this house, a safe place for him as a child - and once again she’s attempting to block his completely logical questions by blaming it on his memories being muddled and out of sorts.

You know better. She’s deflecting from telling him the truth, and it’s staring you straight in the face.

“You were so young when we met and so overwhelmed with grief. I took care of you.” There’s tenderness dripping from her voice. If you weren’t wearing your helmet, you would’ve promptly vomited at the sound of it. John was raised by this woman. She is the only maternal figure he’s known for years. It will be difficult for him to come to terms with the fact she’s spent his entire life lying to him and the other Spartans, indoctrinating them and taking away their ability to make their own choices. To be human. To love. And when the truth comes out about all of it... The UNSC will suffer the consequences when an uprising begins.

No. I was the one who took care of him until you tore us apart. No one else could love John the way you could, and that’s why you took him from me. Took away all the things that made me and turned me into a mindless killing machine with one purpose. To follow orders.

I won’t let you take John’s humanity away from him. Not again.

That might be one of the most beautiful things about him. His fascination with the sight of slip-space, his quiet confession about his anxiety, and his worries about what you may find on Eridanus. How he’d lightly twisted his fingers around your own just for the human contact and how he looked at you through the HUD.

All of these uniquely rare things that made him John are the most beautiful part about him.

And that’s when you learn what that feels like again, to love John 117 the way you always have. Right there on the back porch of a broken, abandoned home on Eridanus 2 that is flooded with memories of a life you will never gain back.

You know what you’re going to do from this point forward.

Silver Team was five people, at one point. Nora-098 had been gone for a long time.

It was time they gained a new fifth member.

And you fully intended for it to be you.

#Sierra 117 #Master Chief #Master Chief x Reader #The Master Chief x Reader #Halo tv #Halo series #Halo paramount #Halo spoilers #Halo fanfic #Halo fanfictions

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m-jelly · 2 years

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hii!

May I request a fic idea?.

I know your a fan of fluff so,

Erwin is a painter and so is levi, theres an art gallery convention going on and levi is walking around looking through and he finds Erwin’s painting. U were his muse for it and he’s enamoured. He thinks u look ethereal and when Erwin tells him your real and u came to the convention he’s in shock.

Almost a love at first sight kinda thing but yeah.

I hope ur doing well!! , ur fics are amazing and so r u, we love how u share ur talent with us:)).

Of course, you can, my lovely! This is such a beautiful idea <3 I'm in love! This could for sure have a part 2 in the future if people want it. I am well, thank you for asking! I've been busy, but now my event is over I can catch up on my inbox.

Muse of my heart.

Pairing: Levi x Reader

Genre and tags: Modern AU, artists, muse, falling in love, love at first sight, lovesick Levi, cute Levi, fluff.

Concept: Levi's at an art gallery convention with his dear friend and fellow artists Erwin. While looking around Levi sees the most beautiful paintings of a woman. Levi falls for the woman and asks his friend where he came up with her image, only for Erwin to reveal you're real and at the convention. Levi is desperate to meet you and finally meets you, and you're better in person. Levi spends the evening with you, then swaps information. You go to an invitation to be Levi's muse for his work and find yourself being whisked away by the wonderful man.

Levi stood in front of a painting filled with whites, golds and light yellows. He stared at the woman captured in it. She was sitting sideways on and looking down a little. She was wrapped in golden fabric and seemed to be dripping in beauty.

Erwin stood next to his friend. "What do you think?"

"She's ethereal." He looked at his friend. "How the fuck did you come up with her?"

Erwin smiled with pride. "I didn't make her up. She's real."

"Fuck off."

"I'm not lying." Erwin walked Levi to follow him. "I've worked with her for a while." He stopped in front of another painting of the woman lying on her back with her head hanging off the sofa. She was wearing a flowing light dress and seemed to be surrounded by flowers. Erwin had yet again used light and delicate colours for her. "She's as sweet as anything and didn't think she should be a muse because she didn't think she was pretty, but she cried at seeing these and loved them."

"Magnificent." He smiled a little. "She's something else."

Erwin pushed Levi along. "She's here." He said your name and pointed at you as you walked around with a blush on your cheeks. "There."

Levi gulped hard as he took you all in. He felt like the world slowed down around him and everything blurred except for you. The lights sparkled and highlighted you. He saw nothing but your ethereal beauty. He felt the pull to be near you, to be with you.

Erwin gave him a little push. "Come on, let me introduce you." He pulled Levi along to you, then called your name. "I'm so glad you could make it."

You hugged him. "Thank you for inviting me. I'm a little embarrassed, but excited. So many people here."

"Yes, and they love the work you're in. I told you that you're beautiful."

You cupped your face. "Thank you, but I don't know about the beauty part." You looked at a painting of you. "You are amazing with your work."

"Thank you." He smiled. "I want to introduce you to a friend of mine and a fellow artist." He referred to Levi. "This is Levi Ackerman."

You gazed at Levi and felt your heart soar. "H-Hello." You took Levi's hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Levi kissed the back of your hand. "The pleasure is all mine."

You giggled a little. "What a charmer."

Erwin sighed. "It's new."

You frowned a little. "Sorry?"

"Nothing." He grinned. "Levi! You should show her around and your paintings."

You gasped. "Oh, please do."

Levi blushed, then offered his arm for you. "Tch, come on brat."

You hugged his arm and walked with him. "What's it like being an artist?"

"It's relaxing. I get to work in my own time." He stopped by a painting. "Tch, it's not pretty like Erwin's."

You looked up and admired the melancholy painting of someone kneeling in the rain with their back to the viewer. The image was dark, so you could barely see the large figure dead. Around the survivor was some blood as well. "It's so..."

"Dramatic? Dark? Depressing?"

"Moving and beautiful." You smiled at it. "I'm not very good with words like you artists are, but this is perfection. I love it."

Levi's heart fluttered. "Really? Thank you."

You turned to him and hummed a laugh. "You're incredible."

He blushed hard. "I'm not, but I appreciate the love."

You hummed. "I wish I was talented like this."

"I'm sure you have a great talent. Someone as beautiful and sweet as you has got to be."

You blushed at Levi's sweet words. "You...I...thank you." You hummed a laugh. "You're really nice."

Levi reached out and lightly touched your cheek. "You're even more lovely in person."

You leaned into his touch. "You're too kind."

He blushed, then pulled away. "Shall we keep going?"

You nodded and walked with him. You both talked about yourself and found yourself connecting more and more. You laughed at all his dirty jokes and did a bit of flirting back at him. You forgot all about the paintings around you and just enjoyed each other's company. You both eventually found a bench to sit on and chat together until the place was closing.

You sighed and looked at your watch. "I should head home. Erwin probably wants me to model again too, so I have to get some good rest so I don't get bags under my eyes."

Levi took your hand. "I think you're beautiful no matter what."

"Thank you."

Levi took the plunge. "Can I have your number?"

You blushed. "My number?"

He panicked. "Y-yes, so I can umm...I want to use you as a model."

"Oh...sure." You took a pen out of your bag, then wrote it on Levi's hand. "There. I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Me too."

You walked away from him, then waved back and smiled. "Bye Levi."

Levi smiled like a lovesick puppy. "Bye." He let out a long sigh, then snapped out of his love daze.

Levi went home and couldn't focus on his work, because he just wanted you here and to paint you. He gave it two days so he didn't seem desperate, then he called you and arranged for you to come to his private studio. He made sure the place was perfect for you and he got all the things out that he wanted you to wear and do.

He greeted you at the door with a cup of tea for you and a rose. "Welcome."

You took the rose and tea. "Oh, well this is...thank you."

He closed the door behind you, then led you into his large studio room. "I have a few ideas, but we'll do whatever makes you feel comfortable. I do sad things, not happy, but I want to start doing happy undertones. So, I was thinking that umm, well."

"Name it." You sat down on the bed in the room and smiled. "I'm happy to do anything but sex and nudity."

He nodded. "I would never make you do those." He grabbed a shirt of his, then handed it over. "Could you wear this?"

You nodded, then put your tea and rose down. You went behind a screen, then changed into the shirt. "Done." You walked out with a blush. "How do I look?"

Levi felt his hot blood rush through him as something deep inside him sparked. You were stunning. "You...you...great."

You hummed a laugh and looked down at your bare legs. "So, now what?"

He pulled back the bed covers. "Could you lie in bed and look at the other side as if your lover is not home, not dead, but just not home."

"Sure." You slipped in then lay on your side and reached over to the empty side of the bed. "This is nice."

Levi fixed your hair a little, then stepped back as his heart pulled him to you. He wanted to lie in bed with you and hold you. "Perfection. I'll take a picture, then I'll start painting."

You let him snap the photo and put on the best longing look you could. Once he was done, you watched him start sketching on his canvas. You were mesmerised by how he worked, he was so smooth, elegant, and swift. He was filled with so much passion and love for what he was doing that it came across to you and made you feel comfortable.

After a while, you wiggled your hips. "S-Sorry, my hip went a bit numb."

Levi put his things down, then hurried over to you. "Let me help." He rolled you onto your back and started massaging your hip. "It is an awkward position to hold for hours, sorry."

You shook your head. "Don't be sorry. I love it."

Levi smiled a little. "I'm glad."

You blushed and nibbled your lip as you felt your feelings bubble up. You covered your mouth with your hand and looked away in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"What for?" He looked at your face and fell even harder for you. "That, that's it."

You whined. "What is?"

He ran and grabbed his camera, then took a picture. "So cute and sexy. It's so exciting. I love it."

You sat up on your thighs. "Love it?" You gulped. "Did you really invite me here to be your muse?"

Levi panicked. "I ah...umm..."

"Levi?" You moved closer causing your wonderful scent and warmth to wrap around him and pull him close. "Tell me the truth."

He shook his head. "No and yes. I wanted you as my muse, but I also wanted you."

"Well, it's a good job I want both as well." You lightly cupped his cheek, then you kissed him with a sweet moan. You felt your world fade away at kissing him and he felt fireworks and his life make sense. You pulled back and smiled. "Well, well, now that's a masterpiece."

He tapped his forehead against yours. "I think I might change my paintings to be love-filled ones."

You giggled a little. "I can't wait to help you make them."

#levi ackerman #levi #fanfic #aot fanfiction #levi fanfiction #snk levi #aot levi #levi x y/n #levi x you #aot x you #levi x reader #levi ackerman x you #levi ackerman x reader #levi fluff #levi ackerman fluff

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dragonclaude · 2 years

Note

May I pitch a fun "alternative chapter 5" in place of "oh Sakura just didn't die". What if it's something along the lines of "She enters a deathlike state that fools even Monokuma" and essentially pulls a Romeo & Juliet on them with only Hina in on the plan (she still does the whole disrupting the crime scene thing because *acting*) and Hina eventually wakes her back up... of course neither of them are chemists and it takes a few months for Sakura to wake up (thus allowing for an Upgrade Tree!)

See, that’s pretty interesting but I don’t know if the two of them would be able to convince Monokuma since he could hear everything while they’re talking about the plan. Even if they go somewhere like the bathhouse where he couldn’t see or hear it, he would know something fishy is up. Sakura was currently betraying him and that should be enough to lead him to believe she would be pulling something drastic.

Though, I do think there could’ve been more fun things done with the chemicals in the room. Could you imagine if someone with vague chemical knowledge used them to make an explosive substance??? Goodbye data lab door, we’re gonna go kick Junko’s ass directly.

But also this ask reminded me of something I’ve forgotten about for a while. It’s an idea I had before even starting the Roaring Cherry Blossom stuff. It was closer to “what could Sakura’s Revenge look like?” with the emphasis of making a spinoff that could fit into canon somehow. In the end, I kind of just took the gameplay idea and drew it for RCB but now that I think about it again…. It might not be a bad idea as a different way to start RCB instead of making it strictly an AU of DR1. I'd like to know what y'all think.

That’ll take a little bit to explain so bear with me. And also, @bananacreamphi it’s REALLY funny that you sent me this *during* the time I was typing this down xD

It’s not the exact same but you might want to read below ;D

Long read with a few colored drawings below!!

For the rest of this, I will refer to Roaring Cherry Blossom as RCB for shortening sake. If any of you reading don’t know what it is, make sure to see my tag that has all of my AU drawings or click this link to start looking!

--------

Okay so, in this version, Danganronpa 1 happens. Same survivors, same deaths, same apocalypse. People are fighting for their lives, the Remnants are running rampant and the future foundation is struggling to fight them back.

But, here’s the thing. When the remnants went to Hope’s peak to retrieve the parts of Junko’s body, they also decided to desecrate the bodies in the bio lab for despair reasons. While opening and examining all the bodies, they notice that all of the bodies but Sakura’s are at a point of no return…...and Mikan gets a great idea.

What if she revives Sakura and brainwashes her to become another remnant?

She did briefly work under Junko and she could get it right this time. The remnants would have one more strong fighter on their side and would massively catch the enemy off guard.

So they take her back to the remnant’s base and set up a brainwashing room directly in the medical room. Mikan revives Sakura with her medical knowledge, she wakes up immediately being brainwashed into thinking everyone she knows and loves is dead and that she failed her family’s legacy. Nekomaru welcomes her to the team, and we begin the tutorial of learning the controls. You would have reeeally brutal attacks at first, Nekomaru would be empowering you to not hold back and just murder as much as possible.

Here was a drawing of her I made in late 2020 that I decided to redraw with her RCB clothing, enjoy.

I don’t think she would have the Kanabos at first but I think it looks cool xD

It would also be cool to see what life was like on the remnants’ side and how camaraderie could show up with people who’ve fully succumbed to despair. Nekomaru and The ultimate Imposter would be the general leaders I’d say. The first to motivate the group in battles and the other focused on infiltration and enemy Intel.

But anyways after some time going on missions and wreaking havoc, Sakura finds out about the future foundation and that her friends are still alive; sparking a speck of hope that is enough to start messing with her thoughts. When bringing this up to the others, they recommend she go and destroy the source of the issue to bring her the despair that she needs. She lets Hiyoko destroy whats left of her home and next comes planning how she is going to kill her friends. (maybe delving into the thoughts she had during the time she was a spy in DR1)

For the sake of this, let’s say she goes with a plan that revolves around baiting them out from the foundation and picking them off one by one. Long story short, Sakura gets very close to killing Makoto but the foundation pulls out everything in their power to knock her out. (say, chain binds, chemicals, stunning explosives, or tranquilizers perhaps)

…...And now Makoto gets a great idea.

We will take Sakura and test out the current version of the Neo World Program. If it works on her, then we can be sure it will work with the others.

They bring her to the room, memory-erasing happens and the brainwashing is removed. Sakura regains consciousness in Jabberwock Island like Hajime did and is very confused. (She would likely have her DR1 outfit on)

She soon finds Usami, and maybe even Chiaki, to explain why she’s here and how to escape. Artistic rendition because I like this idea C:

She does the Usami chores while getting a little more interaction with the digital characters and “graduates” from the trip. There could also be a moment where the foundation members from the outside communicate with her inside of the program to give her more context and to assure her she's not just stranded in some island.

Then she comes back out, has a touching moment with her friends now that she’s back to normal, and gets straight to work finding the remnants like regular RCB. But, this time she knows how the program works and can vouch for it if she ever needs to convince someone.

Man, imagine how the reunion with Kenshiro would go once she reaches Towa City.

So yeah, this is another option without making an entirely new AU of DR1. I hope this didn’t stray too far from the original point, I just thought it would be fun to finally write it down! C:

I would like to know you guy’s thoughts on this too, maybe it’s a little too much Idk xD

======================================

Since this post is kind of an anchor point for this whole AU, here’s a TLDR for the whole plot!

======================================

DR1 happens

Dead Sakura is taken when remnants took Junkos parts

Mikan revives Sakura and turns her into remnant

Remnants cause havoc and gets attention of Future foundation

Sakura tries to capture Makoto, the foundation manages to knock her out

Makoto brings Sakura to the Neo World Program and undoes the despair

Now the game’s goal is to find and capture all the remnants to put them into the Neo World Program too

I’ve drawn lots of this idea, so if you want to see more into the game, look at my pinned post!

#ask #mariogman25 #roaring cherry blossom #sakura ogami #sakura oogami #kenshiro danganronpa #some other minor appearances but not worth to tag #danganronpa #danganronpa au #danganronpa spoilers #danganronpa spoiler #dr spoilers #dr spoiler #dr2 spoilers #myart

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therenlover · 3 years

Text

In Fleeting Touches & Airy Sighs Chapter One (A Three Chapter Helmut Zemo/Reader Fanfic)

(Thank you to the wonderful anon who requested angst and smut between Zemo and the reader because Zemo had to be away from her on the run!)

Synopsis: A year after working together with Zemo in the events of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam and Bucky seek him out once again in need of shelter from John Walker. Meanwhile, Zemo’s wife resents his absence and prepares for guests.

Tags: Flashbacks, Depression, Alcoholism, Separation Anxiety, Arguing, Struggling Marriage, Reunions

Rating: T (E in future chapters)

Warnings: Guns, Swearings, Reader shows signs of alcoholism/alcohol abuse, Reader uses a hot shower as a mild form of self harm

Word Count: 5000~

This fic has been crossposted under the same title to my AO3!

----------

Helmut Zemo was not often a man backed into a corner.

He was smart, resourceful, and had nothing left to lose. If it came down to the line, he would do whatever had to be done within his morals to achieve his goals, even if that goal was simply staying alive. The Baron bowed to no man, and made his enemies, no matter their size, fall to their knees with sheer wit instead of brute strength. That’s why, when he stood backed into an alley with the barrel of James Barnes’ gun to his forehead as the Falcon watched on, it was strange that he didn’t try to weasel his way out.

“We need answers,” Sam said, hands in the pockets of his dark hoodie. Bucky wore a similar one, only he wore a baseball cap instead of keeping his hood up. “How the hell did you break out of prison for a second time?”

Usually, Zemo would have replied with a clever quip. He had never been one to back down from a fight. This time, though, he looked almost frightened as he raised his arms in defeat. “I got in contact with friends on the outside during our short adventure together. They decided to help me out once I was re-incarcerated, willingly I might add. I had no part in the plan, but who would look a gift horse in the mouth?”

“And I guess I’m just supposed to assume you had no part in getting my pardon revoked?” Bucky spat.

“If you hadn’t noticed, James, I’ve left you alone,” A hint of his usual mockery slipped into Helmut’s tone, but he quickly pulled it back, “Believe what you want about me, but I’ve had some time since last year to… re-evaluate my feelings on the world. You had no choice but to do the things you did as the Winter Soldier, and as long as you pose no threat to society now I have no qualms with you,”

Despite the strangeness of Zemo’s response Bucky remained unphased. Sam, on the other hand, was less stoic.

“Man, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but the government is looking for Bucky and I harder than they’re looking for you, and it’s kind of all your fault, so excuse me for not giving a shit about your supposed sudden change of heart!”

“Can we get to the point? I’m afraid my flight leaves in an hour and I would hate to be late,”

“Cut the bullshit!” There Bucky went, pushing the cold metal closer to Zemo’s furrowed forehead.

“Bucky...” Sam warned.

“No, Sam, I can do this. Did you or did you not actively attempt to get my pardon revoked when you took us to Madripoor? Because thanks to you, a worse symbol than Sam is now standing unchecked with the title of Captain America AND he has access to the last of the new super soldier serum AND he’s trying to get us killed so we can’t tell the world about the awful shit he does,”

“I-” Zemo went to speak and, for the first time since he had met him, Sam believed he was being genuine. There was a tremble that made its way through him, all the way to his raised hands and even his voice. It was enough that Bucky even lowered the gun minutely. “I understood that by following my lead, the both of you were risking a lot. I didn’t intend any specific malice with my actions though, no. If I may… the two of you have attracted a lot of attention here in the past few days. I assume Walker is very close to finding you?”

Sam and Bucky shared a look before Sam responded. “Maybe, why?”

“I have a safe house,” he continued, “I don’t stay there often so the location isn’t compromised, but it’s my next stop. Might I suggest we take this conversation on the road? I would hate to host your reunion with Mr. Walker in an alley over my corpse,”

There was a moment of complete stillness. Zemo remained, face dark with that strange deer-in-headlights look, a perfect statue, as the barrel of Bucky’s gun remained pointed firmly in his direction and Sam shared what seemed to be a completely silent conversation with Bucky. It was true that they had been burned before. Zemo was a man with his own agenda who did what it took to fulfill it. That being said, he had returned willingly with them back to prison before he was broken out, and without his help, the band of freshly minted super soldiers would still be running around Europe causing chaos. In the end, Bucky lowered his gun slowly before tucking it away into his boot holster.

Zemo grinned.

“Don’t think this means we trust you,” Sam groaned, pointing a finger at the man.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Now, gentlemen, I believe we have a plane to catch,”

As the trio began to make their way out of the alley Bucky and Sam fell to the flank of the group. “Do you really think this is a good idea?” Bucky asked, eyes darting between his two companions. Sam shrugged.

“At this point, I’m doing whatever it takes to get home to my family in one piece. If that means I have to ride in Zemo’s stupid private jet again and lay low for a while, then that’s what I’m gonna do, because Sarah and those kids don’t deserve to lose me all over again,”

“But don’t you think he’s acting a little… weird?”

“Don’t worry, I have my eye on him. If he tries anything we can just throw him out front when Walker tries to shoot us,”

“You’re doing a very poor job of concealing your conversation,” Zemo shouted.

Bucky stormed ahead as Sam laughed.

“Oh, shut up!”

Surprisingly, the drive to the airstrip was mostly uneventful, as was the relatively short flight from Zurich to Avignon. There was, of course, the usual cutthroat banter and tension so thick you could feel it like a fog hanging over the group, but in an unusual twist of fate, the baron did very little to initiate. Of course, he wasn’t fully innocent though. He never was. That being said, even as his chauffeur carefully navigated the stone roads to the dropoff point he was strangely quiet. He had texted someone earlier to have the house prepared for their arrival but he kept looking down at the phone as if a response would come. It didn’t.

Sam appreciated the break from the noise. To him, it was a moment of peace after a few months of constant opposition. For the duration of the trip, he had chosen to shoot a few choice quips Bucky’s way before taking a long nap. Bucky, on the other hand, was only growing more suspicious of Zemo by the minute.

After his time with Hydra, Bucky had become intimately acquainted with the type of man that Zemo was. He was ruthless, driven by ideals that couldn’t be changed by any amount of debate or theory read inside a prison cell, and willing to do whatever it took to fulfill those ideals no matter the cost. There was remorse but no regret. A man like that doesn’t just stop believing in the thing that led him to kill dozens if not hundreds of people, because once the impetus is gone so is the only thing upholding their sense of self.

In basic terms, he was hiding something. Bucky was intent on finding out what that thing was, a thing important enough to make Zemo of all people shut the hell up and tell his enemies exactly where his safe house was, and he wasn’t going to rest until he did. The answer came easily enough in the end, but not before Sam and Bucky were forced face to face with the strangest thing they had ever seen, even when including aliens and wizards. That thing was Zemo buying flowers.

The trio had gotten out of the car somewhere around the center of the city and continued towards the safe house on foot. A few minutes after they started, though, Zemo had spoken.

“I apologize, but I’ll have to stop for a moment,” He said, holding up a hand to alert the two men trailing him to the fact that he was about to stop. Sam quirked up an eyebrow.

“At a flower shop?”

There, to the right of them, was a small fleuriste. The window was a burst of bright color. Pinks, reds, whites, purples; a certain bunch of spring blooms had caught Zemo’s eye. He shrugged. “It’s rude to arrive at someone’s house asking for a favor without a gift, Mr. Wilson. Excuse me,”

With a comfort that said he had been into the shop many times, Zemo walked through the door and began conversing with the shop owner in perfect French, even referring to her as tu instead of vous as he made his purchase.

“Did he just say someone’s house ?” Sam asked Bucky, eyes widening.

Bucky gritted his teeth. “Yeah, I think he did,”

“So, we’re just showing up at someone’s door,”

“Yup. Not to mention they’re someone who aligns themself with him,”

A groan escaped from Sam as he ran his hand down his face in disbelief. “I didn’t expect much from Zemo, but damn,”

“It’s your fault for expecting anything from Zemo in the first place,”

“For once, you’re right,”

They dawdled for a moment. As their conversation stilled, Zemo returned, now burdened by a sizable bouquet from the window. Around them, the city was starting to get off of work. Families walked together as businesses had their 5 o’clock shift change. Somehow as the world around them came to life it didn’t look at Sam and Bucky with anything more than a passing glance. They were tourists, nothing more. For a moment Sam understood why Zemo would go to a place like this for safety and anonymity.

Without ceremony, the trio began walking towards their destination once again.

“I apologize for the delay,” Zemo said, keeping his pace brisk and remaining about a foot ahead of his companions, “I suppose it’s become a bit of a habit that I buy Y/N flowers whenever I come back. We shouldn’t be long now, though, the house is just a few more blocks away, maybe 3 minutes by foot,”

“Y/N?” Bucky asked. The name felt heavy on his tongue, familiar. That had to be a coincidence though. Zemo would never align himself with anyone who had worked for Hydra, and there was no other place he could have heard that name and had it hold any significance. Right?

Zemo chuckled. “Y/N is our host. I’d appreciate it if you tried to maintain some semblance of respect when we arrive, she tends to have quite the temper and it would reflect badly on me if she believed I was asking her to indefinitely house two people who would happily send her to prison,”

“About that,” Sam chimed in, “Who the hell are we about to be staying with? It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I don’t, and by extension, I also don’t tend to trust people who trust you,”

“I assure you, Sam, Y/N is more trustworthy to you than I will ever be,”

“That doesn’t answer my question, nor does it make me feel any better,”

“She’s American, and like you, she is seeking shelter from the government. Isn’t that enough for you?”

“Man, at this point I feel like you’re not telling us because she’s actually some sort of crazy Sokovian sleeper agent who’s gonna stab us in the back while we sleep. Am I crazy, Buck, or am I right?”

Bucky, who had been trying his best to stay out of the conversation, replied. “You are being unnecessarily evasive, Zemo, though that’s nothing new…”

“Right? Like, I’m really grateful that you’re lending us a hand, but I’ve gotta be honest, if I think for a second things are going south-”

Sam never got to finish his sentence.

Suddenly, Zemo stopped short, turning around and looking Bucky in the eye with a madness neither he nor Sam had ever seen before. His whole body was stiff, rigid. The hand that wasn’t cradling the flowers delicately was gripped in a fist at his side. He looked angry, but underneath the anger, he really just looked scared. “You will not touch her. Do you hear me? Do what you’d like with me, I have made choices worthy of punishment, but you will not touch Y/N. If you so much as think of it, all bets are off. Do you understand me?”

Bucky nodded, sharp. This was certainly interesting. Sam just smirked.

“Is there something else you want to tell us?”

Zemo walked up a small set of stairs towards a home to their right. “No, Mr. Wilson, I don’t believe so,”

The building was a nice one, all tan stone with dark wrought-iron fixtures on its many windows. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like a normal midtown manor-house for some upper-class member of the community. The normalcy of it all hid its true purpose in plain sight. It was genius, really. Over a dividing wall made of the same yellowing stone, Sam could see a small sliver of vibrant green garden space and a pool at the side of the building.

With a steadying breath, Zemo knocked on the door.

“You have to knock on the door of your own safe house?” There was a hint of incredulity in Bucky’s voice as he crossed his arms. This was going to be a disaster. Why had they agreed to this again?

“A little etiquette goes a long way, James, especially when you’re already in the doghouse,” Then, the door opened.

Bucky froze. There, standing in the doorway with a pistol in her hand and a fire in her eyes, was a woman he thought long dead: you. This couldn’t be right! He had killed you back in ‘02 with the rest of the AAHR...

You quirked up an eyebrow at Zemo.

“Give me one reason I should let you in and not shoot you on the spot,”

They were so fucked.

________________

The day, on your end of the world, had gone by much slower.

It started off like any other, with the alarm on your bedside table blaring as you opened your eyes and your arms reached out into the emptiness in the sheets beside you. Sometimes, when Helmut’s flight got in late enough, you would wake up and reach to the side only to find that he had appeared beside you in the night. Those were the best kind of reunions. They were free of pretense, no bitterness or resentment clouded your sleep-heavy brain when you opened your eyes to his peaceful resting face, and you could simply fall into the comforting rhythm of husband and wife. If you reunited with a clear head things tended not to go as well.

You groaned. It wasn’t as if there was even a guarantee he would come back, especially not after the way you’d left things last time. The philosophy of attendre et espérer, waiting and hoping like an Edmond Dantés type, wouldn’t do you any good, at least not anymore.

Maybe it was time to start moving on…

Tomorrow. You could start thinking about the next steps tomorrow. For today you’d enjoy what you had.

Getting out of bed was difficult but you managed. The sun streamed through the curtains that billowed gently in the breeze near your balconette, brilliant gold beams illuminating the dust that danced in the air. The first thing you did was shuffle along to the corner and pour yourself two fingers of brandy from Helmut’s private collection. It was like a morning ritual these days, a numbing agent against the loneliness. Once the drink was downed you moved on to the closet to get dressed.

Dressing yourself wasn’t of much importance these days. You couldn’t exactly leave the house, and nobody was visiting, so more often than not, it was easier to just wear the same pajamas for a few days until you knew Oeznik would be around to drop off groceries. Today, though, you felt… filthy. Not dirty in a physical way, just sticky and filthy and unclean under your skin and in your very heart. Maybe a shower would help.

You looked around the closet with a clinical eye. It was difficult to be in there, surrounded by lavish dresses and expensive suits that you and your husband had worn arm in arm while plotting the downfall of the Avengers before your unsteady alliance had turned into so much more. Everything still smelled like his cologne. In the small, often-closed, walk-in closet, the scent had only intensified, covering every article of clothing with a fog of cedarwood and sage. It made you sick, choked the air from your lungs and left you gasping for even a single breath that didn’t sit heavy on your tongue with the bitter taste of that familiar musk.

The alcohol had helped. It always did. The remnants of its burn in your mouth formed a sort of guard against the scent of the closet as you searched through a pile of shirts for something soft and easy to wear. Your hands suddenly stilled.

“Zemo, I’m gonna be honest, this is the ugliest sweater I’ve ever seen in my entire life,”

“I’m hurt! That’s one of my favorites,”

“Where did you even get it, a 90-year-old grandpa’s closet? Jesus Christ, it looks like something out of a shitty 70’s flick about family values,”

“I’ll have you know that I thrifted that sweater. It’s very eco-conscious you know,”

Your heart hurt. Well, no, your whole body hurt, but your heart ached a little more prominently as you carefully picked up the sweater and held it to your chest. It was terribly ugly, 4 sizes too big even on Helmut and covered in an olive and forest green argyle. Somehow he was always able to pull off the oversized thing no matter how ridiculous you had always insisted you found it. When was the last time he’d worn it again?

The memory evaded you.

Still, it was a happy relic, happier than most of the monuments to a failing marriage that lined the shelves of your beautiful personal prison. It wouldn’t hurt to hope that by wearing it, you might rub just a little bit of that lost happiness off onto your present-day, right? With one last forlorn glance around the closet, you gathered up the sweater and a pair of jeans before getting out as fast as you could. With the scent of cologne clinging to you, the shower wasn’t just a good idea now, it was necessary.

So, you showered. You took the stupid foot-long exfoliating brush Helmut loved so much and scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed yourself under the near-boiling stream of water until your skin was pink and raw. Disappointingly, even the new skin felt filthy. It was better, though, less intense. With some lotion and a little bit of Neosporin on the fresh patches of blotchy red, you were able to feel okay. Not good. Not clean. Just… okay. At least you didn’t smell like him anymore. The clock read 12:14 when you finally made it out of the bathroom in search of some real food.

Lunch, if you could call it that, was a silent affair. The fridge was almost empty and the pantry was only a little less bare, so you threw together a cheese sandwich, not even bothering to waste butter and grill it. You ate it plain with another glass of brandy out on the pool deck. It was gone sooner than you hoped it would be.

Oh well.

You finished your brandy with a sigh. Only seven or eight more hours until you could finish your day with a few more drinks and pass out in bed until nine or ten once again. Ah, dreamless sleep. That sounded divine. Now if only you could fathom any non-depressing way to spend the time between sleeping and waking. Swimming was out, the chemicals would burn your freshly eviscerated skin. Playing solitaire for the fourth day in a row sounded like absolute hell on earth. Even watercolors, a usual calming respite from the torturous and neverending monotony of life trapped alone in a house you had no help in stocking, were off the table ever since you’d run out of paper.

Somewhere inside the house, your phone dinged.

The second the sound hit your ears you jumped, dropping your glass and letting it shatter into a thousand tiny shards on the stone of the patio.

Phones were a difficult thing to own for someone who was trying to stay out of the eyes of the government. They were too easy to track and could tip off enemies to your location with very little error needed on your part. Even searching the internet for innocent things was too risky. If your search history was too similar to that of the alias you had used before Helmut went to prison, it would have been easy for them to find a connection and send someone to track you down. Still, you kept a cell phone charged and ready on the kitchen counter despite the risk for one reason and one reason only: Emergency contact with your husband.

He never texted from the same number on more than one occasion, always switching from burner phone to burner phone as he flew across the country doing god knows what, but if he was ever in a situation where emergency contact with you was needed, he was able to reach you at your number immediately. It had only happened a couple of times, and each time he had been in a considerable amount of danger. So, when you suddenly heard the sound you dreaded more than anything else in the world, you were quick to rush inside, even ignoring the shattered glass at your feet as you shoved through the doors and found the phone.

The small, LED display was lit up with the notification. It made your heart both soar and sink.

Flying home with two guests. Prepare the two rooms for their stay. We will be there by 5 at the latest - B

You read over the message several times before letting the phone fall from your hand and back onto the counter with a dull thud.

That absolute asshole.

Three months. Three months you had spent sitting alone. Three months without a call, or a text, or a letter, or even a word of when he was coming back by way of Oeznik. Three months! And after three months of loneliness and sleepless nights and empty bottles on the drink cart he reaches out through an emergency line of contact that almost certainly means he might be dying only to tell you he’s bringing two strangers into your safe house, the place even he refuses to stay in too long in order to not give its location away. The scar on your spine was starting to burn as you leaned up against the counter and cried.

It was ridiculous to think you had ever believed him capable of more tact than that.

Really, it was your fault. From the beginning, you’d had too much faith in a man incapable of being trustworthy, even to those closest to him. You knew that, and yet you had married him. Maybe the soft touches and sweet lies he had spoon-fed you had made you weak. Maybe you always had been.

“I’m not a child, Helmut, I know what I’m doing!”

“I don’t think you do,” he shouted. He was a few drinks in now, you both were. The nights before his departures never tended to end well when you both drank. “Because no matter what I do to protect you, you have the need to disobey me! Have you considered that I do the things I do for your own good!”

“Oh! Oh yes, the things YOU do!” You slammed your glass down on the table as you stormed over to Helmut, “I sit here all day like a fucking dog in a cage while you fly to fucking Ibiza and flirt with supermodels, but YOUR story is just so fucking tragic! I’m your wife, Helmut! I’m not an animal or your property, I’m your goddamn wife! You can’t just order me to sit and stay like a dog,”

He glared down at you, eyes hawkish and glinting in the low lamplight. For the first time in years, he looked threatening, “You may not be a dog, or a child, or my property, but you are a weapon! It’s my job to keep you here, away from the-”

“Excuse me?” You interrupted. The two of you stood, inches away and yet miles apart. Slowly, the drive in Helmut’s eyes faltered. “Say that again. I dare you,”

“Schatz, I-”

“No, Helmut, you meant it so say it again. Call me that again. I fucking dare you,” Tears were streaming down your face now. He took a step towards you, hand extended to wipe them away, but you were quick to take a step back out of his reach.

“You misunderstood me,”

“I don’t think there was anything to misunderstand,”

You swept the shards of your glass tumbler into a dustpan, hands still shaking even ten minutes after you’d read Helmut’s message to you. As you worked, your last conversation before he’d left echoed in your mind.

How had it all devolved into that? It wasn’t hard to remember Helmut before prison, jaded and broken and lonely. He had been so much like you and yet so different. Each of you seemed to be the perfect balm for the others' wounds. In the end, despite all of his flaws, you had found yourself in love. Now that he was a different man, was that love gone? You couldn’t say. All you knew for sure was that you weren’t nearly drunk enough to be facing the confusing feelings in your brain. With the last of your energy, you emptied the dustpan of glass into the trash can and returned to the house, sweater itchy against your irritated skin, to ready the guest rooms.

The job wasn’t a long one. You had never used the guest rooms in all the time you’d spent at the Avignon property, so the sheets were already clean. There was just a thin layer of dust on the furniture that needed to be swept away as you checked to make sure the dressers were bare and the bathrooms were stocked with amenities. Then, when that was done, you were left to your thoughts as the hours ticked by.

Most of the time you spent sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing. It sounded terrible, and in all honesty it was, but what else could you do? The house was already spotless so cleaning wasn’t an option, and you didn’t quite feel like doing much of anything as you stared at the clock and tried to remember a time when your life was less of a disaster. As it got closer to five, though, you started to get antsy.

You had tried your best to not think about the obvious issue of the guests. Zemo was not the type to threaten his home, even if he wasn’t happy with you, so usually having anyone who wasn’t Oeznik or another paid lackey aware of the location of your safe house would be a big no in his book, but then you started thinking of the implications of him bringing people into your home. Your home, not his. Was he on his way to kill you? It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Or maybe he was bringing your replacement.

Now that thought made anger bubble up in your throat. You were no stranger to the idea that when your husband was away, he could be doing anything. There was no guarantee when he slept in lavish hotels or drank the night away in elite lounges that he kept his wedding ring on. The fact that there were two guests meant it was unlikely he was bringing two mistresses, but never impossible. Nothing was impossible when it came to Helmut.

No, it was more likely he had finally decided it was time to end your suffering. The shouts and boisterous laughter that started to sound directly outside of the front room window only confirmed the for you. Slowly, you crept towards the door and grabbed a small pistol from its place in the umbrella stand. If he wanted you dead you weren’t going to go without a fight.

Through the curtains on the front door, you could just barely make out the trio. When you saw them your blood ran cold. It was one thing if he needed help to take you down, but getting the Winter Soldier on board? Your rage only grew by the minute.

Helmut said something, probably planning the best course of action to catch you off guard, and you sneered. Two could play at that game. When he knocked on the door you opened it calmly and held the gun with your finger just barely ghosting over the trigger.

Everyone froze.

“Give me one reason I should let you in and not shoot you on the spot,” you said, rage coursing through every nerve in your body. You may have been in retirement for quite a few years, but you still knew how to handle a gun. Everyone there, except maybe the Falcon, knew that. As Zemo went to open his mouth, you prepared for a firefight.

“Because I brought you flowers,”

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

a/n: Sorry that only one chapter is out! The fic is just getting very long and complicated and I wanted to make sure you got as much as possible before the next episode drops lol. I’ll be working pretty much nonstop from now until then, though, so the next parts should be out soon!

TAGLIST: @tatestripedsweater , @elaineygrace, @multiyfandomgirl40 , @lovelymischief , @rami-malek-trash , @dazzlingseb, @avgravy , @sarahsilver , @wh0re-4-techno , @forcebros , @sugarsweetkiss , @grandmuffinsharkbailiff , @killsandthrills , @novasstudy , @thnksfr-ptrkstmp , @inmate-marmalade, @alanathedeer , @mossybank , @simsiddy , @xxspqcebunsxx

Please do not post my work on other sites, thank you!

#zemo #helmut zemo #baron zemo #baron helmut zemo #zemo x reader #helmut zemo x reader #baron zemo x reader #baron helmut zemo x reader

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strange-destinations · 3 years

Note

You mentioned transcripts of your Doctor Who RPG games. Any chance you might be willing to share them? (only if you want)

Of course! Here's The Big Masterpost of all our transcripts and audio files, updated as often as we play. Feel free to read and/or listen to as many as you want - I like to think I keep it pretty organized. Some things to note:

We pass around the GM crown from person to person, so we can all have a swing at running the game and also all get to play. So that's why our characters sometimes keep getting knocked out at the start of the arc and dragged offscreen, and why the GMing isn't consistent.

The sound editing can be a little hit-and-miss since I'm often speedrunning the editing/transcribing thing, so I apologize in advance if it ever gets funky or unlistenable. That's what the transcripts are for, I guess.

As of posting this, we've just wrapped up our fourth 'serial' and are probably going to kick off a new one next week! So now's a pretty good time to catch up with the story if you're curious.

Other links and content under the cut:

@trailmixtime's Thieves and TARDISes tag has most of our memery, art, and writing-related bonus content saved. (I have a tag for it too, but sometimes I'm a bit hit-and-miss when it comes to saving it all, so!)

I compose music for the campaign and edit it into the audio (along with sound effects and such) when the fancy strikes me. A playlist of all that original music can be found here!

The song used for the 'previously on' recap (and also the Doctor's theme) is this one. It's a banger, lads.

If you ever hear us reference a companion or some events that you are 100% sure are not canonical or even semi-canonical in the DWEU (for example, Millie or Roman) - that may be because we accidentally sort of ended up setting our game post-the Game of Rassilon, that one RPG podcast that I never stop talking about. It's very good, but you really don't need to listen to it to understand what's going on. We're just massive nerds who couldn't help ourselves.

Also, I'm extremely aware that we don't introduce our characters in very much detail in that first adventure, so I have prepared a handy little guide to the party down below (with bonus pictures!):

The Doctor (played by me!) - well, it's the Doctor. She's at a amorphous point in the future, far past anywhere we've seen in the TV series, and is very newly regenerated. In my head played by a Puerto Rican actress (a lot of planets have a Puerto Rico!). Fond of cats cradle, colors, plants. Not fond of eating.

Leela (played by @trailmixtime) - yes, that Leela. Plucked from the start of Gallifrey season one, Leela still has no idea what's happened to her husband. Working for President Romanadvoratrelundar (of course), rarely without a knife or janis thorn or two. K9's with her, also. (Good boy, K9!) Big ol' sweet tooth.

Unit-17, otherwise known as Dissent (played by @liria10) - a hospitality robot from the future gone rogue, Dissent is on a quest to reach the top of the most-wanted list. That's right, it's crime time. Eternally cheerful, just here for fun and chaos and thievery.

Caryophyllene, although we just call them Caryo for short (played by @bird-of-paradox), is a member of a a race of arachnoid psychic warrior spiders who use a scent-based language (the TARDIS is working overtime to translate, but we're managing). They're a semi-professional thief and very good at being sneaky and disruptive. We all love Caryo.

Verity Brown (played by @raindropsonwhiskers) hails from 1840s New York, where the Doctor and the rest of Team TARDIS picked her up. She was a weaver at the Ballston Mill Company until she got swept up in a bit of an adventure, and now she is having a very weird day. Down to fight, especially if said fighting involves asshole Time Lords.

Also, she might be a bit traumatized at this point. But that's all right! We're all traumatized here on the TARDIS! Ha ha haaa. We need therapy.

#Thieves and Tardises #DWRPG #my art #doctor who roleplaying game

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captain039 · 3 years

Text

Secrets of mutation PART 2

Logan(wolverine) x reader

Warnings: Age gap, student/teacher, AOB, trauma, swearing, sexual, intimate, a little forceful

Xmen X new mutants

AOB will be referred to second gender xD

Last chapter <-

Getting use to other people was difficult. You stayed with your little group most of the time, but when classes were sorted out you were separated, Rahne and Danny seemed eager to get into the whole school while Sam just tagged along and Roberto tried to find Illyana. You felt like the odd one out, trying to figure out your mutation, second gender, your past, things seemed to pile on, and why that man, Logan or the wolverine, had such a strong scent to you, nobody else did. The professor said he would help once you got settled, you didn’t settle well, not in this situation, not knowing anything. After a few days you went to find the professor, rummaging through students before sighing at his office.

“Come in” he said before you even got to knock.

“Ah Y/n” he greeted as you looked to the other person in the room.

“Sorry- do you want me to come back?” You asked.

“No come in, it’s alright” the Professor smiled beckoning you to sit. You avoided eye contact with the man at all costs, the same strong scent coming off him.

“You’re here for answers” the Professor said and you nodded.

“You’re much like Logan here, though you didn’t take a bullet to the head” he chuckled and you snapped your head to look at him in shock. He raised his eyebrows sighing, his arms crossed also. You’ve heard about his mutation, claws and quick healing apparently. You glanced to his fists seeing nothing and frowned.

“You wanna see them?” He asked noticing you eyes.

“Sorry-“ you flushed looking away.

“It’s ok kid” he scoffed a smiled on his face. You heard a slicing sound and looked. You stared wide eyed at the silver claws coming out of his knuckles.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” You said wanting to go closer.

“You can go closer” the Professor smiled assuringly.

“I won’t scratch ya” Logan said as you stood. You looked at them in awe, you hadn’t seen many mutants besides the ones you were with.

“It hurts every time they come out” he said rather quietly.

“Oh I didn’t mean to make you hurt yourself-“ you glanced between him and the professor in apology.

“I’ve just-“ you sighed.

“I haven’t seen a lot of things before” you mumbled lifting your hand to run your fingers along the blunt edge.

“Is it steel?” You asked as the man stared at you.

“Adamanthium” The Professor said.

“An indestructible metal” he added.

“Woah” you whispered.

“So is it just your claws that are metal?” You asked.

“His whole skeleton is” the Professor spoke again.

“Were you born with metal in you?” You asked softly and he chuckled his claws going back in.

“No I was bone before I went into an experiment” Logan spoke this time and you frowned.

“Not like your programs though” you nodded at his words and backed away.

“Thank you for showing me- I guess I’m a new kid learning again” you said a little embarrassed.

“I think they’re cool” you added sitting down with your eyes cast down.

“You’re in a good place now kid, the Professor will help you out” Logan rested a hand on your shoulder before leaving and you watched.

“Seems he likes you” the Professor chuckled.

“What-?” You mumbled.

“Take it as a compliment dear, he’s usually a grumpy old man” he chuckled again.

“Oh” you said glancing to the door again intrigued.

“Shall we start at the beginning?” He asked catching your attention again.

“What’s the beginning?” You asked.

“Simple things, age, name, last name” he shrugged.

“My names Y/n Y/l/n” you said and he nodded. You were confused but said your age and he nodded again.

“I’m a mutant?” You shrugged.

“Good, do you remember anything about your family?” He asked and you frowned.

“I only get glimpses of people without faces, laughs and a house” you said fiddling with your fingers.

“Do you remember their names?” He quizzed.

“No” you whispered sadly.

“I have feelings of happiness when I remember, family happiness, I don’t know if that helps?” You sighed.

“It’s a start” the Professor smiled.

“What do you remember from waking up at the program?” He asked.

“I was on a hospital bed, well I was cuffed to a hospital bed, um the room was creepy like in a horror movie hospital. Dr Reyes came in said I was a mutant and I’d just shown” you thought a bit going through memories.

“I never showed my mutation though so I doubted I even was one, Magik didn’t like me kept picking on me, Rahne said that she could smell me? Like I had a different scent to the others. I don’t know why” you mumbled the last bit.

“It wasn’t a program more of a prison, I remember having horrible nightmares but that was from Danny apparently” you trailed off.

“Yes her mutation is quite unique I’ve never seen anything like it” the Professor spoke.

“Yeah, I don’t really remember much” you said softly sighing.

“That’s alright, that’s why you’re here, to unlock your past and create a future” he smiled at you.

“Can I ask something?” You said and he nodded.

“Of course” he smiled.

“About our second gender” you mumbled.

“Ah with that, I can go through your mind and find it for you, it’ll be like you never didn’t know it” you nodded a little confused.

“It may sting though” he moved to sit in front of you and you took a deep breath as he pressed his fingers to your temple.

Memories flashed by and your mind scrambled while you gripped the chair. Your heart sped as voices and images flashed through your memories.

“Y/n” you didn’t realise he had stopped as you shook on the chair. You had cried out as too many things flashed by, memories flooding, people, places. You sobbed softly at the memory of your parents being murdered before the men took you. You remembered changing and running into the woods before the tranquillised you.

You groaned in pain as you tumbled on the floor, body shaking uncontrollably. You heard Rahnes voice close but couldn’t focus on what was happening as your bones changed and reshaped.

You laid on the floor, eyes closed and breathing steady. You heard faint voices as you slowly opened your eyes and lifted your head.

“That’s why you could sense her Rahne” you heard the professor say. You went to speak but it came out a distorted meow almost. You frowned looking to Rahne as she stared at you.

“You’re a cat” she said and you froze.

“Like a big cat” you looked to Danny behind her who spoke.

“Is it Y/n?” Sam asked.

“Yes” the Professor answered for you as you looked back to him.

“She’s got her memories back too” he said and they all looked surprised.

You felt your body change again and sighed as you laid on the ground naked.

“Here” Sam quickly covered you with a blanket and you thanked him softly.

“Seems we unlocked a little more than expected” the Professor said and you nodded not bothering to get off the ground.

Next chapter ->

#x reader #aob #hugh jackman #wolverine x reader #xmen #the new mutants #Logan x reader #wolverine #logan howlett

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writingtoforgetreality · 3 years

Text

I Remember (Malcolm Bright x Reader)

Request: uM hi saw ur request post while i was scrolling through malcolm bright x reader tag lol so may i request an x reader w malcolm where reader's gil's niece or smth so she and mal know each other before he joined the team- and one day where mal was being a dumbass and reader was told to drive mal home and when she was securing his restraints he jokingly asked her to sing to him aNd she did sing and fell asleep on the bed by opposite mal aND he got a good amount of sleep like no night terrors and next day he accidentally slipped that reader ''slept'' w him and gils just like excuse me wtf?? Djkdkdlsjsjs idk i got this idea when i was staring at the ceiling at 4 am instead of doing my essays that were due in the morningxD sorry its p long. Thanks and have a good day/night (by @iwillboilyourteeth), [Prodigal Son-Masterlist]

Summary: Malcolm got hurt again. What a surprise. And, as always, you were right there to take care of him. Tonight, though, things took a turn. For the better or for the worse? Only the future would tell.

Words: 2,142

Warnings: language, love me some sarcasm, fluff, so much fluff, I love writing for Prodigal Son (keep the requests coming)

Song used: “I Remember” by Jason Manns

If you like my work & wanna support me: a coffee would be highly appreciated ❤

You were sitting in your apartment when your phone started ringing loudly, interrupting your movie marathon. Sighing exaggeratedly, you checked who decided to annoy you at this time. It was not too late but you liked your alone time a lot. Gil. Oh no. That could never be good.

“Uncle Gil. I hope whatever you’re about to tell me is more important than Harry Potter.” pausing the movie you were currently watching, you did not even give him enough time to greet you. A loud sigh could be heard over the phone. One, that made you laugh.

“(Y/N).” his voice was stern & you knew better than to mess with him. Yet, you could not help yourself.

“Yeah, that’s me. You called me, after all.” joking to ease the tension, your giggling was cut short by his next words.

“Malcolm is a dumbass.”

“What a revelation.”

“He’s hurt.” Gil stated. Throwing your head back in frustration, you knew he only called you if he knew it was not too bad. But bad enough to need your help. “I need you to come get him.” it was not even a question, more like an order. Immediately, you grabbed the stuff you needed & headed out of your apartment towards your car.

“Can I yell at him for being reckless?” opening the door, you got inside but before you started the engine, you waited for the call to end. Could not risk getting youself hurt. Malcolm was the stupid one, not you.

“I already did that but I’m sure he’ll appreciate to hear it again.”

“Good.”

“Drive safe.” Gil noted.

“See you in ten.” & with that you drove to the precinct where he would most likely wait for you.

Growing up, you spent a lot of time at Gil’s. Malcolm was there almost always, so you got to meet each other pretty early on. Deep down, you cared for him. More than you should care for a friend. And because of him being a profiler, you were sure he picked up on that as well. Malcolm was just nice enough to not comment on it. Besides, he would tell you that he was too broken anyway. The thing was that it never scared you away. It did the exact opposite, actually. It only made you want him more.

Did you ignore almost every speed limit? Possibly. Your knuckles were white because you had gripped the steering wheel so tightly. One of these days, you would kill Malcolm. He kept getting himself hurt & you were tired of being the one to drive him home afterwards. Of course, you knew Gil only called you because Malcolm trusted you enough but that did not change the fact that you were exhausted.

“What happened?” approaching Gil, your eyes looked around for a sign of Malcolm. “And where the hell is he?”

“Bathroom.” his finger pointed over. “He didn’t call backup & thought dealing with it alone would turn out fine.” Gil was, you could tell, almost as tired as you. Not only of Malcolm acting recklessly but also because of a long day at work.

“What a surprise.” your sarcasm got the best of you. But it helped you coping with your feelings sometimes. “Uncle Gil?” his head snapped up when you said his name.

“Yes?”

“Go home & get some sleep. I got it from here, promise.” your sweet smile was convincing enough & with a nod, he turned around & walked away.

“(Y/N)?” Malcolm noticed you when he walked out of the bathroom. His face was covered in bruised & by the way he was limping, you were sure that his entire body had to be sore. “Where’s Gil?”

“I sent him home.” shrugging as if it were nothing, you gave Malcolm a look. He knew what it meant but apparently, he wanted to play dumb.

“What?” his head tilted slightly & if it were not for his damn puppy eyes & for the fact that he was hurt, you would be the cause of his bruises. Not quite literally but still. Rolling your eyes at him, you crossed your arms over your chest.

“You’re stupid, I hope you know that.”

“I do, but we caught the killer, so it was worth it.” he casually stated.

“Is it really worth risking your life, Mal?” shaking your head shortly, you were not in the mood to discuss this any further. A simple gesture of your hand was enough to show him that you wanted to get going. “Come on, I’m gonna bring you home.”

“You’re mad.” Malcolm noted when the both of you walked outside back to your car. Sighing loudly, you stopped for a brief moment.

“Yes. I’m mad because I can’t even count how many times we’ve been in this exact situation anymore. And it sucks. Because every single time Gil calls me, I think he’ll tell me that you didn’t make it out like you always do.” Malcolm’s eyes widened when you explained how you were feeling. Your body brushing past his made him turn around & follow you without another word. It was silent between you two until you arrived inside Malcolm’s apartment.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N).” he spoke up, his voice much softer now. When you saw him struggling to pull off his coat, you walked over to him to help him out.

“You don’t owe me an apology, Mal.” your back faced him when you went to put his jacket away.

“I do. You always take care of me when shit like that happens. And I wanted you to know that I don’t take that for granted. If I were you, I would’ve stopped caring a long time ago.”

“You know as much as I do that this won’t ever happen.” & it was true. Malcolm could mess up over & over again. Could get himself hurt & all that. But you would always be here to catch him, no matter what.

“I don’t deserve you.” his eyes bore into yours & by the look he gave you, you knew he was not talking about you taking care of him when he was hurt. He was referring to you as a person. Basically, he wanted to make you understand that he was not worthy of your love. Which was bullshit to you.

“You deserve so much & it hurts that you don’t see it.” the conversation dropped for the time being. Navigating your way through his apartment, you looked for something he could wear to bed. Soon enough, you found something suitable & when you walked back into the room ,you found Malcolm already sitting on his bed, head hanging low. He stopped you when he noticed your hands grabbing the shirt he was wearing. Sending him a confused look, your eyebrows raised in question.

“I think I can handle it from here on.” taking the clothes from you, he went to strip himself out of his workwear. Surprisingly, he could not move his body enough to achieve anything.

“Yeah, I can see that. Come on, don’t act like that, Malcolm.” it was not the first time you had helped him undressing. As mentioned earlier, the two of you had been in this situation too many times to count.

It did not take long & he was wearing comfortable clothes. After asking if he needed anything else, you went straight to his restraints & helped strapping him in. It amazed Malcolm how you were not weirded out by the fact that he had to be held down in order to have at least a few hours of sleep.

“(Y/N)?” his voice was barely above a whisper but your humming let him know that you heard him. “Can you sing something for me?” it was meant to be a joke, he simply wanted to ease the tension between you guys. Thinking about it for a second, you came to the conclusion that it would not hurt to do that. Maybe it would help him fall asleep? Malcolm eyes widened when you actually started singing quietly. It was soothing & he closed his eyes to focus solely on your voice.

Hey you, when I saw you walk in there

And I couldn’t help but stare

At the way you move your hands

‘Cause it’s the little things you do that drive me crazy

And now, let’s forget about the crowd

And just concentrate on us

So that you can know what I want you to know

I remember how it started

You had everything I wanted

I was helpless to resist

But I didn’t want to

Only if you would hold me tight

As we talked all through the night

About those things you won’t tell no one else

I know that we’ve got long ways to go

But I want you to know

That I’ll be there till the end, so don’t you worry

I remember how it started

You had everything I wanted

I was helpless to resist

But I didn’t want to

‘Cause I fell in love with you-ou-ou

After you finished, Malcolm still had his eyes closed, he just laid there for a while, recalling the words of the song. He knew what you were trying to tell him but if he had to be honest, he was scared. If the two of you were to try something, he thought you would leave him the moment you realized his demons were too much for someone to handle. Malcolm did not hear you leave his apartment, neither did he feel a movement. Opening his eyes slowly, he found you sound asleep right next to him. Your peaceful form made him smile brightly. Contemplating if he should wake you up, he decided against it in the end. Deep down, he knew you would not judge him he if he had a night terror next to you. And if he were honest, having you with him made him incredibly calm. That night, he fell asleep almost immediately, without any nightmares invading his dreams. The reason for it was you. Only you.

Malcolm woke up early the next morning. Work called. Okay, maybe Gild had told him to take a few days off but everyone who knew Malcolm, knew that he did not listen to such orders. Or any orders, in general. You were still asleep when he loosened his restraints. He left you a note behind before leaving his apartment for work.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay at home?” Gil questioned the second Malcolm entered the office where the rest of the team was already up & working.

“You did but I’m fine.” Gil rolled his eyes at his words. Usually, whenever Malcolm insisted on being fine, he was everything but. Examining his face closer, Gil was shocked to see him so…well rested?

“Wait. How much did you sleep last night? You look unusually awake.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s because I slept with (Y/N) last night.” Malcolm spoke casually & went to examine the pictures that were displayed on the table in the middle of the room. Gil’s eyebrows raised at that. Dani only sent him a weird look & JT almost choked on his coffee at Malcolm’s confession. There were some things he did not want to know & his love life was one of it.

“Excuse me, what now?” Gil was the first one to press the topic further. Everyone knew how protective he could get when it came to you, his niece. When Malcolm turned around, he found three pairs of eyes looking sternly at him. Wait, what did he say? Realization washed over his face & he only now noticed how wrong his words sounded without any given context.

“No, wait…That came out wrong.” closing his eyes briefly, he prepared an explanation for his confused co-workers. “(Y/N) drove me home yesterday & she helped me with my restraints & all. She fell asleep & I didn’t wanna wake her up.” Malcolm’s hands gestured wildly, not wanting to give them the wrong impression of last night’s events. JT pretended to understand what he explained even though he had no idea & frankly, he did not care too much. Malcolm had lost Dani’s interest a while ago, she continued working on the next case. Only Gil was left. He gave Malcolm a knowing look, went over to him & patted him on the shoulder.

“You better take care of her, Bright. Or you have to deal with me.” his threatening smile creeped Malcolm out but he knew Gil was only trying to keep you safe. Maybe you were the right one for him. Last night was proof enough. It was scary to take that next step but on the other hand, he wanted to take that risk. He wanted to give it a try. For the both of you.

Published (04/20/2021) by Cathy

Tags: @octopus5555 (thanks for your support <3)

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moral-turpitudes · 3 years

Text

The Proposal:

Masterlist | Rules | Peaky Prompts

Trigger Warnings: So much Fluff that my teeth are hurting from how sweet it is.

*Based off Fluff Prompt #5 from my Peaky Prompts list.*

Word Count: 1,249

Characters: Thomas Shelby x Reader

Requested by: Anon, you can find it here.

Summary: Y/N’s ordinary day at work turns into the surprise of a lifetime.

Your eyes were covered with a blindfold as Polly led you to what felt like a field, given there was grass beneath your feet and you could feel your clothes catching on the tall wheat plants swaying in the wind as you followed her lead.

“Am I being kidnapped by your family? What have I done?” You asked with a smile, Polly laughing lightly as she led you onward.

“We wouldn’t dare kidnap you. You’re too precious.” She said, thinking about how you’d been there for Tommy during his darkest moments, seeing him off before the war and putting him back together when he came back. It was a slow process, but you made sure to be one of the only constant things in his life. The only one who could get him to let half of his walls down since they were built up like a fortress. The stones so heavy you didn’t think you’d be able to bear them yourself. But you did, and here you were being led on one of the most interesting times of your life, blindfolded of all things.

“It’s getting late Pol, I was supposed to meet Tom at the Garrison remember?” You asked, your mind racing with how the days events unfolded.

You’d gone through half the days work to find a letter written by none other than your long-time boyfriend Thomas Shelby. The infamous main man of the backstreet razor gang you’d come to love. The letter included a small picture of the two of you from your first date years ago, taken by Polly on the front steps of the old house on Watery Lane. The two of you young and full of life before the war.

“Y/N, you know he said in the letter he was trying to make up for the time spent away from you. I’m just helping him out. I wouldn’t want to disappoint my heathen of a nephew.” She said, slowing her steps as you thought about how you’d gotten to be behind a blindfold.

Polly had whisked you away per Thomas’ request that was unbeknownst to you. Telling her to take you out for an early lunch as a treat for not seeing you enough recently, giving her a few extra shillings to put towards a nice outfit for later.

You being a lover of anything remotely of shopping, perked up at the request, and so you couldn’t turn it down. Not when you had free reign of the shops with just the mention of the Shelby name.

Although, living a life of crime, or more-so watching the others that you’d grown to love, live a life of crime wasn’t always easy. Seeing as you’ve had your fair share of late nights wondering when he’d be home, dealing with constant surveillance due to threats, or deciding whether or not to sew a wound up or have a doctor give it a go.

But this was one of the perks, albeit a rare one as he wasn’t the most romantic of the Shelby men. Most times he’d send you flowers or would take you out on the town when his schedule would allow it, even if it didn’t fall quite on a day worth celebrating, but you applauded his efforts anyway as he was a busy man with a million things going on in his head.

At times, this would put strain on the both of you. You sometimes wishing to turn his brain off, like a light switch. Just so he could focus on you and your relationship for more than 5 minutes. But deep down you knew he tried his best given what he’s been through. Doing everything he had to do to make sure you were safe, even if it meant going weeks without you like recently. But now was his time to make up for it, and little did you know how great of a length he’d gone to make that happen.

Polly slowed her steps as you felt someone near you, the familiar smell of his cologne filling your nose as he undid the blindfold. Your eyes soon adjusting to the sunlight that was just starting to fade into the evening sky.

Thomas’ eyes were happier than you’d seen in weeks. And if you were honest it was a little unsettling at first, at least internally. You’d grown accustomed to his steely gaze but he’d always reserved a softer glance just for you. But this one was...different. There was more love there than before. More depth.

As you tore your eyes away from his with a smile, you quickly looked around at the set-up he had going.

There was a vardo sitting nearby, the one he’d shown you years ago where you’d make out until sunset until one of his parent would come looking for him. And there were two chairs and a makeshift table, with torches around it lighting the area. It was nothing compared to the lavish living you were accustomed to now, but it felt more like him. More at home in a way. Especially with the beautiful lake in the distance that matched the blue of his eyes. The color of them pulling you in like a riptide as he pulled your attention back to him with a light stroke of your cheek.

“Where’d you go just now?” He asked, seeing you have that look once before after he took you to London the night before a mission, seeing some of the city that you’d never had the privilege of being to until then.

“Paradise...I mean look love, it’s beautiful! How’d you put all this together? Never knew you had it in ya.” You said jokingly, wrapping your arms around his waist as he pulled you close, his lips finding yours in an instant.

“I may have stayed here and planned it out with the lads...” he said, referring to his brothers and trusted friend Johnny Dogs.

“Well I think it’s lovely. But I do have to ask...what’s all this for?” You asked, his facial expression changing slightly as he put his hand in his pocket.

“I wanted to surprise you since I’ve been away so long. Also, it got me thinking about something.” He said, watching Polly walk off in the distance, giving you two the privacy you needed.

“You’re always thinking Tommy, I need specifics.” You said with a smirk.

“I was thinking about the future. Our future.” He said, holding your left hand in his as he got down on one knee, the sunset reflecting on his eyes as he gazed up at you.

Your heart raced as he let go to open the small box, a large diamond ring sticking out of the velvet casing.

“Will you marry me, Y/N?” He asked, a cautiously hopeful look on his face as you smiled through your tears. Your hand shaking as you held it out to him.

“Yes!” You said aloud, wiping the tears from your cheeks as he slipped the ring on your finger and wrapped you in a long, protective hug.

For one day, it definitely was the most eventful of them, and you wouldn’t trade any of it for the world, even if you’d gotten offered millions to leave the family, you knew in your heart you couldn’t. It was where you belonged, and now the two of you looked forward to your adventure in marriage. Knowing the title of becoming a Shelby was sure to come with some perks.

Thomas Shelby Tag List:

@msbzowy, @nofckingfighting, @aranoburns, @sighonahurricane, @ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes, @gaytommyshelby, @wowjeena, @fifty-shadesof-tommyshelby, @inglourious-imagines, @thebloodyshelbys, @tsolomons, @blinder-secrets, @reveparade, @shelby-fanatic, @ta-ka-shi-ma, @psychkunox, @peakyxtommy, @captivatedbycillianmurphy,@dreamwastakenx,

@lovemissyhoneybee @thomashelbyswhore, @xxbeckybeexx-blog

@imapala67-aka-baby

If you’d like to be added/removed just send me an ask or message! :)

#peaky blinders #peaky blinders imagines #peaky blinders oneshots #peaky blinders fanfic #thomas shelby #thomas shelby x reader #thomas shelby x y/n #katiesanons #katiesrequests #polly gray

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simtanico · 3 years

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Hi! I don't know if this is an annoying/difficult question, sorry if it is, but do you have any advice at all for modelling sims based off real people? Your sims are SO crazy good. When I try to make them they end up looking... eh... Vaguely like the person? But there's a huge gap between that and some kind of 'spark' some simmers seem to manage to capture.

Hello! Definitely not annoying. Difficult, as in how difficult it is to answer? Maybe. I'm gonna go off on a couple of tangents. But I'm gonna try my best to explain the process. Which isn't really much of one sorry.

There's a handful of tutorials and tips out there regarding reference photos and like... proportions and all that so I won't cover that.

I use that as a general guide of course, but mostly I just save some photos of the person at various angles and focus on one feature or two at a time. Literally going back and forth between reference photo and my game. I think if you try to get everything at the same time, it really makes it easy to get frustrated with whatever your sim looks like at the moment. Making sims in general is a combination of a LOT of things depending on your style.

I can point out ALL the flaws with my sims based on real people. In my experience, it’s about getting the defining features of a person close enough to the real thing so that it resembles them. I don't think you need a complete copy to get the point across, however i do think some people and features are harder to emulate than others. I've been working on some sims for YEARS, and they still don't work out lol

and take a look at this progression on my sim based on Z4ne H0ltz starting back in 2015!

that first screenshot:

Personally, I get a little lost if I work on a sim too much all at once. I find some time away makes me less tired and frustrated. Just pace yourself :)

Also if you need any help, shoot me a message here or on discord. I promise I don't judge or anything.. it's sims who cares lol

TO START...

I suggest starting with the head and its shape. Starting off with a game-generated sim, the first slider I get to is head width. It's usually too dang wide for my tastes. And then adjusting the general position of the the features. You can always change things later, so you don't have to know exactly what you're going to do, but as I've mentioned before, sculpting sims up in CAS is just practice with sliders! Also in the long run, you may want to use Pu+Chi House's Smooth Face Normals slider! I attempt to explain and show what it does here. I've uploaded the slider here: https://simfileshare.net/download/984204/

This is gonna be a doozy sorry in advance if the read more doesn't work

SLIDERS SLIDERS SLIDERS

Big sliders like Pu+Chi House’s face shape sliders dramatically change the face shape, and it could save you a lot of time! I highly suggest using these to get rid of the weird large jaw sims can get.

Play with different sliders and how they interact with one another! Example: jaw width and Cheek Fullness affect the same area. if you need a wide jaw and don’t want cheek distortion, you can use cheek fullness, lower the jaw width slider and then edit the cheekbones from there

Knowing what sliders move what and how it can work to your advantage is key! I cover this in my reply post about noses.

For visual reference:

I start out with my nose but I want the nostrils to sit further on the outside

so i go in and use the nose width slider and raise it to widen the lower nose:

Then lower the nostril scale slider

Comparison:

as you can see, i kind of achieved what I wanted, but also widened the nose tip too! Welp, that takes another slider I have, Tip Width. And I'll adjust that accordingly! It's really just a matter of what you're going for and what you're going to have to compensate for as a result!

That said, our community has made some awesome sliders that open up so many possibilities and even eliminate the need to do that multi-slider tango. I wouldn't even know where to begin (wish I wanted to make videos because I could talk for an hour about sliders)

For example @pitheinfinite made sliders that can make sims look better and more realistic, I'm jealous at what they've achieved!

They have their Inner Corner to Nose slider that moves an area of the sim's face hat make eyebags and the shadows and lines appear farther out from the inner eye. It saves you from having to use cheek sliders to mimic the effect and thus ruining the face shape you have going

It's truly an INDISPENSABLE slider. One of many!

Since I make sliders, I usually just make some to specifically fix whatever issue I'm having. Granted they're made with general function in mind, which makes my cheater-y way of making things happen more useful in the future. I have about 50 experimental unfinished sliders in my game and can tell you that all my current sims use them for some reason or other. So I'm not working with nothing, I guess?

EYE SPY 👁

The best way to really get nice accurate looking sims is the eyes.

Pay attention to the slant of the eye, the shape and position of the upper and lower eyelids. you can use the game’s Eyelid Height slider, and AWT’s Eyelid width and height sliders (and many more)

and especially where the iris (green) sits relative to the eyelid. getting that shape and eyeball positioned correctly really makes a HUGE difference

I do suggest Bloom’s Eye slider (left and right) that rotate the eyes left and right. That along with their Lazy eye sliders can give your sims a less symmetric face and position the eyes to be FAR more accurate and realistic than the default.

I also recommend their vertical sliders (Eye lift or drop) to help with eye positioning.

I can't stress the importance of the right contacts or eyes for your sims. Of course it all depends on how you make your sims's eyes and all that. Take the last sim i posted about. It took forever and a half to find the right contacts that didn't need severe or intense editing to capture the same vibe the person he's based on. The problem is pretty persistent for me, and I am just speaking for myself when I say this is necessary. Iris size, shading, recolorability, detail, catch lights, and pupil position are things to consider for your play style and preferences.

In addition to seeing what eyes will do the trick, I do edit the catch lights in the screenshots to give the eyes a different emotion or look. (I use defaults that get rid of the game-generated catch lights, and supernatural eye glow.) It's nice when that's all it is and I don't have to go in and photoshop things in and out to make them look human lmao

Perfect, schmerfect

And just know that as long as you have the same vibe or look going on it doesn't need to be perfect! Things will evolve over time, and you can change and perfect things as you go along, but close is better than trying to achieve an exact replica. We are working with the limitations of sliders and the optimized meshes they work on! So yeah there might be jagged bits or the profile might not exactly match and some things might not be accurate, but that's okay! Considering what sims look like at their default, you should be proud! I use the same mf eyebrows on all my sims basically and I tell myself they're just placeholders (yeah, right), but I manage to make them work with what I have!

Sliders, Makeup, and Skins, oh my!

a good base skin is critical, but not the end of the world if you pick the wrong one. They determine kind of definition and types of features highlighted on a sim 100000% and you might lose a feature you like or dislike when you change them! Feel free to switch up between skins you have to find the best fit.

Makeup can be a game-changer though!!! Any details you can add and help make your sim look the most like the person you're basing them off can go MILES.

In some cases, I've actually gotten really interesting results trying to get my sculpt as close as possible to real life references so the makeup makes a difference but don't define the features by themselves. Still, though, I utilize makeup up a LOT. [remember that if you use Nraas, you can layer makeup. Right-clicking makeup will also remove it if it's applied :)]

Here's the last sim i posted about when removing makeup:

no nosemasks really replicates the face-claim's nose (too shiny at the lower part) but it'll do 🤷‍♀️

Freckles, eyebags, highlighters, face shadows, pores, nosemasks, etc are all great!!

The way you move your sliders WILL effect how these look, so don't rely on makeup that adds super-specific detail or goes over an area you know is a jumbled mess because of sliders!

I do have a mess of recommendations and wcifs for skins and makeup. replies tag | wcif tag

[also I love compiling wcif cc lists for my sims it's great]

Finally, I appreciate your comment about my sims, mainly because I know they're not ever really exact copies or as close as I want to be to their real life counterparts, so thanks!! I've seen fellow simmers get really good results without messing as much as I do and I love when people can make really good maxis match likenesses because it's just so damn cool! It's truly a talent. I'm not one of those lucky few, but I like to try my way at it anyway. After what feels like some good progress I'll post a pic here. Even after doing this forever I don't feel like I'm an expert or can get good results in a shorter amount of time, but it's just fun to see the progression (or regression) of how my sims look.

#long post #replies #no tutorials just rambling and vibes~~~~

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