#especially the backgrounds!!!!!! they’re so fun and colorful and vibrant and !!!!!!!!!!!!
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@shepherds-of-haven, thanks for the fun prompts! I’ll be collecting my fics on AO3 as well.
encounter
She really doesn’t belong here.
Her fingers nervously run over the extra card in her pocket, as she scans the undulating crowd for telltale ashen hair and displeased features. It’s difficult, with the rhythmically flashing lights overhead. She’s tried calling, but with the heavy bass tingling in her jaw, it’s no wonder that Prihine hasn’t picked up. What her roommate could be doing in this downtown club, she has no idea, but she also doesn’t know the other girl that well. Prihine is from a wealthy Norm family, she never cleans up after herself, and from her frequent complaints, she loathes that she’s living in an ancient and cramped freshman dorm with a scholarship student who never goes to parties. But if something unsavory has happened to her, that would be awful.
So, she renews her grip on Prihine’s student ID and heads further into the building. She keeps to the walls, which are speckled with colorful paint and feel slightly sticky. But with her back covered, it’s safer this way. At first. Someone is shoved out of the crush, their solid back colliding into her, and she instinctively freezes. The pressure is brief, but she doesn’t wait to hear an apology, before she’s scrambling for the first exit sign in sight. She hurtles into a side street, ignoring the protests of a draft, and turns the nearest corner before collapsing.
The night air is cold, and she inhales lungfuls, trying to calm down. Trying not to cry. She has to find Prihine soon, and then, she can go back to campus. Where her classes are. Where the Mage clubs are filled with people who all know each other from Capra, while she was homeschooled. Where the Hunter organizations talk around her, forgetting she can understand their conversations. She hasn’t felt truly alone in years, but right now-
She isn’t. There’s someone here. She lifts her head and at the end of the alley, only a few paces away, she can make out the silhouette of a Hunter. White hair, gray eyes, a couple of piercings glinting in one ear, tattoos running up and down his arms. He’s crouched and balanced on his heels, an unlit stick of charch between his fingers, as he stares at her.
“You okay?” His voice is low and placid, like he’s just woken up.
“I...I just need a minute. I’m not good with crowds in tight spaces.”
“Yeah, I hate it when people breathe on me.”
She vigorously nods in agreement, before realizing. “Then, why are you here?”
“Band has a gig tonight. What about you?”
“I’m looking for my roommate. She forgot her ID, she can’t get back to our dorm without it.”
He gives a skeptical look, tucking the cigarette behind his unpierced ear for safekeeping. “Are you sure she’s in this club?”
While she answers, she takes out her phone. “She hasn’t returned my texts or calls, but she has Instagram. One of her cousins is famous on there, I think, and my roommate’s competitive, so she posts a lot. It looks like she was here in her last one...oh.” She frowns at the website, blocked entirely by a notification. She never did download the app, only searching for clues via Prihine’s frequently used social media, and now she needs an account to continue viewing.
He stifles a laugh, but his expression is only mildly amused as he extends his open palm. “Can I log in and try?”
“Sure. Thank you.” She draws closer to him, passing her device over, and his hand envelops it entirely. His thumbs are almost comically oversized as he types.
“Haven freshman?”
“Yes. Are you an upperclassman?”
“I dropped out a couple years ago. I’m across the street, at the culinary school. Is this the post you mentioned?” He slants the image towards her and she recognizes Prihine’s selfie, taken while she was waiting in line.
“Ah, that’s it! Have you seen her?”
“No, but one of my friends might have. He helps with the band’s publicity, so he’s around. Mind if I ask him?”
“Please, you’d be really helpful. Thank you, um...”
“Halek.” He supplies, as he dials another guy named Riel, judging by the brief greeting when the call goes through.
The conversation is short, and she notices the roommate must be from Leore, but she focuses on locating Prihine for the time being, only speaking to provide information and her own name. Riel doesn’t remember seeing the other girl, but he’ll check with security and will call back when they find her. The line dies, and with her phone back in her hands, she hesitates.
Fortunately, Halek pats the adjacent pavement. “Feel free to wait with me. Band’s not on again for another hour, so I’m not leaving.”
Relief sweeps over her, and she sits down, inquiring. “What do you play?”
“None of the others can agree on a genre, but I’m on drums. We perform around town, sometimes on campus if you’ve heard us before.”
“I don’t think so. Sorry.” She reflexively apologizes. “I don’t get out much.” Certainly, nowhere other than lecture auditoriums and the dining halls.
“What’s your major?”
“Biology, I’m pre-med.”
“Ah, that explains it. You’d get along with my twin brother, he’s currently applying and I don’t envy him. Everyone in our family’s invested in his acceptance, since somebody needs to live up to their standards. He’s not at Haven, but I can give you his number if you have questions.”
“I don’t want to bother him, if he’s stressed out.”
“He’s always stressed out though. That’s just how he is.” Nevertheless, his tone is fond.
“You must be close.” She draws her knees up, interlacing her fingers around them. “Your family doesn’t approve of your career?”
“They never did, they wanted me to be a politician.” He makes a disgusted expression. “No thanks. Too much work.”
“It definitely is. Signing papers, holding press conferences. A lot of people would be breathing on you.” She does her best to maintain a straight face.
“Exactly.” His gaze shifts to meet hers, and she’s not sure who breaks first, but in the next moment, they’re both laughing. Her hair’s fallen loose, and as she recovers her composure, she tucks it behind her ears. Not for the first time, he glances at the white streak, but he doesn’t mention it. Instead, he fishes in his back pocket, removing a small punch card that doubles as an advertisement. “Politics would mean quitting my job at the café too. It’s quiet, we have some Haven students like you.”
She accepts it, noting the offer of a free meal after five purchases. “What kind of food do you serve?”
“Here, I’ll show you.” He pulls up his Instagram, scrolling through vibrant pictures of their daily specials, each plate unique. It all seems appetizing, especially in the short cooking videos. In the clips, his steady fingers arrange sandwiches, work over pans of sizzling ingredients, and decorate confections.
There’s one motion in particular that intrigues her. “How’d you do that? Break an egg with one hand?”
“It’s just easier for me, keeps my other one available.”
“You make it look natural.” She attempts to figure out the trick, imagining an egg in her palm and flexing her knuckles.
“One of the waitresses can do it too.”
“So, is it a hiring requirement?”
He laughs again. “No, the other one breaks every egg she touches. You can meet them and see for yourself. You’d probably get along with them.” There’s a pause, as he gives a thoughtful expression. “Thanks.”
Too surprised, she stammers. “F-for what?”
“Usually, I’m too tired for these late night gigs, but right now, I feel fine. I can make it through tonight.”
“...Me too.” She softly says. Her earlier panic has been forgotten, and Halek’s presence is comforting. She’s having fun, just sitting out here and talking. Laughing, which she hasn’t in a long time. Already, she feels closer to him than anyone on campus.
Riel’s return call interrupts them, with the news that her roommate is currently detained at the club’s entrance and clearly unhappy by the screeching in the background. It’s her cue to go, and she hastily brushes herself off, thanking Halek again.
“No problem. Are you going back to your dorm?”
“I thought I would.” She hesitates for just a second, before venturing. “Or I can stay? And listen to your band’s performance?”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “If you want, I can let you in backstage. Take a nap, eat the snacks I brought. You don’t have to worry about crowds at all.”
Oh. That’s very kind of him. Her heart skips a beat, and she hopes she’s not blushing. “Okay then. I’d like that. See you soon?”
“See ya.”
Squaring her shoulders, she makes her way to the front. She braces for whatever abrasive words are in store, but she’s made up her mind. For the first time this semester, she’ll try to have an enjoyable college experience.
#shepherds of haven#shepherds of summer 2021#she was the best mc for a college au because you know#*identity crisis*
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Jen! Hello! Hi there 🤩💙💙
Any spare art thoughts? Any medium, any period, any style? Whether you like it just because or you have more detailed critiques or any thoughts between!
@fictitious-little-stitious
Oh interesting! I'm gonna brush off my couple classes of art history here.
Okay so I know tons of people love the Renaissance but it really is such a fascinating period, even just through the lens of art history. You've got so many changes in such a relatively short period of time.
Under a cut because of picture references.
Okay so 1322, still have fairly flat people. The baby looks like a wonky miniature human rather than a baby. Still lots of detail work but it looks flat, lacking that depth that we'll see shortly.
"San Procolo Polyptych", Ambrogio Lorenzetti, 1322.
Now, skip 90 years forward. We've still got the kind of flat figures BUT we're seeing progress! If you look at the clothing, you are beginning to see limbs in there, not just shapeless mass of robes. Saints are still outlined in gold, prominent figures are still religious in nature. But look at those colors too! So vibrant!
"Coronation of the Virgin" Lorenzo Monaco, 1413.
And then! More progress! Lookit the folds in the angel's robes here. See the draping, the folds, the details and shadows here? And see how you can very clearly see the knee? We're getting close, folks.
"Annunciation," Fra Angelico, 1438-1445.
We're still working our way towards realistic people here. But I'm adding this in for a couple reasons. The first is the sheer variety of animals. I mean in this one shot you've got deer, dogs, horses, mules, a duck, a leopard-like cat, a hawk, and a monkey. And this is not even one full wall! Also, notice the background. You've got an actual background. Mountains and trees and clouds and a sky. Now, it is a fake background, not based on a particular spot. There was a period where this type of background was quite common, this mythic picturesque background. And this is also an example of money buys fun stuff! This was commissioned by the Medici family, who at this point were quite wealthy. I can't point to a person and say "this guy!" Without more research, but members of the Medici family were painted into this scene. And this became quite common, especially for the wealthy, to have yourself painted into a position of power and favor.
"Procession of the Magi," Benozzo Gozzoli, 1459.
Now, those familiar with this period of art history are already familiar with the name Botticelli. However, I'm skipping Birth of Venus because it's so well known. Instead, let's look at another one. Notice in this the well defined figures, with actual correct anatomy. Look at the folds of the robes, the flames, the shadows. Look at how they look simply paused, but so realistic they could leap back into motion at any time. Now, look at this background. He painted sculptures into the background. And they look like sculptures. There is so much going on here I could probably write a whole essay.
"Calumny of Apelles," Sandro Botticelli, 1497.
I am going to end tonight's lecture with Leonardo's "Last Supper." Look at the groupings of three, the first time this had been depicted this way. Jesus is physically alone in the center, with the groups on either side of him leaning away to make a physical space. And those hands! These are people talking with their hands. Look at the range of emotions here. It's incredible. Just. Incredible. And of course they look like people. They fill their clothing. They're articulate and proportioned and they look so real, like a snapshot. Like an echo of the past, in more ways than one.
"The Last Supper," Leonardo da Vinci, 1495-1498.
This is... Way more than you asked for. I'm sort of sorry. I hope you enjoyed anyway!
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I've followed you through Swap, Hollow Knight into Dead by Daylight, and you've really improved throughout the years! It's also a little silly to think you're the skeleton guy I followed three years ago considering the art style from then and now is so drastic, so do you have tips regarding finding a style?
Well, to put it simply- I've done nothing but continuously draw with little break for three years straight. I've made it a goal to continuously try new brushes, and stick to them for at least a week and try them between sketch, line, color, and detailing to see if they'd work better in x scenario. I feel brushes more than anything can really define not just your style, but -how- you make shapes. I use a thicker brush, so I rely more on less lineart and more shading / colors to define things like clothing folds, etc. When I use a thinner brush, I put more muscle definition, eye detail, hair detail- and so on.
Another thing is I always ask myself what I -want- from my art. Not in the sense of shape, but at least in the sense of feeling. Do I want to be bold and vibrant? Or soft and dull? What if I want both? Then I look up dull setting like apocalyptic cities to get a lot of dull shades and pay attention to my color wheel when color picking, because sometimes that 'gray' is actually a really light green, or that black? Is a really dark blue. I often slap speedpaints on in the background for both music, and to see a breakdown of other's process. Do they use textures here? Do they do it by hand? How do they format their layers? Do they use things like multipy, shade, and luminosity to add shadows and light, or do they do it manually by 'painting' on their layer? I've found I like to mainly paint my shading, and sometimes a little bit of multiply to refine certain shadows.
I also recommend loosely sketching- try and fill a page ! Don't worry about being perfect- reduce the amount of ctrl z or erasing. These are some older sketch pages of mine for instance, very loose and round- but it's filling out pages like this as often as I do that have really helped me warm up before I go into a more refined piece.
These are old League sketches, but they're little things I drew between matches based on things that happened in our games- some of them are a bit dumb, and if you stare too long at a hand it looks like a brick- but it was fun, and the idea of my shapes got across, as well as my efficiency with sketching- I don't know how to end this off, but I believe if you're having fun and giving it your all when you can, you'll see progress- especially if you talk to fellow artists for help, listen tutorials, or make sure to look at references rather than brute force with memory -all- of the time. I recommend artists like ABD Illustrates, who talks about his process over speedpaints, from things like composition, colors, contrasts, design ! In the end, styles come to you, be it a frankenstein of artists you follow or admire through the year, or some little thing you start doing because -you- like it that develops to either be a little detail or a backbone to your work !
#Answered ask#anonymous#long post#long answer#hhhh this kinda got away from me but hopefully that makes sense#English may be poor because I didn't reread this at all I have a dnd game to castch
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*queues this thing into the future after months of it being in the writing oven* hello! i'm the doctor :)
for midam week 2k21, day 7: melody.
(inspired by an actual, iconic scene from doom patrol season 1 episode 8! i wrote this back in april after watching that episode and started to translate it afterward. you don't need to know the show, but if you want a reference or background music or you're simply curious, here's the scene on youtube!)
Adam has always liked music. The number of songs he used to, well, scream at the top of his lungs the first years in the Cage for the sake of keeping himself some company — no matter how much Michael told him to shut up — and some memories that the archangel has grown to know by heart are proof of this.
He still sings sometimes, even now.
It's mostly little bits and pieces he picks up here and there between his shifts and a trip to the grocery store, but Michael listens to him nonetheless. Adam knows it, and in a way, he has come to understand why — he can feel Michael's grace tinkle, and the whirlwind of his very core buzzing with a warm sense of calm and contentment. It's kind of the reason why he keeps doing it, keeps humming stray melodies.
And to be honest, music's good for Adam, too. It makes his soul flutter uniquely, or so Michael has noticed, not without a mix of confused endearment and curiosity. It's actually normal for pretty much any human out there, but well, it's not like Michael pays attention to any soul other than the one nestled next to his grace. Like now, for instance, while they sit in comfortable silence, watching a TV series that even Michael seems to be fairly interested in.
Adam shifts for a bit, eyes on the screen, where the Negative Man has just started, to his surprise given what kind of character he is, to sing. And sure, it's probably because of the context and the lyrics and the bubbling crescendo of good feelings in his body but—the point is, that suddenly, from his side of the bond, Michael hears him think ‘what the hell’. Then he stands up and holds his hand out to the archangel.
"Alright, come here," Adam says, eyes expectant and a tad bit nervous. A good kind of nervous though, Michael notes, studying him with furrowed brows.
It doesn't take him much to understand what exactly Adam is asking for, and no matter how much he is always willing to humor him if there is anything that the archangel Michael has never done that is dancing. So he shifts his gaze from Adam's outstretched hand up to his face and pointedly says, "I think I'll pass, kid."
Michael's lips are pursued in a deadpanned, but not an unamused or grumpy line, and that's enough for Adam to nudge him. Not to mention, he's most certainly not exposing himself to take no for an answer.
"Oh, come on, old man," Adam presses, idly and unafraid to clash with Michael's stubbornness, the corners of his lips lifted upwards and his blue irises alight with something akin to mischief. "It'll be fun!"
"Adam, I don't dance."
"Just this once?"
Michael quirks an eyebrow. Not much, but it still holds one hell of a whirlwind of expressions and gives Adam the impression to be looked at through and thorough — he is... bubbly, content, and a billion different little human things. And, while on the TV screen the main character's bandages start to disappear, making him look human again for the first time after decades, his soul's ringing feels a little softer.
With an exasperated sigh, Michael eventually takes Adam's hand and stands up in a swift motion.
"Just this once."
Adam grins, cheery and maybe just a little smug. From this up close — aside from their breaths meeting and the buzzing sensation of skin against faux skin — the flow of his warm-colored mirth pulses more clearly than before. It's tangible; radiant.
(As if Michael didn't love him enough already.)
‘You're insufferable.’ Michael's grace whispers, but the tacit affection threaded within the words spoken over their bond is so evident that it glimmers in his apparition's eyes, and Adam, for the life of him, can't help but blush. Not too much alright, but, if only to ignore the light heat rising to his cheeks and for the sake of his so-called insufferableness, he shrugs in a what can you do kind of way and says, "Heh, you like me anyway and you know it."
Michael looks him dead in the eyes. "Do I."
"Hey."
Michael tilts his head with an amused glint of his grace and really, sometimes, Adam almost misses when back in the days he was about as expressive as a marble statue. Or a rock, for that matter.
He shakes his head with an equally playful scoff and takes a step back, pushing the coffee table with the back of his leg in order to have a little more space. Michael looks at his movements with rapt attention, specifically when Adam shows him where to put his hands and by consequence moves a little closer.
"Here, just..." Adam's murmur is slightly muffled by all the singing that is going on on the TV screen, but that doesn't make the light flustered note on his voice any less obvious, clearly. His eyes meet Michael's, and Adam takes in a breath, their noses almost touching.
He finds himself feeling a little off, a little mesmerized really—but not necessarily in a bad way. His lips twitch, glimmering irises and warm blue. "...hey," he exhales.
His cheeks start to hurt a little because of the amount of smiling he stupidly feels like doing right now. Michael doesn't make that kind of ache go away with a brush of his grace, he's come to associate it with the good chemicals that fizzle all over their body and the happiest his vessel — his only friend, his... Adam—can be.
So, the archangel mimics the gesture, in his own way, while tracing the fabric of Adam's shirt with his fingers.
"Hey yourself," he says, voice is low and deep despite the light playfulness dripping from his words.
Under his touch, Adam shivers and hurries to shrug it off.
"Right, so, you gotta— relax your shoulders, there. Good. Don't think, just..."
Adam starts to sway a little, left and right, with growing confidence as his movements begin to follow the music. He's not in perfect sync with it, at all really, but hey, they're in their home after all! His hand is pressed against Michael's side — it tingles a bit with the echo of the buzzing, unleashed power concealed within the archangel's apparition and the thrill Adam feels blossom in his chest first — and with a light pull, it sets a playful invitation to move along.
Michael does as much, if a bit stiffly and mostly to humor him, and Adam chuckles.
Dancing is not much different from eating or taking a shower or a bath, to Michael, that much is clear. It's better than eating, for sure, but it's still too human, for him at least, to come naturally or even make sense, or hold some kind of appeal.
Nonetheless, Adam's sensations latch onto his own in the same way their fingers entwine. They flow in through lowered veils and walls, carrying genuine amusement and happiness, and Michael finds — unsurprisingly, for the most part — easy to take them in and let himself be carried away by them. Enough for his faux body to move more fluidly, naturally even.
Which is ridiculous: he's a soldier, definitely not a dancer.
(The things he does for love.)
"Wow, you're not that bad, you know that?" Adam chimes in, all ringing soul and silvery voice.
"Very funny," Michael scoffs, a pointed look that accompanies his dry remark. "I think I'll leave you to the rest of the song now. I'll be fine for the next couple of decades."
He takes a step back, lifts his arm, and twirls Adam around.
People like us, we've gotta stick together,
Keep your head up, nothing lasts forever...
Adam laughs. And he spins on his heels, too; a fluid movement before he winds his arms around Michael's shoulders and finds himself closer to him, chest to chest.
(Within their shared body, between grace and soul, it feels like pure euphoria.)
Here's to the damned, to the lost and forgotten...
Their noses brush, tenderly. And damn it, he said decades, which—okay, Adam digresses, but damn, does it make his heart flutter!
Still, stubbornly and gleeful, he grins, mirroring the state of their truest beings. "Too bad, you're not leaving me at the chorus, Michael, it's literally the best part to sing along!"
"I'm not singing."
And that's not debatable.
"Nah, I know that. But I sure as hell am!"
Because listen, Adam is in no way, shape, or form the kind of guy to be, you know, a party animal or anything of the sort. But this is far from the most embarrassing, stupid thing Michael saw him do. They're well past that, thank you very much, especially when it comes to his singing.
Maura and Larry's voices resonate in the room, powerful and beautiful in their unity, Adam's own promptly in tow.
"We are all misfits living in a world on fireee. . .!" he sings, spreading his arms, his soul vibrant and alight. Nested around it, the grumpy old solar fire projected right in front of him fills his body with an iridescent rush of warmth.
Michael doesn't sing along with him, Adam doesn't expect him to, but his eyes crinkle in that fond way of his, and his body moves along the lively melody. He's mesmerized, captivated by the human in front of him so much that if any one of them were the type, they would say that suddenly, it's like they're not even in their little living room anymore. Music does that, too, doesn't it? Bringing colors and life to the people like them, that is.
Sing it for the people like us —
Adam entwines their fingers. They are, of course, the mirror image of one another, and fit together like puzzle pieces. He stumbles a bit on the lyrics, which to be fair he is not all that familiar with, he's mostly following the characters' lead, but it's not important. It doesn't need to be perfect. Not that Adam would care, given how Michael takes most of his attention.
"They can't do nothing to you," In tune with the music and with laugher on his lips, Adam steps towards Michael. "They can't do nothing to me," Michael's grace scoffs in mirth, and amusement dances in his eyes while he takes a step himself, his hands tight around Adam's and in motion.
"This is the life that we choose—"
It's a happy moment, Adam's voice is as vibrant as his soul, and yet, Michael senses the echo of an unspoken promise when he sings: "This is the life that we bleed."
It sinks in the threads of his grace and the line of his mouth, as the quickening rhythm tries to slither into the lessening space between them and lights up Adam's grin.
They meet in the middle, and their foreheads rest against each other despite the frantic rhythm. Quicker and livelier by the second.
"So throw your fits in the air. Come out," Their hands clenched around each other and the tip of their noses bump playfully, causing Adam's voice to crack with amusement and a dash of sheepishness for the proximity. "Come out if you dare!"
And it doesn't take much for Michael's impossibly blue eyes to slide from Adam's own to his beaming lips.
"Tonight we're gonna...!"
Then the distance is no more.
—change forever.
Adam goes stiff out of surprise for a moment. Michael, eyes closed, can feel the tangible quirk of his lips, smiling against his own. Then Adam's arms are around Michael's neck, and when they part, his heart is beating furiously and he would very much like to spare an offhand comment of any kind, but he doesn't.
Larry's daydream dissolves abruptly into harsh reality; the music, the song stop. Meanwhile though, in that odd little living room, for once in their very long lives, reality is sweeter. Not idyllic or easy, but quieter; tangible. Theirs.
Sing it for the people like us, the people like us.
❪ ao3．❫
#midam#midam week#i have NO CLUE I DON'T KNOW JUST TAKE THIS <3#midam week 2k21#i fell in love and felt THINGStm and decided that they needed and deserved it too#and i got carried away :)#adam milligan#michael#ciel writes#(also on a side note: watch that show xoxo)
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warm aromas - tamaki amajiki
word count 1.9k
reader type filipino , gender-neutral
premise tamaki gets a taste of your cultural during a first date
For the record, you weren’t terribly nervous about this date. At least not any type of uneasiness worth noting. It was a fluttery kind of anticipation that shot your butterfly-filled stomach into your chest, all the way up your throat, and then finally falling back down before repeating and repeating. More than anything else, you were excited.
It was just Amajiki, after all. Well, he wasn’t just anything. Amajiki was a beautiful kaleidoscope of oddities that you had yet to have the pleasure of discovering. For now, you simply knew him as the tender boy in your class with immense talent and heart.
You considered him a great friend and had been willing to take a leap of faith in an effort to pursue something more. And it seemed like your bravery was paying off so far.
Walking into the warmly lit restaurant, you took a deep breath of the aromatic atmosphere and felt your heart jump and shake as Amajiki’s sweet face came to mind. You couldn’t see yourself ever forgetting the way his complexion had brightly glowed like the surface of a fresh cherry when you asked him out after class.
The familiar older woman working at the front waved and greeted you by name and you did the same with a notable extra twirl in your step. She raised an eyebrow at you, aged forehead wrinkling in amusement.
Needless to say, not even a sudden run-in with your worst enemy would’ve been able to take your good mood down a single notch.
And there he was, already sitting at a back booth that was tucked away and hidden from the majority of fellow patrons, which didn’t surprise you in the slightest.
You grinned and held back a squeal as you plopped down in the seat across from him. “Hi! Hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”
Amajiki immediately shook his head, indigo tufts of hair bouncing comically. You wanted to just reach out and ruffle them.
“Y/L/N! You didn’t! I was just early, sorry. I was so worried about making you wait for me. Sorry.”
“Aw, that was sweet of you, Tamaki.” You watched his cheeks flush at the use of his given name. Hesitantly, you let your hand hover over his. “Can I?”
“O-oh, yeah.” His face went pale before gradually going an even darker shade of red crimson.
You leaned forward and gently grabbed his hand, a little shocked to feel it trembling. “I’m really happy to be here, you know. Especially since it’s with you.”
Amajiki gulped before taking a long steady breath. His lips curved into a small smile as he made tentative eye contact with you for the first time.
“Me too… Y/N.”
“So, have you ever tried Filipino food before?” You asked after a moment of comfortable silence between you two, still relishing the feeling of his hand in yours. “Hado-san told me you were an adventurous eater…”
“I guess I am. My quirk kinda relies on a diet with plenty of variety. I’ve grown to really enjoy trying different kinds of food, practicality aside.” He paused, clearing his throat, and glancing away. “No Filipino food yet, though.”
“Well,” You gave his hand an experimental squeeze. Amajiki’s breathing went shaky in response, but he squeezed back. “I think you’re really going to like it.”
You’d discovered this restaurant after searching the Internet for somewhere in this city that served authentic Filipino cuisine. Finally, you found this nice family-owned place with delicious food, albeit you still preferred your mother’s cooking, but that was a given.
“Then I’m excited.” Amajiki gave you another wobbly smile. “Not that I wasn’t excited before. I was up all night thinking a… Oh, that’s embarrassing…”
You laughed softly, not at him, but hoping to reassure him. “No, that’s actually cute.”
Tamaki’s eyes went wide and instead of the blush returning, he went as white as a bedsheet. “Oh god… I’m sorry, I’m just so embarrassed. Y/N… Sorry…”
He covered his face with his free hand which was shaking significantly more by now. You were slightly concerned he might get up and run for the nearest corner.
“Tamaki, it’s okay.” You wanted to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, but you settled for squeezing his hand some more in hopes of not further overwhelming him. “It’s all good, don’t worry. I really like you.”
He opened his mouth as if to respond, but was interrupted by the arrival of the waiter who you had already grown quite friendly with over the years. You made a bit of small talk before ordering several classic dishes for Amajiki and you to sample together.
“Y/N,” Amajiki spoke up once you two were alone again. Thankfully, he had time to recover while you ordered and color had returned to his face as a result. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“What is it about me that you like?” The last part was practically whispered and you had to guess whether you heard him correctly. “I just didn’t expect any of this is all…”
You tilted your head, smiling at Amajiki as you looked over his face carefully. He was beautiful on the outside too. His jawline was sharp and prominent, skin clear and soft-looking, and his eyes were sparkling and expressive. You could never get over the color, a startlingly deep shade that was only missing a background of stars and planets.
“Well, firstly, I think you’re very attractive.” You watched Amajiki choke on the sip of water he’d taken. He coughed a few times before silently blinking at you and you took it as a sign to continue. “You’re just so vibrant. When you’re using your quirk, you light up the whole room. You do without it too. And watching you work so hard and improve this year has been amazing. You inspire me without even trying and I couldn’t be more thankful for it.”
Amajiki made a small gasping noise, borderline a squeak, before squeezing his pretty eyes shut. He took a couple of deep breaths before sighing heavily. “T-that’s… Wow… Y/N, thank you. Thank you so much.”
He kept his eyes closed as he finished, blushing immensely again. “I think you’re beautiful… And smart. And kind. And… Oh my god, sorry, I might need a minute to just-”
“Tamaki.” You nervously brought your hand to his face and cupped his cheek. It was incredibly warm. “Is this okay?”
The response was shockingly quick. “Y-yes.”
You took another huge risk and just hoped it would pay off in the end. “Can I kiss you?”
A pregnant pause this time. Your heart was working overtime and you swore you could hear it pounding from inside your chest. Amajiki was quivering ever so slightly under your touch. You shouldn’t have asked, it was probably too much happening too fast.
“It���s okay if you don’t-”
Amajiki cut you off almost frantically. “No! I mean, yes, you can. Please…”
You gathered yourself and leaned even further across the table. First, you planted a chaste and sweet kiss on his other cheek. Going for his lips took more courage, but you did it. This kiss was longer than the other, but not by much. You didn’t care. As it turns out, Amajiki’s lips were as soft as they looked.
“Was that fine?” You asked, concerned when he still wasn’t opening his eyes. You felt a bit jittery yourself from that kiss.
They flew open at your voice. “It was great, I just need to go…”
He made a weak outward gesture and you gave him a comforting smile. You understood without him having to say it. He just needed a moment to himself after all of that.
“The washroom’s over there.”
Amajiki stood up, his hand coming loose from yours and your other hand falling from his hot face. “Thank you. I really did enjoy that, I just need a minute. Sorry, this is so rude of me…”
You shook your head sharply. “I don’t think that. Go ahead, take your time. I get it. I really do.”
“All that matters is that you feel comfortable.”
“Okay. Thank you.” He seemed relieved as he stared at you, actually gazing into your eyes, before rushing off towards the door you had pointed out to him.
Now alone, you smiled to yourself and placed a finger to your lips, still shell-shocked by the turn of events. You had actually kissed Amajiki and it was everything you’d imagined and more. Things couldn’t be going better and you two hadn’t even ate yet!
It wasn’t too long before your order arrived and Amajiki returned nearly back-to-back.
“Perfect timing,” You greeted him and took note of how he was no longer shaking like a leaf. “I might’ve gone overboard… don’t know if we’ll be able to finish all of this ourselves.”
“You’d be surprised by the size of the meals at Fat’s agency.” Amajiki chuckled as he took in the plates of steaming food laid out before you two. “What should I try first?”
You feigned being deep in thought before grinning. “Hm, just pick whatever.”
He reached for the platter of puto and you followed suit. They looked delicious, extra fluffy and topped off gooey cheese. Amajiki watched as you popped the entire thing in your mouth with zero reservation.
“They’re little steamed rice cakes.” You explained after swallowing.
Amajiki took a bite out of his and finished it soon after before grabbing another. “Mm, they’re very light. Do they always have cheese?”
“Depends, but a lot of the time, yeah.” You answered while helping yourself to a second of your own. “Hey, What could you manifest out of this?”
A mischievous twinkle flashed in Amajiki’s eyes as he raised a finger in a “wait a minute” fashion. You wanted to giggle at how his face scrunched up in concentration, but held back for his sake. After a short moment, a pair of small pale horns shot out from his purple hair.
You let out your laugh, nearly choking on puto in the process. “Nice!”
His cheeks were rosy as he scratched at the back of his neck. He looked focused once again before the horns seemed to be gone in the blink of an eye.
“Dairy products are always fun.” Amajiki stated while sipping his water. “I could’ve given myself two stomachs but I thought that was kinda gross…”
“Just a bit.” You agreed, laughing softly. “But also kinda cool.”
Next came the lumpia, a dish comparable to egg rolls. Amajiki seemed especially pleased as he took several bites out of one.
“Really good.” He confirmed with a nod. “Pork inside?”
“Yup.” You kicked him playfully under the table. “Think you could manifest one of those curly pigtails? Like in the cartoons?”
Amajiki froze like a statue midchew.
“Just kidding.” You reached over and gave his hand a quick squeeze. “Glad you like it.”
“I-I think I like you more, Y/N.”
The lunch date continued on. It was a quiet moment while you two were enjoying a hearty noodle dish when you were struck with a wave of warmth that filled you from head to toe. You felt so at home, sharing this piece of your culture with probably your favorite person ever.
Amajiki appeared utterly relaxed as he ate, cheeks tinted with a very soft pink. You noticed both of his pointy ears twitch a number of times and were puzzled before you remembered something Togata had said to you once.
“He’s done it ever since we were kids. When he’s really happy, his ears will do this twitch-thingy, but try not to point it out. He gets really embarrassed.”
It might have been the cutest sight you’d ever seen.
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fluffly alphabet: tai
A = Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?)
first impressions have a big impact on tai. he’s mostly attracted to your eyes, where he believes sincerity and connection reside. a smile that reaches them will definitely win his attention.
beautiful eyes and smile is what catches his eye, but fun and spontaneity is what makes him stay. someone that isn’t afraid to scream laugh or how they look like when they do.
B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not?)
he wants a big family, at least three kids. of course he understands the responsibility of becoming a parent and that is part of why he wants to give his parents a lot of grandchildren.
he can picture himself throwing a ball with them on a lazy saturday or sunday afternoon, after a late lunch. participating on their lives by helping them with homework and making sure they’re learning the good values he was once taught.
C = Cuddle (How do they cuddle?)
he’s the big spoon in bear hug. full embrace with those massive arms, and it’s amazing to imagine he’ll pick you up from where you are “for a just minute” of cuddling, whether on the couch or bed.
you can find shelter on his chest while he rests his chin on the top of your head, caressing your arms and holding you close to his body.
of course, from time to time he feels safe in your arms, even if you look like a backpack while spooning him. he loves feeling your warmth and won’t let go of that privilege.
there’s always a smile after a deep breath and i think that’s my favorite part about his cuddling.
D = Dates (What are dates with them like?)
fun!
tai knows how to be romantic and amorous once the occasion calls for it, but his forte is definitely focusing on the fun part of a date. expect water parks, paintball, laser tag. anything that gets physical and you both laughing, chuckling and having the time of your life.
if a date is supposed to be quality time, then having innocent fun with his partner is definitely what moves him.
if you surprise him with such plans, you can actually make his face hurt from smiling.
E = Everything (You are my ____ (e.g. my life, my world…))
“you’re my best shot.”
F = Feelings (When did they know they were in love?)
there’s a moment a person realizes they’re in love and keep it to themselves, but for tai, he couldn’t hold it in any longer than a day. it happened the moment he realized you were just like him. all he needed to find was someone that understood size doesn’t matter, fun has to be a part of your relationshp and caring about your friends are one of the most important things.
when he realized he was in love, he almost bursted with the words. and even though he can be impulsive at times, he knew how this particular moment was important, so he planned and rehearsed it a little bit.
just enough to not stutter while telling you how he feels. but he couldn’t wait any longer, and wanted to see how happy you would be knowing there’s someone in love with you.
G = Gentle (Are they gentle? If so, how?)
very! due to his size he can’t risk being too rough. he’s used to having a light touch ever since he found out how dangerous he can be if he’s not careful. you’ll notice it when he plays around by putting makeup on you.
he loves spending some light time doing that, and he’s the kind of gigantic guy that you catch yourself wondering how can someone be so big and so delicate, at the same time?
a very gentle touch when he grazes his thumb on the side of your face while kissing you, or when he’s stroking your arm during a cuddle.
H = Hands (How do they like to hold hands?)
fingers twined, always. tai thinks that gesture truly represents how entangled you are with each other, and it represents intimacy to him.
he also loves caressing your knuckles with his thumb, and sometimes brush his lips on the back of your hand.
he might even make a comment about how small yours is compared to his, and put his palm against yours, to measure.
I = Impression (What was their first impression?)
when he saw you walking in that tent, he already knew the damage was done way before. like he said once, your voice had a huge impact on him, and your personality and way of handling yourself were positive first, adorable second, sexy third.
he knew he had to take a shot and it paid off. “my instincts are never wrong. i knew it had to be you.”
and to himself, he thought “damn it, they’re even more beautiful, live. alright, be cool, tai. don’t goof around right away.”
J = Jealousy (Do they get jealous?)
mildly jealous. not trusting of others around you, especially when they make advances that would make you feel uncomfortable. but if a boy hits on you and your response is negative, he’s proud of the person he has next to him.
tai has eyes and he can see how energetic and vibrant you are. it’s natural for people to feel attracted to someone so interesting. he wouldn’t be with you if that wasn’t true.
other than that he has no reason to be jealous. the bond you have is the most stable thing he has and he wouldn’t doubt it. in fact he loves walking around with you, holding hands, so people around know you’re together. he’s proud of you.
K = Kiss (How do they kiss? Who initiated the first kiss?)
he has a way of kissing you that makes the world fade into the background. it’s not only his lips or his tongue. it’s his arms snaking their way to your back, his hands gliding on your neck, hair and face. the heat that emanates from him whenever he suppresses a grunt. it’s in his touch when he’s deep in.
it was mutually started but on his end, he was stunned. he didn’t expect to see so many sparks fly, despite of being entirely enchanted by you.
and when you pulled away from that first kiss, tai simply couldn’t manage how gobsmacked he was. he already felt a strong connection with you in that date, the conversation going so well.
but he was afraid to crush so hard on you if your kiss was that amazing. and it was. and he did.
L = Love (Who says ‘I love you’ first?)
he does.
tai is not afraid of letting you know how he feels, at all times. he has so much appreciation for you, he can’t hold back at all, and letting you know was one of the most nervous moments he’d ever had.
he’s the type to dive in without thinking too much, even if it means he might get hurt because of the impulsiveness.
he has no regards for preserving himself when it comes to love. taking a risk has always been part of his agenda, and you were worth it.
M = Memory (What’s their favourite memory together?)
in the villa, sharing a bed together for the first time.
the waterfall was rushed and spontaneous, and you both had a lot of fun, but the feeling of having you protected by him, in such an intimate scenario is what he cherishes the most.
outside of the villa, the first real date you had, where he could show you what a good time actually means while with him. he loves remembering your laughter followed by your playfulness. nothing stays with him more than you having fun together, and it’s his favorite memory.
N = Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?)
tai is not the type to buy everything and spoil.
there’s not a lot of thought behind store presents, according to him. he’s the kind of boyrfriend to give thought out presents, something that can represent an inside joke or a moment of importance between you. he will though bring you some items he makes at pottery class.
i believe one of the first things tai would ask you, on the outside, is about your favorite animal, so he can make one out of ceramic and give it to you, sort of as a lucky charm so you can remember him every time you look at it.
he just knows how much work goes into making one, and he would like to show his love and appreciation through that gesture.
O = Orange (What colour reminds them of their other half)
he would probably say orange or yellow. a shade or tone that he says it represents happiness and cheerful energy. that’s how he sees you and if he could attribute a color to you, they would have to have the same meaning.
P = Pet names (What pet names do they use?)
‘babe’ is a given, being the most commonly used.
but “beautiful” sums up everything he loves about you, beyond your looks. to him, you’re beautiful on the inside as well, so he likes to remind you of it.
he’ll call you that at all times, and it becomes a habit that he loves. he might even save your number under this pet name.
Q = Quaint (What is their favourite non-modern thing?)
vintage rugby cards.
there’s something about cards that throws him back to when he was a child, aspiring to play rugby as a professional career, but it was impossible to actually see himself in that scenario.
the cards remind him anything is possible, and he shouldn’t ever let go of his dreams, as absurd as they might see, to other people.
R = Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)
takeout. couch. movie.
it’s just the killing combo tai loves so much. snuggling closer under a blanket, while comfortable on the couch, food in hand and remote on the other. i even think tai has some “rainy days” favorites to watch, that he reserves just for those moments.
also, i have a feeling tai likes baking cookies, specifically, so your place smells like fresh baked goods while the rain dashes outside.
spa afternoon.
goofing around in the bathroom while putting face masks on, and taking ridiculous pictures, might be part of his schedule for a rainy afternoon as well.
like i mentioned before, tai has a delicate hand and it’s not farfetched to imagine he likes painting your nails, or toe nails, or both. he takes extra care to not smudge it, and admires his work from afar when it’s done. he focuses very hard, trying to deliver the best work he can.
S = Sad (How do they cheer themselves/others up?)
tai definitely believes in the power of laughter and clownery. but also, if he can have you talking to him about what happened, he would love to help. being a good listener is one of his many talents, and he’ll insist you vent about what made you saud.
tickling you until you give him information is very possible as well.
he might take your hand and lead you for a walk, while you tell him everything, and when back home, tai might cook. he knows comfort food is one of the best medicine to cheer someone up.
drawing a bath so you can relax is definitely part of his agenda too.
as for him, he goes for a run, alone. he prefers to exercise by himself when he needs a pick me up. however, if you want to make him smile when he comes back, try to make something out of ceramic. if it looks good he’ll be impressed, and if it looks bad, he will lie, saying it’s amazing.
having someone that cares so much, to the point of trying pottery is the reason why he feels better.
T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?)
everything! he loves hearing what you have to say about several subjects, no matter what they are.
he likes learning new things and having your input on matters that a couple wouldn’t talk about, usually. at times, he might sound weird by asking you something completely random, but he wants your insight on whatever it is, because he finds you so interesting.
you’re also the first person he tells good news, and the one he avoids when they’re bad.
U = Unencumbered (What helps them relax?)
from you? getting his shoulders and back massaged. if you’re a gifted singer, he also likes hearing your humming while your hands rub down the tension on his muscles.
by himself: pottery. there’s a reason it became more than a hobby. he does it to stay sane, and would love to share that particular interest with you if you want. but whenever he sits down, ready to turn the pottery wheel on, he already feels much better.
V = Vaunt (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?)
tai is no stranger to show off his muscles. he definitely does it playfully, and often goofs around about it, but he’s proud of his achievements, body wise. it’s hard work and he won’t shy away from displaying them and be proud.
he also likes showing off what he has accomplished in pottery. there’s no denial someone so big would be a disaster in this scenario. usually, anyway.
he likes being the exception, and the praises people give him. it’s not vain, it’s just a reason to be proud of himself.
W = Wedding (When, how, where do they propose?)
his proposal is not as elaborate as his speech to ask you is. his ideal location would be an empty field, after hours. he would probably slip someone some bribe so you could “jump the fence” and enter the place, having you thinking you’re invading.
i imagine he would warm up to the subject, and when he’s getting to the moment he so desperately wants, the lights will go on, illuminating the whole lawn.
while you’re busy, being shocked and looking around you, he’ll quickly kneel and whip a small box from his pocket. his words might make you chuckle among tears, but that’s how he wants to propose.
as for the wedding, a simple ceremony somewhere sandy and sunny. close friends and family, and food that the guests will remember forever as being the best they’ve ever had.
he won’t settle for less but won’t ask for more.
X = Xylophone (What’s their song?)
there’s a colorful song that reminds me of him, "groove is in the heart” by dee-lite. the energy that goes into that tune has tai written all over. upbeat, fun and always the heart of the party.
and he grew up in the 90′s, so i like picturing his parents dancing in the living room to this type of music, pulling tai by his hand, goofing around together while the colorful videos were on.
but a couple of songs i love to picture him listening to, chilling with someone he loves, carelessly, is “over the rainbow” by israel kamakawiwoʻole. it’s such a chill and hopeful song, but has a light tone to it, and iz’s voice is just so suiting.
or tai being his adorable self, dancing by the sound of “finesse” by bruno mars ft. cardi b.
Y = Yes (Do they ever think of getting married/proposing?)
yes. he definitely will pull out some stops to make the proposal happen. he can’t wait to make it official and start a life with you.
he’s a romantic at the core of his heart and can’t wait to call you his spouse.
Z = Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what would they get?)
dog! dog! multiple dogs!
one at a time, but the bigger the better!
tai is very charitable and would like to rescue a dog. one to start. he can already picture your weekends and afternoons during quarantine.
frisbees, sticks, balls, you name it. he went to the pet shop and bought a bunch of them, to train your new companion.
that’s why i also picture him in a house, not a flat. eventually he would want a backyard where he can play with the dog, and in the future, your kids.
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Here is what the kids call my highly disorganized, half-baked list of stuff that could have been done with Jack to make him a better character.
@yeetmetothehell I am sorry if you are disappointed by my ideas.
“Optimus was more like...Jack.” OK…so show us that.
In my opinion...Jack seems like he was intended to be written to be almost a parallel to Orion’s journey to becoming Optimus Prime, at least how he is used in the plot. Jack is described as “smart and responsible”, which can also be read as “hardworking and responsible” and really this can be achieved in narratively using a few points, IMO:
Long hours in his room/the library studying outside of work and school.
Filling out the background of the garage more with sketches/print outs of motorcycle blueprints (to keep the idea that Jack really wants a motorcycle and show hints of extreme dedication, but they’re kept in the garage rather than his room to metaphorically show that distance he’s put between himself and what he wants)
“Man of the House”/”Grew up too fast” (This will be discussed more later but TL;DR “I’ll handle the electric bill this month, Mom”)
Somewhat fragile work/school/life balance that Jack somehow perfectly maintained before meeting the team
Orion was very physically passive. Jack seems to be intended to be written as passive but it comes off as an apathetic reluctance that Orion doesn’t possess (Orion may not believe in violence but he clearly wasn’t unwilling to communicate his thoughts; it’s how he got the title of Prime in the first place.) However, Orion had to learn to become more outspoken over time probably, so we can keep him as being aloof/reluctant at the start of the series.
“Man of the House”/”Grew up too Fast”
It’s no secret Jack came from a nonconventional home; June is very explicitly portrayed as a single mother with a dad nowhere in the picture. However the situation surrounding Mr. Darby is unknown. The way June talks about it makes me personally feel like Jack’s dad either ran out or divorced June and doesn’t bother with his kid. Dysfunction in the family really just goddamn changes you TBH. (can confirm bc hi, I come from a dysfunctional home) Sometimes you just grow up super fast. Jack probably spent his childhood missing his mom as she worked shifts at the hospital and seeing how lonely and hurt she was. He maybe went out and got a job the first day he could and helps with smaller bills (“I’ll handle the electric bill this month.”), or maybe other expenses like groceries and his own phone bill. June probably makes enough to comfortably support her and her son, especially given her job and the cost of living in rural ass desert Nevada. But Jack still does this anyways--it’s how he copes with his issues after what happened with his dad. Doubling down and trying to be what he thinks is the bigger man because his dad couldn’t be fucked.
This would make the disruption him letting the bots into his life creates more staggering; June doesn’t expect her son to pay bills, but the sudden change in behavior (skipping out on work) would be a cause for concern because sudden shifts like that are Usually Signs that Something is Very Wrong. Especially because Jack is usually responsible and open with his mom; he would have told her if he was gonna cut hours at work, theoretically.
Jack feels like he has to constantly put his own wants aside to contribute to his household. Even if June doesn’t force this expectation upon him, it’s a feeling that he will have, especially if he watched his dad just abandon him and June. Maybe he has resentment towards his dad for this and that is causing some anger he’s keeping tightly under wraps? And maybe the bots give him an excuse to do something he actually wants to do for once or some excitement in his life and that’s why he goes along with it? Lots of options, people!
Clothing Choices: The Hoodie™
You are going to have to deal with me being a whore for costuming choices and what they can mean. The show has a problem with the humans wearing the same shit every time they’re on screen and I’d love to rant about all of them (yeah yeah I get it saving money) but I’m focusing on Jack right now. Give Jack a hoodie 2020. A grey one or some other dull and drab color. And make him actually always wear the hood (except like in scenes where he is working bc workplace dress codes obviously) As time progresses, the drab hoodie is changed to a more vibrant color, but he still always has the hood over his head. And then, at a pivotal moment, the boy takes the hood off. (You could even throw in Miko cracking a joke about Jack actually having hair if you really wanted TBH.) Why this? The narrative is that Jack is constantly holding himself under wraps because of his self-imposed responsibilities. As he starts to become more into his own, he decides to express himself more with brighter colors, but still has some reservations. When he takes the hoodie off, that’s when he’s fully realized himself in this process and thus completes the parallel.
Actually make him interact with Optimus in a meaningful manner.
Arcee can still be his guardian in the field and I think working on strengthening their relationship is vital. But also, if you’re gonna make Jack the confidante holding the key to Vector Sigma, there actually has to be...meaningful interaction. Optimus asking Jack what he’s so engrossed in reading and Jack explaining the book he’s got with passion before shutting himself up and saying “it’s kinda dumb though” or something. And Optimus just responds “I don’t think it’s dumb, tell me more.” Coaxing him towards more self-discovery and expression. Optimus maybe sees more of his old self in Jack and starts attempting to be a quasi-paternal figure without really thinking about it because he is, after all, Dadimus. Jack maybe lashes out about how he doesn’t need Optimus to be his dad and that makes the space between them tense for a while. Eventually Jack comes to apologize and maybe there’s an important Talk.. Just a few ideas I will expand on later. I feel like forgiveness and lack thereof is a good theme--I know I was held back for a long time because of how convoluted the concept of forgiveness is with family.
The Character Arc
So, what would Jack’s character development throughout the events of season 1 be? My basic idea for a Jack arc that mirrors Orion’s self-realization and coming into Prime-hood without being a carbon copy is essentially:
Jack is portrayed as a responsible, hardworking, studious teenager who constantly turns down chances for fun and excitement to handle his responsibilities. Has clear dreams for after high school and for his own personal life; but he’s constantly contemplating and changing his mind about whether he will or not because he’s extremely dedicated to helping his mom and all that. However, he still gets super curious about Arcee and gets swept up by her in the Vehicon chase, and he still has whispers of courage and protects Raf during the altercation. He first tries to ditch Team Prime because he’s concerned about his responsibilities, but eventually returns because he’s drawn to the opportunity to finally go buck wild for once in his life (even if he spends his time being hesitant about everything.) His hesitancy and dedication to severe self-imposed responsibility is a result of his inability to move on from what his dad did to him and his mom; he’s under the impression that he 1) Has to forgive someone to move on, and thus 2) He cannot move on because his dad isn’t there to bother to say sorry and take on his position as Dad. In essence, he becomes less the character telling Miko to stop and more the character being pushed by Miko to be more adventurous. In lulls in action, Optimus starts to take interest in him when he notices his constant hesitance to express himself and is just being dragged along rather than going willingly. Has a conversation with him about a book Jack’s reading, which Jack attempts to shut down because it’s “dumb and childish,” but Optimus urges him to continue. The idea that June knows about Arcee as a bike and Jack explaining that he bought a motorcycle as a fixer-upper for dirt cheap can stay. (He probably still is saving up for his motorcycle.)
The longest portion, after Optimus starts interacting with Jack on a level of bonding and gently coaxing him to be himself— Jack becomes more outspoken and he’s shown as curious, analytical, quick witted, and has a deep sense of justice. Being young and craving a childhood lost to his trauma and self-imposed obligations to help his mom with running the household, he suddenly starts spending more time at the base pursuing hobbies and going on missions rather than studying and work, which concerns June. She tries to press Jack, and is met with what can be described as typical teenage headbutting that gets progressively worse. She grounds Jack after the fight, MECH takes her, the rescue happens. (That makes sense to stay in this narrative IMO.) Around this time, Optimus has effectively started becoming Jack’s own Alpha Trion—teaching him things that he’s picked up that he may feel apply to Jack. Jack interprets one of these lessons as Optimus trying to be “dad” and he’s not having it. Makes it VERY clear that he does not need a dad (“didn’t need one before and sure as fuck don’t need one now”) and definitely snaps at Optimus, which then pushes his progress in the arc closer to the end. He eventually comes back to apologize, and Optimus forgives him. He and Optimus have a heart-to-heart about one of the hardest lessons Optimus has had to learn—how to let go of the past without forgiving those who have hurt you and refuse to make amends, so that you may determine your own future. It’s very clear he’s talking about Megatron, even though he never says his name. Jack takes this lesson to heart.
His final bit of development before the hood removal thing probably happens during the events of “Rock Bottom” and reinforces that hard lesson, right when he’s faced with the option to off Megatron. Maybe there’s some taunting about how Optimus preaches softness and forgiveness too much when Jack refuses to kill him. Jack gets angry, and he’s about to fucking do it. But then he stops, takes a breath, and says “Optimus doesn’t preach forgiveness, he preaches moving on from those who refuse to move on themselves. He will never forgive you, but he’s learned to live on despite what you’ve done.” Soon after this, when Megatron comes to the base, Jack takes off his hood, stares Megatron right in the face, and says “This is not forgiveness, Megatron. Don’t you forget that.” Later, when Optimus gives him the key, he tells him something along the lines of “you have grown since we’ve met, Jack, and even though there is still a long way for you to go...” he hands Jack the key. “...Remember that even I am a work in progress.”
Anyways this is again, half-baked. And needs lots of polishing. But it’s something.
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184. the woods are full of cuckoos (1937)
release date: december 4th, 1937
series: merrie melodies
director: frank tashlin
starring: mel blanc (owlcott, walter finchell, milton squirrel, wendell howl, fox, raven mcquandry), tedd pierce (ben birdie, tizzie fish, andy bovine), sara berner (polly gillette, canary livingstone)
this cartoon gets the honorable award of possibly being the most dated warner bros. shorts in its vast repertoire of cartoons. not to worry! this will be a fun cartoon to unpack—i love delving into the shorts that involve extensive research. learning something new is something that‘s very rewarding to me, and i hope it is to you, too!
a giant ode to the short lived radio program community sing (lasting from 1936-1937), the short chronicles a woodland radio show hosted by a variety of caricatured animals putting on various acts.
iris in to the ringing of a bell. a pudgy, bespectacled owl rings it as he stands illuminated by the moonlight, preaching to all of the woodland critters, ready to start the show. he introduces himself as “owlcott”, a take on commentator alexander woollcott. he “blandly announces” (his words, not mine) the introduction of the master of ceremonies, ben birdie--a bird caricature of radio personality ben bernie, “the old maestro”.
birdie’s caricature is not new to audience’s eyes. the caricature, along with a handful of others, is reused from friz freleng’s the coocoo nut grove from 1936, a short that is very similar in vein to this one. tedd pierce provides birdie’s suave, velvety vocals as he introduces the program, only to be interrupted by the nasally cries of mel blanc. out pops walter finchell, a caricature of bernie’s faux-enemy walter winchell, both of whom carrying a notorious (and fake) feud in the radio-verse. it was common for winchell to interrupt the smooth-talking bernie, either throwing pranks or remarks his way, to which bernie dismissed every time. indeed, a signature tashlin upshot angle reveals finchell dropping an egg on top of birdie, who blocks it nonchalantly with a handy umbrella.
art loomer’s backgrounds for the cartoon are absolutely gorgeous. they’re vibrant in color, very lush and painterly, but remain playful and sophisticated at the same time. they certainly serve as a highlight to the short. and, as always, carl stalling’s scores are a blast to hear--his sardonic, wah-wah rendition of “cause my baby says it’s so” is a jolly juxtaposition to the prior score of “love is on the air tonight”, the latter being the song’s cartoon debut. it would be reused in cartoons such as the daffy doc, whereas “cause my baby says its so” was heard previously in rover’s rival.
birdie introduces a clever squirrel caricature of milton berle, whose routine gets interrupted by a little parrot named polly. polly is a take on eileen barton’s character, little jolly gillette, who was portrayed as the daughter of the show’s sponsor. polly and milton go through their act together, polly bluntly (yet innocently) announcing “my daddy says ya gotta let me sing ‘cause he’s a sponsor!” you can listen to real recordings of their banter here!
volney white’s animation of milton and polly is lively and jovial, constantly moving. milton energetically introduces us to our next star, pointing in the wrong direction and fixing it last second as he gestures towards a bird caricature of country singer wendell hall.
even if viewers don’t recognize the bird’s counterpart, they will most certainly recognize his voice--mel uses his foghorn leghorn voice for wendell “howl”. of course, foghorn wouldn’t debut for another 9 years, but that’s another story. the animation of the raucous bird is fun to watch as he extends his neck and wraps it around in coils around the microphone stand. random? yes, but fun nevertheless.
perhaps even more commendable is the staggering crowd shot that succeeds wendell’s scenes. the crowd is mirrored horizontally, but that doesn’t lessen the blow from how claustrophobic it is. wendell asks the audience to get out their songbooks and turn to page “22... no, page 44. uh, no, uh, page 28. uh, 42, uh, 36, uh, 45...”
wendell is transformed from an entertainer to an auctioneer, spitting out numbers at rapid pace as his crowd frantically tears through their songbooks. finally, he concedes. “oh, never mind. we won’t use the books.” off screen, the crowd roars in unison: “OH YES WE WILL!” with that, wendell is generously showered with a barrage of books, buried in the pile of rejected papers. the timing of the scene is comedically sharp and energetic, one of the more entertaining acts of the cartoon.
now, for the real song number, lead by goat and bear caricatures of billy jones and ernie hare (would a rabbit caricature be too on the nose?) respectively, animated by volney white. they march out onto the stage--er, tree trunk--and open the curtains to reveal a sing-along to the eponymous song. thus, the camera pans into the lyrics as everybody bursts into the all-too-earworm-causing song number.
as the crowd, ben birdie and walter finchell all lend their voices to the song, a fox caricature of fred allen sings “swanee river”, clashing with the unity of everybody else. in a nod to friz freleng’s toy town hall where the same routine was executed, a little bunny excitedly coos “ohhhh, mr. allen! you’re singing the wrong sooooong!” the fox bursts into everybody’s favorite Mel Blanc Yell as he repeats a frequent ‘30s catchphrase: “WHY DON’T SOMEBODY TELL ME THESE THINGS!?”
featured in the song is a seemingly interminable cast of celebrity caricatures, all introduced as the camera pans across the screen, each lending their voice to part of the song. some puns require more effort than others (dick powell as “dick fowl” rolls off the tongue better than al jolson as “al goatson”). caricatures include:
eddie cantor as eddie gander, sophie tucker as sophie turkey, w.c. fields as w.c. fieldmouse, dick powell as dick fowl, fats waller as fats swallow, deanna durbin as deanna terrapin, irvin s. cobb as irvin s. frog, fred macmurray as fred mcfurry, bing crosby as bing crowsby, al jolson as al goatson, ruby keeler as ruby squealer, lanny ross as lanny hoss, grace moore as grace moose, and finally lily pons as lily swans.
speaking of grace and lily, they’re both highlighted as they fight to out-perform each other, seeing who can sing the highest note. tashlin pulls of a rather intriguing camera move: as the pan settles on the two of them, the background changes. it’s a subtle maneuver, but smart thinking nonetheless--especially since the camera extends into a vertical pan. as both women fight to sing the highest note, their necks extend, both of them scaling high into the night sky, harmonizing on one final shrill note. they both crumple back into the stands, exhausted by their efforts. some fun exaggerated animation for sure--one wonders how much further this would have been pushed had this been tashlin’s second stint at WB rather than his first. his speed often rivaled, if not out-performed, tex avery’s.
birdie and finchell have a brief interstitial together before making way for a raven caricature of haven macquarrie (raven mcquandry). his sequence is almost jarringly short, but full of fun drawings and poses--the pose of him standing curtly with his arms crossed is awfully reminiscent of izzy ellis’ work under tashlin and later bob clampett in the mid ‘40s. mcquandry asks “do YOU wanna be an actor?”, parotting the name of his real life counterpart’s show so do you want to be an actor? the audience shouts “NO!” in unison, causing mcquandry to do a take and shrug dubiously. though the scene is only a few short seconds, the animation brings forth some much needed vitality.
next is a penguin caricature of joe penner, singing a hilariously out-of-tune rendition of “my green fedora”. the animation is reused from the cartoon of the same name (notice how he doesn’t have penguin feet!), which was also used in toy town hall. not a complaint, but more an observation--this is by far the most humorous performance of the song yet, sung by blanc rather than tommy bond.
another fun scene with some vivacious animation is a sequence featuring a mule caricature of martha raye (dubbed moutha bray), singing a cover of “how could you?”, which has been featured as an underscore in cartoons such as porky’s badtime story and its later remake, tick tock tuckered. raye’s large mouth served as prime material for caricatures, as we see here. the animation is snappy, fun, and vivid--she finishes her song by “swallowing” the camera, an old trick that beckons memories of the harman and ising cartoons of animation past.
an interesting trend in the ‘30s WB cartoons is the trend of playing with the iris, whether it was the closing iris out or an iris in between transitions. tex avery would consistently play with the final iris out on his cartoons, whereas directors such as friz freleng and bob clampett would use one as a transition between scenes. here, tashlin uses the “swallow the camera” technique as a segue for an iris in, tedd pierce’s falsetto squeaking “hello folksies!” as we’re introduced to a fish caricature of tizzie lish, a character played by bill comstock on al pearce and his gang.
though tizzie has long faded into obscurity (as has the entire community sing radio show), it’s still quite easy to appreciate pierce’s vocals and mannerisms as he portrays the character. it’s always a joy to hear him doing voices for cartoons--he’s never been my favorite writer on the crew, but he was an excellent talent as a voice actor. his squeaky deliveries, matter of fact deliveries “mix them up... are you mixing? my friends say i’m a good mixer. are you? or aren’t you?” as tizzie haphazardly dumps food items and their respective utensils into a bowl and prepares the meal are nothing short of hilarious. the timing is very well executed and can be appreciated regardless of background knowledge.
after humming a pitchy rendition of “the lady in red” while waiting for her concoction to bake in the waffle iron, tizzie removes the homemade waffle and discards it, instructing the audience “now take the ‘wiffle’ out and eat the iron. you must have iron in your system. or should you?” thus concludes tizzie’s act, certainly heightened in hilarity by pierce’s vocals and timing.
for the final act, ben birdie introduces a possum caricature of louella parsons, the host of the radio program hollywood hotel, which served as a way to advertise upcoming movies by featuring guest stars enacting some of the scenes. here, we have caricatures of jack benny (as jack bunny, the first of his many reoccurrences), mary livingstone (canary livingstone), and andy devine (andy bovine).
tedd pierce voices andy bovine, whose voice burlusqued not only in this cartoon, but to a greater extent in friz freleng’s my little buckeroo not even a year later. devine, a western star, was notorious for his scratchy, shrill voice which was rife for comedic opportunity. indeed, this scene here with pierce’s vocals is nothing short of hilarious:
the trio chronicle the prodigal’s return, in which bunny and canary coo over their baby son. out of the bassinet pops incongruously large bovine, who shrieks “HOWDY MAAAA! HI PAAAA!”, the sheer volume of his voice enough to blow both of his parents away and out of the scene. and, with that, the scene ends, red curtains colorized from porky’s romance marking the sequence’s end. short, sweet, to the point, and hilarious.
ending right where the cartoon began, the owl caricature of alexander woollcott bids us farewell, the iris closing in on the bell he rings as he exclaims that all is well.
like so many other cartoons i’ve reviewed, this is one that i slowly warmed up to upon rewatching it and typing out the review for myself. i didn’t entirely dislike the cartoon upon my first watch, but it’s undeniably dated and deserves its title as possibly the most dated cartoon. without further research, some of the jokes and caricatures (if not all of them) are difficult to appreciate. the animation has bursts of energy throughout the short, the highlights being the scenes featuring raven mcquarry and moutha bray, but otherwise remains relatively simple and conservative. tashlin does incorporate a few intriguing camera angles throughout the cartoon, but many other entries of his are far more cinematic.
however, despite all of that, this cartoon is not without its bonuses: art loomer’s backgrounds are stunningly gorgeous and rich, and as someone who loves the lush, painterly backgrounds of the 1930s, this is heaven to me. and, as i mentioned previously, tedd pierce’s scenes are great--the tizzie fish and andy bovine sequences are undeniable comedic highlights.
so, if you’re willing to dedicate time to put in the research for this cartoon, you’ll find it’s quite fascinating! i’m certain this was a much bigger gut-buster in 1937 than it is in 2020, but even then, this is a good cartoon for people such as myself who love to learn more information and seek out facts. as a result, i’d recommend it to people who fall into that category. if you’re just someone who wants a good laugh and a leisurely watch, there are more interesting cartoons that lie ahead. you won’t miss much by skipping it.
with that said, here’s the link!
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Joshua Tree Playlist-A Macriley Fic
So I’ve done it again, not sure what’s wrong with me or where this came from but enjoy my obsession. Thanks for the motivation and support from my other posts. I’m still waiting for my invite from Ao3 but wanted to share this monster with you guys.
This fic was inspired by music that I thought fit the general tone of this story, so I decided to make a spotify playlist linked Joshua Tree Playlist hence the name. Now of course you guys don’t have to listen to it, I know we all have different preferences, but I would recommend listening to the last song by Dylan Schneider “Wannabe” so you get the full context of what I was trying to write. I also mention the songs that I recommend listening to. Well anyways Enjoy and do let me know what you think!
This is very long, just a heads up! Please let me know if I should continue writing.
Joshua Tree Playlist
Chapter 1: Day 1
Mac sat on the deck after his run, another sleepless night. The nightmares felt more and more real each day. Looking out on the early morning LA skyline he felt like a stranger in his own life. There was so much anger in him that he didn’t know what to do with himself. The loss, the tragedy that was his life felt like a weight he couldn’t bear. He’d give anything to go back to that pressure chamber in Georgia again instead of this, at least things made sense then. He was spiralling, he was aware. Scrubbing his hands across his face he let another breath pass. He didn’t hear her coming but saw her shapely bronze legs standing in front of him dressed in khaki shorts and a black singlet one hand holding a backpack and the other on her hip. It was definitely early for her to be up, especially on an off day.
He raised an eyebrow at her, “what’s up Riles?”
“Get up, we’re going on a trip.” She simply said swinging the backpack at his feet.
“What?” he was confused by the situation unfolding in front of him, maybe he was dreaming?
She turned to walk back into the house, “You heard me Macgyver, get your ass in the car in 5!”
He stood up and swiped the backpack off the floor and chased after her. She was already in the truck sunglasses pulled down with her arm out of the window, fingers drumming against the door. “Riley.”
She nodded her head in the direction of the car, “come on, we haven’t got all day! Get in!”
He could have stood his ground but honestly, he was too tired to argue with her. So he threw his backpack in the back and got into the passenger seat. She started the car and connect her phone to the Bluetooth, a playlist called Joshua Tree Playlist that was curated by Riley Davis came on the on-screen deck. He discovered that Riley didn’t just listen to Beyonce, old school rap, and rock. Her music like her was multifaceted and ranged from what you’d expect to complete surprises. He even walked in on her listening to Harry Styles to which she had just shrugged and simply said “I’m confident in myself to like what I like, besides watermelon sugar is a tune.” But currently, she quickly scrolled and threw on Mumm-ra’s “Summer” the indie rock song had a classic indie bass and guitar combo as the intro, she shimmed her shoulders to the music. He couldn’t help but actually crack a smile at her antics.
Her head turned to him then as she bopped to the music and gave him that brilliant smile lipping the words to the song “I’m only happy in the summer...I’m only happy with you, lover...” She was like a prism, all clear but as soon the light hit her she was vibrant colors and sounds. “Now that’s more like the Mac I know. Nice to have you back for a second.”
Her words hit him fully, leave it to Riley to bring him back down to earth. To notice that he was struggling. He didn’t know what to say, so he opted for the next best thing. “Are you going to tell me where this semi-voluntary kidnapping is going?”
“Hey, no kidnapping vibes here. We’re taking a couple of days and chilling out. Matty already approved it. We have four days to ourselves. So we’re going on a road trip! Next stop Joshua Tree.” She simply stated as she drove down the hill and towards I-10E.
He widened his eyes and gave his head a shake, letting loose a chuckle he threw up his hand and let them slap his highs. “Ok! I’ll bite.” the brilliance of her smile made him feel like he made the right choice, the breeze already warm blew in through the open windows, the loose strands from her bun floating around her face.
“Yea! Bozer is going to meet up with us there, he has an errand to run before. Unfortunately, Desi can’t make it, she’s on a mission.” she said sparing him a glance.
He shifted in his seat if he were honest, he was now just looking forward to spending time with her and Boz. “Yea, probably for the best.”
She didn’t say anything waiting for him to continue if he wanted to. The great thing about Riley was she pushed when there was something worth pushing for but otherwise gave him space to talk to her on his own time. Without saying it, he could feel her body asking him if he and Desi were ok.
“I’m not sure I’m what she needs right now.” He simply stated and the unstated that he probably didn’t need their complicated and messy relationship right now either. They were too volatile and while that gave spark to great sex, it left everything else scorched and untouchable. It wasn’t fair for Desi to be stuck with him while he was stuck in his head.
He watched Riley shift in her seat, lately, he noticed there was a strange distance between them but then here she was stealing him away as the old Riley would. Maybe four days would give him the answers to why he felt like she was slipping away slowly, the thought put such a tight feeling in his throat, he couldn’t lose one more person. Especially not Riley, not his amazing, smart, loyal, beautiful friend singing along to a cover of Billy Joel’s “Vienna”. Suddenly it was easy to smile again, it didn’t take all of his efforts. “Hey, did you pack my bag for me? Or am I gonna have to survive in these running clothes for four days?”
He didn’t think to change when she gave him 5 minutes to meet her at his truck.
“I got you, Mac, everything you need is in there boy! Why would I give you an empty backpack?” she tapped on with the music and threw him another smile. If the next few days were going to be filled with smiling Riley he was already glad she kidnapped him voluntarily.
“Did you go through my underwear and sock drawers?!” He asked narrowing his eyes and laughing as a soft blush spread across her cheeks, Riley Davis can be bashful what do you know.
“I mean we’re all adults here, no need for this juvenile behaviour. Yes, I packed your undies and socks.” He could see her rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses, but he was amused by the blush that graced her face. Mac always thought Riley was attractive, men and women constantly commented on her beauty. Her looks helped them with countless ops. He wasn’t blind, just looked past the obvious. She was his friend, Jack’s daughter, and a relationship he couldn’t sacrifice. But these moments when they’re alone and he could look at her and steal glances he saw just how gorgeous she was as a being.
They had become closer the past couple of years for sure, he felt completely at ease with her. Could talk to her about anything, seek her counsel about things that were on his mind. She usually could read him already ready to jump into whatever stupid situations he got himself into. Even now he couldn’t believe that she followed him into Codex. She had told him she trusted him, and he felt like he could breathe just from those words. Knowing she stood with him gave him the strength to follow through.
They stopped for coffee and bagels, laughing about the guy in front of them that took ages to order. They made fun of a couple of housewives of Beverly hills type and how Bozer would’ve recognized who they are. It was just easy his mind kept saying to him. When he pointed to a smidge of cream cheese in the corner of her mouth, she attempted to licked it away with her tongue, he couldn’t help but gulp down some of his iced coffee and watch her miss it. Reaching over he brushed the side of her lips and without thinking licked his thumb clean. She froze for a second and looked at him with an intensity that he couldn’t read. “You were struggling” he shrugged.
“Thanks,” was all she said with an almost shy smile, unaware of course of how that small act sent fire all over her. She was thankful that she was on her last bite and he was already finished with his bagel, now casually leaning back in his chair letting the sun warm his face, his golden hair casting a halo around him. She needed to run away, “ready to start the journey again?”
Smiling he stood, they took their unfinished coffee and bottles of water with them. For the next 15 minutes, they joked about the new episodes of Rick and Morty, as more of her playlist played in the background, glancing at the screen he saw the current song was “Good Life” by Randell Kent. The lyrics washing over him as they finally pulled into the expressway. This could be a good life, at least it felt that way right now.
They passed the next 15 minutes in silence, but it was the kind they had often where it was just comfortable. They didn’t feel the need to fill the void. They just listened to music and watched the road and let their minds wander.
She hummed along with the new song that came on, he never noticed that she had a pretty nice singing voice. “...don’t overthink it...just surround me...hmm” LÉON's "Surround Me" played in the car. He leaned against his window and watched her quietly. “Why don’t you take a nap, I know you didn’t sleep much last night. We’ve got another 2-hour drive ahead of us.” She finally says to him softly turning the music down a bit and rolling up the windows opting for the ac.
Of course, she noticed, it wasn’t a big secret that he had been spiralling out of control. He wasn’t sleeping or eating well, his mind obsessing over Codex. But now there was nothing but a jumbled mess of things and just pure grief and exhaustion left behind in the aftermath. Strangely enough, he actually felt ok enough to take her up on the offer, she made him feel safe. Knowing she was going to be here when he opened his eyes brought a feeling of comfort and peace he was struggling to have, it was like the darkness couldn’t get to him. “Yeah ok.”
He drifted and for the first time in a long time found sleep came quickly and a dreamless sleep took him over. No nightmares, just soft hum engulfed him. It was when he felt warm fingers on his cheek brushing back some hair did he open his eyes and came face to face with Riley’s hazel eyes and full lips. He blinked a few times to adjust to the light. “Hey,” she said softly.
“Hey, are we here already?” He asked sitting up, it didn’t escape his mind that he didn’t mind that Riley was the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes, it never did but he filed it away with any other thoughts that ever came into his mind about her that seemed more than friendly behaviour.
She stepped away from him and cleared her throat and nodded, “yea, we’re here. I’m glad you got some sleep” she smiled again. She was entranced with watching him sleep, she almost didn’t want to wake him, he was beautiful, soft and so vulnerable in this moment. She knew how much he was struggling, which made her predicament even more complicated. How could she tell him she would be moving out? Instead, her brilliant idea was to steal him away for a few days. She was playing with fire, but she also knew that as strong as he was, any more change might send him over the edge. She decided she’ll tell him about her move after this trip, but her priority will always be to protect him, her heart can deal with it.
His own faced turned up, “yeah I guess I needed it, and who knew what I needed was you humming off-key to songs in the background to fall asleep.” She swallowed and told her heart to stop its stupid summersaults.
“I’ll make you some tracks and make sure they’re extra off-key! I’ll be your white noise” she said quickly teasing back.
“My very own ghost.” his eyes crinkling in the corners. This was the most she’s seen him smile in a while.
Rolling her eyes and doing a mock laugh “careful or I will haunt your ass for real” to which she got full dimples, this was going to be four long days.
“Ok so I got us a house actually” she cheekily said pointing at the well-maintained terra cotta colored house they were parked in front of on top of a hill surrounded by sky and desert landscapes with cacti and boulders, the house faced the road below that brought them into town. The front porch had a couple of lounge chairs, a table for four, a couple of lanterns neatly hung around the arches and a small pathway that led to a circular covering what he deduced was the hot tub. There were shrubs and succulents neatly planted around the house giving some green to the otherwise very warm hue of the area.
Mac looked around and already his head felt lighter under the sky that just seemed bluer here, probably because the air pollution was nonexistent here. He sheepishly said, “I kinda thought we’d be camping,” rubbing the back of his neck, “but the house looks nice.”
“Listen, we can camp I bought everything, but we can also stay in this awesome house with a hot tub, pool, and functioning toilets and showers.” she shrugged tucking her hands into the back pockets of her shorts. “What can I say, I’m a city gal and honestly we do ‘camp’ a lot for work.”
He shook his head lightly, “yeah I guess you got a point there,” thinking of all of the times they did camp out without any real equipments. “You thought of everything huh?” He asked softly taking her in fully. “Thanks, Riles.” watching her smile and nod made his heart feel warm, a feeling he’s been missing for a while.
As if on cue Bozer pulled up behind them. Riley’s smiled widen. Mac turned towards the car and he thought he was seeing a ghost. Then he heard the familiar sound of a Texan drawl. He turned to Riley wide-eyed and then back at where Bozer stepped out of the car with a shit-eating grin and next to him was none other than Jack Dalton.
“How’s it going hoss!” He waved with a laugh as he approached Mac and took his hand and pulled him into a hug.
“Jack! Man, it’s so good to see you.” Mac said hugging the older man hard, he felt his eyes water just a bit.
Jack pat his back and pulled away smiling, “it’s good to see you too, kid.”
“Yeah, the OG gang is back together” Bozer claimed jumping with excitement.
Jack turned to Riley and embraced her, “Hey baby girl!” Pulling her off the ground as she shrieked with laughter. Riley held onto Jack for a moment longer before releasing him and smiling, she didn’t hide the tears that were softly rolling down her face now.
“I’m so glad to have you back.” She said softly. Jack brushed away tears from her cheek and nodded.
“Me too.” he turned to look at his crew and smiled at the kids that somehow came to mean the world to him. “So we ready for this crazy weekend or what?!” his arm still around Riley.
“Hell yeah!” exclaimed Bozer already heading to the trunk of his car to grab his and Jack’s bags.
Mac just stood dumbfounded for a second taking in the 3 most important people in his life and finally feeling something, he’s been so scared that something in him was shifting but seeing them here smiling at him brought back the warmth he felt has been slowly seeping away. “Thank you, guys.”
“Come on man, we’re family,” Bozer said squeezing his shoulder.
“You always got us,” Jack added a giant grin. “Alright now, let’s get settled and decide what we’re doing. I’m craving a cold one for sure!” He said picking up his bag.
Riley on cue walked over to the door and pressed in the security code into the door handle and opened up the door. “Welcome to the digs boys, we’ve got the living room” pointing to the right, “the master bedroom just past there as well as the second bedroom. Just ahead is the dining room and kitchen, around the hall to the left we have the other two bedrooms and bathroom. Laundry room and back porch with the grill AND pool. You saw the fire pit and hot tub in the front of the house.” she said sweeping both her arms around the house that was meant to be their home for the next four days.
“Damn Riley! You did good!” Bozer said as he scanned the house, decorated with a mix of modern and country house feel. Walking over to the kitchen he hummed in approval, “I can work with this! I’m gonna grab the groceries!” he bounced back out the door.
Jack gave a whistle of approval, “man, after the places I’ve been sleeping in, I’m gonna sleep like a baby!” as he went around ducking into rooms and giving his approval.
Mac didn’t care much about the house but did agree it was a nice one with all the comforts of home.
Riley suddenly stood in front of him and gave him a warning “Macgyver don’t use any part of this house, I would like to get my deposit back.” He laughed holding up both hands in agreement.
Jack turned the attention back to the group, “ok kids whose taking what room?”
“Riley should have the master,” Mac said right away. Jack did jokingly protest that he’s the one who’s been sleeping on rubbles and jungle floors. Bozer bounced into one of the bedrooms to the right, jack decided to take the bedroom next to Bozer. Which left him and Riley to the right side of the house. “Masters all yours.”
She smiled, “umm you sure you don’t want it?” to which he shook his head, all of the bedrooms where sizeable with queen beds and dressers, it honestly didn’t matter and being the only girl they didn’t mind giving her the room with space and vanity table so she can paint her face as jack put it to which she rolled her eyes. “So there is the bathroom down the hall next to the other bedrooms but one here on our side the bathroom is actually in the master, so feel free to use it if you need it. The shower in there looks amazing!” She said nervously.
He smiled “yea ok.” He helped her unpack the car and bring her bag into her bedroom. He looked around “maybe I should take this room,” which earned him a light shove at his shoulder and he chuckled.
“Too late it’s mine now. Ok! So I say we get changed grab some lunch and chill for a bit while we plan the next few days.” She laid out the plans looking up at him both hands on her hips and she stretched forward towards him. That familiar hammering came back in her chest, the next thing she knows he’s embracing her. “Mac…”
He just needed to be close to her just for a second, releasing her from the embrace he softly said, “I just...I know I said thank you, but really, thank you.”
She held onto his biceps and squeezed them, ignoring the way that made her feel she just smiled at him “hey what are friends for if not to kinda kidnap you for a mini-vacation.” He laughed and she decided that was her favorite sound. Letting her hands fall to her side, “go get settled, I’m sure Boz will make us something to eat, I’m starving.”
He smiled once more and left her standing in the middle of her room feeling so many things. The next four days were going to be the hardest four days of her life she reminded herself again. She survived two years in prison, she’ll be fine, she hoped. Taking a deep breath she walked into the kitchen where she could already hear Jack and Bozer.
Bozer was laying out sandwich meats and cheese he had picked up while swatting Jack’s hands away from stealing slices of the cold cuts. She felt a bit emotional seeing them goofing around, something about Jack being home made her feel like everything was going to be ok, that Mac would be ok and she would have the strength to get over what was currently happening to her in regards to Mac.
“Some things never change.” She heard Mac say softly now changed into a pair of trousers t-shirt and button-down. “Thanks for the clothes you picked out, I don’t think I could have picked better.”
Again she felt her face warm, what the hell was wrong with her. She couldn’t recall a time that she felt this affected. Usually, with guys she had found attractive, it was always coyness and subtle flirting but never did something so simple trigger this kind of response. She chalked it up to the heat even though the state of the art thermostat read a cool 70°. “Yea, of course, you’re welcome. And I’m glad that some things don’t change.”
Mac looked down at her, he agreed but maybe some things changing wouldn’t be too bad. Pulling up the chair at the kitchen island, they took the beers Jack handed them one by one raising his bottle “it’s good to be home, cheer!” They all clinked the bottles together and shouted cheers. Jack took a long swig off his beer, “Damn that’s good.”
Mac couldn’t help but feel like he was transported back to a couple of years ago when things were simple and good. They saved lives and had fun. Everything seemed so much heavier and complicated these days. But right now at this moment, he felt the most present he’s felt in a year.
“What are we having Boz, I’m starving!” Riley whined softly.
“Girl I got you covered. I’m making a medley of sandwiches, you got a Cuban, prosciutto and mozzarella with balsamic vinegar and basil, and a BLT coming at you with my homemade mayo,” he said already working on prepping the bread with condiments.
“Damn Bozer, have I missed your cooking!” said Jack with an excited glint in his eyes.
“So I was thinking we take it easy for today don’t know about you guys but I could take a dip in that pool, we’ll start early morning for the hikes, if we want to camp tomorrow night we can, day 3 and 4 are open for whatever you guys want to do. We need to be back in LA by noon on monday.” Riley laid out the plans.
“Pool party, I’m in,” Jack said nodded seriously.
“Me too! I can’t remember the last time I just had a day to do whatever I wanted.” Bozer said thoughtfully while working on their lunch.
“Yea, it’s been a lot going on hasn’t it.” He said picking at the beer bottle label. The room fell into silence for a moment, each reviewing the events of the past year if not longer. They lost so much as a collective but Mac and the most.
Jack took another sip finishing off his beer and shook his head, “Nah, we’re here to have fun, let’s focus on that.” grabbing one of the pickles that Boze laid out, Bozer gave him a side-eye but said nothing. “This weekend we’re gonna unwind and be thankful for this beautifully weird place. Nothing is blowing up, no one is shooting at us, the worst thing will be the hangovers and food comas,”
Riley and Bozer both collectively knocked on the wood of the kitchen island, “don’t jinx it!”
To which Mac proceeded to explain that ‘jinx’ wasn’t a scientifically proven, and went into a ramble about logic. It wasn’t until he noticed all three of his friends smiling affectionately at him that he stopped dropped him head mouth curving into a smile. He knocked on the wood too just in case.
II
Twenty minutes later Bozer served them his masterpieces as he called them, and they all agreed that they were works of art. Jack had caught them up as much as he could on his mission with the deltas and catching Kovac, leaving the classified information out. It seems so natural that they wouldn’t give details, that they understood that somethings they could never talk about again.
Finishing off his third sandwich Jack stood to plug his phone to charge “can you believe this phone lasted me almost 2 years?!”
To which Mac rolled his eyes but his mouth still twitched upwards. “I can’t help that a phone has key components for most builds.”
“Yeah you left and it became either me or Riley. I feel like it was mostly me though.” Bozer said pouting.
“Appreciate you picking up the slack, I already upgraded my insurance just in case.” Jack pointed at Mac. To which Boze and Riley hollered.
Mac held up his hand and shook his head, “hey man I promise if I don’t need it, I won’t ask for it.”
“Alright, Alright let’s get to the pool!” Jack said already pulling his shirt over his head. “Riley throw on some tunes, preferably something country or rock or close to my generation that we can all enjoy.”
It was Riley’s turn to roll her eyes, “don’t worry old man, I got us all covered. A bit of Brooks and Dunn, a bit of Ozzy, a bit of Technotronic, a little Beyonce, and of course Drake for Bozer.”
Mac’s face squinted into lines. “Wait is Techtronic for me? Or is Beyonce for me?”
She laughed, “guess you’ll just have to find out, though I do recall you know the lyrics to at least one of Techtronic’s’ song.” her own eyes squinting to tease him. “Alright, I’m gonna go change, be right back.”
“Yeah ok fair enough, but only cause it was on the radio…saved your booty,” she heard him mumble as she passed him patting his shoulder.
The guys were already set up by the pool when she walked out. Bozer managed to find a pool floaty from where they didn’t know and mildly suspected he might have packed the one that he was currently laying on and enjoying the sun. Mac and Jack sat next to each other with their feet in the water.
“I’m sorry about your old man.” Jack finally said softly.
Mac’s lips pulled into a line before he sighed and looked down at the beer bottle in his hand “yea, as it turns out its hard to be mad at a guy that always chose the utilitarian method. He sacrificed himself, I wish I could just be sad or just angry but how I feel is just…” he didn’t know himself.
“Hey man, I get it. I know what it’s like to lose a father. No matter who and how he was as a person, he was still your dad.” Jack said placing a hand on Mac’s shoulder and giving a light squeeze. “But you know I‘m here if you gotta sort through all the jumbled mess in your head. I’ll be your sounding board.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that” He did appreciate it, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to, let alone where to start to untangle the mess that his life became. He was brought out of his brooding when Bozer whistled loudly.
“Damnnnnn Riley!” to which Jack knocked him off his floaty, when he resurfaced drawing water away from his face he whined, “I was just paying her the compliment she deserves!”
Mac knew that Riley had an amazing body, her tight jeans and crop tops proved this countless time if not by the countless gowns and tight dresses she had to wear for ops, but they’d never seen her in a bikini in the four years of working together. He swallowed hard and pretended not to stare, but it was hard when she was all bronze and glowing, toned abs and round hips, her smile radiant even if her eyes held a teasing annoyance at the attention. It suddenly felt hotter than 89°.
Jack knew better than to tell her to cover up, and he knew that he could trust these guys but still, he pouted about her lack of clothing. “Jack, what do you want me to wear to the pool, a potato sack?”
“No, but...never mind!” he just mumbled.
She shook her head, but she was trying to distract herself from the fact that Mac had looked at her hard, their eyes locked for a second and she could’ve sworn she saw something there, the way his adam’s apple bobbed make her skin tingle. She decided that she’d read it as a compliment.
The rest of the afternoon passed with a game of pool volleyball, naps here and there or reading, Riley’s playlist playing in the background. Memories being solidified to sounds, smells, and feelings. She chided them to apply sunscreen and even offered to help with their backs.
“Riley not sure if you’re aware but I’m black,” Bozer said to her proudly.
“So? Black people burn too and are you trying to get cancer?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Deflated he shook his head no and sat down. One by the one they gave up the protests as she threw savage shade at them. She applied a boatload of sunscreen just cause they gave her a hard time and decided to snap some pictures as well for blackmail of course.
Mac was last and sat in front of her as she steeled herself and slowly applied the sunscreen to the back of his neck, the hair at his nape tickling her fingers. She worked quickly and ran her fingers between his shoulder blades down his back. She felt him tense and worked faster. As much as she enjoyed being able to touch him like this, it was also inappropriate. He didn’t know about her feelings, and she felt sleazy as if she were taking advantage of a friend. Closing the bottle cap shut, she lightly tapped his shoulders, “done, now you don’t have to be an embarrassing lobster.” She weakly cracked.
He wasn’t new to attraction, or the body’s response to the said attraction. He didn’t expect to be so affected by her fingers running down his back, her nails making a slow trail that left him imagining those nails digging into his back for a completely different reason. He cleared his throat, “thanks, wouldn’t want that.” he managed as he looked over his shoulder. Fuck him, she was adorable as she chewed her bottom lip and nodded. Ok, maybe four days of this Riley was going to be a challenge.
II
Around later afternoon everyone decides to shower and get ready for the evening, agreeing to head into town and grabbing dinner there. They decided with the drinks they’ve had best to grab an Uber into town. The awkwardness of the poolside sunscreen still fresh as they piled into the car. It was a short ride but felt long as Riley sat squeezed between Mac and Bozer. Bozer just grinned, of course, him knowing her feeling about Mac was going to be her downfall. When they were dropped off, She felt like she had been holding her breath for hours.
“You ok?” Mac asked her to which she nodded.
“Yep, just need a drink!” His brows raised and he seconded that feeling because he definitely could use one.
Walking around the old Pioneer town setup, Mac explained different tools and contraptions that were displayed around the old buildings from the 1800s, Jack dazzled them with stories about Texas that either made no sense or was inaccurate according to Mac, Bozer, and goggle. They decided to have dinner at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, where the smell of barbecue wafted through the warm evening air, They could hear the bustle of music and glasses clinking. Bozer was already rushing in to get them a table saying something about getting his hands on some ribs. Jack hollered that he has to see if this place is as good as Texas barbecue.
Mac looked down at Riley as her eyes sparkled with excitement the earlier awkwardness finally forgotten. Even though they’ve been everywhere in the world, this place had her vibrating. “I never knew you were a fan of the country life.”
She laughed, “I don’t know, I didn’t think that I was either, but there is something about this place that just, I dunno gets me kinda hyped.”
“Hey, guys they have a table for us!” Bozer shouted over the live music and chatter. Apparently they came on open mic night and the local dentist was doing this rendition of Hank Williams’ “all my rowdy friends” and killing it. The energy was just infectious.
They sat down as Bozer rubbed his hands together, “I already know this is gonna be the bomb. I mean can you smell that hickory?!”
“Hell yea I can!” Jack chimed in.
Mac smiled at his best friends, Bozer and Jack were always bouncing off each other in any room the three of them were in, but since Riley came into the picture they’re better behaved. They listen to song after song and the cheers of the crowd as they ate. Jack approved and hummed in appreciation.
“I’ve missed this, the good ole USA, bbq, and country blues.”
“Every song is about beer, a truck, a woman, but man is it catchy” Bozer stood busting out his moves as he called it.
“Jack, it makes sense you should feel right at home at this place.” She said with eyes twinkling.
Mac took a swig of his beer and chuckled, “This whole place is Jack if he were a bar, maybe throw in some Black Sabbath and ACDC in and you have Jack.”
Jack grinned and nodded, “ok, ok, you’re not wrong. I’m totally digging this place.” His eyes finding the eyes of a pretty blonde at the bar.
“Classic...” She agreed, crinkling her nose up in that adorable way when she found something slightly distasteful, thought Mac. For a moment they took the time to acknowledge the man who became a father to them both with affection. If they ever have to thank someone for their sincerity they could claim Jack as one of the big influencers. They’re musing was broken by Bozer shouting,
“Guys come on lets dance, how often do we get to do this anymore?” Bozer ushered them onto the dance floor. He already found himself a couple of dance partners. Ph.D. in partying Bozer was out tonight.
It was true, they didn’t do these things anymore. Things haven’t been the same for a while. It’s only been about a year and yet he felt like his whole world shifted. An avalanche of shit hit him.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Jack jumped up and was already making a beeline for the woman at the bar. They could hear a vague “how you doing?”
Mac and Riley just rolled their eyes and joined Bozer on the dance floor as the new performer of the night decided to sing Shania Twain “Man, I Feel like a woman.” As soon as they joined Bozer, of course, within minutes Riley was stolen away for a dance. Mac was happy to watch her, the joy finally reaching her eyes today. Maybe they all needed this, a moment to stop and appreciate their lives.
He liked seeing her like this, Riley was always fun to be around. But right now she was everything he thought to himself, everything about her made his heart feel full. Finishing his beer off, he decided that he wanted to be the one to dance with his friend. The more he played with the word, somehow it didn’t seem enough anymore to call her that.
“Can I steal her for this dance?” he asked not really waiting for an answer already pulling her close to him. “You good?” looking to make sure he wasn’t misreading the situation.
She looked up at him and nodded, “yeah, I’m good.” looking down at their joined hands, it was this hand-holding that started the thud in her chest in Germany, and here it was hammering away. She was so screwed. There was a part of her mind that asked her, why not? He’s not attached anymore, so why not? But she knew better, he didn’t need this right now. He didn’t need her feelings to complicate his life. Lost in her thoughts or the blues of his eyes she wasn’t sure which, she didn’t realize the music was changing as the next performer took stage and cheers were heard.
The music changed to a slower one, something about it just seemed fitting and he’d watched her dance all night with other people but now it was his turn. He stepped up closer to her, her eyes on him as he took her hand and swayed with her. She laughed softly as they danced to a soft country song about a man who wanted to be a girl’s everything. How ironic.
“If you wanna be with a guy who's gonna bring you flowers
A guy who's gonna talk on your phone for hours
A guy who's gonna wanna hold the door for you
When you wanna walkthrough
A guy who's gonna pick you up
A guy who's gonna take you out and make you
Wanna get a little dressed up and get a little down”
She once told him that she wouldn’t mind a small town, the quiet, after all things they saw daily. He wondered if secretly she wanted to be one of those ‘girl next door’ country girl. He felt her warmth through the shirt she wore, his finger brushing the soft exposed skin of her midriff. It was like an electrical current ran through him, which was of course plausible and probably didn’t mean anything.
“I wanna be the guy with the roses
Number on speed dial, ladies first, don't you know that's my style
Hop into my truck I got plans
We’ll head on down to Jimmy's and we'll do a little dance
There's a lot of things in a small town a guy can be
But if its by your side for the rest of my life
Baby, you can call me, a wannabe (a wannabe)
Be be a wannabe (a wannabe) (a wannabe)
Be Be”
She knew how dangerous this was getting, but she couldn’t help herself just for this one song. Couldn’t help giggling when he spun her around and pulled her close. Couldn’t help but let her stupid heart thud at his deep laughter. Where she could touch him for a little while without question, without worry. She can feel the hair at the nape of his neck as she wrapped her arms around him because they were just dancing. This stolen moment getting filed away as one of the best nights she’s had to date.
“If you wanna be with a guy whose gonna give you
The whole world from the back of a dirt road farm
Scribbled in ink with a big heart a tattoo on my arm
I'm talkin' kissin' like crazy, can't shut it down
Can't you see how
I wanna be the guy that you’re out with
Arm that's your names on”
With every sway, he felt like he was taking a step towards where he should be. The person he should be and wanted to be. The doubt that has been clouding over him slowly clearing a little. He felt like he could finally see the light shining through. If someone like Riley could stand next to him as the world ended then life couldn’t possibly be that bad, right? So for now at this moment, he pulls her closer, lets her scent make him dizzy. Lets his hand splay across the small of her back to let each finger feel her.
“Be the lips baby that you wanna put your lips on
All-day, all night, moonshine, sunrise, your favorite song
There's a lot of things in a small town a guy can be
But if it’s by your side for the rest of my life, baby you can call me
A wannabe (a wannabe) (a wannabe)
Be be a wannabe (a wannabe)
Be Be”
There is a cheer from the crowd and she laughs “This song is fucking catchy,” She says as he dips her, the audible gasp vibrating through her to him. He decided then that he loved dancing with Riley. He loved her laughs, the way her whole face lit up.
“I wanna be the guy you make a life with, picket white fence with
Maybe a little later hell even make a baby with
Just you and me livin' that life long dream
There's a lot of things in a small town a guy can be
But if it’s by your side for the rest of my life”
He placed his forehead against hers and held her close. She glances up at him and his eyes hold hers. She’s mystified by their intensity, her body on fire from his breath fanning across her face. They were so close, he could kiss. He wanted to kiss her. As they got lost in each other, they failed to see the silly smile on Bozer’s face as he watched them or Jack who also softly chuckled from where he got distracted from wooing his lady friend Carla. If he was being honest, he can’t believe it took this long for them to get to this point. Well, he supposed he’ll have to have a chat with Mac about what he can expect if he hurts his little girl. Turning back to Carla he spared them one last glance then he was all Dalton, Jack Dalton.
“Baby you can call me, a wannabe (a wannabe) (a wannabe)
Be be
You can call me your wannabe (a wannabe)
Be Be
A wannabe (a wannabe) (a wannabe)
Be Be”
The crowd clapped cheered and whistled around them, he held her eyes still in a trance. Something definitely shifted between them. She cleared her throat and let him go smiling. “Thanks for the dance. That was so much fun.” Turning to make her way through the crowd to their table where a fresh bottle of beer was waiting for them courtesy of Bozer she assumed. She didn’t wait to see if he was following.
The heat from the dance coming off her now as if she had a full HIIT workout. She took a sip of the beer and before she could swallow it, he was standing next to her.
“Riley…”
She gulped down the beer and looked at him, she was so fucked.
#macriley#mac x riley#riley x mac#riley davis#angus macgyver#macgyver#fanfiction#music fic#send heeeelp#work in process
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Adapting Historical Fashion for the Fantasy Eye
I’m back. Why? Because we’ve seen a resurgence of people talking about corsets and whether they were the death traps some would like you to believe (they weren’t and we’re not here to discuss that but I beg you to do some research), people not knowing that there is a vibrant and active historical fashion community who either engage in history bounding (dressing up in period accurate clothing) or add elements of it to their daily lives, and just as always people not knowing the difference between stays and corsets.
But, June, you say. You’re a fantasy writer. What does historically accurate clothing have to do with anything? Historical accuracy is for losers. And to that I say, you are correct. But if you’re using something that has a heavy historical context (like clothing, technology, etc) you might as well know a thing or two about the subject before looking a fool. If only because readers like me notice the small things and cry OR because the aesthetics are cool but knowing where they come from and how they can be changed to fit your world is even cooler.
Fashion defines a society. Fashion defines a culture. What garments are important? What garments are the same among the upper and lower class? Do their roles as garments change depending on class? (ex: stays were often wore “out” for working class women while upper class women would see them strictly as undergarments) How do fashion trends define the eras? It’s not hard to notice that throughout history nearly every decade as a definite silhouette. It’s not hard to tell the difference from a regency era gown from an early Victorian gown to a late Victorian one. They all look vastly different.
I’m not asking anyone to know the ins and out of historical clothing but it doesn’t hurt to read up on it or look at some existing examples. To know the anatomy and construction of what would make a complete outfit (or to read about what people might wear for a given situation if no artwork or garment exists). It all feeds into how your characters hold themselves, how they might be able to move. It’s not so much that people were just “Shaped Differently” back then. Their clothes were constructed with a certain poise or look in mind. And y’know. I just want to stop seeing modern underwear in fantasy underneath historical clothing while we all pretend the undergarments don’t contribute greatly to the finished overall look.
But again, you’re right. We’re not writing historical fiction here. We don’t need to have every mention of clothing in our fantasy novels be completely in line with the point in time we might be basing our setting off of. This is about adaptation.
Adapting Historical Fashion for Non-Historical Purposes.
I’ve said it a bunch by now I’m sure. My books take place in a world based off the late 18th century. Why? I dig it. As such, when I first started putting together the aesthetics of the world that period was also my go to. I know I already did a whole thing on culture and society but really this is more or less just about how fashion can amplify those two things. I mentioned setting and what fabrics might be commonly used or found. And what might make sense to use (lighter, breathy fabrics for hot climates vs thicker fabrics and furs for cold ones) vs ones considered high class and enviable or with trends that might be coming from other countries that have stronger influence.
When I take real life fashion and shove it into my world (give or take a few changes) I usually ask myself a few things first.
1. Who controls the fashion trends?
The younger generation, the monarchs, a group of travelers who just look super stellar? Who is the rest of the community following when it comes to the newest look and what elements of it are they trying to steal/adapt? What element is the thing that really catches on?
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge fan of waistcoats and breeches and stockings, tailed coats with flaps (although anyone who reads my book will also know I axed powdered wigs. Because I could.) But to just copy wouldn’t say much about the opulent and flamboyant Escana. To increase the idea of the vanity and the peacock attitude of the younger, partying courtiers I have young men who usually dye their stockings to match their waistcoats (because colored socks > white or black socks) and forgo the coat to show off sleeve details as well as lose some of that “seriousness”. It says a lot about them while still remaining in a circle that gives readers a clue as to where my inspiration came from.
2. Who disagrees with the fashion trends?
And how does their disagreement influence the perception of certain garments or the people who wear them? Just read one thing about how evil corsets are and how crinolines are literally cages for women and how many of us go around thinking Victorian ladies fainted every time they opened a window and understand these perceptions can be long-lasting and completely change an outsider’s opinion on how people lived. Granted for world-building or story purposes hopefully these will be happening currently instead of being a huge misunderstanding of history.
Over and over again I say things like cultures not being monoliths but neither are generations and there’s nothing that makes a world feel more lived in and full than people who don’t all wear a uniform based vaguely on what the author thinks a medieval gown looked like. It’s just also sometimes nice to get tidbits like a character wearing a scandalous or pricey color just to look good even if they can’t afford it. Is it usually super vital to the plot and story? No. If used sparingly can it be fun background information to how the society your character lives in works or views things? Sure.
3. Colors and fabrics and spares, oh my
Okay. That’s not a question. But it’s an umbrella for me to put my thoughts under. Because I live in the 21st century I don’t often think about things like dyes or luxury fabrics but this would be front of mind for most of my characters. Not everyone can afford to wear certain colors, or certain colors come with a context that means they shouldn’t be worn for certain situations or for certain people and the same could be said for fabric. We live with these fashion rules now (although I’m not so strict in my memory of them because my current life doesn’t depend on it, but I do write about princes and courts so it’s more important for a courtier to not wear a happy color to a funeral than for me. Or things like no white after labor day).
Hand-me-downs. I grew up wearing them. They were common in history and should be more common in fantasy. If a family was not wealthy they could only afford so much fabric or to follow fashion trends for their eldest. It wouldn’t be unheard of for a family to still be wearing clothes considered “outdated” and it’s not like we all just throw our clothes out when they get old. While a trend might have moved onto a new silhouette or something, someone with less means might still be wearing decades-old clothing that have held up well (these clothes were built to last. Fast fashion could never) or could have chosen not to jump on the trend at all. In my book, the opulent courtiers and royals of Graza Palace dress completely different than some traditionalists who wear garments more native to Escan before it was an empire that are completely different from the suits and 18th century gowns I’ve borrowed. They’re timeless and probably see a lot more turnover from one family member to the next than a gown that could be out of style in a year.
4. And lastly, making sure I’m not turning it into a costume
This becomes important when taking garments that have a cultural context in the real world and using something similar to it or basing another garment off of it. I would start with this for the purposes of using culture clues to ease someone into what actual culture the fantasy one is taking inspiration from to give them a taste of what certain things might look like without going into full detail but it’s key to then know what makes these garments...these garments so you’re not bastardizing them. Why do people wear them? (especially if a form is still worn in modern times) What are they usually made out of? What are the occasions they are worn for? A respectful nod to something will just add to your world building, a costume rendition with 0 understanding of how certain garments will work will just make it seem like all your characters are in cosplay.
So in conclusion: No, I’m not advocating you be historically accurate for your already not historically accurate but it pays to look into why your basing clothing off a certain period and what goes into making that piece of clothing...that piece of clothing. Why it looks that way, how someone wearing it would look/hold themselves, and what it means in the context of your setting as well as things you might change and take extra liberties with for the purpose of storytelling. Clothing can add character and it could be just as useful a tool in world building (in my biased opinion) as language given that fashion can have such a huge impact on people but it can also fall flat.
#june trash#world building#worldbuilding#tss trilogy#thanks for letting me rant#I'm glad I got that out#never post another picture of a robe a la anglaise and say something about corsets again if you wish to live
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Elegia
Fandom: Steven Universe
Rating: T
Relationships: Lars & Steven, Lars/Sadie, Lars & Lion
Characters: Lars Barriga, Steven Quartz Universe; MINOR ROLES - Sadie Miller, Lion; other characters are only mentioned
Summary: The Pink Lars is a donut like any other. It might be more vibrant than others, both in appearance and taste… but it hasn’t been deprived of its own essence. It hasn’t been brought back as something else, and it has no scar as a haunting reminder. No, the Pink Lars is a cake donut like every other, and everyone loves it.
(Lars would’ve probably changed the name, but he doesn’t want to ruin the nice act from Steven.)
*Takes place after Letters to Lars (s05e16)
Word count: 3.173
AO3 / Fanfiction
A/N: Hello, SU fandom, here’s some good ol’ Lars-centric angst. :) This is probably the biggest existential nightmare I’ve ever written (and I blame Neon Genesis Evangelion for that), so I hope you like this, lmao.
TRIGGER WARNINGS - past canonical character death, thoughts of death, fear of death, trauma and implied past bullying(?)
--
Elegia: Greek/Latin form of elegy. Also the name of a song by New Order.
el·e·gy
a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.
--
It’s really been two months or so since he’s been away, and it’s quite obvious when Lars returns to the Big Donut; finding not Sadie, but the town’s former mayor. Obviously, he’s been informed by Steven’s letters back in space, yet he wouldn’t contain his surprise. Just Mr. Dewey working at the Big Donut seems to have been attracting a lot more costumers now.
Lars knows he can’t exactly eat, yet Steven insisted he had the pink donut named after him. The Pink Lars is so, well… pink, that even the dough itself isn’t the ordinary donut color. Steven actually orders six of the desserts – as it turns out, it’s become one of his favorites, right along with the chocolate donuts he regularly buys.
There’s quite a lot of people in town today, under the soft, warm blue sky. Steven and Lars soon settle in a bench at the boardwalk, the former already handing the latter one of the pink donuts.
“You think you can give it a try?” Steven wonders.
Lars is, admittedly, not hungry. He has eaten pieces and bits since getting back home, otherwise nothing much. Though a bite might not hurt.
“I guess so,” He accepts. Soon enough, Steven already puts a donut in his mouth. He enjoys it.
Lars, on the other hand, stares at his. It’s possibly the pinkest thing he’s seen – besides Lion and… himself. The donut, however, doesn’t have the same pink tone. Its frosting is sparkling and appealing, but it’s closer to purple, filled with pink sprinkles over a dark pink dough. The difference between his own skin and the food probably goes unnoticed to others’ eyes at first; on the outside, they’re both pink.
Despite the name, Lars knows they’re not the same. The Pink Lars is a donut like any other. It might be more vibrant than others, both in appearance and taste… but it hasn’t been deprived of its own essence. It hasn’t been brought back as something else, and it has no scar as a haunting reminder. No, the Pink Lars is a cake donut like every other, and everyone loves it.
(Lars would’ve probably changed the name, but he doesn’t want to ruin the nice act from Steven.)
“… Lars, are you okay?”
Realization hits him. Lars has really just been contemplating a donut and Steven is reasonably concerned. The pink teenager releases a sigh, to filter the deepness of nonsense filling his head.
“Yeah.” He barely holds up a smile when he returns the donut to the box between him and Steven. “I think I’ll pass. I don’t have the stomach right now… literally.” He lets out a forced laugh.
Steven doesn’t laugh or smile in return, whereas Lars avoids the kid’s big concerned eyes. The younger boy swallows.
“Lars, I…” Knowing what he’s going to say next, Lars doesn’t wait for him to finish.
“It’s okay, Steven. I’m…” He bites his own lip. “I’m glad to be here.”
He’s saying the truth, clearly. But…
… no, Lars doesn’t want to sound selfish and ungrateful. Not to Steven of all people. The half-human boy saved his life, and sure, nothing could be the same again. Lars can’t eat the same way as before; he can literally not function like a human being anymore… but he’s glad he’s gotten this second chance. To be there for the people he loves. To be himself.
(But pink, pink, pink.)
--
Home has changed. He has changed.
Even so, everyone is fine with him becoming pink. Including his parents. They’re definitely shaken at what happened to Lars, and they were brought to relieved and terrified tears upon finding their son again. Yet almost a few weeks later, it’s almost as though he… hasn’t been to space, even though things are different now. If that makes sense.
Sadie is a lot more open and confident now. She sings with all her might, encapsulating the horror films she’s binged into her music. The Cool Kids are themselves, continuing to live as regular teenagers and discovering new interests, whilst giving life to their instruments. Lars cooks and bakes, and he laughs along with his friends. He introduces the Off Colors to the good things of life on Earth. Steven helps with that, as well as his own gem family. The Rutile Twins, Fluorite, Padparadscha and Rhodonite are having the time of their lives, free, loved, joyful. But most importantly, everyone embraces Lars. Everyone accepts who he is.
Everything is good.
(And Lars can’t accept it.)
--
Lars realizes he’s afraid of the dark.
The darkness was once a place of comfort for him. No one could really see him there. It was endless, omnipresent. Lars often found himself there.
Yet even with the skyscrapers revealing the night sky, today the boy can’t fathom his bedroom without the reassuring light of his lamp, or any background music at all.
(Holes might catch him. Silently, holes might swallow him again, before Lars can scream for help.)
Lars doesn’t need to sleep, but he knows he can. His eyes almost drift off, almost give in and rest. Yet right now his thoughts are loud and clear. His heart may not beat fast, yet his brain works like a machine nonstop.
His ears are filled with the somber music from his headphones. The lyrics, tragic but hopeful.
Lars thinks.
He thinks of Sadie’s hand against his. Her smile brightening when he’s in the same room. He feels her pressing her head against his shoulder, soft blond hair light to his face. Her macabre voice as Sadie Killer, her make-up, the lights and lasers behind her. Beautiful in every way.
He remembers Steven’s bouncy retellings, his patience, his kindness. Lars remembers the kid’s deep honesty, his comfortable presence. Lars feels their hugs, especially as he’s the one who hugs first nowadays.
Jenny, Buck and Sour Cream are their own souls as he’d always known. They’re fun to be around. They’re smart, funny, and supportive. Genuinely the best friends he could ever have.
He talks to his parents more. They’re more involved. They bake together at the kitchen often, his mother teaching desserts that aren’t in his recipe notebook. She helps him with the following potlucks that the Cool Kids plan. They hug, they say “I love you” to one another. They call him Lars.
The Off Colors look up to him. He’s their captain. They love his home, they excitedly watch the sun setting every single day; they have fun in the rain, when the sky doesn’t crack with lightnings. They trust his guidance, and they will follow him until the very end.
They… love him.
(Why?)
Lars is himself now. He’s open, he’s happy, he’s better.
(Why? Why?)
(Pink. Of course.)
(They love pink. They love the Pink Lars.)
He finds the stars above him. They’re suddenly so small in contrast to outer space.
He doesn’t sleep.
--
Pictures.
His home is filled with pictures. Many, many faces. So familiar, yet so unknown.
Lars sees him. Not the Pink Lars. Him.
Young, young Lars. Orange-skinned. Dark hair. Brown eyes.
A rare smile of such a young boy. A short-tempered kid excluded from his classmates. One that began pushing away the few people who cared. A boy that screamed and locked himself in his room far too often.
Briefly, Lars sees his own reflection on the glass.
Pink skin. Bright pink hair. His right eye, a saturated color, cut by a dark scar.
Gone.
The boy is gone.
(Why does Lars miss him?)
--
Something that represents him.
Ube. Purple, creamy, tasty. A childhood memory. The pride in a child’s face, dirtied with speckles of purple.
The Pink Lars. Pink, round, soft, alive; sprinkles as a special touch.
Both so full of life.
Both, true to their essence.
They’re them.
Lars is himself.
(Is he?)
(Is he?)
(Is he?)
--
Sadie asks him if he’s okay.
They’re watching a horror film together. Lars can barely pay it any mind.
She takes his hand and kisses every pink finger of his. Her eyes, worried.
Lars smiles sadly.
“Yeah, of course. I’m even better when I’m with you.”
(Sadie looks far from convinced. She knows Lars. She knows he’s always struggled with openness and vulnerability.)
The blond girl says nothing, instead snuggling closer against him, his arm pulling her deeper into his chest. Lars feels relaxed. He enjoys staying like this. He listens to her heartbeats. Her warmth enters his pink veins, butterflies shyly filling his stomach.
(For a moment, he feels like he’s never become pink.)
--
You brought me back to life! Just… let me be somebody who deserved it.
Somebody who deserved it.
(Did the orange-skinned boy not deserve it, then?)
(He was just a boy. Sure, a kid who made a lot of mistakes. Too many. Who let outside opinions get the best of him. But he could’ve grown, too. Maybe, if he were given a chance other than the inevitable.)
(Did he not deserve a chance, too?)
--
Can't you see that I exist?
And I don't need an exorcist to let me out
Look at me and I'll appear
Why can't you see that I'm right here, that I’m right here?
Why can't you see me?!
Why can't you see me?!
I think I might be
A g-g-g-ghost.
(I'm calling you from the other side.)
--
Today, he’s alone at the beach.
Usually, Lars joins the Off Colors, and sometimes the Cool Kids come along as well. Now, he’s hiding his hands inside his pockets, lonely steps on the sand. The sunset is the same explosion of colors as every other sunny day.
It’s blue, pink, orange and yellow. The sun reflects on the water, which hits the sand softly.
Its pink is livelier than his own.
The orange is there, too.
They’re here and alive.
Lars stays and watches. Alone.
It’s all so distant. So far away.
Maybe they know the truth. Maybe they’re keeping their distance.
Lars doesn’t try to reach them. It’s probably for the best.
Like that, he’s not expecting to be startled by a big creature staring at him.
Lars almost falls back on the sand, only to realize it’s safe.
Lion.
The only other creature that is as pink as him. Same hair (or mane). Eyes that are not scarred but are deeper than other eyes he’s seen. As if the feline has seen years and years of experience, without sharing words about it.
“Hey, buddy,” Lars greets him, voice quiet.
As usual, the big cat says nothing. Still, he gazes at the pink space pirate and understands. Lion snuggles his face against Lars’, who sighs and hugs him back, arms tight around his neck.
Lion practically has no heartbeat, unlike Sadie, or Steven or anyone else. His deep breaths are the only remaining of life he has.
The distant seagulls sing somewhere. But somehow, all Lars listens to is Lion.
His eyes blur.
--
The town is so distant.
… Literally.
Lars casually figured out that he can walk on water like Jesus now. That’s something. He told Steven and the boy was enthusiastic about it, of course. And well, it is cool. He can see the fish swimming down him, and he gets to touch the sun that reflects on the water. Otherwise, he can’t go for swims anymore, while everyone else can.
He’s fine.
There’s no sun or powerful colors this time. The sky is clouded, foggy, yet the ocean doesn’t react too much. The water is usually not furious, anyway.
It might rain soon.
Lars can actually sit on water, too. So, he hugs his own knees and thinks. Stays.
…
Someone is coming.
“Lars?”
Looking up, he finds Steven riding on Lion, with a puzzled look.
“What are you doing here?”
“Hey, man,” Lars gives him a finger gun. “I’m just chilling here. Got to use my Jesus privileges now, am I right?”
Steven doesn’t laugh. He doesn’t look remotely reassured.
(He understands. He wouldn’t find it funny, either.)
Isolated dripples begin surrounding them.
“Come on, let’s go to my house,” Steven offers. “It might be dangerous staying here.”
Lars hums, noticing the fish have all gone away. He stands.
“Okay.”
In the way, Lars tries to throw in a joke or two about the whales he found near him earlier. Steven still won’t laugh or find it endearing. And Lion simply listens.
When they enter the beach house, the rain starts coming down. The ocean practically disappears in the fog now.
(He almost wishes he stayed.)
The falling water outside is the only sound you could hear, besides the questions in the kid’s puppy eyes. Instead of answering them, though, Lars has an idea.
“Hey, what do you say I bake those space cookies you like so much?” The older teen offers, patting the boy’s shoulder. “You have the ingredients, right?”
“I think so, but…”
“Great! You can help me if you want.”
He ignores Steven’s frown and heads to the kitchen, already knowing where the ingredients are thanks to memory. Lion lies somewhere near, attentive. Though unlike other times the three of them have shared the kitchen, the big cat might not want to attack the ingredients today. Lion is as lazy as the rain day.
The baking session is… surprisingly quiet. Lars is the one that does the talking this time, trying to cheer the kid up. Steven doesn’t seem fazed. He just follows the steps. Lars’ smile will falter little by little, yet he keeps going. Maybe that will change by the frosting, Lars hopes. The kid loves frosting the cookies, more than he does.
But then, Steven is just… there. Staring at the star-shaped fellas without any enthusiasm. Staring concernedly at them, as if something is wrong with them, even though they’re perfectly fine.
“Hey, Steve,” Lars lowers his voice and puts a hand on his back. “What’s wrong?”
(He knows what it is. And Steven knows that he knows.)
For the first time, Steven looks away and hugs his own arm.
“I… I think I should be asking you that.”
(Lars shouldn’t be shocked. He isn’t.)
“I… I don’t think I’ve ever actually asked how you’ve been lately,” Steven admits. “I was so excited to have you back home, and have everyone see you again, that I thought you’d be fine.” He sighs and adds quieter, rather bitterly at himself. “But I’ve never been good at asking the right questions.”
Lars contains the harsh breath that tries to escape, and he gently pats his friend’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay, buddy. You’ve got nothing to worry about me.”
Steven looks back with something akin to disbelief.
“Lars—”
“I mean it, I’m okay.”
“But you’re—”
“Kid, I swear, I’m fine.”
“I don’t want to force you—”
“You’re not forcing me, Steven,” Lars reassures him. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
“You’re—” Steven observes dumbly and groans. “Why won’t you just talk to me?”
(It’s the same look from the pictures. From the gone, lost boy.)
(Revolted. Pushed aside.)
(Hurt.)
“T-There’s nothing to talk about!” Lars defends.
“I’m not stupid!”
“I never said you were!”
“Then why are you treating me like I am?!”
“Steven, it’s fine! I’m fine-!”
“NO!” Lars steps away. “STOP LYING TO ME!”
Whatever words were about to be said, they disappear at the sudden voice raise. At the angry – no, frustrated, tearful eyes. The clenched fists.
(Why does Steven look so much like him?)
Steven covers his own mouth, scared of his outburst. He recomposes himself or at least tries to.
“I… I thought we could count on each other. I thought—” He sniffs. “I thought, after we were stuck together, after everything we’ve been through, w-we could… be there for one another. You were there for me, you’re always there for me.” He pauses, his eyes more and more painful to look at. “But now you’re… you’re suffering, and you want to, what, you want to hide it from us? From me?”
Lars’ heart drops. “No- No, no, Steven, I’m- I’m fine—” He almost approaches again, only to get yelled at.
“Stop! I don’t need to be coddled! And you don’t need to hurt yourself for me! For anyone! Y-You of all people told me that!”
After that, Lars has become completely silent. There’s nothing around them, nothing but the rain falling outside, the shaky breaths coming from Steven, and Lion’s observation. The cookies are abandoned in the counter.
(And somewhere, somewhere far, a boy is screaming from his room, locked away.)
(Crying.)
“Lars…” Steven’s anger has dissipated again. “I’m sorry. I know I messed up. I know things won’t be the same again, and I know you want them to be. I’ve noticed.” He hugs himself, guilt filling his avoidant gaze. “Believe me, if I could go back in time, I would’ve never let you go in that ship. I would’ve never let you…” He shuts his eyes for a moment, clutching his own shirt. “I wish I could fix everything. But I can’t. And I’m really, really sorry.”
Lars would have opened his mouth to reassure him. He would have pulled him in a hug and tell him again and again that it wasn’t his fault. But Steven seems to catch onto that thought, because he then says:
“Even if I didn’t mean to… and even if I saved you in the end, I… I still did this to you.” He pauses. For once, he takes in a deep breath. “So, I promise you, I’ll do what I can to make up for it. I… I don’t know much about my powers.” He begins taking a step forward. “I don’t know how to feel about them most of the time, and I’m still trying to understand how Lion’s work, too, but…”
Steven looks up at him, eyes sparkling like the starry sky Lars sees every night.
“We… we can figure out. Together.” He looks away again, adding, “If you want.”
Lars locks the gaze with him, and before he registers it, a laugh escapes him.
“Yeah.” He swallows a sob. “Y-Yeah… I’d- I’d like that.”
For the first time, Steven smiles yet he immediately bumps into the other’s waist, wrapping his arms tightly around him.
“I’m so sorry…” The kid repeats. Once Lars returns the hug, he freezes when he catches Steven’s following words.
“… You never deserved to die.”
It’s nothing more than a whisper, only for him to hear.
And yet it feels like a complete punch. The good kind of punch.
Lars loses it.
They cry as hard as the rain. So much that Lion eventually joins the hug, offering his support.
Later, they create the cookies together with more delight and trust. They’re more… alive than all the others they’ve baked until now.
--
Tonight, Lars gazes at the stars with tranquility.
(He lets the boy free.)
#steven universe#lars barriga#steven quartz universe#su lion#sadie miller#larsadie#fanfiction#death tw
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🔥PROMARE🔥
Get ready, this is going to be a long post.
So starting at the end of last September, Mabs and I fell in love with a movie called “Promare”, and we went to see it in the theater 4 times.
This movie actually came out in May of 2019, and we missed it the first time it was in theaters, but it was so popular that theaters started showing it again in the fall. It was made by Studio Trigger, which also made some of my other favorite anime, Kiznaiver and Little Witch Academia. (and BNA which Mabs and I are watching right now!)
So what is Promare about, and was it really worth watching in the theater 4 times?
I feel like these titles of articles about it sum it up pretty well:
Promare is set in a future where some people, referred to as “Burnish”, spontaneously develop fire powers. The Burnish start off as normal humans and have no control over over their powers at first, which leads to them accidentally burning down buildings or injuring other people, so they are feared and shunned by human society.
The main character Galo is a member of a firefighting team called Burning Rescue, while the other main character Lio is the head of Mad Burnish, a notorious group of Burnish arsonists.
Here’s a trailer:
youtube
It’s colorful, crazy, and over-the-top in true Studio Trigger style, so action-packed that you can’t look away for a single second, and it is one of the most visually amazing movies I have ever seen. (The only thing that is even sort of comparable to this vibrant 2D + 3D animation style would be “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse”) The color palettes in every single scene of this movie are just incredible.
It’s technically a mecha anime with giant fighting robots, but its story deals with themes of discrimination, and it even has a bit of gay romance mixed in, which is a huge step forward for a Japanese movie aimed at a mainstream audience.
All of the characters are wonderful, but especially the main duo Galo and Lio.
It’s great to watch as they come to understand one another and work together. They’re both enthusiastic idiots who are the same type of crazy, which to me is both “relationship goals”, as well as the sort of relationship that I am lucky enough to be in.
It also has great voice acting, with the actor who played Sanada Yukimura in the Taiga Drama “SanadaMaru” as the mayor of the town, Kray Foresight (what a name), and the kabuki actor who played Ranbei in the movie “Dokurojo no Shichinin” (which is a super underrated, but another personal favorite ) as Lio.
And the MUSIC. This movie has the most amazing soundtrack, and it’s usage throughout the film is just perfect.
In particular, the scene featuring Lio’s theme “Kakusei” (”Awakening”) includes a volcano and a dragon and is just so INTENSE. In fact, the chorus of this song is not Japanese or English, but entirely made-up words, so that it would be able to convey feeling but not have the words distract viewers from the action.
youtube
“Inferno”, the opening track of the movie which is written from Galo’s perspective, is another very memorable song.
youtube
Also “Nexus” and “Gallant Ones” and aaa, just so much good music on this soundtrack. (The song lyrics from Lio’s and Galo’s perspectives also tell a bit more of their story)
Search “Promare ost” on YouTube to find a full playlist of all of the music if you want to hear more!
===== ===== ===== ===== =====
And now it’s time for the story of how I’ve seen this movie 6 times now, 4 of which were in theaters.
The first time Mabs and I went to see Promare was after school one day.
We got bibimbap and zunda daifuku for dinner first, and when we went to the theater, they were giving out these cool postcards!
----- ----- -----
The second time was on the first day of Halloween Month, so we got some Halloween donuts to celebrate before watching the movie!
This was right before Promare was going to stop showing in the theaters again, but we really wanted to see it one more time (there is so much going on in this movie, you have to watch it more than once), and the only showing that worked with both of our schedules was one that was marked “応援上映”, which I didn’t think too much about and just assumed that it was an extra showing to promote the movie.
But we knew that something was different when the person sitting next to us started pulling colored lights out of her bag. It turns out that an “ouen jyouei” is special interactive showing of a movie in which fans are encouraged to wave colored lights, yell out their favorite lines, and sing along with the songs. We were definitely not expecting that!
It’s interesting too because “ouen jyouei” clearly have their own sort of culture. It wasn’t just like people were yelling out whatever they were thinking, there were set phrases and responses that fans would say at certain times. These responses were probably developed over a long period of lots of fans watching the movie over and over again; I wonder how many times the other people in that theater had seen Promare already.
----- ----- -----
It was around this time that Mabs and I found out that there was going to be a cosplay event conveniently close to Osaka Station at the end of October. We were both very in need of a change of pace, so we decided to go and cosplay Galo and Lio!
To make things faster, we divided up the work, Mabs sewed the outfits and I made the wigs. (We also decided to share the cosplays because we both like both characters!)
Galo’s wig was a big challenge because I had never made a wig with a foam base before.
First I patterned out the spikes with paper.
Then I cut them out of eva foam, assembled them and painted them blue, and glued layers of wig wefts over the top of them. After the glue dried, I trimmed off the excess hair and hairsprayed them into perfect (slightly dangerous) points, and used hot glue to attach the spikes to the wig base. I don’t know how much time this took, but definitely over 30 hours!
Lio’s wig was so much easier. The wig I got worked great as a base, and I just had to trim it, fluff it up, and add a couple different shades of green hair chalk to get the gradient that Lio has going on.
I am really happy with how they turned out!
----- ----- -----
After that it was almost time for the cosplay event, but a few days before, Promare came back to theaters, this time in 4D! It was our first time ever seeing a 4D movie and it was an experience! The seats moved all around and shot out blasts of air and mist, and the lights in the theater flashed to go with the movie.
Promare with all of its crazy action was absolutely perfect as a 4D movie, and it was so much fun!!
They also gave us this super cool postcard to celebrate the 4D release. I think this is probably my favorite piece of official Promare art.
----- ----- -----
And then it was time for the cosplay event!
We had such a fun day, and Mabs looked great as Galo!
We ate pizza of course, since the characters eat pizza in the movie.
I was really happy with how I looked as Lio!
Here’s a selfie, and a bonus ~fashion~ selfie with my favorite sunglasses.
We met a few new cameramen who took photos for us!
I love that Mabs is strong enough to pick me up for photos! This picture turned out cute!
And I had a lot of fun doing photo edits with flames and lots of crazy colors, since that is very Promare!
Before and After🔥
Before... (I liked the pose but not the background)
... After! (I had fun trying to get this one to look like a scene from the movie!
Using the song lyrics as backgrounds
And of course we took some silly offshots as well! These were my favorites!
Since we made the cosplays to share, next time we get a chance to wear them, I’ll be Galo and Mabs will be Lio! I can’t wait to see how we’ll look!
----- ----- -----
The movie came out on DVD and Blu-ray at the beginning of February, and Mabs had pre-ordered the special box set! (I wish I had a photo of the box and all of the extra stuff! So cool!)
We had a fun time watching it at home and eating pizza!
This movie drastically increased our pizza consumption. Particularly margherita pizza since that’s what the characters eat. I had always thought that it looked boring compared to pepperoni or deluxe, but I now understand the wonders of margherita pizza.
(Also look at the cute Galo and Lio cat ear plushies! Mabs got me a set for Christmas and they are adorable!)
----- ----- -----
Promare got put back in theaters in 4D AGAIN, on Valentine’s Day!!
Of course we thought that sounded like the perfect V-day date idea, so we decided to go see it one more time, even though we already had it on Blu-ray!
So this year I made Mabs Promare-themed chocolates for Valentine’s Day!
Yes, these are real, edible chocolates! (I had fun doing a little photoshoot of them before I gave them to her)
I found this wonderful triangular Engrish box at the 100 yen shop and customized it a bit with some shiny pink cellophane.
I made the chocolates by first drawing out the designs I wanted, and cutting up some regular chocolates into the right shapes to use as a base. Then I used colorful chocolate pens to cover the base layer and add the designs!
Before our date, I tried to do Promare-inspired nail polish too.
This is one of my new favorite photos of us! We had such a nice V-day date!
So glad that we got to see Promare AGAIN!
And 4D is just the best way to see it! This time we saw it at a different theater than the first time we saw it in 4D, and the movement of the seats was programmed a little differently, which was interesting! This time we could also distinctly smell the rose fragrance when Galo sees Lio for the first time.
Absolutely the perfect Valentine’s Day movie.
As Mabs put it, what could be more romantic than overthrowing the government, saving the environment, and setting the entire world on fire together?
And we had pizza for dinner that day, of course!
----- ----- -----
Also in February, the Lawson near my school did a special Promare collaboration! It looked so cool, and they had a bunch of posters up all over the inside too!
----- ----- -----
And a bit after that, some special Promare merch that had gone out of stock before I even watched Promare the first time got restocked! I needed some new shirts anyway so I couldn’t resist, and Mabs and I placed an order.
I love these plushies so much! They are so cute with their little noodle arms and legs!
----- ----- -----
Now that I think about it more, I can’t figure out if we’ve watched Promare 6 times or 7 times. But the most recent time was with strawberry waffles (our food obsession changed from pizza to strawberry waffles after playing Tales of Zestiria, lol)
----- ----- -----
Promare will be released on DVD in English in the US on May 19th!
I’ve heard that the English dub is really well done, so I can’t wait to see it that way too!
I HIGHLY recommend this movie to anyone and everyone!
It’s worth watching for the color palettes alone, but the animation, characters, and music make it one of my all-time favorite movies!
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otoya + idol sister hcs
featuring all my idol daughters!!! which is like, 4 main ones currently but five or six if i include nozomi who i’ve lost interest in and yoshiko, who i’ve gained interest in.
this wound up SO LONG and if you read all of it then you get a shiny gold star!!! featured idols are Rin, Mari, Hanamaru, and Ai Miyashita!
Otoya + All the girls
he loves having so many vibrant and awesome little sisters!!! they love to hang out together and play
Otoya, Rin, and Ai are usually the ones down to play sports together!!
Mari and Hanamaru are the ones he has a little difficulty connecting interests with, but they all still manage to get along and have fun together!
he’s also a little scared of them
because they work so hard to achieve their goals
and because they’re only school idols and have to do a lot of work more work themselves rather than thru an agency like he does
he is often in awe of them and he supports them and loves every single one of his sisters!!!
they all like to help out at the orphanage from time to time!!!
him and ai are the best at handling the little kids! ai is like a big sister and the most down to earth one of the genki girls trio
mari is a little too..... encouraging of the kids’ outlandish ideas and also sometimes likes to scare them with silly-weird stories! to which all the kids go running crying to their oniichan and otoya has to tell her to not scare them! they’re just little kids!
rin would color/craft with the kids and while she can be mature for the little kids she would also often get caught up in their excitement/energy and basically be the one who would be yelling mcdonalds! mcdonalds! with the kids
hanamaru would be the quietest one there, helping the kids read from time to time or quietly cutting crafting paper and talking to all the little shy ones who she happens to notice staring at her.
when they quietly ask her if they could become an idol like her and their oniichan, she tells them, “I used to believe that I couldn’t become an idol, too. But then I met great friends, and they believed in me, and pushed me. If you work hard, and find yourself surrounded by people who believe in you, then you can become an idol too!”
(I’mma just shove that gif in there bc that’s it that’s the scene)
sometimes they like to practice their routines together, so they can all get feedback from people with very different points of view, since they’re all from different groups and backgrounds.
otoya tries to give them a few pointers from what the academy taught him, but he’s mostly just like “wow!! you are so amazing!!” or something. Most Supportive Big Brother award when?????
he does provide constructive feedback though! it’s usually just after his usual surprise at how awesome his little sisters are already!
he’s best at providing feedback for dance movement since he loves to move around.
if a fight starts to break out among the girls somehow, he tries to step in and ask everyone to take a deep breath
the girls enjoy listening to otoya’s music! They find it very refreshing and it’s nice getting to listen to him sing and play on his guitar!
Otoya + Rin
omg sports siblings
basically anything he does with syo would also include rin
they love to play any sport together obviously but soccer is their fave!
he’s really sad to hear that she thinks she can’t wear any cute, girly clothes
[and is also understandably confused when he points out that she has no problems wearing the cute idol clothes her and her friends make?]
but he does his best to cheer her up and make her believe that she can!! He just... tells her that she’s the cutest little sister he could ever ask for and for her to please believe in herself!!! because he doesn’t know what else to say or do to show his support
of course rin is just flustered and storms off upset because she feels like no one is understanding the problem she’s having! and basically everything else follows like it does in s2e5 of love live
they love to go for runs! especially at parks!
if they pass by pet shops they will both wanna go in but they can’t stay long because rin is allergic to cats, nya :(
rin makes them cat earbands and he happily wears them with her because if that’s what will make her happy, then so be it!
orange + red hair siblings = best siblings
Otoya + Mari
oh my god. the chaotic energy.
mari is probably the one he feels most awkward with
i mean, for starters, she’s hella rich and has some detachment from reality that the rich boys in starish don’t seem to experience
she probably also has a lot of fun teasing him
especially about his s/o
oh my god don’t let her know about his s/o
you know the >;3 face? she makes that face. all the time. any and every time s/o’s name comes up
she also probably ‘helps’ push them along by buying him two tickets to something ridiculously elaborate or expensive. because she can. she can do what she wants with her inheritance from the Ohara family
he is just a poor boy who grew up in an orphanage and hasn’t forgotten his roots mostly. he does not understand the freedom she has in spending money. he’s amazed when she arrives in a jet the first time they meet
Otoya probably feels bad for Mari when she manages to finally open up to him about her problems with her friends with the original Aqours and why they split. he probably tells her something like “that’s a toughie” and to be more honest with her feelings and maybe if she explained everything, they can all go back to being friends again!
ofc that doesn’t happen
and i forget what happened in s2 or whatever that got mari worried again bc sunshine was just that bad but i digress
When Mari makes her Stewshine, he is very intimidated by her and suddenly feels like he’s going to experience Natsuki’s cooking again
(it, fortunately, seems to taste better than Natsuki’s cooking)
Otoya + Hanamaru
this sister is so quiet, so sweet!
otoya usually does most of the talking, but hanamaru doesn’t mind! it’s nice to listen to him be so excited about stuff, and it reminds her of her best friends a bit, too!
if he doesn’t know what a word means or has trouble understanding some difficult text, and tokiya isn’t answering, he’ll go and ask her for help!
he feels a little bad about it bc he’s supposed to be the one that’s helping her, but she doesn’t mind and never makes him feel bad for it!
he cheers for her the most when it’s workout time! he helps her learn to do some breathing exercises to help build her stamina or something
i honestly don’t have much for him and hanamaru bc she’s the only one that isn’t an energetic child, but they are still very sweet to each other!
he tries to help her sometimes when she’s working the library but he’s too loud and impatient and distractable to help with some of the busywork. maybe he can help reshelve books.
Otoya + Ai Miyashita
He is scared of Ai the most!
i’m not sure how to phrase it or point out specifically why, but maybe because she’s just as excitable as he is!
she’s very energetic, so both of them can go on talking forever and ever about things!
she’s a lot more fashion-conscience than he is, so he’ll sometimes ask her for her opinion on stuff
he also probably would ask her to help with rin’s character arc re her feminity, but love live canon would not make it so. except maybe in that all stars app but i don’t have enough room to run it between llsif and shining live......
while they don’t have many interests in common, ai is still good at school and athletics, so she probably joins him and rin from time to time for a game of soccer! or something.
i’m p sure ai mikaze vs ai miyashita comes up in a conversation at some point early in. like
like how she’s really loose with her language and informal and energetic and stuff, while he’s very quiet and formal and cautious and calm. the stark contrast between the two ais!
also ai probably makes a pun about it? can you make a pun about it? I wouldn’t know I’m not a japanese speaker.
puns. so many puns
a lot of them fall short of their mark with otoya? maybe?
like, he probably is just like “Eh?” when she busts out into laughter at her own bad puns.
despite them not having many similar interest outside of idol work, they both get along very well! they both have very ‘easy’ and relaxed personalities, despite their big energy!
they both are very big helpers!!! so ai would be the one that he would ask for help from the most when it comes to the preschool orphanage
ai helps out there the most of all of the girls, because she really loves helping!
he probably helps her brainstorm her call sign! because they’re both very friendly individuals, he probably helped her come up with the high five part of her call by accident when they high-five’d sometime!
if you made it this far, congrats!! that is about all i have for my idol children!!! well the two actual idol series. I guess i technically have two more from tokyo mirage sessions! but it’s not the same as an actual idol series!
#i have to specify ai miyashita because there's an ai already in utapri lfmckmkf#-#--#---#----#-----#my idol kids#aidol daughter#book daughter#zura daughter#nyan daughter#my idol son#sonshine#shiny daughter#look i usually don't cross the fandoms that much among my kids and especially not between my idol kids and my husband#but i can have a little crossover hcs#as a treat
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But I still want to make the post I was going to make
which is ranking the Incanto covers because they have the best covers (up until these latest two) of any of the Regno della Fantasia books
from worst to best:
Even this one isn't bad, fairly typical for a painted children's book cover but it doesn't hold up to the other ones. I do love Kalea's massive hair. But maybe not her expression. Yara looks cute, as always.
I know it's unusual for me to rank anything with Nives as not being very good, but this one is just sort of off. I like the coloring better than the previous one. It's a lot more vibrant.
I think this one is drawn a little better, but it has the coloring of the first one which I don't like as much. I like them being more vibrant most of the time. And it's just kind of a weird cover.
The weird angle works a lot better on this one, but Yara just looks kind of sinister doesn't she?
Very cute, but again with the somewhat softer coloring that I don't like as much and her pose is kind of weird? Sorry Nives.
I think this might've been the first Incanto cover that I saw and I really like it a lot. I think that Samah looks cute, I think the horse looks cute, I love the colors of the clouds in the background, and I really like her version of the magical girl outfit more than some of the others.
This is another one that I saw a really early on and I love it. I'm all for Diamante becoming more interesting in this spinoff, and she does look interesting and confident here. I like her face a lot, I like the sword even though she's not holding it well. A sword is not a baseball bat. I do think her magical girl outfit is a little weird.
Samah looking really adorable again, I love that cape! Honestly this one won out over the last one just because of that cape.
I love the hair on this one. I like that the twins don't look as similar as they do in the original series. I especially love Nives having this kind of wavy hair. And it is fun to see them together.
There something so great about this cover. I'm not sure whether it's the color scheme, or Kalea looking so serious for once, but I really really like it. I especially love the lighting with the brightest part of the clouds being right behind her head like a halo.
Just another cute picture of Samah. I really like her hair on this one and also the lighting again.
The five of them together! I assume this is probably the last book, I don't actually know what order they're in. There's a lot to like about this one, although I'm still biased against Diamante and wish that she was not the one in the front.
This is one of the greatest covers on any book I've ever seen even though I think the anatomy of the unicorn and also maybe of her (or at least of her dress) is a bit wonky. If this were a puzzle I would buy in a heartbeat, it's exactly the kind of cheesy unicorn illustration that I love. I love the expression on her face, I love her dress, I like that she's holding her sword much better in this one like she actually learned how to use it, and of course there's a unicorn so you can't say no.
My bias is showing. But I really like the vibrant colors, and her hair, and how soft and fluffy the wolf looks. Her cape looks so nice too like it would really keep your neck warm. This is also the first one so it's the only one that I've actually read so far.
The greatest Incanto cover hands-down. Everything about it is perfect. It's the best mix of soft coloring but still with vibrant colors, I love her face both the way it's drawn and the expression, and her hair. The movement and coloring in her hair is fantastic. The lynx is absolutely perfect just look at that little face!! I don't really know much about archery but at least this seems like it should be legitimate (although shouldn't she have a guiding finger on the bow)? And she has her arrows at her waist and not on her back, which is the way it should be. Even if I had never read any of the other books, I would buy this based on the cover alone.
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“Just Muscles. And Abs. Lots of Both.” (Sneak Peak)
Word Count: 2260
Love Interest: Thor (+ Peter Quill Love Triangle)
Summary: A romantic and playful scene with everyone’s favorite Seductive God of Thunder—look out for twists!
**This is a sneak peak for a book I’m considering writing. I MUST have feedback before continuing this novel. Please enjoy, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.
~*~
I finally realized why Tony liked large flatscreens. The living room suite of Avengers Tower was unoccupied tonight, which was rare: Steve loved documentaries, Clint enjoyed watching people contemplate buying extravagant houses, Wanda would kill anyone who tried to change the channel from the Bachelorette, and Bruce had a secret love for The Big Bang Theory.
The remote control almost felt foreign in my grasp. Spending time with any of the Avengers made my day, but alone time meant I could finally indulge in films or television shows without restrictions. I decided to go full range with my power, and settled for Game of Thrones. [Before you look away, Readers, NO, there are no spoilers to Game of Thrones as you read on. It’s incredibly vague, doesn’t talk or name any characters. Don’t stress. Love, fortune and glory to you!]
I was thirty minutes in, trying to decide who would make it alive to the next episode when I finally heard someone behind me. It had been a quiet night, and I didn't feel like ruining it with an argument.
“Sorry, I didn't know you were here. I'm changing it,” I called out as I paused the show.
“Are you sure? It looks interesting.”
I turned to look at Thor. He smiled warmly at me and walked around the long couch to my cocoon of blankets. Thor sat down beside me, leaving little room between us. I liked his closeness—not just because of the ridiculous crush that I’d been harboring for him for years, but the implied friendliness of it. It was nice to be close and comfortable with someone; no boundaries, no professionalism. As Pepper’s niece, it was nice for someone to treat me like a person and not some reserved business workaholic.
“I don't mind putting on something else,” I offered. Game of Thrones was so popular, no one in the tower really had an issue with it, but there was only so much fantasy some of them could take—and the Avengers witnessed enough dramatic deaths in daily life without the help of George R. R. Martin.
“I like it. The cold and the creatures remind me of Jotunheim—not the fondest memories I have, but it’s familiar.” Thor replied, his tone slightly wistful as he relaxed into the couch. I offered him some blankets from my comfy makeshift nest, although I could feel his body heat through my layers.
“Jotunheim? That's were Loki’s from, technically, right?” I said, glancing at him.
Thor caught my gaze, nodding slowly. “Yes, you are a perceptive one. I'm surprised you remember.”
“I think it's cool, the stuff you talk about. The nine realms, Asgard, it's fascinating.” I said. I forced myself to look back at the TV. I usually didn't want to miss anything, but I found myself losing interest this time.
“You think so?” He sounded miffed.
“Yeah.”
We continued watching. I tried to pay attention to the dialogue, but I was too aware of the presence right next to me.
“What's Jotunheim like?” I asked as the scene on television was full of snow. “Is it as freezing as what’s on TV, or…?”
Thor grunted as he sat up a bit straighter. His voice was deep and rich with a unique accent. “It is—was—a realm of eternal winter. There weren't any trees, or woods—I don't think any life could’ve survived such harsh conditions. Mostly rock and ice. It was always dark, as well: blizzards were their sunlight.”
“Wow—I mean, I guess it makes sense. You have a mountain terrain, that fits frost giants,” I said thoughtfully. “What about the frost giants, if it's okay to ask? What were they like—were they anything like those things?”
I gestured at the screen where creatures sprinted across the icy fixture. Thor hummed thoughtfully, “Hmm, somewhat. Anything the frost giants touched turned to ice—a dear friend of mine, Volstagg, made that discovery. And they’re tall, of course, but they didn't have blue eyes: frost giants are red.”
For the first time in human history, Game of Thrones was forgotten. I was too intrigued in our conversation. Thor’s voice was thrilling to listen to, not to mention that the topics we discussed were bizarre. The only attention I paid the TV was when I changed it to Lord of the Rings as I asked Thor about orcs and elves.
“Were there any kind of creatures like orcs across the nine realms?”
“What about dwarves? Do they stay on Asgard?”
“When Mjolnir was created, were there other things made too, like the rings of power?”
After many rounds of my questions, Thor smiled apologetically. “I feel like I am boring you with my stories, Lady Evangeline.”
I sat facing him now, and most of my blankets were discarded to my other side, making a cozy barrier around us. His presence kept me warm.
I shook my head, “You don't have to be so formal, Thor, especially with titles: you can call me Evie, or Angie, or whatever part of my name you prefer. And I'm not bored, I like hearing you talk about the nine realms and where you’re from. I think you're much smarter than you give yourself credit for.”
The grin on Thor’s face stretched from one ear to the other. My heart started to race in my chest. “You flatter me, my—Angeline.”
“It's not flattery, it's true. You know so much about the universe—and not to mention, you’re one of the best fighters I've ever seen. Seriously, that takes so much practice—and you learn a lot from fighting things. That's how you gain experience in video games, you’d probably be max level in all of them.”
As I stared at Thor, something caught me off guard. His face was turning red. Not just his cheeks; everywhere, from his hairline to his beard.
Did I just make the God of Thunder blush? Was I hallucinating? I never made anyone blush that hard before, not even the few people I had dated. It was such a bizarre sight. Thor, a literal god among men, unfazed by alien armies and robot uprisings, was blushing. Because of me.
But the redness didn't go away. It lingered, like a rose bush in full bloom. I didn't know what to do: this had never happened before, and I would have never expected it. I forced my mouth to open and say something, anything.
“Nat’s showed me a few moves for self defense and that kind of thing, but I wish I could do what you do. You’re really talented.” I said.
Dammit! I made it worse! The redness had multiplied like trees overcome by the vibrant colors of fall.
Thor must’ve regained some sort of composure, at least enough to speak. “Evangeline, do you need furniture moved?”
My eyes narrowed. “No. Why?”
Thor covered his face with his hands, one lingering on his chin to stroke his beard. “Such praise must have a purpose, I assumed.”
“There is no...purpose.” I said, confusion filling me as I tried to follow his train of thought.
I still didn't understand as he stood and offered me a hand. “How about a fighting lesson?”
I blinked twice, trying to process where the conversation was headed. “Uh...sure. Sounds fun.”
I took his hand and stood. We faced each other. Lord of the Rings was still playing, and it's magnificent music became background noise for whatever was about to commence.
Thor smirked as he watched me.
My eyebrow rose. “What?”
“You move with such grace. The nymphs of Asgard would be envious of such enchanting beauty.” He declared.
Like karma, my face felt like a tray of embers. Flashbacks of the many times I had bumped into coffee tables, counters, doorways, and yes, even walls, came to me.
“You remind me of them often, actually. Your beauty is so natural, like an earthen goddess.”
“Thor.”
“Yes, Evangeline?”
“Do you need furniture moved?”
Thor laughed. “No, but you’ll be the first person I come to when the problem arises. Raise your fists,”
I did as he instructed. “Like this?”
“Yes, and your feet a little farther apart.” Thor closed the distance between us. His hands enclosed around mine, making my skin tingle, and setting them up a little higher. I glanced down to make sure my feet aligned with his.
“Right, that looks good.” Thor held onto my hands a little longer than necessary. “Your hands are so tiny.”
“Thanks?” I laughed when he kissed my knuckles, then retreated back a few steps.
“You’re smaller than I am—”
“In my defense, everyone is smaller than you. And everyone is taller than Tony.”
“True,” He agreed. His tone was serious, but there was some lightness to it. “But to overpower me, you have to think differently. You have to find a weakness.”
My eyes scrutinized Thor’s bulking frame. “I don't see any weaknesses. Just muscles. And abs. Lots of both.”
Thor smiled, and some of the redness returned. “Look harder.”
My head tilted to the side. Then it hit me. “Your eyes?”
Thor grinned. “You are perceptive.”
I bit my lip. Thor was tall. I’d probably have to climb him like a vine to reach his eyes, and I ignored the voice in my head that giggled at the idea (which could've also been Wanda eavesdropping).
“Okay...what now?” I asked, tightening my fists.
“Try to take me down,” Thor said.
I stiffened. “I know this is going to sound stupid, but I don't want to hurt you, Thor.”
“We could continue our battle of compliments if you’d like—”
I made up my mind and charged. I knew I was too short to reach him; Thor was massive. So I made a detour and went for the couch first, then pounced.
I yelped when we made contact. I wrapped my arms around his neck out of instinct. One of my legs came around his waist.
“Bad plan, bad plan,” My words were breathy, but not just because of the physical exertion. Thor’s eyes were captivating up close. They were a unique, popping blue-gray like a stormy sea. I took one shaky breath and my mouth was filled with the scent of him; something natural with warm tones and a musky aroma.
“It was a good plan,” Thor insisted. I should’ve let go. My arms wouldn't move. My leg remained glued to his side, unresponsive, but completely aware of the warmth seeping from his body.
“It was a well-thought advantage point. The Valkyries would recruit you for such cleverness,” Thor spoke softer, but up close, I could feel the deep vibrations of his voice. The unique accent that made me stop whatever I was doing and listen.
Thor’s arms came around me, securing me so I wouldn't drop to the ground.
“This is nice,” I mumbled. “The air’s a little thinner up here.”
We smiled. Thor’s chuckle was low. I continued, “You’re so tall...I’ve never seen you up close like this before.”
Thor nodded, and our noses brushed together. “Perhaps you should visit up here more often.”
“Maybe if you could supply a ladder next time…”
“Yes. Of course, my lady.”
I didn't dare look away from Thor’s face, but I could still hear the faint score of Lord of the Rings. It was the scene where Arwen, the elven princess, admitted to giving up her immortality to be with the human ranger, Aragorn. For the first time, I appreciated how soft and soothing the singing voices sounded. It was like heaven. It was like staring at Thor, and sharing that gentle but happy smile.
“Hey, uh, Thor...Jane’s on the line, bud. She’s asking for you.”
My eyes widened. Heaven had dissipated. Reality had sank in. Like a cool morning mist, burned away by the sun.
Thor nodded mutely. His muscles felt stiff. “Please excuse me, Lady Evangeline. . .”
Thor set me down, and I reluctantly unhooked my arms from his neck. I couldn’t decipher his facial expression. He passed Clint on his way out of the room.
Clint crossed his arms and leaned on the couch. “Good thing I came in and checked on you guys instead of Wanda. We’d be knee-deep in gossip for weeks.”
“Uhuh.” I glumly sat back on the couch. The cushions were cold, no longer holding the remnants of someone else’s warmth.
Clint perched on the armrest. “You know, when Laura and I were dating, at some point I sat down with her and had a conversation. I explained that I loved her very much, and my job was very time-consuming. I wouldn't quit my job, but I sure as hell didn't want to leave her. Luckily, we were two very independent people, who kept in touch, who supported one another, and could still carry on with our own lives.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, shaking my head.
“ ‘Cause Jane didn't sound very happy on that phone. After they got together, Thor left her. Left earth. For two years.”
“But they’re still together.”
“I know the sound of somebody about to deliver some bad news when I hear it.” Clint said. He was crossing his arms again. “Look, you and him...I’ve seen you guys interact over the years. There’s something there. Half the people in this tower have bets on when it's gonna happen. But is Thor really what you want? Can you live that kind of lifestyle?”
Clint was silent, letting me ponder. Eventually, he stood. “I'm not trying to discourage you from anything, I just want you to make the best decision for you. ‘Cause you’re the one that's gonna have to live with it.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Hi Awesome Adventurers and thanks for reading! I’ve been playing around with the idea of this novel for awhile, but I’d like to hear personally from you guys before I start publishing actual chapters. There will be one more sneak peak at the novel, and you can catch a glimpse at another sneak peak here, a very intense piece that will probably happen at the end of the series. But thank you so much for reading, and please, if you enjoyed this, I’d love to hear from you! If I do start hearing from people, I will post this story on Tumblr, Archive of Our Own, and Wattpad. Your words are powerful, and I’d love to hear them c: love, fortune and glory to you!!
#thor#Avengers#marvel#thor imagine#thor x reader#clint barton#avengers tower#lord of the rings#tony stark#wanda maximoff#natasha romanoff#Steve Rogers#sam wilson#Bucky Barnes#vision#loki#Guardians of the Galaxy#peter quill#gamora#mantis#Groot#Drax#rocket raccoon#Evangeline Green: the Eternal Horizon
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Well its good to hear you are up for it! I have already two posters (totaly not propeganda) on my blog. One of wich is of myself, and one of my right hand. I believe right now would be a good time to upload the next poster.
This is a VERY delayed response, but I had to take time to confer with the Medic in my cell, get critique advice (without letting him know the critique advice was for the XCOM commander!). Who woulda thought? Anyway, he went to art school, so he knows like, stuff, about critiques.
Anyway, let’s begin!
You have three posters. You, FreakShow, and Angry Bean. Each one is a simple composition directing viewers’ attention to a centralized figure. They are, as I said, very simple, so it’s hard to point out anything wrong with the compositions- there just isn’t anything especially creative or innovative about how they’re laid out, which there could be, if you wanted to go the extra mile.
I can, however, focus on your choice of palettes. And let me say, dude, that pink is NOT working for you. Sorry, man. That outfit is kinda all over the place too, if I’m being honest, and the background color just doesn’t mesh well with that hot pink. It’s the little things, you know? Like how your outfit is black and pink but your gun is black and red. Just seems off. Not to mention that pink is exceptionally garish.
Next let’s discuss FreakShow. This one is much more successful. The differing pieces of the outfit don’t feel haphazard- they work well together. Very intimidating. The usage of a primarily green palette really suits the overall theme of “FreakShow” with the green hues evoking a sort of toxic/poisonous vibe. I wouldn’t want to meet this XCOM soldier out in the field! My only criticism with this piece is the palette of the actual soldier’s armor being a bit washed out. I think it could benefit from some sort of camouflage pattern, perhaps.
Lastly, we have Angry Bean. I think Angry Bean is the most successful of the three, and I do not have anything negative to say about it all. The reds are vibrant and give a sense of power, the pose and choice of armor further this theme. Even the way the camera is slightly positioned at an angle looking up at Angry Bean works to pull it all together. This is a solid photograph. Good job! Have a gold star.
In conclusion, I think your work has shown a progressive improvement! Keep working at it and you’ll be fire 🔥🔥🔥
Though I suggest experimenting more with composition, maybe trying out group poses, and incorporating text.
...
Hooooo boy, that was a LOT. I really went all out there. Learned lots of vocab from Medic and stuff. You’re welcome, you’re welcome. Yeah, yeah, I know I’m amazing. @thexcommander
Also, fun fact- one of my best bros (from the civilian side of life) has a cat named Bean. And she’s like, not angry at all. She’s actually super sweet! Anyway, I cannot take the name Angry Bean seriously, haha :)
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