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tlbodine · 2 years

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I was wondering how I am able to write a quick, but horrific death for a short story. Everytime I try, I accidentally end up dragging it.

Hi nonny! Great question!

So here's the trick with sudden, shocking events in storytelling (but especially in writing): The thing that makes it shocking is that it happens quickly, and the way to make it happen quickly is to spend not-very-many words on it.

The more detail you pour onto something, the more description you use, the more diluted the emotional impact will be.

But you don't want it to happen *so* quickly that the reader skims right past it without noticing. And you don't want the moment to fall flat in a "rocks fall, everyone dies" way.

So what do you do?

1 - You build up the suspense leading up to the moment.

2 - You choose really tight, evocative writing for the impactful scene.

3 - You let it rest for a beat, with line breaks, before characters start to react.

One way to build up the suspense is what we might call the "Final Destination" technique -- allow your description to linger over small, threatening details, building up foreshadowing before the event. Something like:

The barn door swung forward with a screech on its rusted hinges, and she crept forward, the lantern flame throwing flickering light over the walls. She could barely hear over the sound of her own breath and the way the wind moaned through the eaves. The lantern cast a sheen over something metallic, the sparkle catching her eye, and she turned her attention toward it, not hearing the footsteps behind her, then --

-- searing pain, a terrible pressure in her chest.

She looked down, uncomprehending, at the three bloodied points poking through the front of her sweater. Then then were gone, sliding out of her back just as easily as they'd gone in, and she tried to take in a breath but it felt like an iron band was tightening around her.

Blood bubbled up into her mouth, spilled between her teeth, and she slumped to her knees.

By spending a little bit of time building up sensory details in advance, you have your reader keyed in to be paying attention for what's going to happen next. Then, when the violence happens, zero in on a key specific detail or sensation rather than trying to describe the whole scene. Here I focus on the specific detail of her lungs puncturing and collapsing after being stabbed with a pitchfork. No other details are necessary -- not how the barn looks, not what she looks like or is thinking about or even where the killer is. For the moment, 100% of my attention is on the death. That's how you keep it tight and move along.

In Stephen King's Pet Sematary, the scene where Gage dies actually is not written directly in the book, the way it appears in the film. Instead, the story spends quite a few pages detailing out a fun father-son bonding scene. There's a chapter break, and the next chapter starts in with the funeral. That itself is already shocking! But we linger at the funeral and the emotions of that event for several more pages before we finally get a description of the death itself:

...one minute he was there on the road and the next minute he was lying in it, but way down by the Ringers' house. It hit him and killed him and then it dragged him and you better believe it was quick. A hundred yards or more all told, the length of a football field, I ran after him, Missy, I was screaming his name over and over again, almost as if I expected he would still be alive, me, a doctor. I ran ten yards and there was his baseball cap and I ran twenty yards and there was one of his Star Wars sneakers, I ran forty yards and by then the truck had run off the road and the box had jackknifed in that field beyond the Ringers' barn. People were coming out of their houses and I went on screaming his name, Missy, and at the fifty-yard line there was his jumper, it was turned inside-out, and on the seventy-yard line there was the other sneaker, and then there was Gage.

I think this is SO wonderfully effective for multiple reasons:

1 - It focuses entirely on the mood and experience of Louis, whose perspective we're in right here. He is a father absolutely beside himself with grief and trauma, and the form follows that. The long run-on sentences are breathless and rambling and sound like someone who's come a little bit unhinged as he starts explaining. You can really feel his pain in this.

2 - The juxtaposition of a football field is such a mundane but effective detail. Not only does it provide effective information (we know exactly how far this is), but the mismatch of the mundane and the horrible beside each other drives it home.

3 - We don't actually need to see the body to comprehend the sheer violence and horror of this death. We don't need to see blood on the highway. Focusing on the details of his clothing items scattered at such a distance does a great job of portraying the speed and violence of the collision, and it's unsettling. It paints a mental picture of a dismemberment without ever saying as much outright. And the idea of being hit and dragged with enough force to turn a jumper inside out and leave it behind on the road is absolutely horrific.

So there's a few techniques to try playing with. If you're interested, I have a couple of guides that might provide more ideas:

Description Writing guide: https://tlbodine.gumroad.com/l/pulqq

Suspense Writing guide: https://tlbodine.gumroad.com/l/uyevh

Thanks for the ask, and happy writing!

#writing advice #how to write horror #horror writing #horror writers of tumblr #asks #Thank you nonny #I hope this helps!

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carnal-lnstinct · 1 year

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Trivia Tuesday

Creators: give a “behind the scenes” look at one of your works. This could be things that got removed or changed, the origins of ideas/details, whatever you like!

I'm back in my "demons are the sex" phase so get some demon-related fics trivia

I never envisioned Raditz dying in this. He's too powerful to completely drain. The succubus trying to get every last bit just leaves him weakened and her full and sluggish from him. But she 100% is now addicted to him and more powerful for it.

So now she just keeps up the facade of working at Capsule Corp leading everyone to believe they're actually dating and no one believes Raditz when he says otherwise or how she tried to kill him. He gets teased for being shy about it their "dating". He also can't break her spell on him so he's bound to her until she's strong enough to completely steal his life energy, but then he keeps getting zenkai boosts from almost dying. A vicious cycle of torment for poor Raditz but maybe he'll surpass Goku and Vegeta from it so at the cost of his willpower and being babygirled, a win is a win. maybe demon ki can't be sensed in the same way only gods/kais can sense god ki so no one can tell how strong she is

The candles may go out but the demons will linger until they are forced out of the realm. They're just entirely incorporeal and cannot be seen/heard in daylight by humans. They're more physical in darkness and overall easier to see by candlelight, otherwise they look like tall spooky pac-man ghosts. It reminds me of that really eerie movie trope where the lights flick on and off and the shadow at the end of the hall is there when the lights are off but is not there when the lights are on kinda vibe. For extra spooky they can still make heavy footsteps and thumps. Yet Gogeta and Vegito are probably more like annoying cats when they slide things off the counter, open doors, or jingle noisy things for attention.

I think what I want to do with the demon au is continue the homeowner's story to show her learning the rules of demons, but also in between write "filler one-shots" for other demons and how they are involved with their Namekeepers. Especially to show the difference in experience between someone who may know how to handle them vs someone who does not and learns the hard way, and show how different each demon is. But it's all up in the air for now. Lots of other wips to get through first ♥ Might just continue using this au to help get through any writer's block instead as my own little indulgence.

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firebrandhero · 5 years

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whew that's quite the revival, we're in this boat together

☆ - “I’d say! Hoho, luckily, rising back up at this point-a should be a specialty!” Mario merrily adds in on the matter. He’s unsure whether he should be proud from the never ending list of pulverizing he managed to claw himself above again and once more. None the less the fighting spirit bolstered through the years decides to keep that good feeling as a fond smile is offered to Rosalina. The idea of them having their hands full was unconsciously causing him to crack his knuckles in preparation, a set gaze focused on the scenery beyond as he stands by her side.

“So! I say we should get-a things back in motion the way we do best! Let’sa go!”

#ubiquitousobserver #| Mail call #-Slides you a 100 1-Ups behind the scenes.-#ubiquitous-observer

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sabrinaacarpenters · 2 years

Photo

I’ve gotten a few questions on how I made this gifset, and I figured I would show you, since it’s really not that complicated if you choose the right scenes for it.

This tutorial includes 3 versions of color isolation for gifs and assumes you have basic knowledge of Photoshop and gifmaking.

VERSION I

This is by far the easiest method, but it only works on scenes that have a very different background color than the object you want to stay colorful. Green and blue backgrounds work best if you’re creating a set with bw blackground + people in color. Try to stay away from scenes that have a lot of red tones in the background, as this method will not work.

This the gif we’ll be starting out with, I already used my basic brightening settings on it using Curves and Brightness/Contrast.

Create a Hue/Saturation (ctrl + u) adjustment layer on your gif in timeline.

In the drop-down menu where it says master by default you are going to pick each color that’s not the color you want to stay (in my case it’s red) and lower the saturation to -100. (I used the yellows on the picture below as an example, but I set it to -100 on greens, cyans, blues and magentas as well)

Your gif should look like this now:

You can see that besides from the girls’ red cape everything is black white, however, the red is looking washed out and not as bright as it should, so in that same Hue/Saturation layer pick Reds and slide the Saturation to the right until the remaining color in your gif is vibrant enough.

And you basically have your finished gif right here! Of course, you can make more adjustments with a Selective Color layer, but this is the gist of color isolation on a gif.

Now as I said, this method only works with scenes that have a big contrast between the background and your object; but if you’re like me and are determined to make your own life harder, you will want to include scenes in your set that cannot be colored with this method.

VERSION II

This method is for scenes that won’t work with the first version, and have very little to no movement.

This is my starting out gif; once again I have already did the basic coloring of it, but as you can see the wall behind Kate is very similar to her skin color.

Using the version 1 method gets you this; not much has changed because of the majority red tones the background has, but if you were to set Reds to -100 too, Kate’s skin would become bw too. (i left cyans on 0 instead of -100 to preserve her dress’s color.)

As this obviously doesn’t work, we aren’t even going to create a Hue/Saturation layer at this stage. Instead, you want to make a Black & White adjustment layer (alt + shift + ctrl +b)

Now you have a fully black & white gif. Selecting the layer mask of the Black & White layer, you’re going to start painting over Kate with the Brush tool (B). I have my brush set to 0% hardness and 100% opacity.

This is how your gif should look now:

As you can see it’s almost perfect, but on the left side of her head you can see the wall’s color in some frames. To correct this, you’re going back to that same layer mask but set the brush to 60% opacity and have your brush set to color white (the percentage is up for preference really, I set mine between 50%-80% depending on the colors)

And we’re done with the color isolation on this gif! To finish it off I used a Hue/Saturation layer and set Reds and Cyans to +10 to make her stand out more then put a Selective Color layer so her skin isn’t orange washed and changed her dress to a deeper blue.

VERSION III

Our starting gif for this version has a few ladies in red in the background, multiple people that I don’t want in color, and it also has a lot of movement. (we are going to work on everything being bw except for Kate)

You are going to repeat the same steps as you did in VERSION I, in the Hue/Saturation layer I set the Yellows, Greens and Cyans to -100. This is how your gif should look now:

Now you are going to repeat the steps of VERSION II. Make sure you are at the starting point of your gif in the timeline window, and paint over Kate in the Black & White layer mask. You don’t have to be as precise here, I actually like to go around my object with my brush set to 50% opacity, just so we won’t have black spots as we move the mask later. [You may think, what was the point of the previous step, if we are going to have a black and white layer anyways? And you’re right, it’s not absolutely necessary, however, it helps that you don’t have to be as careful painting over Kate, as the grass around her is already bw.]

As you can see, the layer mask only works in the very first frame, then half her body becomes black and white as she is no longer in the range of the mask.

To correct this, we are going to be using the timeline’s keyframes feature. On the Black & White layer in the timeline window, click on the down pointing arrow on the left. What’s important to us here is the Layer Mask Position option.

You are going to start slowly sliding that red line that allows you to see your gif move (but not play it) and when you see that Kate is out of the range of the layer mask you are going to click on that little clock symbol of the Layer Mask Position option

Using the Move tool (V) and the left and right arrows on your keyboard, you are going to nudge the layer mask to follow Kate’s body and repeat this step as many times as you need. This is how my timeline ended up looking:

and here’s the finished gif:

As you can see, some pink is still visible around her dress, but it’s very muted. If that small bleed through bothers you, you can always use the little scissor icon in the timeline, split the black & white layer every time there’s movement and adjust the layer mask on every single layer - but that’s very tedious and time-consuming, so I’d rather recommend choosing scenes with little to no movement and a contrasting background so you can get away with using version I or II.

As an example here’s a screenshot of the timeline of a set where I couldn’t use keyframes; I had 34 copies of the bw layer, and it still had spots where the background wasn’t perfect. So be kind to yourself (unlike me) and just choose easier scenes :D

I hope this was clear and I could help, if you have any questions left don’t hesitate to send an ask or message me <3

Please like/reblog if you found this useful, and happy gifmaking!

[support me on ko-fi?]

#allresources #completeresources #usergif #coloring tutorial #gif tutorial #ps tutorials #color isolation tutorial #mytutorials #chaoticresources

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lovecanyon · 2 years

Text

73 questions with y/n l/n

y/n and harry’s california’s home

dad!harry x reader

MASTERLIST

didn’t actually do the full 73 questions but you get the point

“Y/N L/N is right there. I’m trying not to freak out.” The camera man mumbles from behind the camera watching the woman walk past the windows.

Vogue had waited years for Y/N to do videos and photoshoots with them. When finally she agreed the office went insane creating questions for the woman.

A few days later the magazine company got an angry email from no other than Harry Styles threatening to sue if they asked any questions that made Y/N uncomfortable which was very comedic because he was on last year’s December cover.

They had the power ask anything, literally anything and he wasn't taking any chances.

The interview would be located at her and Harry’s Topanga home. None of their houses had been showed to the public ever so when the magazine got the chance to record inside they immediately accepted.

When the crew saw the driveway and big wooden gate they knew the house was very prosperous.

“Y/N!” Joe cheers as she opens the glass doors to her house. She looked stunning wearing a white knit dress — and white Gucci sandals —.

“Hello!” She smiles walking backwards so he could walk in. Joe almost get out a gasp at the sight.

“Hope your ready for the 73 questions interview.”

The house was surrounded with windows which showcased the large pool. plants were built in the house which was very beautiful. A few photographs were hung on the white walls but were blurred out because they revealed Beau’s identity.

“On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you about life right now?” He questions following Y/N down the corridor with the crew right behind him.

“Probably 100.” She says turning around walking backwards.

“Amazing. What are three things you can’t live without?”

“Probably my boyfriend, my child and netflix.” She smiles stopping in the living room that had a breathtaking view — —. There was a few baby toys neatly laid on the coffee table along with stacks of books that belonged to Harry and her.

“Understandable. Vintage or new?”

“Definitely vintage.” She responds glancing out the window.

“What’s your current tv obsession?”

“The crown.” Y/N answers starting to make her way out of the living room and into the dining room.

“Amazing. If you could do a love scene with anyone, who would it be?”

“Probably my boyfriend Harry.” She laughs leaning against the glass table.

“Style icon?”

“Definitely Twiggy.” She nods arising from her slouched position.

“I definitely agree. Best advice you’d give your teenage self?”

“Don’t be so serious.” Y/N walks into a kitchen followed by the crew. The fridge was decorated with polaroid’s, stickers and colorful magnets. Most fridges that were decorated looked tacky but this one actually looked neat.

“Must have clothing item everyone should have?”

“Flare jeans.” She says jumping up to sit on the marble counter.

“Pilates or yoga?”

“Uh…both” She furrows her brows thinking.

“Best answer. What’s your wakeup ritual?”

“Getting woken up by a crying baby and trying to drink as much water as possible.” She reply’s swinging her legs back and fourth.

“What’s your go to bed ritual?”

“Reading to Beau and Harry.” She informs him as she jumps down from the counter.

“Adorable. A book that everyone should read?”

“Definitely before the coffee gets cold.” Y/N tells him as she makes her way out of the kitchen and into another lounge room.

“Best gift you’ve ever received?”

“Beau.” She smiles turning around.

“Best gift you’ve ever give?”

“Beau.” She repeats laughing making Joe and the crew giggle behind the camera.

“Diamonds or pearls?”

“Depends on the day i’m having.” She answers making her way to the sliding glass door.

“Coffee or tea?”

“Tea.” Y/N says opening the glass door before walking out to a path —.

“What’s one thing people don’t know about you?”

“I hate candy.” She tells him as she walks down the pathway, her heels clicking on the concrete.

“Unreal. Favorite piece of clothing you own?”

“A dress that stevie nicks gifted me.” She smiles at his reaction.

“That’s so cool. What’s inspiring you in life right now?”

“Definitely my family.” She immediately responds making him hum in agreement.

“Your go to for having a good laugh?”

“Probably watching vines on youtube.”

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actualbird · 3 years

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Oh god!

I really love the poly headcanons they are so sweet.... (or don't but that's part of it and i think the tot boys+MC deserve all the love the world has to give).

But, liking it or not, our 4 beloved boys are kinda complicated (that's what makes them perfect). Plus I never thought about how people get in poly relationships. So i was thinking, how do you think they all get into a polyrelationship together?

(I really have no idea of how that would happen)

hi, two anons!! im glad you guys liked my nxx team polycule stuff!! i'll answer these in one go, my "headcanon" (in quotes because i think this kinda turned into a character analysis/minific of sorts HAHA) being what first anon asked, How They Get Together.

heads up, wc of this is 1.9k words long so buckle up for a bit of a read jfsjdfkjbf

because first anon, youre right!!! the boys are stupendously complicated which i love so so much but canon has also shown us clearly that each of the boys' quirks and habits and tendencies causes a lot of (mostly played for laughs) friction. the bickering, the backhanded insults, the "im the best one here" preening contests. theyre all SOOOO RIDICULOUS and it is hilarious but yep! the boys r complex!! and that means this beautiful ship, imo, has a lot of phases to get to the actual romantic relationship bit.

how they get together, in my opinion, starts because of mc.

not in the sense that she matchmakes them all, but like.

phase 1 of the nxx team polycule is this:

through being in love with her (which we all know the boys 100% are), each of the boys come to terms with their own flaws and weaknesses. it's very apparent to me in all the story thus far that these boys are flawed as hell, it's very compelling but even more compelling to me is how all of them also do intense mental gymnastics to Not Confront Those Flaws. like, marius is a dickbag always teasing and toeing the line of insincerity, vyn is a controlling mf who always tries to sway situations to his benefit, artem is so repressed to the point that he has genuine trouble with emotions, luke is a self sacrificial bastard and also a huge hypocrite about how no, actually, hes the only one that should be hiding his pain and being dishonest, no dishonesty from other people!! in the beginning of the story, all the boys have their flaws and seem to have just kinda...not addressed how those flaws are harming them and the people around them.

and then mc rolls around and they all fall in love with her. and she sees those flaws and she doesnt let them slide. she challenges the boys in her own ways to see another side of the situation, to acknowledge what theyre doing. she doesnt want to get rid of flaws, thats impossible and also not cool. she just has this beautiful hope for like, all of humanity, that goodness can prevail with the right work. so when she sees her beloved nxx boys, she believes that for them as well.

which leads to phase 2 of the nxx team polycule:

the boys, more aware of themselves, become more aware of each other.

they werent Unaware of the others of course. it's just that they didnt like...truly connect on a personal level just yet. they saw the other teammembers with their emotional armor and flaws and saw a wall that wasnt worth looking past.

but after mc makes them realize that hey, flaws arent the end of the world actually, it's alright and the person behind them may just be worth it, the boys like. end up understanding the others. A LOT OF THIS BIT IS UNINTENTIONAL, ON THEIR PARTS KJDSBFS. like they stumble into understanding each other by accident, they didnt plan it, but over the course of nxx investigations, it's inevitable that they end up seeing the depths of the others. i delve into this a little bit in my fanfic "filler eps of the lost gold" where the boys are just going thru their actions and then trip over another boy's fears or desires and through that, gain a deeper understanding mutually.

and with understanding, sometimes, comes trust.

phase 3 of the nxx team polycule goes like this:

everybody in this team, whether they like it or not, whether they know it or not, has a heart that wants to give love so desperately.

marius lives in a world full of snakes so he cant have his heart on his sleeve for his own protection. vyn wants to be seen as perfect and the heart is inherently messy so he holds it back. artem for a very very long time was focused on work and success and achievement that he neglected his heart. and luke has been giving love all his life in a sense but in a way thats hidden.

all these tendencies that are brought upon their life circumstances results in this: they want to love honestly but they havent been able to do this

until mc. and all of them want to push back whatever fears or patterns their life has instilled in them because they see her and see somebody so unwaveringly good that all their hearts begin giving love to her to make her happy and to make themselves happy as well.

but heres the thing. the boys dont just see mc. by this point, they have connected and understood and come to trust each other as well, and the consequence of that is that They Can See Each Other Now Too, Truly.

and heres the thing. all of the boys are unwaveringly good as well.

one by one, each of the boys realize that what they feel for the other boys in the team starts to...change. yeah theyre all friends, they pick on each other a lot of the time, but the bedrock of the relationship is solid and strong now. but when marius is with luke, marius sees a light inside of luke so bright that he seems unaware that he gives off. when artem is with vyn, artem sees a goodness inside of vyn that hesitates to make itself obvious and known because vyn is scared of getting hurt thanks to it. all of them see the other and their goodness and, unbidden, their hearts want to give love to each other as well.

and because theyre all a bit stupid in their own way theyre like, huh, weird! wonder why this feeling is so familiar! and yet i cant seem to name it...and then they all independently compare these feeling with the feelings they have for mc, a feeling they do know the name of, and theyre like.

WAIT.

THESE FEELINGS ARE...VERY BASICALLY EXACTLY WHAT I FEEL FOR MC.

which only means one thing: theyve fallen in love with everybody else

marius: //goes to his studio to Think and sees that a bunch of his recent art actually had little crumbs of these feelings already, etched into the brushstrokes and scenes. has an emotional crisis about it

vyn: //records a 1 hour long entry in his audio diary to examine and gain control of his feelings but by the end of the hour all he knows is that he wants to hold these people and be held by them

artem: //quite literally just bluescreens, artem.exe has stopped working, sits at his study and slowly, slowly, thunks his head down onto his desk, valiantly trying to ignore the fast pulse of his heart

luke: //manically vents about it to peanut who, by virtue of being a bird, doesnt get it. just keeps talking at peanut to get a grasp of it all and then lies down on the floor, overwhelmed

mc, sitting in her apartment watching some netflix: ...why do i inexplicably feel as if something very, very important has just happened?

phase 4 of the nxx team polycule is basically:

pining: extreme difficulty level

because pining is already hard when ur pining for one person. what more for an additional 3 more people. and those additional 3 more people are pining back.

and all these boys are SOOOO OBVIOUS with their romantic feelings, in their own special way. the way they show their affection to mc starts to bleed into their interactions with the others and everybody can CLEARLY SEE WHAT IS GOING ON, LOL, but also all the boys are too chickenshit to confront it, because if they confront it, what will even happen??? being in love with each other, all of them, thats going to be such a complicated fucking relationship, holy shit. it's 2030, yeah, being a polyamorous group relationship isnt completely unheard of, but sue them, theyre scared.

but mc (who i forgot to mention already knows of the boys' romantic feelings for her, shes just hasnt made a move yet on any of them because SHES IN LOVE WITH ALL OF THEM AS WELL and shes been trying to figure out how the hell to make that work, she cant bear to choose just one of them, she'd be heartbroken over leaving the rest of them behind) sees that the nxx investigation team is now all pining for each other FULLY and she kinda wants to laugh when she realizes whats going on because like, what are the chances? that this would happen? that they all found each other and their feelings fell into just the right place for nobody to be left behind?

theyre all scared, she can tell. and she is as well, she wont lie.

but shes always had a belief that goodness can prevail with the right work.

and love is one of the greatest goods out there.

phase 5 of the nxx team polycule:

It's Time For Communication, Baby!!!!!

the exact scenes of how this happens is a bit vague to me. it could go two ways: mc going to each of the boys independently to talk about feelings, hers about everybodys and his about everybodys as well. OR they have a fucking meeting about it all together and artem literally schedules it in his google calendar, or something.

either way, they like, actually talk about this. starts casual, maybe over a chill date, maybe over dinner at a nice restaurant, maybe over a walk in the park as the sun is starting to set. but where ever it happens, the end result is the same: a heart is laid out bare and it is taken in gentle, grateful hands.

marius: OKAY, NOW THAT THE FEELINGS ARE OUT OF THE WAY, CAN I PLEASE KISS ONE OR ALL OF YOU, PLEASE, IVE BEEN WANTING TO KISS U GUYS FOR FOREVER

vyn, laughing fondly: has anybody ever told you patience is a virtue? we quite literally just talked it all out.

marius: //needy whining noises

artem, embarrassed: ive...never kissed anybody before

luke, embarrassed but trying to play it Cool: ....same here

mc: kissing is great, you two will love it!

marius: awesome, awesome, so is ANYBODY going to give me a go ahead or WHAT????

phase 6 of the nxx team polycule:

i dont want to say it's happily ever after, once they all get together. thats not really realistic.

they all have their quirks and tendencies and habits. and those will inevitable clash against each other. theyll have their arguments, theyll get upset, theyll sulk and be angry, sometimes. but also...

theyll see each other smile and feel like their love shining so brightly. theyll reach out for another's hand and be held in such a way that makes them think that their heart is in a safe place. theyll love each other and theyll put in the work to continue loving each other. because goodness will prevail.

and they all see each other as the most good people in the world.

so whatever happens, theyll get through it together.

#tears of themis #vyn richter #marius von hagen #tears of themis rosa #artem wing

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firelxdykatara · 3 years

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I’m just really confused as to where this idea that Zuko is gaycoded came from. Like people are allowed to have that headcanon but I don’t understand where people are coming from when they try and claim that he was undisputedly gaycoded and trying to deny it is homophobic when he’s only ever shown romantic interest in women.

I made a pretty long post on the topic a while back, but the ultimate gist of it is this: there are a lot of elements of Zuko's status as an abuse victim and trauma survivor that resonate with queer folks. This is understandable and completely fine! However, there are some parts of the fandom who have taken that to the other extreme and will now insist that those elements are uniquely queer, and that they can only be read as some sort of veiled gay/coming out narrative, even though that doesn't make much sense since there is no part of Zuko's narrative which is unique to any sort of queer experience.

I think the problem really does stem from two things being conflated--Zuko's history of abuse and trauma, and trauma&abuse being something a lot of queer people have experienced. I suspect it goes something like 'I see a lot of myself in Zuko, and I was abused for being gay, therefore Zuko must be gay too in order to have had similar experiences.' This can then lead to feeling dismissed or invalidated when other people point out that those experiences are not unique to being queer--but on the flip side, abuse victims and trauma survivors whose abuse&trauma do not stem from queerness (even if they are queer themselves) can feel invalidated and dismissed by the implication that their trauma must be connected to their queerness or it isn't valid.

This is also where the 'people don't actually know what gay coded means' part comes in, and I realize now that I didn't actually get into what gay coding (and queer coding in general) actually means, since I was so hung up on pointing out how Zuko doesn't really fit the mold. (And the few elements that exist which could be said to count are because of the 'villains historically get queer coded bc Hays Code era' thing and mostly occur in Book 1, not because of how he acts as an abuse&trauma survivor.)

Under a cut because I kind of go on a tangent about gay/queer coding, but I swear I get back to the point eventually.

Queer coding (and it is notable that, with respect to Zuko, it is almost always framed as 'he couldn't possibly be attracted to girls', rather than 'he could be attracted to boys as well as girls' in these discussions, for... no real discernible reason, but I'll get into that in a bit) is the practice of giving characters 'stereotypically queer' traits and characteristics to 'slide them under the radar' in an era where having explicitly queer characters on screen was not allowed, unless they were evil or otherwise narratively punished for their queerness. (See: the extant history of villains being queer-coded, because if they were Evil then it was ok to make them 'look gay', since the story wasn't going to be rewarding their queerness and making audiences think it was in any way OK.) This is thanks to the Motion Picture Production Code (colloquially and more popularly known as the Hays Code), which was a set of guidelines which movies coming out of any major studio had to adhere to in order to be slated for public release and lasted from the early 1930s until it was finally abandoned in the late 60s.

The Hays Code essentially existed to ensure that the content of major motion pictures would not 'lower the moral standards' of the viewing public. It didn't just have to do with queerness--cursing was heavily monitored, sex outside of marriage was not allowed to be seen as desirable or tittilating, miscegenation was not allowed (most specifically interracial relationships between black and white people), criminals had to be punished lest the audience think that it was ok to be gay and do crime, etc. Since same-sex relations fell under 'sexual perversion', they could not be shown unless the 'perversion' were punished in some way. (This is also the origin of the Bury Your Gays trope, another term that is widely misunderstood and misapplied today.) To get around this, queer coding became the practice by which movies and television could depict queer people but not really, and it also became customary to give villains this coding even more overtly, since they would get punished by the end of the film or series anyway and there was nothing to lose by making them flamboyant and racy/overly sexual/promiscuous.

Over time, this practice of making villains flamboyant, sexually aggressive, &etc became somewhat separated from its origins in queer coding, by which I mean that these traits and tropes became the go-to for villains even when the creator had no real intention of making them seem queer. This is how you generally get unintentional queer-coding--because these traits that have been given to villains for decades have roots in coding, but people tend to go right to them when it comes to creating their villains without considering where they came from.

Even after the Hays Code was abandoned, the sentiments and practices remained. Having queer characters who weren't punished by the narrative for being queer was exceptionally rare, and it really isn't until the last fifteen or so years that we've seen any pushback against that. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is famous for being one of the first shows on primetime television to feature an explicitly gay relationship on-screen, and that relationship ended in one of the most painful instances of Bury Your Gays that I have ever personally witnessed. (Something that, fourteen years later, The 100 would visually and textually reference with Lexa's death. Getting hit by a bullet intended for someone else after a night of finally getting to be happy and have sex with her s/o? It wasn't remotely subtle. I don't even like Clexa, but that was incredibly rough to witness.)

However, bringing this back to Zuko, he really doesn't fit the criteria for queer coding for a number of reasons. First of all, no one behind the scenes (mostly a bunch of cishet men) was at all intending to include queer rep in the show. This wasn't a case where they were like 'well, we really wanted to make Zuko gay, but we couldn't get that past the censors, so here are a few winks and a nudge', because it just wasn't on their radar at all. Which makes sense--it wasn't on most radars in that era of children's programming. This isn't really an indictment, it's just a fact of the time--in the mid/late 00s, no one was really thinking about putting queer characters in children's cartoons. People were barely beginning to include them in more teen- and adult-oriented television and movies. It just wasn't something that a couple of straight men, who were creating a fantasy series aimed at young kids, were going to think about.

What few instances you can point to from the series where Zuko might be considered to exhibit coding largely happen in Book 1, when he was a villain, because the writers were drawing from typically villainous traits that had historically come from queer coding villains and had since passed into common usage as villainous traits. But they weren't done with any intention of making it seem like Zuko might be attracted to boys.

And, again, what people actually point to as 'evidence' of Zuko being queer-coded--his awkwardness on his date with Jin and his confrontation with Ozai being the big ones I can think of off the top of my head--are actually just... traits that come from his history of trauma and abuse.

As I said in that old post:

making [zuko’s confrontation of ozai] about zuko being gay and rejecting ozai’s homophobia, rather than zuko learning fundamental truths about the world and about his home and about how there was something deeply wrong with his nation that needed to be fixed in order for the world to heal (and, no, ‘homophobia’ is not the answer to ‘what is wrong with the fire nation’, i’m still fucking pissed at bryke about that), misses the entire point of his character arc. this is the culmination of zuko realizing that he should never have had to earn his father’s love, because that should have been unconditional from the start. this is zuko realizing that he was not at fault for his father’s abuse--that speaking out of turn in a war meeting in no way justified fighting a duel with a child.

is that first realization (that a parent’s love should be unconditional, and if it isn’t, then that is the parent’s fault and not the child’s) something that queer kids in homophobic households/families can relate to? of course it is. but it’s also something that every other abused kid, straight kids and even queer kids who were abused for other reasons before they even knew they were anything other than cishet, can relate to as well. in that respect, it is not a uniquely queer experience, nor is it a uniquely queer story, and zuko not being attracted to girls (which is what a lot of it seems to boil down to, at the end of the day--cutting down zuko’s potential ships so that only zukka and a few far more niche ships are left standing) is not necessary to his character arc. nor does it particularly make sense.

And, regarding his date with Jin:

(and before anyone brings up his date with jin--a) he enjoyed it when she kissed him, and b) he was a traumatized, abused child going out on a first date. of course he was fucking awkward. have you ever met a teenage boy????)

Zuko is socially awkward and maladjusted because he was abused by his father as a child and has trouble relating to people as a result. He was heavily traumatized and brutally physically injured as a teenager, and it took him years to begin to truly recover from the scars that left on his psyche (and it's highly likely, despite the strides he made in canon, that he has a long way to go, post series; it's such a pity that we never got any continuation comics >.>). He was not abused for being gay or queer--he was abused because his father believed he was weak, and part of Zuko's journey was realizing that his father's perception of strength was flawed at its core. That his entire nation had rotted from the inside out, and the regime needed to be changed in order for the world--including his people--to begin to heal.

That could be commingled with a coming out narrative, which is completely fine for headcanons (although I personally prefer not to, because, again, we have more than enough queer trauma already), but it simply doesn't exist in canon. Zuko was not abused or traumatized for being queer, and his confrontation with Ozai was not about him coming out or realizing any fundamental truth about himself--it was about realizing something fundamental about his father and his nation, and making the choice to leave them behind so that he could help the Avatar grow stronger and force things to change when he got back.

TL;DR: at the end of the day, none of the traits, scenes, or behavior Zuko exhibits which shippers tend to use to claim he was gay-coded are actually evidence of coding--they aren't uniquely queer experiences, as they stem from abuse that was not related in any way to his sexuality, and they are experiences that any kid who suffered similar abuse or trauma could recognize and resonate with. (Including straight kids, and queer kids who were abused for any reason other than their identity.) And, finally, Zuko can be queer without erasing or invalidating his canon attraction to girls, and it's endlessly frustrating that the 'Zuko is gay-coded' crowd refuses to acknowledge that.

#atla #zuko #on queer coding #atla fandom salt #salt for ts #asked #mudbend

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januaryisnotanartist · 3 years

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So, funny you mention this.

In the more Sci-fi side of the AU’s in my brain I actually have the literal crackiest sci-fi AU, which is actually an actor AU. (like, it could work as a straight up space AU, but the way it happened in my head, it was as the actor AU) I know it’s not really related but I’mma tell you all anyway.

(Don’t worry, I won’t also drop the “bullshit science” Jiaoren concept... today...)

Liu Sang is the sound guy/general behind the scenes stuff idk, for a pretty popular star trek type show, which stars the Iron triangle in the main roles.

The show they play is basically Lost Tomb, but, you know, In Space. They go around finding lost colonies and civilizations and *ahem* preserving the antiquities as best as they can despite the cults and alarming amount of defunct tech that tries to kill Wu Xie’s character every time.

The show itself has a surprisingly heavy ad-lib script, (like, there’s a proper script, but the actors are allowed and encouraged to adjust the lines and stuff on the fly based on their understanding of their own characters) so set technicians hang out in ‘uniform’ in case they need to fix something on set, they can just ~blend~ with the background extras.

During one take of a bridge scene in which Wu Xie’s character (the captain of the space ship) is supposed to be doing a thing on the computer, he hits the wrong button because the programs used for the ship’s systems has been updated and Wu Xie didn’t read the memo and now the prop screen is beeping incessantly.

Sound/tech guy Liu Sang, who normally hangs out as a comm. tech extra (communication technician, like Uhura and Hoshi sato) during bridge scenes, slides over and turns off the annoying beeping, gives Wu Xie the bitchiest of faces, and says “and this is why we read about the system updates when the ship receives upgrades.” Then shows Wu Xie how to use the new user interface for the scene he’s supposed to be filming.

No one breaks character.

The cameras don’t stop rolling, and what should have been a blooper becomes the actual scene, and Liu Sang’s accidental cameo comm. tech becomes a surprise fan favourite.

So Liu Sang, despite not being an actor, keeps getting cameos, and then he winds up being actually involved in plot lines.

And then finally, his character (referred to only as “Jinx” because of Liu Sang’s on set nickname which Pangzi used during the first cameo) dies in an explosion saving the rest of the crew.

end of season.

the fans go livid.

Then they begin the conspiracies, or maybe the conspiracies had already started by then, because comm. tech Jinx wasn’t actually Liu Sang’s first cameo on the show.

He’d previously played space assassin Wang Can, a minor character during a cult arc, and he’d also played a hacker friend of a friend of Xiazi’s known only as Geist, since the character had a small scene but the actual actor had dropped out last minute and they didn’t have time for a recast for what was essentially a blurry profile shot in front of a computer.

All three characters had been played at different stages of Liu Sang’s hair journey, but speculation abounds on how the three might be related.

There are, of course those who think the trio are unrelated and just happened to be played by the same actor.

The cast and writers of the show listen to the fans and in the end it comes down to Liu Sang’s choice, since he was the one who’d asked to kill off Jinx because he’d failed to realise how much the audience loved his accidental character, and he’d wanted to go back to his normal job.

Liu Sang relents, and they come up with a way to bring him back. They listen to the fan theories, and craft their response, pulling on lore that they’d only skimmed in the show.

A few episodes into the next season, fans are outraged at the lack of mourning for Jinx, but there’s fans who pull apart a few strange turns of phrase from the main crew.

Then several episodes in, it happens.

The ship takes a detour to pick up the ‘new’ comm. tech to fill Jinx’s role.

*unknown planet - system (the one Wu Xie just had the ship set a course to)*

In front of a computer monitor, a familiar silhouette resolves into Geist, (aka, Liu Sang with the floppy black hair (from the time he fought a haunted paint can)) as a notice pops up on his screen:

J-1-NX : Restoration 100%

Geist wanders down through a series of hallways until he comes to a room in which is a large pod/tub like structure. Geist calls out “gege, are you awake now?”, and the top of the pod opens to reveal a pool of funky coloured liquid from which our regularly scheduled Liu Sang Jinx emerges. wet and naked

Over the next few episodes Jinx’s backstory and connection to both Geist and Wang Can are revealed: They’re members of a clone army that were made for a war centuries ago, equipped with neural downloading so the folks in charge didn’t have to retrain a new replacement every time one was killed (think Cylons from the Galactica reboot) and so secret, hard earned information wasn’t lost. But most batches never saw the field because the war finished before they were needed, and they were put into long term storage.

And then they were forgotten.

And then a few systems malfunctioned and several (dozen?) clones were released from stasis.

Wang Can is back in perma-stasis after going crazy and joining a galactic death cult, but Jinx, Geist (G-31-ST) and several other clones (not all of the same physical model) are running around the galaxy.

J Series were espionage units, designed to have heightened hearing and linguistic comprehension. 1 is actually 001, first of his batch, NX, which were the first batch capable of doing what they were designed to do, with out suffering overstimulation/audio overload every ten minutes.

G series were designed to be good with computer programming. (hackers.)

Wang Can is from a front line series, one with a habit of going homicidal even without repeatedly dying.

#liu sang #dmbj #lost tomb reboot #reunion: the sound of the providence #does this count as crack fic?#liu sang au plot bunny farm?#this U so A it doesn't even know who canon is #I don't know if I owe people an apology for this?

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fantasia-monogram · 3 years

Text

As the clock strikes midnight, part 3/3

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / epilogue

♥️ Taeyang x reader (nonbinary, female anatomy) x Jaeyoon; mentions of other SF9 members

♥️ NSFW (~4.2k words); threesome smut. Light BDSM, voyeurism, safe sex. No one is 100% straight.

♥️ You’re a beast at work, having to be tough to climb up the corporate ladder, but what you never thought of is that your attitude might be intimidating to your long time crush. Luckily, your much more laid back friend is here to help... both of you. Please read part 1 and 2 before this!

♥️ Disclaimer: this is just for fun! I’m not claiming that’s how they are in real life, it’s just my imagination doing whatever it wants. Read at your own discretion.

You were in the process of taking off your satin top (the shorts and the nightgown were absentmindedly discarded back in the kitchen and you could swear you were almost embarrassed at how eager you were) when you noticed with the corner of your eye that Taeyang, instead of taking place on the bed like you established earlier, approached Jaeyoon.

"Before we start, I just… wanted to say thank you," he said softly, putting his hand on Jaeyoon's exposed bicep. "You were always rooting for Y/n and I, and if not for you, I'd probably never confess."

Jaeyoon chuckled, pulling the boy into a tight embrace. Despite the heartwarming nature of this scene, you couldn't help but feel arousal rush through your body: the sight was dreamy to say the least, considering they were both almost naked, if not for Jaeyoon's boxer briefs and Taeyang's light grey slacks.

"I know, I'm the best wingman ever," the older of your friends concluded, "Everything for my best friends," he added with a devilish smirk, looking straight at you.

That gave you an equally devilish idea to kickstart this whole scene.

"You sure do love Taeyang a lot, don't you?" You asked, now standing there in black lace boxer shorts only.

"Of course I do! He's my favorite dongsaeng!" Jaeyoon confirmed enthusiastically.

You hadn't missed the way the boy in question eyed you hungrily, his plush lips slightly parted at the sight.

"Why don't you show me how much you like him, then?"

They both glanced at you with unreadable expressions. Then, they turned to look into each other's eyes.

Both you and Jaeyoon, already set on the idea, were eagerly waiting for Taeyang's permission. Obviously, you wouldn't mind if he objected, since you were about to have fun anyway…

First, he slowly moved his hands away from Jaeyoon; he spread his arms and put them up in a surrendering gesture. Then, he looked at his friend through his long lashes, mirroring his smirk.

He nodded, and as if on a cue, Jaeyoon surged forward to press his lips against Taeyang's. Circling Taeyang's waist with his arms, Jaeyoon started pushing the guy towards the bed, not breaking the passionate kiss even for a second.

You were sure you couldn't get any wetter, and you were all just starting; you never even dreamed of witnessing two most attractive men you've ever known playing like this in front of you - and on your order, on top of that - but here you were. Taeyang's needy little grunts only made the experience better.

Just as they reached the edge of the bed, Jaeyoon broke the kiss to give Taeyang a hard slap on the bottom; the choked moan the boy let out being like music to your ears. To finish this private show, Jaeyoon shoved the boy onto the mattress and, to make the best of his temporary distraction, he slid Taeyang's slacks down in one harsh motion, revealing a half-hard bulge trapped in bright red briefs.

The blush on Taeyang's face was almost the same colour, spreading through his long neck.

"Very well!", you laughed with utter satisfaction.

Taeyang used this moment to free himself of the pulled down pants completely, not breaking eye contact with Jaeyoon.

"Sit up, hands behind your back." Jaeyoon commanded; you've never heard him use such a harsh tone before, but you figured he just stepped into his Dom self. "No touching. Behave for us."

Taeyang obediently did as he was told. It wasn't easy for you to not stare at his lean body.

Meanwhile, Jaeyoon sat back in an armchair placed in front of the bed. You walked across the room to straddle his lap, facing him. An exchange of amused smiles followed.

You threw a side glance towards Taeyang, who was now sitting propped on his arms, legs slightly spread, hungry expression on his face again. You were always proud of your backside; no wonder he couldn't look away despite the deep blush on his cheeks.

"Why don't you tell me everything about your crush on me while Jaeyoon and I get busy?" you asked playfully.

Taeyang exhaled deeply.

"Okay."

Jaeyoon must have developed some kind of mind connection with you after all these years, because his next question made you snort.

"Aren't you happy I dragged you through all those back and leg days in the gym?"

He accentuated his words by sliding his hands through your sides, only to rest them on your waist. You shivered, not having been touched like this for a long time.

"My ass has always been better than yours," you retorted, combing your fingers through his hair. You felt so excited you almost wanted to kiss him, but you instantly became aware of Taeyang's presence in the room; so instead, you leaned forward to press your lips onto Jaeyoon's neck. This way, you gave Taeyang an even better view of your butt.

Jaeyoon sighed quietly. You pulled on his hair to push his head to the side; with easier access, you started leaving lingering, wet kisses along his neck and shoulder, making sure your ass was on display all that time.

You heard Taeyang gulp.

"I… can't say it was love at first sight. It started when we were both put in Customer Service and you cut your hair short… You refused to work at phone support, they complied and I thought it was impressive."

As you continued to work on Jaeyoon's shoulders, encouraged by his laboured breathing, his hands slid through your waist, lingering over your bottom for a couple seconds, to stop on the back of your thighs.

"It's embarrassing, but I happened to walk by the conference room during that meeting, and I heard everything."

"Bullshit," Jaeyoon laughed under his breath, squeezing your thighs in his hands, "You checked Y/n's calendar earlier and stood under that door like a lovesick idiot, looking around all that time."

You froze for a moment. Taeyang made a strangled, frustrated sound.

"Okay, yes! That's what actually happened," he admitted. "You had them in your grasp the moment you walked into that room. They basically made a whole new position for you. I've never heard you speak with that tone before, it… it almost made me hard."

You were still stunned, knowing your first display of charisma in the company resulted in so much more than a comfortable job you enjoyed. Feeling your knees going weak, you sank down to sit on Jaeyoon's lap, pressing yourself against his thigh.

Oh, shit. You were so wet.

Jaeyoon chuckled when he noticed the wetness smearing on his skin, and gave you a light smack on the side of your leg that served more like a reminder to stay present rather than a proper slap.

His hands traveled up your body, slowly approaching your chest area.

"So you were climbing the ladder at the Compliance Department, while I kept taking calls, and this difference turned me on even more, since you still somehow considered me a friend…" Taeyang continued, clearly having more and more trouble speaking. "You started taking your job so seriously… You were praised for your work ethic… And you'd always say dating would only distract you from your career."

Jaeyoon pulled you closer. He carefully cupped your breasts and, after he leaned down a bit, took one of your nipples in his mouth.

You gasped, taken by surprise as he sucked on it slowly.

Taeyang let out a choked sob. You couldn't see him, but you could only imagine how frustrated he must have been at this point; that, combined with the physical sensation, made you grind down on Jaeyoon's thigh. That wasn't enough, so you moved even closer until your core hovered over Jaeyoon's still clothed, rock hard bulge. Now, that was the kind of warmth you were seeking.

You exchanged a quick glance with Jaeyoon, just to make sure he was fine with this as well. He gave you a reassuring smile.

The sound of the sheets rustling distracted you from responding.

"Don't you even think about it." Jaeyoon growled in Taeyang's direction.

Taeyang whimpered once again, clearly on the edge.

"I wanna take care of him," you whispered into Jaeyoon's ear, circling your arms around his neck, "Let's end this part real quick."

Your friend murmured an understanding mhmm and propped his chin on the crook of your shoulder. You figured he was staring straight at Taeyang now. Oh, how you couldn't wait to do that too.

"You're awfully quiet for someone so desperate."

Jaeyoon caressed your back once again, finally letting his hands land on your ass.

"Why don't you finish your little story? I'm sure Y/n would love to hear more of your pathetic whines."

With that, he squeezed handfuls of your flesh, spreading your cheeks. You were sure Taeyang could see your juices glistening on the black lace of your underwear in the dimmed lights.

You kept still, breathing heavily. The need to squirm under Jaeyoon's firm touch was clouding your mind, but you didn't want to leave Taeyang without the visual of your briefs and inner thighs all soaking wet.

"Most coworkers think we have a secret relationship anyway…" Taeyang struggled to keep it up. "And I wish it was true. I promise I will never try to interfere with your career… and I will do my best to get a higher position so you won't ever be ashamed of dating me…"

Jaeyoon slid his tongue along your neck, stopping right below your ear to suck on the skin there lightly. It was soft, without using teeth, and you appreciated the tender gesture.

"Now, just… Please… Please touch me, I beg you," Taeyang's voice was breaking. "I can't take it anymore. Please wreck me."

That was enough, you were close to snapping as well.

You gently pushed Jaeyoon away and did a subtle nod in Taeyang's direction.

“You’re so worked up,” Jaeyoon whispered, giving you yet another encouraging pat on the thigh, “Be careful, don’t hurt yourself.”

You gave him a confused stare, but upon closer look, you noticed you weren’t just shivering anymore - your hands were shaking, your head was spinning, and you could barely support yourself on wobbly legs.

You carefully exhaled and stepped out of Jaeyoon’s lap, turning to face Taeyang.

The boy stared at you with glassy eyes, hands gripping the sheets behind him, legs spread, a clear outline of his cock on his briefs on display. He was just as wrecked as you expected, yet you intended to wreck him even more.

As you walked towards the bed, you swiftly pushed down your underwear and got rid of it on your way. You stood in your full naked glory in between Taeyang's thighs, and to be honest, you never felt more confident in your entire life.

You tangled your fingers into his hair, marvelling at how soft it felt. Then, once you reached the back of his head, you pulled it harshly so that Taeyang could look up at you fully.

Hearing his surprised gasp gave your Dom side an enormous boost.

"I can't believe you kept it in for so long." You said in a firm tone, slowly leaning towards his face, "I couldn't possibly let you have your way after such disappointment. It's gonna be all about me tonight."

It took a couple seconds of intense staring into each other's eyes before Taeyang collected his thoughts enough to speak.

"Please… Use me however you want it."

He batted his eyelashes in a sultry way.

"I'm all yours."

Now that you had his full permission, you closed the distance between you two with a tender kiss. Knowing your strict self turned him on, you didn't want to break the character, so you hoped this would be enough to convey your feelings.

The kiss got deeper, but never lost its loving undertone. You untangled your fingers from Taeyang's hair and cradled his face with one hand instead, while moving the other across his neck and chest. That's when you pushed on his torso, giving him a cue to lie down.

He whined when he had to detach from your lips, but complied without any further protest. At last, you could straddle his thighs. You kept your core mere millimeters away from his crotch that definitely needed attention.

"I'm not gonna keep you like this for long, I've had enough waiting," you warned, lightly roaming your fingers through his ribs and stomach. Delicate muscles of his abdomen quivered under your ministrations.

"It's fine either way," he replied under his breath, "I can last long."

"We'll see about that."

To make a point, you slid up to press on his length. The boy moaned loudly; his delightful sounds, as well as the friction, encouraged you to repeat the motion a few more times. Taeyang was doing better than you expected, that's for sure. He just focused on steady breathing, still gripping the sheets under him, while you felt way too close to your own climax just grinding down against him.

You really had a treasure in your hands.

Deciding you're done playing, you stopped to take a look at your workings. You traced the outline of his cock with your thumb. It wasn't too thick, which was actually perfect for you, but long enough to make you a bit concerned.

You pressed on the head, feeling out the slit. A wet spot appeared on the red fabric. Taeyang let out a strangled moan; it was pointless to keep him struggling like that, regardless of his promises.

You stepped down on the floor to help Taeyang slide off his underwear. He hissed when his cock finally sprung out of the restraints. You swallowed thickly, feeling your mouth water at the sight; you couldn't wait to play with it more some other time - definitely not now, when you were ready to cum from the visual alone.

Hopping back onto his lap again, you grabbed a condom you conveniently left by the pillow before you started.

"Do you want me to do it for you?" You asked, not wanting to overstimulate the poor boy even further.

"Yes, please," he begged.

Despite your trembling and being terribly out of practice, you tried your best to put the condom on smoothly. Once it was in place, you reached to pet Taeyang's hair and cheek again. His face relaxed a bit; he even looked at you with hooded eyes.

"Good boy." You smiled at him. "You can touch me now. I'll need your help, I've never taken such a big boy before."

Taeyang didn't need to be told twice. He used his left hand to hold the base of his cock for you. You lined your entrance with his length, feeling out of breath already, the pent up desire becoming too much to handle; you whined at the momentary discomfort when trying to sink onto Taeyang's cock, but his thumb was on your clit as soon as he heard it, gently smearing your juices on it in little circles. The touch alone put you on fire. It still wasn't enough - however, before you thought of backing off, Taeyang carefully spread your labia with his long fingers. This made things much easier for you and, after a series of small back-and-forth movements, you took in his entire length.

You circled your hips experimentally, trying to get accustomed to the stretch - you definitely underestimated his thickness before - but once you leaned forward and felt pressure right on your sweet spot, your mind went totally blank. You didn't mean to be selfish, but it felt so overwhelming you just started grinding with Taeyang's cock fully inside you, instead of riding him properly. He didn't complain, though. He kept massaging your clit in that careful, barely-there way that only helped you focus on the delightful stretch rather than distract you, while his other hand was caressing your body wherever he could reach. You could hear his gasps too, but it was all muffled when you were so struck on chasing your orgasm.

It hit you out of blue, embarrassingly fast, making you cry out both out of surprise and pleasure; it caught you off guard so much you almost regretted not taking your time.

The good side of it was that you could still ride Taeyang towards his climax without overstimulating yourself. You stopped moving for a moment only to grasp his wrists and move his hands onto your waist.

"Sit up." You ordered, willing yourself into composure.

He did as you told, anticipation burning in his eyes. You cradled his cheeks, facing him up close.

"You did so well," you praised him, following with a deep kiss. That's when you noticed he was out of breath, just as wrecked as you wanted him to be; so ruined that when you pushed your tongue into his mouth, he sighed needily, letting his saliva drip down his chin.

Oh, he was such a good boy.

"Are you okay? Nothing hurts?" he whispered into the kiss. You tried to not melt because of his genuine concern, as you still had a lot planned out.

"Don't you worry, baby. Everything's perfect."

To prove your point, you raised your hips so only the tip was still inside you. Much to your relief, nothing hurt indeed. You were already set on coming for the second time, just to follow your somewhat underwhelming, sudden orgasm with something much better - both for your and Taeyang's pleasure.

You smoothly sank in again, then again, until you set a steady pace. You thoroughly enjoyed all the sounds Taeyang was unashamedly making, as well as his blissed out expressions, but the way he tried to make you go faster by holding onto your waist was something you would not accept.

You stilled mid-thrust, earning a truly heartbreaking stare from Taeyang.

"Hands off," you commanded, "Keep them behind you, on the sheets."

You were sure you were driving him crazy at this point and you weren't even done yet, so to give him some momentary gratification, you set a fast pace, propping yourself on his shoulders. Getting so much control over the boy, as well as his desperate cries, were giving you enough energy to keep going like this for a while.

You were amazed at the fact he didn't come yet, despite being fully hard all that time, and you knew you couldn't draw it out for much longer as you felt another orgasm approaching. Unable to hold it anymore, you decided to help yourself with your own hand.

Soon, you came again, clenching hard on Taeyang's length; the magnitude of this climax almost knocked you out.

"Please, please…" Taeyang whimpered, tears strolling down his face, "Just a little more…"

You rode the afterglow out, already feeling Taeyang twitch, but you knew you couldn't go like this for long without the sensation becoming painful. You stilled, keeping him in all the way, squeezing around him in a set rhythm.

You pulled harshly on his hair.

"What a needy slut you are."

He barely managed to react to your words when you slapped his face.

His eyes rolled back and, with a drawn out moan, he thrusted upwards into you, spilling his cum into the condom.

You felt like it took him forever to finish, however, you didn't mind it at all when you were able to observe him so out of it, staring blankly through barely open eyelids, breathing in sharp little gasps - and all of that when his hips were still so flush with yours. The warmth and throbbing you felt inside despite the synthetic barrier soothed you after all the rough treatment.

Once Taeyang was done, he cautiously laid back onto the mattress. He pulled you into an embrace, helping you slide off his cock as gently as possible.

Just as you nestled yourself comfortably on his chest, you got startled by a grunt to your right. You looked into that direction, with Taeyang following you immediately - Jaeyoon was leaning against the wall, his hand wrapped around his cock, streaks of cum already dripping out of his fist.

"I'm good! I'm good," he reassured, raising his head, a slightly twisted smirk on his face. He reached for a tissue from the nightstand and wiped his hand clean.

You hated to admit it, but you kind of forgot he was there. Suddenly, the situation became a bit awkward - Jaeyoon didn't seem to be phased, though.

"That was amazing," he huffed, voice still exasperated, "But I'd love to catch some sleep tonight."

You didn't want to be rude, but you really weren't that keen on asking him to crash at your place when you'd rather spend the rest of the night with Taeyang in your arms without any intruders.

"I'll clean up and be on my way. No one will be surprised if you two show up together in the morning, but my folks at HR will ask me some uncomfortable questions if I come with you instead of my usual time."

When your friend approached, he surprised you with a quick smooch to your cheek, then did the same to Taeyang - none of you opposed, too tired to react.

"Have fun, lovebirds!" Jaeyoon said, leaving the room. "Don't forget to lock the door later."

"That guy…" you laughed quietly. You sat up to check up on Taeyang.

Your heart wrenched at the sight beneath you: the boy just laid there with a hand loosely tangled in his hair, his cheeks shining with tears, eyelids swollen from crying and, most likely, sleepiness.

"You need a shower, baby. " You caressed the side of his face.

"Gimme a break…" Taeyang groaned, covering his eyes.

"I'll shower with you."

He was up in a second.

Half an hour later, clean and fresh after washing up, you went back to bed. The night was warm even with the windows open, so you just laid there next to each other, holding hands, not even bothering to put on any clothes.

"That's an unusual way to start a relationship," you snorted, squeezing Taeyang's hand tighter. He seemed like a hand holding 24/7 type of a person, fingers intertwined, all that jazz. You loved it.

"How else would we do it?" Taeyang asked, his tone dry. "Should I take you on a date? Come to your place? Watch Netflix together until we fall asleep? We've done all of that already."

Your eyes went wide at the realization. Damn, he was right. You've had coffee and lunch dates countless times, you just never called them dates. He's been a regular guest in your apartment, and vice versa. That one time you fell asleep huddled on the couch while watching a movie was lowkey embarrassing, though - Jaeyoon was supposed to pick you two up for dinner and a movie night at the cinema, but arrived two hours late because of a family emergency. He woke you up by banging on the door; you were relieved Taeyang slept hard enough to not notice he draped his arms around you and drifted away with his nose in the crook of your neck.

"We're sex freaks. I wouldn't have imagined a better way."

His statement made you blush despite everything you had done before.

"Is there anything I could do for you as a birthday present?" He asked after a longer pause, turning his head to look into your eyes. "Something you've always wanted to do."

"I… I always…" you started, immediately catching his drift, "I always wanted to peg a pretty boy."

You smiled at the mere possibility of your wish being granted.

Taeyang chuckled, amused.

"Sure. Do you have everything we need?"

You couldn't help but laugh out loud, pulling him into a hug. He easily complied, tangling his limbs with yours in a tight embrace.

"I do, I do!" you giggled, all giddy. "Just give me a moment, okay? I'll get the stuff in a minute."

A passionate kiss followed. You just wanted to enjoy the sensation: now that you had him all for yourself, without the desperation of your first time together, you intended to fully melt into his touch. Taeyang seemed to love it just as much, his body eagerly replying to your caresses; he wasn't shy with being vocal either, his moans and gasps matching yours.

Soon, the kisses and touches turned rough, and once you felt his length all hot and hard on your thigh, you couldn't bother to even think of your earlier intentions. You grabbed a packet of condoms from the nightstand, tossed it to Taeyang (he almost missed it, caught off guard) and shamelessly spread your legs.

Taeyang didn't get to grant your birthday wish that night. Instead, you had two more rounds - last one with both of you so exhausted, yet still so turned on, you fell asleep right after you came. Completely vanilla, but that was all fine. You've had all the time in the world to enjoy each other and explore all of your deepest, darkest fantasies… Well, maybe except the rest of that particular night, since you had about four hours of sleep left before having to wake up to get ready for work.

Bless the company management for organizing a monthly get-together on freaking Wednesday.

#sf9 smut #sf9 scenario #sf9 imagine #yoo taeyang imagine #yoo taeyang scenario #yoo taeyang x reader #sf9 thirst #As the clock strikes midnight

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dinner-djarin · 3 years

Text

dar'manda (Mando x f!reader)

Chapter 1: The Only Way Out is Through

Summary: Things have been quiet since The Mandalorian's disappearing act on Nevarro. However, things change quickly at his sudden return, and the changes are sure to impact your own life. That is, if you don't screw it up for yourself.

Warnings: Canon typical violence, yearning/awkward flirting/reader doesn’t know how to act around Mando, Cara Dune lol (I feel like she needs a warning)

Word Count: 3.8k

Prologue - Next

In the weeks that the Mandalorian had been gone, things on Nevarro had taken a turn for the worse. Ever since making his grand escape, remaining Imperial officers seemed to get word of a Mandalorian bounty hunter gone rogue. He took some sort of “package” right out of their hands, and they really didn’t like that. So, they sent out every bounty hunter idiotic enough to go after a Mandalorian. And to double their efforts, they effectively made Nevarro their new base.

Well, that probably wasn’t exactly accurate, but either way it seemed like every stormtrooper left was sent to keep watch in case their prize ever returned.

You could not imagine that anyone would be stupid enough to come back to the place where they so flagrantly disregarded every rule of the Guild, and yet – there he was. Walking into town at the side of his...former boss. As he approached however, you noticed he probably wasn't there by choice. His hands were bound in front of him, and a muscley looking woman, with a very large gun, was not too far behind them. Well then, you think to yourself, I guess no one crosses the Guild, not even Mando.

Just as they enter town you being to consider the precarity of your own situation. With the town being occupied by stormtroopers, times are tough. Curfews have been put in place and wandering through town is highly discouraged. The marketplace has turned into a ghost town as people have become less and less inclined to spend time outside of their homes. They might come by for the basics, but business is definitely not what it used to be. So, you often find yourself with “free time” – moments you should realistically be working – where you instead spy on the invaders who have ruined your already unpleasant life. Basically, the exact thing you were doing in that very moment.

It's a matter of fate that he showed up just as you made your way to the town entrance. Even more so when you overhear a conversation between the Guild leader and the Mandalorians captor.

“Things got really heated once Mando crashed the safehouse” you hear the Guild leader say.

“Slip him his blaster” whispers the woman. These words bring you utter confusion. Did she mean slip Mando his blaster?

“Not yet,” he says under his breath.

And suddenly you are more confused than before. Why would she say something like that? How did any of this make sense? You’re thankful you were not seen as they pass by you, but you think you perceive a subtle change in the reflection from the shiny metal helmet that your eyes have been locked on to. His gaze fell to the metal orb that was trailing the trio through the city centre. When he looked back up however, he did not return his gaze to the direction he had been looking previously. Now you think, and you know it’s completely self-centred of you to do so, but you feel like he is staring straight at you. You don't think he would be able to see into the shadows that were providing your cover, but something about the angle of his visor as he walks by sends a shiver down your spine.

The three of them and the metal orb enter the cantina and you adjust your position in attempt for a better view. Only a few minutes later does a blaster shot eviscerate the long transparisteel window on the front wall of the building, allowing you a glimpse of the chaos inside. A plethora of various blaster bolts ricochet through the building, evidence that the situation was drastically more complicated than you initially observed. However, the next events prove that things could still get worse for the group inside.

From the safety of your hiding spot, you see the scene unfold. The entire courtyard of the village is filled with stormtroopers in seconds, and then you hear it. The unmistakable screech that has haunted you since you were young. A sound that would forever be branded into your head, as it signaled the end of your childhood. The last time you heard that sound was the last time you saw your father and brother.

The Tie Fighter lands right in front of the cantina, completely blocking your view of any further events. You take that as your sign to get the hell out of there, knowing the level of destruction that is sure to follow. Even with the high amount of adrenaline pumping through your veins, you manage to keep a level head and find your way back to the marketplace, where most other citizens are gathered.

You quickly alert everyone to the impending danger nearby, and although some are slow to react, they begin to gather their belongings and search for safety.

Luckily, you recall a nearby alley that would lead to the part of town furthest away from the calamity, and you tell them all to make their way there immediately. Once you were sure that no one was left behind you head towards the alley only for an explosion to go off somewhere near the cantina. And although the source of the blast is far enough away not to injure you, the shockwave ripples through a one of the buildings, whose integrity was already questionable, causing it to crumble and block your previously secure exit route. With your mind in panic mode, you glance over to a spot which had caught your eye a hundred times before, a spot you kept noticing the Mandalorian disappear to.

You quickly run for cover hoping no other buildings decide to fall apart in the meantime, and you find the passageway was actually concealing a staircase which led to the sewers. Unsure of where to go next, your adrenaline high mind keeps you moving fast, taking random turns, having no understanding of where the tunnels lead to and where the safest exit may be. It wasn't until you rapidly took a corner and ran straight into an armoured chest plate that your mind stopped running wild.

A few second too late you realize it wasn’t the armour you would have hoped to see. The Mandalorians captor stands in front of you, with a package wrapped in her arms. Beside her is the Guild leader. You stand there dumbstruck and panting, unsure of what move to make.

The Guild leader approaches you, but you recoil, stepping back.

“What did you do to him?” is all you can think to growl at them.

“He’s just sleeping.” She attempts to assure you, “Wait how do you know the kid?” the woman asks, evidently confused by your accusation.

“What kid? No, the Mandalorian. You captured him. I saw you two walk in to town with him handcuffed”

“Young lady, I think you are confused. Please allow me to explain our situation.” the leader states, taking another step closer to you. This time you stand your ground, making clear you want answers.

He explains his name is Greef Karga, and the woman is Cara Dune, an ex-rebel shock trooper. And despite walking into town with Mando handcuffed by their sides, they were actually all in on the plan together. However, it seems that once they got inside things went south, a habit Mando seemed to be making for himself. It turns out that this elaborate scheme was set in place in an attempt to save a tiny green baby from the Empire, which now rests in the woman’s – Cara’s – arms.

You have no idea what to think. There's no way any of this can be true. Although, you then recall the conversation you overheard as they entered the town, and everything else seems to line up with your own experiences of the past hour.

You also realize that the Child must be the reason Mando went rogue in the first place. And after sneaking a peak at his resting wrinkly face, you completely understand why. After only one look, you’d probably jump in front of speeder for that little guy.

But before you can make up your mind on whether to believe Karga or not, Mando rounds the corner being supported by a very tall, very thin droid that you recognize to be an IG unit. As they approach, Cara hands off the baby to the droid and attempts to support Mando, and for some maker-forsaken reason you decide to help too. As you slide your arm under Mando’s shoulder and rest your hand on his back you feel him tense – you know you’ve made a mistake. But it’s too late to turn back now, so you carry some of his weight and continue on down the ominous path. The only way out, is through.

Your mind is running at 100 parsecs per hour. This is the closest, physically, you’ve been to anyone in years, and if that weren't enough you seem to be in the middle of both your wildest dream and worst nightmare. You can’t remember the last time you were tucked under someone's arm, and pressed up against them so tightly, if you ever were. And in your panicked state you start to realize you’ve basically been holding your breath this whole time, making your heart beat erratically and your head throb. But just as you think you might pass out from your stupidity, the Mandalorians voice shakes you back to reality.

“Stop.” His word sends you into a new panic. Were you thinking out loud? Could he read your heartbeat through his helmet? Did he know what a complete mess you were at his touch? “I can stand,” he says, finishing his thought.

Oh thank the gods.

He lets go of you and switches something in his helmet to look for tracks, and you allow yourself to finally take a deep breath.

“We’re close,” he states. After a moment of stabilizing your heartbeat and focussing on your breath900, you quicken your pace, subtly placing yourself just behind Mando’s left shoulder as he leads the group through the tunnel. You’re close enough to catch when he mumbles, “I know you.”

“And I know you,” you respond playfully, disregarding the severity of the situation you’ve found yourself in. You’re not quite sure how Mando’s mere presence can affect you so brutally, to the point of forgetting how to act like a normal human being.

“From the market.” He doesn’t ask.

“That’s me, good to see you in one piece. I was worried when I heard about the stunt you pulled. Crossing the guild...not sure I've ever heard of anyone getting away with that.” Oh man why are you talking so much. You just need to shut up now. Literally no one wants to hear-

“Worried?” a hint of genuine curiosity hidden in his question. Well of course he found the one word in your entire sentence that incriminates you. There’s no way he doesn’t know about your crush now.

“Umm well of course, I think everyone was. It’s all anyone could talk about for weeks. Nothing that exciting has happened around here in a while,” you quickly blurt out. He turns his head for a moment and examines you.

He is silent, evidently noticing the way you awkwardly avoided his question. You stare at him trying with every muscle in your face to remain composed. You know he sees right through you – must be that bullshit reader – but you think if you maintain eye contact long enough, he’ll just move on from your stupidity. And he does.

“How did you get here?” He returns to his task of following footprints. The question and abrupt change in topic jars you, although if you had to guess, you think he must have picked up on your complete awkwardness, possibly confusing it for suspicious behaviour. You hope he doesn’t think you untrustworthy because if it.

“There were explosions, and I tried to help everyone out, but the path became blocked and the only way out was some curtain hiding a staircase.” Your explanation, you realize, now sounds completely ridiculous, especially in the flustered manner you are depicting it in. Even so, you continue, “I went to hide but it turns out it led straight down here. So, I tried to find an exit, but I bumped into them instead,” you finish, glancing behind you towards Cara and Karga.

“If you came in from the market you should have passed the covert,” Mando stated almost accusingly, increasing your worry over whether he thought trusted your story.

“I’m not sure I didn’t really see any-” but his question is immediately answered by the pile of discarded Mandalorian armour in front of you.

The Mandalorian stops, and you can see just how suddenly his body language changed. Even injured, he looked deadly as he led you through the tunnels, but at the sight of the remnants of his clan, he is weak. You can feel the sadness, remorse, and pain emanating from him all at once. And as you stand beside him you barely realize you’ve gently reached for his hand, gripping it tight and squeezing it to convey your condolence for his immense loss.

But after a moment, he moved forward and away from your grasp to kneel at the sight of his fallen brethren. Cara suggests the group leave, but he won’t. He will not leave the armour in its discarded state.

Suddenly, the mood shifts, and you see the Mandalorian transform before your eyes. He storms towards Karga, accusing that he and the Guild members must be responsible. Karga denies, but you think Mando might be on the verge of strangling him when suddenly another modulated voice fills the tunnel.

A golden warrior stands before you. Her presence shocks you. It reveals some element rooted deep, a feeling you can only describe as warm… or familiar? She explains, as she gathers the scattered armour, how revealing the covert brought the presence of Imperials. When Mando offers her to join him, she rejects, maintaining that her place is to gather the remains of her people.

You all follow her into a small room with a forge in the centre of it. “Show me the one who’s safety deemed such destruction,” she demands.

“This is the one,” Mando responds. Gesturing to the baby that was wrapped tight to the IG unit’s chest.

“This is the one that you hunted, then saved?” she asks.

“Yes. The one that saved me as well.” And with that statement you find both an answer, and more questions. That baby saved him? How the-

“From the mudhorn?” she asks.

“Yes.” he responds, making you even more confused than ever. The baby saved him from a mudhorn?

“It looks helpless” she states.

“It’s injured, but it is not helpless. Its species can move objects with its mind.” As if this conversation could get any weirder. Move objects...with its MIND.

The Armourer begins to detail battles between Mandalore the Great and some species of wizards; the species this child belongs to. She also tells Mando that he is now responsible for the baby – his foundling. And finally, she tasks him with finding these sorcerers and returning the baby to them. When Mando questions the outrageous turn of events the woman has only four words in response:

“This is the Way.” Suddenly that warm comfort you felt before resurges, but only for a moment, as Cara reminds the group of the urgency of their situation. You need to find a way out before Imperials catch your tracks. The Armourer then suggests the group find a river of lava that will lead all of you out of the tunnels. Right…

River of lava, or Imperial Troopers. What the heck did you get yourself into? Either way it seems you don’t have much of a choice. After receiving a mudhorn signet on his pauldron, the Armourer pronounces that he and the child are bound as father and son; a clan of two. Cute little family they’ll make. When the droid gets ready to defend the group from incoming Imps, it hands Cara the child who looks very uncomfortable with it, so she passes him to you.

Stunned and confused you look to the Mandalorian who shows no sign of discomfort with you holding his now adopted son, not that you’d probably be able to tell. Either way, it seems you’ve acquired a new responsibility.

Blaster fire rings just outside the room as the woman hands Mando some flying contraption, and your group decides you might need to get a move on.

You approach the lava river, only to notice the boat has melted to the docking point. Karga and Mando struggle to free it, but Cara just gives you a smug look. “You boys mind getting out of the way?” she warns only to blast the points where the boat was attached, successfully freeing it from its molten chains.

The boat quickly begins to drift from the dock, but just as you start to lift your foot over the edge to make your way inside, you feel a strong hand against your lower back, guiding you the rest of the way. Once you steady yourself on the boat you glance up at the visor which is pinned straight ahead, unwavering and unwilling to meet your gaze. His seemingly disinterested reaction makes you anxious to know the true intention of his touch. He must just realize your safety is attached to the bundle you are currently cradling against your chest. Obviously, he is only looking out for the child, you just happen to be the person responsible for his transportation. If Cara were the one holding his son, he’d probably be helping her instead. Right? Simple as that.

Even so, you can't help but notice the way his hand flexes after it returns to his side.

For just a moment your mind slips, and you let yourself think that there might be something there. That the short conversations and fleeting looks shared all those weeks ago might have held more weight than you believed. That when you were admiring his head-to-toe armor upgrade, he may have been examining you back. That he might have actually liked the fact that you worried about him in his absence. You allow yourself to think that underneath that metal, stands a man who might be gentle, and kind. A man who helps you into a boat when he himself is injured. One who is willing to leave behind everything he knows in order to ensure the security of a child.

You snap back to reality, however, when Karga notices the light at the end of the tunnel. But just when you think that your journey is almost over, Mando informs you otherwise. A battalion of stormtroopers line the edges of your only exit route. No one in your group can come up with any satisfactory solution, until the IG unit comes forward.

“They will not be satisfied with anything less than the child. This is unacceptable. I will eliminate them, and you will escape.”

Mando is quick to point out that the droid would never make it past the troopers, but the droid insists. Apparently, his manufacturer's protocol dictates that he cannot be captured and must self-destruct. He asks that Mando look over the Child once he is gone, and you swear you can hear a hint of sadness through his filtered voice. Your hypothesis is confirmed by the IG unit, and your heart warms slightly for the metal man. The droid reaches over to say goodbye to the child for the last time, patting him gently on the head, then steps into the lava river and heads down towards the mouth of the cave. You all stare silently as you watch him approach the troopers when suddenly-

Fire consumes your vision, and it overwhelms your senses. Not having actually seen an explosion in your life you seem to be the only one on the boat who is at all fazed by the sudden wall of heat and deafening boom created by IG-11’s sacrifice. In the process you cover the child with your body and wince back into the hard wall behind you. Cradling the child and shielding yourself, you almost don’t notice when the wall grabs your hip and steadies you in front of it.

Suddenly, you’re flushed with embarrassment, realizing all at once the wall was the Mandalorian and both of his hands were still gripped onto you, holding you tight against his chest plate.

But your shock only lasts a moment before the unsettling screech of a Tie Fighter pierced your ears for the second time that day. And before you could process, the Mandalorian was using his body as a shield, protecting you and the child from the blasts, and simultaneously shooting at the new threat barreling towards your group.

Will this day ever end, is the only thought in your head before Mando is flying through the air using the jetpack given to him by the Armourer only minutes ago. However, you distinctly remember her saying he would need time to get used to it before it would ‘listen to his commands’. Nevertheless, he jerks through the sky in a desperate attempt to bring the Tie down.

You watch as one of the wings are ripped off by an explosion and the tie crashes to the ground. The Mandalorian lets go just in time and falls quickly towards the ground, igniting his jetpack at the last second to make a rough landing right in front of you.

The child squirms in your arms at the first sign of peace so you set him down gently. He awkwardly runs over to Mando and hugs his leg, creating possibly the cutest sight you had ever seen. Again, your heart can’t help but melt for the new little family, and you wonder how these two are going to get by. A child with magical powers, and a father who’s built to kill. Not a pairing you would bet on.

Cara and Karga then try to convince Mando to stay on Nevarro and help the both of them sort out the aftermath of today's events. But the Mandalorian insists on sticking to his mission. The child is now his first priority and finding a group of near-extinct ancient sorcerers does not sound like easy work.

“We have a long road ahead of us, but the journey is necessary. I must return him to his kind, no matter how long it takes.” You hear him reason with the pair, refusing their kind offers to remain on the planet with them.

If you know one thing about the Mandalorian it's that everything he does is completely intentional. No one could force Mando into something he doesn’t want to do. If he is sure of this path, he will follow it through till the end.

And from your short interactions, you know he spends time forming his thoughts in order to get his point across. Each sentence is carefully crafted so that they are clear and concise. You know he means every word.

Maybe that's why the next words out of his mouth come as a complete shock to you.

“Would you like to join us?” he asks directly to you.

What the kriffing heck did he just say? You're so taken aback that you embarrassingly bark out your response, your brain evidently getting no time to process the question, so instead if vomits out the first word it can think of: “No”.

You follow it with polite ‘thank you’s’, hoping to erase the awkward tension in the air, and the Mandalorian jetpacks off with the child leaving you to dwell on your utter stupidity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 2

Notes: Honestly, I hate this chapter too wow. I really spent so long trying to edit this into something I could bare to publish, but I still really hate it. I did not want to write a chapter like this, but I also needed a way to put the reader into the story and the only way I could think to do that was by using an existing episode. So here we are. But I SWEAR, after this it gets good. Like not only does the story get good, but so does my own writing (relatively) so if you just bare through this, I think you’ll enjoy the rest.

Taglist: @peppywitch @tobealostwanderer @thecraftyartist

If you wanna be included in the tag list let me know! The next parts are gonna get great. I hope

#mando x reader #mando x you #the mandalorian #din djarin #din djarin x reader #mandalorian fanfic #mando fanfiction #pedro pascal #mando #din #the mandalorian season 1 #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian x you #din djarin x you

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wangxianficrecs · 3 years

Text

Let the streetlights guide you home by tellthemstories

Let the streetlights guide you home

by tellthemstories

M, 37k, wangxian

Summary: Wei Wuxian was the most infamous street racer of his generation. They still speak of him now, the stuff of legend: the reckless abandon, the hair pin turns, midnight races over dangerous tracks. His death, racing through the streets of Nightless City with his sister in the passenger seat, the moment when his luck finally ran out.

10 years later, Mo Xuanyu enters his first street race.

My comments: Damn, this is hOt, you can smell the gasoline and feel the adrenaline, the flashing lights and neon. It's visceral. (And this from someone who's never been interested in racing or any movies about racing, so.) Wwx comes back after 10 years, and he has a Past, which you only gets glimpses of as the story unfolds. Lwj, of course, knows who he is right away, behind the hoodie and the sunglasses and the scars.

*Author has snippets on tumblr of cut scenes that are very good, and when you finish you should absolutely read just wanna drive you by plonk which provides all the gritty porn (and leather driving gloves) that Author tastefully alludes to.

Excerpt 1: Lan Zhan frowns at him for a few more seconds, then he grabs hold of his wrist, dragging him away from the car he’d shoved him against for long enough to unlock it and open the door. Wei Wuxian trips after him, unable to resist the pull of his gravity, his thoughts scattered to the wind from where Lan Zhan’s thumb and forefinger curve around the bones of his wrist.

“Wait, Lan Zhan, wait. What are you—” He’s shoved, unceremoniously, into the passenger side of the car and barely has enough time to get his arms and legs in close to his body before the door is slammed shut behind him.

Seconds later Lan Zhan slides in behind the wheel on the driver’s side. “Lan Zhan—” Wei Wuxian tries again.

“Seatbelt,” Lan Zhan replies shortly and fucking, just fucking sits there until Wei Wuxian pulls it across his chest, as the flashing lights of the police catch in the rearview mirror and send Wei Wuxian’s nerves into screaming overdrive. The moment he clicks the seatbelt into place Lan Zhan hits the accelerator and they speed out of the car park so quickly Wei Wuxian is thrown back against his seat.

Lan Zhan pushes the speedometer to 80, 100, 120 driving with one hand on the wheel and his arm casually resting on the edge of the rolled-down window like they’re out for a casual drive and not fleeing from the fucking police in the dead of night after an illegal street race down the side of a mountain.

Excerpt 2: Wei Wuxian’s sure there are a million rules about not driving in the peace and quiet of the too-clean Cloud Recesses complex, but quite frankly he doesn’t give a fuck — and, judging by the proud line of Lan Wangji’s shoulders, he can be tempted. If Lan Wangji’s as good a driver as they say he is, he’s always on the edge of a bad decision, the temptation of a terrible risk that speaks to something deep within. They all are. They wouldn’t race at the speeds they do on the tracks they do if they weren’t.

“Come on, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian says, lowering his voice and stepping forwards, giving Lan Wangji the kind of look he usually reserves for his female fans on race night, hooded and full of promises.

He watches the line of Lan Zhan’s throat as he swallows.

“Fine,” Lan Zhan says, “But we’re using my car.”

Wei Wuxian grins.

modern au, car racing au, coma, secret identity, identity reveal, street racing, intrigue, pining, ust, rst, references to drink drugs and underage driving, crime syndicate sects, they’re all criminals bless ‘em, indulge your thirst for fast cars and fast people here, happy ending, @tell-themstories

***This post is not showing up in tag feeds for some reason, so REBLOG to give it some love***

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sarahjtv · 3 years

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BNHA Chapter 321 Spoiler Analysis: Teamwork Makes The Dream Work

Good god almighty it’s been 2 weeks already! A lot of MHA stuff was released today: the Shonen Jump Cover, the 7th Anniversary cover page, Volume 31 Cover, and of course, Chapter 321! My hand’s getting better, but I’m liking these shorter analysis's so let’s go:

First we got the Volume 31 Cover and it’s really good! It’s basically All Might passing down the power of OFA to Deku. You can see their various clothes in the mist like their UA uniforms, their Hero costumes, and even Deku’s middle school uniform (which took me a while to see). It’s a really beautiful Volume cover, but god it’s weird to see All Might not smile in his buff form. Like it’s so odd.

Next is the Shonen Jump cover page featuring Deku in his Stealth Suit with Rody Soul and his bird, Pino, looking from the sidelines. Deku looks so freaking badass in this suit! I really hope he wears it for a while in the film. I’m gonna guess he’s gonna wear it at the film’s climax, but we don’t know yet. Hell, we barely know what WHM’s about AND THE MOVIE COMES OUT NEXT WEEK! God, I want to see this movie why can't I live in Japan and speak Japanese 😭

The last color page we get is this awesome double page spread of all the 1-A kids + Aizawa building this massive All Might Mecha! They’re all wearing green suits, goggles, and various pieces of tech on them. Really, it’s just a super cool spread that looks like it’s colored the same way as the 5th anniversary one was. I think you need to see it yourself to know what everyone’s doing because there’s a lot going on.

Now onto the chapter! Endeavor has made it to the scene, but he’s still trusting the kids to bring Deku back as he should. They can definitely handle themselves. I do feel bad for Kirishima though. He wants to say things to Deku (as everyone does), but his Quirk can’t do much to stop Deku so long as Deku’s fighting long range and in the air. I’d like to see my rock son in action again.

So, SHOTO’S FREAKING PISSED!!! I don’t think I’ve seen him this mad at Izuku since the Sports Fest. He’s being logical here by thinking how AFO could be planning to target UA now since Deku isn’t there to protect it and that Deku should have a choice to come back to UA and fight along his friends. Shoto REALLY wants Deku to come to his senses. Probably more than most of the class. This is what happens when your best friend goes rouge and doesn’t think the rest of you are strong enough to catch up to him. I was honestly hoping Shoto’s and Deku’s conversation would go further than this, but this is still really good. Maybe we’ll get more later 👀

A lot of this chapter is mainly the rest of 1-A teaming up to catch Deku with all their Quirks. Even Mineta is out here spitting facts for once. Like, ok Grape boy go off.

Then the kids pull off this insane plan that’s kind of hard to explain, but I’ll do my best:

Shoto created a more refined ice ramp like what he did back in the All Might VS. AFO fight except it actually looks like a ramp this time and covers a good block of the city.

There are some rails put down to ready the kids for launch and I bet Momo created that b/c who else?

Shoto stands behind Bakugo who is preparing to get launched in the air with this 0.1% Solubility Acidman created my Mina. I honestly thought this Acidman was created to help the kids slide easier on Shoto’s ice at first, but I finally understood what it actually was after going through the leaks a few more times.

The more physically stronger kids push Shoto and Bakugo to slide on the ice and Shoto blasts both of them on through the ramp using his Flashfreeze Heatwave like a speeding rocket!

Shoto pushes Bakugo up in the air with the propulsion of his Super Move and Bakugo goes flying. Ochako uses her Zero Gravity on the Acidman for reasons we’ll see later. Also, Shoto sounds insulted by Deku’s “Won’t be able to keep up” when CLEARLY THEY CAN!

Bakugo uses his new explosions to use Explosive Speed Turbo Cluster to increase his speed to what looks like mach speed levels! Seriously, this dude is like a sonic jet at this point and his new explosions look sooooo cool!

Finally, it’s revealed that Iida was covered in Mina’s Acidman and Bakugo uses his Explosions + Ochako’s Zero Gravity to FREAKING LAUNCH IIDA TOWARDS DEKU BECAUSE HE’S THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN WITHSTAND THIS SPEED!!!

Iida manages to catch up with Deku and grabs his hand I WAS A FOOL FOR THINKING IT WOULD BE BAKUGO OF COURSE IIDA MAKES SENSE HE WAS ONE OF DEKU’S FIRST REAL FRIENDS😭💙💚

I told you guys that plan was insane! But it did work! They grabbed Deku! Now all they need to do is bring him back.

Throughout this team-up, there are some interesting things that happen here:

Ochako establishes how all of them want to fight alongside Deku. They don’t want to push him away or need to be protected by Deku. They just want to be by his side again.

Shoto looks extra pissed and determined in one panel to the point where his left eye is set aflame. That rarely happens outside of him being in battle unless Shoto’s feeling some strong sense of emotion like he did when Endeavor fought High-End. I guess this counts as him battling, but you get my point.

Bakugo calls Iida “Class Prez” instead of something like “Glasses” for once! Maybe he’s slowly gaining more respect for the rest of his friends. Not 100% close to real names yet, but he’s getting there.

Bakugo thinks how there are things he needs to say to Deku! He’s letting Iida do his part first, but looks like that conversation is going to happen soon. Man, I’m REALLY hoping we get Deku Vs. Kacchan soon! Bakugo needs to apologize to Deku or at least have a good heart-to-heart with him, but we know how these two work. Their going to fight their feeling out and it’s going to be amazing. I can feel a Part 3 in my bones. Please, Horikoshi!

Now we hear the rest of what the 2nd OFA Holder said a few chapters ago. It was addressing Bakugo, but more like Class A as a whole. The thing that can bolster Deku are the people who share the same will and the people who run beside him at the same pace. Isn’t that 1-A for ya?

So, Iida finally grabs Deku’s hand (hey, IidaDekus, how ya feeling?), his glasses are broken and his suit is breaking from the power of the speed he was going at, and he says the words that Deku said to back in the Stain Arc: “Giving help when it’s not asked for is the essence of being a hero”. AND BOTH DEKU AND IIDA ARE CRYING IN THE AIR WHILE ALL THIS IS HAPPENING MY HEART I’M SOBBING 😭

Really, this whole thing is a big callback to the Stain Arc and how Deku let Kirishima grab Bakugo’s hand back at the Kamino Rescue because Kirishima was the only one who could do it. Now it’s Iida’s turn to grab Deku’s hand who, btw, even refers to Deku as a “lost child” 😭💔. AND THE CHAPTER IS EVEN CALLED “FROM CLASS A TO OFA” WHY HORIKOSHI WHY???

Honestly fantastic chapter all around! We’ve seem to have reached the climax of Deku Vs. Class 1-A, so now comes the resolution. The SFX on the last panel of Deku says “Fall” so maybe he’s run out of fuel and his finally passing out from exhaustion. But, I don’t know guys... Deku Vs. Kacchan still NEEDS to happen. I don’t know about now, but definitely soon. Also we still don’t know what the 2nd Holder’s Quirk is yet. I want to say that they’re going to finally bring Deku home next chapter, but I’m not certain. So, we’ll just have to wait and see.

ME THIS ENTIRE FREAKING ARC AND PROBABLY TILL THE END OF THE SERIES:

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hpkinktober · 3 years

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Almost a month after HP Kinktober ended, I have finally created a complete masterlist of the wonderful Drarry works we were gifted with from this astoundingly creative community. Since I am only human, please let me know if anything is wrong with this post (broken link, mispelled author name, etc).

Day 1: Foreplay

Love Me Like Red Wine by @triggerlil (M, 290)

Harry prepares a meal, but Draco can't focus on the food. It's not his fault that Harry's so damn attractive.

Foreplay by @ladderofyears (E, 100)

In which Draco wears sky-blue, lacy bikini knickers.

Kiss Him All the Way Up by @chuckweasley (M, Digital Art)

Is Harry into feet? Does he want to kiss Draco on every square inch of his body? Is he kissing a trail from his toes up? You decide!

Water Spirit by @laurisophi (E, 703)

Harry wants to surprise Draco for their anniversary and show more of himself.

"You look like a lake spirit, bath by the moon, covered in green.” He kisses your shoulder and one hand slides over your back, your side, your hip.

A ficlet for the first day of HP Kinktober 2020: foreplay.

Day 2: Instant Darkness Powder

Under the Cover of Darkness by @manixzen (M, 2k)

Thanks to Pansy, Draco's stuck at a party with a whole bunch of drunk Gryffindors. And now they want to play party games. If only Draco can slip out unnoticed before this gets any worse.

Instant Darkness Powder by @ladderofyears (M, 116)

Auror Partners Harry and Draco are trapped in the dark. Flirting ensues.

A Smoke Afterwards by @chuckweasley (M, Digital Art)

I wonder who’s holding the lighter...

Day 3: Polyjuice

Prompt: Polyjuice by blackswingsblackwords (T, 349)

In which there is (supposed to be) roleplaying.

Polyjuice by @ladderofyears (E, 100)

Harry takes Polyjuice Potion so Draco can fuck himself.

Polyjuice by CuriousEmWanders (E, 985)

In which Draco lets his curiosity and obsession get the best of him. He just needs to know what Harry looks like. How else is he supposed to find out?

Day 4: Amortentia

Occupational Hazard by @ladderofyears (E, 100)

Potions Master Draco has been brewing Amortentia.

Prompt: Amortentia by blackwingsblackwords (T, 463)

In which there is a secret relationship.

Smells Like You by CuriousEmWanders (E, 3.1k)

Draco may not smell anything in his Amortentia, but that doesn't stop him from taking it to help him submit to his Dom de jour.

Day 5: Spell Play

A Magic Number of Orgasms @ladderofyears (E, 100)

Harry and Draco experiment with a sex spell.

Just Let Go by @manixzen (E, 3.4k)

Draco struggles with letting go of his need for control, both at work and at home. Harry can help.

Prompt: Spell Play by blackwingsblackwords (T, 1.1k)

In which an exhausted dad dates a smitten hero.

Day 6: Parseltongue

Lucky Bloody Serpent by @ladderofyears (G, 100)

When Harry gets a pet snake, Draco gets (a tiny bit) jealous.

a simple thank you can go a long way by @crimsonhead-ache (E, 2.7k)

The one where Draco needs to thank him and Harry allows him.

Also Parseltongue.

And dicks.

Draco’s Favorite Thing by CuriousEmWanders (E, 1.2k)

Draco has a thing for when Harry talks to him in parseltongue, and he's glad Harry doesn't know. Or does he?

The Hottest Parselmouth by @chuckweasley (T, Digital Art)

Draco cannot handle how hot Harry is when he’s speaking parseltongue, even though he has no idea what Harry’s saying.

Day 7: Creature!Fic

I’ll Huff, And I’ll Puff, And I’ll Blow Your House In... by @ladderofyears (M, 100)

There’s a Werewolf on the loose and he’s out to get Draco!

Thirst by @fluxweeed (E, 4.4k)

The path of Malfoy’s scent is obvious; Harry hasn’t fed for days, so his senses are sharp. Deadly.

And Malfoy smells so good.

Day 8: Imperius

Imperius by @ladderofyears (E, 100)

Harry and Draco are put under the Imperius Curse.

Non-con warning

Day 9: Legilimency

Legilimens by @ladderofyears (E, 100)

Draco shares his sexual fantasies with his lover Harry.

Day 10: Dark Magic Ritual

Reanimation Ritual by @ladderofyears (M, 100)

Draco performs a Dark Magic ritual to bring his dead lover Harry back to him.

A Moment of Intent by @manixzen (E, 4.6k)

Auror Harry Potter and Curse Breaker Draco Malfoy are on another case, this time a Dark Arts Ritual gone wrong. Surely, they won’t botch up yet another crime scene.

Day 11: Invisibility Cloak

Tryst Behind The Tapestry by @ladderofyears (E, 1k)

It's Eighth Year and Harry and Draco enjoy some very sexy - and very invisible - fun after dark has fallen at Hogwarts.

Invisibly Arouse (E, Digital Art) by @chuckweasley

The boys get frisky under the cloak!

Day 12: Duelling

Duel by @ladderofyears (M, 365)

Harry and Draco practice duelling and things get a little heated.

Prompt: Dueling by blackwingsblackwords (T, 534)

In which a lesson is learned.

Cut Me Open (and use me) by @triggerlil

Draco is the heir to the throne of England. Harry is a nobleman who wants to reclaim his honour. Somehow, these two things are intimately linked. Enter a sword, a dagger, and the hands of God, and you have a story about two men with tongues like knives, learning to lick love off sharp edges.

Day 13: Mirror

Deep Dark Truthful Mirror by @ladderofyears (E, 2k)

Draco shows Harry a very old, very powerful magical object: a mirror that will show his deepest, darkest sexual desires.

Getting Ready for Harry by @chuckweasley (G, Digital Art)

Harry likes Draco in glitter and cozy sweaters...don’t we all?

Day 16: Magic Sex Toys

hot damn, hot water, hot shower by @crimsonhead-ache

Harry was more than ready for a long soak, a nice glass of firewhiskey, and twelve hours of sleep.

Too bad life never works out the way it's planned, or is it?

Colour, love? by @choulatte (E, 7.7k)

Holding Harry’s gaze, Draco took out the lube and let his fingers dance over the golden cockring he'd previously kept hidden, liberally coating it in the slippery substance. He watched how Harry’s eyes followed his movements, a desperate groan escaping the other man when he finally recognized his fate.

Draco merely smiled.

Both by @chuckweasley (E, Digital Art)

Harry knows Draco likes to be filled.

Day 17: Room of Requirement

No Fantasy Required by @manixzen (E, 4.1k)

The Room of Requirement has never quite recovered from the war. It seems hell-bent on fulfilling every need of students and faculty alike, in or out of the room itself. Professors Potter and Malfoy really wish it would stop trying to do the students’ homework, though.

The Room Of Requirement Always Provides by @ladderofyears (E, 100)

Just a hundred words of Draco and Harry having some smutty fun in the Room of Requirement.

Day 18: Herbology

Knowledge by @ladderofyears (E, 100)

Harry and Draco inhale sex pollen.

Day 19: Hair Pulling

Yeah, Pull it Harder by @chuckweasley (E, Digital Art)

The sex is very good.

Day 20: Veritaserum

Neither Of Us Have To Say A Single Word by @ladderofyears (T, 365)

When Draco is being badly bullied, Harry steps in and looks after him. Pre-slash.

A Bit of Honesty by @manixzen (E, 3.6k)

A Hogwarts ball, a spiked punch, Professor Potter and Professor Malfoy on chaperone duty… what could go wrong?

Day 21: Dragonhide

Dressing Up by @ladderofyears (T, 333)

The Potter-Malfoy family negotiate the tricky issue of Halloween costumes.

All Wrapped Up by @chuckweasley (E, Digital Art)

The boys take care of each other the best they can.

Day 22: Gillyweed

The Shape Of Love by @ladderofyears (E, 200)

Harry and Draco take Gillyweed and make love in The Black Lake.

Day 25: Tattoos

Tear it down piece by piece by moonstruckmuse (E, 7.8k)

Draco just wants to get rid of this stupid Dark Mark. Why is this so complicated?

His to Adorn, to Cherish, & to Keep by @maesmora (E, 1.4k)

Draco Malfoy is many things: calm, collected, in control. At least until Harry Potter gets his hands on him, and those aren't the only things Draco lets Harry put on his body...

Day 26: Exhibitionism

how can anybody have you and lose you and not lose their mind too? by @crimsonhead-ache (E, 3.8k)

As soon as he received that letter in the post last week from Potter’s boyfriend, he knew he would be in for it.

Day 27: Formal Wear

I guess that’s just me, honey, I guess that’s how I’m built by @crimsonhead-ache (E, 4k)

The way they adorned Potter’s body like they were made for him made him want to kiss his seamstresses’ feet. The lines, the colors, brought out his skin tone like nothing ever could.

Well, except perhaps the ropes Draco keeps in the bottom drawer of his bedside table.

Harry Potter and his Great Big Suit Kink by @swisstae (M, 2k)

Harry really doesn’t want to say it. Not because he thinks Draco will judge, mind you, but because it’s so embarrassing. Harry Potter—Saviour of the Wizarding World—turning into an incoherent mess at the sight of his boyfriend wearing a suit.

Waste Not, Want Not by @dragontamerdame (M, Art)

Harry may have gone a bit too far.

Day 28: Floo

the rush I get touchin’ you is somethin’ else by @crimsonhead-ache (E, 3.1k)

Harry frowned though; instead of feeling his joggers that had adorned his lower-half, now he felt the air hit his bare legs. He was going to murder Draco.

come through the fire my love by @triggerlil (T, 534)

Harry prepares for date night with Draco... until the man calls him through the floo to tell him he'll be late. Draco's just lucky Harry has a thing for fire.

Day 29: Wandless Magic

Without a touch by moonstruckmuse (M, 207)

Learning to do wandless magic.

#hpkinktober #hp kinktober #harry potter #draco malfoy #draco/harry #harry potter/draco malfoy #draco malfoy/harry potter #drarry #kinktober drarry #drarry master list #drarry fic post #fic recs #drarry fics #drarry fic list #drarry rec list #harry/draco

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askmerriauthor · 3 years

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Jedi: Fallen Order thoughts 1/?

So, having just finished what is apparently a canon entry into the current Star Wars lore, I'm left with some feelings about the story itself and some choices it made as a game. Spoilers after the jump.

I mean, it's a really impressive tech demo?

The game's developers are clearly trying to flaunt a lot of really impressive visuals and dynamic elements within the game. Some work, some don't. They're seemingly very proud of their lighting engine, the main character's hair rendering, the "no loading screen" transition between zones. All of which are commendable and fairly impressive on a technical matter. The problem shows up when they actually manage to interfere with the story, or when the game gets too big for its own britches. Some graphics-heavy areas looked amazing while others - the Wookie planet of Kashyyyk in particular - choked my XBone to the point that it rendered out a stuttering slide show and actually hard crashed my entire system.

So, like, presentation first. We'll discuss the story after that.

The game is very pretty, no doubt there. Excellent visuals and a number of specific scenes - done in mid-gameplay rather than as cutscenes - were genuinely impressive cinematic beats. There's two particular dream/hallucination scenes where our main character, Cal, has the entire setting around him transition smoothly into a different scenario as the player sweeps the camera around back into view and they both were used to great impact. There's a handful of moments where the game itself takes camera control away from the player to help tell the story as the player controls Cal's movements as well, and those are each stand-out beats. It's obvious there's a lot of intention behind this game to make something evocative, and I really appreciate that.

The story is the stumbling point, however, as well as how the presentation gets in the way of the narrative.

Ostensibly, "Fallen Order" tries to tell a found family tale where a group of misfits full of their own hang-ups and trauma come together to defy the odds and achieve something greater. Solid base right from the get-go. Love the trope, love the stories it can tell. The trouble is that "Fallen Order"'s dynamic loading system directly contradicts that story. Throughout ambient dialogue chatter given off by Cal throughout gameplay, the impression is given that he's spending time with the cast and developing that found family relationship. Idly talking about how he questions the cooking skill of the ship's pilot, or downtime spent alongside his fellow former Jedi on the ship. The issue is that the game's presentation never gives any opportunity for that to happen at all. The game's camera is perpetually set just over Cal's shoulder and never leaves his immediate presence. There's no point where the audience's view slips away in a "fade to black" transition where time passes unseen, or where we hop over to a completely different part of the story to see what another character or villain is up to. The only time the camera ever directly leaves Cal is to show the establishing shot of the ship or room he's currently inside and about to step out of.

There's no point of time where we're not directly observing Cal, so it becomes really obvious that, no, you sure as hell didn't question the pilot's cooking or spend time with your fellow Jedi because we've been here with you the entire time. Hell, Cal doesn't ever actually eat at all during the game and because there's no day/night cycle or transitionary period in the narrative, it makes it seem like the entire story takes place over a single day. The narration and dialogue wants to tell us that this is all taking place over a long period of time, and that these characters have off-screen interactions. But the actual presentation of the game itself completely defies that.

Like, for instance, something Star Wars itself does in its other forms of media is give moments where the scene wipes away, often when characters are traveling into Hyperspace. It's assumed by we the audience that the characters are doing stuff in the meantime of travel, like Obi-wan training Luke with a targeting droid or Chewie losing a board game. "Fallen Order" wants to show off its seamless loading times and has the entire process of choosing a destination, traveling to it, and arriving done completely on-screen in real time with no cuts. So the game itself unintentionally yet actively prevents us from having any reasonable point where we could assume the characters are having downtime moments together.

It just ends up being a really wonky choice as far as direction is concerned and, in the end, I suppose it can be overlooked. Anyone who really wanted to speculate on the found family dynamic of the characters could very easily just set aside the actual gameplay, after all.

As for the actual story itself, it's... I don't know. Meh? It's there, it happens, it's apparently canon. But the problem is that it's 100% pointless because the events of the story are entirely self-enclosed, do absolutely nothing to progress the setting, and firmly entrench the status quo at the end. Basically if Disney wanted to use any of these characters or events in the future, fans who played this game could go "Ooh, I know who that is!" for a bit of a continuity nod. But, at the same time, Disney could completely ignore "Fallen Order" entirely from here on out and it wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference to the setting. If you're going to make a canon contribution to a larger pre-existing lore, it should always expand the canon. It should always move things forward or open up different pathways to explore. "Fallen Order" doesn't do that at all. Its story renders itself pointless by the end and basically all the characters spend the entire time getting up to a point where they can have forward momentum... right as the credits roll.

This post is already running very long, so I think I'll save the actual narrative discussion for a follow-up post. I've got a particular bone to pick with the "illusion of choice" method this game uses and I know I can ramble a long while on that alone. I'll link back to this one after it goes up.

#star wars #jedi fallen order

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