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#but everyone else just like???? felt completely ooff
mell0bee · 1 year
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ok i dont want to maintag but just finished s4 of tdp and is it just me or was it kind of wack??? (spoilers in tags)
#like i love terry. i thought viren was pretty good. ezran was great and soren was pretty good too#but everyone else just like???? felt completely ooff#which is so weird bc i feel like this show usually has such a pulse on these characters#and as someone who didnt read any of the tie in novels i felt completely lost re: rayla and callum which is. wack.#the last ep or 2 also lost me. so much deus ex machina for no reason.#why is there a lemur.#the season is called the mystery of aaravos and yet hes barely in it#and it feels like there is hardly any payoff for anything#also i feel like they did claudia so dirty like she was such a compelling character so why did her motivations change to be completely wack#in that scene with soren#i liked the amaya and janai plot but it felt so disconnected from everything#idk man i havent rewatched it in a while but s1-3 were just. good. tight writing and characters. the humor pretty much always fell flat#but thats finr#but like. ?????#wack.#bee post#the last episode is almost comical with how many fakeouts and deus ex machina there is like im sorry but i cant take it seriously#maybe i really am too old for this. watching a show at 15 wont be the same as watching a show at 19.#but like part of why i liked tdp so much was bc it never felt like it was talking down to its audience???? it told it how it was!!#like it treated the audience like it was smart and it would catch onto nuances and here its just#cheap tropes and characters that are all over the place#am i going insane???#ok anyway give me a few days to be salty about it and then i will calm down probably
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spaceorphan18 · 3 years
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99 Perspectives on a Single Love Story #64
A/N: The Story of Kurt and Blaine told through the eyes of everyone else but them. Each chapter is a different perspective in the ongoing tale of their love story.
I started something like this a while back - and now I’m taking the idea and really running with it. Each chapter is a ficlet of a different character at a different point in Kurt and Blaine’s life - documenting their love story. This starts in Audition, and each chapter will be paired with a different episode until reaching Dreams Come True.
[Ao3]
***
Isabelle Wright (Lights Out) 
Monday mornings are rough.  It’s not that she had partied hard last night - she’s definitely not in her twenties any more - ooff - but the afterparties of the Gala went late into the night.  And Isabelle always feels obligated not to be the first one to leave.  
As she heads back from the break room, black coffee in hand, she notes that the only person who seems to be in as early as her is her intern - Kurt Hummel.  Instead of the normal clicking away at the computer, however, he’s looking pensively into his phone.  She isn’t sure what it is about Kurt, but she feels a special kinship with him. He’s young and green and she can’t help but want to keep an eye out for him.  It can be a hard city when you first arrive (god does she know) and while he’s already had a few bumps in the road, she hopes to make sure he keeps on the right track.  
“Morning, hon,” she rests on the doorframe of the tiny office they’ve set up for the few interns.  “Have a good night last night?”
“Isabelle, hi!” Kurt looks up, happily surprised to see her.  “Oh my god, yes, it was amazing.  Thank you again.  That must have been one of the best nights of my life.  Completely magical.” 
“Well that’s good.” She grins.  “I’m glad you had fun.  You’re here early - I half expected you to call in and sleep.” 
“Oh, I got a couple hours.  It was fine.” Kurt waves it off.  Ah, to his youthful energy again.  “I had to be up for class today anyway.”  
There’s a ding from his phone, and Kurt’s distractedly texts back, a serious look in his eye.  Isabelle waits for him to finish to speak again.  “Everything going okay?” 
“Yeah, just my dad,” he says with a heavy sigh.  “I told him, Blaine’s going to continue to come over to make sure he’s looking after himself, and make sure he’s cooking good meals.  He gets cranky about it.  I mean, my step-mom is great, and my brother’s there, but I just feel better when Blaine goes over there.  He’ll make sure dad takes his meds and not over do it with the fried foods.” 
“Well that’s sweet,” Isabelle says, noting that this is the same Blaine whom Kurt talked endlessly about when he first arrived.  The same Blaine that Kurt didn’t mention at all after their romance seemed to end.  The same Blaine that, after Christmas, Kurt would mention tentatively, as if feeling out how that name works in his life again.  She’s, if nothing else, intrigued at how integrated Blaine’s become in his life again.  
There’s another ding, and this time Kurt lets out a little chuckle while reading his phone, placing his hand over his mouth.  “Oh, Blaine…” he says, mostly to himself.  “I was just showing him photos from last night,” Kurt adds quickly, realizing that Isabelle is still standing there.  “And he said, well…” he stops himself before he says too much, but his grin gives him away.  “I shouldn’t probably repeat what he said, but earlier he mentioned I looked like James Bond in my tux.”  
“Well, you definitely are classy all dressed up like that,” she says.  “So, I take it things with the tumultuous ex-boyfriend aren’t going so badly anymore?”
She has seemingly put him on the spot.  He looks down, flushing a little.  “Oh, we are, um,” he stops himself again.  “I don’t know that we’re going to be exes much longer.” 
Isabelle raises an eyebrow.  She’s not surprised to say the least, even if he looks slightly hesitant about it.  She can’t say she ever felt this strongly about her relationships back when she was his age.  Still, she can’t help but take a more motherly approach.  “And you’re confident about that?” 
Kurt holds the phone up to his mouth, thinking hard about it.  “I’m not happy about what happened.  I feel like it’s just going to take a lot more time to work through that.  But we’ve been talking.  A lot. A lot of really good talks.   And at the end of the day, I love him.  And I realized that I don’t want to be with anyone else.”  
She gives him a kindly grin.  “Well, that’s good Kurt.  I’m happy for you.” 
“Yeah…” he says, drifting off dreamily.  “Oh, and before I forget to ask you - what is up Darren Aronofsky and Christopher Nolan? I mean, do they just hate each other? Frenemies? Secret Lovers? Whatever it is - that energy was intense.” 
“Oh, god, don’t get me started....” 
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Sweet dreams, TN
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Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Helena Craig) x M!OC (Clay Banner)
Words count: ~2.1k
Category: Smut/Angst/AU
Warning: 🔞 content/Language
A.N: I really wanted to picture something else. What if my MC didn’t get her place at Edenbrook Hospital in her first year and her boyfriend did? And what happens if she comes as a surgical resident in the 2nd year? Also I’ve decided that in this fic I’ll call MC in her middle name Helena or shortened Helen/Ellie. It’s the alter-ego of Klaw so it has nothing to do with her. After posting this I’ll log off from Tumblr ‘cause I know it’s a disaster😭😭😭😭
Song: “Sweet dreams, TN” - The Last Shadow Puppets (pls hear this first to understand it better ❤️)
MASTERLIST
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I just sort of always feel sick without you baby
I ain’t got anything to lick without you baby
Nothing seems to stick without you baby
Ain’t I fallen in love
“Do you have the keys for the handcuffs?”
“Whoa. Is someone getting a little afraid hm?”
“Well I don’t want to be useless without my hands. So I can touch you.”
“I do have the keys darling.” The two faces were closer breathing into each other’s air. “But I need you to be quiet now.”
“Show me then.”
It’s just the pits without you baby
It’s really just the pits without you baby
It’s like everyone’s a dick without you baby
Ain’t I fallen in love
The command was clear and both of them entered to the inevitable path.
Feeling each other’s skins in the most obscenely way and falling to that wild imagination that both of them had been restraining for a long time.
It was a heavenly and a desirably emotion that led themselves to be part of this trap.
They could hear their accelerated heartbeats as more and more they looked hungrily and darkly like animals fighting for domination.
Blue vs Brown.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
And all my pals will tell me is that I’m crazy
You bet I’m loopy alright
And I just don’t recognise this fool
That you have made me
Whoa I ain’t seen him for a while
Panting breath wasn’t in their expectations and shared a laugh before they reached the culmination and he unlocked her handcuffs to fall completely in his arms.
Their strong embrace fitted perfectly the curves of their bodies despite their sweat. When he was about to pull off she pouted in a whisper.
“No. Stay.”
“I will.” He promised with a searing kiss.
“But you did left me.” Her expression changed completely and in a mere of seconds she wasn’t there.
He blinked. “What?”
The sound of the alarm woke him up and suddenly he felt his underwear soaked.
“Holy shit I did this again!” He growled in frustration as he rubbed his face.
He made attempts to get up but his knees were too weak to keep his balance. Another attempt and he slowly started to walk. Or better a crawling you may call it.
He turned on his bathtub to make a quick shower and to clear this mess of himself. But the hot water made him feel again those goosebumps of that sweet dream and closed his eyes again.
She looped his arms around his waist and start to kiss his shoulders slowly and gently while moving her hands up and down his bellybutton. He let a content sigh while drifting again to that imaginary scene.
And as your shrinking figure blows a kiss
I catch and smash it on my lips
Darling I can’t seem to quit.
When there wasn’t a shoulder to lean on his head, he slapped his face growling loudly and continued his shower in disappointment.
Completely falling to bits
I really might be losing it
The idea that you’ve existed all along is ridiculous
I don’t know what to say
He missed her.
Not longer after that he arrived at Edenbrook gladly on time thanks to his fast BMW vehicle. He carried his bag through the hall of the hospital and a megawatt smile that he recognised it very well stopped him.
“Yo yo look who’s back again. My mann!” They clapped their backs.
“Ooff Bryce!” He was breathing hardly. “We were celebrating yesterday for the end of our intern year. I’m sure that we didn’t miss each other that much.”
“C’mon Banner can’t you just be funnier person in your life for once hm?”
Clay rolled his eyes. “Anyways I have to change my clothes unless you don’t have anything else to say.”
“I do actually.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I met someone today.”
“So?”
“You have no idea whom I have met.”
“Let me guess did President Biden come here?” He snorted when he saw Bryce’s not amused reaction. “Okay fine go on.”
“As I was saying I met today a female but let me tell you man... this woman is not like the others. She’s like a goddess that entered to this building and blessed my life when I made eye contact with her.”
Clay was really trying his best not to laugh to this exaggeration. “You have met plenty of women and it’s not your first time Bryce.”
“Tsk. It is my first time. And may I add she was like queen Cleopatra that summoned everyone when she walked here.” Bryce added in a wandering gaze while he was doing his usual ministrations. “Black stilettos clicking and wearing those black leathery pants revealing her curves...ohh I’m thinking I’m going to fall in love man. She had a long coat on her shoulders and that white shirt mmhmm.” He closed his eyes. “She truly was the boss and I’m betting on this... her elegant body will be in my bed. But-”
“And there’s always a but right?”
“Can you believe I didn’t get her name?! Not even her number!”
His friend squealed in laughter. “What did you think fool? That she was going to follow you straight into the on-call room?”
“Yes!” Bryce exclaimed. “That’s what I thought too man but I lost her because that damn nurse came to me for signing a patient in a surgery.” He sighed and shook his head. “I lost the most perfect chance today and I don’t even know what she was doing here... she can’t be a doctor though ‘cause she’s too beautiful for this job.”
“Well then good luck on finding her ‘cause I have to go now. See you.” He trailed off to the direction of the elevator.
“Yea see ya.” He waved back at him before he muttered. “Go back to surgery Bryce before Tanaka cuts you off.”
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“This is going to be your office.”
“Thank you so much Mist- Dr. Tennant!” She corrected herself briefly before she would say another embarrassing thing. “I really don’t know how to express my gratitude for this.”
He scoffed. “Please can you just talk normally Dr. Craig? I think at the first time we met the rule was by names. Call me Simon.”
“Sure. Simon.” She really wasn’t used to it though. First no title of Miss/Mister and now calling by names. USA had really big differences with UK not only in titles but also in medical policy and legacy.
“And now I must say to you congratulations!” They shook hands. “And also I’d like to introduce you to our Diagnostics Team.”
She nodded in agreement.
When they finally arrived at the front door Simon stepped first to get the attention of his colleagues who seemed to be occupied as they were studying a case so he cleared his throat loudly. All of them turned their gazes to him except for an attending who didn’t even have to recognise his friend’s voice.
“What now Simon?”
“Hello to you too my pal. You know everyone that there was going to be a resident in the absence of Edgar’s, right?”
“Yes we know that.” The Japanese-British woman spoke.
“Have you brought him here?!” Judging by his accent it was an Indian man who exclaimed happily.
Simon chuckled. “Yes Baz but it’s her.”
“Ooooohh.”
“Let’s hope she’ll be useful for this job.”
“Don’t worry Ethan. She was selected as the best surgical intern in Imperial College of London Hospital and many other things among but I’ll let her to present herself.” He made her a signal to come inside.
“Everyone this is Dr. Helena Craig.”
“Please you can call me Helen or Ellie if you want.”
“I like Helen better.” The woman got up and shook her hand. “Dr. June Hirata.”
“Me too! Hi I’m Dr. Sebastian Mirani but everyone calls me simply Baz.”
“Ethan?” Simon asked quietly to get up and greet with her but he wasn’t moving any inch.
Helen gave him a knowing smile and said without breaking her gaze to him. “It’s alright for me if we don’t shake hands. I feel the same way too when I meet people that haven’t given me a good and a reliable impression at first so I completely understand your condition now.”
She caught him off guard. Ethan Ramsey expected her to scowl or glare into his eyes but instead she was killing him with that radiating smile.
Fuck.
The same smile that was reserved for him yesterday at Donahue’s bar.
In the corner of his eyes there was an unfamiliar face that stayed some stools away from him.
She lit up a cigarette even though Reggie had been strictly to every client not to use it but it seemed she didn’t care about it.
Her blonde hair was tied up in a bun revealing her constructed jaw and her long neck.
She had also earrings pierced. Was she a troublesome woman? Or maybe a drugs dealer judging by her extravagant outfit. But what caught his attention was that she didn’t look amused or happy.
She was sad. And exhausted.
Along with her was a small luggage that she had carried with herself here. She called Reggie to bring her a strong scotch and found by the latter that she was British and it was her first time in Boston.
She had also asked him for a hotel nearby this place and Reggie suggested some of them including “La Vista” Hotel which was the best. She thanked and left him the payment.
Now her eyes landed on the icy blue that had been staring on her for a long time and gave him a wicked smile. She raised her glass in purpose and licked her lips after drinking bits of it.
She was really gorgeous in all of his honesty and they didn’t break their eye contact for maybe a couple of minutes. He could do it every time without any hesitation just to rest in those piercing brown’s.
He was a very handsome man and even though he seemed older than her, she didn’t give a single shit. She could imagine his toned muscles and abs beyond those pesky clothes. She was marveled and could sense that he felt the same too.
It was like they both understood each other.
No words needed.
Only looks.
But she knew who he was. Ethan Ramsey. And she was glad that made him completely at her mercy and was enjoying it.
Poor man she thought.
She couldn’t wait for his reaction tomorrow when he would find out who she was actually.
His colleague.
Helen could imagine his flustered face and transfixed into her with his mouth agape.
She got up from her seat slowly in a tantalizing move while he drank in one gulp his scotch and called Reggie again for another fill.
She walked past him but before leaving with her luggage she lowered her head to his ear whispering dangerously. Her breath was a tingle in his ears and could almost feel her lips brushed.
“Thank you for the distraction. I really needed it.” 
She left unceremoniously when something dropped from her and he immediately caught it.
It was one of her earrings with the initial ‘H’. He was about to call her but she was gone.
Maybe he would find her tomorrow again. Here.
And he really found her. In the most obscenely and the most embarrassing way if he could describe it. Instead of what she said he got up with his smuggling look.
“Wrong observation.” When she heard his deep voice for the first time she gulped and could see his eyes glimmering triumphantly. “I hope you don’t ruin this opportunity.”
He caught her off guard. While they were touching each other’s palms an unknown heat coursed down in their bodies. Bullshit they thought because he was just an attending and she was a resident. Suddenly another voice was approaching to them.
“I’m terribly sorry for my lateness but I was-”
He abruptly stopped himself when he saw her.
His eyes were widened and his breath hitched.
She was here.
Baby we ought to fuck
Seven years of bad luck
Out of the powder room mirror
Could I have made it any clearer
She saw him too.
But not with a happy or a grateful face that always had welcomed his heart.
This was a mere seconds of glaring and then a plastered smile that he knew too well.
Clay Banner had screwed things up a year before he entered Edenbrook Hospital.
And now the woman of his dreams was standing right in front of him with his attending.
His girlfriend.
His Helen.
Or... was?
It’s love like a tongue in a nostril
Love like an ache in the jaw
You’re the first day of spring
With a septum piercing
Little Miss Sweet Dreams, TN
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TAGS WILL APPEAR IN A REBLOG!
Ps: if this fic doesn’t surpass The Grinch Girl fic notes... there’s not going to be a part two😂😂 sorry...and Happy (late) International Women’s Day💪🏻💋🥰🥰
UPDATE: Part two is posted and it’s called- She’s thunderstorms
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lemonlushff-iy · 4 years
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Read parts 1-3 here
One Last Ride - Part Four
Kagome picked up another smooth, small, flat rock and tossed it, skipping it down the creek behind the Takahashi's house. It only made two jumps this time. She hadn't realized she was as rusty as she clearly was.
Dinner had been a...strained affair. Inuyasha's father, Touga, had been a bit more receptive to her presence. Probably since both he and his eldest son, Sesshomaru, had known that she was around. Seeing her mash a bowl of potatoes in their kitchen probably didn't give them as big a shock as his mother seeing her hold two glasses of water.
Frankly, Sesshomaru had been practically giddy when they came in. Probably because he was excited to see how her presence would torment his brother.
The mashing was actually a perfect activity for her. It gave her a chance to take out some of her aggression about fucking Kikyo. And everything else. But especially Kikyo.
She was a good woman, huh?
Bull. Fucking. Shit.
What the hell made her a good woman? One good enough for Inuyasha? Was it because she was the history teacher at the highschool? Was it because she went to church every Sunday and led the children's service? Was it because she had been trying to suck his dick since they hit puberty?
She smashed the masher down so hard that she almost broke the glass bowl at the thought, causing everyone to shoot her an odd look. She smiled weakly and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, apologizing as they made jokes about she-hulk.
Her mind wouldn't shut up though..and Kagome quickly found herself thinking about Kikyo again. She was finally getting her chance, huh? Kikyo was finally getting her grubby little paws all over her Inuyasha.
Only...he wasn't hers...and she hadn't had a claim over him in years.
She had needed a moment to compose herself after that, and excused herself to use the bathroom. She stood over the sink, her arms braced on either side of the white porcelain as she just...opened her heart.
He had every right to move on.
He had every right to find happiness with someone else.
She just didn't think that it would hurt this much...but...he had been a huge part of her life for ten years. Since they were kids. She had been so stupid to think it wouldn't be this bad.
She felt tears gathering at her lashes, spilling over and down her cheeks as she heard his father tell Inuyasha to let her be. Great. Let's add that to the mix. They knew she was crying. Stupid dog demons and their sense of smell. She couldn't have one moment to gather herself together in privacy?
She quickly splashed some water onto her face and cheeks, trying to get rid of the most recent thing to completely humiliate her. She opened the door and ran smack into Inuyasha's chest, not expecting to see him there at all.
"Inuyasha?" she questioned, unable to look him in the eye, and she gasped when she felt his hand on her cheek. His thumb gently glided over her, feeling the cool residue of the water against her skin. The heat from his hand was soothing...and soul crushing all at the same time.
"You've been crying," he whispered, not bothering to beat around the bush.
"I'm fine," she dismissed, forcing herself to not turn her head into his palm and nuzzle his hand. His skin was so calloused now...but it felt so good. A working man's hands. Nothin like her ex "pet cat" Zach's hands.
"Hm…" he replied, searching her face before coming to a decision. "Kagome...Pops and Sessh are back. I can easily take you to your mom's and come by later with the car. If this is…" he sighed, lowering his hand from her cheek and running it through the fringe of his bangs. "If bein' here is too much or too hard, you don't hafta. It's pretty clear you've been avoiding...this the last seven years. You don't hafta stop now just 'cause fate made your car break down in front of our land."
"I think Ford made my car break down, not fate," she shrugged, and a smile tugged at his lips.
"You slandering a good American made car, Higurashi?"
"Or an anti-semite. Take your pick."
"You and your causes," he tsked. "They still make the best damn truck I've ever been in. Doesn't mean I gotta like the man."
"As I recall you don't like a lot of people."
His eyes filled with sorrow and he stuck his hands into his pockets, shrugging.
"Probably 'cause a lotta people don't like me."
"I did," she whispered softly, and he looked away from her.
"You always were the exception to the rule, Kagome. All of 'em."
"Inuyasha—"
"—Well? What do ya wanna do? Dinner or home, Kagome. No one is gonna twist your arm either way."
"I...I'll stay. I want to stay. If you're ok with it."
"'Course I am."
Now, she was skipping rocks in the stream waiting for Inuyasha to get a gallon of water together so they could go and check on the rental.
"Beena while since anyone skipped rocks out here," Inuyasha called, coming to stand beside her, jug of water in hand.
"No? You don't do this anymore?"
"Not since...not since you left," he replied hesitantly, dropping the water by their feet and picking up a rock, absently palming it as he looked out over the water. "I wonder if I even can still," he mused before wiping his arm back and flicking the rock forward. It bounced once before it sank and he let out a disappointed sound. "Guess not."
"Might have been a bad stone too, you know," she shrugged. "Why don't you try again?"
He gave her a wry smile but picked up another one, repeating the same movements as before and the rock sank.
"Ooff...Takahashi...how was that even worse than before?"
"Another bad fucking rock," he chuckled, but leaned down and grabbed a small handful, giving her one. "You think you can do better?"
"I know I can," she smirked, flicking her rock and getting two bounces out of it. She turned to face him, throwing her arms up into the air and doing a little victory dance.
"Oh yeah? That's how you wanna play this?"
"You better believe it," she crowed, and she watched as he wound his arm back like a pitcher before letting it loose. It bounced three times before sinking, and he shot her a smirk.
"Guess I'm just rusty," he shrugged, and she rolled her eyes.
"Don't get too cocky - you only did that the one time so far."
"Yeah? I bet I can do it again."
"Oh you do, do you?"
"Sure do," he smirked, tossing another rock, and it bounced three times again. "Man...this takes ya back, don't it?" he grinned. "Remember how we used to do this as kids?"
"We have a lot of good memories at this crick. Like the time you thought you could run away from home by walking through this thing to my house? All ten damn miles? Your dad tracked you down...what...twenty minutes after you showed up soaking wet?"
"I didn't want to do my chores," he shrugged.
"As good a reason as any," she conceded and he laughed, watching as she tossed another stone up the creek.
"What about the summer we were obsessed with pirates? And the one we learned about the gold rush?"
"Oh god, we were soaked all summer! Your mom was good humored about it all at least. Didn't mind us borrowing all of her pots and pans to go panning for gold."
"Is that what you remember?" he snorted. "'Cause I remember having my butt whooped and being made to wash alla them."
"No! She did?" she laughed. "Well...I guess I can't blame her. They would have been filthy."
"Filthy would be putting it lightly," he chuckled, tossing another rock. It bounced four times this time, and she applauded him.
"Alright Takahashi. Not bad."
"You bet your ass! That was pretty damn good! There's no way you can beat that."
"You think so?" she smiled, grabbing a few more and tossing one. Two bounces.
"See?"
"Yeah...well...that's because we're not betting on anything right now."
"So it takes a bag for warheads to make you really competitive?" he asked, raising a brow.
"Oh my...Yes! I forgot that's what we used to use! That's what those little sour candies were called! And then we'd separate them into colors, and the winner got first pick...which really meant all of the black ones?"
"You do remember!" he grinned, tossing a rock into the air once before swinging his arm and bouncing it three times.
"Of course I remember. God...what were the rules? Who ever got the most bounces out of twenty was the winner?"
"Sounds right," he nodded as she tossed one in. "Then we stopped playing for candy," he continued solemnly. "We started playing for kisses instead. Then we just...stopped playing."
"Inuyasha—"
"—Hey. Crazy thought. Let's play one more time. Best outta three. Winner...winner gets to ask a question and the loser has to answer it honestly."
"Sounds dangerous…"
"Less dangerous than when we used to play for kisses?"
"Depends on your definition of dangerous," she replied casually, palming the rock as she mulled his proposition over. She was nervous about what he might ask her. There was a cornucopia of sticky, awkward questions he could choose from...but she really wanted a few answers herself. "Fine," she finally decided. "You've got yourself a deal. But...No saving your question. You have to ask it now, deal?"
"Fair enough," he grinned, tossing the first rock, and she cringed when it bounced five times.
"I thought you were rusty?"
"Guess it's like riding a bike," he smirked. "Go on. It's your turn now, Kagome," he prodded and she silently swore.
Two bounces, and two more throws later, and she was the clear loser. She watched him do a small little victory lap around her, jumping up and down before coming to stand back by the gallon of water that sat forgotten by their feet.
"Alright, alright…" she chuckled. "Stop gloating and ask me your question," she prodded, crossing her arms over her chest.
She almost regretted saying it. All of the light drained from his eyes as soon as he was reminded of the question in his mind. He opened his mouth to ask, then snapped it shut, almost as if second guessing himself.
"What's your favorite color?" he finally asked, and she gaped at him, shocked.
"I...you know what my favorite color is, Inuyasha," she replied, her head tilting slightly to the side as her brows knit together.
"It's beena while. It coulda changed."
"It hasn't…It's still green..."
"Well then. Guess I know now. We should get over to that rental," he prodded, bending down to pick up the jug of water and lead her towards the truck in silence.
They both knew that wasn't what he had really wanted to ask...she just...she just wasn't sure if she wanted to pry. She closed the door as he started the ignition and buckled in, the jug of water in the flat bed behind them. Some new country song she couldn't identify immediately started blaring on the radio, and he stuck his arm out the window, tapping the side of the truck to the beat of the music.
Clearly, it wasn't new to him.
"Do you still like country?" she heard him ask after a minute. "Didn't even think to ask if this was fine. I know it's not as popular out in California."
"Would you stop saying California like that?"
"Like what? That's how I say California."
"No it's not," she insisted, shaking her head. "That's how you talk if you're about to vomit from bad cheese."
"Guess the real question should be why I ate bad cheese...and why you know what that sounds like. You eating bad cheese out in California?" he asked, over emphasising his disdain of the state as he spat the word out.
"No...I'm not eating bad cheese in California. It's just a state, same as anywhere else."
He slammed his foot on the break, making them shoot forward from inertia and she heard the jug of water smack into the side of the truck bed.
"California is not the same as anywhere else. Don't you dare say that, Higurashi. How can you say that, with all them city folk buying up our land to pretend they can be a rancher for the summer? They like the fantasy of who we are. Not the reality."
"But they're hiring peop—"
"—Do not try to defend them. You hear me? Don't you dare start with me, Higurashi."
"Ok," she whispered. It wasn't worth arguing over. She forgot how small minded he could be sometimes. How he could be so...wrapped up in this life that he didn't see the more global picture.
"Glad we're clear," he nodded, removing his foot from the break and back to the gas so the truck could slowly start accelerating again.
"So…" she began awkwardly after a moment. "You and Kikyo, huh?"
"Whatta 'bout it?"
"Nothing. Just... didn't seem that into her when we were younger."
"Didn't really see her back then."
"And you do now? When did that happen?"
He let out a deep sigh as her rental came into view, the setting sun washing over the silver and making it glow. Inuyasha put the car into park, turning off the engine and drummed his fingers against the wheel in thought.
"You really wanna have this conversation Kagome?" he finally asked, turning to shoot her an uncertain look.
"I'm curious," she shrugged weakly, failing at looking nonchalant. "Besides. You know all about Zach."
"So the pet cat has a name," he whistled. "Bet he's a pretty boy too. Those cat demons normally are. Lemme guess - green eyes? Blond hair? Perfectly quaffed wavy locks?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but yes. And we aren't together anymore anyways - we broke up a few weeks ago."
He blinked hard at her words as they seemed to roll around in his head.
"Now what did he do ta make ya end it with him?"
"Who says I ended it?" she snapped.
"Nothing. Just a gut feeling."
"Well I didn't so...so there!"
His face softened and he actually looked empathetic instead of like he was going to rip her throat out.
"Kagome...I'm sorry…"
"Don't be. I'm fine with it. We weren't meant to be, and it wasn't a good relationship. I mean, it was...but...it wasn't, you know?"
He nodded his head, silently gripping and relaxing his fingers around the wheel as he exhaled loudly.
"Still. I know how hard that is."
"Because of us?"
"You aren't the only woman I've ever dated, Kagome," he smiled wryly.
Why did that surprise her? It shouldn't.
"I know. You're with Kikyo now."
"I dated others before her too...and I think 'with' is a bit of a strong word."
"Then how would you describe it?"
"I'd describe it as none of your business."
She sighed and unbuckled her seatbelt, shaking her head as she moved to open the door. It was open only a crack before he reached over her and closed the door again. He cupped her cheek and turned her face to look at him, his face soft.
"Listen," he began with a long exhale, lowering his hand, "Kikyo 'n I are just talking. We've never even kissed. Hell, we've been on maybe two dates, depending on how ya look at it. And as for when I started to see her…" he paused and she watched him bite the inside of his lip before confessing. "Kagome, I never saw anyone other than you since the day you kissed me after I broke my arm. I was like a horse with blinders on. And then when you left...they stayed on for a real long time, until I just...woke up one day and they were finally off.
But, you don't...you don't get to be upset that there's a woman out there who likes me, got it? I offered you everything...and everything wasn't good enough for ya. It's good enough for someone else though, and you don't get to be upset over that, ok?"
She wanted to tell him it had been...She wanted to tell him that everything he had offered her was enough. She just hadn't been ready.
"And you don't get to be upset over who I date either," she replied instead, not wanting to pour salt on the still open wound.
He pursed his lips together and nodded his head in agreement.
"I don't. What's in the past should stay there...and we should both just...move on."
"Glad we agree," she replied tightly, reopening the door and he followed suit, walking around to the bed of the truck and pulling out the water jug. He made quick work of tending to her rental, pouring the water in and she pulled out the keys, hopping in and waiting for his signal to start it up.
"Why dontcha give it a go?" he prompted, and the engine rumbled to life again. He quickly closed the hood, backing away from the front and walking over to the side. "Sounds like ya should be fine. You got real lucky this time. Don't you start doubting Fords," he smiled weakly, and she returned it.
"I won't."
"Listen," he breathed slowly, nervously. "I...I just want you to take care of yourself. Ok?"
"This sounds a lot like goodbye again, Inuyasha," she mused, and he lowered his gaze.
"Aint it?"
Was it? Did she want it to be?
"I guess it is…" she whispered, glancing away from him. "Goodbye, Inuyasha. You take care of yourself too. I hope you're happy. Truely. With Kikyo or any of the others. You deserve to be."
She turned her head away from him and pulled her car out of park, shifting the gear into drive. She was about to step on the gas when she felt two clawed hands gently grab her face, pulling it out of the window.
She gasped and her eyes widened in surprise before closing when she felt his lips tenderly press against hers in a soft, lingering kiss before he pulled away. The feel of his lips against hers...it was just as she remembered it. Only she didn't remember this painful aching in her chest when they had kissed in the past...Or this horrible need to grab ahold of his neck to bury her face into his chest and just cry.
"Just wanted to do that one last time," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear, almost as if he were ashamed of himself. Of still wanting her. Of wanting what they once had. What they could have been.
It felt so final. Like they were finally closing the book, sealing it shut with glue, and tossing it into a fire so it could never be looked at again, let alone read.
She could only nod and whisper goodbye again before pulling away as twilight began to settle around them, heading down the road to her mother's...the feel of his lips on hers haunting her the whole way.
____________________
I’ve given up. This is me waving the white flag. But I don’t think I can keep doing daily posts...And I do want to have SOME stuff to post on White Day! And I hope you heathens are happy! I’ve been told this one didn’t hurt as much as the last....3 😬
Special thanks to @superpixie42 for helping me make sure Inuyasha’s dialect isn’t becoming too southern/Texan!
Wall of tags! Let me know if you want in or out!
(If you get tagged in this post after requesting tags, it’s because that’s how I’m keeping track of them. If you requested a tag and aren’t there, I might not have seen it so please ask again!)
@clearwillow, @keichanz, @dangerouspompadour, @nartista, @kaze-ranna, @superpixie42, @sticky-llama-perfection, @pinkpigeonstudio, @mcornilliac, @itzatakahashi, @zelink-inukag, @juliatheanimelover7, @csim28, @smmahamazing, @the-lucky-ones311, @cyncyn981, @animemomma96, @ayari17, @underwater0phelia, @sailorbabydoll92, @l-taisho29, @clearwillow, @animelove1313 
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squishymamasboy · 4 years
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my grey opinion on the new star wars movie
TL;DR comes first: It wasn’t a good movie but I loved it and I had fun!!
so yeah, tbh, after the first and second movie I stopped reading up on theories and what-might-happen posts and that was a very healthy decision because this fandom is so full of emotions and personal opinions that I didn’t even know what my own was anymore. Like I was so caught up in discourses that I stopped seeing the movies as something that I should just enjoy.
Obviously I see the problems and agree with shitty stuff like not making Finn and Poe canon. I hate it when people harass producers about their ships and try to make it canon but in this case I can absolutely understand the disappointment because not only did they hint at it (even the actors were supportive of it), it is also very clear that disney was simply afraid of doing it. What’s even worse is: on the one side Nazis hate it because of the 2 second lesbian kiss on screen and on the other side we hate it because that lesbian kiss was once again breadcrumbs that we are supposed to praise them for. But that’s all we’ve been getting for a decade now and I’m tired of it. So there’s that.
In case of plot... I mean, they already lost me after the first movie. It was bound to be bad when we realised that it’s the same plot as the original trilogy. Which I can only appreciate in a sense that it’s supposed to bring the original story closer to the younger audience. Fair enough. But it doesn’t bring anything new to the table. It’s not innovative and that’s disappointing.
And that’s about all that I criticise I think... You can hate the fan service in TROS but I loved it. It’s expected and I enjoyed it because those moments were part of the story and not just thrown to our feet like a treat. Reading up on some discourse now I realise that the second movie was done by someone else and now Abrams was kind of trying to thread everything together and lead it back to his own story again. Which basically makes the second movie irrelevant and makes the third one feel like two movies that were cut together. I didn’t mind it much though. And I kind of liked the fast pacing because I tend to get bored quite easily.
Now to the most sensitive subject: Reylo
Like... I can see the appeal but I can also see why people hate it. I’m not proud of the Reylo fic I wrote and certainly not proud of the fact that it’s my most successful fic. But that might just be because it’s the biggest franchise that I’ve written for in general.
It’s a ship that is hella problematic and fucked up but I tend to like fucked up things while still acknowledging the problems. And even though I shipped Reylo a little I never wanted it to be canon. And before the last movie I was like “I’m so over this ship” but THEN THEY DID IT SO WELL?
Like... I don’t know man, I think they handled Kylo Ren/Ben’s story really well and I’m glad he died at the end because obviously the movie couldn’t end with him being alive because there would’ve been no time address all the problematic things he did. He maybe would’ve celebrated with everyone during the last scene and the really interesting and important stuff would’ve stayed unresolved. With his death he didn’t redeem himself completely but a little, in my opinion. He’s like Snape, doing everything for the wrong reasons but he’s a very interesting character in itself. 
And I get it. I also hate that people are so quick to forgive him and want him to be redeemed when a person of colour would have been demonised within a blink. We’re living in a world where white straight men are the only people that are portrayed as redeemable. I hate hate hate hate that. And I understand that a lot of that anger is projected on Kylo Ren.
Kylo Ren has shown abusive behaviour by torturing and gaslighting Rey but Kylo Ren (or Ben) never has been just evil. He has been groomed and manipulated since childhood and this was the way he was taught. He’s like our mum or dad who were treated shitty by their parents and now they treat us shitty too because ‘they don’t know better’. But Kylo Ren is learning throughout the story. Not from the people who gave up on him but on the people he meets along the way (mostly Rey really, which is sad, there should have been other people too). I just wish they would’ve explored his reasoning a bit more. Because I was thinking ‘okay he’s helping her, but what comes after that? Why is he giving up on his thirst for power?' But I guess in the end it’s not Kylo Ren’s story. He’s just a plot device for Rey’s story and I kinda like that.
I think it’s interesting how he is struggling on the dark side because he feels the pull of the light and Rey is struggling because she feels the pull of the dark side. I like their bond and the idea behind it and he opened up to her so obviously she feels like she can save him.
Which is a whole nother problem. I have so many (girl)friends who stay with their abusive boyfriends because they think they can change them. It’s sooo toxic and I can see why people see it in Reylo. But she only tried in the second movie. In the last one she gave up on him and just followed her own path and to me it felt like he realised that he can only do it himself if he wants to. That’s why I really liked the scene with him and Han. It was a reflection of that scene when he killed his father, only now he had the strength to actually give up on the dark side. To me it was not Rey who triggered it by healing him. It was the death of his mother. That boy fucked up so much but his parents were still trying to save him. and I think a part of Leia was still with Ben, that’s why she didn’t vanish until he died.
And Ben died by giving his life to Rey, which was nice... I’m usually sad about the “get redeemed and die” trope but I think it was very fitting. And I have to admit I didn’t mind the kiss as much as I thought I would... If he had lived, I would’ve hated it because he obviously didn’t deserve it. That way though it didn’t matter anyway lol. BUT... it was actually a nice kiss. Because it wasn’t all tongue, it was just their lips being pressed together and almost had a platonic vibe to it? and I can totally see Rey giving platonic kisses to people? I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF PLATONIC KISSES. And obviously Ben has never kissed anyone and died a virgin so I’m not sure he felt like it was more than platonic either.
I DON’T KNOW I JUST LIKED IT. It seemed.... innocent. Which was unexpected, considering who they are.
And I liked that Reyfinnpoe had their final hug together because if it’s not finnpoe it’s obviously OT3 and anyone who hates it can block me pffhh.
so yeah, I had fun and I enjoyed it. I guess that’s all that matters at the end.
PS: OMG BUT STAR WARS OBVIOUSLY HAS DRAGONBALL Z/SUPERNATURAL SYNDROME. Everything has to become bigger and every enemy has to be worse than the last (even though this enemy literally is the same throughout all 9 movies ooff)
PS2: now that I’m going through the tag I see people either hating Ben and wishing him dead (HE ALREADY DIED GUYS) or either complaining that he deserved better and that he was so hot and pure. AND I HATE BOTH OF KIND OF PEOPLE ASKJHFDjffg
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ecotone99 · 5 years
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[SF] God Among Men
So, I recently watched the latest season of Black Mirror titled 'Smithereens' and really enjoyed the build up of the tension towards the CEO. Although I liked how the story turned out, I had a different expectation of how the ending would turn out. This is how I thought Charlie Brooker was going to end the story. The story jumps in at the moment Billy Bauer, the CEO of Smithereen, hangs up the phone with the members of the board. I would appreciate any feedback and advice as I am just starting to write short stories as a passion.
Based on an episode of Black Mirror Season 5 Episode 2: Smithereens. Imagine the episode playing out the same until we reach the point Billy Bauer hangs up on his staff to try and negotiate with Chris Gillhaney himself.
*Scene begins at the 10-day silent retreat right after Billy Bauer hangs up the phone with his board members, determined to reach out to Chris Gillhaney himself* Tipi pulls out a giant suitcase from the car and walks over to hand it to Billy. Billy, eager to get started, meets her halfway and grabs the case and walks back to his humble abode used to sequester himself from technology. He sits near the edge and unlocks the case to find his laptop ready for use. As he pulls it out and opens it up, he takes a moment to remember something while on call with the other board members. “Uh, what did Penelope say? Can you make a note for me? Christopher Michael Gillhaney.” Tipi pulls out her smartphone and begins taking notes per Billy’s request. “UK, user since '08, didn't log on for 18 months.” Tipi affirms her dictation while Billy is furiously typing on laptop. Then a moment occurs to Billy and he pauses to look up at Tipi. “Sorry, what's your name?” Surprised, Tipi replies with her name as Billy extends his hand with a cordial smile. “Hi, I'm Billy.” Tipi shakes his hand and feels special in this brief introduction. Despite all that is occurring, with two mens lives hanging in the balance, Billy still finds an opportunity to treat Tipi with respect and sincerity. This makes her question why so many of her friends and coworkers were frightened for her when she mentioned she was promoted to be Billy Bauer’s new assistant. Perhaps some of the rumors about him were not as true as she heard about through the office. She was excited, yet nervous, to start this new chapter in her life assisting the CEO of Smithereen. “Tipi, really the only good thing about my position is every once in a while I get to invoke God-mode.”, as Billy finishes this sentence, he presses enter on his keyboard starting a chain of very complex scripts that seem to connect through various satellites. *Scene switches to the car Chris Gillhaney is sitting in with Jaden, the Smithereen intern, sitting in the back, hands still tied* Chris Gillhaney’s phone rings, he stares at the number unable to recognize the caller. As exhausted as he feels, the realization that the moment he has been waiting finally arriving gives him a quick adrenaline rush and helps fight back the impending dread sitting at the bottom of his heart. Chris carefully presses ‘ACCEPT’ on his cell phone as he nervously puts it up to his ear. “Christopher? Is that Christopher? Hello?” Chris sheepishly replies, “Yea, I’m here.” Jaden in the back seat leans over a bit to get a better look at Chris, to somehow get an idea on the conversation he may be having with the founder of the most popular social media site in the world. “It’s me”, Chris softly speaks back into the phone, still unsure whether to believe who may be on the other line. “Hi. I'm Billy Bauer. You wanted to talk to me?” “I did. I did, yeah. I do.”, as Chris’ heart rate increases, he finds himself rushing in response, still in disbelief that he finally reached the reclusive man himself. “Okay, well, uh you got me on the line. Tell you what, why don't you let our guy Jaden there go and, uh you and I can just, you know, chat? We can talk about whatever it is you want.” “If I let him go, you'll hang up.” Chris retorted, refusing to fall for such a simple ploy. “I'm not gonna hang up, Christopher.” “I want you to listen to me!” “I’m listening. Let's just not blow up, okay? Let's just, you know, be calm and you'll just kind of tell me what it is that you want.” “I just told you. I want you to listen to me. Just fucking listen to me!” despite Billy’s words to ‘be calm’, this was definitely not the time to ‘be calm’. Not after all he has been through for the past year and a half. Now he was going to hear him out, fully, with all that he has to say. “I'm listening. There's no one else here. Okay, Chris? It's just it's you and me. You have my attention...Chris?” “Yeah, I'm just I'm just it's hard to get my thoughts in order. I've rehearsed this though, and I just..” the fatigue and stress of the day was starting to catch up with Chris and he was having a hard time staying focused. “Take your time, man. Just take your time.” “You run Smithereen.” Chris demanded, starting to feel the words he scripted coming back into his mind. “Uh-huh. Since 2008.” “I used to use Smithereen all the time” Now Chris was determined to state his message, the message that caused so much time, money, resources, and pain for numerous people involved on this day. On his last day. “Okay” “I mean, constantly. Like, my phone was glued to my hand. I was the whole cliche, you know, first thing I saw in the morning, last thing I saw at night. Tamsin was…” Chris broke off, filled with an intense pain that surged through his heart as he tried desperately to fight back the tears. The tears that still refused to stop after all this time. Jaden looks up to see a man continuing to deal with his own personal hell. He looks on and wonders how deep this pain goes. “Chris? I’m here” “Tasmin was the same,” fighting through the agony, Chris continued on, as he had to at this point. “She was my fiance. Three years ago I was driving home with her. We'd been visiting my mum. My mum was sick and we'd been visiting my mum and I was driving Tamsin back to our flat. She was asleep. She was tired and I'm just driving her home. And it was boring. I got bored. I got bored every ten seconds back then, I think, and I'm on this road. It was very quiet, straight...and my phone lights up and I check it. I just glanced at it, you know. There's this little notification thing saying someone liked a comment that I made about some photo of theirs. I just glanced at it, you know. That's all the time it took...” Chris pauses briefly, the damage still too real to him. “It took her two months to die. I was at her bedside. It was no use. The man in the other car died, too. He was drunk. He got the blame. They said it was him. Everyone felt sorry for me. Mr. Tragic.” *Scene switches back to Billy Bauer’s retreat destination* Tipi is still standing by Billy waiting for anything he may need, but her face looks like a combination of confusion, worry, and complete shock. As she looks on towards Billy, she notices him still frantically typing at his keyboard. At a slight angle, she can view his laptop screen. She notices a small window in the upper corner parsing Chris Gillhaney’s words into text and seemingly running various calculations underneath it in a massive tree like structure. The visualization is confusing to figure out, but from what she could tell, it seemed as if the program was figuring out the right responses and phrases to say back to Chris on the other line. What also amazes Tipi is that the program is replicating Billy Bauer’s voice and having direct communication with Chris without his knowledge. This was one of the many secret weapons at Billy Bauer’s disposale. For over a decade, he pooled company resources to research how to leverage machine language to not only mimic any person on earth, but to also have fluent conversations with others without their knowledge. This program passed any Turing test known to man. It even helped boost his popularity around the world as once this technology was advanced enough, Billy mostly held public interviews and meetings through phone calls. This allowed him to spend more time on more interesting endeavors rather than putting on 'public performances to the media', as he would put it. Although, those who work closely with him believe this caused him to become more detached from society. “My god, this man’s taste in music is just….ooff”, Billy spoke to no one in particular. He was sifting through, dissecting, investigating this shattered hostage taker’s Smithereen profile. He was trying to understand Chris’ mind, thought patterns, characteristics, anything he could use to end this situation, anything to help exploit him. “Mmm, no siblings, mother deceased, father still lives close by. Quite a recluse now I see. Hrmm, maybe we could…”, as Billy trailed off he started opening up a new window on his laptop and typing furiously what looks like code for a script that Tipi could not fathom to understand. Likely, most other programmers could not either. Tipi receives a phone call and leans over to Billy in a whisper, “It’s Pen.” Billy waves her off as he continues typing, in deep concentration. “She is insisting not to do this ag…”, before Tipi could finish her sentence, Billy gives a look to Tipi that stops her mid sentence. She could not quite put it into words, but the intense, brooding glare he gives up at her says something more, something worse if she disobeyed. “I am sorry, but Mr Bauer is currently indisposed at the moment. I will let him know you called the moment he has a chance.” As Tipi hung up the phone, Billy slightly nods and continues to feverishly write out what now looks like a number of scripts waiting for execution. “I killed her over a fucking dog photo!”, Chris sobs into the phone as he finally pours the deepest darkest secret of his heart out to the CEO, or so he thinks. “I killed her over that.”, as Chris finishes his story, silence takes over the phone call. As he wipes tears from his eyes, he beckons “are...are you still there? Did my fuckin sob story put you to sleep?” “I am still here, Chris,'' replies the machine language program. “I never left, I’m just listening to you, that's all. You must be dealing with so much guilt and shame from all of this. Like, you’re all alone with this burden and can’t tell anyone with what you’re going through for fear they will judge you. That they will not understand you. Judge you, like the terrible person you believe you are. Am I right in thinking this?” Chris is in shock to hear all his emotions and pain get reflected back to him so clearly and concisely, he nervously replies “y-y-yeah! It’s been just so fuckin hard, you know!?” The program picks up the subtle inflection change in Chris’ voice to realize its reaching out to him and pushes forward with its message. “And not to mention the amount of grief you must feel for the lost of your one true love.” In the background, sobbing is heard through the receiver. “That sounds so heartbreaking. You have endured so much through the fault of this app, and for that, I am truly, truly sorry for your loss. But you are not alone, Chris” “Yes, I am! I did this! It was my fault!” “You are not. I have lost someone deeply as well. Someone very close to me” *Scene switches back to the car with Chris sitting inside listening very intently* Jaden perks up upon hearing this new information from a man who very much values his privacy. Chris, taken aback, questions him, “what? What do you mean?” “I have also lost someone, Chris” “Don’t fuck with me, Billy! I won’t hesitate! I’ll shoot this fuckin’ intern right between the eyes, I swear to god! I swear if you’re lying to me!”, Chris, emotionally drained, cannot stand anymore disappointments at this point. Calmly, the program replies, “I am not, Chris. I would not lie to you. Her name was Abby. We were in love. This was before Smithereen, back when I was a freshman in college. I was deeply in love with her.” After a small pause, Chris started to become curious, “how…” “How can you know I am not lying? Go ahead, look her up”. As the program was speaking these lines to Chris, a plethora of other scripts, outside of Billy’s work, started executing. “Her name was Abby Leauril, that is spelled L-e-a-u-r-i-l. I’ll wait” Chris put the phone away from his ear and did a search. “She’s not on here, you fucking liar!” “No, she was never on Smithereen. Try searching on the web instead, Chris” Chris proceeded to open a browser and did a search on the woman and found some relevant information related to the program’s message. In disbelief he remarked, “it says here she’s dead...by suicide.” “Yes, Chris. She was chronically depressed. And no amount of therapy, drugs, or loving support and encouragement from myself could make her believe she was not alone. In the end, she took her life and I blamed myself. I blamed myself for not finding more ways to help her feel connected. And that is why I built Smithereen” “...really?”, Chris sheepishly asked, unsure of how to take such a deep, personal story from the CEO of the biggest company in the world. *Scene switches back to Billy’s location and focuses on Tipi* “Really, Chris.”, replied the program empathetically. Tipi, upon hearing this, become quite baffled upon hearing this story. She had every right to be in disbelief, since in preparation for this position, she did a deep analysis of Billy Bauer’s life in order to better serve his needs and she knows very well that Billy dropped out of college halfway into his first semester to continue writing an application he had already started in high school. In fact, Billy never really had any girlfriends, at least not until he become incredibly rich and famous. Yet, upon pulling out her phone and doing a cursory search, there she was, this obituary of Abby Leauril popped up at the first search result. How odd that such an unknown figure would have their obituary show at the number one search result. And then it dawned on her how sophisticated this machine language program could act. During their conversation, the program created a completely false person, generated a fake obituary, and, upon closer inspection, a full backstory with several other links relating to her passion for poetry, trips with friends going snowboarding, and even pictures that must have been generated as well. Such complex actions took this program mere seconds to generate and Chris had no clue how all of this was fabricated. “So, Chris, as you can see you are not alone. I also blamed myself for her death, but that was not true. There are situations in life we just cannot control and it took many years of coping, meditation, and therapy to help me realize that. Do you see a therapist, Chris?” “No, no I don’t, and it really won’t fuckin matter at this point”, Chris replied dejected and depleated. “Why do you say that?” “Come off it! Because there is no tomorrow after what I’ve done here today. Don’t play like there is any other end to this than what we know is going to happen” “Chris, what if I said I could get you out of this? No jail time, walk away scot free, would you want that?” *Scene switches back to the car* A long pause hovers over the phone call. Chris and Jaden are both stupefied upon hearing such an incredulous proposition. Billy Bauer may be the CEO of a giant corporation, but even businessmen must obey government laws. Also, Billy resides in America and could no way have any leeway over UK jurisdiction. “Chris? Chris, are you still there? I hope you did not fall asleep on me, haha”, the program chimed into the receiver, attempting to continue the rapport it was building with Chris. “But��.that’s..” “Impossible? Maybe for you, but c’mon, Chris, you’re talking to Billy fuckin’ Bauer! But I can only make this work if you agree to let Jaden here go. Will you agree to that?” Hesitantly, Chris replied, “H-how can you do that? You can’t do that, can you?” “One sec, I’ll get my lawyer on the phone…”, the program replies as it generates a new voice and background information while Chris waits patiently thinking Billy is calling this other person. “Hello, this is the law office of Mr. Ray Billebu, how may I assist your call today?” a kind receptionist responds into the phone. “Hey, its Billy, get Ray on the phone, please. Its urgent” “Oh, of course, Mr. Bauer. I will put you right through” A few moments pass and another voice generated by the program begins to speak. “Hey, Billy? I’m here, what’s up?” “Have you been following the news?” “Yea, I am up to speed” “So, I am on the phone now with Chris. He’s been great to talk to, just a little down on his lucky lately. Any chance we can help him out of this situation?” “Hrmm, that’s going to be tough. I know some higher up fellas though over in the UK police department that owe me a favor. Is he on the phone? Chris? Are you there?” “Ye-yes! Yea, I’m here”, Chris stammers, almost unable to process what he was hearing on the phone. Who is this Ray Billebu? Does he really have this kind of pull? The whole situation sounds almost too ridiculous, but before he can think this through, ‘Ray’ interrupts his train of thought. “Ok, so I may be able to pull a few strings, but I already know they’re going to ask this. Will you release the hostage if I can broker you a deal?” A momentary lull hits in the car, yet it feels like an eternity as Jaden leans in slightly wondering if his nightmare may end here soon. Chris almost cannot respond given how quickly this whole scenario suddenly is playing out. And as if on cue, the program chimes in as Billy, “Look, I know this is a lot to deal with right now, but I promise you, we are going to set you up with the best therapists, psychologists, massagists, whatever! Hahaha. The point is, you have a second chance here, Chris. A real chance. Isn’t that what Tasmin and your mother would want for you now? To move on from this and to have a real fulfilling life? To forgive yourself?” As the program states this, Chris can feel his tears rolling down his face once again. He almost forgot about the recent loss of his mother. All the love and care they provided him seemed to flood back, followed by a torrential betrayal of remembering they were gone. Gone forever. But perhaps, if Billy is right, this does not have to be forever. “Al….alright. I will let him go. I was gonna do it anyways, so that’s fine. If you can get me off…..I’ll let him go” *Scene switches back to the police officer, Linda Grace, continuing to observe the hostage situation* Inside the police car, the officer next to her nudges her to get her attention. Linda looks up, and rushes to open the door to take a better look. She starts giving cautionary demands to the force to be on the lookout in case the perpetrator attempts to do something suddenly. She almost cannot believe it, but she is watching the Smithereen intern exiting the vehicle, arms raised high, walking right towards them to safety. *Scene switches back to Chris inside the car* Chris looks at the rearview mirror and witnesses Jaden getting taken in by the police officers. As nervous as he feels, there is a small gleam of hope in his heart. That possibly amidst all this madness there may actually be a road to redemption for himself. It is the first time he has allowed such a feeling and he cannot believe it came about in the strangest series of events. He did not care, as he thought about Tasmin, he realized from here on out he was going to try and do better. Do better in this world, to help people make better decisions. It would be a long hard road, but he knew that is how he would honor the memory of his dear beloved. Just then, he could hear laughing over the phone line, Billy sounded quite jovial...a bit too much so. “Hahahaha, wow, I just cannot understand how people like this pile of shit. Do you really listen to this? I mean, I have been trying to, but I just….I can’t! Oh god, it is so awful” Chris is thoroughly confused, Billy’s demeanor and cadence has taken a completely different turn. As he continues to try and understand this shift, the truth slowly starts to loom in. “Did they just say ‘my whole heart is all yours?’”, Billy questioned, to no one in particular. “Talk about some pretty weak mess. I have been trying for the past 20 minutes to get into this, but I just...wow. You really should have killed yourself ages ago just for listening to this remedial tripe. That’s probably what killed her, isn’t it? You were playing this pussy shit in the background and you all just fell asleep trying to keep up! Hahaha! And if that car didn’t do it, I bet she was already ready to slit her wrists from having to bear through this dog turd of a song. Oh. My. God….its just...so…” “What did you... what did you say about my wife?!”, Chris interrupts, his face turning more serious as the rage in his heart starts to boil up. Not realizing the full gravity of the situation he is in. “But seriously, your taste in music? Sucks. But I don’t know what else I would expect from someone who wanks it to furry porn”, Billy continued on, giving no mind to Chris’ question. “What are you...I don’t! Wank it to furry porn! Why in the bloody…” “June 8th, 2 minutes and 34 seconds. I mean, perhaps you were just curious, but let’s be honest. That’s enough time to let one go for you. And hey, I’m not judging! I am actually impressed! I figured you to be 1 minute, 130 max. Kudos, my man, kudos. Hahahah!” “Now, you listen here! You don’t get to rummage through my life like that and you sure as shit don’t get to say those things about my wife!” “Ah, but she wasn’t really your wife, right? Remember? Because you killed her before you could actually get married? I mean, c’mon man! You’re doing all this for her and you can’t even fucking remember whether you got married?! Hahaha, god, you all are such complete imbeciles! Seriously!” “How dare you say such things to me! How dare…” “No, how dare you! And, just because of that, boom there it goes.” In the background, Chris could slightly here a tap go off, almost indistinct, but definitely pressed with determined force. It almost sounded like a key pressing down on a keyboard. “You still scoping out your feedback over on the app? Why not go take another look. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.” Chris, still enraged and very perplexed by what is transpiring with his conversation with Billy, pulls his phone down and starts sifting through Smithereen’s data feed. On the screen he can see messages such as ‘Breaking News: Chris Gillhaney’s Mother a Drug Dealer’, ‘Hostage Taker’s Mum Dealt Drugs to Little Kids’, ‘Psycho Son’s Mother Killed Herself Rather Than Go To Jail’. Chris’ eyes widened as his heart rate spikes into trembling with fear. Trembling like his hands, as he can barely keep them still as he views the comments ravaging his poor mother. After a few more comments, he cannot look anymore and pulls the phone slowly back to his ear, slowly starting to feel the ominous weight Billy projects onto his victims. “Why?....why would you do this to her? She…..she had nothing to do with this”, Chris pleads for answers as tears start flowing from his eyes in shameful pain. “Why? I did this just to show you how serious I am.” Billy coldly and calmly replies. “But you didn’t have to do this. I released him. What about the deal?” “Yeaaa, that wasn’t even me.” “What are you on about? I heard you!”, Chris exclaims, desperately trying to keep mind within reality. “Oh, you did, but that wasn’t me. Yea, that was a little pet project of mine. What you heard was a fake. An algorithm. It's able to replicate my voice and was able to pool together the best psychologists, sociologists, negotiators, and mental health experts throughout all of time to figure out the best way to reach you. To figure you out. To get under your skin, so you could bend and move the way I wanted you. And it worked! Well, it always does” “But if it can do….this whatever, then why post all this God awful lies about my mum? Why?!”, Chris yelled into the phone, hoping to find some reason to this real trend of madness that was coming onto him. “Oh, this? This is just for fun! Sometimes I like to still get hands on from time to time. Honestly, I couldn’t give a shit about that intern fuck. He’s going to get fired, that’s for sure. I can’t have some idiot getting taken captive by some societal fuck up like you. That’s just….oof. So low” “But why? Why are you doing this to me? I don’t under…” *Scene switches to Billy’s location, a close up is on his face as he stands up* “Because, Chris, no one, and I mean NO ONE, gets to fuck with my 10 day silent retreat!” “Your what retr…” “You don’t get to come along and pitch your whiny, bullshit sob story for offing yourself and fuck with my week while you’re at it! There are consequences to your actions! You would’ve done yourself a lot of good by just putting that bullet in your head when your whore of a fiancee... “Hey! Hey, don’t you dare speak to her…” “YOUR WHORE OF A FIANCE and expect to just have some nice casual conversation with the CEO of the largest fucking company in the goddamn world! You don’t! Do *lightly laughs*...do you have any idea how little your life is worth to me? I know the real name of the prostitute that the chancellor of Germany uses on a daily basis. I can pinpoint within a day the moment an assassination attempt occurs throughout Russia. With a snap of a finger, I could change an entire young generations music fad into some other derivative horse garbage. Last week I gave up the identities of several members of a resistant group in a country in exchange for exclusive rights for our app to get used in the country. The stupid fucks don’t even realize we’ll own them too by the end of the year! This phone call alone made me trillions. Your pathetic porn habits are meaningless to me. Your existence is just a sputtering hiccup that should have never happened. Now, here is what I am going to do, you either go ahead and finish the job that drunk fuck up couldn’t do properly or I am going to tell the WHOLE WORLD that you organized a kiddie sex dungeon. You have 1 minute to decide or else. I hope this was worth it, you worthless piece of shit!” *Credits start to roll* *Scene shows two teenagers live streaming the car, a loud gunshot is heard in the distance. The teenager holding the phone looks slightly distraught as he slowly lowers his phone* *Scene switches to officer Linda Grace, steadily watching the car, suddenly looks more intense and steps slightly forward. She pulls out her radio to hear confirmation of what she thinks she witnessed. Next to her, another officer hears a notification go off on his phone and pulls it out to read. As he skims through the headline, he looks ghostly white as he slowly comes up to Linda and nudges her to look down. She peers over to view the screen and quickly looks up at the car with a menacing stare* *Scene switches to the board room, as Penelope, Shonelle, and Don wait nervously for feedback from Billy. They all receive a notification at once and immediately check their phones. Each of them have a distraught look over their face. Immediately after, another notification chimes in. Shonelle covers her mouth in horror. Penelope struggles to keep her composure as she reads through the entirety of the article. Don merely blurts out in frustration, “that son of a bitch did it ag...!” Refusing to allow his emotions take hold, he cuts off the sentence and instead clenches his phone with both heads, pretending they are grabbing someone else* *Scene returns to Billy’s retreat, focused on Tipi* Tipi looks on towards Billy as he walked away, carrying the laptop in one hand, when speaking with Chris personally. She is quite unnerved after hearing Billy’s inflection and tone of voice turn quite vitriolic over in the distance. Billy was walking back, already finished with his call with Chris when a couple notifications went off on her phone. She only has time to briefly read a couple of the breaking news headlines, but she was able to process “Suicide” and “Child Sex Offender”. The full spectrum of the situation suddenly dawned on her in horror when contemplating the actions she just witnessed along with these recent headlines. A surreal clarity breaks through in her mind when piecing together her cursory understanding of Billy’s character. With no peers to keep him in check, no authority to put him in his place, no morality to keep him straight, he is a God among men. One who rules ruthlessly and carelessly with ceaseless abandonment to goodwill for no other benefit than his own. He is more feared than the devil himself, for Billy is only human, yet his realness shows the sobering truth; deep within, any one of us could become him. “Water, please?”, Billy asks, in a very cordial manner. Tipi barely has time to let this recent discovery sink in before she goes on autopilot and hands him a water bottle from some place she cannot remember. “Thank you”, remarks Billy as he is packing away his laptop into the suitcase. “Let Pen know the situation is resolved and Jaden was unharmed.” “Y-yes, Mr. Bauer”, Tipi timidly responds. “Oh, and also tell her that Jaden is fired, once he recuperates, of course. Give it, uhhhhhh, a few weeks? Then let him go.” “.....yes, Mr. Bauer” Billy is very calm and loose as he is closing the suitcase with his laptop inside. He hands the case over to Tipi, without a care in the world from the look in his eyes. As Tipi grabs the handle, Billy holds onto it a bit longer, looking her peacefully in her eyes. “You’re from Chicago, right?” Tipi is taken aback, a mixture of surprise and slight fear dawns on her by him somehow already knowing her background. She slightly nods, her mind still too paralyzed from the events that have taken place recently. “Stanford as well? Top of your class? Your mother must have been so proud, especially since she raised you all on her own. College never really made much sense to me, but I always admire those who work hard to better themselves, against all odds. I am impressed with all that you managed to accomplish in your life, Tipi”. Billy looks at her and gives a warm, seemingly genuine smile towards her. Tipi, a bit flattered that despite this possible invasive breach of her privacy, that he recognizes the real value she admires in herself. Slightly flustered, she replies, “Thank you...Mr Bauer” As Billy is about to let go of the case, he proclaims, still with his affectionate smile across his face, “please, call me Billy”
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spaceorphan18 · 3 years
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i've always wondered how chris felt about certain storylines (the tony thing in s3, the june dolloway storyline, the fact that everyone repeatedly told kurt that he wasn't good enough for blaine, etc). i feel like he would have probably been really pissed about it, since kurt was always told he wasn't good enough whereas blaine was always praised for doing the bare minimum (i'm not a blaine hater at all, just somewhat annoyed about how the writers treated him like a god).
OOff, okay Nonny.  First of all you seem like a very passionate Kurt fan, and that’s totally fine.  But I’m going to kindly ask that you take a step back and realize that you might be coming at this with a bit of a bias.  
Please know that I respect your opinion, and that I’m not coming at you with a pitchfork and a “you are wrong on the internet” gif, even if this might seem like a little pushback.  <3 
There are kind of two things I’d like to address here. 
1. Chris feelings about Kurt’s story lines.  
I think it’s important to remember that how we feel about the show and story is not going to be anywhere similar towards how the people creating it.  Have you listened to Kevin and Jenna’s podcast? Or watched Darren rewatch Never Been Kissed?  It’s an interesting view to see -- since they are coming at it from a completely different view point, and what they see and pick up on are just different because they’re making the thing.  Darren mentioned how weird it was to see Harry and Jenna making out -- is it weird for us? No, because we don’t know them, and only know Tina and Mike, who were making out all the time.  
Were there things Chris was annoyed about concerning Kurt’s story line? Of course there were -- he was pretty vocal about some of them, for example -- he was always wanting Kurt to be an individual, and his own character as opposed to be solely one half of a couple.  
But was he as emotionally invested in the character the same way we are? Probably not.  I do know that Chris took his role pretty seriously because he’s a professional and it was his job.  But I don’t think he lay at home at night worried or angered over all the egregious things happening to Kurt. And, since he was a part of production, if and when he did have issues, he did and could go to the writers himself, which we do know he did on a few occasions.  
To put things in a bit of perspective, though, let’s take the June Dolloway arc.  I really doubt Chris was thinking -- oh man, another time Kurt doesn’t get the thing and Blaine does.  I’m guessing it was -- well shit, I get to work with Shirley MacLaine today, how cool.  It’s just a different view point when you’re the one making the thing.  
2. In Defense of Blaine... 
So, I’m going to be honest with you, while I don’t doubt that you don’t hate Blaine, a lot of the bias from being a Kurt fan seems to be seeping through your ask.  And I just wanted to address it a little bit, because a lot of this is how the Better Boyfriend Olympics became a huge, warring thing among fandom.  
Blaine was most definitely not treated like a god in the show -- if for nothing else, they had him cheat on one of the most popular characters on the show.  Just putting that out there...
Kurt was one of the best written, with a fully developed and functional world, character on the show.  He had a dad, he had backstory, he had good friendships, he had a developed relationship.  I know you’re probably unhappy about how a lot of that was written, and that’s fair.  But Blaine barely got any of that.  He was mostly connected to Kurt during most of the show, and for a lot of the time functioned as a service to Kurt’s story.  
There’s also another, huge conversation about Kurt and Blaine having very different types of stories -- Kurt struggling to be himself in a world that doesn’t accept him, while Blaine’s story is about the images we present not reflecting who we are on the inside.  Both are valid stories, and probably the reason why it seems like Blaine was “winning” when Kurt was “losing”.  But that’s a deeper discussion for another day. 
My point is -- while you clearly prefer one over the other (and that’s fine - I’m not saying you have to like Blaine), I think it’s disingenuous to claim one character was treated better than the other when all of glee’s characters could have used a better functioning writer’s team.  And... coming at it as an from a more objective view point scales back the possibility of more fandom screaming at each other.  
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