#i need to remake this some day i have more energy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

luciddownloading · 4 months

Text

A Different Look at Pluto in Aquarius💡💡

So, we are only one week away from Pluto entering Aquarius again on January 20. It was briefly in this sign last spring/summer. On September 1, 2024, it will retrograde back into Capricorn for a final time and will remain there for two months (just in time for the US presidential election; the Universe has got jokes, doesn't it lol?) before moving back into Aquarius on November 19, where it'll remain until 2044; a whopping 20 years.

So, what do we have to look forward to (or dread) during Pluto in Aquarius?

Well, something I have noticed recently is that there is always an equal and opposite reaction to the sign Pluto is in. You can see that in it's opposing sign.

It's not commonly stated but the cultural mood is often heavily influenced by the opposite sign that Pluto is transiting.

Think of the very capitalistic era of the 80's and early/mid 90's when Pluto was transiting Scorpio. It's opposite sign, Taurus, had a lot to do with this. The money-obsessed mood of the culture and people's need for more, more. Taurus rules aesthetics and visual media took off with the rise of MTV and the music video.

During Pluto in Sagittarius, communication (which Gemini, Sagittarius' opposite, rules) made huge advances with the popularity of the cell phone as well as the evolution of the Internet. And the media - pertaining to celeb gossip and pop culture, more Gemini energy - was more overwhelming than ever.

So, what has happened during Pluto in Capricorn? For the past 16 years, there has been a lot of Cancer energy in the air:

*A culture that has placed a priority on being more sensitive and sympathetic, whether it's toward mental health issues, those who are less privileged or public figures

*A reaction to that increase in sensitivity in which people who want things to be like the "old days" complain that society has become too "soft"

*Celebrities being less about being glamorous or larger-than-life and more about being accessible and "just like you". Social media showing the messiness or everyday normalcy behind many celebs' public image

*An obsession with nostalgia as well as the incessant amount of reboots/remakes/live-action films from Millennials' childhood or adolescence

*A desire for wholesome, "good" public figures and caring a lot whether famous people are actually nice or good people

*A spotlight on the feminine principle, whether that's climate change, women speaking out for Me Too, or the downsides of hustle culture

Therefore, during Pluto in Aquarius, we can expect Leo themes and principles to take precedence. Some of my predictions are:

*An emphasis on individuality over what others are doing

Social media will phase out a few years into the transit, which will redirect people to doing what feels right for them, instead of what everyone else is doing. The days of everyone having the same look, the same aesthetic, will be long gone. Social media has put on emphasis on being a follower and it will become cooler to be a leader

Also, the days of worrying about what Twitter/X has to say? Over. Social pressure like that will no longer work, including with famous people. You're going to see a lot more people happily doing and saying what they want, free self-expression no matter what the Internet thinks

*There will be more emphasis on being "in the moment"; living your life and not documenting it constantly

With the death of social media, there will also be the death of making everything, every moment, into a post. The sea of phones you see at concerts, the constant pics and videos taken at parties, will become outdated.

Speaking of which, I think people will be living on their phones a lot less in general. Pluto always causes a major crisis and I think something about the Internet will be impacted. We will have less access to it or less of a desire to be on it

*The entertainment industry will actually become creative again, with stories told from the heart

After an era of mechanical cash grabs, we are going to start seeing the film industry get a lot more creative. There will be a slew of new screenwriters and filmmakers who lead this movement. Film will feel a lot more fresh and exciting. IP's and franchises based on adapted or previous material will become a lot less popular. You know the superhero fatigue setting in? Marvel was the juggernaut of the industry at Pluto in Cap's peak but that genre is falling off and will continue to do so. (In fact, I think that it will take a writer/director creating an entirely new superhero for a new hit film to reinvigorate it)

*Celebrities will only be really famous and popular for having talent and charisma. Influencers, the YouTuber community, and such will be hit hard

The public is going to want their stars to be Stars again. TikTokers and social media influencers just aren't going to cut it anymore, even with the very young demographic. They will still have their little niche but will ultimately be irrelevant and not talked about as much. Fame is going to depend on amazing talent and distinct star power

*In general, celebrity culture will have a renewal, with glamour and pure entertainment being a major demand

Relatability/accessibility will be out of style. Celebrities will be bigger-than-life again (like how they felt in the 90's and early/mid 00's) and it will be more important to be exciting, fun and aspirational than to be accessible. The concept of the "movie star", certain actors with big personalities making movies successful solely because of their name, will be revived, in many ways. But, with an Aquarius twist: some actors who aren't white or straight having this power, as well as having a more authentic and less PR/calculated image, which will gain them more support from a lot of people

Yeah, for anyone hoping this era will be the "death of celebrity culture", that ain't happening. Not only because of this influence but because celebrity culture has been around since ancient times and never will die because it's actually something society subconsciously depends on. But that's a post for another time

I would actually say that celebrity culture has already died, in a sense. People don't care about award shows and such like they used to. But, with Leo ruling the spotlight and fame, that's all going to do a 180 and I think it will be a big focus

Major events will, of course, be occurring in regards to Aquarius things. I think that shit is going to hit the fan in terms of AI (it's only a matter of when, not if) and I can also see astrology gaining much more mainstream acceptance, even some scientific support

Also, expect public figures who have placements in either Leo or Aquarius to lead the way in terms of these changes

Whatever happens, it'll surely be quite a ride! 🔮🔮⚡⚡

#astrology #channeled message #astrology observations #pluto in aquarius #pluto in aquarius transit #pluto in aquarius predictions #pluto entering aquarius

174 notes · View notes

dutchdread · 1 month

Note

Got a question why do some fans say tifa know the real cloud when in ff7 original she says they were never close as kids in the life stream scene? Even in remake and rebirth she say on the gs ride I can't remember us ever being this close before. Doesn't that make the playing field equal for aerith because tifa didn't know the real cloud either right?

I don't know if they're saying she "knows the real" Cloud, because I sort of agree, she doesn't really get to "know" the real Cloud until he bears his soul to her in the lifestream sequence. I think it's better to say that Tifa is "connected" to the real Cloud, narratively speaking, while Aerith is not.

First though I have to address the misconception that Tifa and Cloud weren't close as kids. They were, traces of two pasts gives us some insight into the childhood of Tifa and Cloud, and in it we learn that Tifa and Cloud were closer when they were VERY young, but grew apart later on. The implication is that this is when Cloud started developing feelings for Tifa, which caused him to distance himself. But there is still a difference between that and Aeriths connection. I think the best scene to explain this is the most obvious one, the water tower scene. In the water tower scene we discover that while Tifa likes Cloud, she wasn't sure yet what sort of "like". Mirroring Aeriths scene at the end of rebirth. But while Aeriths scene ends with the "but" of "liking, BUT not like liking", Tifas story goes a little different. Cloud says he'll be a soldier, and that he's not like other boys, not knowing that this was the 4th time someone has said this to her. And yet, the proclamation didn't disappoint her. Because it's not the alure of Cloud being a famous soldier that catches Tifas eye.

"she'd discovered that Cloud - the quiet neighbour who had always seemed as unreachable as the stars - was just a normal boy like any other. She'd come to understand that she did like him. And it was that special kind of "like" - the one that ties up your heart, making you yearn to be with that person for the rest of your days.

It's that moment, where Cloud bears his soul to her for the first time, when he's "just a boy", that Tifa falls in love. In other words, Tifa fell in love with the exact antithesis of the fake soldier persona that he put on later in life. The irony, and beauty, of this story lies in the fact that Cloud believed he needed to be this heroic soldier for Tifa to notice him, but all he really needed to be was just a boy with some dreams, he just needed to be himself, to be human. For Tifa, Cloud was already a hero just as he was, the boy that followed her up the mountain.

When Tifa meets Soldier Cloud, she's put-off by his eyes and his soldier persona, because that's not who she hoped to see. She hoped to see that hopeful shy boy from Nibelheim that asked her to come to the water tower. Meanwhile Aerith liked his eyes and soldier persona, because that IS who she hoped to see, only in Zack. She's longing for the boy she's wearing pink for, whom she sent letters to for 4 years. Of whom it was her one wish to "spend more time with". Both girls in essence are looking for that connection with the fake Cloud/Zack conglomeration. But only Tifa has the real connection, because at the heart of the fake Cloud lies the real Cloud, and not Zack. Which is why her dates and interactions with Cloud go naturally, because that's his heart shining through from underneath the fake persona. And that's why all the dates with Aerith are so rough, because Aerith is bouncing energy off of him in a way that would work with Zack, but Cloud is not Zack, and because of that the entire thing feels forced and unnatural.

#ffvii #cloti #ffvii rebirth #ffvii remake #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #aerith gainsborough #ff7 #shipping

84 notes · View notes

cadouisms · 1 year

Text

customer service

i played re4 remake for 4 hours and decided i wanted the merchant carnally

the merchant/afab!reader, 18+ also on ao3

“You look like you’ve been through the ringer, stranger.”

At the sudden voice, you jerk. In the shadows of the building you ducked into, a robed man leans against a wall, surrounded by boxes and various bits of shelving. He looks huge. You defensively raise your bloodstained hatchet in front of you, adrenaline still hot and heavy in your veins.

The man shows his palms, placating. “Easy there. I’m not interested in fightin’.”

“What do you want?” Unsurprisingly, your voice comes out shaken, hoarse. You’ve been screaming all day.

“Way I see it, you stepped into my shop.”

“Your sh…” You lower your arms, inch by inch, as you properly assess your surroundings. A brazier burns in the corner, blazing a curious purple. Alongside the boxes, there’s a table covered in bits and bobs — ammo, you think, and some paper. As your eyes adjust to the dim lighting, you realize he’s not as big as you thought; on his back is an oversized bag, and he appears to strain under its weight. A merchant, you think. “What do you sell?”

The man laughs. It’s a gravelly staccato, a quite literal heh heh heh, that unnerves you. “What’re ya buyin’?”

Your pockets are bare. The only belongings you have are the clothes on your back and the hatchet in your hand. Even if you had any money, you doubted it’d be enough to afford even a single hot meal. You shake your head. “No budget for anything.”

“No?” He nods toward your hand. “Seems like you could use an upgrade, mate.”

He’s right. The blade is chipped and cracked in several places and is in dire need of a sharpening, if not a full replacement. You’re afraid it won’t last you much longer. “Please don’t misunderstand,” you say, voice cracking with overuse, “but I literally can’t afford one. I can’t pay.”

“Consider this a one-time offer, then.” The Merchant stands fully and, to your surprise, opens up his jacket. All sorts of knives, guns, ammo, and even tools hang from the inside. He pulls a small handgun from its sheath and spins it in his hand, holding the handle out to you. “She ain’t the most powerful out there, but she’ll get the job done better than that weapon of yours. On the house.”

Even underneath the hood, only his eyes and the bridge of his nose remain uncovered. A purple handkerchief obscures the rest of his features, mystifying him further. There’s no way to discern his intentions.

Fear him, says the rational part of your brain, the part that has kept you alive for the past day. You shouldn’t trust him. You should run and find somewhere else to camp out, take your chances with your shitty hatchet.

…But the lights flickering against the walls are oddly serene, and despite all his peculiarities, the Merchant seems the sanest person you’ve met. Not to mention the fact that you are in no position to refuse a free gun.

Your hatchet slides limply from your hand and clatters to the stone floor as you step closer. The metal of the pistol is cool and smooth in your hand, its weight neither too unwieldy or too light. You slide the magazine out — full — and reload. You double check that the trigger safety is on.

You’d need to find more bullets at some point, but that’s a problem for future you. As it is, you want to find a space to breathe and relax. Even after the horror of a day you’ve had, your heart still thuds rapidly in your chest, energy coiled so tight it’s a wonder you don’t explode. Your body wants to run far from the danger that lurks beyond these four walls, but you know you risk collapsing if you don’t rest.

“Well?” prods the Merchant.

His voice makes you startle. You come back to yourself all at once, and it hits you just

how close the two of you stand. He’s only a little taller than you, maybe more, but he’s much broader by far. Whether naturally or conflated with his oversized robe, you don’t know, but it makes your pulse quicken.

Fear him, your mind repeats. Run — but you’re rooted to the spot. You wet your lips.

All this adrenaline and no where for it to go.

The Merchant tilts his head. The sides of his hood give way enough that you can see his gaze as he looks you over. “Not satisfied yet, are you?”

You haven’t said thanks, you realize. “N-no, I—”

“How’s another special sound? Two for the price of one.” Slowly, deliberately, he begins to back you against the wall. His footfalls thud heavily against the floor.

You allow yourself to be trapped, sandwiched between him and the wall. Arousal throbs low between your thighs.

“We aim for customer satisfaction, sweetheart,” he murmurs, his voice dripping with sleazy promise. “Say the word, ‘n’ I’ll sort you out.”

“Please,” you breathe.

You expect him to be rough, or demanding, or treat you any other callous way. Instead, he finds your wrists and drags them above your head. He moves with intentional slowness to give you time to change your mind or flee. When you don’t do either of those things, he pins your wrists together with one hand (massive, how did you not notice earlier—) and dips his head close. “Watch that trigger finger,” he says. “Wouldn’t want any accidents, now.”

You grasp your new gun by the hilt, four fingers and thumb wrapped around it, as his free hand wastes no time in finding the zipper of your pants. No teasing, no foreplay— he slips under the waistband of your underwear and rubs a fingertip against your clit. The simple touch is enough to make you jolt.

“Didn’t realize you were this sensitive,” he says, amusement tinting his tone.

“Me neither.” You bite back a moan as he wets his fingertips with your own arousal, the newfound lubrication easing the slide as he draws circles around your clit. “S’been a long time.”

The simple fact that a stranger has his hands down your pants makes your head spin. This isn’t something you ever thought you’d do — but then again, that was before the parasites, before the weird cult. This is tame in comparison to the things you’ve had to do.

Then the Merchant slides two fingers into your hole, and your thoughts scatter. You’re wet enough that the abrupt intrusion doesn’t hurt, but you feel the stretch as you accommodate him. The fabric of his glove adds an interesting texture as he slowly pushes his fingers in and out of you. In another life, you’d be worried about the cleanliness of such an action.

Here, you can’t do anything but clench around him, mouth dropping open as you moan freely. “Feels good,” you pant. Then, “More.”

“More?” he parrots. “Greedy, aren’t we?”

Debauched, you think. Depraved. Sinful. You just nod.

“Gonna need more room for that.” He tugs your bottoms down further, enough so they bunch around your knees. The air cools your superheated skin. Your thighs spread wider. “There we go,” he all but coos, voice both condescending and not. He adds a third finger, stretching you much more than you’re used to, and your head falls back against the wall.

That coiled bundle of energy burns hotter within you, and you find yourself barrelling to the fastest orgasm of your life. “Please.” You twist in his grasp, bucking your hips onto his fingers. “Please, I’m so close.”

“Aye, I’ll get you there.” The fabric of his glove catches your clit with every thrust of his fingers, pleasure-pain sparking each time. “That good, eh?”

“Yes!” His fingers have you deliciously filled in a way your own never do. He smells distinctly masculine, like gunpowder and wood and smoke, and it just does something to your little monkey brain, enhances the pleasure. Hell, he could be anyone underneath his mask, and yet instead of fantasizing all you can concentrate on is the feeling in your cunt as he fingers you. “‘M’ gonna come,” you breathe. You squeeze around him as your pleasure climbs, stuttering his rhythm. “Please, oh fuck—”

Your back arches off the wall. In your ecstacy, the gun slips from your hand and falls to the floor. The Merchant laughs but you pay him no mind, moving to clutch desperately at the fabric of his robe as you ride the waves of your orgasm. His other hand, now free, plants itself firmly on the wall beside your head. You fuck yourself on his fingers until there’s nothing left in you, until you finally slump, breathless and boneless, against the wall.

The Merchant pulls away. You fix your clothing, pleasantly limp and fatigued. “I…thank you,” you say. “For the gun, and…”

Under his hood, his eyes glint. His hand disappears under the fabric that covers his face. You don’t have to see to understand what the wet popping noises mean. “Feel free to come back any time, stranger.”

Face heated and legs weak, you can only nod.

#resident evil #resident evil 4 #resident evil 4 remake #the merchant x reader #re4 merchant #writing #i was bummed at first abt the va replacement but. no actually hes so hot #woof woof i love his extra dialogue #and he seems like the type to give a lil extra service. yknow. teehee

527 notes · View notes

dolls-self-ships · 2 months

Text

How I think the HH crew takes their coffee

Lucifer orders the most complicated, sugary, step specific drink you could imagine. He is hated by baristas everywhere. Also gets so excited when ordering he changes it at least 3 times halfway through explaining it. Probably gets something different everytime too. He is a regular with no usual. Charlie canonically likes frappaccinos! Like her dad, I can see her having similar tastes, sugar, but also wanting to keep it simple so that she doesn't overwhelm the employees (she's too considerate for her own good). Orders straight from the menu exactly how it is with no alterations, is also the one who probably walks in with a list of orders for her friends, goes as slow as possible for the cashiers sake. Angeldust rolls up to the drivethrough hung over and orders something iced- probably a caramel drink and he asks for it to specifically be drowned in caramel, and an extra shot. Either that or a vanilla iced latte. Vaggie is not a huge fan of coffee, she gets a tea or tea latte instead. Earl grey is her favourite and she likes a lot of milk. Alastor loves a nice extra hot black coffee. He wants that bitch scolding and bitter. Doesn't even drink it, just splashes it in his face. Where that would normally give someone 3rd degree burns, it gives him some 'extra pep' in the morning, as he puts it (god he's a fucking freak) Husk takes his coffee black also, but instead will spike it with his own bourbon he keeps in a flask. Will sometimes get cream and sugar if he's feeling, as he puts it , 'fancy' (bro is so low maintenance) Nifty isn't allowed to have caffeine for obvious reasons Sir Pentious is another non-coffee drinker but drinks exclusively tea. Is a bit of a snob about it too. Needs the leaves to be fresh or he WILL be able to taste the burntness. His favourite is peppermint. Would rather die than bother the barista to remake it though so he normally brews his own with his own needlessly complicated tea making invention of course. Cherri bomb loooooves caffine, but isn't much of a coffee drinker. More of a monster energy and redbull kinda gal. She needs something she can drink fast and hard. Don't even get me started on those 5 hour energy drinks. Oh boy. Don't let her near them (she will kill u for one) Vox is an avid coffee drinker. Practically lives off of it and can't get through the day without (it's a problem). Definately has one of those 'don't talk to me before I've had my coffee' mugs bc he's an asshole. Drinks like 5-6 cups in a single day. Send help. Velvette gets a coffee once in the morning and then one in the afternoon. Pulls up to the cash register with her sunglasses on and outfit for the day put together, intimidating buisness lady vibes off the charts while she orders between phone calls. Also definately shushes the barista of they try to ask her any questions, can't you see she's on the phone? Her order is LONG and COMPLICATED and she needs it made the way she likes to a T, she also talks fast and no she will NOT repeat herself so you better be a fast writer. Probably gets something vanilla flavoured with 3 shots of espresso in it. Valentino isn't a coffee guy but if he needs it for a long shoot or late night he gets either an Americano or pure espresso shots. No time to waste with the frills and fancy stuff despite the look of him. Also will throw the cup at the barista if the shots come out burnt or expired.

#brought to you by an actual barista. me!#hazbin hotel #hazbin #hazbin hotel headcanon #hazbin hotel headcanons #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel lucifer #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin hotel valentino #hazbin hotel vaggie #hazbin hotel husk #hazbin hotel angel dust #hazbin hotel cherri bomb #hazbin hotel sir pentious #hazbin hotel niffty

70 notes · View notes

1galaxia369 · 5 months

Text

CAPRICORN RISING♑️

You have been very hard on yourself, I understand the purpose of it but you are doing it all wrong. Self reflection and shadow work is completely different from bullying yourself. You're going through an awakening right now, the universe is calling you out, you guys have a higher purpose in this world. Some of you guys have secret plans that you have been working on and some dreams that you are about to entertain that know one knows. I know you are very protective of your ideas and desires, but being ruled by saturn isn't easy, always working extra hard because the whole thing might fall apart if you don't focus & put your all in oryou'll have to start over. Not to mention having envious people around you that silently sabotage all your projects. Add a mind that is your biggest enemy and you have the recipe for an extremely exhausted human. When will you address that and put an end to it? All those voices in your head, whether it's you valuing your worth based on your productivity or the voices of people who can't see your vision. The best way to stop the noise is by first acknowledging it's there, then you have to find out why you allow those thoughts in, Ask yourself do you think they're right, ask yourself again if you or your talents and skills fit into that low bar that everyone else is setting for you, when did these other people whose drive and skill could never match up to yours have the power to convince you that you can't succeed at all your goals? It's literally judgement time, you are being pushed to cut that behavior out, allowing negativity to cloud your mind and breed self doubt and self sabotage. It's time to become YOU. Reflection, renewal and reckoning is your energy. That plan that you've been working for the past couple of months or years even is finally coming in to play, there's a major turn around coming. You've been tending to your garden well and you'll be harvesting the fruits of your labor very soon.

Overall, success is coming in whatever field that has been your focus for a while now. If you been waiting on an answer this is it, if you are actually about to start something now is a good time. Plant the seeds and wait patiently, the success is guaranteed with consistent care and effort. Celebration is store for you guys, party and go out have fun, you've been working too hard. You give yourself no breaks and you don't treat yourself enough, there's nothing in this world more important than you. Stop putting yourself last in every situation. There are also people that don't mean you well, as you progress and evolve you'll be removing and rearranging a lot of things in your life and finally setting BOUNDARIES. Them people not gonna like that! You have to stand on business though, NO means NO. You plan out your day, if it ain't life or death then you have to prioritize your self and your projects. I feel like a lot of people who aren't dependent on you, always depend on you to show up regardless of what you got going on. You have to discern if they are more important than accomplishing those daily goals. Procrastination is a big issue for Capricorns, no matter the placement, always allowing yourself to be drawn away from your work routine. You set that plan up so that you can properly show up for yourself and have time to handle your other responsibilities. It's wasted if you keep having to remake your plans and routines to accommodate others, leaving simple work that can be done today for tomorrow, now tomorrow is thrown off and now you're burnt out. This cycle always opens the door for you to start beating yourself up. I understand that people need your help and you're the jack of all trades but it can be done whenever you are free, you don't drop everything to go help someone with something they can wait to do or pay someone to do. All humans were born with their own physical capabilities no need to fuck yourself up to show for them. Have strength and enforce your boundaries and do not waver, they can wait, finish your stuff first.

You are safe to move forward with your plans, invest your time, skills and money. You'll have a return on investment WHEN it is successful ( take the word 'if' and change it to 'when'...change 'I think' to 'I know'). Be excited, you escape and find solace in your work and creative endeavors, you complicate that flow by being hard on yourself. You are supported too, remember that. You'll be noticing that all of a sudden you'll have more money in your hands to spend on yourself and invest into you projects. The universe and your spirit guides are handing you support and opportunities, take them and don't hesitate. You know what a good opportunity looks like trust yourself to pursue them and watch the success come true. Movement is happening, this is exciting, changes will be happening all around you! Be happy! Some of you will be travelling really soon, or moving away from where you are or even relocating internationally. Be happy for once and trust that good things can happen for you.

I recommend spending time in nature, you need peace and quiet,observe the animals and the ecosystem. Smudge your surroundings (and yourself) you need to get rid of all that negative energy.(sage,palo santo,sweet grass, incense) Breathing exercises are needed 15 deep breaths for release. Close your eyes and visualize the things you want accomplished, manifest more. Be delusional about your goals.

12:12 12:22 12:34

#tarot #tarot reading #astrology #spirituality #capricorn #capricorn rising #zodiac

61 notes · View notes

goldenempyrean · 2 years

Note

sick!reader x natasha where nat gets home from a month long mission and learns from their friends that reader is miserable with a cold. however the spy knows how stubborn you are and wants to see how long you can pretend you’re fine until you accept being taken care of

Everything's Gonna Be Okay

Oh damn, this was meant to be a short little fic... Well here I am 3 and a half hours after starting... Oops, ALSO! I did actually edit this, I know, Im shocked too dw. (Pls for the love of God and my sanity ignore any mistakes i've missed.)

Summary: Natasha's been away for so long. Shes finally coming home, nothing can go wrong. Only it does, of course it does.

Wordcount: 3580

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░

Natasha gave a much-needed sigh of relief as she finally stepped onto solid ground, she never thought she’d ever be so happy to be home again. Nat had been sent away on a long deep-undercover mission and in total she had been away for about a month, however as of the nature of the mission, keeping in close-contact wasn’t possible. The only communication you received was via small hand-written letters, and they meant the world to you. though they were small you’d kept ahold of every one, keeping them safely tucked in your bedside drawer, re-reading them before you’d turn in to sleep each night.

Which is why you had been so excited for Nat’s return; you’d even deep cleaned your shared bedroom so everything would be perfect for her arrival. Nothing should’ve gone wrong. If only everything went how you’d planned...

~~~ ~~~

You’d gone to bed a little later that night, feeling a little more tired than usual, you wanted to have plenty of energy for tomorrow. That’s probably when you woke up that next morning, your body washed with fatigue and the feeling of a migraine settling in, you felt your eyes grow teary. How could this happen today? Of all days for you to get sick, why today?

No. You pulled yourself from the bed, as you stood a wave of dizziness fell over you, sending you scrambling to grip the bedpost to steady yourself, ignoring your body's cries to remain laying down. You gave yourself a moment to adjust before forcing yourself to remake the bed behind you. There was no time to be sick today.

You tried to sniffle, but you couldn’t. Now that you thought about it, you had been breathing through your mouth the whole morning. You twitched your nose and sniffled again, trying to get some air through your nose to no avail. You rolled your eyes, could today get any worse?

You regretted asking yourself that question a second later when you found yourself pulling off Nat’s red hoodie (the one you’d been sleeping in for the past week) feeling an uncomfortable warmth begin to settle over you. Maybe a shower would help, you thought before making your way over to your bathroom.

Stepping into the tiled room, you turned on your shower and waited for it to get warm, feeling dizzy again, you put your hands on the counter to steady yourself and looked up at the mirror. You felt yourself physically cringe at the sight. God, saying you looked awful would be a huge understatement, your eyes had dark circles beneath them, it looked like you hadn't slept in weeks.

The mirror slowly began to fog up, reminding you of the shower which was running behind you. Pulling open the door, you were hit by a cascade of warm steam. It felt amazing and you could feel your congestion start to loosen a little.

Only your delight lasted for a second, a familiar sensation creeping into the bridge of your nose. Stepping into the shower, you were only able to enjoy the feeling of the water briefly before the sensation in your nose grew to an irritating tickle.

“Hhup’tshiew! Hh-’iishiew! HHe’TSHHIEW!” Your body bent forwards at the waist as you sneezed down into your hands before washing them off under the water, you grimaced at the sound you made, knowing it was only the first of many to come. You sighed, your stuffiness returning in an instant, though you really didn’t get long to dwell on it before you began coughing into your fist.

It took you about 30 seconds to finally stop, “Well that was attractive.” You spoke for the first time today, finding your sarcastic tone had a painful-rasp to it, your consonants blurred by congestion. Although nobody was there to hear you, you found yourself cringing at the sound of yourself. Taking a deep breath, you could feel your chest crack, you looked upwards, allowing the water to fall directly onto your face. It was obvious today was going to be a very long day.

You let yourself spend longer than usual in the shower, stepping out of the warm water, your body shivered and you rushed to wrap yourself within a towel. Getting changed was a task which proved harder than you thought, every time you removed the towel, small goosebumps ran down your arms, making your wrap yourself back up, desperate for warmth. Eventually though you managed to pull through and you changed into a pair of Nat’s sweatpants and a thick cotton-lined hoodie.

It was almost 10:30AM by the time you’d wandered down into the compound kitchen in search of something to eat, you weren’t necessarily hungry but still you had to eat something. Nat didn’t like it when you didn’t have something for breakfast plus you were hoping that if you ate something then you’d feel a little better.

Looking in the cupboards, you settled on having some Poptarts, you were reaching up to grab the box when Clint, Wanda and Bruce came into the kitchen together, they’d most likely just finished training.

“Morning Y/N.” Clint said cheerily as he came to sit at the island behind you, “Nat's coming home today.”

“I'm aware.” You said bluntly, as you sniffled into the sleeve of your hoodie, taking two Poptarts and putting them in the toaster.

“Woah, no need to get snappy.” Clint said throwing his hands up in fake-defence, you knew he was only joking but still, it pissed you off.

“Can yo-” You stopped to muffle a small chesty cough into your hoodie, “Can you just stop?” You said with an irritated tone, turning around to glare at him.

You half-expected him to return the gesture but instead you were met with looks of concern from him along with Wanda and Bruce who’d watched the whole thing unfold.

“Y/N, honey,” Wanda’s soft voice said as she came to lean against the fridge, trying to get a closer look at you, “Clint was only joking, he didn’t mean to annoy you. You're sounding a little stuffy over there though, you feeling alright?”

“It's okay,” You sighed, looking over to Clint, “Sorry, I overreacted and Wanda, I'm fine, don’t worry.”

It was then that you felt your nose begin to tingle again, you fanned your face for a moment, in an attempt to somehow stave the tickle off but it didn’t help, you turned quickly to the side away from everyone as you sneezed into your elbow.

“Hh-itshhiew! HhH’uptshiew!” You gave a small congested groan before reaching over to grab a tissue from the box sitting on the countertop.

The three Avengers blessed you, exchanging glances between themselves. You didn’t notice however, as your Poptarts were ready a moment later. You grabbed a plate and put them onto it, taking a bite, you winced as you swallowed, the action angering the soreness at the back of your throat. You realised then that you really weren't hungry at all, you took another few bites before pushing the plate away from you. You’d only managed half of one.

“It's not like you to leave food.” Bruce voiced the thoughts of everyone around you.

You gave a weak shrug and pushed the plate infront of Clint, “You can finish it if you want.”

He was about to take a bite of your half-eaten one when Wanda pushed it away mid-air, a red glow forming around it.

“If Y/N’s sick, you don’t wanna catch that.” She him chided lightly.

“Who said Im sick?” You looked over to her as you began to walk out from the kitchen, “I just happened to leave some food unfinished, that doesn’t mean Im sick, does it?” You said grumpily as you left.

Wanda shook her head and shrugged at the others before following you out into the corridor, jogging up so she could walk aside you, following your lead as you made your way towards the lounge.

“Mind if I tag along?” She asked politely, “You really don’t seem yourself today, did something happen with you and Nat? You’re normally buzzing with excitement every time she comes home.”

“Nothing happened Wands,” You stopped walking, suddenly sneezing down into your hand, “I can't wait for her to come home obviously. Im just a little tired or something.”

Wanda blessed you but gave you an uneasy look, she didn’t believe you but seeing how you’d gotten irritated at Clint earlier, she didn’t want to accidently annoy you.

You and Wanda made your way into the lounge, settling on opposite sofas. You pulled a blanket around yourself, your hoodie doing little to keep you warm. You let Wanda pick something to watch, you didn’t really care, all you wanted was something to take your mind off the mind-numbing ache in your head.

“Is Brooklyn-Nine-Nine alright?” She asked as she browsed through Netflix.

“I don’t mind.” You sniffled, burying your head into the blanket as you coughed deeply, the noise causing Wanda to look over at you with worried eyes.

“You sound terrible.” She said as the intro to the series began to play.

Looking up at her, it was obvious she was concerned, “Just something in my throat.” You grumbled, your voice coming out in crackled, raspy words rather than a flowing sentence, “Its fin- h- Hh'tshhiEW!”

Wanda wordlessly got up and picked up the box of tissues from the coffee table in the centre of the living room and placed them firmly next to you, ignoring your glare. You couldn't help but feel weak, if you couldn’t hide your little cold from Wands, how on earth were you meant to hide it from Natasha.

You and Wanda sat in silence for 2 episodes before you felt your nose begin to run causing you to begin sniffling repeatedly, it was then that you found yourself being thankful for her prior act, taking 2 tissues to blow your nose, you mentally thanked her, giving her a brief smile.

Wanda looked over to you, she’d heard your thoughts and gave you a kind reassuring smile.

You didn’t know it, but you were slowly falling asleep, your eyes growing heavier by the minute. You looked up to the clock on the wall, it was almost 12PM, meaning Nat would be home in afew hours. You yawned, maybe you’d just close your eyes for a minute...

~~ ~~

Stepping off the Quinjet, Natasha could barely contain herself, finally she’d be able to see you! She didn’t waste any time, leaving the Quinjet loaded and her bags at the exit. She could clean up later, she had to see you first.

She practically jogged down the halls towards your bedroom, expecting to find you waiting for her.

“Im home bab-” She called out but stopped, realising the room was empty, she did notice how tidy it looked though, well except the random towel in the middle of the floor, but apart from that the room was almost spotless.

Nat stopped to think for a moment before realising you were probably with the other Avengers, she said hello to Clint as she poked her head into the kitchen, scanning the room for you.

“They’re with Wanda, in the lounge.” Clint called, answering her unasked question as he wiped down the countertops, cleaning up after himself.

Nat thanked him before actually jogging towards the living room, she swung the door open and smiled seeing both you and Wanda sitting on the sofas.

She was about to call out to you but stopped, seeing Wanda put a finger to her lips. She stood up and came over to Nat, pulling her outside.

“What's up?” Nat asked, visibly confused at the witch’s actions.

“I thought you should know, Y/N’s sick, they sounded dreadful earlier. They fell asleep about 3 hours and have barely moved an inch.” She explained, “Im glad you’re back though, how was it?”

“It was alright, I missed everyone though.” Nat smiled and hugged her friend, “Thanks for telling me about Y/N too.”

“Don't mention it.” Wanda smiled and left to go do something, allowing Nat to greet you privately.

Natasha came back into the lounge, carefully coming to kneel infront of the sofa you were asleep on, “Hey baby.” She whispered, as she softly stroked your cheek, she recoiled her hand, instantly alarmed at the heat radiating from your face, “Wakey, wakey sweetie.”

It took some more love from Nat before you slowly began to wake up, moaning softly as your eyes adjusted to the light in the room, you rubbed your wrist against your eyes as the image of Nat came into focus.

“Did you have a nice nap baby?” She asked, helping you sit up.

“Natty.” Your voice cracked as you spoke, sending you into a small fit of deep coughing. Only this time you had Nat to softly rub her hand down your back, “Sorry, something got caught in my throat there, when did you get back?”

“About 10 minutes ago, when did you get sick?” She raised her eyebrow at you as you woozily stood up, quickly offering her arm out to support you.

“What do you mean?” You asked, resisting the urge to sniffle. If there was anytime you needed your acting abilities to be flawless, it was now. You had a pretty rocky start but you could still make up for it.

Nat gave you a curious look, “Wanda said you were sick?” Her words came as more of a question then a statement.

“Oh.” You feigned surprise as you tried to discreetly clear your throat, “Well Im fine, never better.” You flashed her a small forced smile.

‘Fine’ is probably the most misused word in the whole of the English language, you most certainly were not fine, even as you stood still it felt as if the room was spinning around, you but you did your best to act as if nothing was wrong.

Now Natasha knew you were lying, it was obvious from your appearance alone, your eyes were tired and glassy, not to mention both your cheeks and nose were tinged red. But still, she was impressed at your perseverance, maybe that was why she went along with your scheme. She wanted nothing more than to wrap you up in her hands with tissues and a blanket but she just wanted to see how long it’d take for you to give in.

“Maybe Wanda was wrong then.” Nat smiled at you knowingly, “You wanna go out for drinks later?”

You wanted to cry, you wanted nothing more than to go out for drinks with Nat but you knew there’d be no way you’d be going, “Sure, sounds nice, Im really happy you’re home ‘Tasha. I missed you so so mu-” Your trailed off, feeling the ever-present tickle in your nose grow. Not now.

“Hhu’tshhiew! Hep’TSHHIEW!”

“Oh bless you, my love.” Nat cooed, holding back the plethora of concerned words which were about to tumble from her mouth, “I thought you said you weren't sick?”

“Im not,” You stammered, quickly rubbing the sleeve of your hoodie against your nose, “It was just two -Hh- rando- Hh'iishiew!- random sneezes, its nothing.” You sniffled wetly, reaching for the box of tissues which was still sat on the sofa behind you.

Natasha was stuck. Her heart broke seeing you sick but she really was curious how long you would deny it for, she thought for a moment, if you got any of worst then she’d take matters into her own hands.

“Have you eaten yet?” You asked, even through your fever, her welfare was still at the top of your mind.

“No, but I could use a drink though.” She fibbed, hearing the rasp behind your voice, it was clear you needed water.

“M’Kay, we should go get you one then.” You mumbled, linking your arm with hers as you both left the lounge to go to the kitchen.

Entering the kitchen, you let yourself sit down on one of the stools at the island as Nat grabbed two glasses from the cupboards, pouring water into each.

“Here baby.” She said lovingly, sliding it over to you.

You thanked her and drank it, the cool water feeling amazing against the burning of your throat, “Did you already unpack?”

“Not yet,” She replied, sipping her water, “I’ll do it later.”

“You need a hand?” You offered, praying she’d decline your offer, you really weren't too confident in your lifting abilities at the moment.

“Aw thanks baby but I think I’ll be okay.”

You sat silently, waiting for Nat to finish her water when you started sniffling, feeling your nose begin to run again. You eyed up the tissues on the counter opposite, but grabbing them would be an instant sign to Nat that something was wrong so you opted for trying to discreetly rub your nose against your hoodie.

However, the action only seemed to irritate your nose further, sending an intense tingle to the bridge of your nose.

“Hh’k-tshhiew! Heh’iiishiew! Hh..H..HHitsshiew!”

“Bless you, bless you!” She exclaimed, her worry slipping into her tone as she spoke, “You need a tissue?”

You nodded, as you swiped a handful from the box which she offered out to you. You blew your nose softly, though it did little to ease your discomfort. You sighed, fanning your hand infront of your face, feeling that familiar warmth from earlier that morning come over you again.

You tried to ignore it, but it slowly became unbearable, you raised your arms, pulling off the cotton hoodie, revealing your black sports bra.

Natasha looked over you, puzzled, before noticing that your fever-flushed cheeks had darkened further. Right. This had gone too far now.

She firmly pressed her palm to your forehead without warning, letting out a string of curses in Russian as she felt your raging fever.

“Shit, Y/N. You feel like a furnace. Enough, I know you’re sick, I’ve known the whole time, it's gone too far now.”

What? Her words barely formed coherent sentences in your foggy mind, how did she know? You’d hidden it so well. Small beads of sweat began to form and run down your hot skin and you groaned in discomfort, longing for her love.

“Natty-” You spluttered off into a series of deep coughs, your chest convulsing as you coughed down into your elbow. Natasha had rushed to your side and began running circles down your back, slowly helping you regain your breath.

“Baby I don’t feel good.”

“I know sweetie, I know.” Nat kissed your cheek before grabbing a tissue to wipe your running nose, “You need to get into bed, come on.”

You nodded and opened her hand out towards you.

You stood and the world span around you, your peripheral vision fading black suddenly as your knees buckled under yourself and you felt the weight of gravity pull you down. You thought you were going to hit the ground when sudden you felt yourself being lifted upwards. Natasha’s fast reaction had allowed her to slip one arm beneath your knees and another behind your back, safely catching you in her arms as you lifted you up in the bridal position.

She held you for a moment before releasing a deep exhale, “Jesus Y/N. You scared the shit out of me, don’t ever do that again,” She brought her head and pressed it softly against yours, “Poor baby, you’ve been so strong but we need to get you to bed now, okay?”

You nodded woozily, Natasha continued to whisper sweet nothings to you as she carried you, her strong arms supporting you. Your eyes fell closed for a moment and the next thing you knew, you were being lowered down onto your bed, Natasha’s anxious green eyes looking down at you.

“I guess we’re not going out for drinks then?” Your words were mumbled but you saw her give a slight smirk at your humour.

“No baby, we’ll go out when your well.”

“Sorry your first day back was so eventful, I wanted you to be able to relax.” You sighed, with a damp sniffle, rubbing your nose against the blanket which Nat had pulled over you.

“You’re okay baby, you’ve done so much today. You just need to relax yourself, just lay here. That fever of yours is no joke, you need to rest.”

Natasha opened your drawer, seeing if you had a thermometer at hand, what she wasn’t expecting to see though was her letters, “You kept these?” She asked, her eyes prickled with tears. She hadn't expected you to keep them, her mission had been hard and seeing her letters only reminded her of how much she’d missed you.

“They remind me of you so I wanted to keep them.” Your words were slurred but she understood you anyway.

She honestly wasn’t sure why she thought you wouldn’t keep them. Seeing them lit a little flame in her heart, she leant down to your side and planted a soft kiss on your lips, “I’ll never leave you again baby, okay? Im here.”

You muffled another deep cough into the blanket as Nat regained her composure, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. She came and slid into bed beside you, sitting upright. You shuffled backwards so you were laying on her, your head on her chest, listening to the steady beating of her heart as she softly ran her hand through your hair.

“Everything’s gonna be okay.”

452 notes · View notes

fortune-fool02 · 1 year

Text

Late-Night Coffee

Leon Kennedy x Barista female reader

Summary: Another long work day in the café, and a sweet moment between the barista and the rookie.

Coffee Shop AU

Warning: Fluff. No Spoilers for Resident Evil 2 remake.

Something cute and sweet for baby boy Leon. If it goes well, I might write a part two. Please enjoy!

After passing over the last order for the day, [Name] gave a small sigh. Today had been quite busy, leaving her and her colleagues without a moment to have a proper break but they were able to make it to the end of the day without any issues. The soft patter of rain hitting the windows blended with the light-toned music that filled the warm café. Only one customer remained.

[Name] quickly wiped down the counter before slipping from behind the counter and walked over to the dozing man. He had arrived an hour ago after finishing his shift at work, looking drained of energy. His police uniform a little crinkled but still composed. Gently pushing the empty cup aside, [Name] gently shook his shoulder,

“Leon? It’s time to wake up.” She softly spoke, smiling as his sleepy face. Leon started coming here almost religiously since he started work at Racoon Police Department. It started as pleasant service but soon developed into something more, a sweet friendship over warm cups and welcoming aromas. Tonight, though, Leon just wanted someplace to relax after a hard day, so [Name] didn’t see any issue with letting him stay for a bit until the rain stopped.

Her other colleagues had left not too long ago, as the day was over with, and left her to lock up the café. Nothing new but she didn’t mind. It gave her time to think and relax after a long day, as well as letting Leon get some more sleep.

“Hm? Wha?” Lifting his head, Leon forced his eyes open, blinking away the sleep and taking in his surroundings. Bits of his dark blonde hair sticking to his face from laying his head on his arm. Sitting upright, he stretched his arms, his back lightly cracking as he did. At least the seats were comfy, not like those solid plastic ones Leon had to endure for hours on end at his desk when not out on patrol.

“Sorry, [Name]. I guess I was more tired than I realised.” He smiled, his sky blue eyes sparkling in the light a bit. Taking the empty cup and saucer, [Name] simply waved it off. He brought his hands up to his hair, trying to smoothen it out a bit more.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s the least I can do for our young rookie officer.” The two lightly chuckled at that, the nickname had stuck for a bit now, though he didn’t mind it coming from her. Leon pushed himself up and looked towards the window, pulling his jacket from behind the chair.

“Still raining? At least it’s not as bad as before.” He thought aloud, ensuring he had all of his stuff.

“You got your car?” A small headshake was her answer. The car needed some repairs done and wouldn’t be ready for another day or two. [Name] stopped and thought. Leon lived a few streets away, and she not too far away either. Plus, he was quite cute. “If you want, you can stay at my place for the night. It’s no trouble.”

A look of surprise covered Leon’s face, the faintest hint of a pink touching his cheeks companied with a small smile. “If it’s fine with you, I wouldn’t mind. Thank you.” Flutters of a comforting warmth filled her chest at this, something about that look in Leon’s eyes made her feel light and bubbly. Looking over at him, she noted the look on his face, as if he was conflicted with something.

“Is something wrong, Leon?” The rookie looked at her, his mouth opening and closing, unsure if he wanted to tell her something or not. He took a step closer, trying to muster some speck of courage.

“Well, I was... wondering if, well...” He mentally cursed himself. He could deal with criminals all day long, but trying to talk to [Name]? Near impossible at this point. “I wanted to ask if... you wanted to go someplace and... do something sometime.” He was not expecting it to sound so clunky, a high-school kid trying to ask a girl out but his nerves getting the better of him. His face flushing with a heat that almost burned his cheeks.

A soft chuckle left her lips at this, her own cheeks tinting pink at his question. “That sounds like fun, Leon. Just say when and the time.” The two headed towards her car once the café was closed up, neither able to stop smiling as they settled in a comfortable silence.

He certainly was going to make the date memorable for her.

#leon kennedy x reader #leon s. kennedy #leon scott kennedy x reader #leon s. kennedy x reader #leon s kennedy x reader #leon s kennedy #resident evil #resident evil x reader #resident evil 2 #resident evil 2 remake #leon kennedy

316 notes · View notes

crisiscutie · 1 year

Note

Can you please do a self-aware sephiroth X shy bullied reader

So I'm not super familiar with self-aware AUs as I only read a handful of them. Regardless, I am interested in this idea and wanna take a shot at it. Featuring Mr. Strife himself.

Content Warnings: Bullying, Emotional Manipulation.

After a rough day, you head home, hoping to play some FF7R to cool off.

You’re at the part where Cloud “met” Sephiroth for the first time, where he hallucinated his razed hometown.

Sephiroth knew you were there. Not present in his world, but present as an observer, watching him terrorize poor Cloud. You perplexed him. How are you able to spectate them? How are you bending Cloud to your will?

And he wondered; when Cloud was in despair, did you enjoy it, or did you feel sorry for him?

Your face showed no emotion to it. But your skin crawled when you watched the scene, so you turned off the game after it. You’d suffered too much already; why did you have to go through it all over again through Cloud?

You saw yourself in Cloud and understood his struggles. You felt a sense of dread and helplessness whenever you’re around your tormentors, much like Cloud with Sephiroth.

You haven’t played FF7R as much because of that scene. And your torment has gotten worse.

You were thankful when the next month arrived, your tormentors were nowhere to be found. Was there something that they would rather do instead? Someone better to pick on?

You later discovered that they went missing. At their last known location, the evidence left behind was a mysterious pile of dark feathers.

You became more happy, now with them gone. You found yourself opening up to others slightly (through, still shy) and being more drawn to playing games.

The next time you played FF7 Remake, you had the most fun. You loved picking flowers with Aerith, dressing Cloud up, fighting fun bosses and experiencing other great moments. You binged through the game on your endorphin rush.

You were glad that Cloud was your link to this wonderful, fictional world. It has been a pleasure to observe his growth and him experiencing one interesting event after another.

But whenever Sephiroth appeared on the screen, you felt dread creep up your body. The way the camera focused on his face made it worse. His gaze was so strong, it’s almost as if he wanted to drag you toward him.

The glares, the smug smiles, and his other feral expressions. He wasn’t just directing them at Cloud, but also YOU.

You decide to ignore the eeriness, chalking it up to the great cinematography of the game. Of course, it’s meant to feel like that from a literary perspective.

Sephiroth mentally noted your visible unease and smirked. Such a pitiful human...

Getting involved in lowly human issues like “bullying” wouldn’t interest him, but he had to get rid of your tormentors. He needed you to keep playing the game. He wanted to observe YOU, as you observed the versions of him throughout the game.

He used astral projection into the real world, an ability he gained from traveling in the Edge of Creation. Though he could not stay in that form for long. It was strange how different, but so similar, our world felt to him.

He used most of his energy to track you. Even with your tormentors gone, you were still shy. You had the strength within you to become stronger. You don’t have to be timid or be walked on by someone else. You reminded him of Cloud, somewhat.

When you got to the end of FF7R, when Sephiroth and Cloud had their showdown at the Edge of Creation, you started feeling that same eeriness from earlier.

When Sephiroth talked about not wanting to end, you somehow resonated with him. It’s a deep-seated need in all of us to make lasting impacts and stand out from the crowd.

You now wanted to be someone greater. Someone who was confident, not timid, and unwavering in the face of adversity.

Sephiroth smiled as he saw the impact his words had on you and Cloud. He will find you to be a valuable asset.

He knows how you guided Cloud and his party. You’re no longer a mere spectator, you’re a playmaker. If only you could recognize the immense power you wield over their lives, and the world they know.

Cloud himself always felt your presence. But he hadn’t been conscious of it until Sephiroth brought it up.

He now understands that your existence contributes to the torment that Sephiroth is inflicting upon him.

His poor soul was overwhelmed and confused, struggling to make sense of it all. He was powerless to alter his own fate, and it frustrated him. The pain and anguish he experienced was unbearable, yet some powerful outsider just watched him go through it?

But… not all of it was bad. The good times Cloud had couldn’t be ignored. Your presence gave him the chance to have cherished moments with his loved ones. And he had good moments with you as well.

You made him feel invincible in combat; you got him and his friends out of difficult predicaments, pushed him to get better like Sephiroth (just not in a traumatizing way ofc).

His heart is set on meeting you. He’s not ready to trust you. But maybe you can alter his destiny if your intentions aren’t dark like Sephiroth’s?

Sephiroth was deeply interested in the special connection between you and Cloud. That is how he will get to you. Through Cloud. One puppet to another. He will still observe you in his astral projection form when the stars align for it.

Oh, the joy he’ll have when exploiting that connection. When good times come, despair lurks behind, like a shadow. The closer you are to Cloud, the closer he is to you, and vice versa. The three of you together would be unstoppable. You can will change their fates.

Though it seems like he would have to push you. Just like he pushed Cloud.

He found your shyness cute and amusing at times. Though, it would have to be broken, eventually. He will mold you into the perfect pawn.

You turned the game off after watching the credits. You’re exhausted after playing FF7R for so long. You ready yourself for bed, turning off your bedroom lights.

As you drift into your slumber, a gentle, deep voice echoes around you in the darkness.

“Through suffering, you will grow strong.“

Author note: I went with 7R Sephiroth because I love to hate this creepy, magnificent bastard and there are already several hints of his self-awareness. Cloud’s inclusion was absolutely necessary to go with the self-aware theme (in my opinion). This was an interesting idea to work with, thanks!

#sephiroth x reader #cloud strife x reader #a dose of Sefikura if you squint #self aware final fantasy #final fantasy x reader #final fantasy 7 x reader #ff7 sephiroth #tw: bullying #tw: emotional manipulation #self aware au #self aware #sephiroth #cloud strife #ff7 #ff7 x reader #final fantasy 7

254 notes · View notes

celenawrites · 9 months

Text

TW - just a vent about fandom stuff.

I feel kinda sad about how some creators in the CoD fandom have now abandoned creating content for the game series due to the demanding nature of other fans who used to consume their content. (fics, art, etc)

Like, these artists/writers in the fandom write fanfics/create art, FOR FREE OF COST and dedicate SO MUCH TIME AND ENERGY to their craft despite not getting much in return, only to deal with senseless hate, ignorance, stupidity and get treated as content generation machines; instead of actual human beings with jobs and studies and friends and families that need their time and attention as well.

A lot of us folks who write or draw do this as a hobby. As an outlet for our creativity, and we find this community for the media we are currently fixated on and we create things inspired by it cuz it brings us joy. IT MAKES US HAPPY SO WE CREATE CONTENT FOR IT!!! And then to see the same fandom/community and their horrendous behaviour driving away the creators from the fandom and the media itself is just....sad. Very disheartening.

Like I miss so many of the creators who have just given up on CoD cuz of this issue. Their works have inspired me to start writing again. They make me wish I start learning how to draw and paint again too. Their works have touch my soul, and made me happy - gave me something to look forward to every day.

But I'd much rather they leave the fandom and take care of themselves and their life, than to succumb to this weird pressure fans and fan-content consumers put on them, y'know?

Plus recently, I've seen a lot of racist and stereotypical prejudices from some CoD fans (and even some creators). I know a lot of them are new to the fandom, I was too. But I took an active effort to learn more about this game series. (and it's an ongoing effort cuz I cannot afford to play the games so I have to settle for wiki articles, gameplays, and comics) And I see so many fans not give a shit about it. They treat these characters as blank canvases to fulfill their hypersexual fantasies. (I like me a good smut fic or two, don't get me wrong) But that just makes it impossible for newer fans to get to know more about the lore and the characters. I had just finished watching the campaign for MW, and let me tell you, there are so many complex missions, characters and storylines to explore and depict through fanfics, and it's insane so many people disregard it for their whimsies so easily. That will just stunt your growth as an artist/writer! Read up on the lore, watch the game plays(the OGs and the remakes!) , maybe even read the comics!!! I promise you won't regret it ever!!!

Also, please! For all that is holy, stop putting these complex fictional characters into restricted boxes and label them. That just makes them so one-dimensional. Like -

Soap is not always cheery and bubbly and your fellow bestie. Simon is not an abuser/emotionally dead asshole just because he has a hard time expressing his emotions like everyone else. König, despite the lack of storyline/lore we have on him, isn't an uwu social anxiety babygirl, damn it. Stop excluding Gaz from your HCs and fics! He's a complex man with so many interesting things to explore about his overall story and psyche as a part of 141. He's not always begging for Price's approval either, he can and has objected to how questionable their methods have been regarding their field/work. Stop excluding Gaz from 141 stuff! It makes you look like a POS, and a lot of the people who exclude him are doing so for....pretty racist reasons. As a POC, this shit sucks balls. Also stop stereotyping POC characters in CoD - Alejandro, Rudy, Valeria, Gaz, Farah....just stop. Their ethnicity or race should not deter you from writing about them in a way that doesn't come across as prejudiced and ill-informed.

Also, not necessarily a rant, but please consider/remember the fact that the military has always been a bit of a morally dubious field of work irl, and just cuz CoD is military-centric and features characters who work in the army or PMC and take out bad guys - that doesn't take away from the violent history military has and how they have contributed to the deterioration of many countries (mainly in the Middle East). Heck, even these characters in the CoD games have done extremely unethical things and employed treacherous methods in order to get the job done. These characters may be good people in fiction, but that doesn't mean that they have done great things or have always stayed morally pure. Explore the dubious nature of it all - explore how dark and harrowing it can be for them and for the people that unwittingly or knowingly get involved in their work. It's dark and twisted but it's crucial since it's inspired from our world and it's necessary for us as humans and as artists to explore such themes and analyse them! It's crucial for the soul!!!

#call of duty #cod:mw2 #kyle gaz garrick #john soap mactavish #captain john price #simon ghost riley #alex keller #farah karim #cod #alejandro vargas #valeria garza #rudolfo parra #fandom #tw vent #celena.rambles

94 notes · View notes

anonymous-eggys-gone-feral · 10 months

Text

Just the Two of Us (Part 1)

You drag Nicky to the private hot tub for some fun, but Nicky has other plans for what fun means tonight…

word count: 1,965

warnings: a bit o' biting, implied desire to receive oral

Reader is Gender-neutral! (they/them pronouns)

This is an NSFW fic! Be responsible and respectful of my boundaries!!! (check pinned post on my blog)

Tonight is a night you just can not fall asleep. Every now and then this happens. you lay there all cozy, but your brain and body both still have so much energy.

It's certainly not a terrible energy, but it's not exactly pleasant to lay there all bored either. you could read a book or work on any of the other many hobbies you've picked up in all the time you have……or you could drag Nicky to the private hot tub under the disguise of needing to relax in it and jump him when he's least expecting it and turn it into a funny midnight wrestling match. Yes.

With your perfectly mischievous plan in place, you turn to face a peaceful Nicky, who has his arm lazily wrapped around your waist. Okay, maybe only if he's awake enough and gives a confident yes…

As you're contemplating how terrible it would be to drag such a beautifully relaxed angel out of bed in the middle of the night, his eyes sleepily open and his grip on your waist tightens to pull you closer.

"Somethin' on my face, love?" he mumbles, his voice vibrating deeply in his chest. He presses a soft tired kiss to your lips, which you gladly return.

"Just those same two gorgeous moles that I always want to kiss. But, uh," it's now or suffer even more boredom.

"Yes?" Nicky urges you to continue, giving his full attention.

"I can't sleep. If you wanted to… maybe we could relax in our private hot tub area under the stars?"

"relax there? not here in bed?" He questions.

Shoot he must be onto you already. "I- I just mean maybe a change of scenery with the nice water would help me relax and fall asleep easier, but we don't have to," you quickly backpedal.

Nicky lets out an affectionate chuckle as he sits up, rubbing your side gently. "You are awful wound up tonight, huh. Since when have I said no to relaxin' there with you, anyway? my votes on 'let's do it', toots."

With the first step of your plan in place you excitedly hop up immediately, tossing the covers over without a care for remaking the bed. "I'll grab towels!"

"Don't bother, my love. I made sure anything we'll ever need will be there for us whenever we need it," Nicky says, his amusement at your reaction very clear.

"Perfect." With that out of the way, you grab Nicky's hand and drag him down the hallways of the house and outside, both of you giggling like you two had only been together for a month and were being devious, despite being married.

When you arrive at the private grotto, you begin searching for bathing suits.

"What're you looking for?" Nicky asks as he removes his shirt, revealing his hypnotizingly gorgeous chest and stomach.

"Bathing suits? You said everything we needed would be here," you answer.

Nicky gives you a sly smirk and raises an eyebrow while smoothly saying "We don't need no bathing suits if it's just the two of us, do we?"

His response makes you grin as you remember him saying something similar the day before you had married him. "I suppose not, Nicholas." you lovingly roll your eyes as you begin stripping.

You pause for a moment to glance behind you to see what progress Nicky has made with his undressing. Much to your joy, he's neatly folding his clothes and your eyes land on his bare butt. That beautiful divine butt that you could stare at forever. It had to be the most perfectly shaped butt you've ever had the privilege of seein-

"Distracted by something, darling?"

You slowly raise your eyes to meet his highly amused face. You can't even think of a sly comeback, nor can you think of a lie. So you respond with a blunt, "You have a nice ass," before turning away to continue taking off your clothes. This earns a hardy laugh from Nicky that echoes in the room as you hear his feet hit the floor as he saunters over to you.

His hands meet your waist as he presses a kiss to your neck. "Need help?"

You melt inside as you tilt your head to the side in hopes that his lips will linger there for just a little while longer. "I certainly wouldn't mind."

He seems to get the message and indulges, hugging your waist closer and pressing more kisses to your neck. You let out a breathy sigh that turns into a moan as his kisses turn to nibbles.

His kisses travel to your back and down further as he lowers himself to remove your pants and undergarment slowly, gently.

God, forget playing games, this haze of lovely contrasting energy between his bitey kisses on your hips and the gentle way he runs his hands up and down your thighs is all you need now. You can't stop yourself from imagining all the ways his mouth could caress more of your body… all the ways his tongue could touch and tease and suck you. Just the thought makes you more than weak as another moan escapes your lips.

And as soon as you think your legs will turn to pure jelly and you're thoroughly hot and bothered, he suddenly stops and sweeps you off your feet to carry you like royalty.

"Wh- Nicky? Why'd you stop?" You whine as you wrap your arms around his neck.

"I thought the goal was to relax you in the water, not wind you up even more?" Nicky teases as he walks you both to the tub, gently lowering you in.

The water was absolutely perfect as it washed over your bare body. Not too hot, not too cold, but not lukewarm either. Perfectly warm.

The way the reflection of the dimly lit water reflected on the walls and gave way to stars and the gorgeous moon high above you both was utterly perfect. And the way all those elements looked resting on your beloved's face as he lovingly relaxed with you in his arms. It only made you want him more.

Joking around is long forgotten as you shift to straddle his waist and raise a hand out of the water to guide his face, his soft lips, closer to yours. "I'm already wound up, my love, too late. But perhaps you could help tire me out?" you practically whisper pleadingly.

In this close proximity you can feel exactly how that action and those words affected him. His member twitches against your leg as he amorously gazes at you. He gives in and mumbles "I'd love to please you, gorgeous."

His lips meet yours and the gratification of giving in to desire is immediate and mind scattering.

The kisses start out soft, gentle, slow. Quickly enough, they turn hungrier and more desperate. Nicky bites at your bottom lip as if desperate to get closer and closer as you deepen the kiss, allowing his tongue to meet yours.

You throw one arm around his neck and bury your other hand in his hair, pressing your chest against his. In response he grips your waist and pulls you flush against him. Flush against his hard warm member that has practically come to life at this point.

This only increases your mounting frustration, which comes to a peak when Nicky pulls away from your already swelling lips to begin pressing sucking bitey kisses to your shoulders and neck. The type that you can already tell are gonna leave beautiful marks for you to gaze upon in the morning.

Your hips shift and buck as you rub against him for any sort of friction to relieve the pressure building inside of your stomach. You let out a groan of pleasure as you feel your sex make contact with his and suddenly your thoughts are flooded with the need for more, more.

As much as you want him inside of you right this moment, as much as you want to wrap your thighs around his waist while he thrusts into you, you know that'd be a bit… too difficult in water.

And Nicky seems to feel and know this too, letting out a moan of his own and shifting his hips to rub against you before lifting you up and setting you on the edge of the pool in a hesitant manner.

"Lemme grab some things we need real fast, my love," he practically growls against your throat as he leaves a trail of kisses from your neck to your lips before pulling away and swiftly heading to grab things.

"Would you like help?" you chuckle.

"Maybe spread this towel out beneath you? It'll make you a hell of a lot more comfortable" Nicky responds as he shoots a wink at you while tossing a towel at you.

You catch it somehow despite the low lighting and unfold the large plush towel. It might as well be a blanket, honestly. It's perfect for this. As you're settling yourself on it, Nicky comes back over with a bottle of lube and a condom in hand.

"May I?" You ask, gesturing for the condom. As he lowers himself to his knees in front of you, he gladly hands it over.

"As long as I get to do part two," he says confidently as you carefully open the condom package.

"You can direct the entire scene for all I care, I'm all yours, Nicholas."

You take the moment to take in the way his wet body looks in the moonlight. the way the water reflections shift and glimmer on all the right parts of him. The way his hip bone glows and shining moonlit water droplets roll down his thick chest and stomach, all the way down to his- you get the deal.

He may as well be a god in this moment. A god you'd let consume you if it was his wish or whim to do so. He would never be such a god, but the sentiment is still there. In all the power and control he has, he still falls to his knees when faced with his love and desire for you. Nothing makes him lose control more than just the image of your body entertwined with his, in pure pleasure. And tonight, you want nothing more than to make him fully lose control.

Nicky seems to revel in your attention as if he could read your thoughts while you rise to your knees and reach forward to tip his chin towards you. He lowers his lips to yours to meet in a long passionate kiss while you skillfully slip the condom on him, silently begging your usually clumsy hands to be steady and pleasurable.

And pleasurable they are. you shift the hand at his chin and drag your fingers lightly down his chest and stomach, settling it on his hip. The way you touch him sends a shiver through his body, much to your satisfaction. You use the leverage to tug him closer, all while stroking his hard excitement in the way you've learned earns you the most moans and drives him insane. Gentle palm rub at the tip, all encompassing around the shaft all the way down and back up. and repeat. not too hard and not too soft with your touch to tease him to lose his mind.

Nicky almost vibrates beneath your methodical calculated touch as he lets out a groan.

"You really know how to drive me crazy, love. You know that?" He moans out.

"I absolutely do, Nicky. Do you have anything else to say about it?"

Nicky gives you a devious smirk despite how flushed his face is as he answers, "I say it's time for part two."

~~~~~~~~~

a/n: tee hee sorry yall. part two will be coming out soon enough! Just thought y'all would want this in the meantime :) i will be linking part two here as well when i finish it and post it!

#enjoy part onnnnne its spicy as is but the main show is comin up #fictif nicky #fictif nicky valentino #fictif tatw #fictif two against the world #nicky fictif #nicky tatw #nicky valentino #nicky valentino fictif #fictif fanfic #nicky valentino smut #nicky valentino x reader #madebyeggy

72 notes · View notes

the-romcommunist · 2 years

Text

a list of my comfort shows:

fleabag - phoebe waller bridge, i want to be you when i grow up. The writing, the acting, the comedic beats, need I say more. I could analyse this show for forever and still wouldn't get bored. The juxtaposition of fleabag and her deflection through comedy with her grief is so poignant, it always makes me feel all the Feelings™️

normal people - genuinely the most perfect book to tv show adaptation i have ever seen. usually, the book or the show is better but in this case, the book and the show add to their respective counterparts, its crazy. also, the acting by daisy edgar jones and paul mescall is so well done. I have watched normal people so many times that i literally watch the show on shuffle. my thought process: "hmm today feels like an episode 8 type of day"

leverage - everyone go watch that show rn, its so fucking good, every single season slaps. are you aware of how rare that is?? and the fact that this show aired on television while actively criticising every major organisation is insane. i genuinely believe that if i hadn't already been radicalised, just from looking at the world around me, this show would have pushed me over the edge. i love my criminal found family. the depth and nuance to all their relationships but also how campy and fun the show is makes for such a fun watching experience. i have such a good time every time i watch because, let’s be real, who doesn’t love a good heist.

teen wolf - but especially season 3. the downside of making season three such Good television is that it ruins the rest of the series. nothing else after or before season three of teen wolf can live up to the standard set by season three. also, dylan o'brien in season three? man really brought out the big guns, and I love that for him

skam - literally any version, i have watched each remake so many times. this show drives me nuts, when i fall into a skam phase, i fall deep. it happens like once every two years, and for like 2 months straight, i don't watch anything but skam. i don't know why i like skam so much, it just makes me feel so comforted.

veronica mars - does kristen bell age? I mean, she looks the same in veronica mars and the good place. anyways, veronica mars. it is everything riverdale wished it could be. it's one of the only shows i've seen that, while catering to a teenage and young adult audience, doesn't talk down to their audience. and i love that while there's the overarching narrative, it's also a procedural so every episode is different. means that you can just pick and episode and watch it. it also means that some episodes let the teenage characters actually be teenagers (ahem, unlike every other teen drama show)

anne with an e - anne with an e just makes me want to enjoy my life. especially the mundane, quiet, small moments that i otherwise don't think about. anne shirley cuthbert is such a vivid character, i almost always watch a couple episodes of awae when i'm sick. probably because i first watched it when i was sick. the show, while not all happy go lucky, makes me feel like i’m getting the media equivalent of a warm hug.

arrow - but only season 1, 2 and 3. sometimes i just want to watch something that really doesn't require you to pay attention. maybe i’ve just finished exams and my mental bandwidth is like, -1, in which case i only have the energy for something like arrow. there’s nothing more to it than what’s being told to you on screen and sometimes that’s all you need (or all you can handle)

shameless - i don't know why this dysfunctional family brings me such comfort but it does. i just love watching the family dynamic. clearly. looking over this list, i am realising that found family is exactly what i look for in everything i watch. watching the effects that every character has on each other is so interesting but the shows also just so funny? i mean come on, there’s no other show that does recaps as well as shameless does. also, the best enemies to lovers arc ever executed on screen? ian gallagher and mickey milkovich, hands down. for a show that’s so coarse, they gave these two such a heart warming arc.

the OA - i am so jealous of britt marling's mind. she's a genius. the tone of the OA is so different to anything else i have watched, it’s so refreshing. the only show that i feel maybe has a similar tone is mr robot, but while mr robot has you constantly on edge and wary of everything that’s happening on screen, the OA is calming. the chinese box narrative structure is done so organically and so kindly (?? it’s the only word i can think of that fits) you can’t help but feel for the characters, no matter how much of an asshole the character is. in fact, this show might have actually changed my mind on a whole lot of things regarding how we treat others. again, the found family aspect is present, front and centre. then there's the romance between OA and Homer. it is so pure. I can't even articulate my feelings about this show, it's so mind bendingly good

#fleabag #normal people #leverage #teen wolf #skam #veronica mars #anne with an e #awae #the OA #arrow #shameless #comfort shows #if anyone comes across this #feel free to add your own comfort shows

487 notes · View notes

milkiedimitrescu · 5 months

Text

yall I just had a whole shadows of rose dream of alcina helping rose in a way during her journey 😭❤️(i wrote this as a fic before but never finished it. But I may rewrite it in the future to look onto that 👀)

(slight long post warning btw)

ANYWAYYYSSS!!!

This dream was quite short so it starts off with Rosemary running from one of those faceless monster things and there is this orb (alcina) that is roaming around helping rose with her every need. Then the dream cut to Rose about to be attacked by this big ass dude right here:

But THEEEEN, orb alcina comes in to save the day and swarms the monster, uses some sort of sketchbook (using some sort of telekenisis), draws HER arm holding a damn glock AND THEN THE THING COMES TO LIFE WHAT THE FUCK??? Naur cause alcina was swarming the monster at the time just to distract it and she even went as far as shooting the thing with a damn drawing and the drawing was shooting damn bullets. Alcina the orb tells rose to Run and get out of here or something. Rose does just that and thats when the dream cut off and I woke up.

To give more detail on how Alcina looked as an orb, it was basically this photo right here. I tried to find a more accurate one.

Now, my thoughts and theories!!! Because now i have lots of thoughts about this dream and whether or not I should bring this idea to life.

What I am theorizing is that the lords are all little balls of energy that can go invisible and visible. Similar to ethan in the original Shadows Of Rose DLC, they are able to write messages on the walls leading whoever is in the megamycete with them in order to lead them to the right direction. They are able to manifest themselves into their normal human walking type forms whenever they please. They can just basically do anything as an orb. The Lords can also speak as an orb also as shown in my dream, (alcina telling rose to run even though shes a fuckin ball of energy flying around).

My thoughts are plain simple. I'M INTERESTED AS FUCK AS WHAT MY BRAIN HAS CREATED WHAT. The storyline of this dream was so god damn interesting like i swear to god I might write this shit.

Possible??? Fanfic remake of "How Shadows Of Rose Should Have Been" storyline???

Alright... I know I mentioned this a million times already but I still cannot get this idea of my dream of shadows of rose being a fanfic. I will just write out how the storyline would play out only in the beginning, since I do not want to spoil anything.

The story begins with Rosemary walking to the dude on the bench like the original game and they start talking and stuff and then she mentions how she wants to get rid of her powers. Rose even went as far as calling herself a freak and the man assures her she is not a freak and we will find a way to make that happen. And now cut, they are now at the lab where this tiny piece of the megamycete is stored inside a jar glowing on and off as to show it is still alive.

The man explains that the megamycete might be the key to getting rid of her powers. That she may have to go INSIDE the megamycete in order to achieve that. Rose asks how she should do this? Well, the man explains to her that maybe she should close her eyes and focus on the jar while reaching her hand to it. He comments that this is only his guess as he does not really know if this would even work or not.

She did just that, and it worked. Her whole vision went white and she woke up in that one place in the original DLC where she was surrounded by windows of memories of people. She even saw her mom and dad arguing over something. She heard voices, lots of voices getting louder and louder as she fell through the atlantic void that is under the ocean. She couldnt take it anymore and told the void to SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! Yes I will make her curse here just for shits and gigs

Now... She wakes up inside the same lab. But there is catch. This wasn't the same lab as the previous one. It was a copy of it. A more dim light version of it. She called out for the man and she was only left in silence so she went through the door that was in front of her.

The door led her to the dungeon and remember how Alcina was the one to be behind those closed doors?(If you had read the fic before ofc. If not, that is alright. Just take this as a spoiler.) How when Rose found the key to help the supposed woman who was trapped in a room and even going as far to go inside the room and nobody was there. Well is is more different in the remake.

There was also a giant puddle of mold in which a giant hand grabs rose by the feet and then....

Her vision goes black. She begins to wake up and she was in a white void... Not just any white void... She was in a field of white flowers with grey grass surrounding her. Rose realized she was laying down and got up and now looked everywhere. There was no end to this black and white field of grass and white roses. She went on to explore until she came across a strange orb floating in mid air. She literally asks herself what is this and touches it and suddenly it explodes. White light everywhere to the point Rosemary had to squeeze her eyes shut.

When she reopened them... the orb was gone. And her reality began to crumble before her eyes and she was now back in the dungeon. She was in the same room she found herself in and was right next to the giant puddle of mold. When she turned around to leave, guess what was there?

The same orb. Now it was talking to her. Telling her to follow it. Rose only stared in awe.

AND THAT'S ALL!!! hope ypu had fun on this journey with me yeah💀👍 Milkie out.

#alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #resident evil village #resident evil #re8 lady dimitrescu #re8 alcina #resident evil 8 #lady alcina dimitrescu #re8 #alcina demitriscu #how shadows of rose should have been #shadows of rose #rose winters #rosemary winters #re8 village #re8 fic

23 notes · View notes

fightabear · 2 months

Text

okay i just got home from atlantic entertainment expo and i need to share the highlight of my con. also hi @amtrax i cannot believe you found me here

so! last year i started tabling at conventions. last year's Atlantic Entertainment Expo was my first one ever. i absolutely love doing this and getting to meet fellow creatives, and i try to make it a point to create something for creators & actors whose work really impacted me as a way of giving back. and like it feels like (to me, this is not reflective of reality but the imposter syndrome) giving a teacher a stick figure drawing they're just going to put on the fridge. but it's the smallest way to show appreciation for the work they've done that's made my life better.

the second i heard that austin lee matthews, motorcycle master of midgar himself, was coming to one of my local conventions up here in the ass end of canada, i was excited. immediately knew i had to make something special because roche was one of my very favorite things about remake and i'll quote his big bombastic speech patterns when i'm trying to psyche myself up to deal with difficult clients at the day job.

so i make my little roche charms, set one aside and keep it on me, and go about my con weekend - and end up being so busy i can't slip away. i check his table a few times when its slow but i keep missing him, so i just resolve to get it to him tomorrow or send one of my friends.

and an important part of this story is i am terrible with recognizing people from photographs. like... once i actually meet someone in person that information is locked and loaded but i don't remember faces from photo promos.

(i have a story where i didn't recognize adam croasdell who stopped by to talk to me during setup last year, which was my first year of doing cons & i was so busy trying to get everything set up and i didn't recognize him because i was so deep in 'oh god what am i doing' and that is going to haunt me)

near to the end of the day i'm working on a client's commission and someone comes up to my table and waits incredibly patiently as i'm trying to muddle through some EOD burnout. sometimes people just come up and watch me draw so it can be kind of hard to tell if someone's just vibing or waiting for my attention (and my helper had disappeared into the ether so i was Very Whelmed) so when i finally turn, incredibly apologetic and awkward because oh god they were so patient and were waiting way too long, this guy is still beaming. i'm just like! i'm so sorry, is there anything i can help you with? and he just grins and says,

"oh i just wanted to come by and say," and then immediately drops into the roche voice, "HELLO MY FRIEND!"

AND WHEN I TELL YOU I LOSE IT. i immediately apologize to the client because i just need to give this man the thing i made, so i grab the charm and offer it and just start gushing. we get to chat a little bit - i don't even remember i was just so excited - but i have a client waiting. so i assume he's going to disappear into the crowd because - this is taking so much time.

but austin just stands there as i finish the commission... which takes longer than planned! i don't even know how long he was there. he's super supportive the entire time, making comments about my art, and when the commission is done and the client leaves.

so! he buys a vincent charm and then shows me the adorable promptis print he bought from another table and is just like a goddamn ray of sunshine the entire time. he also tipped which he absolutely did not need to do. again - incredibly enthusiastic and excited just to be there and be around fellow fans. it made my entire weekend. we get to talk a little more before i text my next one to let them know i'm ready for them.

i didn't get nearly as much time as i wanted to because man if someone every radiated golden retriever best friend energy, it's austin. literally everyone i spoke to who interacted with him was so taken.

he stopped by again near the end of the day yesterday when i had a line again so i didn't get to talk, but then he dropped that he'd found my tumblr (i'm sure my face was a perfect mask of horror, i pretend to be a professional artist & adult on twitter and here is where i radiate my feral rat gremlin energy) and i am going to finish the extra surprise i was working on and add more to it because - sincerely - made my convention and turned what could have been a very stressful situation into a wonderful memory. my literal only regret is that i forgot my ultimanias at home (along with half of my setup, crying into my hands) because i wanted to get those signed.

Austin, i will bring my awkward ass to your dms once i've recovered from con crunch, but sincerely if you are ever on PEI or get the hankering to go during the summer season, please hit me up. my family has a little cottage by the beach (not to be confused with a cabin in the woods) that is welcome and free for friends to use (in the least parasocial way possible, welcome to the island. after like two good conversations with someone you're buddies). i love the island, i love sharing what i love about it, and i hope this weekend made it clear that the island loves you.

( also if you ever have any art needs that require... whatever in the hell my style is please know i am here )

my god. i cannot emphasize how much i love doing conventions. the vibes, the excitement, all of the connections. realizing people are getting to be regulars and i recognize them from con to con and i get to ask them about how their year was while i draw and get to celebrate the good and try to offer whatever i can to balance out the bad.

my heart is so full right now.

also!! if anyone is still reading this rambling post, please check out @palletteknife. this isn't final fantasy related i am just absolutely obsessed with their work and spent like all sunday showing people this fantastic carrie charm they made ITS SO CUTE AND HORRIFYING AND THE STYLE IS AMAZING

#roche #atlantic entertainment expo #austin lee matthews #con life

11 notes · View notes

hotwaterandmilk · 7 months

Text

Paripi Koumei/Ya Boy Kongming drama eps 2-3

After proving himself worthy of being Eiko's strategist, Kongming helps her not only out-perform event rivals Jet Jacket, but quickly works at finding a rapper to elevate her appeal.

Plot-wise the gist of these episodes is the same as the arcs in the manga (and anime) with Kongming using his tactics to outsmart Jet Jacket while still offering them an olive branch at the end of the day. KABEtaijin is then introduced as a rapper struggling to find his confidence after having succumb to stagnation following an on-stage incident.

What makes the drama stand out while covering the same ground as previous incarnations of the story is how it recognises in its 44-minute episode length it has time to play around with the setting and characters.

So instead of having a scene in the back office of BB Lounge involve Kobayashi, Kongming and Eiko just standing around talking we have Kobayashi riding the faux horse we spotted last episode for the majority of the scene. It is ridiculous and exactly what a TV show needs to break up moments that work well in a manga but could potentially drag in live action.

Rather than being a shot-for-shot remake of the manga, the drama leans into comedy with us actually following Kongming around properly as he surveils his targets in episodes 2 and 3. The absurdity of this man dressed as he is while trying to be subtle and also film on a smartphone is genuinely funny. However, the show never fails to underscore the lead's lighthearted ways by showing his past actions as fragments of a bold historical melodrama and it really, really works.

But Kongming isn't the only character to benefit from the way the drama embraces its unique perspective. We get to see a bit more of RYO from Jet Jacket and get a greater feel for his motivations. We get some genuinely hilarious doco segments with Maezono Keiji that establish his ego and single-mindedness long before (I assume) we get to meet him properly.

Even the moments that ARE straight out of the manga are translated to screen well, like KABEtaijin's encounter with Kongming at the laundromat. You can completely understand why KABEtaijin freaks out, but it's hard to ignore just how utterly silly it all is.

The third episode ends just before Kongming forces KABEtaijin's hand and begins their rap battle. And yes, before you ask, Kongming did ride in on something OTT (like he did in the manga):

Perhaps not as OTT as his ride in the manga, but I can't fault this show for how it has spent its budget. Not only does everything look top notch, the amount of care that has been spent on producing the performers in the show is amazing. For example, their releases are featured on all major streaming platforms and Jet Jacket got a proper MV for 'MID DAY'. They didn't have to go to this much effort but they did and that really adds another layer to the drama. It features the same characters and story we already know, but it still manages to hit different.

Things I didn't like

I still feel like Eiko is the weakest part of the drama. Kamishiraishi Moka isn't a bad actor and her singing as EIKO is solid, there's just a real low-energy feel to this version of Eiko that I had hoped would go away after the first episode. It's a shame, as I mentioned in my post about the first drama ep, I love Eiko in the anime and manga so I was fully expecting to love her in the drama too but she is still falling flat for me idk.

The throat-healing concoction that Kongming shares with Jet Jacket has a whole preparation scene that felt really unnecessary? Like oooh look at him brewing this ancient, weird, stinky broth. The drink has the same effect as the manga/anime versions but the whole prep scene didn't work for me.

I won't say it was bad, because I liked the idea of it being adapted for the drama but Kongming house hunting alone didn't work nearly as well as the manga version with Eiko did. Without her there to sort of balance him out or even to help add a bit of context (suggesting he stop living at BB Lounge with Kobayashi) means I'm not sure if the ultimate punchline (his staying put after driving the real estate agent batshit) will work as well. I'm willing to see where this goes though, if they decide to continue it as a minor plot thread or just decide to have him never leave BB. Either way, I think the manga got it right the first time with this.

Stuff I did like

I thought the official Twitter account was exaggerating when they said we'd see a more gentle side to Kobayashi in the drama, but they really have made an effort to humanise the guy a bit more and I'm absolutely here for it. While the manga acknowledges that Kobayashi is a decent guy, a lot of his character there remains tied up in explaining and reacting to the revelation of Kongming's tactics.

The drama doesn't opt for Kobayashi holding a stray rabbit during the Jet Jacket performance per the manga, but it does have a few little things he does which help add depth to his relationship with other characters. When Eiko is lamenting he gently punches her head, he looks up at Kongming for approval with his Three Kingdoms asides more than once, and I did really like this exchange between the two when Kongming admits his past mistakes as they drink together.

Overall these were two more great episodes in a drama series that is shaping up to be a more than adequate take on the source material. Bring on the rest of the eps!

#paripi koumei #ya boy kongming #ya boy kongming!#paripi koumei spoilers #ya boy kongming spoilers #ya boy kongming! spoilers #drama #ramblings #the photo killed me #anyway i'm not having a great week pain-wise so this is very rambly #forgive my nonsense but this series has got me good

18 notes · View notes