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#one year after moon knight they still be living rent free
the-force-awakens · 1 year
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"in my [x] phase" "back in my [x] era" you mean you guys don't just latch onto a thing and stay emotionally invested in it the rest of your lives?
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rebelwriter99 · 5 months
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I promised myself I’d post some kind of fic for Christmas! Naturally it ended up being the shortest one because it’s the only one that’s anything resembling finished!
I hope it brightens a day or two, the way so many amazing stories have brightened my year. Thank you wonderful humans of the Marauders fandom-you’ve made some very hard days so much more manageable.
Before new beginnings
Padfoot appeared to Harry before he boarded the Knight Bus to return, for the year, to the wizarding world again. But what if there was someone else Padfoot knew he needed to see safe? What if he did find that someone, on the night of full moon, before they both returned to a place they had once belonged in too.
Tags: reference to self harm/injury (non-human? Not sure how to tag that), reference to loss, the (very unreliable) narrator doesn’t think very nicely about themselves.
The wolf howled. A high, cold note as he walked the forest tracks.
The wolf was alone. So very alone. He had been for a long time. So much silver silence. So many days since he had been free beside his pack.
Not in the wilds, beside the others, half-feral in their desperation for a semblance of safety, in numbers he could scarcely comprehend.
No.
His first pack. The wolf ever longed for them. Before he truly knew what he begged of the full moon, crying out into the night, his soul had called for them. And still now, that wild heart howled, keen with the knowledge of what it had lost.
Prongs. Ever watchful, standing sentinel against dusk-lit skies.
Wormtail. Who made clear the pack’s path.
And Pads. Padfoot. Always beside him, dancing around him, scrounging joy from the space between his scars. The wolf could not do that alone. Those spaces were rent, flooded with the scent of acrid iron- as though what was forged in the heart of a star could one day be anathema to him. Worth as little to him as the skin the moon warped for him to wear. The human may wish upon many other stars, The wolf for only one.
Why must he be left? Why-when they had all been taken forever? Why did every part of him mourn most the one who still lived? What monster mourned most the murderer over the murdered? He did. Perhaps he now was the horrific creature he had always been warned he must inevitably become. Perhaps he always had been. Perhaps monsters could only truly belong beside a monstrous equal. Alike, however unseen the likeness may have been.
The night was warm with the ghost of a late summer sun. The air burnt in his lungs. The Wolf walked on. The path behind scattered scarlet. The path before him still unchanged. But ahead…
The wolf raised his head, scented that sweet summer air. All at once, he could not draw enough into his body. A shape emerged before him. Lithe, dark, canine. A silhouette slowly made clear against the risen moon. The wolf froze.
In any form, deaf, blind, brought low by pain, he would know.
Pack. Pads. Mine.
Time meant nothing. They were heartbeats apart. Nose to nose, muzzle to muzzle, close even as the world had driven them apart. Apart. The human remembered. Knew this could not be. The wolf could not have a pack. They had been taken. Taken. The wolf shrank back.
And that dark canine shape was gone. The burning air still once more.
But the wolf could not help but call after them. Could not help but hope, at last, after long years, for a reply. He did not stop. The wolf howled.
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andaniellight · 2 years
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Fanfic Reader ask game:
🥰 Your comfort fics that you can re-read several times and still love them?
🍭 Favorite fic trope?
🥣 Least favorite fic trope?
🪠 Weirdest fic you ever read? :D
AAAA!!! :D :D :D <3 <3
🥰 Your comfort fics that you can re-read several times and still love them?
[Sounds of rustling and things cluttering]
Let me list them first because they're various fandoms, all of them are in my AO3 bookmark (some are stored as an open tab on my phone still to this day!):
underneath the braided sky by gwalchca
This one is 킹덤 | Kingdom (TV 2019) fanfiction! One shot light read. Hit the emotional aspect way harder than I expected. I remember staying up late til 4 in the morning because I kept re-reading the thing.
I'm clean out of air in my lungs by StrikerEureka
Buzzfeed Unsolved slash! I read this around... 2 - 3 years ago? Back when I was obsessed with Demon Shane so bad. It's really well-written, and by well-written I mean it successfully inspired and motivated me to write a fic for different fandom. THE SPOOK GOT ME GOOD! I still remember the thrill tbh.
It has continuation, and here's the link to the entire series called Precious Metal!
Matchmaker, Matchmaker by prosodiical
I think this fic got me obsessed with 5+1 Thing kind of fics without me realizing at first? It's Newt Scamander/Original Percival Graves slash fic. It's really sweet and funny, never failed to bring a stupid grin to my face whenever I randomly think about it tbh.
Basic Instincts by manic_intent
OKAY, tbh I'm very picky with ABO tropes, but this one has Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics tag, and I thought. Heh, why not?
Turned out, it's really good. And really hot as well wtf. Lives inside my head rent free. I also read a couple of other fics written by the same author because the author is just. SO SKILLFUL.
All of NanaGo (呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen) fics written by AO3 user Newlight tbh
The entire list of Moon Knight System fics that I made the other day (here)
This list of my favorite Frank Castle/Matt Murdock fics (including the ones on the reply!)
That's all for now I guess.... sorry for listing so many 😂😂😂
🍭 Favorite fic trope?
GIVE ME SLOW BURN AND FOUND FAMILY OR GIVE ME *DEATH*
🥣 Least favorite fic trope?
Already answered here! :D
Alright, maybe this one isn't exactly "the least favorite", but I get disinterested so quickly with fast-paced romance. Yes, even for my own favorite pairings tbh.... things have to be BUILT. SLOWLY. FIRST.
🪠 Weirdest fic you ever read?
Oh God. I wanted so bad to get rid of this out of my goddamn mind, but, like, last year someone talked about a slash fic between Gojo Satoru and A TOILET.
A SLASH FIC. CRACK TREATED VERY SERIOUSLY.
I need to get brainwashed after remembering it again.
(Qs from this Fanfic Reader Ask Game!)
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wistfulrat · 3 years
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a 4-part rec list of my fave drarry fics - the thrillers, dramas, soft bois, and wankbanks getting me through 2020′s shitstorm
[the soft boi list is here and truly i’m not surprised this rec is going to be the longest bc if there’s one thing a bitch is going to do, it’s yearn.
as always! if you love a fic, follow the authors, leave kudos & comments, send them nice msgs bc free art is still labor xoxo]
part 3: soft bois
mood: for when I need respite, a balm to the all-consuming shittiness of life
includes: fluff, comfort, low-stakes, slow-burn fics. a wistful look, a rainy morning, an unexpected grace, a stupidly disarming joke. i could live inside these fics. the smallness of human lives removed from the site of that which hurts & irreparably changes. the story-equivalent of a deep breath after a long day. pregnant silences & pensive mundanity & shy smiles. banter with bite but without the cruelty. the color lavender. weirdly whimsical. soft fics are not necessarily conflict-averse (no drarry fic rly can be, considering the context) but, they offer the reader a generous distance from the initial harm. they’re the quiet cleaning up after a storm. sometimes healing is an exacting surgical knife and other times it’s a slow scabbing. you read these fics to be reassured that the way forward is not always ruthless. and honestly?? they deserve a semblance of peace godDAMmit.
The Way Down by @letteredlettered - 65k - T “and I thought that if someone talked to you as though you were a human being you might—maybe you could act like one” --the way i think about this line daily. the characterization of draco in this fic is one my favorites bc he’s earnest and neurotic and tired of harry’s shit. which is to say, he cares so so much. and harry doesn’t know what to do with that bc he’s got a monster in his chest and lives as a recluse. but they both humanize each other in ways no one else can. “you’re just a person” has to be some kind of drarry ethics of belonging and it makes me CRY. -
Little Deaths and How to Avoid Them by @greaseonmymouth and dustmouth - 96k - T “Maybe it’s not about deserving it? Maybe you just get to have it anyway. . .I’m allowing myself to want something and to let myself have it and to fight for it.” --harry runs a daycare and also works at a library. draco spends a lot of time in said library. they bond over sci-fi books and therapy anecdotes and quiet philosophical conversations held over cafeteria soup. and harry’s struggling to understand his asexuality. draco’s learning how to live with anxiety and depression. they both want to be deserving of love. incredible fic with beautiful art by dustmouth. - 
Open for Repairs by @drarrytrash - 35k - T “A few leaves rustle in the gutter and the muggle world pays no mind to them, to two lost boys holding on for dear life.” --all of their fics feel exactly like this. like you’ve been allowed to look at something private, tender, unexpected. draco, known abba fan, is a repairman in the muggle world & harry can’t stop breaking thrifted things in order to see him? say less, i'm thERE. also “I think I have a crush on you” goddddd  - other faves by them: Counting Down By Ten - 2k - T: draco’s stepped outside of the party for a smoke. harry follows him bc of course he does. i could read this 100 times and not get tired of it. - Clouds That Veil the Midnight Moon - 36k - E: FUCKING HILARIOUS I CACKLED THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. draco’s wolfy problem and harry helping him and harry being flustered by how much he likes draco and draco’s hot heroic moment. shutup it’s perfect. “He almost asks if Draco ever gets tired of being a miserable complaining shit all the time, but he knows that he, personally, never ever gets tired of being a miserable complaining shit.” and “It’s the traumas,” Harry says gravely” --lines that live rent free in my head -
Harry Potter and the Future He Doesn't Really Want, Thanks by seefin - 70k - E “That was the only logical thing to do here, wasn’t it? It was the next step, it was the end of hurting each other and the beginning of the exact opposite.” --harry lives with luna and neville and also he dreams about the future sometimes? and he keeps running into draco. draco thinks this is sus as hell, until he doesn’t. feat. taxi rides, museums, cinemas, rooftop conversations beneath a lunar eclipse, mid-sex innocuous banter, draco and harry discussing nicki minaj. this fic charmed my ass off. seefin writes the most effortlessly hilarious dialogues. i smiled at my phone like an idiot at least 7 times. -  other faves by them: Wild - 93k - E: “he liked feeling needed, for the things that he was needed for back at the house in Ireland. For cooking and gardening and driving. Easy things.” --this shit makes me cry it’s so good. harry lives in Ireland with these three brilliant, hilarious, wandless witches and draco’s a potions student who's come to study under one of the housemates and the boys have so much shit to work through but their love becomes so tender and honest. draco yells at harry a lot and harry lets him and they both keep each other grounded in something real and fuCK.  - Divination for Dickheads - 7k - G: “I’m terrible at having crushes. I’ve never played anything cool a day in my life.” -- oh harry, we knOW. a bus ride, a fortune teller, an aquarium birthday party. god i love this fic. -
Modern Love by @tackytigerfic​ - 61k - E “But we’ve worked so hard at this, haven’t we? Yeah, I know it’s a horror to have to talk about it, but fuck it. We’re friends now, but it took so long to get here. Have you ever had to work so hard at something before?" --the steady blossoming of their friendship in this fic is so goddamn beautiful i want to yell. it’s draco and harry learning to trust each other and the whole thing unfolds so slowly, in this whimsical mix of london streets, wizarding politics, church halls feat. a Hot vicar, and a magical antique shop owner who’s married to literal poseidon?? goD the environment of this fic. immaculate. [also there’s a tender shower scene that makes me cry every single fucking time so if you read this fic pls dm me so we can be embarrassing about it together tbh] -
Nice Things by aideomai - 22k - M “He kept waiting for the weird shock of touch to not knock him clean out of his head, leave him quiet and warm and happy.” --8th year. harry forms an unlikely friendship with draco that begins with smoking weed on a windowsill. harry is touch-starved and draco touches him like he touches all his close friends - like it’s easy. the quiet affection in this fic, the way harry burrows himself into touch bc he’s been without it for his entire life. reading this is like being held. -
Running On Air by @tinyhistory​ - 74k - T “do you remember when we were eleven?” --alexa play coldplay’s the scientist it’s sad girl hours and we’re about to fucking yearn. you’ve seen this fic rec on every drarry list under the sun and i'm here to be redundant. the hype is so goddamn real. this story is a lyrical masterpiece held together by lines that act as refrains that will rattle around your brain until you die, probably. draco’s been missing for 3yrs. harry goes to find him. it’s their odyssey of homecoming. -
Title of Their Sex Tape by @cibeewastaken - 12k - T “But Draco, Draco was everything but boring. Draco made sitting in the rain watching an empty house fun.” --auror partners pining and draco being eccentric and harry being very earnestly gay about draco’s eccentricities!! god this fic is so genuinely fun skskd feat. undercover missions, murderous faeries, a book heist, a stunning navy dress, harry’s eyelashes. -
How We Throw Our Shadows Down by @thistle-verse - 14k - T “Draco is about to say something else— to thank Potter for what he’d done, however poorly— but Harry is smiling at him again, and it’s so soft and perfect that Draco holds in any inadequate words, lest he spoil it.” --draco collects tea cozies and of course harry has the one he wants. the sad and tender gays are at it again feat. conversations in the rain at a train station, melancholy Blaise, muggle photos, wizarding e-bay, the Dursleys.  -
Helix by Saras_Girl - 92k - E “Draco sighs in his sleep and Harry clings on to consciousness, needing to hold on, to give this tiny, insignificant moment the attention it deserves” --I think maybe you can describe every soft Saras_Girl story as giving tiny, insignificant moments the attention they deserve. like, this is an 8th year fic about snails and it’s full of whimsy, grief, compassion, and easy humor. an absolute must-read author in this genre if you want languorous, episodic fics full of distinct OCs and affectionate creatures. - other faves by them: Light up the Night Sky - 98k - M “Draco, sometimes you make my head feel like soup” --the one where harry is a fireworks artist and has a pet chameleon named ken. draco is on the wizarding arts council. they both pine like hell. - Headlights in the Snow - 71k - M “they stare at each other in silence, Harry’s heart beating so loud in his chest that he thinks the biddies must be able to hear it over the sound of their card game.” --the one where draco drives the knight bus and carts around the biddy club, a group of rambunctious old ladies who knit and drink tea and gossip. harry can’t help but fall in love with the everything about this. -
Follow the Water by @xanthippe74 - 38k - T “Harry’s heavy thoughts lift at the sight, like dark clouds blown away from the sun by the wind. The tent doesn’t feel so cramped and stifling now. It feels cozy. And safe. It’s the same feeling that Harry gets when he’s at the Burrow for Sunday roasts, when a group of people who care for each other deeply are crammed into too-small a space.” --harry wanders to the lovegood house on a sunday afternoon. he’s baffled to see that luna’s taken pansy, greg, and draco under her wing. what follows is a summer of forest walks, scavenger hunts, gardening, water fights, odd cakes, faerie rings, and picnics. so many picnics. i love the pace of this fic, the innocent return to childhood things, the way luna brings out the best in all her friends. reluctantly soft slytherins are just *chefs kiss*!! -
Going Postal (A 125pg comic) by dustmouth - T what. a. beautiful. ass. comic. the wizarding fashion, the textures, the character design!! harry travels a lot for his job as a resourcer. draco works in the regulations dept. they pine like a bunch of lovesick idiots via field report notes. god i love dustmouth’s art. -
All the Earnest Young Men by @tepre​ - 29k - E “Draco is twenty-seven layers of personality wrapped up in drama and humour, and a wit so sharp it still stings when he doesn’t see it coming. But there is something below that, too. Something that makes Harry ache just looking at him.” --the way i would lay down my little life for tepre’s characterization of draco, whom invented the word earnest. he’s a magical art theory expert and portraits are disappearing all over London and harry’s the auror assigned to this case. and well. they’re both so very avoidant about how gay they are for each other and it’s like!! shutup and kiss!! which they do in fact, shutup and kiss.  -
Trenches by sara_holmes - 3k - M “Somewhere in the distant part of his mind that hasn't frozen solid, he thinks that maybe he and Draco are about to become more than auror partners, smoking buddies, wine-mates and co-inhabitants of a snow filled trench somewhere in western Scotland.” --the plot line here is literally “it’s cold and i need a fucking cigarette” but let me tell you how I never tire of the shared loaded-silences of two emotionally repressed gays. -
The Years Before Love by lomonaaeren - 13k - M “That’s one of the meanings of peace, he thinks, as Hermione hugs him...That he can do things slowly, softly, without worrying that they won’t be there tomorrow.” --andromeda taking harry under her wing and harry finding solace in teddy. narcissa and draco showing up and the tentative relationships that slowly develop in the quiet calm of andromeda’s house. found families and kisses in the snow and special xmas gifts ugh what’s not to love -
The Moon Looks Lovely Tonight by Omi_Ohmy - 35k - M “I want this to be a house where people are welcome, where they don’t have to be any one way or another” --in which harry collects lost things--owls, best friends, inept bakers, potions experimenters--and turns the mausoleum that is grimmauld place into a home. feat. your fave drarry tropes like shared-beds and reluctant waltzing partners. -
[part 1: thrillers | part 2: dramas | part 3: soft bois | part 4: wankbanks]
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illumiru · 3 years
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hi cami!! based on literally everything because you have good taste I was wondering if u had any fic recs?? I am in like a good fic desert and if u have any good reads would love to read them! thank u!!
Thanks!! I have to be honest that I don't read a lot of dc fics lately bc a lot of what's posted on AO3 doesn't appeal to me tbh. But I do have some favorites that live rent-free in my head. I hope you enjoy!
baby, it's a sign of the times by danishsweethearts
Dick Grayson has a pretty bad day, but hey, he's coping.
let your love grow tall by danishsweethearts
In a move endearingly predictable and highly amusing, Dick Grayson buys a bunch of plants and proceeds to pack bond with all of them.
cold was the night and hard was the ground by danishsweethearts
Laundromats are save points.
i've been longing for silence by danishsweethearts
The Titans are Dick's family. Damian is also Dick's family. Cue the collision.
un haeng il chi by danishsweethearts
un haeng il chi (언행일치) | yán xíng yī zhì (言行一致) idiom 1. word and actions coincide; to live up to one's word 2. to match words with deeds 3. practice what you preach
The Cassandra Wayne guide to truth-telling, manifestation and prosperity.
big d stands for big (demon)or by danishsweethearts
The one where Titans Tower is haunted, and Dick Grayson, Boy Wonder, original Robin, one and only Nightwing, esteemed leader, part-time exorcist, un-haunts it.
young volcanoes by dottie_wan_kenobi
You should join the Justice League, Dick says when he’s ten years old and hopeful. No, Bruce says. You should join the Justice League, Dick says when he’s fourteen and realistic. No, Bruce says. I’m going to join the Justice League, Dick says when he’s seventeen and furious. No, Bruce says. No, you are not.
Dick is nineteen now. And he’s not joining the Justice League—he’s joining the Titans.
the last of the real ones by dottie_wan_kenobi
Gar is like a blessing. He doesn’t seem to notice the shiny parts of Vic, not until it really counts—when there’s wires sticking out, something shoved through Vic like it was nothing, when he’s in danger. And even then, he treats them like any other part of the body, like a wound is a wound and it doesn’t matter that it’s not flesh, but technology.
When he asks, Gar tells him about Cliff Steele, and shrugs like it’s nothing. “I’m just used to robot guys, I guess,” he says, flippant like he’s not the first person Vic has met who didn’t recoil at the sight of him.
Vic manages a laugh, his eye—his real eye, his human eye—stinging.
if you just call me by BeatriceEagle
“Dick.” She squeezed his shoulder. “Dick, look at me.”
Slowly, as if he were pushing against a terrible force, he lifted his head.
“I have known you since I was thirteen years old, and I have known you in a dozen other lifetimes, so I need you to believe me when I say that there is nothing you could do that would make me stop loving you.”
Dick held her gaze. He looked like he was searching for something in her eyes, so Donna held still and hoped he found it.
“Did you really know me in other lives?” he asked.
_____
Dick and Donna, after the action, through the years.
once upon a time... by Mayarene Rose (DickRoy)
The announcement is the talk of the kingdom. Men on horses, coming from the capital itself, shout it to every corner of the land to make sure everyone hears.
There will be a three-day festival held in honor of the crown prince’s name day!
So of course, no one can shut up about it and everyone’s making plans to make their way to the capital, one way or another.
Gotham, after all, isn’t known for its decadence. Celebrations from the capital are few and far in between. But, it’s also well known that the king absolutely dotes on his children. The has the makings of being the biggest feast anyone has seen in their lifetime.
“Huh,” Roy says. He’s in a farming village when he hears, about five days ride from the capital if he had a horse, which he does not.
Or the one where Roy is a knight errant, Dick is the crown prince, and there is a three-day celebration.
Dr. Wilson, Will I Ever Play the Violin Again? by HoodEx (DickJoey)
1 Missed Call 1:12 PM TUES 9 MAY Frank Hardy
A fond smile spreads over his face. He remembers Dick writing that as his own contact name in Joey's communicator the first time he and Joey exchanged numbers. Joey knows it's an action influenced by paranoia rather than something meant as an inside joke between friends, but he likes to think of it as a mixture of both.
"Who are you mooning over?"
Lissa crosses her arms over her chest and cuts across the room to get closer to him. Joey tries not to instinctually jerk his communicator closer to his chest as she peers down at it with a curious glint in her eye.
"Frank Hardy," Joey spells out with his fingers. "He's a friend of mine."
Her brow furrows. "Frank? Have I met him?"
Joey shakes his head.
"What do you think he was calling for?"
Hopefully not to tell me that the world is on its way to ending, Joey thinks, worrying at his lip.
"Not sure," Joey signs. His thumb hovers over the call-back button. "I guess I'm about to find out."
Red Letter Day by silverwhittlingknife
Dick Grayson, stressed pseudo-parent to a preteen assassin, tries to solve the case of Damian’s Mysterious Wednesday.
He never expected it to help him fix his relationship with Tim, too.
(... Though only after everything fell apart first.)
Eventual fix-it for Dick & Tim’s Red Robin fight, but other rocky relationships - Dick & Jason, Tim & Damian, Damian & Bruce, Dick & Bruce - wow, this family is dysfunctional - might improve too. Eventually. They just have to, y’know, work through All of Their Issues first. XD
Two of Six by silverwhittlingknife
There’s nothing special about this kid, no reason to remember him. But Dick remembers. Because of the photo.
Dick and Tim’s pre-nu52 relationship, from the beginning all the way to the end.
or: how Dick acquired a stalker, attempted to make him go away, and failed so badly that he acquired a brother instead.
(So far: missing scenes from childhood, Lonely Place of Dying, Knightfall, and Knightsend. Current arc: Prodigal.)
In the Palm of Your Hand by lapsedpacifist
Dick was forced into becoming a host for an entity of unknown strength, unknown motive, and unknown reach. The only thing he did know? It needed him alive.
Neurodegenerative series by lapsedpacifist
The general premise: Bruce has completely forgotten about Dick, and Dick only. Now tension is high between them and the rest of the family as they attempt to resolve the memory problem -- while drawing battlelines and realising that Dick had always been much more than a brother to them all.
the primacy of personal conscience by birdsofthesoul
"WHAT MAKES IAGO EVIL? some people ask. I never ask."
— Joan Didion, Play It as It Lays
Or: Dick, his family, and the moral morass of a wishing well.
This is all I could think of at the moment! I'll add more once I read the ones I encountered while I made this list. Enjoy!!
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winchest09 · 4 years
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The Bunker Party - Debrief
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Hey everyone!
Our bunker party was an absolute blast. It was one filled with laughter, smiles and support and it warms my heart to see so many of your faces each time we do this. This party went in many different ways from fanfiction to urban dictionary - to seeing some of the SPN family’s best dance moves. It was a TREAT. 
6 and a half hours we were talking…SIX AND A HALF and again, I loved every single second. It was so nice to see so many gorgeous faces, and I’m so happy that so many of you joined us! The support from you guys for each other, the love in this fandom; I can’t express how much I adore it.
Me and @katehuntington​​​​ love holding these events and we are already planning the next live stream (date to be announced) but it will be in July. 
This is the lowdown for the The Bunker Party! Sorry it’s a little late, I’ve been ill! 
Below you will find:
Everyone who joined - their tags, what’s coming up fic wise and their masterlist.
A Challenge to join 
Blogs who want to help with your writing
Alpha? Beta? Omega?
Want a link breaker?
Fic & blog recs
Announcements
So without further ado… *cracks fingers*
To everyone that joined…
You are the guys that make it the live stream what it is.  So below is a list of everyone who was on the chat last night accompanied by their masterlist and what they have coming up soon! In no particular order…
@katehuntington​​​: Kate is currently working on the next instalment of Ride With Me and All I Want. She’s been teasing us with little ideas that keep popping into her head too...
Her masterlist can be found HERE
@flamencodiva​​​: This babe is currently working on a multitude of things and we are super excited to see them come out. We have her brand new fiction ‘What could have been’ as well as Call of the Ocean and many others! 
Check out her masterlist HERE
@whatareyousearchingfordean​​​: Alex is currently writing the epilogue to her Jensen fiction Et Cetera AND she has decided her next fiction!
Firefighter Dean x OFC Marina. From what we’ve already heard…it sounds amazing! I won’t give away any plot points that we were told just yet but it’s one to be put on your watch list! 
Her masterlist can be found HERE
@superfanficnatural​​​:  This babe is currently working on the next chapters of The Bringer of balance as well as the next chapters of The Choice! Also still thinking about his knight of hell x demon dean fic which just sounds so good.
We’re living for it!
Go and give him some love, his masterlist can be found HERE
@emoryhemsworth​​​: This beaut has broken her lil hiatus and posted the sequel to Because of You. Piece by Piece is amazing and if you haven’t read it yet, i suggest you check it out. She’s also writing her first chapter of her series idea. 
Check our her masterlist HERE:
@malfoysqueen14​​​: This lovely lady is new to the Supernatural fandom and is trying her hand at writing fanfiction! Her first fic “White Flag” is Dean x OFC and it’s going in a very interesting direction! Worth a read!
She hasn’t yet got a masterlist but you can check out White Flag HERE
@waywardbeanie​​: This absolute gem of a woman has JUST posted her very first fanfiction and it’s an absolute DIAMOND. Dean. Letters. Fluff. Smut. It’s gonna tick all them boxes and it’s a must read!
You can find her masterlist HERE
@janicho88​​: This lovely lady has written some lovely stories already and has a few things on her list that are definitely worth a read! 
You can find her masterlist HERE
@soaringeag1e​​: This lovely lady has a lovely full masterlist of things for you to dig your teeth into! There are series, oneshots for Jensen, Dean, Jared, Sam, Misha, Castiel...
You can find her masterlist HERE
@smol-and-grumpy​​: Nat has such a juicy masterlist. We were thrilled she joined us on the chat. From Dear Dean to Light My Fire, you will find series that will make you smile, make you cry and will make you want to cool yourself down because they are that smuttastic. 
You can find her masterlist HERE
@manawhaat​​: This babe joined us for the first time this time and we loved having her! Below you can find her humongous masterlist of goodies for your reading pleasure. Her most recent works being an A/B/O oneshot called “Howl”
You can find her masterlist HERE
@crashdevlin​​: Another lovely new face this time to our chat and we are all enjoyed having you there! This babe is another writer with a very large expanding fic list. If you haven’t read any of her work yet, hop on to it! 
You can find her masterlist HERE
@jensengirl83​​: She is new to the chat this week and new to the spn world of writing. Yet she’s already got a few fics under her belt! Fancy checking them out?
You can find her masterlist HERE 
Me: I’m currently working on two series, Life for Rent and Man’s Best Friend! I also have a couple of Dean series being worked on in the background as well as a couple of oneshots…I have already posted two. One being called Pay Attention and the other called Wet Enough. 
My masterlist can be found HERE:
To the new writers/readers…
Remember guys - we’re all here to love and support you! My inbox is always open if you want to talk fics, want me to look over one etc.
@peaches007​​ @cherry3point14​​ and the few nonnies we had!
We love you, we thank you for reading and we thank you for all the support and love you give us constantly. Thank you for joining the chat and we hope you had an amazing time <3
Go and follow and give them some love!
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Ohhhh yes! 
We have two of them for you too! 
Firstly, the darling @flamencodiva​​​​ is holding a celebration in regards to reaching 1700 followers!
Not only is she hosting a character take over on her blog she’s also posted a writing challenge for all us writers out there! This challenge is still ongoing!
Check it out HERE
Secondly, the wonderful @deanwanddamons​​ & @impala-dreamer​​ are holding a joint challenge. The “I Do Understand That Reference” Challenge. 
Fancy guiding Sam, Dean or Cas through another French Mistake type event? Take a look at the movie list and get yourself signed up!
Check it out HERE
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Need Help with your fic?
We’ve got you covered!
Need to has out a plot with someone?
The lovely @malfoysqueen14​​​ has offered herself up to be a plot buddy to anyone that needs it. Stuck on a plot point, want to talk through a story line with someone? Give her a message! She’s here to help <3
Need help with research for a fiction?
The most wonderful @waywardbeanie​​​​ has offered herself up to be a researcher for anyone who wants help with their fiction. She has been a die hard SPN fan forever and she’s like the Ellen of our live stream.
Need a researching buddy? Give her a message! She’s a doll <3
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Alpha? Beta? Omega? 
On this livestream, the topic of A/B/O was brought up and we did discuss it in length and detail about what was involved. Now this may not be a genre for everyone and that is absolutely fine.
However for those that are interested in exploring this genre of fanfiction, we highly recommend you check out @kittenofdoomage​​‘s A/B/O universe HERE.
She’s broke it down and has gone into detail to explain it for those that wish to read and/or write it. 
We hope it helps! 
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Fancy yourself a Supernatural Line Breaker? 
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We got you! 
Our fabulously talented @talesmaniac89​​ has drawn up so MANY supernatural themed line breakers for your free usage! 
She has two posts full already!
Check them out HERE and HERE
Give them a like, a reblog and please THANK HER if you use her work. She’s a good egg <3 
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Fic & blog Recs!
In our live stream, we want to highlight what we’ve been reading and the amazing authors behind the words. So below is a list of all the fics that we recommend for some good ol fic binging!
Fic Recs
That Day Again by @jensengirl83​​
Summary: Dean tries to comfort the reader. 
Happily Ever Eventually by @crashdevlin​​ Summary:  Reader begins working on Supernatural. She makes fast friends with J2 and after months of flirting becomes something more to Jensen, whose wife is not usually the jealous type. When she gets a small part in a MCU anthology, she meets Tom Hiddleston and things get more complicated.
Fool For Love by @crashdevlin​​
Summary:  Y/n is an omega whose world was flipped upside down when she presented late. She was practically a hermit for years, only going out to socialize once a week. When the Winchester brothers walked into her life, it flipped her world again…but not really right-side up.
Stay by @evansrogerskitten​​
Summary:  Dean is the future Alpha of the Winchester pack, a wolf/human hybrid race that has roamed their land since the first howl under the moon. Dean is the ideal Alpha; strong, smart, and brave. There’s just one thing missing in his life - his future Second, the Omega he’s yet to find. Life for Rent by @winchest09​​
Summary:  Y/N can be anyone for a price. Her life is ruled by contracts, men and money. It’s all she knows; countless identities, seedy clients, and strict regulations. She has to obey the rules, but her past is full of secrets and her future is resting in the wrong hands. But will her next client be the same as the rest?
Et Cetera by @whatareyousearchingfordean​​
Summary: Jared’s younger sister agreed to help out for a few months when one of Supernatural’s makeup artists takes her maternity leave. Trying to juggle her new job and her burgeoning brand, she turns to Jensen for comfort. Can their relationships survive Jared finding out that his best friend slept with his baby sister? Ride With Me by @katehuntington​​
Summary:  Alternate Universe (AU) in which the reader is a horse rider who goes to a ranch in Arizona, owned by Bobby and Ellen Singer. She’s there to gain work experience, but then she meets wrangler Dean Winchester. A heartwarming series about a cowboy who falls for the girl, letting go of the past and the importance of family.
PHEW! I definitely think we have enough fics on here to last us for a few days if not weeks!…don’t you? ;) Please guys don’t forget to give these writers some love when reading their fics, comments, reblogs, asks. It means the world.
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I think that’s it!
Thank you so much once again to everyone who joined the chat, we had 6 hours of laughs and i cannot wait to do it again. I’d appreciate it if you could share this to spread the love of the fics and authors on here!
Keep an eye out for the next date for our next livestream! It will be in a couple of weeks, date to be announced. If you guys have any idea’s or want something included, let us know. If you want to be tagged when we announce, let us know!
See you next time!
xox
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quoteablebooks · 3 years
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Genre: Fantasy, Mystery
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Synopsis:
HARRY DRESDEN -- WIZARD Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment Ever since his girlfriend left town to deal with her newly acquired taste for blood, Harry Dresden has been down and out in Chicago. He can't pay his rent. He's alienating his friends. He can't even recall the last time he took a shower. The only professional wizard in the phone book has become a desperate man. And just when it seems things can't get any worse, in saunters the Winter Queen of Faerie. She has an offer Harry can't refuse if he wants to free himself of the supernatural hold his faerie godmother has over him--and hopefully end his run of bad luck. All he has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Queen's right-hand man, the Summer Knight, and clear the Winter Queen's name. It seems simple enough, but Harry knows better than to get caught in the middle of faerie politics. Until he finds out that the fate of the entire world rests on his solving this case. No pressure or anything...
*Opinions*
Harry Dresden is not having a bad day, or a bad week, no he is having a pretty bad year and the only thing that is going to break him out of it is the threat of death and possibly the end of the world. Neither of these things are new to Harry, but they do seem to help get him into gear. Summer Knight begins a half year after the events of Grave Peril and Harry isn’t is much of a different spot than where we left him. Luckily, the Alphas who we met in Fool Moon, led by Billy, aren’t about to let Chicago’s only professional wizard wallow in self-pity or get evicted. On top of letting Harry know that it was literally raining frogs, a sign that something is not right in terms of magical energies, he also set up a meeting with a client that would pay the bills. This new client is more than she seems and along with the White Council bringing Harry to trial for the events that lead to the current war with the Red Court of vampires, things aren’t shaping up any better for Mr. Dresden. Now he has to juggle a lot of different threats while also attempting to figure out how to be a member of society again, no easy task even for a wizard. Summer Knight is a fun read and while I enjoyed Butcher finally digging into some of the more complicated politics of Harry’s world, I feel as if the characters and plot suffered a bit because of it. I also can’t avoid spoilers in this review as a pretty big spoiler is a main plot point throughout the novel so continue at your own risk.
 Probably my favorite part of the fourth installment of the Dresden Files is that it really brings the supernatural world and the powers that govern it into sharper focus. After three books of vague hints and explanations of those who are stronger than Harry and dictate how things go, we finally meet the White Council and some of the other elusive wizards that span the globe. Seeing as Harry is beholden to the White Counsel and they have kind of been this looming authority that we never learned much about, aside from the Warden Morgan attempting to kill Harry in the first novel, it was nice to get a better idea of who they were and how they operated. They operated exactly as you’d expect, but it was good to meet some of them. However, we do need to address the elephant in the room. Injun Joe? Really Butcher? Even with the in book explanation, you thought that was a good look? Especially since Listens-to-Wind isn’t even that long, not that matters! You also can’t play that “oh McCoy is a simple farmer” bit when the man is fluent in Latin and like a century old. I cringed when I read it, but I do enjoy Listens-to-Wind character and Little Brother, along with the Gatekeeper, and hope we see more of them. I am not going to get into the minority culture representation of the wizards that are part of the council or the novels as I am not of a minority culture so unless it is a glaring issue like listed above, I don’t think I’m the right person to fumble through explanations in a book review. However, that small part alone made this book lose a star.
 This novel also told us more about the hierarchy of the Fairies that live just on the other side of the NeverNever and how they affect the mortal world. As Dresden’s godmother the Leanansidhe was such a big part of Grave Peril, it was nice to see the powers and world that she was beholden to and understand more about the fairies as Butcher created them. I enjoyed our time with each Fairy Court, Seelie and Unseelie, and while they were predictable in their characteristics, Butcher does describe the world in a way that you can see the brutal cold beauty of winter and the dangerous lulling comfort of summer. Butcher also makes Fairy business matter because they not only control the seasons on Earth but also have power that is beyond even Harry’s comprehension. We are starting to get past the things that go bump in the night and into serious battles and wars. It’s a fun progression.
 Now, onto the women in the novel because how they have been represented previously has been a sore spot for me in the past. I think that Murphy is actually well written in this novel, she had real issues outside of Harry’s magical disasters (as far as I know at this time) and also has agency in this novel. She is only in it briefly, but I can see that Butcher used this novel to signal that she is going to be a bigger part in the future and now a full ally to Dresden in the upcoming novels. The women that run both of the courts were given just as much page space as needed, but I found the Mothers most compelling and fascinating even though they were not around long. Now for Elaine, who I don’t think anyone really thought was dead even before Bob’s pronouncement in the last novel, and her reappearance. I have…mixed feels about her as she is little more than a damsel in distress the first half of the novel, by design, and then not really well rounded in the second half when she is working with and then against Harry. I’m guessing we’re going to see her again, but other than Harry having flashbacks of them having sex I really didn’t care or understand why Harry was so invested in her other than the fact he thought he accidentally killed her. Also, I know there was a lot going on for Harry, but like his emotional recoil from the fact that she was alive was rather short. Then again, he hadn’t slept in days so I guess I can let that slide. We never found out (in this novel at least) what she did for the Summer Court for them to grant protection for all those years or if they were just playing the long game for the potential break in the power balance. Still, I honestly just don’t care about Elaine. Then we get to the plot devices, Meryl and Lily. Lily was not part of most of the book until the end and I am assuming we will see her again, given the role she now holds, but Meryl was done dirty. Probably the first individual in the novels that hasn’t been described as breathtakingly beautiful, or at least having nice legs or tits, and she is there just to get Harry on the right track and then is killed saving him and Lily. She deserved better.
 As I mentioned at the beginning, the plot of this novel was so-so, I was more interested in learning more about the world than I was about who killed the Summer Knight and at one point I completely forgot about the Trail between the Summer Knights death, the vampire war, the Fairy politics, and Lily being missing thrown into the mix. While I liked each part separately, I feel as if there were maybe one too many plotlines in this novel. Still, it was an enjoyable read and I will continue on with the series.
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aquilasmoon · 4 years
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The Knight Family
Patrick Knight
Full Name - Patrick Neil Knight
Birthday - 10th November 1971
Sexuality - Straight
Role in Family - Father
Age at beginning of story - 48
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Juliet Knight (nee Evergreen)
Full Name - Juliet Lily Knight (nee Evergreen)
Birthday - 13th April 1972
Sexuality - Straight
Role in family - Mother
Age at beginning of story - 47
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Francis Knight
Full Name - Francis "Fran" Serina Knight
Birthday - 6th December 1993
Sexuality - Bisexual
Role in family - Oldest child
Age at the beginning of story - 26
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Alice Knight
Full Name - Alice Rose Knight
Birthday - 6th December 1993
Sexuality - Strsight
Role in family - Second oldest child
Age at beginning of story - 26
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Samantha Knight
Full Name - Samantha "Sam" Rachel Knight
Birthday - 19th February 1995
Sexuality - Bisexual
Role in family - Middle child
Age at beginning of story - 24
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Hope Knight
Full Name - Hope Olivia Knight
Birthday - 13th October 2000
Sexuality - Asexual
Role in family - Second youngest child
Age at beginning of story - 19
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Chase Knight
Full Name - Chase Roman Knight
Birthday - 15th December 2003
Sexuality - Gay
Role in Family - Youngest child
Age at beginning of story - 16
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Information
Patrick Knight and Juliet Evergreen were high school sweethearts. They were your typical teenage love story. Most popular in school, and prom king and queen. They got married at 19 and at 21 they had their first birth. Two twin daughters named Francis and Alice.
A year later they had their second daughter Samantha and decided that three girls was enough for them.
They brought the girls up close and throughout their childhood they were irrespirable. Fran and Alice were parically close. The two girls loved each other, they were each other's best friend and this often left Sam feeling left out. This led Sam into misbehaving to get her family's attention. She became angry whenever the twins would do something without her, even if it was something neither of them could control like joining school a year before her. Because of her anger, Alice and Fran tended to keep away from her and wouldn't want to play with her by the time she was able to join school, making Sam even more mad and lonely.
Sam was over the moon when her parents told them that they were pregnant again and hoped that her new brother or sister could be her new friend.
Unfortunately, her parents didn't let her be with Hope much when she was first born. They didn't want her to act up and scare the baby. Francis and Alice spent most of their time playing with baby Hope and trying to get her to laugh, once again leaving Sam out.
By the time Hope had been born, Patrick and Juliet felt bored. They didn't want another kid and were tired enough by having to deal with the other three. They became even more infuriated when Juliet fell pregnant again five years later. Still, despite their desire to have no more kids they still tried to raise all five of them as best as they could.
The Family lived in a 5 bedroom house in Wales by the beaches. In this house the majority of the ground floor was taken up by the kitchen, with the only other room there being a bedroom which belonged to Sam. On the first floor was the main bathroom, the twins room and the living room. The second floor had Juliet and Patrick's shared room along with Hopes right next to their and Chase with the box room.
Sam had always liked her room. With where it was in the house it meant that she didn't have to interact with her family much. She had the kitchen right at her doorstep and never really would ever need to go upstairs if it wasn't for the bathroom. Having her room on the ground floor and her parents on the top also made it easier for her to sneak out of the house without anyone noticing. The family could go a week with only seeing Sam during family meals which Juliet and Patrick insisted they had every evening.
Both twins grew up with big ambitions in their life. With Samantha acting like she was they were determined to prove to their parents thag they were better and that Sam wasn't a reflection on any bad parenting. They both tried hard in school and got amazing grades. Francis planned to become a writer while Alice wanted to be an actress, they knew thag they were hard industries to get into but both truly believed that they could do it together.
On top of thag they also helped with looking after Hope and Chase. They would babysit without question and with their parents obviously growing tired of the whole parenting thing they made sure that both of them got the same opportunity's they did like taking them to after school clubs. But when they went off to university their parents didn't bother carrying on sending them to the clubs anymore. Luckily for Hope, she had just joined High school and had her own bus pass to get herself around.
With the twins gone it felt as if Juliet and Patrick had given up in their other three kids. Family dinners were no more and they didn't even bother picking Chase up from school anymore, Samantha started picking him up and dropping him off herself as she had the free time by skipping her lessons at college.
During the time that the twins are away, Patrick and Juliet do the minimum of amount of work they have to. Hope had started to follow in Sams footsteps and misbehaves during school but doesn't seem to care considering she knows her parents won't. She also goes out with her friends a lot leaving Chase alone in the house a lot while he's only eight.
When the twins come back after their first year and see what has become of their family Fran suggests that they spend their next year at home so they can look after their family. Alice disagrees and says that it's not her problem and it won't do her any good not going back to uni. Alice believes that they have done their bit and shouldn't have to look after everyone when they can become successful.
When September comes around, Alice is the only one out of the two to go back to uni. Patrick and Juliet are furious at Fran for dropping out and call her ungrateful. They told her that if she wanted to play the parent so much then she should and refused to do anything for their kids. This made it easier for Sam and Hope who became close by Sam teaching Hope how to do make up and roll a cigarette and buying her booze. Meanwhile Chase became incredibly clingy from being left alone too many times. He wouldn't want to go into school because he was scared thag nobody would be there to pick him up and he rarely left Frans side and even spent a lot of nights sleeping on Alices old bed because he felt rejected by everyone else.
Fran takes up a few side jobs to try to pay for essentials. Luckily for her, their parents still live with them so they still payed the rent, water bill and electict but every thing else was up for Fran to buy. Hope and Sam didn't have jobs so whenever they wanted money they would go to Fran, and if Fran didn't have any money to give then they would steal off their parents. Fran knew about this but didn't bother telling them off or not to do it. She knew it would go nowhere and if she was honest she would rather them steal from them than her.
When Alice graduated none of her siblings were there. Patrick and Juliet had banned them all from attending but told Alice that they didn't want to go. Alice felt betrayed by her siblings and got into an argument with Fran about it that night. She didn't belive thag her parents would live to her.
The next morning on June 16th 2014, Fran woke up to a note stuck on her bedroom door with an envelop full of money and different bills. The note said that her parents and Alice had gone off for a two week trip to America and would be back soon.
Fran didn't think anything of it at the time.
Two weeks passed and they still hadn't come back. They wouldn't for another six years.
During those six years Fran had managed to get through to Hope and Sam pretty early on. Sam agreed to get a job and they both started to help out more. Hope started working on her school and ended up doing reallt well in her GCSEs. Their main motivation was proving to their parents that they're not failures.
Chase has started high school and was doing average. He wasn't as bad as Hope and Sam but wasn't as good as Fran and Alice.
After a year they began to run out of money and were evicted from their home. They brought a one bedroom flat not far away so Hope and Chase could continue with school. They had to sell a lot of their things and all ended up sharing one room while sleeping on matresses on the floor.
When Hope left school she got a job straight away and went into a science course for college. Fran bad ended up giving up on her dream of becoming a writer and Sam knew that she wouldn't bet a career with her grades. Hope doesn't go to uni because they can't afford it.
On January 1st 2020, Alice comes knocking on their door. Fran is ready to kick her out before she tells her that their parents had been wrongfully accused of several murders and she needed their help to clear their name.
I am fully aware that the actors don't really look that much like siblings but i did the best i could.
Also Emília is three years older then Alicia and Lily but we're just going to ignore that.
The Knight family are the main character in a book i've decided to write called The Knight Trial. So here's some info on them and their backstory.
Also now after writing all of this I low-key wanna start writing one shots about their life before the murders.
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currebunz · 4 years
Text
Burn The Candle At Both Ends Ch 8
AO3 Link
When you woke this morning, it felt like a dream. You felt like you slept for years and was finally waking up. Not that groggy feeling kind of waking up, like your life just started anew. As cheesy as it sounds, it was because of the other occupant in your bed. Dabi was sound asleep, villains probably don't have work schedules. You carded your fingers through his spiky hair, causing him to stir in his sleep. Dabi opened one of his eyes lazily, almost staring through you. "It's too early to be up yet" he groaned. You lightly tugged on a chunk of his hair. "It's noon" you corrected him. Dabi buried his face into the bed, trying to ignore everything around him. You pulled your hand away from his hair, resting it on the sheets underneath you both.
"I didn't say stop" Dabi muttered into the sheets. A soft smile crawled onto your lips as you resumed playing with his hair. You laid in bed with him a little longer, there was no work today with the building being reconstructed. Once your stomach began to growl, you had to roll out of bed. Dabi lifted himself onto his elbows, the blanket sliding down to the middle of his back. It was then you realized he was nude, brandishing his burns. "Where are you going?" he asked. "Going to eat? You want in?" you asked. Dabi slid out of bed slowly, letting the blanket fall back onto the bed. He looked on the floor for his underwear and his pants. "I could go for a bite" he sauntered over and placed a short kiss on your lips. He nibbled on your bottom lip teasingly.
"I'm not on the menu" you swatted him away playfully. "Shame" Dabi chuckled as he followed you to the kitchen. You reached into your freezer and pulled out a box. "Hope you like frozen waffles" you called out to him. Dabi nodded taking one from you. "Wanna see something cool?" he smirked. You stayed silent, a sign for him to continue. Dabi's hand lit up with blue flame that engulfed the waffle. The flame died out quickly, producing a burning smell. "Ta-dah" Dabi stuck the pastry into his mouth and began eating it. You gave him a slow clap, rolling your eyes. "Wow, you're going to put my toaster out of business" you teased placing two waffles into your toaster. Dabi took another one from you, humming in delight. You watched him burn another one and eat it plain. "No syrup? You monster" you snickered while taking out a bottle of syrup. "Correction, villain, plus that stuff will rot your teeth" Dabi shot back. You held eye contact with him as you drowned your waffles in syrup. "I'll keep that in mind when I get arrested for cavities" your sly grin taunting him.
The morning continued with light banter between you both. Your phone had rung, excusing you from Dabi's company for a moment. "Hello ____? It's Numero, we're having an emergency meeting in the park today in the afternoon" your boss informed you. "If you can make it, please come to hear about the office change, it's easier in person than email" you could hear the distress in his voice. "Sure, I'll be there" you agreed quickly. "Great! It won't take too long, I swear on my abacus!" his voice cheered up quickly before ending the call. You turned back to Dabi, meeting his lazy gaze. "I gotta go to a meeting in the park soon, promise not to burn the place down?" you smirked as you leaned over him. Dabi let out a scoff in disgust. "That was one time, what happened to you being shaken by all that?" he rolled his eyes and pushed your face away. "You're the one who wanted to stay" you placed a soft kiss on his palm. Dabi starred at you before pulling his hand away and kissing you on the lips. "You're the one who didn't want me to leave" he replied. You ignored him and went back to your room to get a change of clothes.
By the time you finished, Dabi was sitting on your couch with a lazy stare. "Well, I'm off" you felt awkward about leaving him here. Both of you realized it was dangerous for him to be out during the day, which meant he'd probably be laying low till nighttime. "I'll be here" Dabi waved you off. As you shut your door, you missed his mischievous smirk.
You made it to the park faster than you wanted to. Your anxious thoughts on leaving Dabi behind made you walk faster. Either way, the sooner you arrived, the sooner you could leave. You recognized the familiar faces of your coworkers, each of them chatting quietly. "Oh Miss ____, I'm glad you made it" Numero's tiny assistant ran up to you with a small stack of papers. "Please take one, I have plenty to go around" she squeaked handing you a copy. You examined the paper carefully, noting the long paragraphs detailing the incident. "We'll be starting shortly, so have a seat nearby" she smiled before scampering off. You glanced around, not finding anyone you were burning to talk to. You plopped onto the grass quietly and waited for the meeting to begin.
Numero stood in the front of the group, twisting his mustache anxiously. "I'm glad you all made it and I'm glad you all seem well" he announced, clearing his throat after. "As you know, our office is under reconstruction, for now, we will be working in a temporary office owned by Sir Nighteye" he continued. A few gasped in awe while others sighed. "Anyways, you've all been forwarded relief money until we can resume work" a few cheers rang out amongst your peers. "However, please remain cautious of villain activity and try to stay in contact with your assigned agency" Numero hushed the crowd with his stern voice. His assistant held up a copy of the paper provided. "Work resumes on the date listed, see that you record your agency's stats on your own time before that date" she explained.
Afterward, everyone slowly dispersed. A few complained about the homework while others appeared over the moon about time off. You felt uneasy about having to meet with Endeavor during a time you wanted to laze about. Speaking of fiery men, you wondered what Dabi was up to. You checked your phone and noted he hadn't texted you. For a moment, you considered texting him that you were done. You decided not to, it would seem clingy. As you walked back home, you checked your bank account and your heart skipped a beat. As stated before, a large amount of money was deposited from Numero. You felt a skip in your step as you neared your apartment. Tonight, you were going to treat yourself and maybe Dabi too. You felt over the moon as you opened your door.
"I'm home!" you announced cheerfully. No reply came, filling you with anxiety. Your apartment hadn't changed, except for the absence of Dabi. You checked your phone again, still no word from Dabi. You took deep breaths, eliminating the worst possible outcome that came to mind. Dabi would most likely return when he wanted to, there was no need for you to know his whereabouts. You walked around your apartment looking for him or a note at least. You returned to your living room with no fruits of your efforts. Giving in, you sent Dabi a text notifying him of your return. Now you waited, wondering what to do with your free time. After a few minutes, your phone dinged with a notification. You quickly opened your phone to read Dabi's reply.
<Meet me in the park, wear something nice>
You stared at the text, trying to process what Dabi was planning. Ultimately, you decided to just go with it. Before you left, you put on a touch of makeup. The sun was setting by the time you made it to the park. You walked along looking around for Dabi. A strong had gripped your arm and tugged you behind a tree. A hand covered your mouth before you could scream. On instinct, you dug your elbow into the chest of your captor. He let out a grunt, but his grip didn't loosen on you.
"I-it's me!..."
You paused. It was Dabi.
You relaxed your shoulders and waited for him to release you. "Damn, I thought that was supposed to be romantic..." Dabi scowled still in pain from your attack. "You shouldn't try shady things when villains are on high alert" you nagged him. Dabi rolled his eyes. "Anyways, c'mon" he began walking ahead. You lagged behind a bit, ignorant of what he was planning. "Where are we going?" you asked. Dabi looked back, a small smirk on his face. "A date idiot, you look nice" you weren't sure to be angry or happy by his response. You realized you had stopped and were falling behind. "Hey wait!" you broke a stride to catch up with him.
Dabi took you back around some alleyways. They were lit up with signs for bars and clubs, a few emitting savory food or alcohol. "Isn't it dangerous for you to be out like this?" you asked. Dabi shrugged, stopping at a doorway. "We keep this area safe so people don't snitch on me" he explained. Dabi took your hand and pulled you into a little niche. The stairs traveled downward, causing you to slowly descended into the dimly lit area. The area opened to a fairly tamed club, a band was playing in the corner while everyone mingled. "This is where the people who don't want to be scrutinized under the public eye come, real freaks" Dabi chuckled.
You followed him to a table set up in a secluded corner. Dabi pulled your chair out, chivalry hasn't died after all. A server came by and recognized Dabi. "Well, it's been a while slick" she had said in a sly voice. "Someone has to pay your rent doll" he shot back. You watched the exchange mildly concerned. Dabi took note and cleared his throat. "Don't worry, I just helped Jaguar here when she needed it" he explained. The server sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm not that old, had I still been a man I'd take you outside" she warned. Dabi rolled his eyes and lifted his menu. "After I got those sleaze bag debt collectors off your case? You're the real villain" he chuckled. Suddenly, 'Jaguar' had a change of heart. "Oh Dabi! I would never! You're my knight in flaming armor after all!" she cooed. Dabi gagged a bit, making you laugh.
"Don't call me that, it makes me sound lame" Dabi spat. "Anyways, who is this pretty gal?" 'Jaguar' looked you over with a smile. You introduced yourself with a small wave. "Oh, how precious! I've gotta let the chefs know! Any allergies hun? You won't need these!" 'Jaguar' swiped the menus and gave Dabi a knowing smile. "This one is on the house!" she sang before disappearing behind the doors to the kitchen. You stared at Dabi, watching him lean back in his seat. "So much for a relaxing night" he sighed. "It's okay, I'm having fun" you reassured him. A few minutes passed and Jaguar flew by with water. Dabi began to ask for a drink, but Jaguar gave him an intense glare. "I won't have you getting tipsy on your first date" Jaguar scolded him.
By now, Dabi was regretting life choices as you animately waved at the passing servers. They each had a colorful personality and knew Dabi to some extent. "Shove off you guys" Dabi finally shooed them away like birds flocking to food. One of them left a plate of round fried balls on the table. "What are these?" you asked, taking one and examining it. "Fried cheese curds, try one" Dabi popped one into his mouth without hesitation. You tried one and it felt hot in your mouth. "It's good," you said around the warm cheese. "They must be picking some of my favorites, what losers" Dabi laughed. Jaguar came back around to be nosy, only to run away as Dabi glared at her. "The staff really likes you" Dabi gagged again at your comment.
"I don't need to be liked, but they aren't so bad" despite the irritation in his voice, he was smiling. "So, you just keep this area safe?" you asked. Dabi nodded. "This area is predominately villains, so I keep it in line for those who do petty crimes" he explained. "From heroes?" you continued. Dabi shrugged again. "Heroes and other villains, it doesn't hurt to have some insurance" he glanced around as he spoke. You noticed that everyone in the surrounding area appeared rather eccentric or underdressed. Not something you would see at a cafe or a five-star restaurant. "It's like the slums in a way, but rather friendly" you muttered aloud.
Dinner came and went rather quickly. Jaguar had presented the house special, which had been a dish you weren't familiar with. It tasted amazing, making you wonder how you had been missing out. Jaguar came by after you were finished, with two shot glasses. "And for dessert! Parfait shots" she placed one in front of you and one in front of Dabi. "I gave yours a little hit for being a good boy tonight" she winked at him. She turned to you and crouched down. "Oh, yours was made non-alcoholic dear but if you'd like something don't hesitate to ask" she apologized. "It's no big deal, I'm good" you nodded. "What a sweetheart, Dabi don't fuck this up" Jaguar shot him a strict glare before prancing off. You were practically rolling in your seat.
"That damn queen, let's hurry and leave already" he slammed down a large tip and took his shot in one go. You finished yours in two takes, feeling your tongue spark with sweetness. "I should make these for the club" you hummed in delight. Dabi stood up and took your hand. He pulled you to your feet and hastily exited. From behind, there was a collective "good-bye" from the staff and patrons, no doubt trying to embarrass Dabi. The cool night air brushed up against you, drawing you closer to Dabi. "Let's go this way" he led you down the road. The busy city calmed down and a still quiet filled the emptying street. Dabi pulled you into a seemingly abandoned building. "Where are we going?" you asked. "You'll see" Dabi continued forward.
A broken staircase appeared in your way. "Just a moment" Dabi crouched down and slung his arms under you. He lifted you bridal style, being careful not to let your clothes drag. "Hang on tight" he ordered. You didn't hesitate to wrap your arms around his neck. Dabi went around the staircase and climbed the broken debris skillfully. You weren't sure how many floors you went up, but eventually, he stopped at a floor with the wall broken out. "Close your eyes for a moment," Dabi asked as he placed you back on the ground. You did as he requested, still a bit unsure of the situation. Your nose caught the smell of burning and you hear the crackle of flames.
"Alright, you can look now" Dabi called out. Your eyes opened to the now dimly lit room. Moonlight fell through on one side while a dozen candles lit the other. A sheet was set up to provide coverage, Dabi stood near it with his hand outstretched. "C'mere, I set this all up for you after all" he beckoned. You approached him slowly, still shocked by this display. Your hands fell into Dabi's, allowing him to pull you closer to him. Now, standing chest to chest, you could see Dabi's blue eyes shining through the darkness. "You said you wanted a date, so here we are" he pulled you to sit down next to him. Dabi looked up, prompting you to follow his gaze.
The giant hole in the wall made it easy to see the starry sky above. "This is the best place to watch the stars, the city lights make it too difficult" Dabi muttered aloud. "It's an amazing view..." you felt a breeze blow by and it felt cold against your skin. "Here," Dabi shrugged off his coat and draped it over your shoulders. His arm slid around your waist, providing heat as well. "Thank you" a slight flush blossomed on your cheeks. Dabi was sitting so close to you, it was all so romantic. "Hey, you're missing the view" Dabi tilted his head into your line of vision. You perked up, embarrassed from being caught in a daze. "Sorry, it's just all so sudden" you apologized.
"I can be sentimental sometimes" Dabi leaned his head on top of yours. A tender moment passed by, you in Dabi's arms as you both watched the stars. A shooting star flew by, earning a gasp from you. "Make a wish! Make a wish!" you excitedly patted Dabi on the chest. "Alright, alright" he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them. "Did you make one?" he asked. "Of course, but we can't share our wishes or they won't come true" you zipped your lips to emphasize your superstitious beliefs. Dabi obeyed, going back to watching silently. Your eyes flickered to Dabi's side profile occasionally. Your wish playing over and over in your head.
"I wish we could be together forever"
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stereksecretsanta · 5 years
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Merry Christmas, @do-what-the-knight-tells-you!
I hope you'll enjoy this gift, and happy holidays :)
Read on AO3
*****
Convention sans fake relationship
Derek looks down at the letter in his hand. He’s been through the contents three times already and by now he needs to admit the words aren’t going to change. He still reads through it once more.
With a sigh he pulls his phone from his pockets and a few taps on the screen later the message is off.
He hears Stiles’ jeep first, like he knew he would, his footsteps drowned out by Erica’s chipper greeting when she bursts through the trees, making him wait on the front porch. It’s Boyd who opens the door, Erica and Stiles lost in snarky banter that has Derek fighting the smile that wants to break free. Judged from Boyd’s silent judgement he’s not entirely successful.
Nobody gets to call him out on it as Scott, Allison, Lydia and Jackson pulls up in front of the house then, soon followed by Chris, Melissa and John; Derek still isn’t entirely sure how two hunters - Argents to boot - became part of his pack, but he’s as grateful for them as for the rest of his pack.
When the door closes behind them and they’re about to take their seats in the living room Isaac comes down the stairs, taking his usual seat between Erica and Boyd. Once everybody’s settled Derek pulls out the letter and hands it to Stiles who is closest.
“Okay,” he says with a questioning lilt to his voice once he’s done, Derek’s only response is raising an eyebrow.
“You want to go,” this time Stiles doesn’t bother making it a question though Derek nods anyway.
“Go where?” Erica asks, curiosity written in every line of her body.
Stiles waves the letter around then starts reading “...to see the Hale at the 25th Pack Symposium; a full week with something for the whole pack. Programme and registration form can be viewed and filled out online.” There’s just a second’s silence then the whole pack starts talking.
Before long it’s agreed they’ll go, Lydia volunteering to do the practical things like booking rooms and seats at panels that look interesting. Then they discuss how to get there; it’s not more than a ten hour drive, and soon they decide to rent two cars large enough for all of them and then take turns at the wheel. With that settled they let Melissa pick a movie (it’s her turn), Stiles getting drinks and Peter - nobody noticed him opening the door during the debacle following Stiles reading the letter - making popcorn. It’s early morning before the living room’s empty and they’re all asleep in the rooms Derek had made for them when he rebuilt the house years ago.
~
They leave at seven in the morning. John’s asleep in the passenger seat next to Melissa; she’d been lucky enough to get the week off but he’d just gotten off a double shift; behind them Isaac, Boyd and Erica are playing some kind of card game and the last passengers in the car are Chris and Peter.
Scott’s driving the other car, Allison sitting next to him; Derek sitting between Lydia and Jackson with a book in his hand, Stiles sitting in the back, cooler with drinks and a bag with snacks besides him. He’s asleep, too.
They drive for a few hours before stopping for gas and the opportunity to stretch their legs. When they’re back on the road Derek and Chris are driving, the Stilinskis still asleep and Scott pouting because he isn’t allowed to sit in the back seat with Allison.
They take a second break when Stiles wakes, and one more half an hour later when John does the same. When they pull up in front of the hotel hosting the symposium it’s with Erica and Jackson behind the wheels, both happily handing the car keys to the valets as they exit the vehicles. They all take a few minutes to shake their limbs and stretch their backs before walking through the entrance doors and make their way to the reception desk.
The receptionist is a woman who smells like thunder and lightning but her smile is friendly and she cheerfully tells them the way to their rooms as she hands them their keys. Derek would like to claim to be surprised when he realizes Lydia has only booked five rooms, but he’s not in the habit of lying to himself, so he just follows Stiles after the receptionist has handed him the key to the room they’re going to share.
They all meet up an hour later in the hotel restaurant, their meal quiet and soon over, all of them going back to their rooms and getting a good night’s sleep.
~
Derek knows people are curious, but thankfully nobody asks about the fire, or Laura or anything else he’d rather not talk about with a room full of strangers. But it’s nice, being surrounded by ‘wolves, by pack; stories and games he remembers from his childhood but that his pack has never heard or played before.
It’s the third day and all participants had been loaded onto busses and driven to a nearby, private forest, where they could run as they pleased. There were a few capable of the full shift and Derek had run with them, leaving his clothes with John who claimed to be too old to run in his spare time. Peter had grinned and slapped his rear before taking off and within ten seconds Melissa was left with Derek’s clothes, shaking her head at the two men while shooing Derek off to run.
Running in this form was different to the beta shift. For one doubling the amount of leg made it more difficult at first but once he got the hang of it (and the more he shifted fully the less time it took) he could run faster and further than usual; second everything felt different as a wolf; there had been a chill in the air he could no longer feel, the leaves had crunched when he’d stepped on them but now there was no sound of his paws on the ground. And then there were the scents: they were all a little clearer, more vivid than they were when he was human shaped. One scent in particular - lemony-sweet and earthy - stood out more.
There was no thought, no conscious decision when the wolf - tired from its run - followed that scent back, wrapped itself around its owner and closed its eyes for a nap. He’s not sure how long he’s been asleep when he’s shaken gently, Stiles’ low voice telling him it’s time to get back. Reluctantly the wolf recedes, Derek taking the clothes Stiles is holding out and once he’s dressed they make their way back to the busses, finding the same seats they’d been sitting in on the way out.
~
It’s not all fun and games, after all Lydia has signed them up for every panel she thought might be useful. Derek definitely enjoys the one about courting and mates, the one with “opening the lines of communication” is useful though the speaker is awfully boring, but he’s not entirely sure why Lydia thought he’d need “to see what’s right in front of you”. He tells her this that evening at dinner which earns him an eye roll from half the pack and her condescendingly patting his arm before she turns to Erica and picks up their previous conversation. Derek keeps eating and soon he’s drawn into conversation with Chris and Boyd, the panel long forgotten.
~
Their last day - which also happens to be the day of the full moon - is when things stop being as nice as they’ve been up to this point.
It begins like every other day with Derek waking up and having to extract himself from not only Stiles’ grip but the way their skin has fused together because someone - Derek sends his bedmate a fond scowl - didn’t want to get a washcloth before falling asleep. After relieving himself he takes a quick shower and getting dressed. Then he wakes up Stiles, grins at his grumbling protests and when he pulls the covers over his head, Derek yanks them off of him, laughing at the outraged look he gets for his troubles.
While Stiles showers and brushes his teeth Derek looks over the schedule, deciding they won’t be needed for the day’s activities. Stiles agrees though he thinks they should still make an appearance for breakfast.
The sight greeting them has Derek regretting not insisting they could’ve left a note and taken off. His pack is standing with furious looks on their faces. At the table Allison sits, a ‘wolf Derek doesn’t recognize in front of her. The ‘wolf’s hand slams onto the table and Derek realizes they’re arm wrestling. He takes a step forward, interupting the unknown ‘wolf’s angry rant with a:
“What’s going on here?” Lydia narrows her eyes at the stranger while the rest of the pack refuses to look at either Derek or Stiles. In the end it’s the ‘wolf who answers.
“We were just playing for the rights to the pretty omega,” the guy leers in Stiles’ direction, Derek waves his peaceful morning goodbye.
“Who?” Stiles asks innocently, a dangerous glint in his eyes the ‘wolf either doesn’t notice or ignores. Derek’s money is on the former and if he didn’t want to get laid again sometime this week he’d be tempted to warn the ‘wolf.
“You,” he says to Stiles obvious amusement.
“Aaaaw, did you hear that, he called me pretty.” Stiles looks expectantly at the pack, all of them still glaring at the ‘wolf. “Well, if you’re still up for it, I’ll play with you.” The ‘wolf barely has time for a triumphant grin before Stiles flicks his wrist and the stranger is flying towards the ceiling; before he can make contact with it Stiles flattens his hand and then makes a few circles. The result is terrifying - at least for the ‘wolf now flying around the ceiling at breakneck speed soon screaming at the top of his lungs.
Derek waits but when after a minute it doesn’t look as if Stiles is going to let the guy down he finally decides he should maybe try to save the guy.
“Stiles,” he says carefully, “maybe you could let him down before he throws up on people trying to have breakfast in peace?”
Stiles smiles sweetly at him, but his - no doubt scathing - answer dies on his tongue when some of the hotel employees make their way into the dining hall.
“Sir,” the oldest looking of them addresses Stiles, “please put the guest down on the ground before we have to call the druids.”
For a second Derek is afraid Stiles isn’t going to do as asked but then he nods and reverses his hand movements, leaving the ‘wolf standing on the floor.
Derek’s a little sad they won’t get to run under the full moon with all the other packs on the other hand he much prefers spending those nights at home, with his glorious mate writhing under him.
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romuluslupine-blog · 6 years
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ladies and gentlepeople, i am pleased to present to you REMUS JOHN LUPIN, the man, the myth, the socially awkward actual mess of a human being.  he’s NINETEEN and he is PROFESSIONALLY UNEMPLOYED IN BETWEEN JOBS right now but he’s looking, okay.  people are just not hiring right now.  yeah.  sure.  that’s it.  oh.  and yeah.  he’s a GRYFFINDOR.  he’s an ORDER MEMBER.  and most importantly he is a MARAUDER.
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( this edit is © to @oliviaholts​ and she’s a gem for giving me permission to use it )
history. 
life from birth to age six was pretty normal for remus lupin.  his parents were great, if his father was a little bit pre-occupied.  that happened when you were on a mission save the world from the evil that was the werewolf scourge in society.  he came home late from work pretty often, bursting in a a rustle of papers and righteous indignation to sit himself down to dinner with his wife who looked at him with admiration and love and his son who looked at him like he was an actual hero. 
ABOUT HIS FATHER remus idolized his father when he was young.  the man was his hero, everything he wanted to be.  though he was young, he learned what it meant to stand up for the things you believed in.  to push on when the odds were stacked against him.  it was a skill remus carried with him well into his adult life, even after his father changed from his knight in shining armor to one of his worst nightmares.  after he was bitten, lyall lupin turned from his son.  at first it was because of his hatred of werewolves, in his eyes his son was no longer and in his place was a monster.  but later it was his own guilt that strained his relationship with remus, knowing that his son’s suffering was his own fault.  for a long time remus didn’t know who turned him or why so he didn’t understand his father’s distance from him.  for a long time the teenage bitterly hated his father for not being able to accept him.  when he found out, though, and realized the guilt lyall must have felt, remus finally knew how hard it had to be   
remus was bitten when he was six.  fenrir greyback, a terrible name in both the werewolf and wizard population, was seeking revenge for wrongs done to him and his by lyall.  he took offense to the crusaders words and punished him by taking away his son and giving back to him the kind of monster he so hated.  remus doesn’t remember much about the night it happened, though he remembered the pain.  he feels it once a month, after all.  so it’s hard to forget.  what he does remember are the days following and the first full moon, only a week later.  it was hope, his mother, who pulled him through those days and that, too, he remembers.  
ABOUT HIS MOTHER hope lupin was a muggle who had married into magic when she married lyall.  she was kind and warm and compassionate.  she was the quiet strength behind lyall’s powerful fire.  but she was also from a world free of the magical prejudices that plagued lyall’s conscious.  werewolfs were as out of her realm of imagination as wizards and so she approached her son’s condition the same way she approached lyall telling her he was a wizard.  with an open mind and heart.  and remus loves her for it.  she was his strength for a long time, until he met the marauders.  she was the shoulder he cried on and from her he learned compassion and grace.  she was the reason lyall too, learned to accept his son’s condition.  hope was truly did bring hope to the lupin household and without her, there’s no telling the damage fenrir greyback could have done.  
hogwarts was a haven for remus.  it was also a promised land.  he was told for as long as he could remember that he would never be able to attend because of his condition.  it made sense.  after all, how could he be locked in a basement room once a month without some students noticing he wasn’t in his common room by curfew – and without putting them in danger.  he’d prepared for a long time to be homeschooled, forbidden as always to talk to other children until he was old enough to know how to keep a secret and never staying in one place long enough to make real friends even if he could talk to them.  even so, his father did his school shopping for him and it wasn’t until king’s cross that remus truly believed this would happen for him.
ABOUT HIS HOUSE remus had no hopes about his future house as he sat alone on the train that first trip to school.  he knew his father had been in ravenclaw and he knew a little bit about the houses from his own reading.  he was too excited by prospect of belonging somewhere, truly belonging, to put too much energy into hoping for a specific house.  he’d not expected gryffindor, though.  bravery was not a word he’d use to describe himself.  daring, nerve, he did not have these in abundance.  but his father had always said the sorting hat didn’t make mistakes.  and even if remus never truly felt like he embodied the traits of a gryffindor, he did know that he found in that house his true family.  he wore the red and gold with pride, smiling whenever he lets someone know that he hails from the house of the lions.  
remus excelled in school.  he was smart and a bit ahead of his classmates as his father had been teaching him with the assumption hogwarts wouldn’t be in his future.  he made friends easier than he thought he would, better friends than he ever anticipated having.  he joined clubs and he fit in.  in his fifth year he became a prefect and actually held a position of respect, something his father had told him in a sad voice never to count on.  sure there were some not so great days, the nights he spent alone in the shrieking shack, the secrets he had to keep.  but all in all, school was everything he’d hoped it would be and more. 
ABOUT THE MARAUDERS remus never hoped for friends like james, sirius, and peter.  maybe some acquaintances or friends to sit with in the library.  maybe even someone who would write to him over the school holidays.  but brothers, friends like the marauders, were never something he allowed himself to hope for.  even now, if he thinks too hard about them, he can’t believe his luck.  his life was forever altered by their presence in it and he knew, to lose them now, would destroy him.  they are the only people from whom he has no secrets and for a boy who has never lived without secrets, the relief is invaluable.  remus doesn’t stand up for much, but he would put his very life on the line for any of these boys.
real life, life after hogwarts, was something remus didn’t look forward to.  while the castle had been kind and welcoming, the world was cruel and unforgiving.  there were not enough people in it like his marauders or like lily.  he got a job - fairly easily the first time - but two moons in, he lost it.  he got another, and lost it again.  making rent was hard, he managed it far less often than he would like to admit and if it weren’t for the kindness of james and sirius, he’d have been forced to move home again.  and if that weren’t enough – the world was at war.
ABOUT THE ORDER joining the order had seemed like an easy decision when he was eighteen and young, when he had everything to live for and nothing to lose.  it had made sense.  his best friends beside him and the gryffindor red and gold still fresh in their mind as graduation faded slowly in the background.  joining the order had seemed like the natural next step.  the marauders against the world once again.  they each had their strengths, remus was no slouch at defensive spells and he had a knack for healing magic from having to patch himself and the boys up after full moons.  when he stood there in front of Dumbledore to be inducted, he swore in that moment he could fly.  now, though, the decision doesn’t seem so easy.  if anything, each day brings with it the realization that remus may actually regret his decision.  he knew the work he was doing was important but he wished it was his talents the order had needed, not his affliction.  he hates having to pretend to fit in with other werewolves, to be the rough and dangerous kind of person so many of them were.  it was draining and it was seeping into the rest of his life.  most nights he lay in bed wondering if he’d do it differently, if he had it all to do over.  
headcanons.
remus’ patronus, much to his chagrin, is a wolf.  not a werewolf, mind, but a plain and ordinary wolf.  while remus hates this, the animal is a perfect fit for the young wizard.  wolves are pack animals, they thrive in groups.  remus was a lonely child, his family moved often and he wasn’t allowed to make many friends before going to Hogwarts.  as a child, remus struggled.  it wasn’t until he came to school and made real friends, lasting friends who treated him like a brother and became his family, that remus really began to thrive.  wolves are also naturally non-aggressive.  they won’t attack without cause and remus is likewise a naturally peaceful person.  he doesn’t like to fight but he will, when forced, and will fight harder to protect his friends than to protect himself.  despite the wolf being such an appropriate symbol, though, remus rarely casts his patronus.  when he does need to cast it, he rarely uses full strength to do so.  The sight of the wolf worries him, the idea of someone else seeing it and connecting the dots scares him even more. 
remus’ boggart is the full moon.  a surprise to no one.  for nearly his entire life, that orb has controlled his every move and the moves of those around him.  he was never able to live in one place for a long time, to make friends or get close to people, because of the moon.  his parents sometimes looked at him as if they were afraid of him instead of the way parents are supposed to look at their children, all because of the moon.  everything he had ever lost had been at the expense of that damn moon.  it took remus an unnaturally long time to learn to dispel a boggart.  in fact, he never mastered it in school.  it was at home, with his father, that he finally figured out the knack.  his father was something of an expert on boggarts and when remus came home from school with a failing grade for that part of his defense final examinations, lyall took matters into his own hands.  it took several tear filled sessions that went from defense lessons to therapy sessions but remus finally managed to come up with the required thoughts and emotions to turn the moon into a ballon.  he never found a sense of accomplishment in doing it, though.  he always performed that particular spell with a grim face and a set jaw.  
remus is, in fact, a virgin.  he doesn’t think much about sex because that would require a relationship and remus doesn’t exactly have a good track record with those.  when he was in school, his friends needled him and encouraged him to go out on dates but he was always more hesitant than his more outgoing mates.  he fumbled for words and stumbled over his own feet.  it was more than the regular teenage nerves, falling in love with someone meant being a danger to yet another person.  who would willingly sign up for that?  and it would have to be willingly, remus wouldn’t feel right about being in a relationship with someone who didn’t know what he was.  so he’d gone on a few awkward dates to the three broomsticks or madame puddifoot’s, he’d kissed a couple girls under mistletoe or with the boys applauding from behind almost closed doors.  but nothing more serious than that.  and there was another difficulty.  it wasn’t just girls remus was interested in kissing.  he was so hesitant about anything even remotely romantic that he hadn’t realized it even about himself until he was in his later years of school.  the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach, it wasn’t confined to the girls james and sirius would point out to him.  it happened when he talked to the dark haired boy from ravenclaw who sat behind him in history of magic, when the muggle barista at the coffee shop near james’ house winked at him when they boys stopped in over the summers, and - most concernedly - when he looked at sirius.
remus prefers the city to the country.  it’s not because he’s a particularly over social person or because he likes the energy or something inspirational and gross like that.  the city is easy to get lost in.  it’s always loud in the city and there are always crushing amounts of people around.  he likes that about it.  in the quieter places, he’s lost with his own thoughts and his own head is not a place he really likes to be left to his own devices.  no one in the city looks twice at him, even with his scars and even when he looks like he’s about to fall over from exhaustion.  he can have secrets in the city and it’s the only place he feels remotely normal.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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crystalnet · 6 years
Text
3 Writing Samples
Here are 3 writing samples that might be useful to have at the top of the pile. 
1. Pacific Digital (Fiction, sample intro to long-form narrative)
Ryuki balanced on top of a fifty-foot skyscraper, poised as though ready to dive, he steadied himself, stiffened his stance and let himself fall backwards slowly into the urban abyss below him, free-fall style, arms crossed over his shoulders, suddenly picking up massive amounts of momentum as he hurdled to the ground, and then fluidly rolling in mid-air into a somersault, amassing exponential amounts of centrifugal force as he smashed a double drop-kick of a landing, he plowed himself against the helipad of a massive cement structure, collapsing it against itself, and then emerged from the haze of debris in an instant, leaping again, shooting through the air like a meteorite.
“The shock-absorption is fantastic. Lots of feedback but it isn’t obtrusive.” Ryuki said curtly as he butterfly jumped on the rebound of a kick-off from yet another cement sky-scraper, transitioning into a triple-axel, volleying his own mass up towards the gleaming artificial sun that hung high in a bright fully-rendered VR sky-box.
“That’s great Ryuki. Let’s run one more drill for today to test out your mobility,” a disembodied voice chimed in in the VR-helmet in-ear monitor as two drones suddenly appeared, circling Ryuki and moving in.
“Sounds good Professor Agassa, I’m ready for anything” Ryuki replied. A dazzling array of stats, internal analyses, and diagnostics flickered on the heads-up display projected on the screen of Ryuki’s VR module, as he brought his dynamic manouevering to a pause, perching menacingly on another structure in his bright orange test-model AR auto-suit, that resembled the giant robots of Saturday morning cartoon lore, readying his energy pole after detaching it from his rear-module.
Just minutes later, Ryuki blasted across the Palo Alto free-way in his blue Bugatti, a rental, the gleaming pacific ocean to his left, nearly seething with the reddish reflection of a blazing orange sun that hung low in the summer sky. He was headed back to the posh estate he was renting while he was here working with Agassa for the summer. He remembered the email from a few months that started all of this, coming out of the blue in the month of May. “Me and my collegues, among which are your esteemed sister, are working on something that I think you may be interested in. There is also a certain Miss Ayumi Ito who will be joinging us… ”
Agassa was putting them up in the luxurious Half-Moon Manse, named for it’s location near a prime beach in Palo Alto, it was a rare Californian plantation, practically on the shore; sporting a strange mixture of Roccocco and Spanish architechture, the house was said to have been built for a Spanish catholic-missionary turned gold-mining prospector to the stars. His family only lasted though until a string of grizzly murders near the end of 19th century and the palatial estate had since been rented out by wealthy investors and jet-setters year after year before being handed off to yet another recipient in the form of a certain Professor Agassa, who had a fetish for eccentric real-estate. The strangely vibrant Spanish roofing, the decadant banisters and parapets, the Art Decco flourishes that had been added by a wealthy oil tycoon nearly a century ago, and the gothic looking East Tower had a certain forboding and yet luxurious presence on the wind-blown strip of the white-sand beaches of Palo Alto.
Agassa wasn’t just being so generous as to rent the place just for Ryuki and Ayumi though, he also needed the estate to host a gala event for the Perseus Society, which he himself was an active board-member of. Agassa was greatly in need of their lucrative patronage but beyond just that Agassa actually felt very strongly about the society’s mission. In the years following the great environmental fall-out and the rise of AR technology, many mega-corporations had begun to amass power, all seeking to take control of a unstable global situation in various ways, some for capitalist ends and some for seemingly virtuous ones. Agassa seemed to believe strongly that Perseus actually had altruistic goals that were worth fighting for.
In the mean time until the big party, Ryuki and Ayumi were free to enjoy the impressively sized Manse to themselves after long 12 hour days working with Agassa in the lab on his new VR developments. When Ryuki arrived home though, tossing the keys and his Ray Ban shades on the marble counter-top, he wasn’t surprised at all to see Ayumi through the awning windows that let out to the tennis courts, hard at work practicing her base-line volleys against an automated ball-lobber in a teal velour Fila track jacket, white Lacoste tennis shorts, and a fluorescent green Commes des Garçons-brand visor over her brow that just happened to match the color of Ayumi’s test-model AR auto-suit from earlier that day at the lab.
The two of them, Ryuki’s esteemed older sister Aida, and Professor Agassa (as well as a formidable squad of lab-assistants) had been cooped up in Agassa’s private lab for about a month now working on various things that Agassa felt were going to be important moving forward.
The full-immersion function of his new VR-Tank allowed them to enter artificially-rendered VR settings at immersion rates exceeding 120% so that they could actually feel the very things they interacted with while in the tank’s VR module, and moved around by exerting and flexing their actual muscles. This demanded hours of strenuous training, both in the tank and out of it, working on various martial arts styles to master the use of their own bodies. They were running simulations that Agassa modeled after the giant-robot cartoons that Ayumi and Ryuki had grown up watching in order to help the pilots visualize their VR selves as armored shells which they themselves were piloting from a safe distance, even if it seemed to Ayumi and Ryuki at first that they really were in fact hurdling through the air or fending off drone-bombers in reality. Much of the work was separating the reality of their VR surroundings from their actual reality, mentally– easier said than done.
Ryuki, being just as fiercely motivated and unsatisfied in the same was Ayumi was, headed to the large sun-dappled drawing room on the basement landing to practice his Judo, instead of enjoying the myriad leisure options that the Manse offered, including an on-site tennis courts, regulation-sized pool, a lacrosse field and a pristine and thriving green-house, perfect for yoga and transcendental meditation sessions. The ornate Victorian book shelves that towered to the ceiling, and the marble flooring and Classical paintings, facilitated a meditative atmosphere, though several grim and gleaming suits of knight’s armor stood erect near the corners of the room and Ryuki couldn’t deny the slightly foreboding feeling he got when he caught sight of one in his peripheral as he transitioned out of a Harai Goshi wheel kick, feeling as though he was being watched by some predatory phantom.
Later that night Ryuki and Ayumi were relaxing pool-side looking out over the sloping dunes of white sand reflecting moonlight that illuminated the dark beach of Half-Moon bay. Ayumi sat on a pool-chair dangling a foot in the water, in her dark grey Z Cavaricci pants and a smart-looking vintage Vivienne Westwood jacket, while Ryuki, sat alongside her in a tweed sweater looking out at the now completely submerged sun, only showing slightly on the horizon below a newly revealed moon, glimmering behind dark clouds that were swelled with Pacific surf. [the later years of the 2010’s, US fashion saw a great return to the trends of the 1980’s, but unlike other trends which centered on the re-appropriating of misremembered nostalgia, this fad was actually mostly sincere. Somehow, in North America at least, people had come back around to the styles of the very decade which had seen the rise of so many brave new technological advancements, which in turn inspired fashions that would be just as eye-catching as the possibilities of the day were exciting and dreadful. Indeed, the pages of Vogue were filled with images and styles that evoked everything from Dallas and Dynasty to Espirit brand sweaters and Keith Harring graphic tees.]
“So…” Ayumi started to speak just to trail off again. “Have you gotten anywhere trying to figure out what exactly Agassa is preparing for?” She seemed distracted as she stared off in the distance toward the sickly moonlit glow as she held a flute of vintage sherry to her lips.
“Whatever it is, it definitely has a lot to do with Crystal Corp and the imminent funding grants he’ll be receiving from Perseus Society”. Ryuki offered. They had both been wondering what exactly Agassa wasn’t telling them. He had been reasonably fourthright, but it still wasn’t entirely apparent to the two of them why they had been gathered the way they were a month prior– he was hiding something.
The next day, the gala for the Perseus Society was to go off without a hitch, after a month of planning on Agassa’s part. The ballroom of the Manse was soon filled wall-to-wall with elegant and upwardly mobile entrepreneurs, scientists, philanthropists, and self-appointed philosophers of wealth and champions of the market. Veritable Robin Hoods who used their positions of power on Wall Street or Corporate boards of Silicon Valley tech companies to bring back their wealth to people of staggering intellectual ability like Agassa who sought to wrest the fate of the planet away from those who would watch it burn uncaring.
Ryuki and Ayumi were not sure they had ever seen that much Dior in their lives, as they sauntered around somewhat sheepishly in perfectly tailored outfits, making nice, small talk with the various benefactors, CEOs and wealthy eccentrics who would be directly funding their research with Agassa. After a keynote address on networks of airborne Geodesic-dome shaped super-structures as the new “city of tomorrow,” Agassa delivered his speech which included topics such as the rising need for global accountability by super corporations, some thinly-veiled attacks on Crystal Corp’s recent policies and controversies, and a loosely sketched plan for his research and Perseus’s unified research efforts moving forward, to a standing ovation that Ryuki could tell was a massive relief to the stressed but happy-to-be-there Agassa.
Late that night, after the party, after making small talk with strangers for hours, and after a heart-to-heart between Ayumi and Ryuki by the pool again (they had been having these more frequently lately), Ryuki had collapsed into a deep slumber in the master on the third-floor when he was suddenly awoken by some unseen force in the middle of the night.
“Ryuki”~
“Who’s that?” Ryuki shot out, rubbing his eyes groggily.
“It’s me Ryuki, your friend”. Ryuki was shocked to see a glowing blue teddy-bear, standing upright and kind of peeking around the door to his room from the hallway.
“Adomu-chan? What are you doing here”. Ryuki was partly relieved to see he was just dreaming as he looked out on at the ethereal blue teddy-bear thing that was now climbing onto the foot of his bed.
“I need you to come with me Ryuki. Let’s play a game”. Suddenly the living teddy-bear from Ryuki’s childhood turned on a dime and ran out the room into the cavernous hallways of the third-floor.
“Hey wait up!” Ryuki said, scrambling out of his sheets in satin red pajamas, then running through the East hall towards the tower, past gothic ornamentation, medieval suits of armor, and a collection of paintings that included everything from Gaugin and Pizzaro, to Francis Bacon and Damien Hirst originals, as he scurried after the glowing teddy-bear that was sprinting through the house.
The bear ran up the tower stairs into the hallway that connected to Ayumi’s room, dashing into Ayumi’s door which hung ajar when Ryuki lost sight of him.
“What’s going on in here?!” Ryuki said, burting through the door into the luxurious master bedroom. The living toy was suddenly no where to be found, but on the bed, perched over Ayumi’s resting body, was a dark figure who appeared to be readying a strike from an armed right-hand, poised to slash the throat of his victim. Just as Ryuki burst in the room, the assailant turned and saw him, and in an instant, jolted off of the bed, slinking rapidly towards the large windows which opened onto a veranda, and dashed through the already-open door out into the crisp moonlit night. Ayumi suddenly woke up at a start, and beginning to realize what happened, ran towards the window. Ryuki and Ayumi both walked out onto the veranda and stared down at the crashing waves far below them where the foundation of the house met the near shore. It was high-tide so it almost appeared as though the beach had completely flooded, and the shore was engulfing the foundation of the Manse itself and they looked out through the dark windblown night, searching for an assailant who wasn’t there.
All that remained of the most strange incident was a single pastel blue rose that lay on the deep maroon carpet in front of the veranda door, laying in shards of moonlight that spilled into the room, appearing as though it had been frozen in some treating solution so that it was stiff and glassy, as though it had been crystallized.~
2. My Favorite Anime Films (Editorial)
It might be worth mentioning that there is a precise moment when a millennial realizes that anime is more than just Pokemon. Weather it be through Pokemon’s rivalry with Digimon or the appearance of other also-rans like Monster Rancher and later Yu-Gi-Oh, or the monolithic DBZ airing on Toonami, or y'know, Toonami in general, it is guaranteed to be a profound experience when anime first becomes an option and life-style for a youngster. The pastures of eclecticism to your child-like near-autistic mind expand outward in all directions, electrified seizure-enducing color palettes and all, containing within their emerald acres untold secrets and state-of-the-art studio-driven capital-A Art presented for your liking, to devour a la carte as it were. For a select many, here in the west, that first exposure may be a Miyazaki film. Behold, Baby Otaku’s first anime movie.
Hayao’s after all is one of the most pervasive oeuvres within the genre here in the West if not globally, and here in the US thanks to Fox and then later good ‘ol Disney, we too, and I do mean a great many of us, pray at the church of Totoro-chan and Cat Bus-kun and live and die for this man’s work, and that isn’t by accident. I don’t profess to necessarily have good taste in anime films necessarily, mostly due to my somewhat limited exposure, but I have seen enough to know how severely good anime can make even good Hollywood seem like a sad, palsied and pathetic joke. Or like also just western animation also sucks comparatively which may be a more reasonable comparison. So without further ado, let’s get into my top 5 Anime films. Granted I haven’t seen enough… most of the essential mainstream films all entry-levels see and many films connected to long-running shows or shonen but not that much beyond the works of a handful of auteur-level directors are the extent. I am eager for more recommendations and experience, but I must admit these 5 films leave me petty damn satisfied on their own.
1. Totoro-
I led right into this one for a reason. It for me is probably the precise moment I realized that Pokemon and Digimon weren’t the only things that had that specific, distinct style that seemed so haughtily removed from and superior to the gaudy animations of failed, broken western animators. And what better showcase for the style than a movie that focuses on and worships the Rustic. This film is a love-letter to all things bucolic, idyllic, sun-dappled and sylvan. The country, as it were, with all of its woodenness and unexplored reaches, is just asking to be documented by a genre such as this. If anime is the instinctual expression of child-like wonderment and verve, than the boundless outdoors are the ultimate locus with which to explore that unbridled joy which good anime is want to capture. If I sound artificially elevated it is only because it is a lofty task indeed to explain this films special place in so many people’s hearts without using words like “magic”. It is inescapable, because there is something harshly familiar about things as strange as a bus that is a cat, and a family of wood-dwelling genies. An infestation of soot spirits that don’t seem that badly put-out by having to abandon their old haunt because of a families’ emotionally buoyant spirit being just too unrelentingly positive for their dark constitutions to bare. Something about a satchel of magic seeds that grow into a towering forest during a single surreal night, only to re-appear as saplings the next day (was it all a dream?).
These things inspire one and are otherworldly, and yet they feel instantly familiar to the young viewer. Satsuke and May become the viewer, and the film becomes a time-capsule. It is escapist while also rooting itself in the common experience of actually growing up (a sick mother, a lost little sister, a spooky old house). This film captures something so fiercely singular and yet feels at the same time like the most universal, archetypal of children’s films of all time. To simply list a few of the indescribably pleasant aspects of this film: Wind blowing through tree branches and tall grass, fields. The sheen and polish of certain acorns. Sunlight flaring and playing on a gurgling brooke. An old plastic watering can with a hole in the side (a viewing device). Gleaming, fresh vegetable life. The soundtrack, which buzzes and brims with delight, and threatens to take center-stage more than any other Hishaishi OST in the way it is unstoppabley effervescent throughout its run-time, is prodigious. Hisaishi-sempai is wildly brilliant here, and the plinking xylophones and playful 80’s synthesizing fit so wonderfully within the universe of this film. And then there are the numerous central arrangements which are some of the most anthemic and touching of all his compositions to this day. There is an enormous amount that could be said about this film. Nothing would be too much. I could talk about the way it seems to yearn for an agrarian lifestyle that was rapidly disappearing from Japan and the rest of the modernized world by the 1980s, and how there might easily be pre-war longing in its portrayal. A mother sick with something undisclosed and surrealistic dream-trees that are lovely even as they seem to evoke blooming mushroom clouds may point to a very subtle undercurrent that one does not think to look for until they are older. Life becomes more complicated than tadpoles and imaginary creatures after all. And in this way we can tack the resonance of this film to something as intellectually rich as it  is emotional, if one were to want to. But unlike its contemporary Grave of the Fire Flies, this movie doesn’t dwell on the harder things. It just honors them respectfully, not turning away from them even as it relishes in showing the simple joys that are also abound, especially in a rustic wonderland like the Japanese countryside. All I can really say, at the end of a day, about the staggering achievement for the whole planet that is My Neighbor Totoro is thank you Mr. Hayao, from the bottom of my heart~
2. Pom Poko-
Whew okay that was hard to sustain. Good movie but like damn. I’m glad this is my second one because it gives me close to as many feels as Totoro without even all that much childhood nostalgia involved, directly that is, and yet also features raccoon balls out the wazoo, so it makes my job easier in a way. I didn’t see this until I was older, and there’s probably a reason. It’s a bit shame that many of the testicles of the sometimes-anthropomorphic Raccoons in this film are visible so often as a reference to an odd detail of long-standing traditional Japanese folklore  because otherwise it’d be a fabulous children’s film in the west. As it stand, I’m not sure what kind of disclaimer one would have to devise if they happened to be an otaku parent, finding themselves wanting to show this masterpiece to a tyke just as one might the rest of the Ghibli movies. But alas every rose has its thorns, and if you err on the side being a certain type of furry or like being open to that then hey maybe you’ll like this a lot, but beyond all the raccoon nuts in this one, its still an amazing film. Like it presents you with the nuts as a way of taunting you that it can still transcend the nuttiness of that quirk, and goes on for all of its run-time not failing to wow and delight at every turn.
Seriously, this movie is just a gem and its a bit hard to describe because it is part mockumentary on a new suburban development outside of Japan (actual), part allegory for suburban sprawl, environmental politics, and modernization, and part racoon nation-founding epic a la Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of Nihm meets ancient Greek city-founding narratives, all with a light but acutely satirical surrealist approach. And yet so much humanity in these racoons! Or tanuki, I should say– raccoon dogs that is. These are the beast that Mario disguised himself as at times for the power of flight, and yet they themselves are shape-shifters. Tricksters. Threatened by a rival group of Racoons and then much more seriously the new developments of Tama-Town, these Racoons turn to phantasmagorical displays of hallucinatory manifestation of their collective angst, in the form of tengu, ghosts and kaiju alike roaming the streets of a sleepy little new neighborhood on the outskirts of Tokyo. The effect of seeing the tanuki rendered in a realistic and naturalistic way, roaming their woods silently one minute and then the next minute watching a scene in which they are rendered in a more cartoonish, anthropomorphize way is quite a unique gesture, and along with the narration that happens a lot early on, cuing-in the viewer to the film’s own strange and satirical nature, make this film unique even beyond balls. And then despite all this technical, thematic and conceptual wizardry it somehow still manages to make you feel something– and for odd little raccoon people at that. It’s all a very interesting and moving experience, bolstered most by a beautiful color palette, and animations that are intensely well-rendered. Raccoons and humans alike all have a great amount of expressiveness in their movement, and the sheer quality of the animation, along with a playful but moving script is what makes every second of this film work so well, expanding nut-sack parachutes and all. 3. Paprika-
If the scenes where the raccoons are haunting Tama-town are some of the most fun and imaginative moments in that film, then this movie– one which is about dreams much more than Pom Poko is about ghosts– outpaces even the brilliance of those scenes by a long-shot by featuring some of the most inhumanly colorful and creative visuals I’ve ever scene. Satoshi Kon’s style, and overall art direction is absolutely stunning, with everything from characters’ expressions to their movements to the warm intensity of the colors to the dream sequences themselves all displaying superb craft. While Pom Poko is fun and light while still making me feel something, this movie is largely all about the visuals, the concepts and the soundtrack. Hirasawa’s OST is punchy, energetic, and slightly batty in just the right way. Its one of the most unique I’ve ever heard, featuring lush electronic arrangements alongside strange, almost traditional-sounding vocal performances that help accent the poppy, bright and kind of bonkers feeling of this movie. And yet the script itself is somewhat reserved and restrained right up until the dream-detective enters into the boundless dream-worlds of various characters. The movie remains grounded on a basic level, while at its wildest it seems as unhinged as the strangest of dreams. This movie works very well as a gestalt– from the moments the OP-sequence plays I am strapped in and ready for the audio-visual splendour that then unfolds. All of Satoshi Kon’s work is inspiring and singularly excellent, but this one just might be my favorite.
3. Another Green World (fiction, short-story)
“And how was Professor McLuhan’s lecture today, Ovidius?” Beatrice asked, as she walked with the young child down the township’s sparkling side-walk, across the intersection from the Academy and on along the lane to Delfino Café in the breezy mid-afternoon weather. Beatrice was practically the archetypical image of a care-giver, for she exuded a nurturing aura, always smiling calmly as she addressed her young charge; today she wore a wide-brimmed sun-hat that flapped just slightly as a cool breeze wavered through the cobbled courtyard outside of Ovidius’ day-school. The leaves would be changing soon, but for now everything outside was the bright greens of palm tree fronds and cool blue vistas of the horizon.
“The lecture was fascinating! Media theory is more complex than I ever would have guessed,” Ovidius beams. He is wearing a hat with a little helicopter propeller on it; he has dark hair and sea-foam green skin (his choice).
“I’m so glad you liked it! I think you’ll like Dr. Einstein’s lesson just as well. You know, him and Agassa get along just famously with Dr. McLuhan.” Beatrice said warmly.
“Oh I just can’t wait; our lesson with Dr. Einstein last week was simply superb!” the precocious artificial youth replied, “I’m sure we’ll have another great time!”
And they did. Ovidius had long been friends with Albert Einstein, but today hisgenerous mentor was bringing along his new friend Ada Lovelace for a picnic on the beach, and of course she was absolutely delighted by the inquisitive young scholar, for Ovidius was living proof against her initial conception of the Analytical Machine, or at least, they had all hoped he would be one day, and she was pleased to oblige them, tossing a beach ball around with Albert and the child as Beatrice relaxed on a beach-towel nearby, resting her eyes behind a pair of  Foster-Grants as the mid-day sun became slightly obscured by big puffy cumuli, which reminded Ovidius of the gelato they had been enjoying moments before. They would play for now, but Ovidius knew that somehow the surprisingly-athletic-for-his-age scientist would tie this game with the beach-ball in with his lesson on Relativity somehow. For now Ovidius was enjoying the refreshing surf of the shore on his bare feet, still reflecting on Dr. McLuhan’s excellent lecture on Global Villages and thoroughly enjoying the company of the lively and brilliant scientists, as Madame Lovelace prepared a kite that they were to fly on the gentle sea breeze– it was shaping up to be another fantastic day inside of a sparkling Artificial World.
When Ovidius and Beatrice finally return to their bungalow for the day, after parting ways with the brilliant mathematicians (who surely had their own private plans for the rest of the evening), Pablo and Salvador will come over for Arts-and-Crafts while Beatrice cooks fish mousselines. The rambunctious painters always have an infectious energy when they come over, and usually in the middle of collaging with Ovidius or discussing German Expressionism in easily-graspable terms over Scrabble, they would be known to break into a game of surrealist cops-and-robbers with the child, who could still appreciate that sort of thing (though the young prodigy would surely be growing out of it soon). Next week, they were sure to tell Ovidius that their friend Frida would be joining them to teach Ovid the art of self-portraiture.
Soon the surrealists are on their way though and Ovidius will have his late-night Language lesson with Beatrice before she tucks you in for the night (Latin this week, Greek next week, JavaScript the next, etc.). Beatrice reminds Ovidius that Mr. Tesla will be visiting tomorrow after a guest-lecture from a certain Mr. Foucault at the Academy, and then she tucks him in for the night. Ovidius dozes off to strains of Mahler still playing on the gramophone in the den, and somewhere far, far away, beyond the digital look-glass, Dr. Agassa and his research assistants were examining a bevvy of diagnostic read-outs and progress reports, and an overall system-review, as Ovidius turned off his mind, so to speak, for the night, under the loving watch of Dr. Agassa’s crack-team, who had mapped-out, guided and molded every moment of Ovidius’ life heretofore, ever since they created it a couple months ago. Of course, they conformed some of their choices with expectations and preferences that Ovidius himself had so quickly developed in the short time he had existed, but at the end of the day, his life and experience was ultimately their vision, or more specifically, Dr. Agassa’s.
Beatrice had explained to Ovidius already that he was indeed the creation of a group of scientists, and that, yes, he was “artificial” in a sense, compared to the other intelligence that populated this world, but that he shouldn’t see this as any real difference between him and other people, and she herself, just like him, was in fact artificial. The young lad was kept very busy day-to-day with the artificial approximation of our planet’s recent visionaries’, of any given medium or field, and the ever-present aid of his care-taker Beatrice. He had friends, but he learned quickly that, they too were artificial, like him. Unlike him though, they would never grow and develop like he did. And unlike him, they would never receive their own Body.
That night, an artificial sun would set on a similarly immaculate, and artificial, township, between a large slopping green hill and a yellow-sanded sea shore that was modeled on those of the Grecian isles which they discovered were featured prominently in Ovidius’ dreams after he first began absorbing images of the World. And tomorrow, after toast and jam, Beatrice would ferry the young scholar to class at the Academy, where he and his friends enjoyed the lectures of some of the world’s leading scholars and scientists, hand-picked by Agassa and his staff to impart the highest quality education possible on the lad. Many of their choices were intentionally as obvious as possible for they figured that by allowing the child to interact with the intellect of the most well-known thinkers of the 20th century, he would be better grounded in the reality that existed just outside of his virtual snow-globe. To wit, Freud and Jung were in charge of the Psychology department, Joseph Campbell led an elective class on Fiction and Mythology, Euler was put in charge of the Mathematics department with the help of none other than Einstein and Newton themselves, who were guest-lecturers (outside of Albert’s private sessions with the child on Wednesdays) while Turing led Computing Sciences and Sacks handled the Neurology dept.
Ovidius couldn’t have quite known then, but could have probably figured, that the research that culminated in his existence and development would in turn lead to major technological advancements in various fields, including everything from the Geo-forming of extraterrestrial bodies by AI-controlled vessels, the creating of safer self-driving cars and even the creation of fully prosthetic bodies. He did understand though the sheer gravity of his existence, and after his lessons everyday, at some point before bed, he’d look out into the yard behind his house, made to resemble an average suburban yard, with its own charm and it’s sacred promise of limitation and impermeable boundaries, and his mind would wander out above the green, wooden shed and the iron lattices agains the fence, and the Oak tree whos branches hung low over the 20-acre plot, towards the invisible reaches of his world, and he’d look out beyond his own world, towards the World which he spent everyday studying and learning from, which had created him, and which had promised to allow him physical access to, one day, when the prosthetic was finished.
4 Years Later
Ovidius grips the steering wheel, and eases down on the pedal, rounding the impressively sized canyon as he shot along interstate-40, preferring for the moment to drive himself, despite the self-driving feature that came standard, he sped along in the black Arizona night, hurdling towards his destination as though he were being spirited there against his will. He keeps replaying the voice-mail from Ayumi over and over. Dead? How could he be? The coroner’s report deemed the death accidental suicide but Ovidius knew not to believe that for a second. When they found Dr. Agassa collapsed in his room the day after the gala, Ovidius was able to surmise a lot of things, but the fact that he had been partly prepared for this for so long didn’t help to soften the blow much. One red-eye flight later, a teary open-wake, and a reunion with the only human friend he’s ever had and the 4 year old artificially-intelligent humanoid is now hurdling towards something that even he himself didn’t entirely understand. He's heading to a seedy motel-8 in the middle of no where somewhere outside of Havasu Canyon and mentally prepare himself for what he is about to do. When the bright, blaring morning light streams through the motel blinds, he will understand that his journey beckons.
Go back
He kept hearing those words over and over. And as he looked out on the vacuous mesa of canyon and dessert, he knew that he mustn’t hesitate. He has to go to the place where Earth’s magnetic-field had been disrupted, and joined, on a sub-atomic level with the very infrastructure of the digital world– like a seam in the universe, where the exterior met the interior; behold the earth’s existential navel.  For Ovidius has come here to return to the very Net which had given birth to him.~
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