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footprintsinthesxnd · 5 months

Text

Out of the Woods

So finally here is the fic to accompany the Liebgott Taylor Swift moodboard (as seen below) Pairings: Joseph Liebgott x reader. Warnings: swearing, gore (reader is a nurse), war themes

Normandy 1944

Joseph Liebgott had never been the easiest man to get along with, he was stubborn and opinionated and was built like a ticking time bomb, the slightest thing could set him off and that was the mistake Y/n made when she first bumped into him.

“Hey, watch where ya going ya shit head!” Y/n stumbled forward, her threadbare boots scuffing in the mud as she dropped the wooden crate of medical supplies, cursing as the valuable, clean bandages unravelled into the sludgy puddle. The path outside the aid station was a thick mire and often reminded Y/n of the way her father had reminisced about the trenches of the Great War.

“ I should watch where I’m going?” Y/n spat, narrowing her eyes at the paratrooper, “You’re the one who just cost first battalion half of their medical supplies.” Throwing the salvageable bandages back into the box in anguish, the crumpled lumps of clay-coloured cloth were no good now. Y/n wasn’t sure how she was going to break the news to Eugene; the medic wasn’t known for his anger but knowing their situation this would surely push him over the edge.

The paratrooper spun around to face her, his skin pale and dark eyes encircled by purple, “oh so first battalion got their own personal nurse now? No wonder those fuckers are so cheerful,” he sneered, oblivious of the accident he had inflicted and not bother to offer any kind of assistance as Y/n fumbled anxiously for the supplies.

“No, I’m distributing supplies to all the medics in each battalion of Dog, Easy and Fox company actually, but maybe when I find out which battalion you’re from I’ll conveniently skip them,” she snapped back, thrusting the waterlogged box aggressively under her arm, no longer concerned by the trail of sludge leaking down her white apron.

“Good day, Corporal.”

Holland 1944

The second time they met was no better. Joe had been injured on a patrol and his neck was bleeding profusely through the rudimentary bandage wrapped poorly in a limp scarf.

“Liebgott just let me look at it God dammit,” Y/n reached over, her nimble fingers trying desperately to remove the bandage from his neck but he flinched away. Her fingers barely brushed against the dressing as he shot up from his seat in a receptive, crumbling leather chair situated in the corner of the temporary aid station, having once been someone’s home that now lay abandoned and derelict.

“No, get off me. I don’t need your help. Where’s Doc Roe?” Liebgott snapped, and Y/n sighed elaborately; she was in no mood for this kind of attitude. There were eleven other men in the aid station who would all greatly appreciate being attended too.

“Doc Roe is dealing with other casualties. You got me or nothing.”

Liebgott snorted, “Guess I’ll just bleed to death then.”

Y/n protested but Liebgott had already shouldered his M1 and was making his way towards the entrance.

“Why won’t you just let me look at it?” Y/n hollered, a little louder than she had intended and alerted the other paratroopers.

Joe spun on his heels, his mouth-eaten jump boots, scraping the rough, wooden floorboards.

“I don’t want some woman half-assing a dressing because she wants to be part of the war effort. This is no place for a woman, it is a man's war,” he vituperated her, taking no notice of the stares he was receiving from his friends. “I don’t want your help,” his word was final and his boots were heavy as he departed leaving a deafening silence in his wake.

“I don’t know what his problem is with me, Gene,” Y/n sighed, as she finished unpacking the fresh medical supplies from one of the many crates from their much-needed supply drop. Her muscles griped, but soon relaxed as she finally took a seat on one of the crates; Y/n had been on her feet all day. “I don’t know why he hates me.”

Eugene's dark eyes followed her movements, sending a sympathetic smile her way as he dropped down beside her on the crates, “Liebgott is a hard man to read, ma Chérie.”

Y/n simpered, the right corner of her lips turning upwards at the nickname. Eugene, with his dark hair and kind eyes, had always been a striking character and the two were of one mind. His friendly but subdued nature seemed to draw people to him, making him a favourite within the company, including with Y/n who despite what other men in the Company thought was always a welcome hand by Eugene’s side,

“I just don’t understand why he hates me.”

“I don’t hate you,” the gruff voice caused the pair to turn; Y/n felt as though she may have whiplash from the speed at which she spun around, concerned by how much he could have heard from their conversation and worried that he would now think she was pathetic, lamenting about trivial problems. Joe, standing in the doorway leaning against his M1, seemed to have not heard the conversation or if he had he never made a comment. Instead, his dark eyes made their way towards Eugene, bloody bandages still pressed against the wound on his neck.

“Are you free to look at my neck now, Doc?” He asked, ignorant of Y/n presence - why should this be any different to any of their previous interactions? He stared blankly at Eugene.

“Sure, Liebgott,” Eugene stood up and moved over to his fellow paratrooper. “Take ya self a seat, I’ll grab ma things.”

Eugene disappeared, his heavy footfalls seemed to echo his departure and was the only sign Y/n needed.

“I’m going to head out, Gene. I’m shattered,” her hands fumbling into her musette bag, hastily stuffing the extra box of syrettes Eugene had given her into the inner pocket. Joe’s eyes seemed to dance after her, an unwanted shadow documenting her every movement. They followed her out of the door and even as her boots squelched unpleasantly down the track, her legs carrying her rapidly away from the watchful eyes. She couldn’t find it in her to turn around, to face him, too afraid of the glare he always sent her way.

Bastogne 1944

The Luftwaffe started dropping bombs around midnight. Y/n with blood encrusted under her short nails, had just finished her rounds, checking on all the wounded soldiers she had patched up during the day. The distinct whistling from above was her first clue that they weren’t going to have a quiet night. Like a deathly siren announcing the beginning of the end. Reneé appeared beside her, anxiety etched on her delicate features.

“We are in for a long night, Y/n. Grab what supplies you can.”

Y/n nodded, hurrying towards the store room when the first bomb whistled down on the church, shaking it from the rafters, dust falling in great clouds from the ceiling.

“Y/n, come quickly. We have to evacuate everyone.”

Along with the other nurses, Y/n helped Reneé evacuate the walking wounded first, sending injured soldiers into the snowy streets of Bastogne. Next came the more severely injured, hauled out on stretchers between two nurses.

“Y/n, stay out here with the wounded, check their wounds. We have to make sure no one has torn any stitches trying to escape. I’m going to try and get some more out,” Reneé called, hurrying back into the crumbling church with several other nurses hot on her heels.

Great flames billowed from the surrounding buildings, the night was ablaze with fire and smoke, and the earth shook with each eruption. Soldiers had started firing the Ack Ack guns at the aircraft above. The noise was deafening, a constant pounding over the top of the whistling bombs and explosions. Y/n could feel her heart pounding, a constant thumping in her ear reminding her that she was miraculously still alive.

The church was struck again and Y/n had to fight the urge to follow her friends into danger, but the wounded soldiers needed her. Lights flashed up behind her, illuminating the terrified nurse and her patients. She turned to see a jeep approaching, a wounded man strapped to the front wailing in agony, thrashing against his restraints. The jeep swerved to a halt and a figure came running towards her.

“EUGENE!” She cried out running to embrace her friend.

“Ma Chérie, are you alright?” Eugene hugged her tightly to his chest. Y/n couldn’t help the tears that began to fall, the growing emotions of the evening finally spilling from within her.

“Gene, Reneé went back inside,” Y/n sobbed, just as the third shell hit the church. They both watched in horror as the front of the church caved in, stone crumbling down into the street and blocking the entrance.

“NOOOO!” Y/n cried, thrashing against Eugene’s arms but he wouldn’t let go.

“No Y/n, please. There is nothing we can do. I can’t lose you too,” he admitted, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead as they shared in their grief.

Joe sat shivering in his foxhole, the cold seeping into his bones in a way that the winter in San Francisco never could have.

“Hey Joe,” George called out, plonking himself down beside him. “How ya doing?” George shoved his scuffed leather boot against Joe’s clothed leg, prodding him like an impatient child.

Joe turned to him, “How the fuck do you think I’m doing, George? I’m freezing my fucking ass off in the middle of the woods for a CO who can’t even make a decision.”

“Alright, jeez. Sorry for asking,” George raised his hands in surrender. “We just got news from Bastogne.” George began, trying to gauge Joe’s reaction. “It was hit by the Luftwaffe. The aid station… it’s gone.”

“Oh fucking brilliant. Now if we get hit we ain’t got no aid station either.”

George swallowed quickly, “Y/n was in Bastogne.”

Any words Joe had thought of died in the back of his throat. His face went as white as the snow on the ground and he could feel the sweat growing on his palms, his stomach plummeting into his jump boots.

“Is she…?”

“I don’t know, Joe. Doc’s not back yet but I wanted to prepare you in case.”

“In case of what?” Joe snapped, standing from his foxhole and slinging his M1 over his shoulder in anguish. “And why should I care anyway? It’s not like I like her or anything.”

“Fucking hell,” George whispered under his breath. “Joe, when are you gonna grow some balls and admit you’re in love with her. Everyone can see it, including Webster and he’s oblivious to most things.”

It was true George had to spell it out to him back in Holland before he got hit.

“Webster sent a letter to Hoobler the other week asking if you’d finally told Y/n.”

Joe sighed, running his hand over his face, deep in thought.

“Is it really that obvious?”

“Hell yes. I bet even the Krauts on the other side of the clearing can see it.”

Joe nodded slowly, “okay. As soon as I find her I’m gonna tell her.”

George nodded, watching as his friend hurried away to check if Eugene had returned.

“Let’s just hope he’s not too late.”

Y/n groaned as she straightened her back, stretching after what seemed like hours of bending over to apply dressings, carrying wounded men to transport vehicles, and digging through the rubble to collect supplies. Her friend's bodies had been retrieved from the church and lay in a neat row under rough, army-issued blankets. Y/n couldn’t bring herself to look at them, couldn’t bring herself to accept their fate.

She had seen members of Easy Company coming and going. A few had been sent by Captain Winters to help, bringing with them more wounded paratroopers from the front line. Y/n was too preoccupied to notice the familiar figure approaching her, she didn’t notice until he grabbed her arm firmly and spun her around to face him.

“Liebgott!” She gasped, raising her hand to smack him. “What the hell is your problem? You scared me half to death.”

Joe looked a mixture of shocked and confused until his cheeks grew a bright red.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He seemed genuinely sorry but Y/n was too consumed by her emotions to think rationally.

“Well you did a darn good job of that didn’t you,” she snapped. “You know if you’re just here to be mean or make some rude comment then you can forget it. I’m not in the mood today. I just lost my friends.” Y/n knew she should not have snapped, it wasn’t Joe’s fault but all the emotions were bubbling up inside her and if she felt anymore pain her heart would burst.

“That’s not why I’m here,” Joe began, he reached forward to take Y/n hand in his own. It was warm, comforting and almost felt familiar, as if he had been holding her hand all their lives. She let him but watched in confusion by this unusual act.

“I’m so sorry about your friends, Y/n. I know this must be difficult for you. I’m here because… well when George told me the aid station had been hit I couldn’t think of anything else than making sure you were okay. Y/n I realised something and…”

“Joe, let me stop you right there. Why would you care if I was okay or not? Joe you hate me… and… and I’ve never understood why?” Y/n sobbed, bringing her hand to cover her mouth, muffling her whimpers into her bloody sleeve. “Why do you hate me, Joe? What did I do wrong?”

Joe’s heart shattered at the sight of the broken woman in front of him. Her shoulders shook violently and tears flowed freely down her dirty cheeks, smudge with ash and mud. She looked frail, weak even and Joe hated that he’d caused it.

“Y/n, I never hated you. Why would you think that?” Joe moved towards her, collecting her hands in his own larger ones once more and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. “Talk to me, Y/n. Please.”

“Well you always shout at me and… and you wouldn’t l-let me treat your wound and y-you avoid me all the time,” she stammered, looking up at him through tear-filled lashes.

“Oh Sweetheart,” Joe pulled her against his chest, his breath felt warm and tingly against her neck. Y/n had never noticed that he was only slightly taller than her and her head fitted perfectly in the crook of his neck. Her hands wrapped into tight fists against his jacket and she could feel his heart hammering against her hands. “I don’t want you to ever feel like that again.”

“Joe…”

“Shh Mein Liebling, it’s all going to be alright now.”

Austria 1945

Y/n had never dreamed that she would get to visit Austria. It seemed as if it was a world away from the likes of Bastogne and the horrors of war. Its tranquil, turquoise lakes and steep mountains with their snow-covered peaks seemed the pinnacle of the landscape. Work had become scarce too, other than the occasional scrape or sprain it had mainly become stock control and arranging supplies to be sent to the Pacific where the fighting had yet to cease. Y/n knew that both herself or Joe could be sent to the Pacific at any time it was inevitable, and neither of them was going to get through the war unscathed.

For now, they were at peace and in the comforts of her room, under clean sheets with her legs tangled in Joe’s and her head resting on his chest, Y/n couldn’t help but feel at peace. The steady thrumming of his heart and the gentle rise and fall of his chest coaxed her too and from sleep in waves. She didn’t want to move, afraid that she would disturb her sleeping paratrooper but at the same time her legs had gone numb hours ago and she could feel the pins and needles begin to prickle their way up her legs.

“Joe?” She whispered, reasoning her hand cautiously to brush a stray brunette lock out of his eyes. Joe’s nose wrinkled and he screwed his eyes shut tighter with a sigh. Y/n smiled as she watched him stir from his slumber. It was one of life’s greatest pleasures to see Joe so relaxed, so at peace even if for just a while.

Joe moaned, his long lashes fluttered against his cheeks before they opened revealing his chestnut orbs.

“Good morning Mein Liebling,” his voice was gruff and sleepy but the smile on his face said that he was more than conscious enough to show his love.

Y/n smiled back at him, “Good morning handsome. How did you sleep?”

“It’s the best night's sleep I’ve had in a while, although I don’t recall much bc sleeping happening.” Joe grinned and Y/n's cheeks grew bright red at the thought of last night’s activity. Glancing around the room there was evidence everywhere. Clothes strewn across the floor, the mirror hung lopsided on the wall, the desk was cleared of any objects and the paper that had once occupied it lay across the carpet.

“I have to admit it’s the most enjoyable night I’ve had in a long time,” Joe admitted, tangling a lock of her hair around his finger.

“Me too,” Y/n admitted and Joe smiled once again.

“What does it mean? Mein Liebling?” Y/n asked, running her fingernails slowly over his exposed chest.

Joe laughed, “my darling. It’s been your nickname for a long time.” He admitted his cheeks rosy and his smile nervous.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ve been calling you that for far longer than you’ve realised. I just didn’t want anyone to realise I was talking about you. Figured the other guys would give me hell about it.” Releasing the lock he’d wrapped around his finger, he sat propped up by his elbows so he could face her.

“Y/n, I need to ask you something and it’d be real nice if your answer was yes.”

Y/n sat up now too, her expression a mixture of anxiety and confusion but the soft smile on her lips encouraged him to continue.

“Y/n will you come home with me, back to Chicago I mean? I can get my old job back at the cab company and we can buy a big house…” he paused a grin spreading across his lips. “A big house with lots of rooms, for all the little Liebgotts we’re gonna be making.”

Y/n laughed, smacking Joe’s arm.

“You’re lucky you’re good looking Liebgott.”

“Am I taking that as a yes?”

“Yes, you can.”

Joe grinned at her, his cheeky little smile followed by a little laugh causing Y/n’s heart to swell beyond what she thought was possible. Wrapped in Joe’s arms in their little room in Austria Y/n realised that maybe they were finally out of the woods.

Tags: @georgieluz @iceman-kazansky @yeahcurrahhe-e @lieutenant-speirs @sharpshootershifty @liberteuniteegalite @msmercury84 @desert-fern @mayhem24-7forever @blvestxr @dustyjumpwjngs @theflyingfin @jump-wings @kafka-ohdear @kmc1989 @mads-weasley @docroesmorphine @liptonsbabe @merriell-allesandro-shelton @sweetxvanixlla @hesbuckcompton-baby @ronsparky @mutantmanifesto @malarkgirlypop

#joseph liebgott #joseph Liebgott x reader #band of brothers #band of brothers fanfic #band of brothers easy company #hbowar

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blayresmuses · 1 year

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Please please please, I am begging you. I now have an addiction to daemon and all I crave is fluff. I don't particularly care what it is but omg soft daemon with his wife love ... My heart

fluffy daemon headcanons

authors note: i hope these help your cravings and you like them!! soft!daemon has my heart <3

warnings: mentions of sex

• you honestly didn’t think that a man like daemon would know the meaning of the word affection when you were first married.

• you thought deep down it was a marriage of convenience and you were scared of him more than anything but on your wedding night he was so gentle with you, murmuring praises in your ear about how long he has waited for you.

• and you do find out down the line that he really had to wear your father down to get him to accept the betrothal - we’re talking months and months of pestering him, threatening him, bribing him - just anything to try and get him to agree.

• that dedication becomes a running theme through your marriage. he genuinely does adore you and dote on you, much to everyone else’s surprise.

• he’s always there for you when you’re down or anxious - even if the reassurance is blunt and harsh - he’s your shoulder to cry on and he’s very intuitive to your emotions, often keeping a watchful eye on you when you’re out together.

• he’s protective of you to a fault - you’re his precious, darling wife - and he won’t tolerate you being disrespected or intimidated by anyone, even his own family.

• he’s very touchy at night and i have said this before he cannot sleep without touching you!!! daemon needs to have some sort of physical contact with you at night, even if it’s just your hand or your back.

• when you have trouble sleeping he tries to coax you into it by telling you stories of his times at war and battle or even the backstory of caraxes. he expects this to bore you, especially when he’s murmuring it to you in softer tones, but you usually end up staying up all night listening to his stories.

• when you start to get comfortable you like to play around with his hair. daemon often sits between your legs and lets you do your thing with it whilst he vents and de-stresses.

• imagine you’re the one who cuts his hair shorter!! you take it very seriously like your his own personal barber, sitting on his lap and trying to distract him from how tense he is at the fact you have the control over his precious locks.

• he’s pleasantly surprised at the good job you do and he likes the spike in your attraction to him - you can barely keep your hands off of him.

• one thing that really shows his love to you - and it’s small but it means the world to you - is just how much he listens to what you have to say. everyone knows he’s quick to boredom and doesn’t take the time to enjoy the quiet moments but with you he does and that makes it all the more special.

• you could be talking about something silly like dresses or flowers and he’ll sit and listen intently, asking you questions and inquiring about your knowledge on subjects.

• anything you say you like or you want he gets you - if you say you like a specific colour he’ll go and buy you everything in that colour. dresses, flowers, jewels, new rugs and chairs for your chambers - he’s so over the top.

• even with food as well, before you’re married he finds out through handmaidens and servers what you like and what you don’t so when you’re dining together you have a whole selection of things to your taste.

• the whole court is very surprised at how taken he is with you. especially at balls and tourneys he does things that are very uncharacteristic for him like dancing with you in front of everyone and little gestures like pulling your chair out and refilling your goblets.

• daemon is very affectionate with you, even in public he doesn’t take his hands off of you no matter who’s around or who’s uncomfortable with it - unless you are - the two of you often go into your own world, flirting and winking at each other.

• he’s surprisingly intimate with you as well which you never expected. holding you after sex and even taking baths with you, cradling you to him in the water where there’s not one part of your bodies that aren’t touching.

• he’s definitely one of those husbands that want you to sleep naked and if you come to bed in a nightgown he’ll do his best to get you out of it!!

• he hates it when you’re hurt and really refuses to leave your bedside when you’re sick unless you really insist on space. the poor maesters often leave the room shaken and scared after speaking with him because he’s so bossy and intimidating.

• i believe he’d take you everywhere with him, believing that the best place for you is by his side because no one can protect you and look after you like he can.

• he can just be overall an amazing husband <3

#daemon targaryen x reader #daemon targaryen headcanons #daemon targaryen fluff #daemon targaryen hcs #daemon targaryen #house of the dragon

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lxdymoon0357 · 10 months

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Kosair dating Navier‘s best friend Headcanons?

😇

(HEYYYYY!!! Empress of theme, I'm at your service!!)

Kosair Lilder Trovi X Navier's Best-friend! Reader HCs

⇝ You’re Navier’s friend since childhood, you were in a few of her classes, but you never really met Kosair, you heard about him a lot through Navier, Sovieshu, Navier’s parents and your parents, but never met him…And so as you grew up, you either became a lady-in-waiting for Navier or her playmate…

⇝ You would help Navier around everything and were her wingman between her and Heinrey, you liked her together with him, while you also kinda fangirled around Sovieshu and Rashta, at how sweet the two liked each-other though it was kinda toxic, you met Kosair through that incident….

⇝ You slowly fell in love with Kosair and BOOM! Relationship. Okay so everyone in the palace consider you and him a married couple since the beginning, so nobody really cared at how close you were, but they were SHOCKED that you both had only started dating and are not married since you both became of age..

⇝ OKAY, LET’S BE HONEST!!! Navier is definitely your biggest shipper, wingman and fangirl! She’ll have a few people draw you both or she just makes fanfics in her minds on you both, don’t ruin this for her! Laura, Rashta and Countess Eliza are the next biggest shippers in that line, Rashta won’t ever admit it though…She’s happy you keep Kosair away from her and her baby…

⇝ Kosair would always go to Navier for dating advice, I mean you both have been friends for like always and he knows that and he will use it to his advantage, getting everything out of Navier, your favourite colour, your favorite food, your favorite hairstyle, your future, your future number of children….

⇝ Navier is always the one to set you both up, help you when you both have fights, tell you which gift to get for the other, when there is an anniversary or a special event for your relationship and set gifts if either of your forget something for it!!! She has saved you and Kosair from fighting over this topic so MANY times!!!

⇝ Also, DOUBLE DATES!!!! You and Kosair with Navier and Rashta/ Sovieshu/ Heinrey, you four will have so much together, it’s crazy!! You will go eat, play card games and then bicker on whose cheating, put make-up on your significant others, especially on Kosair!! You then eat a lot of sugar and have a sugar rush, then you will read books together, and if it was set in the human world, HARRY POTTR MARATHONS!!! Or any of your favourite movie series marathon, depends! :] No horror tho…Kosair and Navier get scared easily at those…

⇝ Oh, speaking of modern world AU, how about you and him going to cat cafes??? Him being surrounded by cats and you both having tons of fun and maybe in the near future you both end up adopting a few cats from that particular cat cafes, who knows?? Domestic life goes brrr~~

⇝ OH, Navier is the one who sees both yours and Kosair’s ugly crying faces when you both get into an argument and fights and then you both will blame each other cause you both are stubborn as shit and then she will try to calm you both down and in the and you both end up blaming your argument on Rashta, Sovieshu and Heinrey…

⇝ Okay, but real talk, you and Kosair are Navier BIGGEST PROTECTORS AND BODYGAURDS AND SHIPPERS, You both ship her with Heinrey but you’re kinda worried for her sometimes, because she doesn’t really have a lot of experience with men in the world where she’s not a empress…Also you found Heinrey to be kinda creepy…

⇝ You support her through everything though, also you try to find common ground for her and Rashta cause it’s normal for people to have mistresses, and that’s what Sovieshu did, he had a marriage of convenience and a marriage of love, he allowed Navier to do the same with anyone except Heinrey and yet she doesn’t listen a lot of times…It’s fine you’ll try your best to help the Trovi kids, they’re both chaotic…

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hayatheauthor · 1 year

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Websites And Writing Apps Every Author Needs In 2023

In today’s day and age, technology is everyone's best friend, and the number one writing tool for authors. Gone are the days when writers would hunch over blocky typewriters and leisurely type out a manuscript. Authors are now evolving, and while typewriters and pretty journals might make for stellar aesthetically pleasing posts, they aren’t as accessible and convenient as the technological advancements that have taken the world by storm.

Modern-day authors have swapped out papers and ink for laptops and AI, allowing us to type out thousands of words without having to worry about our pens drying out.

However, this convenience comes at a cost.

Our app stores are flooded with so many options that it is easy to lose track of the best writing apps. This is why I have taken the initiative to compile a list of the websites and writing apps every author needs in 2023— categorized by different writing stages.

Websites And Writing Apps To Help With Fantasy Worldbuilding

Worldbuilding is possibly one of the most essential pre-writing steps a writer takes. It helps you develop a concrete idea of the story you have come up with and creates the foundation of your book.

Poor worldbuilding and a lack of visualisation can make your ideas get lost in translation and make a concrete fantasy world seem confusing for your readers.

This is why before you jump into telling your story, you must first establish the building blocks of your tale. There are two applications that I believe can help you achieve this. Whether it be generating names, creating fantasy maps or more, here are two websites and web apps to help with worldbuilding.

Azgaar

Azgaar's Fantasy Map Generator is a free web application that generates interactive and highly customizable SVG maps based on Voronoi diagram. Fantasy map generators generally require a lot of time and energy to completely plan out your world, but with Azgaar’s fantasy map generators, you can readily customize any of their free templates.

They offer a plethora of options for writers to explore, from different map colours and themes to worlds created in various environments.

One thing I love about Azgaar is how accessible their templates are. You can easily change the location names, landscape and map settings with a click or two and also experiment with different templates until you create a map that is perfect for your world.

If we’re talking about fantasy map generators every writer should know of, then Azgaar is definitely one of them.

Donjon

Are you a writer who just got started with their worldbuilding? Do you feel stuck with the overwhelming amount of things you need to do before you can write your story? Don’t worry, all of us have been there. But with Donjon you can readily create almost every aspect of your fantasy world.

From names to maps and demographics, Donjon provides creators with a plethora of services. Unlike most applications, it also helps you create globes and detailed city/area scapes and maps. This is a tool I find particularly useful for when your characters are exploring a new area that you can’t visualise well.

And the best part? It isn’t just for authors! Donjon has different tools for writers, game makers, and more— allowing creators of all kinds to make their worlds that much better.

If you ever feel stuck during your world-building, then definitely give Donjon a try and comment down below the tool you found the most useful.

Websites And Writing Apps To Help With Your Writing

Writing your book is one of the most thrilling stages of creating a novel.

But nowadays it can be really hard to find good writing tools that are free and help you accomplish your goal with no hitches. I can’t tell you how many times I ended up losing my work as a fanfic writer writing on websites that haven’t been updated in years! This is why it’s so important to write your book on a proper, reputable application.

Grammarly

Let’s be honest, if you’re someone who’s into writing then you’ve probably heard of Grammarly at least a couple of times. However, what many writers don’t realise is just how beneficial it can be!

Most writers use Grammarly as an extension on their writing application so that it can correct their small errors while they write, but they don’t bother to use the Grammarly editor. You might be wondering ‘but Haya, what’s the difference?’

The Grammarly editor provides you with more options and tools to help better your writing. You can set your writing goals, such as your target audience, tone, etc. and even get access to more detailed suggestions that focus on aspects like passive voice, and adverbs.

Even if you choose not to get Grammarly premium, the editor still highlights the premium suggestions which can help you understand where you’re going wrong.

Overall, Grammarly helps you edit your chapters and polish your writing with ease.

Google Docs

If you’re one of the people who doesn’t see the point in paying for Word, then Google Docs is for you. It gives you all the features of a word document online. Docs also allows you to use extensions and add-ons that can help you elevate your manuscript. Some of my favourites are Scribe Writer, highlighter tool, and Spellright.

One thing most people don’t know about Google Docs is that you can use the voice typing tool. If you’re an author like me, then you often think of the perfect pieces of description at random moments in the day and have to scramble to write them down before you forget. The same can be said for dialogue, plot points, etc.

This is why Google Docs is so convenient. It allows you to speak your thoughts and types it out in a document that you can readily edit at your own time.

If you’re looking for a website or writing app to use as your main editor for your manuscript, then you should definitely consider Google Docs.

Websites And Writing Apps To Help With Your Editing

Hemingway Editor

If you’re an author writing for a certain age group, Hemingway Editor is the best website for you. Hemingway Editor shows a grade for your writing and gives you suggestions for ways to improve your manuscript. Just like Grammarly, it gives you various suggestions for your writing.

It also highlights the areas of concern in different colours so that you can easily make your way through your work depending on which aspect you would like to edit (whether that be SPAG, sentence structure, etc.)

If you don’t want to pay for Grammarly’s premium option then you can use Hemingway Editor’s free editorial suggestions.

Reedsy

Don’t want to do your edits by yourself? Hire an editor from Reedsy.

Hiring a professional can be a difficult process, and oftentimes we don’t even know where to start. You can acquire a list of professional editors that work with your genre with one click of your mouse. But how do you know if they have the right experience and credibility?

With Reedsy you can easily get in touch with great editors who have not only worked in your genre but also have a client list of credible authors with books similar to yours. This helps make sure you select an editor that knows what they need to do and how to get it done.

Reedsy also provides authors with professionals who can help them in every step of their writing process, whether that be cover designing, proofreading, or more.

Websites And Writing Apps To Help You Get A Literary Agent

Querying can be a daunting process. I know this from personal experience. But you can make this process a little easier with the right websites and writing apps. I’ve seen tons of different websites promoting tools that will supposedly help you get an agent within one week. I’ve also seen several authors who used said tools and came up empty-handed.

Querying is a very subjective process— what is a perfect fit for one agent might not be the right thing for another. This is why it’s so important to reach out to the right agents so that you don’t end up wasting days chasing after a literary agent who doesn’t even work in your genre.

Listed below are two websites and writing apps that are essential to find a literary agent.

Querytracker

Querytracker is possibly the most important tool for querying authors. It allows you to easily find agents in your genre, research their backgrounds, send out queries, and track your queries all in one page. This cuts down on the time most authors spend creating colour-coded spreadsheets.

I got my first literary agent from Querytracker, and am currently using their services to secure another agent.

Querytracker’s biggest advantage is its reputation. Their database consists of established literary agents who have worked with bestselling authors as well as the top publishers in the literary industry. You can readily access data about these professionals with one click and never have to worry about scams or fraud.

Their newsletter also gives authors updates about agents who have recently reopened their query boxes and resources that can help you better your query.

Found an agent you want to reach out to? You can easily check Querytracker’s success story interviews and take a look at the query letters of authors who signed a deal with your agent.

Manuscript Wishlist

Getting out of an agent’s slush pile is possibly the hardest part of querying. I know many authors who send out dozens of cold queries to agents in their genres, just to end up with a list of form rejections. The reason for this is simple— if you approach an agent as just another name on your list, they will treat you the same way.

This is why it is so important to properly customize your queries. There’s no need to sing praises about their past work and drone on about how perfect they are. The goal is to hook your agent with a compelling introduction to your manuscript and reel them in with a genuine paragraph about why they would be a good fit for you.

But how can you personalise your query letter? With Manuscript Wishlist!

Manuscript Wishlist is a website tool that helps authors target and personalize their queries. It operates as a website (manuscriptwishlist.com) and a hashtag (#MSWL). Agents use MSWL to share topics and story ideas that they would like to see in their query inbox, literary pieces they are fond of, and a brief intro of themselves. This gives authors the insight they need to effectively send out a personalised query.

Getting an agent can be made easy with Querytracker and Manuscript Wishlist.

Conclusion

I hope this list of the best websites and writing apps every author needs will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment your favourite writing tools to help your fellow authors prosper.

Want to learn more about me and my writing journey? Visit my social media pages under the handle @hayatheauthor where I post content about my WIP and life as a teenage author.

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pray4byron · 3 months

Note

Love the blog theme and colours! Esp the header. Can I get a HH matchup? The description is mostly pasted from another ask I did before, but like, I really don't have a new way do describe myself. Idk if this is as bad as sending the same propmp to two blogs, lmk cause I don't want to be disrespectful here

★Gender and pref: I’m a he/she and choose how I present myself based on the setting bc I’m not that open with ppl (yeah, it’s important to express yourself but realistically that won’t get me far in certain settings in my country); no gender pref but I’m not too fond of some writing choices when it comes to women in Viv’s works, depends on a character though

★Looks: my style has a rockstar gf vibe? Sometimes softer colours too. I'm 5’7, athletic but not ripped, gray eyes and wavy blonde hair. Ironically (in this context) lots of ppl call me an angel/angelic-looking. Not going to lie, that feeds into my ego a little bit but I don't really get what they mean. I wear makeup too, love the fox eye trend

★Personality, hobbies: I’m social and extroverted. Usually that leaves me as a leader of whatever group I’m in. I have a little bit of a hater in me, but I don’t show it if ppl don’t encourage it. I do like when it’s being enabled though. It’s not convenient when you’re in a position where ppl ask you for opinions and actually follow your guide, yk, if I manage an event I’m not going to go around shit talking everything. It feels nice to have someone who does that though, makes it easier to join in and not feel like a jerk (or at least be jerks together I guess??). I write my own songs and am in a band as a backup vocal. Kinda proud that it’s my band but I need to get better until I step up as anything more. I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I like to tease ppl if given the opportunity. Others say I’m flirty. Bold with it at that. I’m ambitious too. Kind of a big thing but I have npd (if you want to look it up without reading scientific papers, go on tumblr, the rest of the internet is filled with ‘demonic narcissism’ bullshit) and it influences the way I am. I care lots about my image and don’t have a ton of empathy. I don’t go kicking puppies, but it’s noticeable how I lack in this department. Sometimes people say I’m ’too nice to have it’ 🙄 cause i do well with kids and do all the youth group volunteering. Also, I do some martial arts and other sports. Kinda sceptical of romance at this point cause I had lots of it and I don’t mix well with a lot of people, but maybe I could do something serious for once if I had the right person. I try to be responsible and respectful but I have no issue finding my place at a wild party or something. I'm pretty chill in general, but I can be soft-er if I want, like with children or if the few ppl I‘m close with (I've got many friend groups but I struggle to make meaningful connections) need me. Usually I just stay my highly analytical, laid back self and say my silly little comments every once in a while. Heard I’m pretty funny if I want to be. My love language is acts of service. I like small things and I do them a lot. I can do words too, but I don't care for them in return. Like, you can be an asshole (up to a limit, I know my worth) and it’s cool with me if I see you have your ways of caring like putting on a song I like in the car

★❤️&💔: love movies like Fight Club (my fav), American Psycho and Donnie Darko; hate sharks, they freak me out; my fav book is The Catcher in the Rye; hate it when people push me to open up and be emotional; love music and I unironically had a few guys play songs AT me and I actually like that too, tho I get why ppl clown on it

★My type: I like people who are more negative than me and aren't afraid to shittalk everything. Just saying whatever, not caring if they offend ppl (up to a point, some issues aren’t debatable ik). They have to be somewhat funny. Just… not serious all the time at least. Don't really care for morality (to a certain point, again) if you're charismatic and fun to be around, I’m along for the ride and happy to support whatever you get yourself into. I think I would get along with someone who had a little npd too, I like to be able to relate to my partner a bit. If they work somewhat similarly, I don't have to struggle with understanding some stuff, bc I already know how to manage an ego or grandiose behavior. As for looks. Idk, I don’t have a set type. I think maybe ppl that are bigger than me? I’m pretty athletic so it’s not hard, but I guess that’s been a pattern? Also, I do enough of leading as is so in relationships, I don’t mind watching from the side and supporting whatever my partner is doing

-★🎶

first of all, thx!! my blog is all lute themed because i love her sm haha, also imo it’s not disrespectful so dw, but if some other blog gives you crap, i gotchu, anyway this was such a hard tie between quite a few characters, but here’s who i decided to pair you with…

Angel Dust !!

I was debating so hard between him, Husk, or Charlie — but decided with Angel cause he’s a happy medium imo

I feel like you and Angel can bond well, but under the correct conditions and circumstances, like you both have been through shit and it sucked — and it probably still has a tight grip on you today, but you guys give each other the boost to keep trucking along, you’re each others reasons to get out of bed each day, each others cheerleaders for lack of a better term

You definitely enjoy Angel because he’s not afraid to talk a bit of shit, but he’s also not as serious as Husk, he can have a good time, he also matches your flirty energy a lot so you guys kinda just bounce comebacks and random shit off eachother

Angel is ALL IN for your “rockstar + angelic partner” look, thinks it’s hot asf, genuinely thinks you were in Heaven at one point or another because of how undeniably beautiful you are

Angel also enjoys the kickass hater in you, you guys could sit and gossip and talk shit for several hours, but you both kinda keep eachother in check from going too far — especially infront of others

Despite Hazbin being a musical, I’d like to think Angel is canonically a good singer, because cmon, how could he not be with a VA like Blake Roman?? So he could easily sing at and/or for you, bitch would serenade you😩😩

Also bro finds the fact that you hate sharks hilarious asf, I could see him deciding to be a little fucker and getting you a shark plush as a gag/joke gift on Christmas or smth (or I guess Hellsmas?? Idfk.)

#reqs open #x reader #mio’s writing ! ☆#fanfiction #x y/n #x you #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x y/n #hazbin hotel x you #angel dust x reader #angel dust #angel dust hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel angel dust #hazbin hotel angel #mio’s matchups ! ☆

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parttimeprophet · 6 months

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🦷🧸❄️ pretty please <3

🧸 ⇢ what's the fastest way to become your mutual?

Frankly, just texting me will do the trick.

I happen to be terribly introverted and kind of awkward so reaching out to people is rather hard to me, but once I feel comfortable enough around someone, I will act though we've been friends for five years. Given they're a devcent person, of course.

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

As for wisdom:

The clothes you buy are for the body you have, not the one you had, not the one you wish you would have, not the one you are trying to achieve.

Life does not need to be aesthetic to be enjoyable.

Some places were not meant to keep you warm.

I think it is inevitable to at one point or another begrudgingly discover regret to be incredibly convenient. I also think it is crucial to learn from that.

Forgiveness is hard to find when you are not looking for it. Which is not to say you have to grant forgiveness to everyone looking for it.

When someone tells you you've hurt them, you don't get to decide that you didn't. Which is a quote I read ages ago and it has stuck with me forever.

In terms of life hacks:

Magnesium supplements (magnesium glycinate specifically) and peppermint tea before bed might help you sleep better. Also aids stomach issues!

If you suffer from tinnitus often, cover your ears with your palms in a way so that your fingers are at the back of your head, they should be roughly above the base of your skull. Make sure your ears are fully covered, then place the index finger of your right hand on top of the middle finger (do the same for the left hand) and kind of move them in the same way you would when snapping your fingers. The result should be your index fingers creating a thumping sensation on the back of your skull. Repeat a couple times, it might help!

Carrot and tomato juice are high in vitamin a and if mixed with a bit of oil can help acne and other skin issues. The oil is necessary for the body to actually process beta-carotines.

If you apply oil to your hair, make sure it is at least damp, otherwise the oil will cause your hair to dry out even more

If your eyeliner smudges easily try setting it with an eyeshadow of the same colour. If it still smudges, do eyeshadow, a thn layer of setting spray applied with a brush (very important) and then eyeshadown again

For genetically awfully greasy hair; cornstarch as dry shampoo works even better than baby powder. I have bleached hair personally, but I think mixing in some kakao powder should do the trick for dark hair.

Sorry, this was a lot.

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

Quite frankly, I will forever be in awe of @kastlequill 's skill. that human, that demon is easily one of the best fanfictions I have ever read, the paragraph about Farsi and Djinn's course of working on that specific mission was divine and I eat up anything regarding the intricacies of language and laguage learning!

In old Kez fashion, I am also a sucker for character studies, and would love to see you and @50cal-fullauto do a Ghost character study. The way in which the two of you portray him is very distinct and organic and given how the emphasis of different characteristica of him shines through in your guys' writing, I'd be entirely too curious to see similarities and differences in them.

#thank you for asking ^^#ask game #asks #answered #dotcie

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lilac-den · 1 year

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do or would the vos ROs have a specific interior design for their homes, or would they have multiple designs in one?

This is the first time I see someone use 'VoS ROs' and I'm so happy to see it cuz this leaves less confusion on my end XD HAHAHHAA

To answer your question:

Zeus: They would have a mixture of minimalistic and 'chill' themes. They'll have a simple desk with different drawers to store convenient items (extra pens, tapes, stablers, blank papers, ink bottles [and yes, they have a goddamn quill too HAHAHA]), a laptop, a cabinet and even a table lamp in case of overtime.

But their bedroom would have a guitar and a shelf of some little stuff (gifts from Dionysus, stuff Zeus had made that held some value, etc). Zeus is mainly minimalistic due to how little they spent time outside of work hours.

Hermes: Their room is pretty dark. They try to avoid making it too dark that they'll never see light, but definitely no bright colours. If your MC prefers bright colors, you can negotiate to pastel colours (soft ones that don't stress the eyes).

As for their furniture - it's mostly a BIG metal table and a lot of their gadgets, trinkets, etc for inventing. There's also a cupboard full of books relevant to inventing and engineering or the history of science. They have a book or two on medical stuff, but they're mainly to treat the supernaturals. There's no need for Hermes to keep medical books about human medicines 'cause 1. they can find them on the internet and 2. they have horrible memories with them.

*lore drop*

Dionysus: Warm colours, soft carpet and a comfortable, homely room. Probably got an apron hanging on their door so that they can grab it and wear it to make breakfast for everyone. There's also bean bags to sink into and a potted plant sitting on the windowsill of their room.

Ares: Hahaha. . .Ares would be insanely embarrassed if MC saw their room before getting a heads-up. I'm tempted to leave this unspoken because their room is just... XD I feel like you all should see it in the game when you get to it.

If only tumblr has a spoiler option 😔

Dolos: That would require them to have a home first :D

I'm half-joking. But holy shit the chaos in the room. When Dolos had been a kid, they actually randomly painted the walls, floor and ceiling of their room before their parents found out and chided them for the mess they left on the furniture.

If or when they have their own home, they would want to add some artistic flair to their room, even have a decent amount of area to have a large easel for painting or drawing. If they could though, they'd definitely paint the fuck out of the walls and floors before moving the furniture in. Might even drag the MC in to help add their own colour to Dolos's room.

#silverking #ROasks #room theme #interior design RO asks #RO rooms

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galacticwildfire · 6 months

Text

Fire Meet Gasoline | Poe Dameron

Five

Poe Dameron x Solo Original Character

Hope Solo’s haunted by the night the temple burned. Having gone rogue she hunts the First Order in search of answers until a fateful encounter with Poe Dameron brings her back to the Resistance and Leia puts her daughter under his command to find Luke Skywalker.

Word count: 8.8k

Tags/warnings: poe pov, threepio trying to parent, leia going for round two, poe sitting back and realising what he's getting himself into, snap being a wingman for both of them with non homicidal big brother vibes, mentions of setting people on fire, oc is delusional with anger issues, mild brat taming, mentions of lightsaber wounds and blood, a little flirting towards the end, the beginning of the on/off between them.

All my stories are written for adults with adult themes, I use appropriate tags but read at your discretion.

A/N: so i've got about five chapters of the prequel up on ao3, it isn't a romantic or ship story so it won't get any attention here but if you're interested I have it linked on my masterlist.

Hope

It's late when I find myself still walking around base looking for R2. For a droid who refuses to let me out of his sight he's quite happy to disappear now, maybe we've been a little at odds due to my career choices these past months, so I know this is a form of payback. Droids are programmed for loyalty but I dare say Luke altered some of that programming when he made R2 my official guardian on Naboo, to pull me into line and report back instead of blindly facilitating my poor choices.

If R2 is one thing, he is a droid who does not forgive or forget, and as it turns out he remembers Hondo Ohnaka and Boba Fett quite well and has quite explicitly told me off time and time again for working for them with very colourful language. I'm still convinced Luke altered his programming and I'd try to rewire it but it just feels wrong to do that to R2. To me he's more of a sentient being than most lifeforms and I'm not going to pick his wires apart just so he's easier to get on with.

He is my best friend after all.

I want to take off, to go somewhere to clear my head. Like Snap said, leaving and not coming back might be a bit excessive, but I need more time to wrap my head around the fact I'm no longer a captain and am likely going to be on permanent probation. Maybe I'll check in with my contacts to see if they've got any leads on the Irving Boys and where the Falcon could be, give it one last shot before facing the music, but I hate going anywhere without R2, and that's where Korrie finds me, in the hanger still looking for him.

"You're back," she says, not quite pleased but not as panicked as Brance. Although I can't truly blame her, she was one of the few who'd tried to help me and I'd shut her out. One of the only friends I had on Hosnian Prime as a teenager since she'd interned for Mom, just another one I cut out without any real reason to other than the fact I can't stand seeing someone look at me with pity, or something worse.

"Yeah," I say, managing a smile. "I um- I took a sabbatical."

"Sure," she says but she's too close to my Mom to believe that, everyone above a certain level of command knows just why I left even if it seems the rest of base believes I just conveniently went back to university. "The General is asking to see you in her office."

"Again?" I ask and she nods as I try to find a way out of it. "Tell her-"

"Tell her yourself," she says curtly and leaves me there before I can argue.

I purposefully take the long way to her office and this time Threepio is waiting for me by the door.

"Miss Hope, I am glad to see you."

"You too Threepio," I assure him but he stops me before I can go in.

"Now please, do mind your manners this time," he lectures. "I'd overheard your previous conversation and I am quite disappointed in you."

I look at the protocol droid in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yes, and I do not appreciate your sarcasm," he says pointedly as I raise my eyebrows at him. "A little courtesy goes a long way."

He catches my glare before I walk in only to be hit by a wave of betrayal when I open the door to find R2 there with Mom, but it's when I see the commander sitting across from her I become alarmed, wondering if this is about appropriate conduct. Although that should be the least of her worries.

"You asked to see me?"

"I have," she says and I see the recording on her desk of the Cato Nemoidia heist I pulled off and look at R2, realising he went behind my back to tell her just what I've been doing in the Outer Rims and know I should have seen it coming. He'd all but warned me he'd override my ship's controls to bring me home so this isn't a far stretch.

"Traitor."

He tells me it's what I get for ignoring him and Mom agrees. "Care to explain yourself?"

"Haven't we been over this already?"

"Yes but I'm hoping this time you can be rational," she states and I choose deflection.

"Just out of curiosity," I begin, wanting to know just what I'd be admitting to, although still confused as to why the commander's here if I'm being interrogated over my other exploits. "How much did R2 tell you?"

She purses her lips and says "I dare say he's only scraped the surface, but along with Threepio's intelligence let's start with you not just hunting the First Order for sport and acting as a mercenary for hire amongst several other chargeable offences, but pulling off highly illegal heists on planets where they give you the death sentence for it."

"Well you'll be glad to know that's the worst of it," I smile nervously, for some reason looking at the commander for some type of support right now and find him giving a painful nod of reassurance. "Don't worry I made sure I can't be charged for it, loopholes remember?"

"Mmhmm," she hums doubtfully but changes the subject. "Hope, I believe you've made yourself familiar with Commander Dameron."

I manage to keep a straight face, barely even shrugging in acknowledgement. "I'd say acquainted rather than familiar."

"Acquainted," he agrees and I nod along, trying not to look at his face because the first time left me feeling foolish enough and the last thing I want is for Mom to think I have any sort of attraction to him when I should want to hate his guts for thinking he could beat me in an x-wing but unfortunately his face makes that complicated.

And besides, he's the one that was blatantly flirting, not the other way around, but the way Mom raises her eyebrow tells me she might be slightly more in tune with the force than I thought to see through my bullshit, or worse she listened to his flight recording. Oh maker I hope she didn't because then he wouldn't be the only one mortified.

"Acquainted, alright," she says going with it. "Well I plan for the two of you to become familiar."

Oh no, that would make things even more unnecessarily complicated.

"Actually I was just about to leave, come on R2," I say as I get up from my chair and look at R2 but he remains firmly in place. "R2." He doesn't move and I look at Mom. "The hell did you do to my droid?"

"R2 was mine long before yours, and he's always been a very independent and stubborn droid who has no intention of watching a third generation of our family lose their way," she says and I narrow my eyes at him. "And his loyalty inhibitor prioritises your safety and my commands above yours. If you've forgotten R2 was given to you so he could act as your guardian in mine and Luke's absence, not your partner in crime."

The betrayal stings.

"So you'll offer to set someone on fire for me and won't snitch but now you just hand me over?" I challenge and feel the Commander's head turn to me in alarm and Mom leans back in her chair with raised eyebrows and I quickly remember she didn't know about that incident. It had been an innocent enough night out until a group of thugs tried to take me as ransom to get money off of Dad. I might have stopped Ben from killing them but when I spotted them the next day I couldn't resist getting even. More than even.

"When was this?" she asks me and looks at R2 who now remains silent. "Hope Solo-"

"I was sixteen-"

"There isn't a statute of limitations on setting people on fire!"

"Actually there is on Theron and Dad was fine with it," I say and she just stares incredulously. "They were going to kidnap me, and we as a family agreed not to tell you."

"And as a family you mean-"

"Everyone except for you and Luke?" I say and try to laugh it off but her face is very serious. "R2 was my partner in crime, blame him." R2 beeps in offence so I shift the blame. "Dad was the one who told us to lie."

She puts her head in her hands, taking a moment to compose herself before remarking. "At this point it would be easier to try to list the offences you haven't committed than list those you have."

"That is true," I acknowledge. "But technically-"

"Sit back down," she says curtly and I do so without argument, biting my tongue. "I am going to forget what you just told me that for both of our sakes and get on with the reason I had you called in."

I glance at the Commander beside me who's confused as much as alarmed. I find momentary amusement in it before having to very quickly regulate my facial expression and look back at Mom.

"So if this is round two of interrogations why the company?" I ask and can see her shaking her head in regret. "Because I only nearly dragged him into an x-wing race, so technically no offence has been committed. Intention to commit perhaps, but nothing worthy of anything above a lecture."

Out of the corner of my eye I see him nodding to himself in agreement there, seeming slightly relieved but Mom definitely isn't.

"Every day I regret sending you to university and pushing you into a career that teaches you how to argue," she tells me and I'm tempted to remark I learned all about arguing from when her and Dad could still stand to live together but refrain due to the company. "You should count yourself very lucky that despite your ego and sarcasm you've inherited outstanding talents," she continues and I wait for it, but for once the compliment doesn't come with a dressing down. "I have a mission for the two of you."

"The two of us?" I question, knowing I only ever undertake missions alone and she nods but I'm hardly the one with leverage right now. "So the mission is an actual mission and wasn't just a ploy to make me come back?"

"At this point I'm wishing it was," she sighs and looks at the clock and back to me, and I nod in understanding to not be a smartass. "R2 has told me you've been going rogue in unidentifiable vessels to attack the First Order so you have deniability?"

"You already knew that but yes."

"And that you performed several heists and stole artifacts from Cato Nemoidia?"

The commander blinks in surprise beside me and I only feel proud as I correct. "Reclaimed Jedi artifacts, and without a hitch."

"Good," she says to me and now I'm the one blinking in surprise. "I have the perfect mission for you."

I look at the Commander but find he doesn't have much more context than I do and I ask her "Is this a trap?"

She reminds me just where I got my mouth from, and it wasn't my father. "So you can trust Boba Fett but not your own mother?"

I swear I hear the commander actually choke from beside me and R2 cackles as best a droid can. Feeling quite ganged up on I relent. "We could get into that again but I'd rather hear about the mission."

She actually seems pleasantly surprised. "Wise decision."

She places a holoprojector on the table and I see a politician I'm half familiar with, wondering if this is going to be some political mission and feel myself quickly losing interest.

"This is Senator Erudo Ro-Kiintor," Mom tells us. "The senior senator from Hevurion to the Republic."

I raise an unimpressed eyebrow and the Commander seems to share the same sentiment but most pilots aren't exactly fond of politicians.

"If you say so, General," he says and I steal a glance, wondering if I was mistaken in how stupidly attractive I found him, as if it could have been some moment of weakness, only to find I was definitely not mistaken and quickly pull my eyes away before Mom can accuse me of anything, looking very intently at the hologram instead of either of them.

But I get a little more excited when she changes the hologram to one of a ship. "This is the Hevurion Grace, Senator Ro-Kiintor's personal yacht," Mom says and it's what I'd expect, Poe nodding along as he takes it in.

"It's a Pinnacle-class luxury ship, made by Vekker Corp. I've seen Pinnacles once or twice before. They're exclusive ships, everything aboard handmade, or so Vekker advertises," he begins, his knowledge of a random model of ship he's probably never even touched before making me slightly jealous. "Only the very wealthy can afford them. They trade luxury for efficiency, practically hang an invitation off the hull for pirates saying money in here."

"Damn right they do," I smirk to myself and Mom just looks unimpressed at that knowing just who I've been associating with. "I had to make credits somehow."

"If I recall you're a princess," she begins to lecture. "A title that was handed to you with great consideration with the expectation you wouldn't throw your lot in with pirates."

Those words dig deep considering just how seriously I took that honour, another reminder of just how much everything has changed for the worse.

"Only Hondo and besides, he helped the rebellion," I try to reason. "And you married someone who worked for the Hutts but I don't see you glaring at him."

"Oh I would if I could," she assures me and I don't doubt that, but she doesn't stop there. "Because he'd be so proud to see that his daughter ended up taking after him more than anyone else in the family which is why you are sitting here." Something changes in her eyes, they feel more alive as she nods towards the ship. "Can you fly one?"

"Of course I can fly one what sort of question's that?" I ask and she poses the same question to the Commander who runs a hand through his hair.

"It's designed to be flown by a single pilot, though it crews better with two," he says and again I'm wondering how the hell he knows so much about luxury cruisers. "Not counting of course any servants the owner may want aboard."

She has a mischievous glint in her eye and I lean back in my chair, smirking as I realise "You hypocrite. You want me to steal it."

"I want the two of you to steal it," she clarifies and it seems I might not have made a mistake in coming back after all.

I look at the Commander and find him grinning. "Sure. Anything else you'd like while I'm at it? Maybe pick you up one of those new Nebulon-Ks?"

She laughs. "I'm not entirely convinced the Nebulon-Ks have solved their combustion-shielding problems."

The rapport between them has me tilting my head, Mom's never friendly with pilots, hell she's hardly friendly with command. So why the hell's she making jokes with a guy who looks like the type of pilot she'd hate?

But then again, she married my father after all.

Oh maker.

I look away, she wouldn't, but then again she married my father and kissed her own brother so I can't put anything past her. I mean he definitely would, he looks like walking sex and it took him all of a minute to try to talk me into a date, or more likely into bed. Oh for the love of the force this is not what I thought I'd come back to. This could be even worse than the thought of her and Luke.

"Are you quite right there Hope?" Mom asks with a peculiar look.

"Stellar," I say, for once wanting to get to business and refuse to look at either of them. If she wanted to find a new flyboy she could at least look for one that isn't her son's age, he'd have to be in his late twenties, a bit older than Ben but close enough. I'm old enough to know that guys who look like him are only after one thing, maybe temporarily I leaned that way too for a moment when we were in that hanger, but certainly not now. And as for Mom... I just want her to be happy but not like this.

If she wanted a new husband I'd be thrilled, honestly I'd be lying if I hadn't thought her and Lando could possibly give it a go, mostly because it would break Dad's heart like he broke ours, but also because it would mean I'd have some semblance of a stable family.

But this- oh no this is not something I'd approve of. Maker I hope I'm just grasping at straws here.

I notice the commander eyeing me cautiously at my sudden change in demeanour before asking Mom "So what's this about General?"

"We've suspected Senator Ro-Kiintor of colluding with the First Order for years. He's delayed or derailed motions covering everything from sanctions to increased support for the Republic Navy. He's taken numerous unscheduled and impromptu vacations to locations in the buffer region, in the neutral territories." None of this is news to me, it seems as if half the remaining Centrists are secretly First Order agents, but this is news to the Commander. "There've been sightings of the Hevurion Grace in First Order space. Large sums transferred to his accounts through shells and third-party corporations via the CSA. He's not only in with the First Order, but he's in deep. He may have access to the top, to General Hux. Perhaps to Snoke."

I lean forward, suddenly intrigued. "Really?"

She's apprehensive now and stresses "But we haven't been able to prove any of this. No hard evidence, just circumstantial. And we've tried, believe me. Twice in the last year Ematt's sent his agents aboard the Hevurion Grace after one of the senator's trips, trying to access the logs, the navicomputer, to prove where he's been. Each time the files had been purged prior to landing."

"You want us to kidnap a Republic senator?" Poe questions, not entirely opposed, and that might slightly redeem him in my eyes.

"I can do that," I say without hesitation.

She looks between us in alarm and points her finger at me specifically. "No, that's precisely what I don't want you to do. I want the ship, I want those logs, the navicomputer data, all of it, before anyone's had a chance to cover their tracks, you understand? But no loss of life." She shakes her finger at me again in warning and then points it at Poe. "Not even a bruise on the senator or any of the crew aboard if it can be possibly helped and especially no interrogations as it must be completely deniable." She looks back at me upon mentioning interrogations, her voice somehow turning even more serious. "Emphasis on no interrogations which means no force tricks either Hope, no threatening, no persuading, no questioning. Nothing. Do not even attempt to find a loophole in that either. You are not to even interact with anyone on board if you can help it." I raise my hands in my defence, deciding not to open my mouth and she goes on. "Ro-Kiintor is a traitor, I'm sure of it, but until we can prove it he remains a member of the Senate and the Resistance will honour that. We must honour that or we're no better than the First Order."

But I have to shake my head at that, knowing nothing is that simple, and make the mistake of opening my mouth. "If we aren't willing to get our hands dirty how do you expect to take down people who would destroy the entire galaxy without blinking an eye?"

"Considering you've been working for Vader's right hand man I don't want to hear a single word out of your mouth about morality," she says curtly and,clearly I'd underestimated the lasting impact Cloud City had on her. The Commander turns his head towards me but I don't dare look at his expression while Mom calms herself. "I'm going to assume your judgement's been clouded for you to make such a decision and trust it's cleared enough for you to partake in this mission without any complications.

"In all fairness what happened with Boba Fett was Dad's fault," I remind her, she was innocent in what occurred that day, but him not so much, and I want her to understand my reasoning. "He swindled a Hutt and paid the consequence, and besides, it's my understanding Boba Fett helped rescue a Jedi youngling after the war from Moff Gideon. Luke should have been able to tell you that considering he was the one who took the kid. And as for being Vader's right hand man, has it occurred to you that one of the reasons I did work for him was for information, to make sure Vader didn't I don't know.... leave any apprentices that could rise up to lead a new empire?"

Now I have her attention and she gives me the chance to elaborate. "And?"

"He had none," I reveal to her, both of us having operated under the assumption he'd been trained by Vader or Palpatine. "Whatever Snoke is, he wasn't Vader's apprentice and no one knows anything about what he is or where he came from."

I feel the Commander's confusion and Mom explains. "This information is mostly unknown due to a lack of understanding around the matter, but Snoke is a force user like the Emperor was. One of the questions we had been working on answering is what type of force user he is and who trained him."

I expect the Commander to be completely clueless about the force and its lore like most of the galaxy, but he surprises me. "So he's a Sith then like the Emperor was?"

"No, the Sith followed a strict rule of two, a master and an apprentice, although during the Clone Wars they saw that as flexible. It's how they survived all this time until Palpatine, and if he wasn't trained by either then he can't be a Sith. He uses the darkside of the force but doesn't adhere to the Sith doctrine," I explain, still unable to figure it out. "He's something else and I want to find out what."

"Which we can begin to learn through the data on that computer and not interrogating a senator who would have no personal knowledge of anything you want to know," she argues with me, driving in the point she made about my last mission. "Which is why considering your recent experiences of pulling off heists I believed you would be a valuable asset to this mission, but if you are going to prove otherwise-"

"No, you won't have any trouble from me," I quickly say and she nods her head. I came here wanting to prove myself, and I have to put my own bullshit aside for long enough to do that. Especially if it means getting my hands on intelligence. "So, what's the plan?"

Poe's face draws together in concentration as he theorises. "If they're purging the data they're almost certainly doing so within minutes of coming out of hyperspace."

Mom agrees. "That's Ematt's thinking, as well."

"It's a very tight window in which to take the ship," he says, immediately jumping into an action plan. "And it'll have to be done in space, it can't wait until the senator's landed."

I look at him, surprised by his tactical thinking and quick responses. Maybe he was made a commander for something other than a pretty face after all.

"Which is where Hope comes in," Mom says to him. "If she can break into Cato Nemoidia undetected to steal Jedi artifacts I have every confidence she can steal a ship, according to R2 she's become quite experienced in that as well. She has a very specific skill set and whilst I am confident she could pull this off the matter in which she would pull this off is what concerns me. Considering she has no regard for her own personal safety I know she won't refuse this mission, but you can."

I scoff at her talking to him like I don't exist. "I'm right here."

Poe just looks confused. "Why would I refuse?"

"I'm aware of exactly how difficult this mission will be. Which is why I'm giving you the option of saying no, Commander. I have to stress this, Poe." Mom reaches out and squeezes his hand right in front of me and it's all I can do not to gape at them. "This is not an order. It could go very, very wrong, and if it does the Resistance would have to deny any involvement. You and anyone you took with you to do this would be on your own. You'll have Hope there and she has a knack for beating the odds but any reinforcements would be at risk."

I take the opportunity to jump in and finally turn to address the Commander personally, unable to help but feel slightly smug. "I can handle it alone since this isn't exactly your line of work."

But he doesn't back down, only seeming more sure of it as he fires back. "Don't be so sure."

"As Commander Dameron said, it crews better with two," Mom points out and I narrow my eyes at him before turning my head back to her.

"So does the Falcon but I've flown it myself all the same," I remind her and get to the point. "You know I wouldn't have a single issue flying this thing or getting what you need so what's your concern?"

"You. You're my concern."

"So that's it?" I laugh bitterly. "Your new favourite flyboy's my babysitter?"

He scoffs under his breath while she just shakes her head at me.

"Hope, you're twenty could you please attempt to act like it," she scolds and lectures. "If you want to have your rank restored you're going to need to prove yourself and have recommendations."

"I'm a captain-"

"You were a captain, and if you want to be one again you can earn it back," she says and I press my lips together, shaking my head as I struggle to keep my mouth shut with the anger that rises in me. "As of right now you are an agent of the Resistance that has no rank within our navy or army. If you want that to change you will do as told without the sarcasm and follow Commander Dameron's orders as he will be taking the lead on this mission if he will accept it and have you part of it."

I hold her eye but she doesn't back down and I'm the first to cave. He looks at me now in hesitation, my expression very clearly telling just how I feel as I find a spot on the wall to focus on so I don't have to look at either of them, as I brutally beat back whatever hurt tries to overwhelm me, and hear him say "We're um- we're going to need a few things."

"Alright then," she says, the decision being made since she's right in knowing I won't turn down the mission when I have a personal incentive to get that intelligence. "You'll both be transferred to the Echo of Hope to prepare for the mission. Due to the need to have deniability you will not be able to make use of your x-wings but I'm sure the two of you can figure that out and acquire whatever you may need."

"Yes General," we both say automatically, telling myself the information I can get from that ship is more valuable than anything else. If it can lead me to Snoke there's no question about it.

"I've sent the information we have to your datapads for you to review and strategise," she says and she knows by my silence I'm utterly pissed at being degraded like this in front of someone who's been here for five minutes and has more of her trust than I'll ever hold again it seems. I look between them, wanting to believe there's something wrong going on here, something to explain it, some sick favouritism or something more scandalous but no, she wouldn't go that far with someone under her command and finally I see it for what it is.

He's not a substitute husband, no, he's a substitute son.

And somehow that only makes it worse.

It makes it worse because if she'd given Ben a fraction of the care and warmth she's given him in the past five minutes we wouldn't be in this position and so I leave without being dismissed before I can open my mouth and ruin my chances of getting the intelligence I need to find my brother.

If Mom doesn't have any faith in me he will, and I know he's the only person in the galaxy who'll put me above anything else. If I can get him onside then we can damn the Resistance and the First Order to hell and destroy Snoke in our own way without being held back.

I am getting that intelligence if it's the last thing I do.

Poe

I don't know what I said or did, but Hope Solo does not like me.

And I can't help but return the feeling.

"It was really that bad huh?" Snap says as we sit in the mess hall well past dinner that night talking.

"I don't know what her problem is but she wouldn't look at me or Leia and then just walked out as we began to prepare for the mission," I vent to him, knowing I can't tell him the details of the assignment but I've got to get the rest off my chest. "Everything was just electric, sparks everywhere, right up until the moment she walked into that office and then it was like she was a completely different person."

"She's temperamental," he acknowledges, not wanting to talk bad about her and neither do I but I just can't understand her.

"It's just the way she spoke to Leia," I continue, her being pissed at an absent father I can get but not that. I couldn't ever imagine speaking to my mom like that if I was lucky enough to still have her around. "It's not just disrespecting your general, but your mom, I just can't come at that."

"Those two fight but look, she isn't as awful as she makes herself out to be," Snap sighs and actually takes her side. "I remember the very first Resistance meeting where she dragged her whiney ass big brother in there and chewed him out for talking bad about Leia. I learned real quick that day that the thing about Solo's is they'll fight like hell with each other but if someone comes for them you'll never see anyone switch up as fast. It's- it's just their way of communicating because trust me, I've seen Leia give it to her as well."

I can't deny that, a couple of things Leia said had me raising my eyebrows, mostly provoked to be fair but still I'd never seen her be so harsh before. From the sound of it a lot of the scolding was justified but still I couldn't help but feel bad for her until she decided to be pissed at me along with Leia for reasons I still can't understand since I only said about one sentence to her.

But not wanting to admit it I shrug him off. "Still."

He leans closer and lowers his voice "Just give her a chance alright, because your first impression of her was the right one. Yeah she's difficult and her and Leia can tear each other to shreds but she isn't the way she is without reason."

"Like what?" I find myself asking, I've seen the holonews, I've heard the rumours, but I don't know how much of what is actually true, and considering I'm going to be depending on her in a life or death situation I need to know who I'm working with.

He debates his words. "You know the General had a son right?"

"Yeah, of course," I say quietly, no one on base has ever dared even mention him until now. I've definitely never ever dared to venture there in all my conversations with Leia, not even when that grief she carries has left me up at night worrying. "He was killed when the temple was destroyed."

"I met him once, the splitting image of Han and Leia. He was a proper Jedi, Hope bounced around but he was fully devoted to it. Everyone says she was Luke's last apprentice but she wasn't, she was her brother's apprentice," Snap tells me and I feel uneasy. "I watched the two of them fighting like nothing else, like brothers and sisters do, but you could see how close they were. She- she was a real different person back then. One minute she's bright eyed and greeting everyone with a smile and then weeks later she ends up in hospital with lightsaber burns."

"Lightsaber burns?" I repeat and his face is grave.

"I know you've heard what people say about the supposed heir of Vader miraculously surviving the destruction of the Jedi Order?" he says, rumours I've tried not to listen to but I can't deny having heard them. "Look, if the General or anyone heard me say this I'd be dead but I was stationed on Hosnian Prime when they brought her in. They took her to the hanger where we were operating out of so the media couldn't get any footage since they'd been hounding her and Leia. I saw Han when he walked out of the Falcon, I've known that man since I was sixteen years old but I'd never seen him like that. Whatever happened that night... she nearly died, they said she was hospitalised for smoke inhalation but I got a glimpse of her when the Falcon landed in the hanger and they called in emergency services."

He pauses, knowing he shouldn't be saying anything but shakes his head and goes on.

"The side of her head was covered in dried blood and she was covered in that much ash she looked like the temple had been dropped on her, but it was the lightsaber burns they made sure the media never got wind of," he says quietly, a pained expression on his face. "One along her leg and the other on her arm, I'd thought she was dead when Chewbacca carried her out of there. Whatever happened that night wasn't an accident, but despite what people like to guess she wasn't the one who burned the temple down, she was just the one who was left for dead."

I'm at a complete loss for words now. "I-"

"She was seventeen when it happened," he says and I lower my eyes. "Han left a few months later. Leia coped by throwing herself into building this, Hope coped by taking out that grief on the First Order. Leia's done all this before so she knows it's important to build up our fleet before even thinking about engaging, but Hope wants action and immediate results. Those two weren't always at each other's throats, just look at the holonews if you want to see how protective she is of Leia."

I remember pieces from the initial media coverage, and know if L'ulo was on base he'd remind me of the fights I'd have with my dad because we were both grieving and had different ways of coping with it.

"Alright," I say, still struggling for words. "I'll um- I'll figure it out."

I go to leave, to get something started so I can get her input on it but Snap stops me. "Look if you go to see her don't give her any pity or say you feel sorry for her, just pretend like I haven't said anything." I nod in understanding but he goes on. "You want my advice for dealing with Hope Solo, or anyone from that family? To give as good as you get."

"I just saw her fighting with Leia, I don't think it's possible for me to give as good as she does," I remark but he doesn't look so sure.

"Give her the benefit of the doubt and be nice but if she's going to be under your command for whatever this mission is then you better learn to stand up to her otherwise she'll walk all over you," he advises, and considering she actually listens to him I don't argue back. It's not my style as a commander to be an asshole, because if I'm giving it back to her that's what I'm going to end up sounding like, but a good commander has to be adaptable. "She won't respect you unless you give as good as you get."

I take those words literally as I go to see her.

Hope

There's a knock at my door that I ignore as I unpack the things I'd packed, not knowing if I'm coming or going but knowing I'll need to bring some things at least with me. Still debating if I should go after that ship myself before anyone even knows where I've gone.

"I don't like this one bit R2," I tell him. "I was a captain, I performed countless missions and now some flyboy who's been here five minutes isn't just Mom's new favourite but he's giving me orders and I do not like this at all and I do not like him."

R2 beeps a smartass remark about that and I realise even if Mom hasn't picked up on my attraction R2 certainly has.

"R2," I warn but the knocking at my door persists and in my annoyance I open it to tell off whoever it is, half expecting a lecture from Threepio, but when I see the Commander my voice is sharper than I anticipated. "What?"

He's mildly alarmed at the sight of me, as if whatever resolve that brought him here quickly slips. "Bad time?"

"Yes," I state plainly and go to press the door switch but he has the guts to reach for my hand to stop me, the sudden touch jarring enough that I actually do stop.

"Look," he begins and stammers over what to call me. "Hope or Princess whatever you want me to call you?"

I pull my hand away, my voice firm. "Solo."

He nods, content with that. "Solo. I know you aren't happy about this-"

"So you can use your head then after all?"

His expression quickly turns to one of exasperation, but he knows it's not unfounded. "I might have gotten a bit carried away."

"Might have?" I question and can't help but snipe "Didn't seem to mind until you realised with who."

He knows I have him there. "In all fairness, you don't exactly give off the impression you'd expect from a princess."

I just scoff at that. "Because I'm not one." He just looks confused at that and I state plainly. "It's another rank she gave me which she remarkably hasn't stripped away like the only one that actually mattered."

He tries to lighten the tension. "Well at least I know now you weren't kidding about insubordination."

"And now you get to be my commander for this mission, enjoy," I say, and see people walking past in the hallway giving strange looks. "So what do you want?"

"Look if you're gonna be mad at me for whatever then fine, nice to meet you too," he says shortly. "But I was going to talk to you about the mission."

I raise an eyebrow. "In my bedroom, in the middle of the night?"

"I- " he clamps his mouth shut before saying "Alright, my bad, but it's urgent."

I just shake my head at him. "How did you even find my room?"

"Mutual friends," he says and know the only one he could mean is Snap. "Look can I come in and talk or we can air this out in the hallway, your choice."

"Fine," I say and throw my hands up as I let him in, becoming slightly less hostile when I realise he's brought his droid with him for support. "What's so urgent?"

The door shuts and I sit down in my chair and kick my legs up on the desk, crossing my arms over my chest as I wait for him to talk.

He takes me in, the tension between us far different to how it was in the hanger, and I realise when the General's not around I'm not the only one with a smartass mouth.

"So it's gonna be like that then?"

"Yep," I say slowly as I hold his eye and he cocks his jaw before nodding to himself.

"You know you actually seemed to like me before that meeting."

"I did, and now I'm taking orders from you so how's that worked out?" I remark, knowing that's certainly a conflict of interest that neither of us are game enough to admit to my Mom. "You've got one minute before I kick you out."

"Alright princess," he says and I narrow my eyes at him as he stands over me, not that he's overly tall. "I don't know what your problem is, but I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and say you're just pissed off right now." I open my mouth but he cuts me off. "The reason this couldn't wait is because before we get transferred I need to give the general an action overview and wanted your input."

He surprises me enough that some of my apprehension eases and I can't help the disbelief that's clear in my voice. "My input?"

"You might be acting like a brat but I've seen enough to know that you're damn good in the field," he says and I blink in surprise as the insult and praise, respecting it enough to listen. "And whatever the hell you've been doing out there means this is your type of job, so." He leans forward over the desk, making it clear he's not going anywhere. "Hhow about you give me some input so we can work out an action plan together so we're on the same page and I can give it to the General with both our names on it."

I look at him in contemplation, holding his eye and still see that challenging glint in it from the hanger and find myself still forcing back a smile. "Alright hotshot, show me what you've got."

Now he's the one that's surprised but goes along with it and we end up cross legged on the floor going over the files we were sent and the schematics of the ship that's projected in holo form from my datapad.

"So, just to be clear," he begins and makes clear. "Absolutely no judgement on my part, but have you stolen a ship like this before?"

"Not the exact model but similar enough," I say, looking at the cross sections to pinpoint weak spots we could break through if we can't reach an entrance easily. "It's a luxury yacht, it's only going to be as difficult to hijack as we make it."

"Which is gonna be difficult regardless," he says and reminds me. "The issue is the time frame we're working with because if they call in reinforcements we're gonna be screwed. I've got some pilots in mind for an armed escort but if possible I'd prefer to not have to bring more people into this knowing the risks."

"Look this senator's a right prick," I tell Poe and he doesn't have any arguments with that. "I've met him and he's a Centrist which says enough but if he calls in reinforcements we need to be prepared for that to be in the form of the Republic or more likely hired security."

"The question is which would be better luck," he says although I'm not particularly worried about either. "Republic means a star system of trouble for the Resistance if we're identified, hired security means a skirmish."

"Look I wouldn't be too worried about getting identified," I tell him. "No one's gonna be shocked to see me committing piracy and I can always say I kidnapped you or something."

He stares at me in disbelief for a moment before asking "That's your plan?"

"It's a plan c for if the Republic shows up," I assure him. "So let's figure out how to avoid that."

"Here's what I've worked out," he says and lays it out for me. "We have to hit the ship the moment it comes out of hyperspace, and temporarily disable it by damaging the engines, get on board and then get the senator and anyone else on the ship into the escape pods and off the vessel."

"So no hostages?" I ask since Mom never clarified that and he considers it for a moment.

"No, no hostages," he confirms and I don't argue as he goes on. "We restart the engines and then get out of there with the ship, and we have to do it within eight minutes."

Now I grow hesitant. "Eight minutes being the Republic's response time?"

He nods in confirmation. "Correct."

I nod slowly and admit "It's a tight window, especially since it relies on how fast those engines and that hyperdrive recharges. I'm good with rigging hyperdrives but there's only so much I could do to make it charge faster in such a short window."

"That- I hadn't thought of that. Rigging the hyperdrive could really save us with the timeframe we have," he says taking my idea into consideration. "Are you familiar with the hyperdrive model?"

"It's class two, so it's right up my alley," I confirm, getting a little excited now. "If I get the right booster cables and bypass some other mechanics on it I should be able to rig it to charge faster but still I can't give an exact time frame as to how long that would be until we're on board and I can run the diagnostics."

He nods but asks "Won't that make it unstable?"

"No more unstable than what I grew up flying," I remark but he takes it on board. "And besides we only need to make one jump, I can keep it intact for that long."

"Alright, I'll take your word for it," he decides and reaffirms. "Eight minutes to get on board and recharge the engines before the Republic comes. It could take them longer but we need to be prepared for them to arrive in the minimum time frame."

I nod along but then wonder "But what if he doesn't call to the Republic for help? If he's carrying the information the General believes he is then he's going to have greater security than just relying on a distress signal to a naval base or even a private security escort." He listens as I tell him "Before you found me in the field I'd had a dozen tie's ambush me out of nowhere just because they'd identified my ship, not even knowing who was flying it. If he is carrying First Order intelligence and is compromised the First Order will try to reinforce but if they know the ship's been hijacked they're going to blow it up and take all of us with it."

He stills now, the thought of the First Order reinforcing before the Republic having not crossed his mind. "Which means this mission is a hell of a lot more dangerous than we gave it credit for."

"But it's not impossible," I say, determined to get whatever is on board. "We just have to be smart about this and have backup plans and improvise if needed.'

He studies me a little more closely now. "I'm going to go out on a whim and say most of your plans involve improvising?"

"Hey, I'm still alive aren't I?" I shrug and see a shadow of a smile on his face in the dim light.

"That's good, I like improvising," he says and now I'm the one trying to resist the same sort of smile. "If you can pull off a heist on Cato Nemoidia I don't doubt that you're more than capable of seeing this through."

I've been that used to having to go above and beyond for anyone to trust me, it's nice to have someone who does it without me having to fight for it. Although that says more about his character than mine.

"If this senator has information about where Snoke is then that is the most invaluable piece of intelligence we could get our hands on," I say and stress as I take in the ship. "It's not properly armoured, just an automatic set of laser cannons that would do nothing to protect it if we're ambushed, so we need to rely on getting out of there before that can happen."

He nods in agreement. "I like your thinking, I think you've accounted for any major variables that could go wrong. This is the one mission we can't fail."

"Trust me, this is personal, I'm not gonna fail it," I promise him, knowing if it comes between following orders and doing what I need to do to get the information I need the choice is clear. "So what are we gonna be flying if not x-wings?"

"That's what I was hoping you could help me with, we're gonna need ships that can't be traced back to the Resistance," he says. "I've got some favours I can call in but I thought you might have some better ones."

"I do, in fact a pirate owes me some credits and I can get the booster cables I need from him as well," I say knowing Hondo will help me out. "How many ships will we need?"

"One for each of us," he says to me. "I was considering bringing two pilots as an escort, they came with me to the Resistance so you wouldn't know them, but they're damn good at what they do."

Except I can sense his hesitation. "But you're worried they'll be collateral if it's the First Order who shows up."

He nods gravely and reveals "Yeah, I lost a man not that far back in the field and I'm not letting that happen again if I can help it."

I don't inquire or push, but I take note of that fact. "Alright then, so just us?" He nods again and I assure him "I can take care of ships no problem, but I suppose my N-1's out of the question?"

He shakes his head with a grin. "Now if you bring that we're definitely going to be in trouble, let's just say you'll be wanting ships we can ditch mid space."

"I can do that," I say, knowing Hondo has enough rust buckets that won't be missed. "Just don't tell the General where I'll be getting them from because she won't like it." I point a finger at R2. "That goes for you as well you little traitor."

"Now I gotta ask, I know you're a great pilot but do you have any formal military training outside of the Resistance?" he asks me and sees the look on my face upon realising he hasn't looked at my file. Although it's a safe bet that it's classified to anyone not in high command. "What?"

"I started in the Naboo Starfighter Corps in 23ABY."

He nods slowly before exclaiming "Wait I thought Leia said you were twenty? That would have made you-"

"Twelve," I smile to myself. "So I can assure you I'm quite well trained."

He just stares incredulously as he tries to understand that. "Wait- how the hell did they let a kid into their starfighter corps?"

"I made the argument that if twelve year olds could be queens then twelve year olds could also be pilots," I say and he can't argue with that assessment, once he gets past the disbelief he seems impressed.

"I gotta say," he begins and surprises me. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in the field Solo."

I study his face along with his force signature, almost hating the fact that despite my best efforts I can't truly find cause to dislike him, yet at least. He's effectively taken my role here in the Resistance and my mom's respect, and yet I only find frustration at the situation rather than with him.

"You've already seen me in the field, I'll be more interested to see if you can back up that ego you've got," I tease but he just gives a charming grin.

"Oh I can promise you, I won't disappoint."

I don't miss the look in his eye, one I'm not quite sure he even realises is there. I can't quite make sense of but it makes me feel things I definitely don't want to feel and while I'm not completely opposed this conversation has already gotten more personal than I'd like and the longer I hold his eye the warmer this room feels and so I quickly stand from the floor to put distance between us. "Well, if that will be all Commander."

A quick look at the clock on the wall tells me it's three a.m., but we've got the mission mapped out as well as possible for now at least. "I'll give this to the General and find you tomorrow to talk logistics."

I nod in approval and realise how well I've done at being able to look at his face without feeling anything, until now at least, but there's a warmth in his eyes I can't help but like. "Tomorrow then."

He nods back and finds his way out, leaving me in a state I can't quite pinpoint but R2 feels the need to tell me that I don't mind him that much after all.

And unfortunately he's right.

#poe dameron #poe dameron x solo!oc #poe dameron fanfiction #poe dameron x oc #sequel trilogy #poe dameron x original character #solo original character #skywalker original character #solo!oc #poe dameron x solo original character #star wars fanfiction #star wars original character #sequel trilogy fanfiction #poe dameron x f!oc #poe dameron x female original character

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oiks-milkbread · 2 years

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florist!oikawa x tattooartist!atsumu

((Okay, these are just some random, scattered thoughts))

I talked about it some time ago, I started writing headcanons but now I have a block. Here what I wrote at that time, it's incomplete, sorry!

- megane!oikawa;

- atsumu wears all black, heavy boots, has a tattoo sleeve, some piercings too;

- oikawa's flower shop is v v pretty, there's a pastel pink and light blue colour theme going on;

- according to oikawa the tattoo studio in front of his shop kinda ruins the vibes;

- oikawa sees atsumu for the first time getting off his motorbike, looking really handsome but somehow annoying. Maybe it's the smirk? Maybe it's his eyes? The way he carries himself around? He's not sure but there's definitely something;

- while he leaves akaashi at the counter (yeah, I can see akaashi working at the flower shop too, i'm so soft for akaashi, leave me alone) to get a coffee, he sees this new guy walking in his same direction. Oikawa walks a little bit faster, this blonde guy starts walking at the same pace, almost getting ahead of him. So he starts walking even faster, it turns into a power walk competition. They stop in front of the same cafe, looking at each other with an annoyed expression;

- the day after, when oikawa arrives at the flower shop to open it, he notices that the tattoo studio is already opened. Weird. He later learns which days where the ones atsumu had to open the studio, so he always try to beat him;

- akaashi and suna keep catching these two idiots glaring at each other;

- one day atsumu has to buy flowers for his mother's birthday, the last thing he wants is to buy them at the flower shop in front of the place where he works, but at the end he does, it's just convenient. He hopes to find the dark haired guy but there's the annoying brunette;

- oikawa wants to be smug about it but he's just surprised;

- they finally have the chance to present themselves;

#mine #haikyuu!!#oikawa tooru #miya atsumu #hq sfw #haikyuu sfw #flowershop au #enemies to lovers

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talenlee · 8 months

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Breaking Bad's Crowded Fandom

There is a lot of media participation media about Breaking Bad and its related franchises, Better Call Saul and I guess El Camino is here, too, I suppose. This makes sense — Breaking Bad is a tall series with a long shadow, an influence on the culture around me that makes it perfect for people who like to talk about media to talk about it. It’s not just that Breaking Bad has become a spreading puffball of memes that land on every surface around it — I Am The One Who Knocks — but it’s also got its own subcultural bubble of hack media studies memes — this is the point where Walter White truly became Breaking Bad.

It’s something that means every time I’ve wanted to talk about any of these properties, I only did it if it was literally the most convenient thing. That’s why I wound up talking about El Camino a while back. It was the only thing I’d seen recently that fit the theme. That was a rumination on the same general idea — that Breaking Bad is kind of a crowded space to talk about.

It’s honestly one of the things about Breaking Bad I find personally very charming. Normally if there’s something ubiquitous in a media space, it’s because it’s very approachable and very conventional, like, The Avengers may do a good job of executing on its plan but largely, it’s a plan you’ve seen before, done on smaller scales. A chunk of that movie is just taking a victory lap about itself existing, a can you believe we’re doing this like this kind of exhibition demonstrating a crew of characters who are meant to stand together despite the silliness of the whole affair.

Some of this relates to algorithmic content formation. One of the largest platforms for media participation media is Youtube, and then there’s Tiktok, and both of those platforms use algorithms to reward content creators who generate repeatedly compliant media. If you have an existing interest like mental health or tier lists or a language boundary or a film degree or whatever, you can pour Breaking Bad into your form, the content deforming to the shape of the bucket you use to carry it.

It’s very popular, and it’s big enough and slow enough that you can probably find almost anything that applies to your particular interest.

I don’t think, though, it’s entirely fair to act like Breaking Bad (a very popular show in a white common cultural space) is the same as The Avengers (a very popular media in a multinational common cultural space). They probably both colour Mexico yellow for no good reason, I suppose. This isn’t because The Avengers is somehow less or more worthy of attention than Breaking Bad, but because it feels to me like Breaking Bad is deliberately doing a lot of stuff that’s, for lack of a better word, harder than doing it in The Avengers. Breaking Bad’s depiction of violence is abrupt, it’s fast. Combat when it happens is short and sharp. People can’t really take hits – they tend to lose, hard.

The whole vibe of The Avengers is about having all the resources in the world and finding a thing that can make you feel limited. In the Breaking Bad universe, which more and more as I say it I realise I am just calling that because I’m really thinking about Better Call Saul, but anyway, in that universe, it’s about having very little, and making it last. It’s about this constant tension!

Gosh, I’m trying so hard to not talk about Breaking Bad like ‘oh hey, did you notice that Gilligan uses montage to not show impressive things but mundane things?’ and please please praise me for noticing I’m so smart, I have spent so much time paying attention to this show. Which is weird because I’ve only watched it once. I haven’t gone back and spent time marinating in the entire world of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. I watched Better Call Saul and I really enjoyed it, and I thought that the characters I spent time with were executed on well by their actors and then there’s the cultural impact and the Skylar White conversation and –

and-

there’s just so much stuff to talk about. To play with.

And most of it has been talked about and played with.

I suppose I should explain what I mean by media participation media. This is media participation media. It’s media that primarily presents itself as media about participation in other media. Video essays on franchises or character studies or fanfiction, all that stuff, that’s media participation media. This isn’t the official media study thing, by the way, it’s just a term I grabbed out of the air for this conversation.

I needed media participation media because I needed something that didn’t front-and-centre the idea of critique. A lot of these people engaging with media in this space are going to be formally, doing critique, but common use of critique has a negative connotation, a dissent with how the thing is done and how it should be done better. Critique isn’t a bad thing but if you talk about critique the implication in English is that you are doing it in a negative way.

Also, ‘media critique’ or ‘media studies’ feels like a phrase that, if I use it, you’re going to assume it excludes things like fanfiction, fancams, meme exchanges, that kind of thing. I don’t! I don’t mean that. When you see people doing readings of memes of Jesse Pinkman trying to convince Gus to go watch Morbius, that’s funny and fun explicitly because of how it relates to Breaking Bad.

(The Media Studies terms for what this is, really, is paratextual media, but I’m simplifying.)

Okay, so there’s a lot of People Doing Stuff With Breaking Bad and by extension Better Call Saul. So what? that’s okay. Nobody’s required. If I had something fun or interesting to say about them, I could. It’s my blog, and I’ll at least be recycling jokes you havent’ seen all in the same spot, right? And sure, I may talk about them sometime, some place. There’s stuff that’s interesting to me, in all those spaces.

What I find the most interesting about Breaking Bad and its related media, though, isn’t the media itself. Clearly – I mean I’ve only watched it once, like I said. But it’s interesting to me because of the cloud of opinions around it, the way that things feel and the things people extract from it.

The media can give me such an enjoyable story, but people, people talking about it, talking about what they got out of it? They can show me thousands of stories.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#Media

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archer3-13 · 11 months

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"l i have my problems with fates," which are ?

more a problem with fandom really but i feel conquest gets overhyped for what it actually is on the gameplay angle. which is to say its not bad just that its not nearly as difficult as people make it out to be. case in point, cqch10 is actually pretty simple when ya get down to it but it has something of a killer reputation in fandom, which frankly i find confusing.

well ive grown to have a higher appreciation for fates a story, and its characters and to lament the botched translation, at the end of the day fates is still kinda stupid as a story. conquest is able to better skate by that issue thanks to its strong emotional heart, but it makes a lot of compromises to wring that emotion out to the point that it stretches credulity. why does azura only use the magic crystal ball she conveniently has that reveals garons true form only infront of corrin? because we need this mechanically for the plot and themes to function regardless of any issues it might open up elsewhere in the narrative [say needing to convince takumi of corrins cause on revelation, but no we can just have izana croak it so a square peg can go in a round hole].

I've just never been into the hoshidon royal family. at its worse when i first had the game shortly after i came out i felt ryoma was a tool, takumi was annoying, hinoka was aggravating, and sakura vexing. my opinion on them has definitely cooled since then, but i've still never really been able to get much of an appreciation for them as characters. i like hinoka/xander because it can be really cute and really tragic in their dynamics and well takumis a lil shit i feel it can be rather adorable in a try hard 'i am the prince of all saiyans rawr!' kinda manner. sakura i'll probably never be into cause the sad wallflower type only appeals to me in very specific circumstances, and ryoma remains a tool.

not a fan of the weapon system. originally i thought it was cause of their being no weapon durability but on reflection i feel its just because the weapons of fates arent particularly well balanced for what they were trying to achieve with it. the royal weapons stick out the most to me on this being strong enough with basically no drawbacks that your guaranteed to gravitate to them over a more colourful cast selection without consciously choosing not to. its kinda like engages smash weapons effectively but across the whole lot, cool idea in theory but a botched execution.

i wish the effort that had gone into the kids had instead gone into additional chapters for each route with larger base casts to recruit. instead we have... the children characters of fates.

the beginning tutorial section is large enough and broken into enough pieces that it chokes out time and breath the game could have had on each route instead. you could cut out 2 chapters before the route divergence and not miss anything vital to teaching the player on whats what. but then thats honestly more of a problem with fe on a whole ever since fe7 threw in a 11 chapter long tutorial section with lyns story [a very nice tutorial section but still]. im not saying throw the player in blind, but its very possible to teach these things as they become relevant without throwing us into the kiddypool for a fifth of the game on average. engage does a better job then other fes on this incidentally.

#fire embelm #fates critical #not an invention to harass or bash fates #just my own problems with fates is all

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buttercream-squad-imagines · 3 years

Text

Tinder in Real Life

Pairings: Harry Lewis x fem!Reader, Sidemen x platonic!Reader Word Count: 2k Warnings: Language some people may find offensive, sexual themes, recycled lines from Sidemen Tinder in Real Life because I'm not at all creative Request: Hey! Could you do reader x Harry imagine where the sidemen do a collab video with the reader who is also a big youtuber and Harrys celebrity crush. And during the video the reader is very flirty, leaving Harry a flustered mess when the flirting is directed towards him, but very jealous when its with any other sidemen.

The Sidemen were one of the biggest groups on YouTube and one that you were very familiar with. At the age of 23, you were a fair bit younger than some of its oldest members but yet you had a close relationship with JJ, whom you had met through YouTube.

You had started your channel when you were 17, just under four years ago, making makeup videos, which was a passion of yours when you were younger. Not that you were any good at it back then. Those videos quickly become unlisted when your channel started blowing up in late 2016, now nearing 20 million at the present time.

It wasn't long before you expanded your horizons and had started making different sorts of videos, including vlogs of your everyday life - which wasn't and still isn't that exciting in your opinion - and those where you just had a laugh, attempting to do stupid challenges that were so popular back then. It was those, however, that grew your channel. Your fans seemed to love them and so you gradually started to make more.

As your small channel began to grow significantly, it caught the attention of KSI, a member of the Sidemen, who reached out to you to for a collab. You were ecstatic. You couldn't believe it at the time, why would someone like KSI with 20 million subscribers want to collaborate with you? By that time, you couldn't exactly call yourself a small channel anymore, with almost 5 million subscribers but it still didn't make any sense to you.

You and JJ quickly bonded after filming together. You had a very similar sense of humour and interests. As the years went, the older boy became one of your best friends, the nature of your relationship being very teasing and flirtatious but the both of you knew it was a joke. It was just the way you both were.

Though despite having known him for nearing 3 years now, you had never met the rest of the Sidemen, with the exception of Simon, as he lived with JJ. Which is why when he texted asking you to collaborate with the Sidemen, you couldn't turn the offer down. You were a fan of the group and the content they were producing. You thought the videos that they made were exceptional, that they were pushing the envelope of the standard of content on YouTube and often found yourself excited for new videos.

He had explained that they were filming another of their 'Tinder in real life' but a YouTuber version with the likes of BambinoBecky and ChiWithAC. You were so excited. You were finally going to meet the rest of JJ's friends and you had the opportunity to be a part of a Sidemen Sunday.

You arrived at the studio the boys were filming at in the afternoon, finding and greeting JJ before he introduced you to the other sidemen in addition to Lux, Freezy and Stephen.

"And you've already met Simon." He finished.

"Yeah. Nice to finally meet you all. JJ tells me a lot about you guys." You laughed.

"Because that's assuring." Ethan pointed out with a chuckle, the other boys letting out agreements.

"Not all bad, I promise." You teased, winking at him. Ethan felt the blood rushing to his face, immediately becoming flustered and stumbling over his words. You found that you often had that effect on people as you could be very direct and flirtatious even when you didn't mean it. To you it was just friendly banter.

"Geez Y/N, stop flirting with people you met literally five minutes ago." JJ rolled his eyes.

"You sound a bit jealous, Jide." You smirked, a teasing grin spread across your face.

"Nah, allow it." There were eruptions of laughter around the room, coming from the boys. You were quick to notice Harry standing out of the way and was significantly quieter than the others, with what seemed to be a forced smile on his face.

Harry was in his own head, barely paying attention to what was going on around him. When JJ had told him that you were going to be in the next Sidemen video, he panicked. You were an accomplished YouTuber who he was quite fond of to say the least. Well, that would be an understatement, he had a fairly large crush on you. A crush that no one but Freezy and Lux knew about.

He knew that JJ had been friends with you for some time now but never considered the possibility of even meeting you. His anxiety acted as a barrier to even the thought of it. But he was currently in the same room as you and had said nothing more than a short 'hello'. He longed to have the confidence Ethan had to speak to you, even more so for you to look at him the way you were.

Already you were flirting with JJ and Ethan, something that caused a pit to form at the bottom of his stomach. He wouldn't admit it, but he could slowly feel the jealousy forming. Not that he had anything to be jealous about in the first place!

You continued to speak with the boys as you got your mic set up, telling them stories you were sure would embarrass JJ.

"Y/N, stop." The older boy whined. He could be like a child sometimes, but it was one of his more endearing qualities. He simply wouldn't be JJ if he wasn't.

"No, carry on." Simon laughed.

"Oh, don't worry, there's plenty more where that came from." You teased.

"I think it's time we started, don't you think?" Harry grumbled.

"Right." You smiled at the boy, who's cheeks became tinted red. He ducked to hide his face and walked around to stand in the line, hiding himself in the middle.

"Hi, I'm Y/N, I'm 23 and I'm from Y/H/T." You spoke to the camera once you were given the go ahead.

"I'm Simon, I'm 28. I like to practice safe sex."

"Always a good start."

"I could tie you to the bed, so you don't fall off." He finished with a giggle. You acted like you were pondering it for a moment before letting out a laugh and swiping right.

"I'm down for that." You teased. The boys all let out rumbles of laughter

"Hi, I'm Ethan, I'm 26 and kiss me if I'm wrong, but you're gonna swipe right."

"What would you rather?" You joked. Ethan shrugged his shoulders and walked closer to the board, sticking his head through with his lips puckered, eliciting a cry of protest from Harry that this wasn't allowed. You laughed and made an over exaggerated motion to swipe to the right, causing him to pout playfully but walked over to the right anyway.

"Hi, I'm Josh, I'm 28. KSI has a top ten single, but you're the only hot single I can see."

"Wow, that was smooth!" You said with a grin. "Definite yes from me."

"I'm Callum, I'm 26. Are you into fitness?" Freezy asked.

"Can't say I am." You replied, unsure of what turn this could take.

"How about you fitness dick in your mouth?"

"I wouldn't get too excited babes, I gag on my toothbrush." You laughed. "We could try though."

You swiped right on him, chuckling as you watched him let out a yes before joining Simon, Ethan, and Josh. You frowned slightly, a crease forming between your brows as you saw Harry whisper something furiously at his friend but ultimately got distracted by Vik stepping up to go next.

"I'm Vik, I'm 25. My ex-girlfriend always said I'd never do better than her, wanna prove her right?" You could hear the cries of the boys in the background, some scolding him, others laughing.

"Man actually said prove her right. Not wrong." JJ shrieked with a shocked look on his face, holding his head with his hands.

"You need to find someone for that." You snarked, swiping left on the boy, who shrugged and walked off.

"Damn! You got told!" Lux cackled.

"Uh hi. I'm Harry. I'm uh 25, no I'm not I'm 24." He stumbled. "Are you sure you're a muggle? Because that ass is magical."

"You should see how magical it can be." You spoke before cringing at yourself and laughing, swiping right to avoid a reply. The boy's face grew a bright shade of red, closely resembling the colour of a tomato.

"Geez, is that an offer?!" Freezy yelled from the right side. You laughed, observing how Harry whispered furiously to the boy to stop and winked at him once he had could see. Your laughter only increased as you watched JJ step up.

"I'm JJ. I'm 28 and are you a raisin? Cause you're raising my dick." The boy in question stood in front of you so confidently, hands clasped together in front of him so seriously that you just lost it. By the time you composed yourself, there were tears almost falling from your eyes.

"A* for effort." You laughed, swiping right eliciting a cry of success.

You had wrapped up filming your segment of the video, which conveniently was the last of the day. You found JJ who you spoke to whilst the other boys were otherwise occupied talking to each other.

"Cheers for coming, Y/N/N. You've been great."

"Anything for you." You joked.

"Don't tempt me." He laughed. You could feel eyes on you, eyes that were burning into your side. You turned your head to see Harry staring you and JJ down before looking away after being caught in the act, and suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"Does Harry not like me or something?" You whispered to JJ, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden.

"Not that I know of." He frowned looking at the younger boy. "He can be a bit awkward at times and gets flustered a lot."

"Right." You agreed. You excused yourself before sauntering up to the boy in question, calling his name to snap him out of the daze he appeared to be in.

"Oh, um hey Y/N." He stumbled.

"Hi." You smiled gently. "I uh, I was just wondering, do you... have I done something to offend you?"

"Offend me? Why, uh, why would you think that?" He rambled.

"It's just... it's nothing, it's probably just me overthinking things." You waved it off, feeling like a complete idiot.

"I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I don't like you. I don't not like you, in fact I really like you! Oh, um I mean I like you, you're very pretty." The boy couldn't stop rambling which made you laugh. "No, wait."

"You think I'm pretty?" You blushed interrupting him. Harry felt his mouth go dry, not being able to get anything coherent to come out. "Well, Harry, I really like you too."

"What?" His eyebrows shot up so far it was almost comical. "Really? So, you don't like the other guys?"

"What? No." You laughed. "That's absurd. Why would you think that?"

"You seemed very..." The boy trailed off, not wanting to offend you after you had admitted to liking him.

"Flirty?" You finished, causing him to nod. "I'm like that with everyone, I don't mean to be half the time."

"Oh."

"Well, how about you give me your phone number and when you finally grow a pair, you can ask me out?" Your confidence levels had shot up spontaneously.

"Uh, sure." His cheeks had become a dark shade of red as he passed his phone to you so you could put your number in. You kept looking up at him as you typed, putting your name under 'Y/N x' in his contacts before handing it back to him.

"Y/N! Come on! We're going to Nando's!" JJ called from the other side of the room.

"Call me." You winked. Your bottom lip was caught between your teeth and was currently the only thing from stopping the wide grin from spreading across your face. A grin that hadn't disappeared from your face for the rest of the day, much to the curiosity of JJ, who was disappointed when you refused to tell him why, or more appropriately who, had put the smile on your face.

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chil2de · 3 years

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How are you today? If its alright with you, can I request a Atsumu x fem reader where she has a super tomboy style and ALWAYS wears baggy clothes, but one day atsumu comes over to hang out and the only outfit she has left is kinda a tight fitting shirt and for the first time ever Atsumu realizes just how curvy his girlfriend is

sorry if thats to specific! feel free to ignorethis!

warning - miya atsumu x reader

hiii! i’m doing okay anonie, thank you and i hope u are faring well!!! so um this ended up being a LOT longer than i expected pls forgive me it was supposed to be a cute lil drabble but now its like uh 2k words aJdhfhhd, i really loved this idea!!! don’t worry ab it being too specific i actually like that and it helps give me a general idea about the req

well whilst this isn’t tooooo nsfw there are a few small themes in the beginning + swearing since i write atsumu like that and implications of sexual content ig at the end but aside from that? just some fluff for our fav king. characters are aged up and i am unsure how it would work but call it anime logic and enjoy! thanks for requesting! (okay rereading the ending is lowkey smut why am i like this)

“b-cup.” atsumu huffed with confidence. he took a large swig out of his water bottle, nodding his head wisely in affirmation.

“really? i’d say c-cup.” suna chimed in, his half-lidded gaze narrowing.

“nah, it’s b-cup”

“what the hell are you two talking about?” osamu interjected, concern and disgust thick on his features as he came over carrying a few towels.

“(y/n)’s bra size” suna nonchalantly responded, his eyes flicking up for a few seconds as he accepted the towel from osamu.

“‘tsumu i knew you were messed in the head but, suna? have you caught his germs?”

“fuck are you making it sound like i have some viral disease?”

“you don’t?” suna snorted, plopping down onto the floor to sit cross-legged.

“why don’t you just ask her?” osamu’s gaze flickered onto yours from across the court. you felt your ears burn from the way the three of them were staring at you.

was something on your face?

a bug? dirt?

“huh? like i’m supposed to say, hey baby girl, what size are your tits?”

“i’m still saying b-cup”

“c-cup”

“i think b-cup” osamu joined in, watching atsumu screw his face at him

“you goddamn hypocrite-“ “who’s being a hypocrite?” kita inquired with a half-hushed tone, making his way over with a few protein bars

“oh my god i’m going home” atsumu groaned, resting his palms on his knees as he stood up. he beelined towards you, his exhaustion painted his lazy smile beautifully. he still had the energy to turn around over his shoulder and flip his middle finger up at his team whilst his right hand snaked around to your waist.

somewhere around your waist. it took him a little bit of digging through all the fabric.

it didn’t matter to him, though. as much of a jackass as he might’ve been, he never judged you for the way you dressed. even if it meant that sometimes you looked a lil bit homeless, at the end of the day- he still had that glimmer in his eyes whenever he saw you.

you would be his favourite baby girl, no matter what.

“is that my shirt you’re wearing?” he hummed, glancing down to look at it.

it was, in fact, one of his shirts. it was matte black in colour, with a small dip that would showcase atsumu’s collar bones. it was a little bit faded from the many wash cycles it endured throughout its lifetime, but he would always notice the small tear in the bottom right section of the fabric.

“sorryyy, i know you just washed it but it smelled so nice. also, wow, did you put on deodorant? you actually smell like a man it’s kinda creepy”

“i always put on deodorant you dipshit, you’re always crying about how pretty my face looks so your nose doesn’t pick up the scent. it’s verbena citrus, buy your own because i know you’ll try stealing mine so i’m putting a padlock on that shit.” atsumu scoffed, digging his fingers into your sides to tickle you as you walked. you squirmed, swatting him away as you dug your hands into the pockets of your joggers. they were not atsumu’s, unfortunately, for you found out the hard way that you would literally have to drag the excess fabric behind you like some train dress or bundle it up and fold it, which, in retrospect- did not look too aesthetically pleasing. you settled for your own joggers and favourite high-top sneakers to match.

“you know you’ll say all this but give me your deodorant anyway, right?” you stuck your tongue out at him. he rolled his eyes, ruffling your hair.

“hey.” he called out, causing you to direct your attention towards him.

he nudged your arm with his elbow.

oh.

“give it here.”

you uncurled your left hand out of your pocket, zipping it up to make sure the contents inside didn’t spill. atsumu slid his right hand away from your waist and opened his palm up, intertwining his fingertips between yours into a tight lock. he grazed his thumb over the back of your hand, giving you a small squeeze.

“that was the cheesiest and most corniest thing you’ve done and i hated it” you made a mock gagging sound, averting your gaze.

you could feel the blush fresh on your cheeks, heart pounding in your chest like it was about to explode.

“wait, you thought i was holding your hand because we’re dating? i’m just doing it because i know your dumbass would get lost” atsumu snorted, throwing his head back in laughter.

well,

you could still see the light blush tinting his cheeks. and it wasn’t the sunset.

“mmm, should i wear this one- wait-“ you grabbed the shirt, folding it upwards as you took a small whiff. well,, you did wear it yesterday… yeah, you did put it in the laundry basket,,, no, it didn’t smell toooo bad, but..

you groaned, tossing it back into said basket as you furrowed your brows in concentration.

you heard the doorbell ring which only caused you to panic even further. you just needed a shirt. literally any shirt. you were about to cut your freaking pants out and sew them together to another pair for a shirt.

since it was a friday, you had atsumu walk you halfway home. you only lived a street away from him, and the apartment was conveniently built on a fork between the road down to his house and the supermarket. hence, he dropped you off and went to the store all by himself like a responsible adult to grab some snacks for the weekend.

“it’s open!” you called out, leaning your jaw back as you shouted in hopes for your voice to travel further.

in that moment, just in the corner of your eye- you saw a familiar flash of black.

you swooped the fabric up, quietly humming in pleasure when it smelled like laundry detergent and fabric softener.

you lifted the shirt over your head, struggling to pull it down for a few seconds.

you admired yourself briefly in the mirror.

it was a casual t-shirt. it reached down to the middle portion of your arms, though it was significantly less baggy than all of your other clothes. you liked to sleep in it during hot and stuffy summer nights, but rarely found yourself using it otherwise.

it’s not like you didn’t like these kinds of shirts.

but when given the option to look “stylish” or comfortable, who wouldn’t pick comfortable? that’s what was important to you above all. clothes that made you feel like you were constantly in bed were a godsend from the heavens.

“hey dipshit, i spent twenty minutes jumping stores for you but no one sold any (favourite drink) so i got you-“ atsumu halted in his steps, the grocery bags curled around his fists were suddenly forgotten and discarded as he caught sight of you through the doorframe.

you were clad in a pair of old white shorts and a black t-shirt, complimentary of the fact that everything else was currently in the laundry machine. atsumu could outline every single damn crevice and dip on you, and he burned that shit so deep into his retinas that he would still see it when his eyes were closed.

he felt his breath hitch, something deep inside him resonating, growing feral like hunger.

he still stood by what he said,

baggy clothes or not, you were beautiful.

but he wasn’t expecting this

“so you bought what?” you inquired, twisting your torso halfway to greet him as you finished brushing through some knots in your hair at the vanity.

“huh?”

“you said there wasn’t any (favourite drink) so you got what? did you fall and crack your head open on the way here? cause it looks like it”

you could feel your heart squeeze, body temperature increased twofold as icy hot waves wracked every inch of your skin. there was a cold sweat that rolled down the back of your knees.

“shut the hell up, i hate you” atsumu grumbled, forcing himself to turn away from you and stomp off to the kitchen with a pout.

“jesus christ give me strength i hate this woman, where the hell does she get off thinking she can get away with looking so good like that” atsumu mumbled incoherent curses underneath his breath, shakily unloading everything he bought out onto the counter and stuffing the groceries into cabinets and the fridge.

“‘samu, i hate you but dude i need twin telepathy, give me strength so i don’t deck this woman right here right now” he cursed, gritting his teeth. his self-control was about to fly out the window.

“you okay?” you popped your head through the door, leaning into the kitchen.

he could see the outline of your prominent collarbones, the way the shirt still fell a little bit and hung loosely off of your frame. he could see the start of your stomach.

god, it should’ve been illegal the way he wanted to grab your thighs. he wondered for a second what it would look like with his fingerprints etched into your skin there.

“want a few tissues and some lotion?” you snorted, nestling up beside him to help. you gazed at him, watching him keep his eyes narrowed on the packet of pistachios he was fumbling with.

you thought it was cute.

“listen- if you’re not ready yet then i’d suggest that you find something else to wear cause holy shit if you don’t get away from me right now i swear i will not restrain myself-“

“i’m ready” you hummed, giving him an innocent smile. you toyed with your hands behind your back, fiddling with them as butterflies swept your abdomen.

atsumu snorted, eyebrows creasing in confusion. he turned to face you, setting the pistachios down.

“alright i’m not saying this to boost my ego, but, what did you say?”

“i said i’m ready”

you watched his brain stir, gears ticking and turning like clockwork.

atsumu let out a low sigh.

“yeah, yeah. well, then.”

his right hand slammed against the wall, caging you in. he leaned into you, looming over you as his half-lidded eyes burned holes inside your soul. you felt the air tense and switch around him, carnal desires swirling behind his gaze. his chest was so close to yours, practically flush, save for the tiniest gap. you could literally feel his heart hammering.

he was so invasive, so close, yet so respectful. he still kept his distance, just n case you changed your mind.

“are you sure this is what you want?” his voice was hot and slick against the shell of your ear, voice husky and octaves deeper. you could feel the sexual tension dripping from him.

you wrapped your arms around his neck, resting your forehead against him.

“i’m sure, ‘tsumu.”

a loud chuckle ripped from the depths of his chest. it was so hearty, and fuck, it made you clench.

atsumu swooped you up all in one swift motion, hands hooking underneath your thighs as he shoved you against the counter. he sent everything clattering and thudding in the process.

“don’t say i didn’t warn you, doll.”

232 notes · View notes

cheri-translates · 3 years

Text

[CN] Shaw’s S2 R&S - A Gentleman’s Promise

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers from an R&S (君子一诺) which has not been released in EN! 🍒

Features S2 Shaw

In terms of sequencing, this is Shaw’s fourth S2 R&S!

[ Chapter One ]

The first time Teacher Zeng met Shaw was three or four years ago.

Back then, he was just a little over thirty, and was still at an age of surging vigour. Based on the results of his online searches, Teacher Zeng carried a bag, bringing along some tools, and came to this mine shaft alone.

Lifting a torchlight with a weak light, he carefully observed the surroundings, trying to search for the stone tablet with the symbol “8″. Despite walking quite far in, he had not been able to glean anything. It was most likely another instance of “mistaken information”.

But he had to admit - this mine shaft was built too loosely. As a graduate in archaeological studies with practical experience, Teacher Zeng guessed that there was sandy soil underneath. For safety reasons, he decided to leave this place first.

That was when the accident suddenly happened.

Teacher Zeng happened to walk into an exceptionally narrow space. Perhaps the mine shaft was too dark and there wasn’t any space for his feet. Just as he planned to turn around, Teacher Zeng felt the ground beneath his feet soften. Knowing that he had unfortunately stepped onto soil which was too loose, Teacher Zeng reacted quickly, attempting to lunge forward. However, the sinking sandy soil was even faster than his thoughts. He was about to fall -

Before he faced imminent peril, he felt an external force grabbing him suddenly!

In the next second, the sandy soil filled the air, collapsing from above. How could a person’s strength withstand the speed of the collapsing soil? Almost immediately, Teacher Zeng attempted to free himself from the other party’s grip, not wanting to become another person’s liability.

As though sensing Teacher Zeng’s intentions, the other party shouted in a muffled voice, “Hey, grab tight!”

All of a sudden, lightning as bright as daytime appeared out of thin air. In the next second, a loud crackling sound of electrical currents seemed to gather into a ball. Along with a few "boom” sounds, the sandy soil and the wall of the mine were instantly exploded open by lightning.

Taking in light and air once again, Teacher Zeng was still badly shaken up. He subconsciously looked at his “saviour”, who appeared to be a young man of around eighteen or nineteen years of age. His head of bluish purple hair was very striking despite the sand and soil that had fallen on it. And in his palm, there seemed to be some electrical currents releasing buzzing sounds.

Even though he’s an ordinary person, Teacher Zeng had seen enough over the years to guess that this young person was likely an Evolver with an ability related to thunder and lightning.

While a sizeable number of ordinary people had issues against Evolvers, Mr Zeng naturally felt very grateful that his life was saved. He panted loudly, thanking him repeatedly. “Little Bro, I’m truly grateful to you.”

“That’s enough. It wasn’t as exaggerated as you said.”

“But you should consider yourself lucky. Leaving someone in danger isn't my style.” The young man arched his brows while speaking, his tone sounding very flamboyant. He looked Teacher Zeng up and down, his gaze sweeping past his weak handheld torchlight and shovel. While brushing his hair lightly, he casually asked, “You brought quite a number of tools. What are you doing here?”

At the same time, Teacher Zeng also noticed the other party’s protective equipment used in archaeology.

That mine shaft was definitely not a normal site for exploration. But according to Teacher Zeng’s knowledge, there were quite a number of people like him who were searching for the “historical ruins” represented by that special stone tablet. He might have the same goal.

Probably because the earlier rescue left a favourable impression on Teacher Zeng, he deliberated for a moment before testing the waters. “I heard there might be an unusual stone tablet in the vicinity. I came to have a look since I was curious. What about you?”

Hearing this, the man’s brows arched high. He patted the sandy soil off his body, standing up in an agile manner. Only then did Teacher Zeng notice that he was really tall.

Carrying a black bag, his lips hooked into a smile. “It’s good to be curious. Looks like we’re kindred spirits.”

Watching the man’s back as he left with large strides, Teacher Zeng couldn’t help but surmise where exactly he came from, and how he dared to take action alone at such a young age. However, when he thought about the other party’s skills, Teacher Zeng tossed aside the thoughts in his head: He should be concerned about himself first.

With this thought in mind, Teacher Zheng opened the notebook he brought along with him. Out of habit, he hastily made a brief record before preparing to leave.

It’s a pity that this was yet another futile exploration.

[ Chapter Two ]

The next time he met Shaw, several years had gone by.

A few years isn’t exactly long, but it was enough to gradually morph Teacher Zeng’s perseverance in the face of returning empty-handed again and again, into a state of giving up on exploration and finding historical ruins.

That morning, Teacher Zeng reached his work department: the Ancient Literature Society of Loveland City. After conducting the routine selection of a theme, he suddenly received a call from the front counter, telling him that someone was looking for him.

Right after stepping out of the elevator, he instantly noticed the especially striking head of bluish purple hair next to the pillar. Teacher Zeng subconsciously furrowed his brows, feeling as though he had seen such a conspicuous hair colour somewhere. Just then, the other party turned his face leisurely, meeting Teacher Zeng’s line of sight.

The young man narrowed his eyes slightly, giving him a contemplative glance from top to bottom, and an almost indiscernible interest appeared in his eyes. On the other hand, Teacher Zeng remained stunned in place, the memories from relatively far away stirring in his mind.

“You’re that...”

Before Teacher Zeng finished speaking, the young man arched his left slit eyebrow. “...it’s really you.” He swept a glance at the surroundings. “This place isn't convenient. Let’s chat somewhere else?”

The desolate flower nursery at a corner.

“The last time we met was an accident, and we didn't get to introduce ourselves.” The 10am sunlight filtered downwards through the clouds, providing a contrast to the glistening colours in the young man’s eyes. “I’m Shaw. The reason why I looked for you today...”

“The reason why you looked for me today couldn’t be because of what happened a few years ago, right?”

Not expecting Teacher Zeng to be so direct, the corners of Shaw’s lips curled upwards. “Since you’ve already asked, I’ll get straight to the point.” While speaking, he retrieved a slightly yellowed old photograph, holding it before Teacher Zeng.

Once he saw the photo, Teacher Zeng lifted his head in surprise. “Why do you have this photograph?”

There were two people in this old photograph. One of them was an obviously younger version of Teacher Zeng, and the other was, astonishingly, Shaw’s mentor.

[Note] Shaw’s mentor is introduced in his 2020 birthday R&S!

Shaw raised the old photograph. “That old man standing next to you left this to me, and said I could look for a helper based on this photo if I ever needed it. I found it a while ago, and realised the person the old man let me look for was actually a ‘familiar person’.”

Teacher Zeng was stunned. So he’s...

Even though Shaw didn’t make it clear, Teacher Zeng already had an answer in his heart.

Shaw rolled his shoulders casually, then continued. “The old man said that you’re really skilful when it comes to online searches and exploration.”

“I’m not that good, maybe just a little faster in searching than ordinary people.” Suddenly hearing Shaw bringing up his mentor, nostalgia flashed across Teacher Zeng’s eyes. “Come to think of it, I just graduated back then, and many things were based on trial and error. Being guided by your mentor for a while was truly a huge fortune.”

“That old man...” Shaw couldn’t help but laugh, but he quickly returned to the earlier topic. “You should also know that we aren’t the only ones searching for the ruins.”

“The speed of one person is limited, so I’m looking for a ‘helper’. How is it? Are you interested in working together?”

After Shaw finished saying this, Teacher Zeng unexpectedly hesitated, growing quiet.

Along with Teacher Zeng’s silence, Shaw slowly retracted the smile in his eyes.

“Actually, in recent years, I haven’t continued in this matter...” A wave of perplexity appeared in Teacher Zeng’s eyes. “I’ve been disappointed too many times over the years. So many times that I’ve gradually lost my motivation despite being unwilling to.”

Shaw’s tone was very calm. “Anticipating failure is something archaeologists should have gotten used to since a long time ago.”

“You might say that, but what exactly is this so-called “ruins”? Whether or not it truly exists - even this answer is a blank space-”

“It doesn’t count as a blank space.” Shaw interrupted him. “Whether they are those picture scrolls kept by the old man, or the notes he left behind, all the records and markings are traces of the real existence of the ruins. As long as they’re around, it’s worth exploring.”

“The instincts of an archaeologist tells me that the secret hidden within it is definitely related to a certain mysterious civilisation. And we might just be missing that final push.”

Teacher Zeng was left in a daze, and he didn’t speak.

Hearing Shaw bringing up his mentor’s picture scrolls and notes, Teacher Zeng’s own notebook, which already had hairy edges, suddenly flashed in his eyes. Actually, there were many times when he wanted to store the notebook in the bottom of his box. But until now, the notebook remained at the top of his drawer even though he couldn't fathom why.

"Although there are times when I dislike how the old man goes on a wild goose chase,” Despite how Shaw said “dislike”, a small smile appeared in his eyes, “But he said something which was correct. As long as you persevere, there will come a day when the secrets within will be revealed. So, as long as there’s a shred of hope, it doesn’t count as a disappointment.”

After saying this, Shaw kept the photograph, then shrugged when he saw how Teacher Zheng remained stunned in place. “But people who are as stubborn as the old man are truly a rarity of rarities. If it’s too difficult, forget it. I’ve never forced anyone into doing anything.”

“All right, that’s all. I’m off.”

“Wait!”

Teacher Zeng called out to Shaw without realising it. His mouth hung open. For a moment, he had no idea what he wanted to say.

A person’s subconsciousness is always the most honest. It turned out that he had never completely let go of searching for the historical ruins. And what he needed was perhaps a person to give him another push.

With this thought in mind, Teacher Zeng met Shaw’s bright eyes. “If you really need it... I could try helping you out once or twice.”

[ Chapter Three ]

After agreeing to Shaw, Teacher Zheng spent the following week using codes and calculations to search almost every corner of the panoramic maps on the internet. He meticulously searched for new locations of the historical ruins, not expecting the progress to go even more smoothly than expected.

“With such speed, you truly live up to your reputation.”

Teacher Zeng sent the location to Shaw. “I’ve found two likely positions. One of them is this abandoned factory building which seems more plausible.” Shaw stared at it fixedly for a few seconds, then curled a corner of his mouth and said, “Okay, got it.”

Next to the railing on the roof, sunlight seemed to be even brighter than usual. Magnificent solar flares leapt in between Shaw’s bluish purple hair. He straightened up, his confident expression even more dazzling to the eyes than the sunlight in between his hair. Shaw kept his phone away. “Since I don't have anything on tomorrow, I might as well take a look first.”

Hearing Shaw saying this so lightly, Teacher Zeng instinctively wanted to give him a cautionary warning. However, since it was only their third meeting, he didn’t really know how to phrase it.

Tidying the hair on his temples which were blown messy by the breeze, Teacher Zeng finally spoke. “I might be overthinking it, but I feel as though it’s been going too smoothly. In the past, I’ve always had to exert double the time to find hazy markings and traces. In short, be more careful tomorrow.”

Shaw arched his brows. “Got it.” Shaw lowered his head to check the time, then waved his hand. “I have class in the afternoon, so I’m heading off.”

That evening, Teacher Zeng slept without a peace of mind, and he woke up just as the sky started to brighten. Rubbing his bleary eyes, he subconsciously tapped open the address that he had discovered earlier, but realised that the markings he saw earlier had vanished!

Were the markings he saw earlier false information by someone on the internet?

Teacher Zeng was startled awake completely. After checking for the third time, he immediately contacted Shaw, but realised that he couldn’t get through no matter what. Feeling anxious, Teacher Zeng rushed to the abandoned building with his quickest speed.

The moment he entered, he saw countless rusty iron sheets and iron pipes. He keenly detected a strange atmosphere: this place was abnormally quiet.

Just as this thought flashed in his mind, a deafening sound drifted from the building in the next second. Thinking of how he had not contacted Shaw yet, Teacher Zeng trembled with fear, sticking himself against the wall of the staircase, and running up quickly.

[ Chapter Four ]

“BOOM-!”

While Teacher Zeng was rushing up, Shaw was facing an unknown attack.

The attacker was hiding in a dark place, and was probably an Evolver who could control metal. The iron pipes in the surroundings were pulled mid-air in an astonishing angle, sent smashing in Shaw’s direction. The air was very quickly mixed with the muffled echos of metal.

Shaw’s eyes keenly swept towards the dark area. As though accurately predicting the other party’s thoughts, he unfurled his palm in contempt, sending crackling lightning towards the iron pipes which are not too far away. With a muffled thud, the attacker was struck down.

Perhaps the consecutive failures had left the attacker in a complete frenzy. In the next second, a loud sound of metal exploded in the air.

But Shaw’s reaction was even faster.

His fingertips instantly crackled with electricity. With a flick of his wrist and a stretch of his arm, along with a frigidly cold “hmph”, the loud sound of electrical currents followed the expanse of metal pipes, striking the attacker like a sharp blade.

Most likely sustaining heavy damage, the attacker no longer cared about anything else, fleeing by jumping from the window in a flurry.

In a single breath, Teacher Zeng ran to the roof of the building, but only made it in time to see the moment a hazy figure leapt out of the window.

Shaw furrowed his brows, lifting his hand in distaste as he wiped the rust off his face. “Tch, I actually let him get away.” He turned his head and saw Teacher Zeng who had suddenly appeared, then pursed his lips. “What are you doing here?”

Teacher Zeng explained softly. “I just found out that this could be a trap, but I couldn’t contact you, so I rushed here without thinking too much... it’s a good thing you’re skilled.”

Shaw casually tidied his drooping fringe, revealing his eyebrows, which were arched high. After all, they were “co-workers”. Hearing these words blurted out by Teacher Zeng, the initially sharp expression in Shaw’s eyes turned indiscernibly gentler.

While heading down with Shaw, Teacher Zeng released a sigh, then laughed bitterly. “It’s been so many years. From what I know, due to the lack of progress, people who were searching for the historical ruins like me, you, and your mentor, gave up in succession. I just never thought that aside from there being no progress, it actually became even more dangerous...”

“That’s enough. This matter had nothing to do with you. Searching for the ruins isn’t dangerous.” Hearing Teacher Zeng’s self-abasement and guilt, Shaw interrupted him. “In the process of searching, I accidentally made a few enemies. The one from today was probably just targeting me.”

While speaking, they walked out of the abandoned building.

Despite going through this shocking wrestle, it was only daybreak. The rosy dawn served as a foil to the rising sun, elegantly travelling thousands of miles in the sky, the rose red rays of light spilling across the overgrown land, spilling into Shaw’s serious eyes which refused to concede defeat.

“When it comes to things worth persisting in and challenging, I’ve long since mentally prepared myself for protracted warfare.”

Shaw’s lips hooked upwards, an earnest spirit leaping in his eyes. “They will definitely lose.”

Seeing the stubbornness and seriousness hidden in the depths of Shaw’s eyes, Teacher Zeng’s heart suddenly received a jolt.

At first glance, the young man in front of him looked youthful and flamboyant. But his tenacity and dedication far surpassed the imagination of most people, and made Teacher Zeng re-discover the surging emotions he once had in his earlier years.

He’s akin to a giant creature hiding in the deep sea. Once he bit onto a goal, he would never let go.

For some reason, Teacher Zeng found this emotion rather familiar. It’s as though time had flowed backwards to several years ago. Back then, under the guidance and assistance from Shaw’s mentor, he had once seen a similar expression and tone of voice in the other party.

When the faraway memories surged up, Teacher Zeng stopped breathing. What accompanied this was that smiling face reminiscent of a mischievous child, the web pages he found after days and nights of searching, and all the locations he had once explored without a regard for the results...

Emotions he had not felt for a long time suddenly surged in Teacher Zeng’s heart.

[ Chapter Five ]

The weather today is very humid, and there doesn’t seem to be a single gust of wind.

After lunch, Teacher Zeng heads to the grocery store to buy a box of cigarettes. Then, he makes his way to the small flower nursery at the corner. Just as he breathes a few mouthfuls of smoke, the sound of footsteps suddenly drifts from behind him.

Teacher Zeng bites on the cigarette bud and turns around: it’s Shaw.

“Good afternoon.” Shaw has a hand stuffed into his pocket, elongating his words teasingly. “Since you’re smoking to entertain yourself, looks like Teacher Zeng has been pretty bored lately.”

Teacher Zeng chuckles softly. “Why are you here today?”

Shaw purses his mouth. “This might sound baffling. This morning, someone dressed in black suddenly attacked my antique store, wanting to search for some leads...”

Teacher Zeng ponders on this.

Slightly irritated, Shaw kicks a pebble at his feet. “It isn’t that easy to defeat me. We have to find the starting point for the ruins first.”

He lifts his eyes and looks at Teacher Zeng, arching his brows. “If I remember correctly, you mentioned being able to help “once or twice” that day. I’m now asking for that second round of assistance.”

Ever since they parted ways the previous time, Teacher Zeng had been giving it much thought. Perhaps Shaw’s persistence moved him, or Shaw’s mentor made him feel sentimental for the past. Regardless, a certain thought in the depths of his heart is especially clear: Actually, he had never let go of searching for the historical ruins. Since that’s the case, he might as well be involved in it entirely, and it wouldn’t put the years of accumulated knowledge to waste.

Teacher Zeng has a small smile as he speaks leisurely. “Helping out is definitely not a problem. I’ve already been searching for new leads over the past duration. But I’d like to change the conditions.”

Shaw shoots him in glance with deep interest.

Extinguishing the cigarette bud beneath his foot, Teacher Zeng turns his head and says, “If you face more problems, it’d no longer be ‘once or twice’. We’ll work together formally. Can you accept this condition?

Finally, the clouds on the horizon seem to be dispersed by the wind slightly, revealing rays of light.

Shaw arches his brows. “Deal.”

🦈 More S2 content: here

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river-bottom-nightmare · 3 years

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Nightwing 83 Review

guess who isn't weeks late this time. my opinion of the series is going up a little bit. it's still not great, but i'm not actively put off by it anymore the way i was after 81. not going to tag as spoilers, but be warned that they are under the cut

i’m sure you all are well aware of this but now, but dear god i love bruno redondo’s art. like, an unhealthy amount. the pink and blue is getting to be a theme with either him or just this run, but i am definitely enjoying it. the movement in this cover is clearly obvious, but well done. you recoznize right off the bat that the cover was drawn to drag your eyes down the page until you get to the bottom, but you enjoy the whole ride there.

also, redondo’s way of drawing a character in stages of action so we can see just how much they’re doing in a split second of movement is quickly becoming something i like to see drawn with dick, and any other character that has that sort of ease of movement and body sense, like cass or sin or maybe a super.

and he’s in action the entire time! there’s shot drawn just to show off a shirtless comic book character, the way nightwing is so often subjected to. he’s shirtless because he’s changing his clothes, and that’s all we see, no more and no less. very practical, very well done. i like it.

he looks so cute right here oh my god. the little squint, the hair curls. it’s adorable.

but also like. unless melinda has specifically outfitted the door spyhole so that the person on the other side can’t see dick looking through it (and in all honesty she might have) then everyone on the other side can see dick looking through that door.

bringing your attention back to the “i can’t see melinda’s fbi file oh no!! it’s redacted!! whatever can we do!!” stupidity. redacted files are child’s play for oracle, and definitely doable for both dick and bruce. so that’s bullshit.

now, melinda apparently grew up with the maroni family, then took down part of the family from the inside. the maroni family is a large and notable presence in gotham, one that bruce pays a respectable amount of attention to. he definitely would have grown suspicious when two members of the maroni family were taken down, and with some investigation, he would have discovered melinda’s plan. and it should go without saying that the majority of things you see batman doing? dick can do it too.

it’s not so much that i don’t like how clever the villains/antiheroes are getting. i don’t like how dc heroes are increasingly written as less intelligent. they seem to be relying on pure fighting skills or luck, which may be the case for a couple heroes, but has never been the case for most of dc’s big name heroes, the bat family included. it’s irritating to me to see this sort of stuff pop up as a major plot point when i know that, if dick or bruce had been written with the amount of skill and power that they canonically possess, this entire mess would have been sorted out years ago.

unrelated but dick and melinda have the same hair

this may just be me, but i was always under the impression that dick doesn’t really have a “double life???”

yes, he’s talented enough to create enough differences between robin/nightwing and dick grayson’s mannerisms, way of movement, voices, and speech patterns so that it’s very difficult to put the two together.

but nightwing has never been separate from dick grayson, not the way bruce and batman is. he’s always leaned more towards clark in that aspect: his hero persona is an exaggerated, stately, larger-than-life version of who he really is. there’s no second persona, no real “dick grayson identity” and “nightwing identity.” they’re the same person with the same goals, ideas, and skills. one just pretends to abide by the law, and one gives up pretense of that.

oh good thank god. if he’d trusted her right off the bat (hehe. bat.) i would have slapped him upside the head. at least he’s still got instincts.

gosh the colouring on this is cool. the red has enough purple and pink tones to it that it doesn’t abruptly ruin the tone of the artwork. but it’s definitely glaring enough to take the reader outside of this personal moment they had slipped into between dick and melinda, to put them back in the present where they’re reminded that oh yea there are people hunting dick down.

the next panel keeps this up too, in a less severe way. melinda’s bodyguard shows up (i forgot her name sorry :[ ) and subtly places us in the middle of an action scene rather than a private, personal scene.

laughing so fucking hard have our little vigilantes grown so accustomed to breaking into places that it doesn’t even register as a crime anymore??? tim coming in through the fire escape to pick bernard up for their date and being very much confused as to why bernard is freaking out.

i really like melinda’s shirt and now despite all the work i have to do and the fucking conference i have to host on monday i want to spend hours scrolling through clothing shops online trying to find this shirt. the mock neck/neckline is so cool i want it

so roland just assumes that a very dangerous vigilante who is highly talented in combat and a very dangerous bodyguard who is also highly talented in combat had a fight that ended with this very dangerous bodyguard being tied up and she looks completely fine? roland just assumes that her having no visible wounds or bruises means that they got into a fight and she lost that easily? uh. aight then

dick what are you doing. legitimately what the fuck are you doing. why are you posing oh my god. you are injured and tired and in absolutely no position to go hand to hand with one of main enemies. jesus christ run away or head to lower ground or something. don’t just stand around letting the floodlights show exactly where you are.

i don’t understand what he’s trying to do here??? blockbuster fully bought the story that dick fought them both, won, tried to get info out of them and failed, then hightailed it out of there. he didn’t have to draw roland out for a fight.

but it does look cool. the way the light just highlights his silhouette and the blue parts of his costume does look badass. he does get style points in my book for this.

w h a t d i d i f u c k i n g t e l l y o u , d i c k ?

very classic superhero line and it does sound like something dick would say in a fit of righteous rage but also it makes me laugh so hard because all vigilantes think they’re so powerful that the law doesn’t apply to them. dick vigilantism is illegal. you’re acting above the law and pretending it doesn’t apply to you. hypocritical much?

it happens so often in superhero movies, tv shows, comics, whatever and it makes me giggle every damn time.

pretty decent comeback but before i start seeing people writing blockbuster as a thug i’m going to remind you that he made a deal with a demon for genius level intellect. if this turns into another bane situation i’m going to be a little miffed. he’s a smart man, which makes him a dangerous and infinitely more interesting enemy for nightwing.

this is so horribly in character i want to scream. (or. at least. it lines up with one of the versions of nightwing i have in my head.) he’s running right towards the bullets, miraculously doesn’t get shot, while making a sort-of pun. i hate this so much. i love him.

this is cool. this art is really really cool.

he leaped from a building right towards a helicopter that’s actively shooting at him, but none of the bullets are touching him. none of the corruption of the city can touch him no matter how hard it tries, because he’s too good to be corrupted. Comic Book Logic Can Be Good Sometimes Actually.

batman’s belt what??? swiss army knife who?? sorry, i only know nightwing’s bright blue escrima.

this is one of my favourite things about heroes with exceptional abilities, even more so if the hero is human. the things they can do are so far beyond the realm of normal human abilities that it’s equal parts terrifying and awe-inspiring every time they act.

he just used modified grappling wires to hook to the door of a moving helicopter, swung around the helicopter safely without hitting the blades, gained exactly the right momentum to swing upward again right through the opening of helicopter, then fought and tied up the men before they had any idea what was happening. that’s near impossible to do.

it’s stuff like this where i just sort of sigh in contentment. no matter how many times they leave out dick’s detective skills or conveniently forget that he’s actually a master planner and team leader and make him out to be this forgetful dude who makes everything up on the fly because of his “circus roots,” at least they won’t ever take away dick’s sheer physical ability honed to perfection.

the art, too! in a few panels, dick’s drawn a little lightened or blurred. he’s moving so quickly and fighting so efficiently that he can barely be seen by the enemy. he’s got perfect form all the way through.

and THIS!

there was a helicopter that had five men shooting at him with what looks like machine guns. most people would be dead. some would run away, and be nimble enough to survive without fatal hits. there are very few people, even in fucking comic books, who can look at that hopeless situation and turn it around so quickly and thoroughly that he benefits from it instead.

i just. love nightwing.

it was funny the first time as a comic reader aware of the meme. it’s really not anymore. why the hell would you, in universe, be wearing a shirt that has a picture of your boyfriend being hit in the face by his father.

okay that was funny.

look at lil bitewing, so concerned for her human!!! love her sm.

also a question as to the timeline of things. is nightwing happening before or after urban legends?

i was so distracted by dick wearing a robe and briefs and nothing else that i didn’t register the second part until later. he slept for two days?? babs, baby, he recently had a very traumatic brain injury. why do you sound so nonchalant?

@TIM X COFFEE SHIPPERS GET FUCCCCKKKKEEDDDDD

ngl i totally forgot about that dude oops

this comic is giving so many reaction pictures. you know how you always use the worst possible picture of your friend for your friend’s contact picture? i’m just getting so many of these.

leslie!!! the titans!!! lucius!!! dick going to go see old friends!!!! the titans!!! this part made me so irrationally happy it really did. gar being the one to just. offer dick solutions with open arms. this was the best

i wish i could just copy and paste this entire scene, but that would take up way too much space, so i’m just going to talk about it instead.

you gave me my name, nightwing, and you gave me some of the best advice i’ve received in my life: beautiful little throwback to nightwing’s origin. you’d be surprised at the amount of people who don’t know where the name came from, or who don’t know how much clark means to dick. and the fact that dick still looks up to clark as a hero, recognizes that clark isn’t always perfect and yet continues to hold him in such high esteem, and still looks back on advice that clark gave him fondly just warmed my heart so much.

for a man who has fearlessly stood up to darkseid, bruce will do a lot to avoid a conversation: “grrr. i’m the BATMAN. i’m so DARK and MYSTERIOUS. nobody knows the true me. no one ever will. i will be LONELY for the rest of my CURSED LIFE. such is the price of a hero. ignore my farmer himbo husband in the background”

but i don’t think there’s anything heroic about being a billionaire: another nod to how much dick follows clark’s example rather than bruce. yes, this was a very poignant and important criticism, and i think it’s wonderful that this was published in a pretty popular comic book. but the thing is, there is a way to be a heroic billionaire, but only in fictional universes. the way bruce, ollie, t’challa only ever use their wealth to help people. they donate massive amounts of money to charities that they themselves create so they know exactly how the money is being used. they hire people who aren’t likely to get jobs anywhere else and pay them much more than what a base living wage is. they use their power to help push progressive laws and social change. they are helping.

dick doesn’t fully see it that way. he spent more than half his childhood the son of a billionaire, but still believes that one could be more heroic when one doesn’t have obscene amounts of wealth. whose example do you think he followed to come to that conclusion?

superman looked up to alfred pennyworth?: i mean yea alfred may have been a wildly irresponsible guardian and one hell of an enabler but goddamn if he didn’t love his kid.

you don’t need my input. you’ve thought it all through: ooooooh this line made me grin. for so long, dick’s treated clark as a mentor and a guiding figure. he’s still seen as a kid, an up and coming, snot-nosed titan with dreams of a better world. clark still thinks of him as a kid, despite watching him grow up. but this little line was something i think dick needed sorely to hear. he doesn’t need anyone’s guiding hand on his shoulder, he doesn’t need to ask for permission. he doesn’t need clark to support him the way he did when he was a teenager. he’s all grown up now, and he doesn’t need clark’s help. i imagine it was a bit of a surprise for dick to hear that.

honestly, i couldn’t think of a better role model: ohhh but it doesn’t stop there. clark just straight up turns the tables on dick. imagine you’re dick, and you’ve looked up to this one hero your entire life, and then one day he turns to you and says that he thinks you’re so kind and smart and worthy of a person that he wants you to mentor his son!? goes to show just how much clark trusts dick.

i swear to god dick probably cries every time he hears clark compliment him because bruce is so rare and sparing with his praise that clark giving him the slightest hint of approval is just a dopamine rush.

also, now deathstroke and superman have both asked nightwing to mentor their kids. the juxtaposition is fuckin hysterical. imagine either of their reactions when they realize what kind of company they’re with

lets talk colours for a second, because i absolutely adore how classic colour tropes have been subverted in this comic, and in this general run really.

warm tones have usually (usually, not always) been associated with light and comfort and friendship and,,,,,well,,,warmth. whereas cool tones are usually used to unsettle, or make a scene seem colder and put the reader on edge. this varies if a comic only uses cool tones, or only uses warm tones, but if a comic uses both, this is generally well-used.

that isn’t the case in this run.

dark red, orange, and other warm tones have been used to symbolize danger, action, attacks. hot pink isn’t usually included in this colour group, but it’s definitely part of it in this case. in contrast, scenes that have cool colours give us the impression of slipping into a comfortable, calm scene with babs, tim, the titans, and other allies. even the beginning scene with superman has this blue, but then it transitions into something more golden coloured. dawn broke over dick, as his new idea came to light, and that was reflected in the art (and the sunrise setting.)

have there ever been times when dick’s longed for the comfort of his mask because he didn’t feel confident as dick grayson? i can’t think of any. i may be wrong, but this struck me as pretty ooc.

am i just??? gay and reading this all wrong??

cause i was under the impression that when someone says they are grateful for your friendship you don’t immediately kiss them.

or is this like. normal straight mating rituals.

i mean he’s smiling afterward but still babs aren’t you supposed to at least make sure it’s okay first? you guys broke up a while back after you said something along the lines of “i want to be coworkers with you and nothing more because i don’t trust you or feel comfortable around you as a civilian anymore.” like lmao after you say something like that to someone i would assume that you don’t have the permission to just kiss them whenever you want.

show of hands who else got real sad when they realized dick was talking about himself in this.

sure, he could be referencing the things he’s seen blockbuster pull, and the children on the streets. but “i’ve seen money used for enforcement,” sounds a little too close to dick’s entire life being destroyed by one man threatening the circus to pay protection money for me to completely ignore. and “i’ve seen the poorest and most vulnerable blamed and punished rather than assisted” becomes a lot worse when you remember dick was thrown in juvie for a couple months until bruce was able to obtain legal guardianship, and in there, not a authority figure believed him when he told them his parents were murdered.

he’s lived this before.

a. mother. fucking. typo.

fucking why

i mean i’ve stated my distaste for the batfamily groupchat before but like. this is reaching new levels of ridiculousness. jason sounds like he was written by a fanfic writer. tim sounds like he was written by a fanfic writer. steph sounds like she was written by someone who doesn’t know the first thing about steph and wanted to include her for “family points!!!!!” damian’s supposed to be completely off the grid, and everyone’s searching for him. i do love the way cass texts tho.

well god fuck now i’m crying

dick got a phone call, a sorry, and a thank you out of bruce. i feel so much secondhand happiness for him, if that’s a thing. we’ll just ignore the way bruce looks ugly af and focus on the good parts okay?

and again with the colour symbolism here!

i’m either going to love this or hate this. who knows, we’ll see.

something something hearts something something pink is an evil colour something something. i need to know more about this guy but there’s definitely symbolism there.

is it just me or does this dude look like the backstabbing traitorous absolutely motherfucking piece of shit villain that killed tadashi hamada in big hero 6?

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#river thinks too hard #nightwing #dick grayson #nightwing 83 #dc #nightwing review #nightwing meta #dick grayson review #dick grayson meta #nightwing 83 review #nightwing 83 meta #dc review #dc meta

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