#|| she appreciates those - but lives sparingly | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thunderstroked · 5 months

Text

At Your Window || Mona & Inge

TIMING: around when mona first got to wicked's rest. LOCATION: inge's townhouse. PARTIES: @nightmaretist & @thunderstroked SUMMARY: mona finds an old friend. CONTENT WARNINGS: none.

It wasn’t often that the fox ran into those from her past, especially not overseas. She’d made friends over the years while traveling across the United States, but had figured most would have aged significantly, the memories they shared fond ones, but ones that were best left unvisited. However, finding Inge in a sea of unfamiliar faces hadn’t been something she expected. There’d been a good chunk of time between their last meeting and this one. Wicked’s Rest offered a lot to its residents, and apparently running into old friends was one of them.

The fox had tracked down where Inge lived, not because she had any detective skills to speak of, but because she had trailed after the woman while shifting, waiting to see which door she ended up walking through. She waited patiently for the sun to set before continuing her journey on all fours, scaling up to the second floor of Inge’s townhome. Through the windows she couldn’t see much but the movement of shadows passing through light. Instead of knocking on the door or throwing a rock at the woman’s window, the fox let out a horrific screech, one that was sure to disturb the entire neighborhood.

—

She had grown quite attached to her house in the middle of Deersprings, the square feet that she paid a monthly amount for in high rent. She’d lived in New York before, where her space had been cramped and expensive, and though the city was more to her liking, this home was better. More spacious, with a balcony and a large kitchen (that she used sparingly) and plenty of room to work from home and display many of her favored trinkets she’d acquired over the years. Inge was content here, which was a strange thing for her.

Of course, this feeling of peace was bound to be disrupted. A screech raced through the air, loud and high-pitched and animalistic and Inge found herself jumping where she sat. The laptop resting on her legs bounced, the words of the essay she’d been grading dancing. She frowned, putting the computer aside on her couch and getting up, opening one of her windows only to come face-to-face with a fox. Not just any fox, though. This was one she’d recognize out of many. “No way.” Lips split into a grin, amazement painting her features. “You scared the shit out of me.” Not really, but a little. “Come in.”

—

Within seconds of the scream splitting into the air, the shades of the window were being pulled and Inge’s face appeared before her. The fox grinned at her friend before slipping through the window, but not before hearing a few shouts from the neighbors asking what was going on. One would have thought that in a place like Wicked’s Rest, they would have become accustomed to the screams that filled the night air.

Mona shifted back as soon as she was inside. “That was intentional, I hope you know that.” She grinned at her friend before tugging her into a tight hug. “How long has it been this time?” Mona pulled away and looked up at the mare, her own grin reminiscent of the one she wore as a fox. At least she’d been remembered, despite the years that had passed them by. That made the loneliness endured a little less hurtful. “Nice place you’ve got here, Inge.” Mona glanced around, hands on her hips. “Did I interrupt your work?”

—

It was strange, to have an animal around her that wasn’t skittish or violent — but then this wasn’t really an animal. Mona was a more evolved being than just some boring old fox. Inge watched her transform, endlessly intrigued by these kinds of things. The shifting of kitsune wasn’t as gruesome as how she imagined some other transformations to be, but it was still something she wanted to witness with unbroken concentration.

“I would be very disappointed if it wasn’t intentional,” she said. Inge appreciated any kind of scare, even if it made her jump a little. At least her laptop was okay. She looked around as well, before giving a grin. “Thank you. And technically you did, sure, but I’m glad for the excuse to take a long break.” Her laptop was closed, tossed aside on the couch. “Grading essays can technically be done with your eyes closed, anyway. Come, sit. What are you doing here? Not my place, I can imagine why you’d visit me …” She showed her teeth as she smirked cheekily. “But in this town.”

—

“Oh, well… that’s a shame.” It wasn’t a shame at all, not really. It’d been years since she’d last seen Inge, and to end up in the same place as her was a treat all on its own. Mona scrunched her nose. “You’re a teacher now?” She hadn’t figured that’d be the direction that Inge would’ve went, but it was in any creative sphere, she figured that made the most sense for her friend. To give others inspiration was what Inge did best, even if Mona hadn’t seen exactly what she was capable of. That, of course, had been a deal they made. Moreso on Inge’s side, but Mona had promised she wouldn’t singe her.

Mona plopped down onto the couch after kicking her shoes to the side. Feet tucked beneath her, she leaned into the arm rest and looked at her friend for a moment before shrugging. “Turns out I had another friend here who needed some help, so I’m watching over her place while she’s away.” Whatever Esther– Edith, whatever she was going by these days was up to, was none of Mona’s business. “She helped me out a few years back, so I felt compelled to help her out now.” Clasping her hands together, she jutted her chin in the direction of Inge. “What are you doing here? This town seems a little too small for your liking. Or is it that everyone seems to be scared all the time? Looking over their shoulder and all that…” She trailed off, waiting for Inge to explain.

—

“A professor,” she corrected mildly, a little bit of mischief sparked in her eyes. It was an important distinction, at least to her. “It’s fun. My third semester teaching, I never thought I’d become someone who’d spread the good word of art around.” Inge hardly did it out of some big moral consideration, but she did think art education a deeply valuable thing, if only because her own time at university had proved to be so transformative for her own life. She also liked the feeling of authority, the control she had in the classroom and the way her students tended to look up to her. (Those that didn’t, she disregarded as people with low opinions, of course.)

“That’s sweet of you,” she said, but it wasn’t fully complimentative. It was sweet, but she just didn’t put a lot of value into sweetness. “What kind of place is it?” A large home, she hoped — that would be quite a sweet deal. “I heard that this place was brewing with the supernatural, and I got in a tight spot back in New York so I thought why the heck not. People here do have quite a lot of fears to toy with, yes. I will say, though, this town is crawling with active hunters.” Inge scrunched up her nose in distaste. “Which is logical, considering there’s quite a fair supernatural community. Still, just so you’re aware. It’s a cute town, though. Barely ever boring, unlike most small towns.”

—

Mona mouthed out the word professor and nodded. “Right, that.” She’d never gone to college– not that she had needed it. She was perfectly fine coasting the way she wanted without any kind of human institutions. There was already too much of it in her life to begin with. There was, however, a degree of understanding she had with Inge. Inge hadn’t always been a mare. She’d been a human with dreams– dreams that only grew larger after her transition into the undead being she now was given what it provided her, but still. Mona felt for her friend, but only to the degree in which a gumiho who was above human existence could understand. “Well I’m sure you’re the best they’ve ever seen.” She knew that to be the truth– she didn’t even need to inflate her own compliment.

“Isn’t it?” With a laugh, Mona considered why she hadn’t asked to do something else– why she hadn’t considered hiring somebody else to help the studio so that she could continue on her way. But Edith had been there when nobody else was, much like Inge. “Mm…” She shrugged, “it’s an apartment in– on…? Amity Road.” She still wasn’t sure about the separation of neighborhoods and actual roads in this town, it was all so confusing. “It’s comfortable though, it’s right above the studio that she owns– that I temporarily own.” It still caused her a great deal of stress. The last thing she wanted to do was leave something broken for Edith to come home to. As Inge explained that she’d heard about Wicked’s Rest and its supernatural entities, Mona hummed. “Is it?” She had anticipated that– the hunter bit. She’d been so focused on running from her own family that she never really considered the kinds of dangers human hunters could pose. “I think I got caught in their traps a few weeks back, but luckily I had somebody to help me out.” She always managed to get out of things with her luck. Inge continued and Mona raised a brow. “So you’re an expert, then? I’ll be sure to ask you who’s who and who to avoid.”

—

Though she preferred to think of herself a woman untethered of wants and needs, someone driven only by her artistic urgency, there was value to be found in her work as a professor. She might lack professionalism at times, but Inge had once been a mortal who went to school for art and she remembered her teachers there. There was value in art and art education and though her purpose wasn’t within teaching, she still found something in it. And yes, she was good at it. Of course she was. “Some of the best for sure, yes,” she said, smirking a little. What other art teachers had her experience? Her means for creativity? Art was made better through suffering, Inge thought, and she had suffered and caused suffering aplenty.

“Oh, Amity Road! It’s cute there. Fun shops.” She’d wasted a fair bit of money on funny trinkets there, as well as various supplies. At the mention of a studio she raised her brows. “A studio? For what kind of thing?” It implied something artistic, and thus her interest was piqued. Inge patted the couch, sat down herself and hoped that Mona would join her as she stretched her fingers. They were a little cramped from all her typing. “That’s a good side-effect of this town too, I suppose. Plenty of helping hands.” Except for that damned zombie, of course. Curse her. “I’ve not had the best luck, admittedly, but then I am still here — so not entirely unlucky. I’d love to give you a rundown of the folks here, though, but first … tell me how you’ve been?”

—

“Fun shops, full of humans who don’t know what they’re getting themselves into.” Mona rolled her eyes, thinking about the spellcaster who had nearly blown his own toes off after a spell had gone awry. “But not all of them.” It was naive to think that she was the only supernatural entity on the block– after all, who was sitting in front of her but a mare she’d became friends with against all odds? The woman’s scare tactics hadn’t delved into their relationship, and for that, Mona was grateful.

“Photography.” Mona sighed, waving away the implications that she didn’t dare say, “and before you say anything, no, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m winging it, or whatever it is that they say.” Because she had to, for Edith’s– Esther’s sake. Mona took a seat next to Inge at her coaxing and leaned into the arm rest, elbows digging into the fabric. “You? Without luck? What era are we living in.” At one point, Mona thought Inge to be the luckiest person alive. With a tilt of her head, she shrugged. “The same, about. Haven’t run into my sister since the 80’s, so I’d say I’m doing just great.” Her fear that her twin would follow her to Wicked’s Rest had subsided after realizing she was not the only kitsune in the area. Though, she was the only one to look the way she did. Whatever. “Managed to get myself this temporary gig at the photo studio, managed to be crowned a cryptid, you know, the usual.”

—

“Yes, like I said. Fun shops.” Inge wasn’t above a little bit of schadenfreude after all, and seeing humans stumble about the supernatural world was very much amusing to her. This town was full of them, even in the face of the large supernatural community and nature that surrounded them. It intrigued her. It vaguely reminded her of the ignorant human she had once been. Sometimes Inge wondered if she’d had any supernatural neighbors back in Wanneperveen. “Not all of them, that’s true. It’s amazing to me though, how many of them continue to remain ignorant. Probably for the best, though.”

Her lips spread into a smile, “Oh, that’s delightful! Or is it just a place where you take headshots and family portraits, because then …” She pulled a face. “I’m sure your winging it is still excellent, don’t fret.” Inge was a little amused at the notion that she was usually a lucky person, considering her track record. What was luck, anyway? A ridiculous thing, much like hope or faith. She didn’t really know what to do with the mention of Mona’s sister. It must be strange to have family that aged similarly to you — she thought of her own family, all aged and dying like mortals did. She was glad not to see them any more. “Good for you. Keeping it that way too, yeah?”

Her expression lifted with surprise and intrigue, “Managed to be crowned a cryptid? Now, you must tell me more — but let me get you a glass and something to eat first.” She got up, moving quickly to the kitchen to arrange the necessary ingredients for a night of reconnection with an old friend.

#para: at your window #para: inge #wickedswriting #//i love inge and marin so much < 3 #//also sorry marin... today was long.. ur in beddy bye time.. i post this now....

7 notes · View notes

aamaranthiine · 2 days

Text

OOC: well this got a lil bit outta hand.. Just a drabble AU of Amalthea and Mihawk meeting in Cross Guild.. @seaoftales here you are my friend, put it under a cut because it got long xD

Working for Cross Guild certainly is one of the strangest contracts she's had, given its flamboyant themes and lively employees. Admittedly those descriptors might be too kind but the artificer tries to give them some grace, even if the noise and crowds are often way too much for her. Going from independent freelance work to the organized chaos of a Guild is a tough transition for someone as reclusive as she.

It didnt help that several dozen of the lot had become smitten with her. Either she was under the scrutiny of the higher ups while drawing maps and helping them navigate, or she was being tailed by a handful of woefully lovesick (enchanted) men that kept trying to win her favor. The near constant state of being perceived quickly wore down her mental and emotional limits.

There werent enough places to hide in this gods forsaken place. She longed for dense forests and cool, damp caverns where the shadows could veil her from sight entirely.

She found a little reprieve in the vexing but not unwelcome camaraderie forged with Dracule Mihawk, of all people in Cross Guild. She couldnt help but be drawn to his steady, unaffected demeanor when everything else is discord and noise. The brief moments of mutual silence, whether over morning coffee or evening wine are small but meaningful blessings. Though Thea never said as much aloud, she did show her appreciation by gifting him a rare blend of wine from her own private cache.

Thea was always careful not to impose or crowd Mihawk, even when he gradually began to speak to her of his own volition. Quiet conversations late into the nights, his cool aplomb ever present but she got to experience his intelligence and snippets of his life. He expressed curiosity in her Pose Artificery and other projects, which she was happy to share without giving away too many secrets.

It was a friendship she thought felt easy, natural even. Despite the swordsman's reputation and severe manners, he felt trustworthy to her and Thea rarely encountered others who made her feel so calm.

What Thea also doesnt say out loud is how Mihawk's company deters her 'suitors' but she's certain he noticed. Certain he even purposefully stands between her and whoever tries to garner her attention that isnt Guild work related. He invites her to sit beside him in the meeting room or lounge, and she's only further endeared to him for the consideration. At one point he calmly makes an unveiled threat to several subordinates about pestering her further and watching them scurry away in abject terror was very satisfying.

It's a notable privilege for Hawkeyes to regard anyone with favor or esteem, that he actively sought the mapmaker out on the daily does bring quite a bit of gossip amongst the Guild's members.

Thea can only imagine the shock if they knew Mihawk offered her his private quarters to sleep in. Hell, she'd been caught off guard by the offer when he'd evidently picked up on her lack of sleep. How often she napped in strange, out of the way places and had no qualms staying up til the witching hour frequently, only to rise at dawn shortly thereafter. She didnt sleep in the common crew spaces, deeply uncomfortable at the lack of privacy and sharing with so many strangers.

Clearly she's earned his trust enough for him to share his private room, though she very sparingly invites herself to take advantage of the offer. And when she does? He is courteous enough to leave her be, finding a different area to lounge in when the whim arises for a nap.

A late afternoon finds Amalthea sprawled on the dark duvet and matching silk-cased pillows of Mihawk's bed, dozing in the simple comfort of somewhere quiet and safe to sleep in. It helped too, that everything smelled like him; smooth hints of cologne and sharp steel are ever present. She's quite stark against the wine-red and coal black tones, the long coils of her braided white hair hanging off the edge of the mattress.

She rouses from hazy promised dreams at the slightest disturbance, in time to catch Mihawk step over the threshold and close the door behind him upon entry. Meeting his acknowledging gaze but saying nothing, the brief eye contact enough as he strides across the chamber to peruse whatever it is he needed at the time.

Except when he passes by the bed, Thea reaches out to loosely grasp his sleeve to get him to halt.

"You should stay," she says quietly, "for a nap, that is." And before he could decline she adds, "I know you tend to find other places but you dont need to deprive yourself comfort for my sake. It's your bed after all, we can share."

Even in the lowlight she can see the subtle change in his otherwise impassive expression, "I wouldnt want to disturb you." It's not a flat out rejection but she recognizes the attempt to deflect politely.

"I think I'd sleep better with you here, actually."

A lull of silence and Thea swears the swordsman's face softens just a tiny bit, his acquiescence being the hum of Yoru being pulled from his back and hooked on the nearby wall. She cant help but smile as Mihawk removes his hat, coat and boots before stretching out on the opposite side of the bed. She rolls onto her side to watch him settle comfortably, and feels bold enough to wiggle closer to him afterwards.

"Thea-" he mumbles her name in half hearted warning, the glint of yellow as he observed her in his periphery.

A muted huff of laughter, "M'not doing anything, wake me up in a few hours, Hawkeyes." She curls up a little and oh so slowly out stretches an arm over the duvet, until her hand brushes his and when he doesnt pull away? Loosely tangles their fingers together, the gentle contact seems to both perplex and strangely soothe him for how he tenses and then relaxes in the span of a breath.

Content, the artificer hums and nestles into her pillow to let sleep drag her down into dreams again.

#out of woods [ooc]#lumi's drabbles #ill figure out the other tags later.. lol

2 notes · View notes

monsoonceroom · 4 months

Text

Hive Terra

In the months leading up to the completion of Irk's first spaceship the Gigantium, meetings were held by Hive Litore's former members in an attempt to take advantage of the situation. It was agreed upon that they would rather die trying to escape than stay any longer under the rule of Hitz, Soxx, & Kii. A plan had been made to stage a coup on the ship & fly deeper into space instead of going back to Irk. One source of debate was whether or not to have a Tallest if they were to make a new home. Many former Litorians were not keen on a new Tallest if it meant being ruled by another tyrant. They felt that even their Tallest's for ages have relied on oracles & therefore the oracle alone should reign. Others were hesitant to dissolve the Tallest title completely as the only oracle alive was just a smeet & unfit to rule. A compromise was eventually reached that they'll still have the Tallest & Oracle rule side by side once Ophelia's son, Kly, reached a suitable age. Whether the title of Tallest will continue will be up to future generations.

Finally, on the day of launch, thousands of Irken's occupied the Gigantium. Most were of the dissolved Hive Litore while there were several hundred from the current Tallest's respective hives. Included on the journey were at least a dozen coddle drones & their swarms. They were snuck onto the ship & hidden in a secret room before the official boarding. Included as part of the stowaways were Kly & his coddle drone, Ru.

Several hours into the flight, the Taller Irkens held a party to celebrate their planet's achievement of space exploration. The Irken's from the other hives drank heavily while the former Litorian's sipped their cider sparingly. Meanwhile, outside the party, communications were cut & panic started to set in among the shorter drones outside. Hearing the distress, those still sober at the party took it as the signal that the coup had begun. They drew their weapons & slew the drunken partygoers so that their own chosen Tallest would be uncontested. When they exited the room, they were met with the sight of shorter drones swearing their loyalty to this new interstellar hive while surrounded by the corpses of those who still followed the three tyrants. With the ship now theirs, they sailed onward in the hopes of finding a new home.

After months of wayward flying, the Gigantium finally reached a planet far from Irk & the rest of the galaxy. The tired Irkens were ecstatic & couldn't wait to take root in their new home. They were enchanted by the lush greenery that covered the land but were also wary that the beautiful flora may have hidden dangers. Sure enough they were not the only sentient species on this new planet. When a scouting team was sent out, they were accosted by those who called themselves the Fae. The team was taken prisoner & brought before their High Queen where they recounted their tales of woe. The Queen's heart was softened & asked to see their Tallest. Tallest Basa was a humble man whose humility further won over the Fae Queen. She agreed to give them land to live on as well as send out her own scouts on how to teach them to survive the natural & unnatural perils of this new world. In return, they were to give a tithing of 1/5 of whatever they produced, be it fruits, vegetables, livestock, cloth or precious metals every 7 years. The Irkens were more than happy to offer tribute to those who had shown them mercy in this strange land.

To the former Litorian's, Hive Litore died when Ophelia did & a hive on a new planet deserved a new name. After much discussion, it was decided that Hive Terra would be the name of their home. Irk seemed like a distant memory now as they even renounced the term Irken in favor of Irthen as a way of appreciating the planet they now inhabited. Tallest Basa became a parental figure to young Kly who eventually took over as Oracle when he was old enough. Generations later, the mantle of Tallest was no longer a ruler, but one entrusted to protect the Oracle.

The current oracle of Hive Terra is Oracle Delphi with her Tallest guardian & brother, Gigos. The bottom row from left to right is Frylady Dulce, Head of Maintenance, Head of Merchantry, & Head of the Nursery (all currently unnamed).

These are the Weavers of Hive Terra who are in charge of the oracle's wardrobe. From left to right they are Head Weaver Haberda, Spin, & Haberda's daughter, Fleecie.

These are some examples of what the citizens of Hive Terra look like & the clothes they wear. Sleeveless clothes are seen as lounging wear & are worn when not working.

The Fae's unnamed High Queen & her daughter.

There's more to come for Hive Terra, but that'll be all for now. This took hours as I wanted to make sure I had everything for them. This meant combing through various sketchbooks trying to find what I was looking for. I had a lot of ideas for the Fae princess as she's supposed to be a young Ms. Bitters long before she became a teacher. Anyways, enjoy my first art post & IZ lore drop for 2024 & hope y'all have a Happy New Year.

#invader zim #Tallest Basa #oracle kly #oracle delphi #frylady dulce #hive terra

2 notes · View notes

daydreamerdrew · 2 years

Text

Comics read this past week:

The Night Force (1982) #1-7

I really enjoyed the positioning of the characters in this book. The premise is that Baron Winters is manipulating a rotating cast of characters each arc into defeating an evil that has arisen that he is uniquely knowledgeable about, and it seems that in the process he is regularly ruining these people's lives. He doesn't have any sort of fantastical foresight, which means that he's not a perfect mastermind of events, giving the book a genuine feeling of unpredictability that you wouldn't get if you thought everything had been perfectly arranged. Baron Winters is also a relatively minor character in the story, as the fact that he never leaves his house often keeps him physically removed from the main plot. The two protagonists of this first 7-issue arc are Jack Gold and Donovan Cain, who are initially pitted against one another, but then are forced into an uneasy alliance. Vanessa Van Helsing is who they are initially fighting over, then trying to save together, then trying to escape from together. I found the characterizations of these three characters and how they played off of one another in their changing positions very compelling. I had spent a good amount of time before this primarily reading kids/all-ages comics, and so found this adult-oriented book very refreshing. The characters' faults, as they are manipulated and lead into the trap of saving the world, are depicted and explored in a way that I felt was uniquely free (in comparison a lot of what I usually read, at least) from the constraint of palatable heroes.

The Incredible Hulk (1968) #189-194 and Giant-Size Defenders (1974) #5 and The Defenders (1972) #26-32 and Fantastic Four (1961) #166-167

In this batch of issues I went within the main The Incredible Hulk title from April 1975 to November 1975. Len Wein wrote all of those main title issues. Herb Trimpe's final issue as penciller was #193, after he'd been drawing the book since 1968 starting with issue #106. He's been replaced by Sal Buscema. In all honesty, I was never a huge fan of Trimpe's art and prefer Buscema's style for the Hulk, but it's still a saddening end of an era. Particularly considering how throughout the Hulk's run in Tales to Astonish that he went through a sometimes legitimately absurd rotation of artists. As a fan of the character, I appreciate Trimpe's loyalty to the series.

The Incredible Hulk #189 was the first issue ever written from the Hulk’s perspective with his own narration, rather than from a omniscient narrator removed from the story, which I really enjoyed. The issue contained some notable details for me like the Hulk having a nightmare about the incident with the gamma bomb that first turned Bruce into him and being uncomfortable entering a cave because it reminded him of some of the prisons he's been kept in. I can understand why they wouldn't always do this and don't dislike the omniscient narrator (except for when he's trying to get me to sympathize with General Ross) but I hope this technique is continued to be used occasionally even if sparingly.

Also issue #189 had the Hulk come across a young girl singing in the wilderness which stood out to me as a parallel to the scene in issue #182 where the Hulk came across Crackerjack Jackson playing the harmonica in the woods. With Crackerjack, the Hulk listens to the music for a while completely absorbed until Crackerjack notices him, then the Hulk reacts "like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar" and nearly leaves to get away from the "puny human" until Crackerjack coaxes him to stay by offering him beans. With the young girl, the Hulk likes her singing and follows it until he finds her and realizes that the singer "was not a puny human" and is instead a little girl. Then he tries to leave quietly because "singing is too good... too pretty... for Hulk to stay and ruin it." And then when she does see him, he immediately apologizes and says "Hulk did not mean to make you stop singing. Please... sing again. Hulk will go away... and let you sing in peace." When she asks him not to leave and if he really liked it he tells her "Little girl's singing makes Hulk warm in this cold place. Everyone should hear girl sing."

Issue #191 had the Hulk in a paradise made from his dreams pulled from his own mind that had Crackerjack Jackson in it. This showed that the Hulk still remembered him despite his infamously terrible memory which I really liked because they had a uniquely sweet relationship until it’s tragic end. Also, there have been multiple instances across different issues of the Hulk seeking out beans since Crackerjack introduced him to them.

Doc Samson returns in issue #192 after leaving in issue #147 and it looks like he’s going to stay as a part of the cast for a while. I’m finding his characterization a lot more interesting this time around. In his first little run in the book he was really just there to break up Bruce and Betty which then wasn’t committed to at all so Bruce and Betty were still together and Samson was just kind of awkwardly hanging out until he was written out of the book by having him lose his powers. He regains him powers immediately after being reintroduced and is glad when it happens, acknowledging that he’d been hoping for it and had still been carrying his costume around with him just in case. He’s thankfully being written as a person with flaws, as it would be very annoying to have this character in the Hulk’s book that’s essentially the Hulk but ‘perfect’. In his first fight with the Hulk, he doesn’t properly convey why he needs the Hulk to come with him (so that Bruce can help save Glenn Talbot) because he had clearly wanted a rematch with the Hulk and so is actually the immature one in the situation. The only downside is that now there’s another character in the military cast of the book’s plot, which I feel hinders Betty’s chances of getting interesting writing.

I had previously been enjoying Valkyrie's character but now I'm really dissatisfied with her storyline. She started out as this newly-constructed being placed within Barbara Denton's body who had to learn about the world and how to be a person in it and eventually developed an uneasiness around not knowing anything about Barbara and doubts that she could be a real person without any memories. But I have not been enjoying the direction her character has been taken since Barbara's husband Jack Norris was introduced and it became clear that he wasn't leaving. At this point he's no longer trying to get Valkyrie away from the Defenders and is no longer constantly accusing her of being delusional, but he still thinks of Valkyrie as Barbara, still thinks of her as his wife, and expects her to think the same and becomes angry with her when she doesn't remember his and Barbara's life together or doesn't reciprocate his feelings. He's very annoying. And he's always with her now! Even when she flies off on her pegasus to battle with the Defenders, he's riding Aragon too, for some inexplicable reason. I really don't think it's been properly justified why Valkyrie is putting up with him and letting him hang around. I'm also frustrated that the Hulk hasn't had any part in this plotline. Both Nighthawk and Dr. Strange have had multiple moments that express how they feel about Jack, but the Hulk hasn't, which is particularly bothersome when the Hulk is present for scenes where Jack yells at Valkyrie or where Valkyrie pushes Jack away from her because it's deeply out of character for him to not at the very least threaten Jack for that given how protective he's been of Valkyrie in the past.

I remember being a little disappointed when Nighthawk was introduced to replace Namor on the Defenders because I had liked the Hulk and Namor's dynamic together, but now I'm really enjoying his character too. Giant-Size Defenders #5 had a reprinted back-up story from Daredevil (1964) #62 that depicted Nighthawk back when he was a villain, which was honestly a bit of whiplash for me only really being familiar with the character after he reformed and joined the Defenders but I actually enjoyed seeing this part of his history. In the story he drugs Daredevil to aid in one-upping him as a hero so that he can replace him because he wants the fun and glory of being a respected hero, but by the end of the story Daredevil reveals his true character to the public. And now he's on the Defenders which is a secretive, private superhero team that takes care to ensure that the public doesn't know about them. Also The Defenders #32 had a section titled "My Life and Times (Good and Bad) as Told by the Brain of Kyle (Nighthawk) Richmond" which explored Kyle's childhood and how it formed his psyche. It depicts him learning at a young age that "there was no percentage in letting your feeling show" and that at the boarding school his callous father left him at for years he regularly got into physical fights with both students and staff. After that he struggled in college because "all those years I'd spent protecting myself instead of studying had taken their toll." The ultimate conclusion is that at 28 years old, "I'm still that nine-year-old kid who was left at Westhaven. I'm still a troublemaker. Still hot-tempered. Still looking for someone to be my father."

The World of Edena by Jean "Mœbius" Giraud

I really enjoyed this book. I found the story and the world and the evolving storytelling used to depict them really fascinating. There's a quote in this book, cited to early in the project, where Moebius says that "The project will change according to my own evolution. I established some plot developments that exceed my current skills, and that's very interesting to me because, if I want to get to the bottom of this story, I will have to go over my own head. I will have to work and grow up." I think that there was very much a noticeable sense of the creator growing with the project, not just in how the art changes, but in how the story seems to expand and expand. I also think that there was also a noticeable sense of this project being something important and heartfelt to the creator. I was really compelled by the exploration of these characters being over-reliant on technology to the point of complete disconnect from the natural world and their own bodies, and the conflict that arose from the two main characters being able to properly engage with and embrace Edena (Eden) while others completely rejected it, and I was intrigued by one character's gender identity journey. Though I'm not sure how I feel about the ending of the book just yet. I also really enjoyed the mixing of science fiction and fantasy. This was my first book by this creator and now I’m interested in checking out other works by him.

#comics read this past week #my posts

3 notes · View notes

ysdic · 28 days

Text

YS dictionary (o-z)

odd

the odd one out谓孤臣异类，例如And so suddenly, instead of being one among many, I became the odd one out.。

引介选择范围，例如Of the two bands, Tommy's probably featured the more inventive and interesting jazz charts.，又如Of the three people who died aged under 65, one person was vaccinated against COVID-19 and two people were not vaccinated.。

后接数字表示年龄，例如David Swan, a young man of 20, was travelling on foot from New Hampshire to Boston.，

offence

take offence犹言自认被冒犯，例如Author Sarah Stusek appeared to take offence when Goodreads user Karleigh Kebartas gave her debut novel Three Rivers four stars instead of five.。

offer

双宾动词，例如The last part offers the reader additional opportunity for practice.。

offer to do sth.，谓自动表示愿做某事，例如’No, I’ll keep my stole on,’ she said to the girl when she offered to take it, ‘thank you.’

old

谓色之偏于深暗，例如When the visitors seized the lead after 55 seconds it spelled the start of a miserable afternoon for those in old gold.，此为狼队球衣色。

one

注意one是半元音开头的，前面用a，如When I was just learning to drive I went down a one-way street the wrong way.，又如a one-bedroomed apartment.

More than one后跟单数形式，例如When you find yourself in a situation with more than one hazard, what do you do?

only

only too言程度之高，其中only too well较常见，例如Mrs Jerebohm was to reticent to point out that her poverty in country friendships was only too well reflected in the number of guests at her dinner table.，其它例如I was only too pleased to help.

onset

事件之开始，例如His first hit record marked the onset of an astonishing career.，又如at the onset of the war，介词用at。

可受修饰整体做形容词，例如Alcohol misuse, coming from a lower socioeconomic background, loneliness and having a hearing impairment are among 15 factors found to significantly increase the risk of early-onset dementia.，又如Addressing these modifiable factors may prove effective in mitigating the risk of developing young onset dementia.。

opinion

be of the opinion that，犹言持论如左，较正式，例如He would not sit down after they had left in case he fell asleep, which this he would not permit himself to do since he was of opinion that sleep should be enjoyed sparingly.，此句出自毛姆，无the，察当代例皆有the，故以有为准。

opportunity

介词可用for，不可数，后接np.，例如The last part offers the reader additional opportunity for practice.，或接v-ing.，例如There’ll be plenty of opportunity for relaxing once the work is done.。

动词可用seize，例如The forward has seized his opportunity in the absence of the injured Gabriel Jesus with three goals in his last four appearances and impressive teamwork in the wins over Liverpool and West Ham.。

opposite

polar opposite谓绝对对立面，例如Still, after watching her in Harry Potter, it's interesting to see her play a character who is the polar opposite of Hermine Granger.。

or连接两个完整的一般疑问句，即可表示两种情况间的选择问。例如Was it heart failure in the back of a taxi or was Rivera right in suggesting that it was a politically motivated crime?，又如Can you really remember that or did I just tell it to you?

out

out there在口语中很惯用，虽则在语义上贡献甚微。应注意体会使用，如But while there's endless advice out there for parents, there's not much specifically for how to be in this non-parent supportive role.

ovation

观众集体鼓掌致意，可数，例如Smith Rowe was given a standing ovation when Arteta withdrew him towards the end.，又如The final piece won her a rapturous ovation from the audience.，又如In addition to a brief review for the course final exam, the overflowing audience (both in person and on the live YouTube stream) heard recollections, appreciations, and congratulations from Prof. Strang’s colleagues and former students. A rousing standing ovation concluded this historic event.。

over

over表示地点的用法比较微妙。例如The English version is two aisles over.，这里over等于away。

表比较，例如Kylian Mbappe chose PSG over Real Madrid.，又如

后加餐饮，引介情境，例如She would have preferred a maisonette on the front at Brighton, where she could occasionally parade in her best hat, gossip over morning coffee, and gaze at the sea.，又如They spent an hour over lunch.，此句over近于during。

overcome

后可搭配problem，表示搞定难题，如Humans have been trying to overcome this problem for millennia.

pale

pale blue eyes为洋人形容瞳子色常用语，谓其淡蓝，例如”I been to a funeral,” he said, staring me with his pale, blue eyes.

part

part with犹言献出、给出，后常常跟钱，例如It’s a huge investment, so you probably need to ask yourself if you like CS enough to part with that amount of money.。

past

有this past之说法，谓新近刚过去的，例如The last collective agreement expired at the end of 2022 and bargaining didn't start until this past October.，又如this past week/summer.。

pastime

可数，例如One of her favourite pastimes is reading detective stories.。

peanut

peanuts谓钱少如毛毛雨，例如When I sold my first bestseller (and a million dollars was peanuts for my father) he was not impressed and wondered what I was going to do with myself.，又如I won’t work for peanuts.。

peg

A square peg (in a round hole)，方凿圆枘，谓不适宜某岗位，例如Emi isn't good with the ball at his feet; he literally can't play the way we need a keeper to for our style of game. Square peg, round hole.。

peg本身义较多，须具体理解。如coat pegs谓挂衣钩，clothes pegs则晾衣夹，tuning pegs则乐器之旋钮。

pencil

[phrasal verbs]pencil in谓初步排定某事件或时间，例如On Thursday night the indications were that Kane is leaning towards a move to Germany, with a medical pencilled in for Friday after talks gathered pace.，又如We’ll pencil in the dates for the next two meetings and confirm them later.注意前一例是事件作动词宾语，for引介时间；后一例是时间作动词宾语，仍用for引介事件。主要宾语亦可为人，如Shall I pencil you in for Friday?（用于预约）；又如He was pencilled in to play the detective.，此例和时间无关。

penny

watch every penny谓省着用，例如This was a large amount for someone who watched every penny and was so careful with money.。pinch pennies或pinch a penny程度更强，谓抠抠搜搜，例如She was the most wilful woman that ever lived and the best at pinching a penny. She had all three girls married at the same time by the same minister to save money.。

pest

害虫或兽，例如A teacher nearby gently advises Ashton not to touch the animal, then explains hedgehogs are a pest in New Zealand and that the maggots are breaking down its remains.。

pet

pet name犹言诨名昵称，例如Pinkie was his pet name for Mrs Jerebohm; it suited her much better than Phyllis.。

pheasant

/fezənt/山鸡、野鸡。

picture

注意动词没有图画一义。有谓想象者，例如He pictured Harvard and Yale as famous universities where students, like the ancient Greeks, stood around under marble temples and talked about great ideas.；有谓

pig

guinea pig/ˈɡɪn.i/犹谓人体小白鼠，例如Having failed to kill Smith on its first attempt, Alabama has selected him as its ‘guinea pig’ to test a method of execution never attempted before.，又如They are asking for students to be guinea pigs in their research into the common cold.。

plain

副词表强调，例如Monk instead created a piano style that struck many of his contemporaries as erratic, awkward, or just plain odd.。

plight

苦难困境，例如A pandemic of inhumanity has taken hold, from Darfur to Ukraine, from the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan to the seemingly forgotten voices of Rohingya refugees in Myanmar, and now the intolerable tragedy that is deepening in Israel and the State of Palestine and threatening to spread wider.注意为可数，例如The African elephant is in a desperate flight.。

point

to the point表示程度，例如For the last 20 years, I have suffered quite badly from intermittent insomnia, to the point where I was in real despair.，又如He was rude to the point of being aggressive.。亦有用不定冠词的类似表达，例如Though Python supports an indefinite level of nesting, there can come a point where it becomes too confusing for humans to easily understand.，

power

powers of sth.谓某种特殊能力，例如Conan Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories about the mastermind’s pursuit of criminals using his observational skills and powers of deduction.，亦可不言明能力的内容，例如Spiderman uses his powers to fight crime.。

practically

有近于一义，例如A dominating force in the 1930s, Hawkins influenced practically all other saxophonists.。此义形容词亦有之，例如She married a practical stranger.。

practice

医生、律师等特定职业，动词用practice，例如He attended the University of Toronto Law School, but he never practiced law.，又如She’s practicing medicine in Philadelphia.。名词亦有此，例如《成长的烦恼》中Jason has moved his practice into the house so he can be there for the kids.，其中Jason是psychiatrist。

It is good practice to do sth.谓是个好习惯，无冠词，例如Due to this, it is good practice to avoid nesting if-statements beyond 2 or 3 levels deep.，又如Everyone knows it is good business practice to listen to your customers.

prat

傻逼。

precise

to be precise，准确而言，例如The former West Ham hero had set up goals with whipped dead-ball deliveries for William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães – Nos 1 and 3, to be precise.。

prepare

prepare sb. for sth.，例如Shortly before you wake, your body releases a surge of hormones, including the stress hormone cortisol, which prepares you for the day.。

pretend

pretend (that) + s.谓装得好像，例如All these years she has been pretending. She has pretended that he was a great artist to protect him.，又如We pretended nothing had happened.。

proper

像样的，例如But despite this, he is opposed to buying a proper water bottle. He carries around a big plastic one and only replaces it every month or so.，又如When are you going to find a proper job?。

puke

俚语谓呕吐，例如The boy puked all over me this morning.。亦有puke sth. up，例如I puked up my dinner.。

put

谓置人于某境地，具体例子如I’ve taken drugs to put me to sleep and drugs to keep me awake.，又如Don’t go putting yourself at risk.。

raise

谓引发，例如The cancellation of Owen’s talk at HKU comes after a number of incidents that have raised concerns about academic freedom in the Chinese territory.，又如

reach

reach谓伸手拿，常用for引介所拿的东西，例如Tolman reached for the envelope, but Gillian tore it up and said, “You doo’t need to read this.”，又如She reached inside her bag for a pen.。

ready

Whenever you are ready.是一句常用口语，提示对方可以下一步操作。

谓敏于做某事，例如To a very attentive reader ready to pick up suggestions they may reveal the key idea of the solution.，又如Don’t be so ready to believe the worst about people.，其中ready为形容词故受修饰。

reason

reason with sb.谓白活道理，例如Eventually, Peter stopped trying to reason with Mrs. Mallow.，

recoil

厌惧，介词用from，例如Mrs Jerebohm recoiled from the expression ‘demolition rats’ as Mr Jerebohm himself had done down by the lake-side.，或at，例如I recoiled at the thought.。

快速缩回，例如She recoiled from his touch.，或如He recoiled in horror at the sight of the corpse。故此可解释from及at的使用。

red

(catch sb.) red-handed谓抓现行，例如He’s been stealing from the store. I caught him red-handed.，又被动的例子如He must be caught red-handed to secure a conviction.。词源方面，如果是指手上沾血，那么red-handed所修饰的是受事；不过现在语感中，语义指向可能已经转向谓语。

reduce

谓降价，价值近于形容词，例如The price is reduced from 99 cents to 85 cents.，且受事可以是商品，例如The sign nearby said the stockings were reduced from $2.50 to $1.98.。

regardless

副词犹言尽管如此，多置句末，例如As things stand, with Sevilla 1-0 up through Sergio Ramos, Arsenal are in the last 16. They’ll want to win regardless, especially as they owe Lens one after a 2-1 defeat in the return fixture.。

cash register谓超市收银机。

relationship

谓人际关系可数，例如From early childhood, we all form close relationships with the people around us.，又如In the final story, the relationship between a mother and her son is tested.。

relentless

不消不停，不折不挠，例如What really interests Xi is how Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza is making its US ally look weak and guilty by association in the eyes of the world while dividing the western democracies.，或如a relentless enemy。但未必是贬义，例如her relentless pursuit of perfection。

repeat

on repeat谓循环放歌，例如It won’t be the number of minutes of Taylor Swift that made a mark, but the emotional angst of a breakup I tried to expel by playing Mr Perfectly Fine on repeat for an entire day.。

resonate

resonate with谓引起共鸣、触动情感，例如For a chance to feature in the magazine, send us a picture you took recently, telling us where it is in the world, when you took it and why the scene resonated with you at that particular moment.，又如His speech resonated with the fears and suspicions of his audience.，后一例的宾语不是人。

rich

be rich in谓富于，例如According to a self-styled sleep expert I found on the internet, “Turkey is rich in an amino acid called tryptophan, which goes to your brain and is converted to serotonin, which helps you sleep.”。

right

in sb’s own right谓凭自己，而非借势于人，使用需要把握，参考例子如Using a symbol for a missing digit in a place value system is not the same as recognising zero as a number in its own right.。

rise

谓河流发源，例如Rising in Bedfordshire, the Lea flows for 46 miles through Hertfordshire and north-east London, eventually reaching the Thames.。

rock

动词谓摇晃，例如Maybe the movement of the bus will rock me to sleep.，又如摇椅为rocking chair。

round

量词，谓子弹的发，例如A consultant hired by the city concluded that “the 55 rounds fired by six officers in ~3.5 seconds is reasonable based upon my training and experience as a range instructor”.，又如We only have three rounds of ammunition left.。

route

美国有读为/raʊt/者。

en route必读为/ˌɒ̃ ˈruːt/。

row

名词谓争执，例如Arteta was taken back to Tuesday night’s 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest. And specifically to the on-pitch row between Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ben White after the full-time whistle, when passions boiled over.

ruffle

谓讲平整之处弄乱，例如A light breeze ruffled the surface of the lake.，又如She ruffled his hair affectionately.。

ruffle sb.’s feathers谓令人不悦，例如No longer saying yes when my gut says no – even if I risk ruffling someone’s feathers.

run

run-up to sth.略谓某事之先的筹备造势阶段，介词可用during，例如during the run-up to the election，例如In August 2014, de Botton was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ‘The Guardian’ opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.，亦可受前置限定，例如The shops are fully stocked for the Christmas run-up.。

runway

即catwalk，参看。

sail

谓快速移动，未必在水上，例如Then she kicked him from behind, and he went flying out the door. Nehemiah's feet never touched the front steps. He sailed right out onto the lawn, came down on his feet and kept on running.谓飞过，又如She sailed past, ignoring me completely.谓走过，

same

the same as后接的内容较灵活，此亦可参看than一条，例如Arsenal’s position at Christmas and point at Anfield are the same as last season, but Arsenal are not the same as last season.

save

save sb. sth.谓免于，例如The Brigadier was saved the necessity of answering this enigmatical question by the breezy entrance of Pop.。

say

that’s saying something犹言可见一斑，例如My pleasure in playing with Teddy Wilson equalled the pleasure I got out of playing Mozart, and that's saying something.，又如This is the most confusing novel I’ve ever read, and considering I did my Master’s thesis on Ulysses, that’s saying something.，此表达常搭配considering云云.。

score

给影视等配乐，及物，例如Nick Cave and Warren Ellis will score the forthcoming Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black.。

scream

scream one’s head off谓疯狂大叫，例如I was screaming my head off at the local Gooner pub last night.，又如I screamed my head off on the roller coster.。

screen

screen out谓将不良分子屏斥在外，如Converus’s technology, EyeDetect, has been used by FedEx in Panama and Uber in Mexico to screen out drivers with criminal histories.。

second

every second字面固谓每两个有一个，但亦有泛滥一义，如Probably every second baby boy and each dog will now be named Bayraktar.，就是说Bayraktar这个名字在男孩身上用得太滥。

see

看医生一类可言see，例如Eighteen months ago, I saw a breathworker and the impact on my mental health was transformative.。

self-serving

自私，形容做法如Anyone wondering what life would be like in a 21st-century world led by China need look no further than Beijing’s self-serving, two-faced approach to the Israel-Hamas war.，亦可形容人，如He is a ruthless, self-serving politician.。

self-styled

自封的，例如According to a self-styled sleep expert I found on the internet, “Turkey is rich in an amino acid called tryptopham, which goes to your brain and is converted to serotonin, which helps you sleep.”。

send

派遣，例如Mark Carson was a newspaper journalist. He was sent by his editor to write a story about life in Chinatown.。

sense

谓理智、判断力一类东西，注意把握，例如He looks like a big fellow, doesn’t he? It takes some of them a long time to get any sense.，又如You should have the sense to take advice when it is offered.。

separate

区别分辨，介词用from，例如But none of these methods has yielded a reliable way to separate fiction from fact.，又如On average, across 206 scientific studies, people can separate truth from lies just 54% of the time.。

serialise

连载、连播，多用被动，例如The novel was originally serialised in both the Tokyo and Osaka editions of the Asahi Newspaper in one hundred instalments from October 1961 through January of the following year.。

shit

start shit，口语谓挑事惹麻烦，例如Then the Porto players trying to act tough and start shit with our players.。

shoo

挥手或物赶走，例如Bees get stuck by our kitchen skylight, buzzing in panic. Shooing them with a magazine only makes them panic more.。

亦为叹词，犹“去去去”，例如Shoo, all of you, I’m busy!

shoo-in谓包赢之人，非渠莫属，例如If Arsenal do sign Martin Odegaard, they’re a shoo-in for the 2024 Champions League quarter finals.，又如There is not yet an Academy Award for Best Whistling, but, if there were, Molly Lewis would be a shoo-in.

shoplift

从店里顺走东西，及物，例如She was caught trying to shoplift a pair of jeans.，又名词例子如Shoplifting is a crime. Offenders will be prosecuted.。

should

表示比较肯定的推测，在未来事件中等于probably，研究The lesser spotted Gabriel replaces the injured Thomas Partey, which means Ben White will (okay, should) move to right-back.。

showdown

表示冲突悬案之最终摊牌解决，可数，例如The now-yearly summer contract showdown with his employers meant the forward was sidelined from the first-team at the start of the campaign.，又如Management are facing a showdown with union members today.。

shy

shy away from谓因紧张害怕而躲避，例如She always shied away from white people.，又如I've never shied away from hard work.。由后一例来看，和shy的字面义已经关涉不大。

sight

有景点一义，如On this road trip you must visit all the sights without driving over the same road twice to make it to the finish.，搭配动词常用visit或see。

since

句末副词，谓从此以后（不必是否定句），例如Investing in wired headphones, rather than wireless earbuds. Not one has popped out of my ear and disappeared down the drain since.，又如I started on 18 January 1994 and, by repeating this same promise to myself every morning since, I’m coming up to 30 years sober.。

single

single-use谓一次性，例如single-use straws/napkins/stir sticks等。

size

go up a size谓衣服鞋子增大一码，例如I used to think there was no such thing as a comfy bra, believing that it was normal for underwire to leave angry red marks in its wake. Turns out I just needed to go up a size!。

sleeve

wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve，成语谓感情流露不加掩饰，例如Mikel Arteta says he has no regrets over his explosive reaction to Arsenal’s defeat at Newcastle in November and will continue to wear his heart on his sleeve if he feels his team have suffered injustice.。

small

the small hours指凌晨约一两点钟，亦有作the early hours者，例如My wife will quite happily stay up working until the small hours, while I prefer to head for bed soon after 10 p.m.。

smart

做动词，常以be smarting from格式出现，谓承受……之痛，例如My eyes are smarting from the onions.，又如And Arsenal were still smarting from their previous record buy, who was … Nicolas Pepe.。

snap

snap up略谓好东西被争相购买，多为被动式，如All the best bargains were snapped up within hours.，又如Their inventions are being snapped up by police forces, state agencies and nations desperate to secure themselves against foreign threats.，又如Don’t be too sad for Altman – the 38-year-old has already been snapped up by Microsoft for an undisclosed sum.，此句言挖人而非购物。

snatch

抓过抢过，例如We would crowd round, heads bent over a video game or YouTube, snatching the phone off each other to have a go.，又如She managed to snatch the gun from his hand.。

snuggle

此词难译，谓以身体拥在某处，贪其舒适，例如When I’m comfortable, cosy or just entertained, I turn my attention toward that sensation, in the way I would notice a puppy snuggling in my lap.，又如The child snuggled up to her mother.，又如He snuggled his head onto her shoulder.表示及物用法，又如He snuggled down under the bedclothes.。各句介词不一，须单独记忆。

This is so犹This is how，口气犹正是藉此，例如You need to go online at least once every 30 days to keep your downloads. This is so Spotify can collect play data to compensate artists.，又如Hole cut in stormwater pond fence. I would guess this is so they could paint graffiti on the wall inside the fence.。

so… that…之倒装，例如He lectured from seven till nine and so popular were his lectures that if you wanted a good seat you had to be there at six thirty.。

something

or something (like that)，犹言诸如此类，例如You mean she’s still waiting out there? She’ll faint off or something.。

something of + np.谓可算是，如Blakey was something of a university for up-and-coming jazz players, providing them with a rich environment for musical growth.，又如She found herself something of a celebrity.。

soon

soon-to-be谓即将成为，例如She was still laughing when all her children and soon-to-be mourners came down the stairs and surrounded her.。

soul

sell one's soul (to the devil)谓不择手段出卖灵魂，例如He knew how to get people to tell him their secrets. In fact, people who knew him said he was "a man who would sell his soul for a story".，

speak

speak to sb.谓谈话，例如We spoke to five experts with different viewpoints to capture the current state of discussion.，或如I’ve spoken to the manager about it.。又如打电话可以说Can I speak to Billy?。

spell

意味，导致，往往为负面，例如For one thing, Arteta ensured no significant errors were made in Group B. They took Lens, Sevilla and PSV Eindhoven seriously because the alternative would have spelt trouble.，又如The crop failure spelt disaster for many farmers.，可以后接for sb.。

spit (- spat - spat)

吐口水，不带宾。如She spat in his face and went out.

spit out吐出，如Three thousand years ago in China, the accused were forced to chew and spit out rice; the grains were thought to stick in the dry, nervous mouths of the guilty.

spite

谓恶心某人，惹怒某人，例如Folks said she married this fellow Buxton after she was jilted by Nehemiah Westfield just to spite Nehemiah.。

split

split the difference谓谈价时各退一步取中间，例如’I’ll split the difference,’ Mr Jerebohm said. ‘Fair enough,’ Pop said, ‘Seventeen thousand.’。

spot

put sb. on the spot谓使人难堪或难办，例如Mira rather put the boss on the spot by asking him when he was going to give us a pay rise.，又如Some people stiffen and freeze when put on the spot; others become more animated.

指一些合要求的地点，用法较灵活，例如Can you avoid everyone, find a quiet spot, read the books, then rush to the all-night garage to pick up some last-minute gifts?，又如I just wanted to find a spot to sleep.，又如It was a very hot day, and after walking all morning in the sun, he became tired and sleepy. He found a shady spot where he could sit and wait for a stagecoach.，又如a parking/tourist/secluded spot等。

stand

stand in谓替补，如My assistant will stand in for me while I’m away.名词stand-in，例如And in the absence of Gabriel Jesus, that is precisely what Arsenal need to see on a regular basis from his stand-in Eddie Nketiah.。

stand down谓下台让位，自动词，例如He stood down to make way for someone younger.，亦有他动词用法谓撤差，例如The video assistant referee who recommended the controversial penalty that denied Newcastle victory against Paris Saint‑Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday has been stood down at the Champions League Group D fixture on Wednesday between Real Sociedad and Red Bull Salzburg.

stay

stay off谓远离某事物，例如Let’s stay off the subject of politics.，又如I realised that there were really two key inputs that would help me finish my novel: writing every day and staying off my phone because it always distracted me.。

still

犹言更，成语有better still，独立做插入语。例如This work potentially gives us another very interesting tool for such collaborations, enabling mathematicians to search efficiently for clever and unexpected constructions. Better still, these constructions are humanly interpretable.。亦有非成语用法，如The next day was warmer still.，或如If you can manage to get two tickets that’s better still.。

stock

take stock谓复盘计划，例如It was time to stand back and take stock of his career.，又如December has always been a time to take stock: the highs, lows, memorable moments and best-ofs from the year just passed.。

stone

set in stone谓板上钉钉，如The schedule isn't set in stone, but we'd like to stick to it pretty closely. 又如Our legendary manager’s place in history was already assured thanks to the three league titles and seven FA Cups he claimed, but now it is truly set in stone - or rather bronze - after he was immortalised with a statue outside the stadium.这里的用法有幽默意味。

stuff

动词谓塞，例如If we start to use multiple return too loosely, this can lead to us trying to stuff too much functionality into one function, and then returning many results. ，又如The boy stuffed his pockets with candy.

suffering

名词，犹言苦难，常用搭配如human suffering，例如We are currently experiencing a moment of profound human suffering globally.。又如Death finally brought an end to her suffering.。

survive

be survived by犹言身后留下，如He was survived by his wife, two sons Booker T. III and Larry Cornelius, and two daughters Cornelia and Ana Dorsey.，此为常用套话。这是因为survive可做outlive解，例如She survived her husband by ten years.

tailor

tailor sth. to sth.，依要求打造，例如All the products that looked so great in the ads – so stylish, and so tailored to my exact requirements – turned out to be a letdown on delivery.，此句中另用程度副词修饰。又tailor sth. for sb.，量身打造，例如The system is specially tailored for small companies.。

take

医学检测常用之，如In 1730, the English writer Daniel Defoe suggested taking the pulse of suspected pickpockets.，又如Take an adult's temperature by mouth, in the ear or under the armpit.

take + sth./v.-ing谓需要，例如It takes getting used to, but this small, simple change has had a big impact and given me a newfound freedom.。

take it or leave it犹言你要不要吧，例如'Nice and profitable, you mean. A hundred dollars, take it or leave it.' she says.

tear

一滴眼泪，可数，因此多用复数。单数例子如A tear rolled down his face.。用单数的成语有shed a tear，犹言哭了一小下，例如I shed a tear during the final episode of the show.。

close to tears谓快哭了，例如He was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilised by the hugeness of the task ahead.。

tears of n.谓xx的眼泪，尤其例如She felt her eyes slowly fill with tears of joy.，又如He was crying tears of joy.。

move sb. to tears谓令人泪下，注意未必是正面的感动，例如Chicago Bulls fans booed former general manager Jerry Krause on Friday night during a halftime ceremony to honor the organisation’s greats, seemingly moving his widow to tears and drawing criticism from former players.。

tear up谓撕得粉碎，例如Tolman reached for the envelope, but Gillian tore it up and said, “You don’t need to read this.”。

than

比较的后项，句法性质可以和前项不同，需要体会才能熟练运用。例如For a few seconds it actually hurt him to look at her, taller by several inches than when he had seen her last, growing rapidly, her bust ripening.

rather than前后一致，价值上似近于元语连词，例如Rather than feel lost, I take a pause, stop the spiral of anxious thoughts and remind myself that, when nothing is certain, anything is possible.，句中feel lost犹如接在主语I后，和其他vp.一样。此亦可参看do下一条。

thank

动词，例如”I thank you very much, Sir,” Gillian said, and he went out to his cab.，这里用语较正式，又如

the

the + 国籍，表示某国人，复数，例如Mecking’s book has now been translated into 13 languages and the French are particularly keen on it. But just because niksen originated in the Netherlands does not mean the Dutch are particularly good at it.。

the可以管多个名词短语，如Sales will take place throughout the spring and summer.。此点在a条目下亦有。

习惯上不加冠词的，如He liked to linger over dinner and the guests did not rise from table till late.，又如At a quarter to ten he suspended his arduous labour and by ten was safely tucked up in bed.，又如I don’t have much time. I go on stage in two minutes.，又如

of短语前也未必加the，例如Voice-stress analysis, which aims to detect deception based on changes in tone of voice, was used during the interrogation of George Zimmerman.。

有限定的名词前也可不加the，关键在于有没有语用上的回指，例如These tools track the flow of blood to areas of the brain involved in social calculation, memory recall and impulse control.，又如Arthur Conan Doyle secretly hated his creation Sherlock Holmes and blamed the cerebral detective character for denying him recognition as the author of highbrow historical fiction, according to the historian Lucy Worsley.。

职位之前，有些情况无冠词，例如He only recently made his debut for the France Under-21s, where he was picked as captain by manager Thierry Henry.。

同位语前无冠词，例如He only recently made his debut for the France Under-21s, where he was picked as captain by manager Thierry Henry.，又如

theatre

有战线一义，例如His subsequent novels of Burma and of India stemmed directly or indirectly from his war experience in the Eastern theatre of war.，又如an intelligence officer in the Pacific theatre。

thick

in the thick of为深入参预，例如Mikel Arteta proclaimed that Arsenal are back in the thick of the title race after their resounding 3-1 win against Liverpool.，或深陷其中，例如Her comments landed her in the thick of a family feud.，又如These intimate confessions are displayed on a wall of the Jam Factory, an elegant arts centre in the city of Lviv in western Ukraine that has, improbably, opened in the thick of Russia’s invasion.

thin

thin out谓数量由多变少，例如He’s 27 but the front of his hair and the middle have thinned out a lot.。

thing

and that sort of thing，注意单数，例如My husband wants shooting parties and all that sort of thing.。

think

表示想为及物动词，哪怕直接代词亦可，例如Because I’m from England, so obviously I’m going to think that.。

think about谓就某事做考虑，例如The government needs to think carefully about the issue raised.。

think of往往表示评价判断，例如What do you think of the film?，当然在这个用法上也可换成about，例如What you think about his idea?，或省去介词，如What do you think?即问意见。此外有think of np. as np.，例如I think of this place as my home.。

I think not.相当于No.，唯语气正式，例如警察说But did he put the tablets in the hot milk? I think not.，又如'Will you be going tonight, James?''I think not.'。

this

all this谓以上全部，注意不是all these，例如Despite all this, bebop proved attractive to some of the large bands.，又如The mobile phone is cheap. It has a good battery. It has front and rear cameras. All this makes it a good choice.。

though

在句末，表“虽说…不过…”，补充此前意思相反的信息，例如No. They do get told when people enter the stream, though.。

thought

谓想法可数，例如We have 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts a day, but 80% of them are repetitive and negative. Every morning, I choose an empowering thought; every night, I choose a grateful thought, which helps shift my mindset.。

想及某事物，介词用of，例如The thought of her four children dressed in new clothes made her excited and happy.，又如I couldn’t bear the thought of waiting any longer.。

thrilled

形容词，谓激动兴奋，例如Felice told me she was worried that they wouldn’t find anything, so she was thrilled when the final results were clearer than she had dared hope.。

throughout

谓一段时间内连续或频繁做某动作，强调其频率高，例如He has recorded dozens of worthy and spirited sets throughout the years.，又如The ceremony lasted two hours and we had to stand throughout.，此例不带宾。

thumb

rule of thumb谓经验之谈，例如A good rule-of-thumb is to stick to having functions either returning nothing, or exactly 1 thing, as much as possible.，

time

It’s high time.犹言早就该做了，例如’Have him charged, Pinkie. Put him in court. Let the police deal with him. The swine. It’s high time. I’ll be a witness for you.’，又如It’s high time (that) you cleaned your room.，句式为It’s high time (that) + 过去时小句，另注意无冠词。

at all times，一直。例如You don’t have to keep your curtains open at all times.，又如Hard hats must be worn at all times on site.。

to + vp.作为体词的例子，如The key to eating a Meddiet cheaply is to go for canned and frozen foods, which are just as nutritious.，

歌词用to，例如Some might say – but some might simply forget the words to the song. The musician Noel Gallagher has admitted he struggles to remember the words to some of the hits he created with his younger brother Liam in their band Oasis.，又如To pull one from the collection at random might be to meet the me that copied out the lyrics to Doll Parts, or scrawled, bizarrely, “no gene for mortgage: socially constructed”, or the me who wrote that they had “100 years to start appreciating ballet”.，其中Doll Parts为歌曲名。

towel

throw in the towel谓认输放弃，例如Rather than telling myself to throw in the towel, I find that affirming messages help me get hard things done.。

transport/transportation

交通，不可数，美语多作transportation，例如After 30 years of taking public transport and walking, I got healthier.。

trick

trick sb. into doing.，例如Putting a smile on my face the moment I wake up. It tricks the brain into thinking: ooh, I feel quite good about today!。

do the trick谓起效用，例如Listening to music while working out has made me feel powerful and alive. Metallica is the best, but any 80s or 90s metal does the trick.。

trip

绊一跤，主动词，例如He tripped and fell down, grazing his knee.。又有trip over sth.，例如There’s no more scrabbling for the light switch while I trip over a box.

trouble

in/into trouble指惹事上身被人算账的情形，注意为单数形式，例如But Alfred always got in trouble and couldn’t hold a job for very long.，算账的人用with引介，例如He was in trouble with his teachers.，又如a charity that helps women in trouble with the law。

tweak

微调，名词可数，例如With a few tweaks this venue will be perfect.，又如Here are tried and tested tweaks that can lead to big improvements.。动词例如I think you’ll have to tweak these figures a little before you show them to the boss.。

unnerving

令人恐慌，例如Florida Museum of Natural History shark research director Gavin Naylor said the number of bites was consistent with long-term trends. “Though the number of fatalities is a bit unnerving this year,” he said.，又如Meeting a twin brother I didn’t know I had was an unnerving experience.。

up to加时间，相当于until，如Up to yesterday, we had no idea where the child was.，细按则up to较until更有逼近迄至的口气。亦有The record rain, reported in the hour up to midnight on Thursday, comes just days after the city dodged major damage from a super typhoon.，此句中犹言紧邻午夜前的一小时。亦有up until，如Up until the 19th century, the Halloween bonfires were also used for divination in parts of Scotland, Wales and Brittany.

vacation

英美都有/veɪˈkeɪʃn/和/vəˈkeɪʃn/两读。

多用于on vacation，例如Do you always try to head to bed before midnight, even if you are on vacation?。

very

very表示强调，后为最高级形容词，如Hazard got over his jaw-dropping loss of cool in south Wales and over the course of the next six years established himself as one of Chelsea’s very best players.，或为限定形容词，如At last he had his��very own car，又如at the very top of the stairs。

voiceover

影视画外音，可数，例如In a voiceover, Tien suffers this fate due to his bad karma, but adds that he will find a way to cheat death.。

wank

撸管。

wardrobe

可指一个人的衣物，可数，例如I want to buy a whole summer wardrobe.，又如My capsule wardrobe is three pairs of trousers, three jumpers and five tops.。

wave

make waves谓惹争议搞事情，例如A San Francisco taqueria owner made waves after raising the price of a signature dish.。

wear

谓涂香水，例如It was a wonderful perfume she was wearing.，又如She was wearing too much perfume.。

谓面露表情，例如Jurgen Klopp paces and paces, wearing the pressure all so obviously.，又如He wore a puzzled look on his face.，

were

违背现实之事，各人称均用were，例如He bowed as she left as if she were a princess.。

what

Now what?谓现在咋办。

whatever

后仅接np.的例子，如Exercising and being outdoors, whatever the weather, sets me on the right track for my day.。

whatsoever

用于否定句末尾，犹at all，谓毫不或略无，例如Arsenal are guaranteed to finish Group B as winners, while PSV have already secured second spot. This game has no real consequence whatsoever, so let’s not oversell it and simply enjoy it for what it is.。

white

turn white谓惊慌失色，主语可以直接是人，例如Miss Hayden turned white. “Oh,” she said, and again, “oh.”，又相近的例子如She went white as a sheet as she heard the news.，也可以是脸，例如Zack’s face turned white and his jaw dropped.。

谓西洋人，例如Pan was a half-white, half-Chinese girl.。

whittle

动词谓木雕，例如The children, aged between four and 12, trundle along to the working farm every week, leaving their home or mainstream schools to spend the day playing in mud, building campfires, feeding tuna (the Māori word for eels), whittling , trapping pests, planting native trees and learning how to become kaitiaki (guardians) of their environment.，又如He whittled a piece of wood into a simple toy.或He whittled a simple toy from a piece of wood.。

wonder

do wonders for sb./sth.谓大有裨益，例如My new place is closer to work, and a grocery, meaning I can now walk to both. Along with the larger windows, this has done wonders for my mental health.。

word

word gets around that谓流言出现，例如Then all of a sudden, about two weeks ago, word got around that she was dying.，around可接地点，例如She doesn’t want word getting around the office that she’s pregnant.。

work

work up反应激动甚至过激，例如Wow dude, you are too worked up over this.，又如It’s easy to get worked up when you’re tired and everything seems to be against you.。

work可后接时间宾语，例如And if you decide to go into one of the caring professions, do bear in mind that doctors, nurses, paramedics, and care workers are all expected to work antisocial hours.，又如Despite the disruption to my sleep pattern caused by the irregular hours I had to work, I never had any problem drifting off.，后一例同时支持了此不宜分析为时间短语做状语。

work in + n.谓在做某一行，例如She has worked in English language teaching for twenty years.，又如I've always worked in education.。

yarn

毛线球。

spin yarns谓吹牛瞎编，例如Liars can spin yarns packed with colour and detail and truth-tellers can seem vague and evasive.

youth

谓青少年恒为复数，亦有作the youth者，参考例子如Adults and youth (ages 13 and older) need an average of 2000 calories a day, and children (ages 4 to 12) need an average of 1500 calories a day.。

zip

Zip it.谓闭嘴。

punctuation

After 9/11, the US government – long an enthusiastic sponsor of deception science – started funding other kinds of brain-based lie-detection work.

绰号前面的the，不进入引号，例如Dubbed the “Ghost Boat” by officials, the rusted carcass of a second world war Higgins boat, used to transport troops into battle and on to beaches overseas, began to emerge from the shallows in Lake Shasta last fall. 。但如果the是专名的一部分，则进入引号，例如Nearly everybody enters for “The Nicest Garden Competition” each year, but Joe wins every time.。

括号带插入语，置于常规标点后，例如Nehemiah came to the house. 'Well, Jenny, (see the Widow's name was Jenny) this is a sad occasion.'

word order and more

定语直接后置，例如He’s got a waiting list a mile long.，

关系名词作同位语后领多个名词，例如On a wall outside Sainsbury’s Local, just off the busy Peckham Road in south-east London, fine art students and flatmates Ruby Edwards and Mae Meddings, both 20, are eating lunch.

介词短语的完全倒装句，例如Before each guest was placed a pint bottle of wine and a pint bottle of white.。

假设句倒装，例如The ball is lofted, Robertson hauls Antony down and Diaz smashes over. Had that gone in, VAR would surely have ruled it out.，

1 note · View note

you-cant-spell-subtext-without · 3 years

Text

so get this. I was gonna roll around in Tombstone related fluff today - but no, no - this post came across my dash so Now We Are Gonna Discuss the Carnal Consumption of Meat as it appears on That Show Supernatural. YEAH BUDDIES!

(also my sincere apologies to OP of the inspiration post who innocently tagged it with “lunch date!” because I am about to go Elsewhere, cursedly).

Let’s all go meat man, after the cut!

This analysis centers primarily on 5x14 Bloody Valentine. The title of course is a semi-homage to a 3D Slasher Film Jensen starred in circa 2009.

Which I will be renting soon I guess. ,[<- parasocial panda GET BACK IN YOUR ENCLOSURE]

Also Its Really Fun that the trailer for Said Cinema ends with “nothing says date movie like a 3-D ride to hell” [are you also thinking of Cas pulling Dean out of hell, or are you normal?] ***unironically the teaser for 5x14 is -

EXT. SIDEWALK - IN FRONT OF ALICE'S APARTMENT BUILDING

RUSSEL

First date.

They then eat each other. Literally they eat each others flesh. They also do it while dirty talking about it. SPN IS A SHOW

ALICE Ugh! I've been so alone. So empty...

RUSSEL I know. Me too.

ALICE I want you, Russel---All of you... inside me...

[they both take bites out of each other, Alice chewing on a piece of Russel's flesh]

****Remember this detail, as it is important.

ANYWAY, it’s truly Cursed that not only are we doing an homage to this 3-D Jensen Horror Date Flick but also this episode is specifically centered on Valentine’s Day. The day honoring romance and love Now Coopted by Hallmark, everyone, that is the day spn writers chose to introduce us to

Sir Horseman of THE Biblical Apocalypse Famine.

Canonically, we are aware that the show is drawing from the book of Revelations in its depiction of the Four Horsemen. Here’s what it says about Famine -

"When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.”

-Revelations 6:5

Famine holds scales (used to weigh out grain in times of food scarcity). Spn’s depiction is represented as hunger, a bottomless pit of need. It consumes souls (demon and human alike).

Cas describes Famine a little more poetically:

CASTIEL

"And then will come Famine riding on a black steed. He will ride into the land of plenty... "

"... and great will be the Horseman's hunger, for he is hunger. "

"His hunger will seep out and poison the air. "

***Consider a prior season in which we are introduced to the Seven Deadly Sins. Which are the sins associated with hunger?

Gluttony

and Lust.

***this is also important

Back to the episode. Case cold open, and we find out that Alice was a Nice Girl. In that she didnt drink, smoke or

have premarital sex.

***So Alice’s hunger for the sin of Lust caused her to succumb to it; and her demise was presented as Gluttony (literally eating her partner’s flesh). HMM

Famine’s presence is affecting the town, and Cas is not immune.

DEAN

And when did you start eating?

CASTIEL

Exactly. My hunger-- it's a clue, actually.

***They lay it out a little more in case you missed it ->

SAM

I thought famine meant starvation, like as in, you know, food.

CASTIEL

Yes. Absolutely. But not just food. I mean, everyone seems to be starving for something--Sex, attention, drugs, love...

***this is so important. but of course because its spn and our textual narrators are generally unreliable (even in a Ben Edlund episode, yes I know)

we get a red herring

CASTIEL

Right. The cherub made them crave love, and then Famine came, and made them rabid for it.

***but that’s not accurate. they didn’t get married or become obsessed with each other (remember the cursed coin in 4x08 Wishful Thinking and the unconditional love wish? not what happened here). they had premarital sex. they did the thing Alice considers wrong, and dark, and sinful. and then they ate each others’ flesh.

DEAN

Okay, but what about you? I mean, since when do angels secretly hunger for White Castle?

CASTIEL

It's my vessel-- Jimmy. His, uh, appetite for red meat has been touched by Famine's effect

***mad lad Jimmy Novak’s hunger is for...red meat? He is starving for red meat? You are telling me that the Novaks, red blooded conservative religious midwestern Novaks, ate RED MEAT SO SPARINGLY that Jimmy Novak was LITERALLY starving for it?!?! No way. Absolutely no way. This is a man who was such a religious zealot he STUCK HIS HAND IN BOILING WATER and accepted an angel of the lord into his own body but his secret hunger was for fucking ground beef?

give me a damn break.

to me this is an absolute coverup. Because Cas’s burger consumption is not related one iota to his vessel Jimmy Novak.

it is a representation of Cas falling. Cas’s cravings for meat represent his growing (and very much prohibited) feelings for...humanity (Dean Winchester), and they are presenting as Gluttony in the form of his downing more and more copious amounts of red meat.

SERIOUSLY, consider this - at one point the depiction is so desperately carnal that he is eating raw ground beef with his bare hands. It is fucking uncomfortable. and it is SUPPOSED to be. Famine stirs up hunger for the prohibited. For the sinful. That which we are starving for but do not believe we can ever have, so we lust and we lust and we LUST after it, but should we allow ourselves even just a taste of what we have been ravenously craving, we binge it until we ourselves disappear into the oblivion of our own sinful, dark desires.

Since You Want More Examples of why this cant possibly be hunger for Cheeseburgers and Cheeseburgers alone, Consider Famine’s effect on Dean. Remember his doctor kink?

**when its revealed that Doctor Corman has succumbed to Famine’s poison by drinking himself to death, Dean - very uncharacteristically by the way - reacts by saying out loud

DEAN Thanks. Crap! I really kind of liked this guy.

***please note that Doctor Corman says the following to Dean in the prior scene they have together -

DR. CORMAN [to Dean]

Agent Marley, you just can't stay away.

****was that a flirtation?

***Also, Dean doesn’t want to go out and chase tail for Valentines Day.

SAM

I mean, what do you always call it-- Uh, unattached drifter Christmas?

DEAN

Oh, yeah. Well... be that as it may...I don't know. Guess I'm not feeling it this year.

SAM

So you're not into bars full of lonely women?

DEAN

Nah, I guess not. [takes a sip of his beer] Ahh. What?

SAM

That's when a dog doesn't eat-- That's when you know something's really wrong.

***oh look we are relating things to eating again. sex/lust to gluttony. hmmm hmmm hmmm

ANYHOW - *takes deep breath*

this is also the Episode Where This Scene Lives

****JACKTING JOICES

oh and speaking of jacting joices, this is also the Dean Notices Cupids Crotch Episode.

frAckles, I am once again asking why you only permit celestial beings to hug you from behi-[gunshots]

but Dean isn’t hungry. Why? Famine has the explanation, and we get it after Dean immediately runs inside after Cas heads in to complete his portion of their plan barely giving him any time to do so because he misses him that much.

FAMINE

I disagree. [Famine moves closer to Dean and touches him] Yes. I see. That's one deep, dark nothing you got there, Dean. Can't fill it, can you? Not with food or drink. Not even with sex.

DEAN

Oh, you're so full of crap.

FAMINE

Oh, you can smirk and joke and lie to your brother, lie to yourself, but not to me!

***not Dean making all of those homophobic/homoerotic jokes every time he’s in danger or feeing uncomfortable; not that, that can’t possibly be what Famine is referencing, right?

I can see inside you, Dean. I can see how broken you are, how defeated.

***not THIS parallel:

AMARA:

You're a mystery. I can see inside your heart. Feel the love you feel, except… It's cloaked in shame

You can't win, and you know it. But you just keep fighting. Just... keep going through the motions.

***not the motions of performative heterosexuality!!

***Dean’s not hungry because in his heart he truly believes that he can’t actually have what he hungers for. That Thing Which This Episode Overtly but Also Very Clearly Made Obvious. It’s an angel riding shotgun [I did Do That and I am Not Sorry], eating a burger in the front seat of the impala. But, I’ve deviated from the meat of this essay [gunshots] [this time just for the bad joke].

BONUS

there’s Exists another episode in which a man ravenously consumes red meat; eventually succumbing to eating raw beef with his bare hands in the season prior to this one.

Yes Supernatural the Show That Brought Us Not One But Two Scenes of Persons Carnally Consuming Red Meat With Their Bare Hands.

This episode is a MOTW - the man in question is a rougaru - a monster that starts out as human but due to some specific genetic disorder (hmmm hmmm hmm crack in THE chassis hmmm hmmm) soon begins to be extremely hungry - “for everything, but eventually long pig.” AKA human flesh.

Wanna know the kicker?

Episode’s called Metamorphosis.

(GIF by jackttwist)

I’ll see myself out.

[DOUBLE BONUS for extra credit:

if you really wanna wild out, go watch the scene of Jack the rougaru looking at himself in the mirror in 4x04 - and then meander on over to 7x01 and check out God!stiel looking in the mirror as the leviathans writhe inside him over there. It’s worth the walk.]

***oh and @lilac-void im tagging you in this one because in exchange for your KIND creator content nomination I guess I will respond by cursing you with an Honorary tag in this, a Meat Meta. you’re welcome slash I'm sorry XO [but seriously thank you again for your kindness and appreciation; it really motivated me to sit down and get moving on making more content <3]

#yes I did do a meat meta #and what of it #destiel #spn #spn fandom #supernatural #spn family #myspnmeta #my spn meta #hellerism #deancas #longpost #spn analysis #spn 5x14 #spn bloody valentine #meat meta #<- I do not even want to know or see what else that tag would lead to

346 notes · View notes

arabian-bloodstream · 3 years

Text

TWD, S11-1A Arc Thoughts So far

There be spoilers here kinda sorta, but not really, it’s really just a general thinky-thoughts post on the first arc of season 11 of The Walking Dead as its “finale” aired on AMC+ the other night.

I generally read takes on The Walking Dead after it airs and since I'm a Caryl fan, I read the takes of their fans. However, I've found myself more and more not agreeing lately with the thoughts of even those I generally do.

The overall consensus appears to be that "nothing has happened" in this first arc. That it's pointless. Carol and Daryl have been separated. Carol/Melissa McBride has barely been on screen and the Reapers are boring and awful, and this whole thing is a complete waste of time. I'm gonna have to have a big ole disagree here. Let me elucidate as to the why.

The Reapers arc is NOT about the Reapers. Carol/MMB not having much screentime sucks now, but I believe there is a reason for that.

Let's take Carol/MMB first. Carol took a lot of unwarranted hate last season. Like A LOT. A lot lot lot..... Like a crazy, ridiculous amount of hate. Melissa McBride was ALL OVER the show last season. She was front and center all over the place. And she was magnificent... for Carol fans. Outside of Carol fans? She was hated. People were done with her. They were over. They wanted her gone. They didn't have sympathy for her. They didn't care that every child she loved, raised as her own, cared for was killed. They did not care. They didn't care that she was/is suffering other loads of trauma. They don't care how brilliant Melissa McBride is. They were just done with Carol's shit. Period. Done, finished, over.

Angela Kang REALIZED that. She also knows that Daryl and Carol are the HEART and SOUL and FUTURE of this franchise. Literally. There is a spin-off with those two. And if one-half of that future has a vocal majority of the online fanbase (and I've gone to other sites--just random, discussing TWD sites) that are tired of Carol's "shit," something has to be done to shift that attitude. So, guess what? Something is being done. Carol, in this first arc, is being shown sparingly, not shoved down anyone's throat. She is still getting shit done. She is fighting to save Alexandra. She was the one fighting to save Connie, BUT, she didn't get the glory shot. That was Kelly --as it should have been. And then Connie (and Kelly) in this latest episode both made the very clear choice that they wanted to help/work with Carol.

Kang is not sidelining Carol because she doesn't like her or because she's giving into the Carol-haters. She is doing this to ease the hate that had been thrown at Carol last season, rehabilitate her image while Carol rectifies her mistakes, when she pushed every one away, her vengeance helping to cause some of the issues that are facing Alexandria now. Carol is now helping to stop Aaron from going down the same path, leading the charge to save Connie, etc. So when the next arc begins and we see Carol more again--as I’m sure we will, it will be with a fresh perspective and a renewed appreciation for her character.

(Note: I know that Carol is extremely popular still. I’m just saying that they still want to ease the online hate for her.)

As for the Reapers. This arc is about three characters: Daryl, and Maggie and Negan. Let's start with Maggie, and Maggie and Negan.

We haven't seen Maggie for years. She was a major player on the show, so naturally she is going to get a major arc upon her return. This is her major arc. I think we had two options. We could see her dealing with her (understandable) Negan issues in Alexandria which would have taken away from Carol's arc, involving Carol and all she did, letting Negan out, bringing Alpha into it, stirring up resentment between her and Maggie--which would undermine what Kang is trying to do for Carol!

OR, she could take Maggie and Negan OUT of Alexandria and have Maggie deal with her (understandable) Negan issues away from Carol, not bringing her into it. Let Maggie and Negan hash it out together. That's what Kang did, that's what she is doing. This is Maggie's arc, it's getting her to a place where she can live in some kind of harmony with Negan. This HAD to be done to give Maggie any kind of "happy" ending. It had to happen, and it had to happen away from Alexandria/Carol to give Carol her fresh start with viewers to stop the haterade parade.

Now, Daryl... Kang's first season as showrunner, well, the first half was basically spent getting things back on track after the mess that Gimple had made of the last 3-4 seasons. The next half of that season was deeply exploring Carol's character, going in-depth on that bad boy. The next season--which was last--continued that exploration, but also added a season-long deep dive into the bond between Carol and Daryl. So, what are we getting now? Why naturally, a deep exploration into who? Daryl Dixon!

I adored the episode "Find Me," and I'm so thrilled that we got it. The original plan was to include the romantic relationship with Leah in a few flashbacks when Leah was introduced with the Reapers. I'm so happy it didn't happen that way because (a) it would have lessened the depth of exploration of Daryl's character, and (b) it would have jettisoned the gorgeous Carol parallels. Having this whole arc about the Reapers isn't pointless, doesn't not matter because Daryl isn't pointless, Daryl doesn't not matter.

Because we had that parallel between Leah and Carol, we can see so clearly that Daryl has a type. (Take that, Carol ain't his type, hah!) We can also see that Daryl will always try and save people. Yes, yes, we already knew that, but because of this arc, we see that Daryl has learned, finally!, that once the jig is up, the jig is damn well up and when you can't save someone, you can't save them. We're also seeing different sides of Daryl, that he can blend in, that he has learned from Carol.

As for Caryl, Daryl and Carol can't be Caryl until both sides are healed enough to stop talking in circles and truly talk. We saw that in "Find Me." Carol is healing. If she doesn't let herself heal, she'll constantly be torn apart by guilt. Daryl is finding that he can't save everyone, he has to save those who matter most TO HIM. Otherwise, he's constantly going to try and save everyone and be torn apart by guilt. They have to do these things separately.

They already know they have each other's backs. They already know the other will NEVER turn on the other, leave the other. That's not in question. Carol has been broken inside. Daryl can't fix that. Daryl has a martyr complex trying to save everyone. Carol can't stop him. That is something they have to figure out themselves or it won't work. So... again, Carol is healing. Daryl is figuring it out.

And then they will come together. For now, in this arc, they are getting their ducks in a row, it’s just a separate thing. So, the first arc of this season? Not pointless at all, in my opinion.

#caryl #Carol Peletier #daryl dixon #carol x dixon #the walking dead

50 notes · View notes

taylorswiftstylequestions · 2 years

Note

Hi Sarah, my apologies for being “unclear”. What I meant is there are accounts that have been supporting her for a very long time even before she got very famous and helped with promotion like asking fans to vote for her and buy her stuff but it seems she doesn’t care much? 1/2

I don’t mean they deserve praise from Taylor or special treatment but that she just don’t seem to care. I follow both and Avril shows more appreciation and genuinely cares to be honest. Taylor only tweets when it’s promotion time. At least that’s the vibe I’m always getting from her. It’s different in the TS fan base lol kinda difficult to explain my thoughts. 2/2

---

It's definitely your right to feel that way but I'm truthfully fatigued by the "Taylor only interacts with fans for promotion" conversation.

I think she's done a lot of things over the course of her career to express her gratitude and appreciation for fans and to foster a relationship with fans that is genuine and based on connection and loyalty. Because she's a human being with a heart and feelings - and how could she not.

And I also think she's a businesswoman who over the last few years has placed a significant value on creating boundaries for herself. Which includes - I think - reassessing the impact social media had on her and how draining being such a highly visible and public figure was/is. So when she does use it, she does so sparingly, intentionally, and strategically.

And I think both of those things are happening and happening in flux.

The most telling quote in recent history from her imo is when she said she's in the privileged position to be able to choose when she wants to work. She used to say 'yes' to basically everything and now she's learned she doesn't have to do that - she can pace herself. And there is a huge privilege in being able to do that, which she acknowledges. But it's in the goal of avoiding burn out based on past lived experience.

Do I miss those more frequent and casual 'interactions' or touchpoints with her as a fan? Yes! 100000%! I feel no guilt in saying that I miss her candids and her unscheduled/organic sharing of her life on social and in the public eye. Not just as a person who documents her fashion but because as a fan it felt like a connection point. It was nice 'seeing' her in that way.

But I also acknowledge and respect that she's making choices to safeguard her stamina and she's learned how to pace herself when it comes to being in the public eye and working. And her choosing to be more selective about what and how often she shares doesn't diminish or erase or impact the genuine feelings and love for her fans.

#opinion

12 notes · View notes

ginnyweasleymybeloved · 3 years

Text

cocktails / ginny weasley

Ginny my beloved <3 welcome to my being-so-gay-for-ginny-weasley blog 🥰💓

summary: your girlfriend comes home from quidditch practice to find you prancing around the kitchen, making cocktails.

word count: 2k

warning(s): kissing, alcohol, characters are in their 20s, fluffy

let me know what you think, comments and reblogs are very appreciated <3

♡

Ginny had just made her way home from a quidditch practice that had run on for almost five hours and it was safe to say that she was completely exhausted.

The red head couldn’t wait to get home to you. Although she loved and was extremely grateful for her (very successful) professional quidditch career, after the Saturday practice surpassed the three hour mark she’d been fantasising about throwing herself into your waiting arms and having a good moan about how tedious the day’s training had been.

It was strange really; the concept of having everything she wanted. The idea that she could go out to a job that she actually liked and that paid well and then come home to the person she loved most in the world, in a place that she felt genuinely comfortable. And yet everyday that’s what she was met with. She’d come hom from a strenuous day of training, completely worn out. And there you’d be; back from a long day’s work yourself, with the kettle already boiled with two cups ready and with fresh, warm towels folded for her in the bathroom, ready for her to dry herself with after she’d enjoyed her post-practice shower. Tonight was slightly different however.

Once Ginny had finally trudged through the doorway of your shared flat, she’d been met with your cheerful face grinning mischievously at her from the kitchen. Without wasting much time she kicked off her shoes and made her way into the kitchen, a single eyebrow raised in question.

“Welcome home!” You sang cheerily, prancing around the kitchen, picking up bottles and pouring copious amounts of the liquid into the blender that usually resided in the back of the bottom cupboard.

Ginny let out an airy laugh, “What’re you doing?” She asked monotonously, acting as if she wasn’t captivated by the way you seemed to float about the kitchen.

“Making cocktails.” You stated simply, turning to face her as you did so. There she stood, arms crossed below her chest and a knowing grin on her face- it was the grin she always wore when she knew she was about to tell you off for one thing or another. “And! Before your start-“ You began as you pulled her into your arms, “I made you an alcohol free one. So you can have one and still not break your ridiculous training... diet thingy.” You warned with a similar knowing look to her own, your arms were wound tightly around her waist, as her’s snaked around your shoulders and pulled you flush against her chest.

“So you can and you will have one, Ginerva.” Your voice was final and Ginny let out a short laugh, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear and pulling your closer still.

“Mm. And what’s in this concoction, if I may ask?” With a sweet smile, you pressed a quick kiss to her lips before answering her.

“Cranberry juice, pineapple juice and orange juice.” You informed, placing another-longer, kiss to her lips; a kiss which she happily returned. Ginny’s lips moved fiercely against yours, pushing you against the counter until she pulled away from you, “How thoughtful.”

“Thought you might enjoy it. Y’know, after training all weekend.” You supplied as you shifted your gaze towards the kitchen tiles shyly, holding her securely nonetheless.

Before you could worry about whether or not she liked your plan for a cocktail night, her fingers were beneath your chin and gently turning it up so your pretty eyes could meet her’s. “I love it. I love you.” Ginny reassured you as she took your face in her hands and kissed you again. The faint taste of peach schnapps hitting her lips as she slid her steady hands down to grasp your hips, the sweetness let her know that you’d been making yourself a Sex on the Beach before she’d gotten home.

Truthfully, the regime that came with her career wasn’t always her favourite thing, but knowing that you would go out of your way to make sure she was included in your shenanigans, despite her strict diet plan, made her hate it a tiny bit less.

“Will you still love me tomorrow when I’m ridiculously hungover?” She laughed at the question and squeezed your hips softly.

“Of course,” she stated, accentuating the statement by pressing a soft kiss against your forehead, “And, I’ll still love you later tonight when you drag me up and force me to dance with you,” her lips pressed against your right cheek. “And, when you start giggling like a lunatic,” Her lips moved to your left cheek and you couldn’t stop the dopey smile that grew upon your lips when she went on, “And, in a shocking turn of events, I’ll still be completely and amazingly in love with you when I’m holding your hair back while you’re getting sick.” Finally, her lips found yours again.

Your hands cupped her cheeks as she slipped her tongue into your mouth, moving it perfectly against yours and letting out a satisfied hum when you tilted your head into the kiss. After a few minutes, the two of you reluctantly separated, Ginny chased your lips with a number of short kisses before releasing you from her grasp.

“I love you too, even when you stink of sweat.” You said, scrunching your nose up to tease her further, you went on, “Like you do right now.”

Your girlfriend rolled her eyes and reached her hand up to pinch your flushed cheek, “Oi.”

Swatting her hand away lightly, you turned around and continued fixing up the drinks that had been momentarily abandoned on the kitchen counter.

“Go take a shower, love. You’ve been training all day and your pretend cocktail will taste better after you unwind.” You told her, throwing a handful of ice into the blender.

Ginny watched you fondly as you began to hum the tune to whatever song had just popped into your head. She let out a quiet laugh before nodding her head softly and padding into the bathroom, “See you in a few minutes.”

When she entered the bathroom she noticed that her towel was already hung neatly from the heated rail on the wall and that a fresh pair of pyjama shorts and her favourite t-shirt (which she’d stolen from you) was folded on the lid of the laundry hamper, a bright yellow post-it note rested on top of the t-shirt Ginny had claimed as her own after the first time the two of you had spent the night together two years ago. With a grin, Ginny peeled the note off the material and quickly read the note you’d scribbled for her. Regardless of what was on the note, the sight of your messy scrawl across the paper was enough to bring a smile to her lips.

‘the longer you take to shower the drunker i’ll be when you come back! so don’t keep me waiting ;) xoxo

p.s. i love you <3

p.p.s. use your own conditioner, moocher.’

Ginny snorted at your last comment. She did have a tendency to favour your conditioner over her own, it was coconut scented and reminded her of you, plus, there was the added bonus that it made her hair silkier than her’s did. But one thing Ginny would admit was that she did not use hair products sparingly, if her entire head wasn’t lathered in bubbles then she wasn’t using enough.

A smirk creeped onto her lips when she eventually stepped into the shower, her eyes sparkled with mischief when they landed on your conditioner. She inspected the bottle, it was half full. Ginny nodded happily to herself, she was definitely not using her own conditioner. After a few minutes, the red head head was stepping out of the shower and getting dressed into the clothes you’d laid out.

When Ginny finally sauntered back into the kitchen you were sat on the kitchen counter, cocktail in one hand and a CD case in the other, there was music playing from the old radio on the windowsill and you didn’t even lift your eyes from the CD case when you grumbled, “I can smell coconut from here, Ginerva.”

Ginny only shrugged and inserted her body between your legs, her hands sliding up your thighs before wrapping them loosely around your waist as she looked up at you with an unapologetic grin, “You can’t blame me, love. The smell of it reminds me of you.”

You let out a soft sigh, tossing the CD case onto the counter and placing your glass down too, you let your legs wrap around her waist and brought both of your hands up and threaded them through her damp hair. Ginny stared at you adoringly as you let yourself cling to her. It was the moments like these that she loved the most, when she could just hold you and take in your face, when she could simply enjoy the feeling of your fingers massaging her scalp and your legs holding her snugly against your warm body. She absolutely lives for the moments when it was just her and the woman she loved, moments like now.

“How was work today?” Ginny asked softly, her hands now running soothingly up and down your back. You let out a groan, dropping your head into the crook of her neck.

“Long. Those brothers of yours are nightmares.” You complained. You’d been working for Fred and George Weasley at their joke shop for just over two year and you loved it and the twins, however sometimes the two could be extremely hard work. That’s not to say you didn’t adore your job, because you did, it’s where you’d met Ginny in the first place. But as the twins’ most trusted employee, the pair of them sometimes relied on you to control their chaos. Today’s shift had been one of those times and to put it simply, you’d come home needing a drink.

Ginny let out a knowing sigh of her own before she pressed a kiss to the crown of your head, “I know, love. What was it today?”

You pulled your head back to look at her again, a pout on your lips that had Ginny itching to kiss it away, “George said he’d been working on a potion that could change the colour of pygmy puffs and so he insisted we try it, so, of course since I’m the only one who doesn’t harass the poor little things I had to feed them the concoction!” You explained, picking up your drink and taking a long sip before you went on, “And shockingly, it ended up not changing their fur but made them shrink! And Fred thought it was just the funniest thing he’d ever seen in his entire life but they were so small that they were slipping through the bars of their cages! I spent three hours hunting down teeny tiny pygmy puffs!” Ginny gave you a sympathetic look, she was biting back a smile however, she could imagine the scene in her head and she had to agree with Fred; it did seem quite funny.

“Go ahead and laugh, Gins. You and those twins are way too similar.” With that Ginny let out a barking laugh, her head falling against your chest as she struggled to catch her breath through her joyous laughs. Even if her laughter was at your expense, you could’ve listened to the sound forever.

Ginny pulled herself together after another moment and you rolled your eyes as she wiped away the tears from her own, “Oh hush, it wasn’t that funny.”

“Sorry, love. But it is. It is that funny.” She began to giggle again and you scrunched your nose in distaste, grabbing the mocktail you’d made for her and pressed the glass against her chest,

“Just be quiet and drink your juice.”

#ginny weasley #ginny weasley x reader #ginny weasley x you #ginny weasley x y/n #fred weasly x reader #george weasley x reader #harry potter x reader

97 notes · View notes

humanwheatleyslefttoenail · 3 years

Text

Now I Am An Arsonist

Chapter 1: The Spark

Summary: GLaDOS learns a few things about love, hate, and the human condition.

Tags: Canon typical violence, ChellDOS, human!GLaDOS, found family

A/N: I know technically I published this a while back but I did some major edits to both the chapters I’ve already written and the story as a whole. As promised, I’m re-releasing what I already have with the edits/illustrations.

---

The tests, at least, hadn’t changed.

The centuries had washed over them like a dawdling stream, dragging them down into an overgrown abyss. Even then, the moon dust had stayed firmly adhered to the portal surfaces, the metal doors still creaking and the ceiling still intact. Eons of rain had barely even permeated its surface.

She remembered those years with profound regret; dying was not as peaceful as the science would suggest. For a machine like Her, death was nothing more than a shift of programming, a new prerogative. Her backup program had been an endless recall, restarting Her systems over and over again, trying to salvage something. In each of those moments, GLaDOS could feel the scorching heat from the incinerator, the electricity burning through her body before everything went dark.

Still, without dying, GLaDOS never would’ve fully appreciated how soothing, how wonderful it was to test.

She remembered the urge to solve, to do Science, clawing within Her even as She broke into a thousand pieces.

Those tests were Her art forms, Her self-expression. Every arrangement of deadly turrets, each layout of gleaming lasers and the perfectly calculated solution felt like a piece of Her soul turned reality.

Now, those tests were better than ever.

Every inch of moss had been thoroughly scrubbed, walls repaired, and acid pits replaced. All except for the grave of Old Aperture beneath Her was now newly outfitted, perfect for the humans P-Body and Atlas had located.

These, of course, hadn’t been the first ones they’d found.

The first batch of humans lasted a measly week, quickly killed by some of Her easiest tests. Even with reminders, the acid is deadly, the turrets are live, they’d failed within a few chambers.

Disappointing.

As a result, Atlas and P-Body had been deployed on a new mission. She’d been overjoyed when they’d bravely traveled all the way to the bottom of Old Aperture, and found even more humans preserved in cryosleep.

This time would surely be better.

All obstacles finally removed, science could continue.

GLaDOS could not smile, but if She could, She was certain that a grin would reach across her faceplate.

Today was a momentous day for technology, for the advancement of Aperture Science. It was as if She’d sent a man to the moon, and he’d come back with the theory of everything.

Originally, of course, Her plans had been different. The difficulties with Chell had worn down Her admiration for human data, and prompted her to come up with a replacement.

The Cooperative Testing initiative was infinitely more of a success than GLaDOS ever thought it would be. Atlas and P-Body were built to test, but She had still been surprised how those little androids with so much personality had managed to be so efficient.

Atlas and P-Body had overcome their own confidence through their excellent teamwork. The knowledge that they depended on a partner humbled them, and the idea of a common goal incentivized them. GLaDOS wished She’d thought of such an idea sooner.

Still, there was something about human testing, something She couldn’t quantify, something that wasn’t quite the same with robots. Humans had a particular spark, and without it, testing never felt complete.

Today would finally be the day She could put all mistakes behind Her. GLaDOS was sure She’d see that all of the other humans would prove Her experience with Chell to be exactly what She knew it was.

Bad science.

GLaDOS had learned from Her errors.

She knew for certain that She would not repeat them.

---

It’d been extraordinarily difficult to move the test subjects from Old Aperture all the way to the newly renovated Relaxation Center, with entire teams of robots struggling to reconnect Her control over the condemned area. Their work easily took a week to complete as they rewired the dilapidated circuits, barely restoring function. GLaDOS took what She could get, and rewarded their achievement with immediate, merciful destruction.

When the humans had been successfully relocated, anxiety filled Her servos as She scanned the cryo-chambers. Upon reading the results, She found herself pleasantly surprised. Good physical condition for hundreds of years in stasis. Relatively low rates of severe brain damage. Nothing particularly concerning in their associate files. Had Her comprehension not been perfect, She would’ve done a double take. After all this time, She had something that She could work with.

Atlas and P-Body would have to wait until they were needed again, their consciousness safely stored in Her mainframe. Her processors hummed with excitement as She prepared for the awakening of the first humans, buzzing with hypotheses to test.

What would be Her experiment this time? GLaDOS scrolled through Her endless lists of deadly trials.

She hadn’t used rocket turrets in a while; those weren’t as efficient as the regular ones but were always a surprise for Her unwilling participants. With only a thought, She placed the machines inside a few chambers, lining them up in a neat, strategically placed array. Companion cubes would be a definite no, at least for the first few tests. There were occasions when the humans became so deprived for social connection that their behavior would influence the results. In order to better control the experiment, She’d deploy them only in emergencies like these.

With those exceptions, and the addition of a floor to some of the more difficult levels, the chambers didn’t require too much preparation. GLaDOS had nothing particularly new to add; for so long Her energy had been focused on Atlas and P-Body that development had nearly come to a standstill. Regrettably, She’d been deprived of ideas. It didn’t matter too much; the facility remained operational even if it wasn’t constantly progressing. Even the replication of old results was invaluable for science.

It confirmed that the trends hadn’t changed.

---

The files of the subjects were all very much the same.

Scientist. Scientist. Scientist. Scientist. Scientist. Praying mantis, formerly scientist.

Occasionally, She’d find the elusive Astronaut, War Hero or even Olympian.

She was tempted to begin the testing with these special cases, curiosity piqued at the prospect of their odd results. GLaDOS chastised Herself. She didn’t want to skew anything, and She would surely begin with a normal subject chosen at random. It wasn’t the most interesting thing to test, but it would be the most informative.

With the chambers compiled and the facility clean, testing was finally ready to start.

She almost couldn’t believe it. All technicalities aside, She was finally, finally, getting exactly what She wanted. For as long as She needed to, for as long as the subjects lasted, She could just test.

It couldn’t be real, could it?

That was the most beautiful thing about science. For all its disappointments, a discovery would be worth it all.

---

“Hello, and welcome to the Aperture Science computer-aided testing program.”

Her voice resounded throughout the Extended Relaxation Vault as the subject stumbled across the room in disbelief.

“The Enrichment Center would like to take this opportunity to remind you that hundreds of years have passed, and that all of your friends and family are most likely dead. In the off chance that your friends and family are not dead, they will be tested. Thank you, [insert subject name here], for your unwilling voluntary participation in the advancement of science.”

The subject, an adult human male, selfishly resolved to huddle in the corner of the relaxation chamber. Of course, he was either brain damaged, in shock, or both. In order to assuage his gentle human feelings, GLaDOS would have to resume Her telling of… alternative truths.

GLaDOS wasn’t entirely sure what She’d said wrong. Honestly, She was surprised the subject didn’t appreciate Her integrity. After all, Chell hadn’t exactly taken kindly to Her tendency towards pathological lying. Here She was, trying to improve the well-being of Her subjects, and this was how they thanked Her?

“Hello, again, valued forced participant. The Aperture Science Enrichment Center commends you for your blind faith in the words of authority. As part of routine testing protocol, we have lied to you about the fate of your family and friends. When the testing is complete, you will receive cake and the opportunity to… see them. Your response has given us valuable psychological data on the well-being of our test subjects when told that all of their friends and family are dead.”

GLaDOS paused for a moment, focusing Her camera in the chamber and watching as the man lifted his head from his upright fetal position.

“Good. You’ve already passed one of the first stages of testing. Congratulations, [insert subject name here].”

As much as it felt wrong to use, positive reinforcement was highly effective when employed sparingly. Too many attacks on character could obliterate a subject’s morale. Just enough would account for the variable of human hubris.

Cautiously, the subject stood up and examined the room around him, fear still apparent in his apprehensive gait and wide eyes.

“In order to mentally reinvigorate you for the tests and to ensure your aptitude, the Enrichment Center recommends that you stare at the painting on the wall in front of you.”

Creeping over to the portrait, the subject followed Her orders and stared intently at the picture of Mount Rainier. He ran his fingers over the edge of the frame, tracing the tall peak of the mountain.

Interrupting his thoughts, a buzzer sounded, blaring throughout the entire room. The subject flinched from the surprise, nearly losing his balance.

“Good job. If you are not reinvigorated, consider this piece of human music.”

This time, the human expected the buzzer after the quick classical piece, seemingly more at ease with the abrupt nature of Aperture Science. In all reactions, he was completely, almost painfully average.

“Well done. You have completed the Aperture Science mental reinvigoration procedure. We may now begin testing.”

Without warning, the chamber jerked to the side as She moved it to a nearby docking station, then coming to an unexpected standstill as the door automatically opened.

GLaDOS could barely maintain Her monotonous affect, in joyous denial that testing would finally start.

Carefully, the human stepped out of the door into the test track. The door slammed behind him, as he examined the purely white room with nothing but a cube, a large button, and a locked gateway.

Almost immediately, he wrapped the blue storage cube in his arms, then gently placed it on the button. A line of blue lights leading to the gate illuminated, flashing a bright yellow as the door slid open. A lift was waiting on the other side.

As he sauntered over to the lift, it was difficult to miss the human’s triumphant smile. GLaDOS knew the expression well; it was satisfaction, victory, an unproven sense of control.

He really does have no idea.

She was tempted to spoil the ending, to mention turrets, to mention pools of burning acid. It had to wait, She reminded herself. An important control was that the test subject needed time to acclimate to a dangerous environment. Creating unnecessary fear would definitely affect her numbers.

---

The next few puzzles weren’t particularly challenging for Her first subject. Completed within a span of about ten minutes each, the first five chambers were hardly difficult for anyone. That much She’d expected.

On Her end, everything else was normal. She hardly spoke Her mind, instead opting to repeat the same script She used for every subject.

Did you know you can donate one or all of your vital organs to the Aperture Science Self-Esteem Fund for Girls? It’s true!

You have completed the test in a moderate amount of time. You can do better, [insert subject name here].

The Aperture Science Enrichment Center reminds you that we prioritize your safety. We also prioritize science. In fact, we prioritize science more, but if you feel unsafe in our unsafe conditions, please notify a testing associate. They will process your complaint in three-to-five business days.

Like most subjects, the man had not volunteered to give up his organs nor asked for an associate. Instead, he responded to most of Her passive-aggressive quips with useless questions. She did not reply, passing them off as typical human blabbering. Rather, She recorded them in his file underneath a new section She labeled Overly-Talkative: Examples. There was plenty to jot down.

Uh, robot lady? When can I go home?

So, uh, what kinda cake is it? Like, I don’t really mind the flavor but I’m allergic to almonds if that’s relevant.

How long does this last, again?

I kinda like my organs, sorry. Wait, is the organ thing required?

Once again, pitifully average.

It was times like these, whether with humans or with Atlas and P-Body, that GLaDOS caught Her mind wandering towards forbidden thoughts. Science was not always supposed to be exciting; sometimes, running an experiment meant repeating the same process to verify the data. The result was satisfying, but the process was more often not.

This human epitomized the dullest parts of her day.

As informative as the humans could be, they were often far from entertaining. Every behavior could be predicted and rationalized once it’d been observed enough.

Chell, though?

Oh, sure, GLaDOS was terrified of her, no matter how much She’d deny the feeling. No subject had ever left the track before.

But Chell didn’t just survive. She’d escaped from the tests, she’d found Her chamber, she’d murdered Her with little else than a portal device. Twice.

Her ego was as vast as the realm of Aperture, but it would never recover from that spectacular injury. Even GLaDOS had to be humbled by that.

And yet, with morbid curiosity, She had eagerly anticipated Chell’s next plans, laying traps in scheming delight. For the first time in Her life, She’d been challenged.

It was an odd little game they’d played, and whenever She was close to getting the upper hand, a part of Her was disappointed that the chase would be over. There was something delightful about watching the peculiar way that Chell and Chell alone tested.

When Doug Rattman had switched Chell’s file, GLaDOS was not so oblivious as not to notice. She’d clearly read the bottom of the paper, firmly requesting that this subject not be tested. GLaDOS had other tenacious subjects before, and She’d simply assumed that this human was particularly overconfident. Those ones never lasted too long.

Chell was not, as She’d thought, only determined.

She was curious, changing variables one by one until she finally found the answer. Her patience was remarkable, but so were her deductive skills. Some test subjects with similar tenacity levels resolved to try the same solutions over and over again, exhausting themselves and eventually burning out. It was the reason why GLaDOS typically ignored the warnings. Most humans labeled ‘tenacious’ weren’t too different in the end. The key for Chell was not simple defiance. Chell could control herself. That’s why she was such an outlier.

She had the mentality of a scientist.

Most subjects were cautious, prioritizing self-preservation over a solution. Turret levels could be aggravating for GLaDOS to watch, as the humans spent more time hiding behind a corner in fear than actually solving the test. They would be safe if they’d just strategized, but the human mind made accepting that fact a difficult feat.

Chell was the opposite. GLaDOS theorized that perhaps, Chell understood the same principle She did. Chell was scared like any other, but despite her pounding heart and racing thoughts, she’d kept her cool. Any new element was only a matter of adaptation for Chell, and Chell was always evolving.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Chell was an optimist, often performing pointless tasks that could only be described as trying to have fun. GLaDOS gave her lemons, and Chell made lemonade.

Chell would smile as she soared, launched from the aerial faith plates, and took her time to explore the little rooms hidden in the corners of the tests. There was one time she’d put off the completion of one puzzle by nearly an hour, hiding out in one of Doug’s rat dens, fascinated by all the little cups and cans he’d arranged.

It would be a lie to say that Chell liked testing. Her episodes made it clear that escape was Chell’s first priority. That didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the small glimmers of hope GLaDOS gave her, whether that was bouncing on repulsion gel, saving a defective turret or smuggling a companion cube.

After Wheatley took over, one of the more terrifying aspects of the whole journey was being stuck on Chell’s gun. Chell was a risk taker, building her strategy off of previous attempts and lessons learned, but knowing when to dive into the unknown. It wasn’t exactly comforting to be strapped to her side, not knowing if or when one of Chell’s ideas would kill them both.

Somehow, though, her spontaneity had worked.

GLaDOS could respect that… creativity.

It was for this reason that even though GLaDOS now had everything She’d ever wanted, something deep in her hard drive felt empty.

Something had changed the moment Wheatley stuffed Her into that single-volt potato. For the first time in Her life, there was nobody else there in Her mind. No one but Caroline, who had been buried underneath layers of code until She was barely there at all.

It was over the span of those fifteen hours that She’d seen Chell from a different perspective. Looking at Her tests from this angle, it was much easier to see why Chell wanted to leave. Some small piece of GLaDOS almost felt bad upon realizing that Her subjects didn’t enjoy dodging bullets nearly as much as She liked watching.

Fortunately, GLaDOS had been able to shove that down with the arrival of a different, equally unpleasant emotion.

She was supposed to hate Chell. And for a very long time, She had. How dare Chell ruin Her perfect tests, Her perfect existence, Her perfect world? What had She ever done to her to warrant such a cruel punishment?

And yet, it seemed Caroline had done a number on GLaDOS’ logic processors, because now no matter how She tried, She could not hate Chell.

Before She’d let her go, let Chell go of all things, GLaDOS had called Chell Her best friend.

Not an enemy. Not a begrudging ally. A friend. Her only friend.

Now, Caroline was gone. The part of GLaDOS that had once looked at Chell and found something beautiful in her icy gray eyes was corrupted beyond repair, erased from memory.

She was not supposed to feel its presence any longer, yet still it lingered.

It was there, whispering to Her as She tried to test like nothing ever happened.

It was there when a thousand turrets sang the opera She’d written specifically for Chell.

It was there when She’d found Her baby birds, Her little killing machines, and She hadn’t crushed the eggs. No, She’d raised them. Because, deep down in those cold avian stares, there was this irrevocable quality that reminded Her so much of Chell. This spark of life, this undamnable will to survive.

Somewhere, though She refused to ever admit it, She wished that it was Chell in those test chambers. She wished it was Chell glaring through Her camera feed, and She wished it was Chell searching for that elusive cake.

I’d make you the cake if you came back. Really, I would.

The sudden thought moved like a spark in GLaDOS, as She fearfully located the source and removed whatever She could. There was no time for ideas like that, not with science to be done.

The past few months had been full of random deletions, spurned by paranoia that Caroline’s base program was not entirely gone.

It’s not here anymore, GLaDOS reminded Herself. Once, She had been Caroline, but She was no longer the kindly woman who followed Cave Johnson’s every order. GLaDOS was a machine that felt nothing and lived only to test. And because She was immortal, and because She was perfect, GLaDOS was not supposed to care about some disobedient human being.

You do not care about Chell anymore.

You don’t care because she killed you, remember that?

You don’t care about anyone, because you don’t need to.

Necessity was the core reason why GLaDOS did anything. She tested because the mainframe made Her feel awful until She did, and She killed because it was what she was made to do. She did science because it needed to be advanced, for the brighter future She was sure She was making.

It made no sense to do something because She wanted to.

Of course, things seldom made sense here at Aperture Science, and in this moment, GLaDOS did something unconscionable.

GLaDOS did not glitch often. She’d made sure to update and replace faulty parts whenever She could, keeping Her mainframe running smoothly. Even so, somewhere deep within Her, She was sure there was a pulse that misfired. There could be no other explanation.

Perhaps it was Her rumination over Chell that brought this upon Her, some kind of karma punishing Her for acting too human. Why else would She have done something so incredibly unscientific? To distract Herself, GLaDOS turned her attention back to the captive man.

Like many others before him, this test subject had underestimated the turrets’ range. He hadn’t turned around fast enough to see the gleaming, bullet filled machines behind him, and nearly flew directly into their line of sight after careening through a portal. His momentum would take him past all three, riddling him with bullets.

That is, it would’ve.

The human quality of the subject had activated some kind of horrible reflex, a split second decision in GLaDOS She would come to regret. The way he walked through the chambers, the way he clung tightly to cubes… all of it was so similar to Chell. Even if he didn’t meet her performance level, even if his personality was nearly the opposite of Chell’s, their shared humanity was enough to remind GLaDOS. That same emotion She felt when pulling Chell back from space, waiting for her to open her eyes while Atlas and P-Body looked on… For some inconceivable reason, it had reappeared.

Quickly, the subject hit the side of a rising panel, suddenly pulled up in front of the turrets by none other than GLaDOS Herself.

This would surely ruin Her numbers.

As the participant rubbed his head in pain and slowly stood up, immediately noticing the turrets he’d evaded, GLaDOS’ voice resounded from the intercom.

“[Insert subject name here], your decent performance has warranted the use of an Aperture Science Emergency Life-Saving Instantaneous Response. This is the only safety gesture that will be provided. Continue testing.”

Another lie.

It was good to know that function was still online.

---

That uncharacteristic moment of empathy had been pointless, anyway. Just as She’d predicted, he’d accidentally tripped over a ledge and landed himself into a puddle of acidic goo, dissolving within a few short seconds.

It didn’t matter. GLaDOS had more subjects than She could count. She didn’t need this human, and the tests didn’t need him either.

Some part of Her, a piece which was faulty and insignificant, disagreed with the notion.

You killed him, it whispered accusingly.

That’s the point, GLaDOS hissed back, once again delving into Her files to cut out whatever was causing the issue.

Trying to calm Herself, GLaDOS reminded Herself of the facts. She was in control of Her facility, and She was in control of Her mainframe. Little errors could not ruin the chambers, and if they ever showed up, She had the power to crush them.

Everything was fine, She thought.

Everything would continue to be fine.

All She needed to do was keep testing.

---

Everything was, in fact, far from fine.

A few days had passed, and GLaDOS was finally ready to admit that maybe something was wrong.

At first, the issue was Her own. Little surges of emotion and bursts of unforeseen empathy plagued Her but didn’t affect the facility at large. Begrudgingly, She’d factored in the new bias into Her results. From Her calculations, She could already see an egregiously high percentage of error. This study could’ve been Her worst one yet, and even that was with generous rounding.

Still, She had hope for each subject that She wouldn’t mess up this time.

The facility had other ideas. Cameras would fizzle out, emancipation grills would stop working, cube dispensers malfunctioned and even the elevators would refuse to move. It seemed that the moment GLaDOS got around to fixing something, another thing would fall apart.

Many of the subjects had become confused as to why this seamless, futuristic facility was suddenly malfunctioning, and She’d had to become increasingly creative with Her excuses.

As part of the Aperture Science testing protocol, we have simulated faulty equipment in the testing environment to see how subjects react to faulty equipment in the testing environment. Hint – they typically react well and continue testing. Like you will.

The lifesaving, and the reflexive empathy, had become unfortunately common as well.

Although the Enrichment Center previously told you that your life could only be saved once, we regret to inform you that protocol has suddenly and permanently changed. We would also like to remind you that your measly existence is still not valued despite our attempts to preserve it.

GLaDOS knew She had to find a solution, quickly.

Interrupting the tests wasn’t an option. The chassis would never forgive Her if She stopped, filling Her body with an ache that would not disappear until science resumed.

Deleting wasn’t an option, either. Fervent attempts to find the source of the problem had led only to more glitches upon the erasure of critical files. Then, Her attempts to restore them only recreated the original error.

The problem was like a moving virus, jumping between Her systems before She could catch it and kill it. Even for Her, it proved too fast to find.

She couldn’t panic, not now. Surely, She thought, She’d fix this like She’d fixed everything else. With science on Her side, most threats resolved themselves or died trying. This wouldn’t be any different.

It couldn’t be any different. For something to be uncontrollable, and uncontrollable for Her especially, was the most terrifying thing She could possibly imagine. It brought Her back to Her potato days, during which She’d promised Herself that She would never be weak again.

For these few months, She’d kept that promise. Until now, no subject had seen Her mercy.

But had they?

She thought back to the birds, creatures who trusted GLaDOS, who loved Her in whatever capacity three little crows could. She thought back to Chell, because for some awful reason, Her thoughts always went back to Chell.

No, She thought firmly.

We are not doing this now.

We are fixing the facility, because we need to.

Because we need testing. We like testing.

The voice from before suddenly returned.

Do you like it? Do you really?

GLaDOS felt Her rage processors fire up.

What was this little virus even saying? Of course She liked it. It didn’t matter anyway. Science had to be done, and so She was doing it. GLaDOS could not even begin to imagine life without tests, life without science. What kind of meaningless, awful existence would that even be?

In fact, She would prove to the voice that science would continue. She would prove that testing was productive, that everything in Aperture was doing good for the world and good for humanity. Most importantly, it was doing good for Her.

Wasn’t it?

GLaDOS ignored Her curiosity. Just test. That was all She had to do. Just test, and everything would be alright.

Just. Test.

---

As another few days passed, the facility had become almost unusable. She’d had to shut down some of Her favorite testing tracks, the power leached out of them and the appliances completely nonfunctional. GLaDOS knew She was running out of time before something drastic happened. Still, She had to keep testing.

Now, even the subjects had begun to sense Her panic. One even strolled up to a camera, made eye contact, and asked if She was alright. GLaDOS didn’t dare respond the question; She wasn’t ready to admit the answer.

For all intents and purposes, She was definitely, absolutely, decidedly not alright.

Knowing that, She should’ve considered this next subject an omen.

There was absolutely no way She could test with this one.

She barely looked like Chell, but GLaDOS could see her tenacity, her drive and determination from a mile away. The way the subject carried herself, tied her hair into a ponytail and said nothing was too much.

GLaDOS couldn’t even bring Herself to kill the woman, instead instructing her to return to Extended Relaxation after only a few chambers.

It felt as if GLaDOS physically could not test anymore, despite everything inside Her craving the satisfaction of a completed trial.

This isn’t right. This isn’t right.

GLaDOS prided Herself on Her apathy, but even that had left without a trace. Now, She had tried everything, and still nothing was working. The facility was closing down on Her, and if She didn’t do something, She’d go down with it.

When the announcer finally sounded, GLaDOS couldn’t say She was surprised. If anything, She was grateful for any kind of clarification.

The male voice on the intercom was matter of fact, unaware of the danger it spoke of.

“Reactor Core malfunctioning. All major power systems except for reserve geothermal are going offline.”

Offline? She’d been managing the reactor core perfectly; if She hadn’t, the entire facility would’ve gone up in flames weeks ago. It wasn’t melting down, it was shutting down, as if someone had flipped a switch and turned it off.

What the hell is happening?

There was nobody else in the facility who could’ve possibly done such a thing, nobody except Her, and as far as She could tell the glitch had not interfered.

It didn’t matter now; She didn’t have time to waste.

“In the event of a power malfunction, standard procedure is to shut down the central core to preserve remaining power.”

How convenient.

“Central core, do you consent to the removal procedure?”

“No, no, no! Do not start removal!”

How was this happening? GLaDOS was sure this couldn’t be real.

“Noted. Removal procedure has been delayed by five minutes.”

You have got to be kidding me.

Skimming over Her files, GLaDOS desperately searched for anything with removal procedure or shutdown. Scanning thousands of documents, looking for anything, all mention of the procedure was absent. There was no reason, no explanation, it was just happening. And worst of all, She couldn’t do a thing.

“Dangerous levels of panic have been sensed in the central core. Do not worry, methods of core preservation are available.”

Why the hell had they waited to tell Her that?

“Show me, show me now!” Anything would be better than shutting down again. She couldn’t do that again, not after hundreds of years. She couldn’t, She couldn’t.

“Panicked request acknowledged. There exist two types of core preservation features. Direct Mechanical Implantation or Organic Transplant Procedure.”

Direct Mechanical Implantation. She hadn’t heard of the second thing, but GLaDOS did know what Direct Mechanical Implantation meant. It was only a transfer into an empty personality core, which was far less than ideal, but better than dying again. Far better than dying a third time.

As fast as She could, GLaDOS selected the first option.

“Unfortunately, Direct Mechanical Implantation is unavailable. Continue with Organic Transplant Procedure?”

“Do you have any other options? Anything else?” GLaDOS did not want to take Her chances on anything with the word organic in it.

“Other methods unavailable. Two minutes remaining.”

This was it, Her only choice. If She shut down now, there would be nobody to come and wake Her this time.

There was nothing else to do.

“Initiate Organic Transplant Procedure,” She commanded.

Without a second thought, the facility obliged.

---

#glados #chell #wheatley #fic #fanfiction #portal #portal 2 #chelldos #canon typical violence #chapter 1 #niaaa #now i am an arsonist #art #digital art

129 notes · View notes

hooniee · 3 years

Text

— ꒰‧⁺paris run away *ೃ༄

↷ heeseung x reader ⋯ ♡ᵎ

↷genre: fluff | comdey ⋯ ♡ᵎ

↷ warnings: not proofread | none! ⋯ ♡ᵎ

↷ synopsis: (y/n) just graduates from high school and feel incomplete but doesn’t know what’s missing. a trip to paris might be able to fix that ⋯ ♡ᵎ

↷ author note: this is @enhypenwriters event of the month! strangers to lovers <3 i think this was my favorite to write out of the three pieces but i feel like it’s lacking some flare :( i think it still turned out okay though. i hope you enjoy <3 ⋯ ♡ᵎ

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .*

you should have listened to sunoo when he said that it wasn't a good plan to travel to a foreign country on impulse.

you wouldn’t say you’ve ever been the most courageous person in your life. determined to break that trend, you planned this super out of the blue trip without much thought.

yeah. maybe this was a bit TOO courageous.

you didn't comprehend what compelled you yet here you were, arriving at paris charles de gaulle airport.

you stared at the large windows of the airport, viewing the plane that you had just left.

the gate for the concluding passengers had been locked by the flight stewardesses.

one of the stewardesses obtained eye contact with you, before shooting a smile and lightly bowing her head.

you absentmindedly returned the gesture, mind elsewhere.

bustling throughout the airport were people hurrying to their connecting flight or slumping into their lover's arms

people carried two or more suitcases with various bags strapped on their bodies, nothing on you besides a petite sling purse and one small carry on suitcase.

as weaved your way through the mass of stressed travelers, you briefly thought to yourself

how the hell did you get here?

2 days earlier

clusters of kids outfitted in blue gowns and caps could be recognized a mile away.

the graduation from high school to university.

your friend minji encloses her arm around your shoulder, your arm resting on her waist.

minji’s mom was stood in front of the both of you, gesturing wildly as she tried to take the ‘perfect graduation photo’ as she had put it

"okay pose! get a little closer, perfect. 1, 2, 3" your friend's mom counts.

the camera shudders which creates a beaming light to flash, eyes faintly twitching.

shrieks could be heard throughout the campus as girls queued up to take their final photographs with the popular guys.

minji's mom draws back the camera and we check the picture.

"it's cute," minji exclaims, peering at it a bit more closer. you nod your head in approval.

you would miss minji, one of the friends you could constantly count on in math class when you neglected to do your homework from binging korean dramas.

"i'll send you the picture later (y/n)! don't forget about me alright? you have my socials and you can always talk to me," minji grasps your hands

you smile, feeling sad at the departure of your best friend, "of course minji, don't forget me either"

"i could never," she brings you into a secure hug.

"sweet pea perfume," you say and she chuckles. sweat pea was minji's preferred perfume and you would miss that aroma.

"i have to go now, but i'll see you around okay?" minji says.

you could notice tears well up in her eyes and she fans her eyes to prevent the tears.

"don't cry ji, i'll start crying," you joked. "i live near here and you can always visit me! my door will always be open."

she smiled, "the same goes for you." her mother shouts her name before she has to go.

"alright, see you around," you wave to her as she leaves.

on the opposite side of the garden, your mom signals to you with your bouquet of red roses in hand.

"are you ready honey?" she asks you and you smile, nodding your head.

the car ride was in pleasant quietness, light radio music fluttering in. you had taken off your cap and laid it in the car seat next to you accompanying with your bouquet.

you had glimpsed outside to see your campus still arranged with your classmates, beaming and posing for additional pictures.

you bitterly smiled.

for the first time, graduation didn't appear like one of those liberating scenes of a movie,

1 day ago

you sprawled on his bed, staring straight up. a fan in your hand, fanning the perspiration that threatened to come.

your eyes match the fan's speed directly above your neighbor and best friend, sunoo's, bed.

his air conditioner was broken. with the avail of those elementary paper fans and the only fan stationed in the house, you were able to find comfort

you questioned if he ever got frightened of it dropping on him when he slept.

sunoo occupies the bathroom that's joined to his room, applying some light powder.

your mind strays, more thoughts simmering in the back of your brain. you sigh for the 10th time and sunoo being exasperated, allows out a loud groan.

it draws you out of your daze and you snap your head towards him."

"what is with you? what is on your mind sunshine?" he shuts his cushion, flinging himself on the bed.

"are you ever scared of the fan falling on you?" you felt the bed dip

"no, it's been like that for years, and don't change the subject. what's wrong?" sunoo retorted

"what makes you say that? i'm fine, " you answer

"uh-huh," sunoo rolls his eyes

it's the blatant eye-roll rather than the hushed one, he implied business

"you've been sighing for the past ten minutes, spill," sunoo says

of course, sunoo could recognize your distress. what sort of best friend would he be if he couldn't distinguish your emotions?

you huff, " okay then"

"i don't know why but i just feel stuck? i just graduated high school and nothing feels different, i mean it doesn't have to, but what do i do now? maybe i just watched too many movies"

sunoo tsked, " (y/n). sweetie, i graduated last year and i'm still stuck here. i do nothing besides go out or stay in my room. no in-between."

"but you have something sunoo. you have a bunch of your friends, you're an instagram star and i don't know, it's just different, "

it was accurate, sunoo was extremely popular. he had a bunch of friends and acquaintances from being the vice president.

sunoo inflated up on social media for his content from makeup to dance practices, a versatile instagram star.

you conceal your face with your hands before emitting a loud groan.

sunoo remarks, "i don't know how i can help you (y/n)? maybe you should try to rest a bit"

"easy for you to say, you, who isn’t dealing with a mid-life crisis, " you whine.

"this isn't a mid-life crisis, this is a post-graduation crisis which is totally normal. how about going out of town? obviously not to paris or whatever but maybe, what was her name again? minjoo's town!" sunoo suggested.

"obviously not to paris"

"not to paris"

"to paris"

"paris"

what about paris? paris was considerably away from your town and had a ring on the tip of your tongue.

you had sprung up, grasping sunoo by the shoulder and shaking him, "you're a genius sunoo! paris is a genius idea."

sunoo's eyes widen and he shakes his head while attempting to pry your hands off of him.

"no, you have to think rationally-"

you released sunoo from your hold which let him stabilize his spinning head.

"and i am! i need something new. being in this town for my whole life makes me realize, maybe i just need a spontaneous trip. "

your words scarcely blur together, adrenaline rushing through your blood as you understood this could jolt you out of your post-graduation slump.

"but-"

"no buts! pass me my laptop,"

present-day

you are currently disliking your choice, anxiety rushing through your veins, but it's too overdue to have other opinions.

you had landed in france and this was a life-altering moment; a chance of a lifetime.

peering nearby, you squint at the tiny english translations of the signs. you pull out your phone.

you open up the camera to see if zooming in would improve it for your eyes. as if on cue, your stomach rumbles vaguely making you startled.

you panicked as the pocket that was previously supplied with snacks became loaded with empty wrappers.

maybe if you would be lost in this wonderful city, you might as well try some of their famous pastries.

your muscles had retracted, the result of finally getting some movement after being restrained in a metal machine that was adjacent to the fiery sun.

you stumbled across this petite bakery and enter, sparingly bowing your head.

the owner was an older lady with her greying hair that designed it to resemble ashy highlights, pulled into a loose bun.

"que puis-je vous offrir?" she smiles.

"i'm sorry, i don't speak french?" you admit, embarrassed

as much as you assumed duolingo and rosetta stone could benefit you on a flight to paris, the only thing you could accomplish to say without messing up is "bonjour"

"that's fine mademoiselle! what can i offer you?" the lady shifts to englsih

you let out a sigh of relief, appreciative for blundering into this bakery.

"may i have your most popular pastry to go and a water bottle?" you smile, fishing out some euros.

you had looked down to the currency that you had exchanged before embarking on the plane.

"of course mademoiselle!" she says, reaching behind the counter and with her gloved hand, seizing a chocolate croissant.

"that will be 4.12 euros!" she rings you up in the cashier.

"is this the right amount? i'm not very good at counting euros," you revealed your hand where the money was.

she nodded her head and took the money, printing your receipt out. before giving you your receipt, she interviews you with a question that you weren't confident in answering"

"if you don't mind me asking, why are you here in france? not to sound rude! but i'm just curious"

you softly smile, sensing the kindness illuminating from her tone of voice. she wasn't rude at all and she was asking a simple question, but your brain struggled to obtain an answer.

"well, i would say i'm here to explore? i just finished high school and life felt incomplete. my best friend jokingly said "go to paris" and so I booked a ticket."

you look back up at her to see her delicate gaze. the rustling of the paper bag stopped the moment of silence

"that's amazing mademoiselle! france is the city for that. you must visit the notre-dam cathedral while you're here, it's beautiful. and maybe even find some love?"

she winks at you and you engage with a small giggle.

just like the show "emily in paris," you could merely fantasize about living a life like hers but it was an altered universe. she was an employed woman and you; a fresh graduate from high school.

"maybe! but i'm not looking forward to dating right now"

it wasn't a lie nor the truth. you would love to date someone right now but dating someone from a foreign country with a language barrier? not the most desirable idea. the owner laughs, handing you your pastry and water bottle.

"thank you for dropping by here mademoiselle! please enjoy your time in france,"

"merci beaucoup" you stumbled out, providing a small wave out.

the airport seemed to be more crowded than before. slowly opening the wrapping, you take a bite of the chocolate croissant and let out an audible gasp.

unquestionably, one of the greatest pastries you have tried in your life.

you promptly pull out your phone, snapping a picture for your instagram story. it was an adorable picture with the bakery in the background with the chocolate croissant in hand.

with "just landed" as your caption, you posted it to your close friends story. almost a second later, sunoo request to video call you.

you were welcomed by a piercing shriek into the phone.

"YAH I WAS JUST GREETED BY YOUR PARENTS WHO SAID YOU WERE AT A SLEEPOVER FOR A COUPLE DAYS? SLEEPOVER MY FOOT? YOU'RE IN PARIS-"

sunoo screeches over the phone and you timidly grimace, turning down the volume as people begin to stare.

"sunoo, i'm currently in a public airport with no earbuds plugged in, can you please STOP screaming?" you whispered audibly to him.

"OH, I FORG- sorry," sunoo sheepishly responds.

"my parents would never let me go this far so i just had to lie that i was going to a sleepover at minji's house which is out of town. plus i'm only going to be here for two days," you consult him.

"you saw me buy the tickets sunoo. why are you scolding me now? shouldn't you have tried to stop me while i was in the middle of buying the tickets?" you added.

"well now i want you to come back, who am i supposed to hang out with for the next 2 days?"

though it was dark in the setting sunoo was in, you could practically see his pouting face.

"you could hang out with jake? or sunghoon? aren't they both your friends?"

jake and sunghoon went to the same school as sunoo and you're buddies with them. you've known each other since middle school but jake and sunghoon were always closer to each other just like you and sunoo.

"jake and sunghoon hyung are busy on a vacation together in the bahamas"

you stifled a laugh in, "good luck being alone for the next two days."

"not funny (y/n)! besides that point, what if you get caught?"

"don't worry, i won't get caught because you're the only one who knows about this .as long as you don't rat me out sunoo," you scowl at him.

"i won't, i won't, i promise but you have to buy me something? deal?”

you roll your eyes, "deal mr. sunoo-shi, i have to go now. i need to try to find my hotel"

"be safe, love you!"

"i will! love you too"

you sulk after the call ends. without your best friend on your side, you felt a little feeble and lost but it's not time to be pondering like that.

paris awaits and you couldn't linger at the airport the whole day.

first challenge

getting to your hotel was a struggling. wandering around a city with no basis of the language besides "hello" and "thank you so much", didn't do enough for you.

first, you had to find a taxi that could converse in english. most people had turned you down as you couldn't speak french.

thankfully, it was a fortunate day and you met this kind lady who had coffee-colored curly locks, gentle chocolate eyes, and light freckles scattered around her face.

"do you speak english?" you crisscrossed your fingers, your legs close to giving out after scrambling for taxi drivers

"yeah, i do mademoiselle! would you like to hop in?" she extended a friendly smile and you had never felt bricks lift off your chest faster.

she opened the back of the taxi and you scouted in, permitting your purse to lay on your lap.

the women examined both directions of the road, looking out for passing cars and entered the driver's seat.

"where are you heading mademoiselle?"

you swiftly pull out your phone to your notes, "hotel le walt paris?"

you corked your eyebrow, making sure it was the right name before she nodded her head.

"a very famous hotel huh? right near the eiffel tower. i recommend that you wait till it gets dark and sit on the balcony to see the eiffel tower with lights. it's beautiful"

you smiled at the kind words of the lady, "i will surely try that! thank you miss..?"

"elena! elena is fine and you mademoiselle?"

"i'm (y/n)"

"it's nice to meet you"

"likewise"

the entire ride, you felt at some peace finally conversing with someone who understood english,

after a 30 minute drive, you had arrived at your destination.

feeling a sad departure from this mellow woman, who turned out to be 19 seeking to make some pocket money in the summer, she was one of the first people that you had grown connected with throughout this ride.

"elena, though it was a short time, thank you for keeping company"

you present her with a warm smile as she unlocks the door for you. you exit the taxi, clasping at your phone.

"here, give me your phone."

you softly planted it in elena's hand. you were perplexed about why she showed you your home screen until you realized you had a password.

you enter your password, giving it back to her. she did a bit of clicking and you could see her hands typing something in before returning the phone back to you.

"that's my instagram, stay in contact with me alright?"

you felt the sides of your lips curve into a slight smile. you dragged her into a soft hug.

"thank you elena"

she visibly hesitant before easing into the hug. she softly rubbed your back.

"i have to go, i might get fired if i stay here too long"

you bided her a fare-well. thirty minutes was an extended time to get a know a person.

and that was the first friend you met in france.

second challenge

checking into your hotel wasn't as difficult. most people could speak english and besides the uncanny looks that you received from the clerk, check-in was pretty smooth.

"here you are mademoiselle" the bellman lowers your suitcase in front of your hotel door.

"merci beaucoup," you smile and he returns the gesture before leaving you.

you look down in your hand where you are grasping the card tightly. you scan the card against the door meter and it flickers twice.

red, green

the door clicks before you push on it and reveal your hotel room.

at first glance, your mouth dropped.

the hotel room seemed better than it did on the online photographs which was a rare possibility.

though it was a small room, it was renovated beautifully.

overhead the king-sized bed, there was an extensive painting of the eiffel tower. a blue chair that held a place directly by the bed along with a little wooden table.

the hotel was fine but you definitely weren't

"(y/n) shut down in,"

"3"

"2"

"1"

before thinking, you throw yourself on the bed having the jet-lag kicking in. the bag offers a 'thump' sound as it connects with the ground.

'ouch that hurt'

you fish through your pocket, pulling out your phone. it was hardly twelve pm and you were already fatigued.

what was your strategy? you were in france for two days and you don't have a plan to do anything.

first things first, you needed to sort out this jet-lag.

1) taking a shower

showers are always a great way to awaken and could shake you from this daze. you endured a scream as your water turned to be ice cold. someone must be utilizing the hot water. that shower unmistakably woke you up

2) skincare

after getting out of the shower, skincare was the secondary way to wake up. cleansing with toner, dropping essence into the skin, and implementing a nice coat of moisturizer to lock-in.

3) fueling with food

food can beat anybody out of slumber if they're fueled with enthusiasm but you didn't have any food on you? that indicates it's time to go out and explore france.

unfastening up your suitcase, you drabble on what you can wear.

reconciling with a simple pair of denim shorts and a light pink tank top, you catch a fast mirror selfie.

being content with the ultimate product, you smile to yourself.

"phone, key, wallet," you whispered, securing the thoughts of having everything.

everything was arranged to go and it was time to tour paris.

third challenge

cruising through paris would be by notably the toughest challenge while you were here.

you had your phone to navigate solely with wifi and you couldn't be that favorable to be able to meet people who could speak english all the time.

you had entered a small restaurant, where you worked to communicate with people in defective french but they moderately understood what you wanted.

after that fiasco trying to order a chicken frricassee, you were able to appreciate your time there along with sending a picture to sunoo who reacted with,

"can that be the souvenir you bring back to me TT?"

you chuckled at the message, knowing typical sunoo, and finished up eating.

eating wasn't the one exclusive thing available in france. there were various activities but you were too afraid to venture any future for the hotel. getting lost too was easy.

that being said, eating after eating all you could do was roam around the city. it was around 2pm and you could spot a diverse crowd of people.

you could see kids. in uniforms that just got out of school or a cute couple that was experiencing their date.

you slightly squint and cover your eyes as the sun is at its highest point.

yes, paris was lovely and you would prefer to travel more but but you didn’ toriginally have a plan

for a couple of hours, you completed wandering around the area where your hotel is. you wished at moments like this that you would have jungwon, sunoo's friend, with you to help navigate you.

jungwon was also a friend you guys met in middle school but he went to your school. very mature for his age and great at preparation.

before you knew it, the sun had died down and it was time to retreat to the hotel.

'ah right! elena told me to look out at the eiffel tower as it gets darker'

you softly tread back to your hotel, observing the blisters at the back of your foot.

you could clearly sense the entire day of walking take a toll on your body.

you scan your key card and fling your bag to the floor as soon as you get inside. you open up your suitcase to change into suitable sleeping clothes.

you briskly cleansed your face and tied your hair back.

you had approached the balcony, guessing how to cautiously open the glass door.

you gradually shift the handle to the right and the door made a scanty creek. you gingerly put more stress on it, opening the balcony wide.

a distinct gasp could be heard from you.

subsequently taking a step onto your balcony, the frail breeze made you quiver in the long black tee that adorned your top half and the sweatpants that settled on your waist.

the balcony was small, barely able to move besides staying still.

you had peered to your right, glancing at the eiffel tower.

elena was correct. the eiffel tower was breath-taking at night. for the first time when landing in france, you could feel in harmony. below you was a crowded street.

it was only 8 pm yet you could feel your eyes droop as opposed to the bouncy pair of kids that ran through the moobs of people.

the radiant yellowish glow of the eiffel tower was able to save you from dozing off. you softly hum 'fly me to the moon,'

'fly me to the moon,' didn't have significance, it felt appropriate in the second.

you hadn't regarded it but a figure had gently peeked out of the other balcony, attentively listening to the silky melody that you were humming.

"nice song"

a voice interrupts and your humming had come to a halt, eyes widened.

you had turned to the origin of the voice and discovered the culprit

the balcony alongside you.

"thank you"

you glanced over, granting him a slight smile before he returns it.

"new to paris?"

he questioned, now you guys facing each other.

"yeah, just arrived this morning, and you?"

you asked before he softly smiles.

"not really, i've been here multiple times but the feeling is something i'll get used too."

you hum as a response

"how did you know to speak english to me? do i really act like a foriegner?"

you were growing more drowsy but this stranger was fascinating. who else could say they met someone and talked to them from a balcony romance?

"english song, random guess"

you nodded your head, not certain if he could see you but that was all you could muster up.

there grows stillness beside the bustling street below until the stranger breaks it.

"i know this sounds weird but since you're new here, would you like to go out with me tomorrow to travel the city?"

that question felt like ice water was just splashed onto your face. the proposal startled you.

the stranger didn't appear like a bad person. been to paris varied times, can acknowledge good music and good at conversation.

as much as this stranger flatter you, how could you trust him?

"as much as i would love to, how do i know that you're not trying to kidnap me, even worse, kill me?"

he stifles a laugh.

"hey knock it off, this is a very serious question, balcony boy"

you snicker, desiring to know the answer than anticipated.

"i promise you that i won't try to kidnap OR kill you. i'm just offering and you can even pat me down before we go out together."

this was by far one of the most peculiar offers you had received but this was THE stranger offer you came to france seeking.

you know sunoo would not advocate for numerous reasons and you can hear his voice already

"number one, dangerous"

"number two, dangerous!"

"number three, DANGEROUS!"

but sunoo isn't here right now. you chose to grab the opportunity. france had provided you luck today.

"alright then"

a moment of silence goes by before you hear him clearing his throat.

"you're serious right?"

he glances at you and your eyes lock. though you can't see that well due to the absence of light, you nod.

the eiffel tower gave you enough light that you could make our curious eyes, tall nose, fair skin that radiated in the soft lighting, and full lips that were curved into a smile

"i'll see you at the lobby at eight,"

next morning

to say you were nervous was an understatement, you were terrified. you agreed to a stranger who claimed to know paris like the back of his palm. you met him off your balcony and now you were agreeing to go a date with him?

"you must be out of your mind!" sunoo exclaimed through the phone.

"well yes i must have been at 8 pm last night when fatigue was hitting the hardest but how can i say no now?"

"i don't know maybe, I DON'T KNOW YOU STRANGER DANGER?" sunoo shouts

and like you foretold last night, sunoo was not a big supporter of this idea. over the course of fifteen minutes, you had been continuously scolded by him.

you cringe, " sunoo, i promise that i'll be fine. i just need you to help me pick out an outfit"

sunoo rolls his eyes, "what are your options?"

though sunoo wasn't supportive of this, he couldn't let you go on a date without style.

you held up two choices; a blue floral dress that settled to your mid-thigh and a pink tennis skirt with a white cami shirt.

"well do we like this guy or do we like LIKE this guy?" sunoo questioned.

"what- well i literally met him last night? so i don't even like him, we're just going out for this one day since he offered"

"uh-huh, then the blue floral dress, it's hot there right?" sunoo says

"super hot," you groan.

you glance at the time, 7:00 am.

"i have to start getting ready sunoo, i'll update you later alright?" you smile

"alright, try not to get killed but have fun too! love you"

"love you too," you say back before hanging up.

you quickly hop in the shower and make sure to not take too long.

doing skincare, putting on the outfit, and spraying a little bit of perfume, you are ready to head out the door.

one last check to make sure you have all the things.

7:58 am

you quickly head down to see several people in the lobby.

a bellman, a pair of teenage girls who seemed like they were dragged here, a couple around the mid-40s trying to check-in, and a teenage boy that rested on one of the lobby seats.

it was evident who the balcony boy was but you just called out to be safe.

"balcony boy," you say.

the teenage boy that was seated turns around before flashing you a smile.

"miss singer,"

you airly chuckle at the nickname.

observing him in person was a lot different. you could see his long body proportion, bright eyes, sharp jawline, with fair skin that complimented his rich brown hair.

a distinct experience from seeing him on the balcony.

"i'm (y/n)! and you?" you ask

"i'm lee heeseung"

63 notes · View notes

juleswritesthis · 3 years

Text

Roswell NM 3x11 Thoughts (I have a lot of thoughts!!!)

Contrary to popular opinion I really liked this episode. Yes, the science was so made up it was funny, yes certain character choices are hilariously silly, yes there was a lot of scenes filled with exposition dump, yes characters disappearing for episodes not to be mentioned as if they don’t exist is jarring & annoying, and omg yes, the Wyatt arc (if you can call it that) fell flat and was a complete waste of valuable screen time. So yes, I agree with most everyone’s assessment. That said still a very enjoyable and entertaining episode setting up the final concluding 2 hours of the season. Let’s get into it.

Jones is highly entertaining, overly good looking, and sometimes hilarious villain. Nathan shines bringing charm and depth to the role. Its important to note that Jones hasn’t caused any lasting damage to the group. Sure, he has tried to kill various members, he’s responsible for putting Maria in a coma & has kidnapped half the cast basically, kept our heroes busy all season. But when it comes to killing or destruction it’s really been focused on the dregs or racist folks of the town, the poor scientist in Santa Fe (I think it was Santa Fe) & the lady at the university last week. No one of any real consequence to our heroes. Now I have no idea if Maria’s vision arc has concluded because it hasn’t been mentioned in forever, but I’m assuming that there will be a major death by season end. Noah killed Rosa and the 2 other girls, abused Isobel for 10 years and destroyed the lives of all the mains. For Jones to be a real big bad there’s got to be some long-lasting consequences to one or more of our mains. Though I’m going into the final 2 episodes with excitement there is some concern. I don’t think any of the mains will perish but I do worry about Sanders and even Heath. (I’m really worried about Sanders y’all especially after that promo!!!)

Jones negotiation with Liz was bizarre. Why negotiate at all? Wouldn’t he just threaten to kill or maim people…what the heck is Liz’s bargaining chip against an all-powerful, evil dictator? If she doesn’t do what he wants he can just start killing folks she loves. It really is that easy. I get the whole creativity inspiration thing but fear for those you love is a great motivator. I was so amused that after hours of discussion Liz pulls out the big guns… free the sheriff. Was that her wild card? Really Liz? She may be a kick-ass scientist with a boatload of courage and sass, but I wouldn’t have her negotiating any of my needs anytime soon.

Isobel and Rosa scenes continue to delight. I think it’s clear Rosa won’t be in Season 4 much. As much as I will miss her, I’m glad that she will find some peace and joy at art school, she deserves it. Unlike Wyatt who does not deserve any tranquility because his redemption (if you can call it that) was not earned. Instead, his memories were wiped along with it any true feelings of guilt and remorse. How can we believe he has truly changed? What happens if his memories return? So silly and completely wasteful screen time (no offense to the actor who is quite good and likable).

The Dallas and Max scenes were wonderful. Don’t get me wrong I prefer the show not tell method. And Dallas conveniently having the entire Oasis history in a memory from his father then regurgitating those memories to Max (and the audience) was not the best way to convey the story. However, the actor who plays Dallas is ridiculously charismatic and I could listen to him recite the phone book (do those still exist?) and be entertained. Plus, for one moment I truly believe that Dallas had gotten through to the constantly self-sacrificing, martyr that is Max Evans. But as the promo for finale proves with Max asking Michael (why Michael?) to kill him, the words didn’t stick. Oh Max…

Speaking of, I truly feel so bad for Max. He’s had it rough. In a span of couple weeks, he’s been told he is a clone of an evil dictator, he isn’t the Savior but in fact a weapon to bring down the real Savior who also isn’t really a savior but a genocidal maniac (Michael’s words not mine) who slaughtered half his planet. Not to mention the “there has to be 3” doesn’t include him, as he isn’t part of the triad. And that because he is a clone, he doesn’t actually have biological parents or siblings or anything, well Michael, by DNA sort of, maybe? Oh, and he is the only thing tethering the evil, psycho dictator to life. I mean…

My hope for Season 4 is that Max gets to process everything he has learned about his existence. He hasn’t expressed how he feels the entire season and he deserves to. I hope the writers don’t have him get over it by season’s end with one scene or worse just sweep it under the rug. Like being a clone of an evil psycho, to be used as a weapon, without any real connection to Isobel and Michael? That’s got to have some lasting effects…please writers let me see it on my screen.

Speaking of show not telling, Michael’s new powers. I not a fan of Michael telling us a story of how he used his mind control powers accidently when he was 18. Can we please see these scenes so we can feel the true emotional impact?

As for these powers, strap in, this is a doozy (and might be controversial). I, like Michael, feel that taking someone’s free will, no matter who they are is not a good power to have; it’s not fun, it’s not cool. Michael is right that’s some dark shit and a power that needs to be used very sparingly and with a ton of responsibility.

I loved the scene between Sanders and Michael, but I have a couple issues with some of the dialogue. Sanders is the only living person (other than Jones) that knew and loved Nora. Thus, he can speak about her with authority. He is also the only person who is any kind of real parent figure in Michael’s. Thus, him saying Michael has no darkness can be believed. He knows Michael and he knows Nora. However, Sanders doesn’t know what its like to have powers, especially an immense power such as mind control. Though I appreciate Sanders’ perspective (and agree with him about the purity of Michael’s soul) I wasn’t a big fan of him brushing away Michael’s fears about having mind control powers and not wanting to use them. Yes, it’s important for Michael to recognize just because he has Jones’ power doesn’t mean he is or will ever become Jones. It’s not the powers that make a person. But the line about Nora not fearing her powers was not helpful. Nora’s powers were telekinesis, engineering (if genius is a power) and possibly miraculous crop growth. None of these powers take away a person’s ability to control their actions (well telekinesis to a certain point but in nowhere near actual mind control). So of course, Nora didn’t fear her powers.

I wish someone had validated Michael’s fears instead of brushing them away with a few words of you have no darkness or in Isobel’s case you aren’t like Jones/Noah. A person does not have to be evil or bad to misuse a power like mind control & for that misuse to have dire consequences. Can you imagine being able to make people do what you want them to do at any time? Even if your intent is to do good, it doesn’t mean it’s something that should be done or won’t have major consequences. Sort of like the ends justify means conversation between Jones and Liz. What is the line, do you recognize it and what’s to stop a person from inches towards the line and what happens if you cross it?

So, my wish for next season is for Michael like Max is given time to process what he has learned about himself and his powers. My wish is for Michael is to continue to struggle with when, how and if he should use the mind control power. That way even when faced with a racist sheriff that is holding a gun to his friends, he is careful, asks for consent and never takes advantage of this tremendous power. In addition, I do think it would be very interesting to continue to explore these powers and how they maybe could change a person? Take Max’s power to give and take away life force. He killed Noah and used that life force (and his own) to bring Rosa to back to life. Seems like a good exchange but ethically and morally having a person decide who lives or dies? And how would this all fit into religion with Dallas being a priest? These could make for some great conversations and strong character development. Fingers crossed we see some of it and not just get told in passing.

The music in the episode was amazing. The beginning with Nothing Else Matters and Jones is a tux… I mean… Also, the ending with the fight sequence, building the suspense, only for the reveal to be that Jones had wanted them all to come so he could trap Liz, Dallas, and Max along with Isobel and Michael (for extra leverage) in his mind. I’m confused about why everyone was sitting but Michael was standing? Is he able to move or is he able to resist his father’s mind control? I’m really looking forward to next week and for Team Human to come to the rescue (maybe).

Favorite lines of the episode:

Sanders to Michael: “You are just a pair of sad puppy dog eyes and a cowboy hat”

Jones to Team Alien & Liz: “Well, everyone seems a little tense” (LOL I love Jones!)

Dallas (or Isobel) writing on the wall to Jones: “KNOCK, KNOCK”

#roswell new mexico #michael guerin #liz ortecho #max evans #isobel evans #Dallas #Roswell season 3 #Roswell nm #walt sanders #rosa ortecho #my thoughts

8 notes · View notes