#It made no sense to do it and didn't further the plot and literally everyone seemed to forget 2 seconds later (ya other things were happeni | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ddoxhan · 2 months

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my love is all mine

my baby here on earth showed me what my heart was worth so, when it comes to be my turn could you shine it down here for her?

word count : 4.4k words

genre : fantasy; alternating between fluff and angst that would make your heart clench; childhood best friend! aeri x pianist (but actually a time traveler)! reader; arriving at this dimension, you realized how much you still love her

t/w : mentions of death, apocalypse thingz

a/n : full version out weeeeee :D that was some roller coaster of realization and pain knowing that nothing lasts but one thing :') please do leave some feedback so I can improve when it comes to plot heavy fics and enjoy !

tic, tic, tic, tic.

'where am I?'

your surroundings were unfamiliar, as it should be. but with it, came a sense of comfort. whenever you warped through the portal, your head would hurt like the worst hangover for a while. but this time, it unusually hurt less. you were sitting by the piano, a music sheet of chopin, perhaps. you weren't the most well-versed around music.

you stood from the piano stool to slowly observe the things in the room in hopes of gathering more information about this person. undoubtedly, you looked like yourself but this body you possessed wasn't you. you were orphaned, barely survived the apocalypse of your own world, thrown into a dystopian organization served to stop further apocalypses in other worlds.

learning about the countless dimensions you had to travel to, surely, this one couldn't differ more than the rest. the person who lived as you in this world had everything you had ever wanted. loving and supportive parents, friends who were always there for her, a promising future career as an aspiring pianist. but as you gain the memories of this person, the depressing emotions were rather contradicting.

this person felt lonely amidst of everyone, she never felt understood. no one had ever saw through those smiles and laughs. not even this girl who looked like her best friend. then tears started to flow down your cheeks uncontrollably. it couldn't be. she couldn't be.

feeling a little dizzy, you took a seat on the piano stool as you dried your tears and tried to wrap your head around the current situation. of the many dimensions, why this one? you tried so hard to forget everything about her, drown down emotions that were unnecessary for your line of work. it had been forever since the last time you had thought of her. and this time, she wasn't going to just be a memory.

as the metronome lulled you into a daze, you were brought back out of it by the sudden swing open of the bedroom door.

"hey! we literally said to meet up at our usual place! what's taking you so long?"

"huh?"

a girl barged into your room and folded her arms against her chest, seemingly upset that you had stood her up. but you couldn't seem to remember when you had made that promise to her.

it was her. it had been so long, too long since you've seen her with your own eyes. you didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse that you had never encountered her in the past dimensions. but seeing her in front of you, it was getting really hard to not break down in tears.

the wave of guilt and sadness washed over you as you took in how beautiful she still looked, or rather this version of her looked exactly like the love of your life. the love of your life who you couldn't hold onto as her hand slipped from yours, forever gone as she disappeared into the smoke of debris.

you still needed time to gain the memories, so you made up an excuse, hoping she would buy it.

"sorry, it must've slipped my mind. you still up for it?"

you stood from your piano stool as you flashed her an apologetic smile. that made her sigh and roll her eyes, once again defeated by your puss-in-boots eyes cause really, there was never once she had been able to not waiver at the sight of them.

"you bet I am, now get your ass outta here and we have to hurry cause we're already late for the performances."

the look of confusion on your face makes the girl pause in her tracks, extremely confused and cautious of you because you didn't seem to be her best friend, in the sense that you didn't feel like her.

"performances. weren't you there when jaemin told us they'd be busking today?"

"right, yes. the boys' first big performance for that influencer's event."

that part of the memory registered just at the right timing. if you took any longer to respond like her best friend, she would have probably took the shovel in the backyard to whack you. the girl wasn't like your lover, way feistier and carefree. it served as a reminder that she wasn't, this girl was not the woman you had loved wholeheartedly and should not be.

"yes. now let's go."

the girl had to drag you out of your house because of how slow you seemed unusually.

"god, I was so close to knocking some sense into you."

"sorry, I've just been really out of it today."

your infamous cheeky smile never fails to have her shake her head in disbelief. in disbelief of how adorable you always looked with it.

"jaemin! we're here!"

aeri screams across the barricade as the said boy turned his head towards her direction, while you trudged behind her, ensuring that she wasn't falling over anything or anyone from excitement.

you learned her name when you two left your room as your dad shouted her name from downstairs. aeri, it was a pretty name and suited her really well. you couldn't help but draw similarities between the woman you knew and her. but they were also two very different people and that was something you shouldn’t forget.

"hey! I thought you two wouldn't make it before our cue. what happened?"

he had known you two for ages and it was unlikely of you to be late to something, especially when it involved close friends.

"this girl here had forgotten about this. unbelievable if you ask me."

"that's quite true. you good?"

aeri and jaemin truly cared for the person you are temporarily posing as. the gazes that you were receiving felt foreign, accountable to your lack of interaction with people. people who actually mattered to you. each and every time you had warped to another dimension, you would disappear to do what you must to prevent apocalypses regardless of what memories flowed through your consciousness.

it doesn’t take long to get everything in place and run the plans to break the sequence of events, given that you were one of the organization’s elite agents with a flawless portfolio. all that didn’t matter to you, life was already meaningless so why care much?

but the moment you had seen that very smile on her face in that photo frame, you wanted to stay in this dimension longer. even if it meant spending more time than you should in a single dimension.

"yeah, don't worry about me. I just had a splitting headache earlier today and I've just been out of it. I'm all good now though."

you regained your composure after some time and adjusted well with your new surroundings. the reaffirming clutch of your hand in aeri's was very comforting surprisingly, but you didn't understand why.

although she had bore similar physical traits with your lover, there was no reason to feel the warmth seeping through the clasp of your hands. and before your consciousness could give you an answer, your blood ran cold as the image of watching her slip through your fingers into nothing, bringing up the very emotions you were trying to suppress for years.

there was not a single day that you could sleep well as the endless nightmare of that event left you in a void of emptiness and desperation. the desperation of wanting to redeem yourself by saving other dimensions where different versions of her would live, regardless of whether different versions of you were there for her.

but absolutely none of that, would bring your lover back into your arms, safe and sound. smiling at you like those mundane days you had, which you would give anything to get them back.

"great. you two find your seats near the fronts, performers' privilege."

he proudly points towards two empty seats which were inevitably yours since the show had already started 20 minutes ago.

"wow, for once, na jaemin has done an amazing job."

"for once, stop roasting me. now shoo, I need to get my hair fixed."

the bickering between the two seemed so natural that you had kept quiet, not knowing if it was your place to interfere the conversation.

this was something you had always feared when you meddle with a dimension, the feeling of belonging. belonging somewhere that wasn't meant for you. would it hurt to feel? no. but it hurts knowing that whatever you did in this dimension, it wasn't you who did it. in the eyes of others, it was someone else. the deeds you do, the memories you share, the love you yearn.

once upon before the apocalypse, life was like this. concerts, outings, bonding, but it was also a time of weakness. your weakness of being powerless to protect the things precious to you, the people once dear to you. but when you've found the power to, you've lost beyond salvation, and there was nothing left to protect.

as you made your way to the seats, aeri couldn't hold back the urge to ask. because the way your eyes didn't carry that special shine her best friend naturally has, concerned her.

she could sense something different seeping from your usual aura. on certain days when you're not in the best condition, there would be times where she can tell that you aren't happy or upset about something and she'd find the right cure to your sour mood.

however, today felt odd. it was seemingly an aura that she hasn't seen from you. you weren't feeling good, but it felt as if you lost the fire in you. the fire you had bore in your soul for your passion. if it had been a bright red fire, it's like it turned into a calming blue one. somewhere in you, you've lost something, never able to ignite a bright red fire ever again.

aeri had convinced herself that perhaps you were tired from piano, burnt out and taking a break from it to regain that passion.

the previous act had just ended, and everyone were to take a five to check if everything was in order. the blaring speakers and annoying mc finally stopped ringing in your ears. instead, a soft voice tickled your right ear, sending shivers down your spine.

"baby, are you really okay? you don't seem to look well."

the girl had leaned in to whisper, and it almost short-circuited your brain with how proximity was out of the window instantly by that small gesture.

"yeah, I'm fine, what makes you say that?"

"you look.. different."

"and you feel different too."

it was as if she had known from the start, that you weren't her best friend she knew. yet, she was trying her best to make sense of her confusion. deep down, you knew that all of this was making no sense. absolutely no sense how you were sitting here with a person in the face of your lover, waiting for your friend's performance in the middle of the summer. all it took was a step out of the house and another step back to report to your superior of your work.

and here you were, reminiscing the memories you had. they were irreplaceable, and will never be. but no one can stop you from making new ones either. just this once, you say. just this once to hold her in my arms one last time.

as your arm grazed against hers, you were looking into her eyes for the first time since the evening started. never have you realized that she had such mesmerizing eyes, pulling you in like gravity.

when you had gazed into her eyes, she spotted a glimpse of admiration, the one that she was ever so familiar with. it put her at peace, reassured that you were alright that night.

your demeanor changed since that night, but she decided to brush it off, convincing herself that she was just overthinking again like she usually does. but maybe, she should have questioned further.

who were you?

you were a fever dream, but also a lifetime nightmare.

minutes turned into hours, and hours turned into days. the sense of time is only perceived in dimensions that were able to escape apocalypse. back at the headquarters, time was fluid, seemingly long at certain moments and short when you don't even notice. which was why you weren't too worried about residing longer in this dimension beside aeri.

"hey, what do you think about love?"

as she laid her head on your lap as you leaned against her bedframe, the question took you aback a little. this very question was presented to you ages ago by your lover, vaguely remembering the scene in your head. but you remembered your response to it, and it doesn't apply to you anymore. 'love is when I find myself staring at your eyes and get the butterflies each and every time.'

"love is like a thorn in a rose waiting to prick the chosen one."

"it's something so beautiful you can't help but to get close to, and once you admire and realize its worth, it pricks you. leaving you to bleed, it creates a kind of pain that numbs you, yet you reach for it again like none of that happened."

"it makes you yearn for it, and when you've had too many wounds, that's when you notice that you're hopeless."

you never forgot how it felt to love her, it was all too familiar when it felt so natural to fall for aeri, which you almost couldn't resist. the way her eyes curve into crescents as she smiles, the way her scent fill your senses when she leans on your shoulder, the way you feel the butterflies when you stare into her eyes.

it scared you.

this wasn't where you were to belong. yet, the feeling of loving her permeated through your entire being, unable to shake off as you willingly dive deeper into your emotions.

"girl, did someone hurt you?"

aeri laughed away, thinking that you were half-heartedly joking and sarcastically answering the question. her best friend wasn't the type to dwell in the topic of love and dating. she had better priorities in life, which was the piano that sat in her room across from aeri's.

the lack of your laughter made her frown instantly, cursing at herself for perhaps making a mistake.

"what's wrong? did someone really-"

"no no, nothing's wrong. I just thought of that when you asked me. it just felt like love is a rose, it can be beautiful and romantic to some, but also a painful past for others."

"well, you're not wrong. remember that guy from middle school? he was literally the biggest idiot in class and he had the balls to confess to you with a bunch of roses in front of the whole school."

"yeah, that was definitely not it."

you laughed along, but you couldn't. the story was too familiar, this was what happened to you ages ago. not this person you were posing as, but you. the details matched your experience, but only that the person receiving the confession being your lover.

it was too hard to just brush it off as a coincidence. many could be, but this was too specific. timelines matched but with only the people as a difference. the thought of this dimension being a parallel universe of yours brought shivers down your spine. what if it was? what if this dimension's apocalypse was inevitable, just like yours?

many what ifs were not going to stop the apocalypse. you were the only hope to save the world, but screw the world. all that crossed your mind as you caressed her hair was only one thing that mattered to you.

'I will keep you safe, even if it meant that I'd never be able to see you again.'

jaemin and jeno had agreed to go together to a frat party you were technically forced to go by some jock you bumped into in the hallway while you were on your way to meet aeri. the dude kept pestering that you blatantly spat in his face that you were going. he didn't mention that you couldn't have people tag along, so you had asked the boys if it was possible to stick around in case things get out of hand.

the girl though, she had the balls to say that she was worried about you. she was going to stick with you the entire time you were there in case some idiots decided to hit on you, she'd be able to swat them away. the audacity, you thought.

if anything, guys were clearly going to swarm over her instead, and you'd have to act as her bodyguard. given that you're a good three to four inches taller than her, that itself would be possible to scare a majority. nothing could get her off your arm as you walked into the house, reeking of alcohol and sweat already at nine. before you could even show your face to that jock and perhaps head to the quietest area which was probably the pool, you felt eyes on her. maybe this was a bad decision after all.

you didn't want to ruin the mood for the many people who were enjoying this, so all you could do was subside that indecipherable internal anger of yours and find that idiot so you could leave this instant. the dirty looks all over aeri made your insides churn and boil, no matter how much you tried to understand why, you never could.

you didn't love the girl, she was a different person from your lover, just bearing identical physical traits. it was something that you had been telling yourself ever since you arrived here two months ago. that was how long you’ve spent being here, than the usual one-week stay.

trying so hard to deny that you harboured feelings for aeri, your efforts were all in vain when all it takes is just a flash of her smile. even during this moment of her laughing along with jaemin and jeno, it reminds you too much of her. the smile you would see when she feeds the stray cat outside your office, the laughter you would hear when you tickle her during pillow fights.

why was it so hard to walk away and do what you were sent to do here initially? why did fail to resist the sweet temptation of being in love again? when you couldn’t even hold onto that hand of your lover? the hand in yours felt so warm, contradicting the chilly feeling that set into place ever since that day.

she started melting the glacier of ice, while you took a step back to freeze it again. because it’s wrong, so wrong.

"I see hyunjin there."

jeno's voice caught your attention along with the name. following his point of direction, you finally spot that jock chatting away in the kitchen corner with presumably his friends. definitely, you weren't going to let the girl tag along cause enough was enough, another guy and you were going to tear this place down.

"aeri, can you stay with jae for a bit? I'll go say hi then I'll be right back. jeno's gonna be here so don't worry."

although she was very reluctant to let you go alone, you showed her those shining eyes, praying it works again this time. thankfully, she gives you a nod and heads off with jaemin first.

as you made your way towards hyunjin, you were extremely disgusted at how his friends were eyeing you up and down, like you were nothing but just an item. him on the other hand, was a lot better surprisingly.

it reminded you a lot of your high school days. the times when your lover had numerous suitors waiting in line to be her one and only. but she had eyes for you. you were still oblivious of the heart eyes you got from her then. it took you years to realize before you dated. it was the exact definition of ‘she fell first, but you fell harder’. until now, it still pretty much applied.

"hey! you made it!"

"yeah, you were following me around for three days, asking me to come."

he laughed awkwardly, even a little shy. what was this boy's deal?

it was as if the tables have turned, you now dealing with these boys who were fawning over her. perhaps in this dimension, you were quite a popular one.

"I just wanted to get to know you more, so I thought of getting you to come and spend some time together."

as much as he seemed nice, you weren't interested, and unwilling to lead him on to thinking you were.

"sorry, I have a boyfriend. but we could still be friends."

a little lie wouldn’t hurt him, and jeno was conveniently standing on guard with his supposedly scary aura which you found amusing.

you extended your hand politely in hopes he wouldn't have a freak out and frantic screaming that his love interest had an alleged boyfriend.

"I see... well then, great to be your acquaintance. I hope you have enjoy your time here."

you started to notice that his friends weren't eyeing you eerily, but rather that it seemed that they were wary of your intentions with hyunjin. it was as if you were about to play with this boy's heart, and that's when you remembered that rumor of a varsity player being dumped by that good-for-nothing cheerleader.

in fact, you witnessed that cheerleader sucking off some other guy’s face in the stairways. you’ve never made such a fast u-turn in your life, which you probably should have when you were making that decision to join the organization. but have you not joined, you wouldn’t have had the chance to meet aeri. and maybe you would have been long dead.

who knows? you might have met your lover in the afterlife when the creatures found you, had it not for the organization.

if fate decided to play a game, you had no choice but to shoot your shot at it.

"thanks for the invite."

"jaemin, please tell me I'm not crazy. I swear that's not her."

"if that's not her, then who is she? come on, aeri. be real."

"I am being real. she keeps avoiding the hugs I give her, and when I get a little closer, she literally freezes up."

the girl ran her hands through her hair in frustration, not knowing what is the truth and what isn't anymore.

for the past two months, she sensed something different about you. were you drastically different? no. something was, and she just knew. but what? these were the questions that had occupied her head for the past week.

she noticed you avoiding her eyes, taking brief glances only, as if you were afraid. afraid of getting your feelings hurt. but why should you? you've been best friends with aeri for as long as you could remember. if anything, you two were inseparable according to reliable sources like jaemin and jeno.

the only thing was, the memories you gained from the owner of this body. it was torturing you more than you thought it should. the smile on her face through these eyes, the sweet laughter through these ears, the gentle touches through these fingertips. endless nights of witnessing aeri fall asleep before you did. just like those times you did when she was your lover.

"that's it? sis, I thought she'd turn into a werewolf or had poisonous potions in a secret room or something."

"and you're the one who's telling me to be real."

"and you're an idiot. sounds like she just likes you to me."

a thousand questions popped in her head. then those questions were given their respective answers as she put together the puzzle one by one. maybe, you liked her. maybe, you loved her.

but why? nothing had changed between you and her so why now? she admits that she had felt attracted to you at times, but she couldn't be sure that she had feelings for you. however she was uncertain, you hadn't been the most expressive these days and she wasn't a mind reader.

when she saw you emerging from the crowd with jeno, she knew that she needed answers before the night ended.

unfortunately no, aeri didn't get any answers because she didn't have a chance to ask. her frustration fueled the endless beer refills which ended her drunk on your back as you prepared her for bed.

and you were lucky that she hadn't gotten the chance to do so. for the past two months, every day you woke up to was a curse in disguise of a blessing. the realization that hit you every time that like a reminder at the back of your head, that aeri wasn't your lover. and every single thing you've done with her won't remain as time spent with you, but her best friend who's the best pianist to her.

all she remembers when she woke up the next day was nothing, with a hangover that was giving her the worse headache. and you remember everything too vividly.

that night, as you tucked her hair behind her ear, all you could do was hold back sobs as a tear managed to escape, trickling down your cheek.

you couldn't sit by and enjoy this newfound life any longer. the day this world ends was getting closer and you had a mission to prevent the apocalypse. you weren't waivered by the possibility of a punishment that would cost your life. you were terrified of witnessing another time of losing someone you loved, someone you love.

you love aeri, yes. but was it the remnants of the love you had for your lover? although that may have been the case, you couldn't deny that her and aeri shared countless similarities. it was wrong to keep drawing resemblances between the two. nevertheless, one thing was for sure.

this version of you in this dimension, had loved aeri for a long time.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

"I love you so much."

"please forgive me."

"nothing in this world belongs to me. but this love, my love is all mine, forever for you."

#giselle #uchinaga aeri #aespa #aespa fluff #aespa angst #aespa imagines #aespa scenarios #aespa x reader #giselle x reader #feat nct dream #feat jaemin #feat jeno #Spotify

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yevmarie · 2 months

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Light My Fire | Chapter 6

Masterlist

< Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 >

Plot: having lost everything you are drowned in depression, which had happened to you a year ago. Now you need to struggle with the apocalypse as well with no sparkle in your heart. But there is one man who can light your fire to live.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Female Reader

Word count: 2.4k

Pronouns: you, she/her

Warnings (the chapter is a whole red flag, I'm sorry): angst, just a bit of angry and fluffy Daryl, swearing, smoking (by reader), physical abuse towards the reader (but the abuser is punished), the reader finally goes nuts (and there's no wonder here), differences from the main plot may occur, bad English (not my first language).

A/N: I'm a bit struggling with writing currently, so I literally pushed myself to finish the chapter even with the ready dialogue from the episode. I hope I didn't mess it up so much. And I want to apologize ahead if I didn't add you to the taglist. I'm not good at being attentive to details, so please don't take it personally and don't hesitate to let me know if I accidentally skipped you <3.

Taglist: @your-shifting-gurl @bae-live-0 @richardsamboramylove55 @deansapplepie @snailss @denisecabrera @dreamtofus

You opened your eyes and stared at the ceiling of Daryl’s tent. Another tough morning, but with less nausea and headaches, thank God. It seems like your physical and mental states are gradually returning to normal. But you still feel worn out and lost because of the emotional rollercoasters and the events causing them.

You were thinking about whether Merle is still alive or not, hoping for the best, of course. You were scared to see Daryl finding out his brother had been cuffed on the roof of the building full of walkers. And it seemed like only you were bothered by this situation. Everyone else seemed not to care at all. It was obvious the Dixons were not members of a blue-blood family, but it wasn’t a reason for the group to take justice into their own hands. It hurt you that Rick didn't understand your concerns. Sure, he didn’t. You couldn't tell him that the rednecks were the only ones who somehow cared about you because his wife and best friend were too busy with each other. Yes, it wasn’t like the brothers did everything for you, but it was way more than Shane did. Let’s be honest; he did nothing except ignore you.

You finally decided to get up, making your way to get breakfast near the campfire. Sitting alone, you caught different looks from the people in the group. You were ready for it and tried not to pay much attention. After the meal, you went back to Daryl’s tent to brew coffee and read a book. Thanks to Carol, who understood your state and let you have your deserved rest. You went a bit further from the tent to find some wood. You slowly walked, collecting sticks, trying to occupy your mind with your favorite songs you hummed when suddenly you heard Shane’s voice.

“Hey, baby girl. Why are you walking here alone?” you turned around and saw him getting closer to you.

“How long have you been following me?” you asked, keeping a poker face but at the same time feeling some unexplainable sense of danger crawling under your skin, making you shiver.

“I haven’t. Just was walking around,” the man chuckled and stood up too close to you. You knew every inch of this person, all his moves, gestures, tones of voice, look. But this was a different person. He wasn’t the Shane you used to know and love. Something had changed in him.

“Shane, what do you want?” you were trying to register every move of him that could signalize danger so you could fight or flee. Surely not freeze.

“Nothing. Just to talk,” Shane’s smile was slowly fading away.

“Don’t you think you should do this with Rick first?” suddenly you thought you would need to run away soon. You didn’t know why this thought came to you, and the absence of reasoning made your heart race.

“I do think I should do it with you only,” Shane’s voice sounded lower. You gulped but tried to do your best to stay cold.

“Ah, gotcha. No one is going to admit you both messed up and tell Rick how ‘faithful’ you are. Of course, he’ll beat the shit out of you. But why do this when there’s me who can be threatened and manipulated any way you like, huh?” you still tried to hide any emotions, though you were trembling like a leaf when Shane took a step towards you. “Shane, don’t move. You are scaring me,” you laid your arm where your gun usually is, but you felt only the fabric of your clothes.

“You left the camp without your gun, Y/N,” this dickhead had been following you for a while and noticed you were unarmed.

Shit!

In another moment, you felt his arm squeezing your neck, slamming you into the nearest tree and hurting the back of your head. You instinctively tried to inhale but struggled to do so, ending up coughing.

"If Rick somehow finds out about Lori and me…” you barely heard him whispering in your ear but interrupted.

“Then what? You’ll kill me?” you huffed, trying to free yourself from Shane’s firm grip. “If she’s pregnant, then I’ll be such a waste of a weapon. What will you do then, huh?” Here, you realized you had found this weak spot by how his breath started shaking, and he couldn’t find any words to answer. “Oh, darling, you’re so fucked up,” you felt the squeeze become tighter. You looked into Shane’s eyes with your almost blurred sight.

“Nothing to say?” you felt Shane’s hard breath and tremble going through his hand still holding your neck. “Then finish what you’ve started because I won’t keep silent. I will make you pay for everything you've done to me, you piece of shit,” the slap of his hand stung your cheek and made you wince and close your eyes.

You heard some noise, similar to how arrows hit, followed by punches and curses. You exhaled with all your lungs, coughing as you were freed from Shane’s grip. You fell on the ground and blinked away the haze covering your sight, seeing Daryl sitting above Shane, who was laying on the ground, and punching him. The archer stopped for a second to have a look at you and felt relief you were alive. Pale, coughing, eyes washing with tears, but alive.

You heard Shane’s laugh. “Y/N, I see you didn’t waste any time as well.”

“Shut up,” you mumbled, closing your eyes and leaning on the tree.

After another punch to Shane’s face, Daryl gripped the man’s shirt collar.

“Listen carefully, ‘cause I won’t repeat this. If I ever see ya touching her, talking to her, or even looking at her. Any movement towards her I don’t like, ya’re dead. Ya’re fucking dead and will be feeding the walkers around,” Daryl stood up and walked towards you, taking out the arrow that had hit the tree next to you.

Shane stood up as well, wiping the blood from his nose and dusting himself off from the soil.

“You’re just in time, Daryl…” Shane started but was shut up by Daryl turning to him.

“Skull itching?” the archer clenched his fist, threatening to break the arrow he was holding.

“Talk to you later,” Shane mumbled and slowly headed back to camp.

“Are you okay?” Daryl sat down close to you, caressing your cheek to wipe away your tears. You could only shake your head in response. “What the hell was all that?”

“Rick…” you gulped to soothe your hoarse voice. “Rick, that friend I was talking about. He is back. His wife and Shane…”

“Gotcha. I gotcha,” Daryl bit his lower lip. “Where’s your weapon?”

“I left it in the tent…”

Daryl stood up and wiped the sweat beads covering his face.

“Why the hell is it in the tent?” Daryl yelled, looking at you crying. “I told ya your recklessness will kill ya one day. Lucky ya I was just coming back,” the archer was freaking out. His voice grew louder, his breath heavy and shaky. He bit his lower lip, obviously trying not to lose his composure completely.

“Daryl, I… I owe you till the end of my days,” you sniffled.

“I'll let it off if ya keep your damn weapon with ya and leave the camp at least with someone ya trust,” Daryl was still speaking in a raised voice, though he wasn’t angry at you. He was angry at the whole situation. He couldn’t cheer you up because he needed it as well. He understood your shock when a person you once considered beloved, shared plans and dreams with, and even bedded, nearly killed you. But witnessing that scene was too much for him. He just thanked whatever higher power there was that he arrived in time.

“Ya promise me?” you lifted your head to meet his eyes full of despair and just nodded as tears made your words stick in your throat.

“Good,” he took your hand to help you stand up. Scared to face his eyes again, you hugged his waist, leaning your head on his chest, hearing his heart threatening to jump out of his ribcage.

“Thank you,” you said trembling, clutching his shirt for dear life. You felt him tense, but he finally hugged you tightly and brushed your hair with his calloused fingers.

“Let’s go,” Daryl said with his gruff voice, loosening the hug. You nodded, letting him go, and waited for him to grab his crossbow from his hunting run.

“Nice garland,” you joked, pointing at the bundle of killed squirrels. Daryl rolled his eyes.

“Then ya won’t eat it but enjoy seeing it hanging near the tent.”

“I’d rather see Shane’s body instead,” you mumbled, earning a scrunched face from Daryl. Suddenly, you heard the noise of scrunched leaves, as if there was some animal nearby.

“Go back,” Daryl whispered. “I’ll come later. Seems like we’ll have deer today.”

You nodded and slowly moved towards the camp.

---

Arriving at the camp, you went into the tent to retrieve your gun, fearing your ex could do something stupid again, and headed to the campfire, seeing Daryl returning only with the squirrels. You guessed the attempt to catch the animal had failed.

“Merle!” Daryl called out. “Merle! Get your ugly ass right here! I got us some squirrels! Let’s stew ‘em up.”

“Daryl, just slow down a bit. I need to talk to you,” you saw Shane following the archer.

“Want to get another punch?” the younger Dixon turned around to Shane.

“Calm down. It’s about Merle. There was a… There was a problem out there.”

Daryl looked around to see all the people concerned and you avoiding his eyes, taking out a cigarette to light up. Your reaction hit him hard.

“He dead?”

“We’re not sure,” Shane answered, scratching his nose and hissing at the pain caused by Daryl’s right hook earlier.

“He either is or he ain’t!” Daryl started to freak out, not getting a clear answer from the group.

“No easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it,” you turned around slowly, puffing out smoke to see Rick coming up to the archer.

“Who are ya?��

“Rick Grimes.”

“Rick Grimes? Ya got something ya want ta tell me?”

“Your brother was a danger to us all. So I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He’s still there.”

“Why are you so sure?” you asked Rick and dropped the cigarette to stub it out.

“Y/N! This doesn’t help at all,” Rick glanced at you fiercely.

“I could have helped if you hadn’t stopped me!” you cried, yelling at your friend, who clenched his jaws, feeling guilty for everything that had happened on that damn roof.

“Hold on. Let me process this,” Daryl wiped away the tear threatening to fall, which caused your heart to twist in pain. He was so vulnerable and desperate; it hit you hard. He was always so caring towards you, but you couldn’t help him at all. Rick barely stopped you from driving to Atlanta yesterday.

“Ya’re saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and left him there?” the archer’s yell rang in your ears, feeling all the pain he was expressing.

“Yeah,” Rick looked at the ground to avoid the younger Dixon’s gaze, which was already burning him. Daryl breathed heavily, threw the bundle of squirrels to the sheriff, and was ready to attack him when suddenly he was pushed to the ground by Shane. You ran up to Daryl, but he took out a knife, so you stepped back in fear and froze. The archer stood up grunting and jumped at Rick but was stopped by Shane’s punch and then the further grip around his neck.

“Stop!” you shouted, but no one heard you as if you were not there.

“You’d better let me go!” Daryl huffed, trying to free himself.

“Nah, I think it’s better if I don’t,” Shane squeezed the archer’s neck.

“Chokehold’s illegal!” Daryl screamed, and you lost your temper, taking out the gun and pointing it at Shane.

“You can file a complaint,” Shane grunted but froze when he heard the click of the safety lock.

“Getting a little touchy-feely there today, hun?” you breathed heavily, feeling your sight hazy again and all the sounds becoming dull, turning to ringing. Shane slowly loosened the grip to free up Daryl, who was trying to catch his breath.

“Y/N,” Rick came up to you to calm you down but was stopped by you pointing the gun at him.

“I see this group understands only the language of violence, so I’ll talk this way,” you looked at everyone around. “You either have a calm discussion on this topic, or I’ll start shooting and attract walkers.”

“Calm down!” Shane growled at you but was cut off by you immediately.

“Don’t even talk to me if you want to be safe,” you said through gritted teeth, hinting by looking at Lori and back at him. You started to pray Rick hadn’t noticed it.

“Y/N, give me your gun. Please,” you looked at Rick slowly approaching you. You shook your head and locked the gun, putting it back in your harness. You took out another cigarette and lit it. Such a harmful and useless habit aimed to calm you down, but honestly, it never helped you. You sat on the log nearby and kept looking at the men who finally started a dialogue.

---

When you made sure Rick, Daryl, T-Dog, and Glenn worked out a plan to get back to Atlanta to find Merle and started to prepare for the run, you went to the tent to finally have your coffee and a book. Daryl followed you to take another arrows.

“Hey,” he whispered. “Didn’t know ya were such a hothead.”

“Me neither,” you replied emotionlessly and looked back at the man.

“Merle would like it.”

“And you?” your question made Daryl fluster.

“I still think ya’re reckless. But ya learn fast. I’ll tell ya some tricks when I’m back,” the man mumbled confusedly.

“Take care of yourself,” you gently smiled at him, causing butterflies in the archer’s stomach.

The man nodded and chewed his lower lip. “You too.”

You also nodded and watched the archer walk away.

< Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 >

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remarcely · 5 months

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I didn't like Sylvie in S1, mostly because of the whole sylki thing, but S2 has made me her number 1 defender.

It blows my mind that people watched the show and went away with 'wow, Sylvie's a bitch' because it just reeks of misogyny and not having the capacity to understand a complex character.

Sylvie, since the age of 10-ish, has been fleeing a constant threat to her existence and grew up in apocalypses. She couldn't have anything permanent other than herself because she has to keep moving and anything she leaves behind is destroyed. No friends, no family, and no universe of her own.

Then she gets put in a room with the one guy who ruined her entire life and countless others, of course she's going to be determined to kill him. She started as a scared child, it makes sense that she became and angry adult. Nothing, not even Loki begging her, could stop He Who Remain(ed)s death.

And lets be honest he deserved it.

Then in the finale, she watches a variant of herself and a friend she faced hell along side sentence himself to an eternity of sitting on a throne, holding the multiverse in place. Loki gave everyone a chance to live and, most importantly, a choice. To stay at the TVA or go home. Verity (Hunter B-15) and Frank (Casey) chose to stay, Mobius found it too difficult without Loki and left, and Sylvie's choice was obvious.

It's unfair to be angry at her for showing happiness in the finale. Time has clearly passed since Loki left, though we're not shown how much, of course she's managed to move on. I don't see anyone pissed off at B-15 for continuing with their life? What about Casey or Ouroboros?

Also, we saw Sylvie's face as Loki made his sacrifice.

Does she look happy to you?

That is a face of horror and distress as she watches yet another person in her life essentially give up his freedom while she survives.

Do you ever think about the survivors guilt Sylvie has? That in all of the apocalypses she hid in, she saw men, women, and children be killed knowing she technically could save them but it would make them a variant and doom them further. That she is the only one from her own universe that wasn't reset, making her the lone survivor of her world?

Even with the infinite possibility for the future multiverse, those worlds will have their own Sylvie. There's no place for her there, so she has to make her own somewhere else.

From the end of Season 1 to most of Season 2, Sylvie has been fighting for the chance to live a normal life. When she gets it, through such suffering and loss, is she really supposed to be miserable forever because one person is gone? She quite literally got the only thing she's ever wanted, that's got to give her a lot of relief.

Don't be the person to think 'this silly woman gets between my gay ship, brrrr rage what a bitch' or take her as one dimensional.

She's selfish because she's sacrificed everything she had, I think by now she's allowed to be. Sophia Di Martino did a wonderful job and deserves to have her character be enjoyed and understood, not labelled as annoying and 'the real villain'.

Some people only paid mind to the shipping when watching the show, ignoring the plot, and it really shows.

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lilithfairen · 1 year

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I didn't bother doing a post on the previous episode of Fixing RWBY, but I can sum it up in two points:

Celtic Phoenix at one point makes a (pretty witty) joke about Pyrrha's bedroom being "spartan" in style. This is then ruined by him saying that he can't make many jokes because he's "streamlining" the volume. This is said during an episode of events that are entirely of his own creation and do absolutely nothing to further the plot whatsoever, continuing this trend of grinding the plot to a complete halt in Argus.

The episode focuses on JNR and Roman/Neo, and highlights the fact that Celtic Phoenix doesn't write groups of friends as squabbling assholes who can't get along for five seconds when those groups don't consist of multiple women. (Reminder: Celtic Phoenix added wholly-unnecessary and stupid drama between Nora and Pyrrha in his rewrite of the Beacon arc, creating hostility specifically and solely between the two women of Team JNPR.)

Now that we've gone through that, Episode 17 is about Team RWBY trying to get their friendship back on track! Because remember, streamlining! (Also this entire arc of Team RWBY being Women Can't Get Along is entirely of this misogynistic asshole's creation.)

Anyway, Ruby starts off by talking about how much fun she had with Team RNJR, continuing the trend of Ruby treating RNJR as more of her Real Team than RWBY. Ruby decides they'll all go to the beach!

Except it's freezing out, as the others point out.

Celtic Phoenix really has This Thing for writing the main protagonist of a series focused on female characters as a complete fucking idiot, and I have a solid idea why.

Anyway, afterwards they go to a cafe to warm Ruby up. Weiss whines about Yang drinking her tea hot, because again, Celtic Phoenix being a stupid fucking misogynist. Weiss offers to pay, but then passes the bill to Ruby, and somehow a bunch of drinks at a cafe are super expensive. This makes total sense.

Ruby then says that they can't go shopping afterwards then, so they go to a nightclub. In the middle of the day, when it's empty. Ruby messes up her dance and hurts herself, which makes all of her friends laugh at her(!!!). Yang calls Ruby "Rubes", which makes it even less subtle that Celtic Phoenix ripped off plot details from Volume 9 for his shitty rewrite.

They have a good time, and mock Weiss for not being able to dance(!!!). Somehow Ruby thought their day went poorly, probably because her friends haven't stopped being Women Can't Get Along. But then there's an alert from Cordovin!

They race over to find a bunch of Grimm having broken through the wall, plus a bunch of sliced-up soldiers and Huntsmen. Guess who, it's Adam! So Team RWBY run away from him on their vehicles.

Yes. Because literally the only fucking way Celtic Phoenix can make Adam intimidating is to treat the main heroines of the show as being utterly helpless against him.

And Adam chases after them. On foot, jumping from car to car. Their plan is to lure him to the military base. There's a fight scene, Adam gets unmasked and Weiss is made to care about this psycho piece of shit Celtic Phoenix wants you to care, he then kicks everyone's ass, and then he gets unceremoniously taken out by Cordovin with a cattle prod.

Really.

So, let us repeat: This guy who is so badass that Team RWBY flees in terror at the sight of him and is so badass that he can 1v4 them has been effortlessly taken out by

one drunk guy

one little old lady

But our protagonists aren't allowed to stand a chance against him.

Probably because they aren't a.) military, written by an alt-right POS or b.) men, written by a misogynistic POS.

And all of this is so desperate to make Adam this unstoppable hyper-badass who's so psychopathic and yet somehow you should feel empathy for him because his mom was abused. Celtic Phoenix so desperately wants Adam to be a badass that he proceeds to write him as an entirely uninteresting and pathetic antagonist. He just shows up to be an asshole, that's literally it. If Celtic Phoenix thinks Adam is somehow sympathetic by letting a swarm of monsters into an inhabited city, then Celtic Phoenix himself might very well be a psychopath too.

Volume 6 knew well enough to leave Adam until the end, because it understood tension and drama. It understood that Adam was a terrifying antagonist not because he was more powerful than Team RWBY combined, but because of the kind of hateful, abusive, obsessed psychopath he was. It allowed him to appear at the most dramatic moment possible, ambushing Blake when she was solo and vulnerable. He was pathetic as a person, yet terrifying in his desperation to harm and abuse Blake and Yang, and being strong in the ways Adam was weak was how Blake and Yang overcame him.

Here? Adam is a boring psycho who just shows up whenever Celtic Phoenix wants him to, everyone acts like he's the most badass person in existence, the titular heroines are reduced to helplessness in order to make him look threatening, and then he gets his ass kicked in the most anticlimactic, unfulfilling manner possible.

Because Celtic Phoenix is an incredibly shitty writer.

#fixing rwby #rwby critics #i feel like i may not say this enough #but fuck this “rewrite” and everyone involved in it #every name attached to it is an endorsement of its puerile and pathetic misogyny

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the-owl-tree · 1 year

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PLEASE tear into moth flight's vision i am so interested in hearing ur thoughts about it

look at the time the fandom hyped up dotc so hard i got my hopes up and i vehemently hate this arc because of it. it is a hotbed of misogyny, ableism, shitty characters who are never portrayed to be wrong, abuse apologia, fatphobia, and did i mention the misogyny? like wow. they fucking hate women in this arc.

and i'll be honest when i went i first read moth flight's vision, i was already going in with a negative view because i hated dotc so fucking much...and i hated it! I ended up rereading it waaaaayy later and hated it AGAIN i have no clue why people put this arc or era on such a pedestal it sucked ass so bad. i want a written apology and financial compensation from the erins after i read it.

i know im being like a little dramatic but listen to me. i need everyone to hate this arc as much as i do.

Moth Flight's super edition is a mess of ideas, half-baked executions, and honestly...just bad? It doesn't convince the reader why a cat would be pushed to do this. Everything that goes wrong is because a) Moth Flight doesn't ask for help and b) Skystar, despite being redeemed, is a continuous antagonist that fucks over anyone for the sake of the plot.

The book is so afraid of having to deal with an actual redemption that Skystar is allowed to be the reason why Micah and Tiny Branch are killed yet the narrative refuses to foist any responsibility onto him. He's not allowed to be a villain, he's just there to service the plot then walk away scot free. Why? Why am I reading this??? What is the point of 6 books of this guy being an arrogant bloody dick with a half-baked redemption only for him to saunter out to cause problems with the books need it and don't even bother with sticking to him being an antagonist?! Anytime he's on screen I'm begging for someone to kill his ass already, I don't understand why the narratives tries to also push the blame on Moth Flight.

....speaking of her, her entire conflict doesn't work. Look, the idea of an individual problem leading to an entire societal wide change that cause more problems than it solves is interesting but the book doesn't sell it! The Clans are communal, she has tons of options in asking for help. The narrative is constantly patting my back saying see? see? she can't do it therefore it makes sense why she thinks no one can do it. It's an entire book of "how can a WOMAN raise her CHILDREN without her MAN" and the answer it gives us is: she can't :'( and by the end of the book i feel like i've been spit at. There's an overwhelming sense of disdain towards parents who ask for help (how Moth Flight treats Slate is cruel) and all of it is presented as in the right because the entire thesis is that despite living in a literal communal society where there's an entire rank dedicated to looking after children, single parents (read: mothers) are unable to look after children without a partner (read: the husband).

There's nothing wrong with a law being cruel or unfair, it actually adds to the story! It makes things interesting! But her entire story doesn't sell me on why the law was made, it makes me think more and more that the erins are really fucking weird about women (which has been made even more clear by that shitty kits & queens article no i will not let that go). But Moth Flight's conflict sucks ass, I don't buy it, and I feel I'm being shown one thing and told another.

I especially don't get why they didn't go with the obvious reason of having it be for superstitious/religious reasons (this shit is already so catholic, just go even further into the nun thing). Like, okay, here's my pitch of the law: kittens of medics are thought to be more at risk of curses/sickness/etc. Having it so Moth Flight's children share the same fate as other characters who are born to Medics: doomed to a life of suffering or go onto a path of destruction.

It wouldn't be true of course, the reason these children go off the rails is because the Clans expect them to but it would still be interesting!!

and that is my rant on this shitty super edition, thank you for asking :D

#warrior cats #deer rambles #this book is infuriating to read #the entire ARC is infuriating to read #i am not excited for riverstar's se because im so worried it's gonna follow into the dotc era shitty writing trends

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thefirstknife · 1 year

Text

I've emerged. Did the whole campaign and some side stuff, haven't had time to touch the season but I will do so shortly.

Overall, I really like it. Visually absolutely stunning. I adore Nimbus to death. Love the extent of involvement from Osiris and that we and our Ghost got to speak so much. The whole campaign feels much more Guardian-centric than any other before.

I played on normal mode because I do not want to think about difficulty and to sweat when I'm just trying to get through the story for the first time so difficulty wise, normal mode is fine to me. Didn't experience any issues with that or with new mod system or anything.

Full spoilers under (Deterministic Chaos mission as well) and because it's a long post:

Despite loving it, I feel like some stuff was rushed. One of my major issues is that we did not really have any meaningful explanation about the main point of the story, which is the Veil. I feel like we should've known exactly what it is in order to understand why we're protecting it outside of the whole "the Veil powers Neomuna so if it gets destroyed, people will die." That's understandable enough, but we have no idea what it is. I think we should've known that.

Without knowing what it is, we can't really understand what happened at the end. It's a really shocking, unbelievable and stunning ending, but also confusing. We do not know what happened. Zavala and Ikora both spoke as if the Traveler disappeared which got me confused until I read Ikora's summary in text:

And ofc, until I saw the view in destinations and from the HELM:

From Zavala's speech, I genuinely thought that the Traveler just disappeared entirely, despite us not seeing anything in the cutscene after the Witness entered it. Only this line from Ikora's summary explains that the Traveler isn't gone or destroyed or dead, just kinda... Shut down. I guess.

Which again, we simply do not understand. I love when things are mysterious and we can speculate, but in this case there is nothing to even speculate about. We simply do not know what happened or why. We have no idea what the Witness wants or what it did.

Some of it might get explained in the raid, but I believe that the main campaign plot point should be explained in the campaign. There was a brief possibility that some stuff would be explained in the exotic mission for the machine gun, Deterministic Chaos, but instead of clarifying the Veil, it just made it even more confusing.

Basically, the mission explains that the Vex tried making a copy of the Veil, but the copy was not successful entirely. The copy? The Black Heart in the Black Garden. It obviously didn't pan out for the Vex, but it's unfathomable to me why an object of Light would turn into the Black Heart, even as a failed copy. Not to mention that the Vex can't handle paracausality. Perhaps that is why they failed? There's a lot of text involved in the mission, but it does not explain anything further and it ends with us getting a core from a Vex mind that has yet to be researched.

This might possibly all make clear sense in the future, and I don't mind waiting at all. But I do feel like we could've easily gotten more substantial information during the campaign. The Veil was an entirely new thing introduced here and the whole campaign has us chasing after it, but we have no information about what it is. And the information we do have is wildly conflicting. It's tied to the Light and it's an object of the Traveler, but it's also able to be copied as the Black Heart and can be used to slice open the Traveler? Like, on one hand it's obviously Light based, but on the other it's highly dangerous and helpful to Darkness.

We'll probably find out eventually so I'm not too bothered, I just think we should've found out during the campaign. It's definitely going to be a sore point for everyone, since we literally do not know what we were doing.

On another note, we're finally fully done with Nezarec! A thing I am glad to be wrong and overly cautious about. I had huge dread over hyping myself up for something like that and only for it to not pan out so I advised caution. Luckily, it is panning out!

However, I have some issues with that as well and it mostly stems from the past year of Nezarec simply not being set up sufficiently enough. He got set up as a past disciple and then as having died ages ago and then as having several of his body parts ground into dust and also as a "traitor." Assumed traitor to the Witness since he was a disciple. Then suddenly he's still on the Witness' side. For ... reasons? I guess raid lore will clarify.

I liked the fact that he's shown as "stuck" in a prison of being in between life and death (his lines in the strike), since that fits with where he would be given that he died. And was turned into tea. But we know that he can still speak from his remains so that's cool! I also like how he sounds utterly silly evil. Like in a good way silly. He just sounds evil, which is sometimes refreshing given that all our villains get expanded to the point where I feel sorry for them. I hope he stays like this.

Another thing that bothers me is, again, the whole nightmare thing. It's reiterated once more that he's tied to nightmares, but Lightfall CE specifically untied nightmares from the Lunar Pyramid and Nezarec. Which falls with my issues with him not being set up properly; we should've known about his powers unambiguously when he was introduced in Plunder, or earlier. Again, this might be explained in the raid lore, but I feel like it's something that should've been explained as a part of the setup. I already made the suggestion that Nezarec may have made the nightmares and has nightmare powers and that he distributed that power to other Pyramid ships which would explain why the others have them. I hope this gets addressed or it'll bother me forever because Collector's Edition lore stuff is usually crucial to understanding the new expansion and characters so the contradiction is currently odd. Until we get an explanation ofc.

Another thing I like is how some Tormentors are named! And when they're named, they're also called "Imprints of Nezarec." Suggesting that they're either controlled by him or made by/from him. Or modelled. Not sure which word to use here but they're definitely tied to him. It's an interesting little tidbit. Would explain how they look half Rhulk and half.... something else. That something else, as I've speculated, might be Nezarec and it might explain why the Witness wanted his body parts (though this is then an issue yet again with Plunder because we prevented it from having those body parts. So if the Witness acquired some other body parts regardless, then what was the point of Plunder. I digress).

Also the first Tormentor we see is the only one with a different title:

Hoping for more info about them! Possibly through the raid!

I read all lore tabs that are available and I loved those! Some really cool stuff in some of them. These are all available for reading right away in collections! Seasonal gauntlets have really sweet lore with Saint-14, Caretaker sword actually made me cry with lore about Drifter helping the Eliksni and specifically Eliksni kids. Guardian's Angel Ghost shell killed me dead with lore about Mara being concerned for Crow and Crow accepting her help. Tech Witch Ghost shell mentions Sjur Eido!!!!

From the campaign lore stuff and little details, I really love the lore book Last Days which is about Neomuna citizens preparing for cryo. Some really sweet interactions and information. There's another gay couple in there! And a really neat concept of how the Neomuna citizens choose different appearance for themselves when they're in virtual reality which consists of choosing an avatar and gender (!) and they can change that any time.

Absolutely thrilled that Maya Sundaresh and Chioma Esi, aka Golden Age science wives, were revealed to have been among the founders of Neomuna. They even have areas named after them!

Also super excited to do some side missions like the ones in the Archive about other Cloud Striders. The leader of the Archive, a lady called Quinn sounds really cool and she's voiced in the quests and in patrols, as well as some other really cool characters. Quinn is also super neat because of the lore of the exotic ship Tropopause in which she speaks to Ikora and manages to completely stun Ikora in what interpret as Ikora's wlw impulse. This can be read immediately in collections.

Also, Calus is finally dead and gone! Good riddance bitch! Also super chilling cutscene with him pissing off the Witness. What a bad move, Calus. But I love to see the difference between Calus and Rhulk in how they treat the Witness. Super interesting.

Our Ghost... Man. My boy needs a break. If I see anyone slandering him for anything, I will personally end them. He literally cannot stop being taken over. It's super concerning (and also not fully explained why the Witness can just do that). On the upside, my Ghost shell (catboy) was super funny in those scenes:

Kitty Witness real.

Overall, I liked it and I feel like the story and the new setting and everything adjacent to it has a lot of potential and I'm excited to play more and get more information as we get through the year. I really do think that we'll get everything explained eventually, but it's definitely slightly disappointing that no questions were answered. As a matter of fact, we just got more questions. Things that we never knew existed were brought up only to not be elaborated on at all, but they were treated like the most important thing in the world and crucial aspects of the story. Even if you know that we'll find out eventually, it can feel strange to follow a self-contained expansion story and not get any clarifications as to why we're doing the things we're doing.

Looking forward to seeing more though! Exploring the world is definitely a blast and there's a lot of stuff to do. Strand is also incredibly cool to use and I can't wait to get all upgrades.

#destiny 2 #destiny 2 spoilers #lightfall #lightfall spoilers #long post #i have some complaints but also i try to keep positive until everything is wrapped up #we'll 100% get more information as things go on but i understand and agree with being frustrated that some of it wasn't shown right away #especially with how little time we have going forward until final shape #unless they don't really have much to show and we'll be in this limbo until final shape #no clue. still too early to tell. we'll make the full judgement later #for now i am enjoying it despite the little issues since those can be fixed in the future

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yackers · 1 year

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I have mixed feelings about the cheating situation. In one sense they’re teenagers and I think everyone in the situation had their reasons for doing things and reacting to the situation, but I really struggle with Jerome’s reaction to the reaction. He’s a kid and I don’t think he should be held accountable for shit he did at 17 for the rest of his life when it’s this minuscule of a problem, but there were multiple scenes where people made digs at him for playing two girls and he truly believed that it was alright. Yes he apologized I get that, but even towards the end of the season he makes a comment about how he didn’t mean to hurt them…I truly believe Jerome didn’t think he deserved repercussions for hurting Willow and Mara. I don’t like that. Do I think they went too far with the revenge plot? Yes. Cause I wish they would’ve sat down and talked. Mara and Jerome, imo, needed to have a long conversation about it. Not with Willow. Not with Joy. But just the two of them. Their relationship arc had been from s1. Jerome had that little crush on her that blossomed and it eventually led us to s3 and the cheating situation. Maybe it’s me not understanding how he cheated on her with Willow, who I adore, I’m just not understanding how those two had any sort of chemistry or connection, but I wanted him to explain his sudden drawback. Joy defending Jerome those times were valid but her in that damn bedroom saying she thought it was all about revenge. It’s like the entire house lacked brain cells that season. The miscommunication trope was wild. What i’m saying is I think the cheating trope was interesting to the development of the characters. I just really don’t think Jerome realized what he did was wrong. I love Jeroy. They’re my favorite ship of all time. I just can’t stand how Jara essentially ended and there was no sit down conversation being like “Hey, I hurt you. This isn’t about me liking Joy it’s about me breaking the heart of the girl who fell in love with me and who i pined after for two years” I just needed something. Those teenagers couldn’t talk.

I have a lot of thoughts so please click below

see I do completely get what you're saying I do, and it's not that I disagree with you so much as that's just not really how things work. throughout the whole show, characters hurt each other and do shitty things because it's full of overwhelmingly human characters, but they can't just sit and talk it all out for hours in therapy speak until everyone is 100% okay. that's not how television works, that's not even really how life works. I don't honestly see how jerome and mara sitting and talking out every one of their issues would make either of them feel better and not more mad each other and it wouldn't be good television. hell, who in life ever sits down with their ex who cheated on them and discusses why and how and all of their personal feelings about it, especially two seventeen year olds who dated less than a year. I do understand that it feels like he should apologise further but the damage was already done, mara was too angry to hear it and jerome didn't know himself well enough to articulate why. I also just can't really name many shows where any (unmarried, childless, outside of a therapy environment) couples sit down and discuss in detail the end of their relationship.

I do disagree with you saying that he didn't think he deserved repercussions. he quite literally finds out that the three of them wrote a play specifically to embarrass him in front of the entire year group and accepts it and directs it anyway and says that he just hopes it helps mara move on and feel better. he does even repeatedly try to apologise to mara. he lets her say horrible things about his dad without fighting back and he backs off of joy around her as to not upset her further, all things he never would've done pre being caught cheating. he tells the house that they all need to get over it only when they're all being silent and glaring at him at the breakfast table because he still has to live there and he can't have every single person in house mad at him forever.

in terms of how he could have gotten with willow and his 'sudden drawback from mara', I really do not mean this to sound rude but like did you watch it? when he and willow first kiss in detention, mara had broken up with him like at least a week ago. he tried to win her back over and over (with admittedly hollow gestures I'm not like validating his behaviour just stating the facts of what happened) and she ignored him. by the time he kisses willow in detention, he thinks he fucked up too bad and he's never getting mara back, and so he's rebounding. he doesn't really have tons of chemistry with willow, that's kinda the point, she's just there and she's sweet and she's into him and it's a lot less complicated. it's only after all this that mara approaches him in the kitchen and is like 'congrats we're back together' and by that point he's already moved on from her enough that he's not willing to give up willow because he doesn't like either of them that much by that point. and this is not me defending him but like if he'd told mara then and there that he'd kissed willow even though she barely gave him a chance to, it still would've crushed her, because unlike him she didn't think they were done, she was just holding off because of the sisterhood. the whole situation isn't black and white, he didn't wake up and say "I'm gonna have two girlfriends" and it's a mess and that's the whole point of it. I've gone over the other jara stuff before so I'm not gonna repeat myself but idk, it didn't happen the way you're making it sound like.

and lastly, about joy saying "I thought it was all about revenge", the whole point of that scene is that both girls are lashing out each other because they're both broken hearted. it was the wrong thing to say, but it was an impossibly difficult and insane situation. and up until that point, mara didn't do a whole lot of crying and being sad because she got angry and stayed that way. the part about the revenge plotline that makes it so interesting to watch and why I liked it is because it was always going to hurt everyone involved and it was always going to be everyone's fault. jerome was getting hurt either way, joy was always going to fall for him, which was a betrayal to mara, but it was also an insane thing for mara to ask her to do in the first place. it blows up in everyone's faces badly, but both girls both eventually realise that it's okay that they're both upset and that it all only happened because of some incredibly poor decision making and that's that. the ending with mara deciding to put her friend's happiness above her anger is the most important lesson of all of it. also:

he does try to sincerely apologise for all of it one last time and she shakes her head with a smile and tells him that it's okay. the whole point of mara's arc is that she doesn't need that from him anymore, she's learning to deal with her feelings herself and know her own worth even when others don't, which is what she's been needing to learn to do the whole show.

tldr: I understand that cheating is a difficult topic that people have a lot of thoughts about and I respect that, but real life isn't therapy and what a lot of your takes tell me is that either you didn't really pay attention during their storyline or that it's been a long time since you watched it

#hope this makes sense and wasn't too rude but #house of anubis #txt #ask #anon

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travelling-on-the-octopath · 2 years

Note

Okay so I am lost about something. Erwin belittles Claude as a poor ruler for his stunt with the Great Bridge regarding Ferdinand's forces. And Claude - and others - will berate the decision to continue onto Imperial territory to push back against the Empire, because of Almyra attacking while they were doing so not being accounted for.

But. Like. If Claude hadn't done those two things, then the Empire... would have attacked them while they were fighting back against Almyra. At least, that's implied going by what Erwin says: "I imagine [the Empire has] reconsidered their plans following the last battle. It was foolish of them to start a war on two fronts in the first place, it would be even greater folly yet to continue after witnessing the might of the Alliance." With Judith responding: "Hold on. Are you saying the reason you volunteered to defend the Great Bridge is because you figured it wouldn't be attacked?"

But the Empire never would have known about the Alliance's might if Claude had just fortified the Bridge and gone on the defensive like Erwin and others wanted him to. And without the fight against Bergliez - where the Alliance had given him both moral and pragmatic reasons not to follow them into the Alliance - he would have likely just... invaded the Alliance? Since there'd be literally nothing stopping him now?

And that battle with Bergliez: damn near flawless, even with Jeralt and Byleth muckin' things up a bit. The plan with the Bridge: exactly as planned. Capturing Ferdinand: not a complete success, but the Empire's still without an important commander nonetheless and lost a sizable amount of troops. The invasion with Shahid: unexpected at the moment, but Claude always had Nader in his corner and expected Shahid to attack at some point, and that battle also went down without much issue (uhh I mean besides the whole forced fratricide and the emotional turmoil that is that lmao but you get what I mean).

But Claude's still doubtful, nobody really trusts Claude still, people are wondering why the Empire didn't attack them while they were retreating (maybe it's because y'all beat their asses?? Or that y'all ran through their breadbasket and so made fighting impossible without ensuring further starvation in Adrestia??) and it's like holy fuckin' shit somebody needs to grow some goddamn confidence already. Seeing all of this success the Alliance is getting - even when unexpected shit flies their way, they adapt just fine around it - being contrasted with pretty much everyone still twiddlin' their thumbs and being so unsure of themselves is just... weird?

Like, cockiness will get them killed sure, but they're acting like nothing ever goes their way when just about everything goes about as well as they can go given the circumstances. It makes the idea that Claude siding with the Empire on GW was a decision ~made in distress and desperation~ that I've seen some try to explain his decisions as seem... completely unwarranted, because he was doing about as well as he could've done fighting them. Am I just missing something? Would love to know lmao cuz the dots just aren't connecting for me 😂

I'm gonna let you in on a secret: I've stopped trying to connect the dots. This game doesn't know what it's doing with itself. The Alliance was doing . . . pretty good for a country who's kinda known for their crap military. It's like. The plots that make sense for him to concoct? The ones you mentioned (Gloucester and Myrddin, Bergliez, Nader)? People were upset that they weren't in the know, but . . . they went off without a hitch. It's literally when Claude does an about-face and allies with the Empire out of fucking nowhere that his plans get more messy for his character, then outright messy in-fucking-general. It's like . . . you're right! Things were going well for them! Like, if I'm not mistaken, exactly what was happening in the background of Azure Gleam. But then they change it for no reason. Which I cannot comprehend. Because. Because things were going pretty well

#you really come into my inbox with itemized lists of why this game's writing is a fucking shit show #and i'm like. oh so it CAN get worse actually gldkfgjdl #thank you for reminding me of what I liked to see in GW claude though <3 #relived the excitement seeing him planning behind the scenes with Erwin #fe #fe3h (the remix)#s responds #fire emblem warriors: three hopes spoilers #fewth spoilers #fea-and-fehf-headcanons

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nikethestatue · 2 years

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I understand where your getting at, but I feel that that bonus chapter would have been a great way to strengthen the reader’s understanding of Azriel’s feelings for Elain. I feel like there wasn’t any development between the two of them in acosf. We’ve already gotten the shy looks and stolen glances at one another in acowar and acofas, why not add something more in the recent book? Since not everyone has access to the bonus as you mentioned, the author could have added something elsewhere, maybe at the dinner table when Cassian is telling everyone about Nesta and the Valkyries. The Solstice party, even if Lucien was present. Anything to further their development, but there was none. By now, we now that there’s something there, the mutual attraction, but we don’t know if it’s infatuation or lust or loneliness since every moment that we’ve read has been through someone else’s point of view or observation. Then when we finally get a POV from one of them it’s lust.

I’m disappointed at how the bonus chapter turned out, it made me feel a little doubtful 😪

You are right, but you also have to look at the source material. ACOSF is not a good book. It's not well written, not well plotted. I mean, it's a book where even the protagonists never said 'I love you' to each other. The whole book was based on lust and sexual attraction, but can anyone really say WHAT exactly do Nesta and Cassian have in common? SJM literally had to force NEsta to become some kind of exercise junkie in order to even create commonality between the two. Cassian looked and spoke to Mor with more affection, friendliness and fondness than he did with Nesta. So do we really expect anything better in that bonus for Elriel?

The bonuses--well, both were crappy. Like, SJM had NO ideas. Feysand--they find out about this long-desired baby and SJM couldn't make the moment resonate at ALL. Not even a bit. What do they immediately proceed to do? Fuck. In a book that is filled with constant sex, was that really needed? According to SJM, totally!!! More fucking!

Cassian feels bad about himself, is insulted by Eris, has self doubts--what's the remedy? Fucking.

Nesta feels bad about herself, feeling rejected, angry and self-loathing--what's the remedy? Fucking.

Azriel, we get a glimpse into his head, what's he thinking about? Fucking.

I don't think he has anything to do with feelings development or anything else--SJM lost the plot completely and couldn't come up with anything meaningful other than sex.

So you have to take everything with a grain of salt. That book had the emotional depth of a gnat's asshole. It had no story and no feelings. I am honestly half surprised that Balthazar, Nesta and Emerie didn't have a threesome in that cave. Because apparently, all these people think about is sex.

I absolutely hear you and yes, it would all make a ton of sense, but we have what we have. None of it is very good.

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lmelodie · 1 year

Text

Bad Ending AU

Part One / Part Two / Part Three (Epilogue)

I was going to call this a plot bunny, but I think it may have turned into a full-on snowdrift lol. Oh boy this one is SAD thought experiment that got a little out of hand.

I just had a very innocent thought of “What would happen if Jack and Kills DIDN’T breakup and stayed together?” Very cute, seems great right? WRONG! I have discovered that them staying together makes them 10X WORSE SOMEHOW. The Bad Thing doesn't happen to Kills in this AU but he’s still very unhappy! As is literally everyone else.

Just two dudes trapped in a loveless marriage until one of them betrays the other. And it's not even the one you'd think! (I don’t know if they get like actually married in this au? I would think so but it’s still up in the air.

Put the blorbos through the WRINGER I SAY!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another one of their usual fights has erupted. And yet again it's about Jack’s recent, less than stellar behavior toward a certain Christmas Spirit.

How did it come to this? It all started off so innocently, as innocent as two outcast spirits can be when they both have a penchant for causing problems. It's what they loved about one another. Two of a kind, them against the world.

And usually, Killian would have very little to say about Jack having made new enemies besides, ‘Do you need help hiding the body?’ But this little rivalry with Father Christmas has been eating away at Jack for a while now.

Killian can tell that something’s been wrong with him for a bit. He’s restless, desperate, can't seem to get a good night's sleep anymore.

He’s afraid. This Killian knows for certain.

And his attention seeking stunts have gotten more convoluted and more grandiose over time. Killian has tried talking to him on several occasions. Asking him to just take a step back, he’s getting too deep into this one, just put the schemes to rest. Even for a little bit.

But he never listens.

Of course, he never listens.

Bickering between the two was commonplace, usually over something completely inconsequential and it was resolved within the hour. But with his plans for a Christmas take over grow in intensity so too does the arguing. Every word is a personal offense and neither lets things go too easily. It's angry and poisonous. The rift seeps into every other crevice of their lives, further diving them.

And this fight was not unlike all the others.

Killian is saying to him, “You can't keep doing stuff like this. Just admit that all of this is not helping and stop driving yourself into the ground!”

“What would you know?! Says the one that has nothing to prove, content to slither through dumpsters and alleyways. Not all of us are meant to be hiding under beds!”

“I am trying to help you!” His voice softens, “Because you need help, and I want to help you.

I don't want to fight you anymore. I'm too tired to keep fighting you. I just want you to finally be happy. I want us to be happy, I want us to make sense again, and I don't want to do this alone. I don't want you to do this alone.

So, I am asking you to please give this a rest.”

The way the story is supposed to go, is that Jack’s stomach will churn, his emotions will block out all reason. He would think Killian to be pitying him, and active threat to his greater success. He would have ignored Killian’s plea and done something that he will come to regret later. He’s supposed to get rid of this obstacle.

But instead he gets an idea.

His partner's earnest plight stirs in him the makings of a favorable business venture. He looks into the boogeyman's bright red eyes. Of course, why didn't he think of it before? Here he was, his own partner antagonizing him this entire time, thinking of him as a roadblock. Something to push past. When instead he can be the key to success that Jack has been looking for.

“You're absolutely right, I shouldn't be doing this alone,” Jack quickly takes both of Killian’s hands in his own.

“Join me then.”

Jack decides to convince Killian to join his “cause” so to speak. Help me knock Santa down a peg, and I will give you anything and everything you could ever want. He swears up and down that if he helps him take back the season, then everything will go back to normal. If he agrees to help then everything he's said to him, every argument will be water under the bridge. They’ll get a new start, a new Jack, a new chance to find happiness with each other.

With one hand cradling the side of Killian’s face, he whispers:

“If you do this with me, I'll be whoever you want. Your life will be so much easier and most of all. You'll have me. I don't want to leave you; I don't even want to hurt you. I want you to be there with me as we both get everything we deserve. Isn't that what you want? For me to never leave your side...?”

The snake speaks to eve.

And that is what he wants, truly and deeply, Killian wants nothing more. After already having gone through a tumultuous period in their relationship, he is so desperate to make this work. He wants for them to be happy again and he doesn't wanna let him go.

Killian holds onto Jack’s wrist as if he’ll disappear into thin air. He savors the closeness they still have left, the pad of his thumb running across his cheek breaks him. He doesn't wanna do this alone.

He bets his last morsel of trust in Jack, the last egg in the basket. He’s always been sort of a high-risk gambler, and the honeyed promises of a better life, in his vulnerable state, are too good to pass by.

If he wants it hard enough he’ll have it. An ideology the both of them have in common.

So, he says yes. Barely.

A few schemes come and go where they work together to try and garner the humans attention, all with their own heaps of promotional material and all ending in spectacular failure. Killian at one point makes a new shadow entity, Krampus he calls it, to scare people away from Christmas all together.

But plan after failed plan, Jack’s nearing the end of his rope. He still believes that working with Kills is the key, but after so much time he grows more and more frustrated with doing things "the nice way” and suggests a more aggressive strategy.

Being a legendary figure, Jack manages to steal the Legendary Tome from the crypts of Father Times tower. Holding the most powerful spells in all the realms, written by the man in the moon himself. And with the Moon Mandate spell in tow, he and Kills approach the council with promises of a new Ice and Dark Ages era if they want to keep denying Jack’s suggestion. They hold the entire council with world wide ransom.

Of course the council doesn't and would never agree to demands like that. But while in the midst of their outrage, even trying to arrest him for legendary treason, Jack activates the mandate, releasing him of the rule where his powers wouldn't otherwise work on other council members.

And the inevitable struggle ensues, Jack and Killian against the council. Jack figures they all had this coming for far too long, and after a long and drawn out fight he manages to freeze them all. All seven members turned to ice sculptures.

This is not what Killian thought was going to happen.

Well shit, now they gotta think fast. Everyone in the realms is going to notice when the seven most powerful spirits in the world are not only not available but completely indisposed. In any case, they can't unfreeze them or else they’ll be handed punishments of their immortal lives.

And in the middle of trying to figure out what to do, Jack realized what kind of opportunity he just made for himself. A blessing in disguise.

Killian suggests that they thaw and refreeze the council members as needed, to make it seem as though they're still around. He can shapeshift to fit their images easily enough. If they sign a couple of Holiday plan papers into effect and pretend to be the council they’ll all be none the wiser.

But Jack is now far beyond thoughts of just holidays now. Don't you see? Why would he stop now at a single day of the calendar, a single season? When all the realms are now at his fingertips.

Why not take that instead?

“And you!” Jack exclaims, “You will be there with me, every step of the way, just like it's always been. You beautiful, terrifying thing, don't you see?! With both of us at the very top, all the realms answering to us, no one would dare to stop us!”

“Jack this wasn't part of the plan, the plan was to get you a holiday and that was it, I don't want to be incharge of anything here.”

“That's the beauty of it Kills, you don't have to! You leave all the decision making to me and you and your family's lives will be all the easier. Reaping all the benefits without any of the work. And best of all is that my promise still stands. Without any more hoops to jump through, with me in charge, nothing is left keeping me away from you. I get the world and you get me, for the rest of our immortal lives.”

Killian doesn't know what to make of all this. None of this hostile takeover of the realms was a part of the plan. More sweetened promises graze his ears and he’s not sure whether this is actually what he wanted. More or less he's been dragged through every asinine scheme up until this point, but with no more on the horizon, is this it? Will this actually, finally be the chance to have everything be right again?

He looks at Jack, the same eerie blue eyes that he's always had look back, but he doesnt recognize him. This is someone different, someone who he’s unsure if he really wants to know.

But before he could answer, Jack grabs a hold of him by the collar, and silences any thoughts of doubt for the moment. His mouth too occupied to voice the last concerns that were now flying out the window.

He doesn't say No, at least.

He closes his eyes and he hopes for the best. He leans in and Kisses back.

In the following centuries, the folklore peaked and fizzed out in their outrage. Jack was in charge now, providing a very faux red eyed Mother Nature signing away all the council's rights to him. In essence he didn't change much about the everyday lives of the people. Other than entirely replacing Christmas with Frostmas and making its celebration mandatory, the more infrastructure basis of magical society stood resolute. Jack kept most of the realms a secret from human eyes (for the most part) and quelled any mutinous factions whenever they arose.

But without the likes of Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and Cupid, holidays of every color faded into obscurity. Without coordination from these council heads, no eggs were hidden and no presents were left under trees. Soon these kinds of holidays fell out of practice with humans and folklore alike. What's the point if there was no magic in them anymore?

As the sole “ruler” of all the realms he does the bare minimum, passing off as much work to those under him as possible. He put temporary bandaids on any possible crises, but reaped the notoriety all the same.

He gave into his more business minded facet and tried banking off of some of the less populated realms as tourist attractions. Claiming it would generate additional revenue for the various governmental departments. But of course all of these dangerous business ventures failed, a great relief to the masses.

He froze over Mother Nature's garden and made it his new home, taking Killian along with him.

And just as promised, Killian along with his mother, her daughter and grandchild were all taken care of. Provided monetary and material goods on a basis of every decade. And on paper, he was nothing short of a perfect partner. He’s doing and saying all the right things, dates are frequent, he supports anything Killian wants to do.

But it's not the same.

It hasn't been the same in a very long time. He’s just too different. He’s grown so cold, colder than anything he thought possible. Even when Jack is there Killian still can't help but feel alone. There’s no spark of life to him. It's like talking to a wall, dancing with a scarecrow, there's nothing there.

This isn't Jack Frost. Not the same one he fell in love with all those thousands of years ago. Jack Frost doesn't rule with an iron fist, he doesnt order around the masses to celebrate a single day all about him, Jack Frost doesn't have an unwavering deadness in his eyes.

His touch doesn't feel the same, nothing about him does.

Killian now regrets his decision. This isn't what he wanted. Maybe in theory it would be, but he wanted to be happy with the Jack he knew. Not this stranger in his place.

The only thing that somehow stayed the same is the arguing. They’re hot one minute and cold the next, constantly flipping between loving and hating each other in a single day.

He debates with himself for hundreds of years to leave him. It eats away at him, the push and pull that is Jack Frost. The close whispers in secret places, the broken objects hitting the wall, his hand holding the back of his neck, the hurtful words spat at each other over dinner, how he can't live without him and how he would kill him in a heartbeat.

Some tiny, sick twisted part of himself loves the thrill of it all. But every other part of him knows better than that.

He always has some of his stuff packed, stuffed into the void of the shadows in case he decides to make a break for it in the middle of the night. Waiting for the day to work up the resolve and tell him he’s leaving and never coming back.

But he doesn't get the chance to before something shakes up the status quo.

The year is 2014 when Jack gets word that the Moon magic field has chosen a new human host. This hasn't happened in nearly 200 years, since the first tooth fairy. And with circumstances like these, Jack is determined to get this new spirit on his side as quickly as possible. Better to have them as a friend than an enemy right off the bat.

He summons the likes of one Lucy Miller to his realm, and tries his hardest to convince the girl to work for him. He feels as though the balance of the realms has been slipping a little bit under his reign. He feels as though she could be a big help in maintaining the mortal and magical divide.

She leaves rather unimpressed and says she’ll think about it, but has already decided that working for Jack is not something she’ll do. She feels bad intentions coming from him, no matter how altruistic his words are.

And her doubts are only confirmed when she runs into Killian just outside his realm. He warns her of his penchant for taking things by force. But seeing as how Jack has not been in his good graces for quite some time, Killian offers to teach Lucy how to use her new powers.

Jack's true nature is revealed to Lucy as she and Killian wander the realms, watching what his reign has put people through. The temporary fixes coming undone and leaving entire villages of folklore in the lurch to fend for themselves. She learns of long forgotten holidays and magic spirits, when the world didn't feel quite so small and gray.

When he was his whole world.

Lucy’s distaste for Jack grows more intense as Killian continues to secretly meet up with the teen behind Jack's back. A whole secret world of folklore continues to suffer because of him, and she has to do something about it.

She tries talking to Jack first, but negotiations quickly go sour. He demands that she work for him, claiming a noble purpose. But when she refuses, it's Jack who tries landing the first blow. But Killian is quicker than that and protects her.

Jack is in disbelief as he watches the two of them run out and as far away as possible. Killian didn't look back.

He didn't even look back!

“After everything I've done for him, everything that he put me through, after all the thousands of years of standing by him, he has the audacity to RUN OUT ON ME?!”

Jack is quick to send out a warrant for their immediate arrests, no doubt also planning on freezing them both solid once they're turned in. But the two were quickly taken in by a very small rebel faction that graciously hides them from the law. Lucy’s immediate family joins them in hiding for protection, as they would be the first people Jack would go after to enact the first round of revenge.

She continues to train in secret for years until her, Killian and the small rebel faction plan the coop of the ages. Infiltrate the realm, take out any guards that cause a problem, find the Legendary Tome and when they find Jack, use it as a bargaining chip for his surrender. Lucy was insistent they save anything lethal as a last resort.

But he doesn't surrender. Of course he doesn't listen when Lucy tries one more time to talk to him. Try to reason with a man who has both everything and nothing to lose. But before the book can be destroyed Jack kicks off the fight by going straight for Lucy yet again.

She’s more capable than last time, but still not as experienced as he is. She’s only human after all, very breakable those things. Blow after blow, she somehow manages to hold her own for quite awhile, still trying to knock some sense into him as they fight. Until all too soon she grows tired, she’s been holding him off for a while and it starts catching up.

And just when he thinks he’s going to snuff out this half baked rebellion scheme, Jack gets a condensed shadow straight to the face.

They tag team it, and Lucy retreats to the sidelines to watch Killian enact his revenge.

To say that such a fight was brutal is to say the ocean is vast. Every word that went unsaid came to light here and now in the form of unbridled physical violence. Icicles flew at breakneck speeds, the room was drenched in eldritch darkness, the shadows writhed, the winds blew, what was left of the tether finally snapped.

Neither had any other goal than to thoroughly beat the other into a fine pulp. As payback for all the things he said, for all the shitty ways he made me feel, for the unforgivable crime of making me fall in love with him.

Killian knew Jack wasn't going to thaw out the council himself, nor was he going to stop running himself and all the realms into the ground until there was nothing left of either. He knew he wasn't going to listen.

He knows what he has to do. He would be lying if he said he doesn't want to do this. He would be lying if he said he doesnt wanna kill the bastard right here right now. It's actually the safest option available. But at least it's something. Something to make all of this nonsense stop.

He doesn't want to fight him anymore. He’s too tired to keep fighting him.

Covered in bruises and throbbing cuts aplenty, Killian manages to trap Jack's hands and feet, encasing them in the darkness that surrounds them both. His hands drop to his sides.

“It's over Jack,” he says, “We’re done here. No more fighting, no more arguing, no more plans. This,” he gestures to the room, “is the end of the line.”

“Like hell it is!” Jack exclaims, trying to freeze over the dark bindings on his hands.

“It is like hell isn't it? But in any case, you won't be causing anymore trouble,” Killian invades Jack's personal space, standing all too close to his face.

“And how do you know that? You wouldn't kill me. I know you wouldn't, you love me too much.”

His statement rings with conviction, so sure that there is nothing on this earth that he can do to him that he won't survive. His icy eyes bore into the man in front of him, sharpened with a zeal that cleaned them from their usual frosted over look. He’s silently asking, begging him to try something, almost a jovial taunt that transcended the masquerade he’s been using this whole time.

And only for a moment, a single happenstance in time.

Killian saw Jack Frost staring back at him again.

He lets out a weighted sigh, placing his own forehead against Jacks.

“I know. I'm hopefully going to do something worse.”

With a dark red glow from his hand, Killian’s fingers snapped and the whites of Jack's eyes were flooded out with black. His head tips up at the shock, and then limply dips past his shoulders, without a word or utterance of any sound.

Silent and discreet, his Never Ending Nightmare spell is one of his most powerful. He rarely ever finds the need to use it, but to use it on him was both the biggest relief and the most heartbreaking decision. Ultimately Jack was right, he didn't have the nerve to kill him.

The winter magic gathering in his hands ceased and the shadows crept off of his extremities, leaving Killian to catch his inevitable fall.

And of course he caught him.

With Killian’s own wounds catching up to him, and with Jack’s lifeless body still in his arms, he gently lowered the both of them to the cold ground. He sat on his knees and set Jack aside. His eyes will be forever open and pitch black as he sleeps, walking through the never ending torment of one long nightmare. His burden to bear and his price to pay.

Killian’s shoulders slump as Lucy comes over to check on him. He quickly shoos her away by telling her that Jack’s magic will no longer be in effect, and that the council is probably thawing as they speak. Lucy begrudgingly leaves.

Killian stays on the floor for a very long time.

Jack is gone. Jack has been lost.

And Killian doesn't know where to find him.

#The Santa Clause #the santa clause 3 #musings #plot bunny #blackice #jack frost #slaps the roof of BlackIce stays together #you can fit SO MANY BAD FEELINGS into this bad boy #they ARE toxic and I think that's the point #who knew that your long term partner breaking up with you and hurting you in the porcess #WAS THE GOOD ENDING THE BEST OUTCOME #jesus christ both of yall need therapy #Bad Ending au

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deeplyunnerving · 2 years

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(vol2 in depth spoilers)

I'll put it all under the cut bc it's just a ranty review tbh 💀

Okay okay actual thoughts:

It was....? I don't know, for some reason even from the beginning these episodes were hard to get into. I did like how El ended things with Brenner, she didn't give him the chance to have closure, she didn't have to forgive him. That was good! I was scared they'd try to have her say she understands or something, but I'm glad they didn't.

All the deaths were so weirdly unemotional, though? I cried when Max "died", but I didn't even know what to feel about Eddie. He had no reason to sacrifice himself. Sure, he didn't want to run, he wanted to be a hero, but who was he saving? Literally no one. He at least deserved to go out protecting someone. He didn't even buy the trio more time bc the demobats died off anyways. That's fucking stupid, I'm sorry, he deserved a better death. Then of course El turns into a fucking necromancer, so Max's "sacrifice" didn't even matter.

Will and Mike. Literally nothing they did as characters MATTERED. I mean, Mike's big monologue was what, a fucking pep talk? A "you can do it, El" thing. He didn't have a real character arc, it's the exact same thing as last season. He's not treating El right, she's at risk of dying, he's forced by people around him to blurt out something about love to save her. That's not growth. It's just nothing. And Will? Yeah, his role was sad third wheel that kind of hovers in the background of the heterosexuals having their moment. Cool.

I'm glad he and Jonathan talked but why didn't they actually have a conversation further than just "we should talk more". Use that time to actually give Will a moment, maybe. Don't just go "hey bro let's talk more" "yeah" *doesn't have another conversation* like. What is that.

And the Nancy/Jonathan/Steve stuff, WHY? It was so annoying and it doesn't even get a resolution? More wasted time that could've gone towards character development. I mean I guess I'm glad Robin got a little time with her love interest but it was slightly random. Like why introduce a boyfriend and immediately disappear him? What purpose did it serve? Unnecessary drama for all of them imo.

The Russian plot: Whatever. Didn't care that much. Happy to have Hopper back and have Joyce/Hopper have their moment. Nothing really interesting happened over there though.

I don't know, for a finale it all just felt so. Meh. And there were several times it would have made sense for them to chop this overlong episode in to two. Literally who ends a FINALE with a "2 days later" timeskip? Such a weird decision, I guess it was needed to reunite everyone but it took the wind out of the sails of everything. It feels like it needed another episode to give everyone time, but that's the problem with all these different locations and characters. It just doesn't work in the time they had.

#stranger things s4 #stranger things spoilers #st vol2 spoilers #stranger things s4 vol2 #byler

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heartbeatan · 10 months

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Hi! Just finished the last chapter and epi of AOR and let me just say, I in no way think I have a vocabulary extensive enough to express my emotions, imma try anyway though 😅

I started the last chapter with a true sense of dread about where it was going, I was honest to God hoping oc would just stay and never leave him even when I solidly knew there were important things to address and finalize and that perhaps that 'break' in the routine they had crafted was needed for a final shift to take place. But as I read further, you wrote their interactions and conversations in such a way that I was instantly reassured that she would go back to him or that he would eventually go to her, just because they could no longer seem to be apart for long, and I quite liked it.

The way you plotted that feeling of no longer belonging somewhere that was once literally home and everything that made you happy, without outright saying those words deserves a round of applause and I got so into this story that I think I got a little teary when she was packing up her old life and realizing all the things she had wanted and worked so hard for didn't seem to matter anymore, that they were a burden now more than a joy, don't know if I read too much into it, but it felt that way 😅

And that conversation with Stephanie, I truly didn't expect it even though I was hoping a confrontation would happen. I'm really very happy oc got to say her mind and realise the true nature of who she thought was a friend though, even until the very end she didnt change and I liked that you kept it real between them, the way that face to face was written made me think of the fact that there are some people truly like that, that even at the very end, everyone has reasons for doing the things they do, skewed and misguided and twisted as they are, it all boils down to wanting to belong.

Now onto the happier parts, please know that there was the stupidest, cheesiest, dopiest grin on my face when she got into that car and started driving. Having read these at almost midnight I had to squeal into pillows because I was so happy. I love the little moment our couple shared on that porch, it was exactly perfect for them and I appreciate the vulnerability you allowed Jungkook to show, both when she was leaving and when she came back, I don't think I realised how much I wanted his side of things until I got it. It makes me curious of his thoughts when he received that first phone call.

The epilogue was a most pleasant surprise, I didn't quite expect the marriage part given that oc is such a 'structure and planning' girl, but then I wasn't surprised at all about the way in which it happened given Jungkook was involved. I will say I liked the 'my wife' thing a little too much 😅🙈 The ending paragraph made my heart full for them both in the best way possible, then I read the last sentence and thought 'yup! There it is, there's their dynamic' 😅

Finally, I just want to say a truly, heartfelt thank you to you for sharing this story with us, at the beginning of it you were transparent in your intentions of this being a story rife with smut and admittedly it is, I was expecting it to be one of those pieces with intimate happenings everywhere and anywhere and that was it (nothing wrong with those sometimes we need our brain to just melt and short-circuit😅) but you truly surprised me with the lovely plot, even if it didn't start out that way, I honestly did love the small town vibe, and the bond that went beyond between the couple, and my favorite thing is that oc got a life she is happy to live, that she still has the structure, but that she's free and willing to sway in the wind.

Please know that I will be re-reading this story multiple times and that I cannot wait to see what you come up with next, I've read your others works but never reached out until this one. I just couldn't not tell you how much I loved this one.

Hope you are well, happy and proud and as always,

Happy writing ✨️

Thank-you! I'm really enjoying with how much of a response this story is getting. I'll try to respond to what I can, haha!

Yes, the plotting around how she felt about her things and her home was intentional, so you were reading right into it lol. I try to be a touch clever with metaphors and symbolism 😅 even the tattoo healing was suppose to be a subtle metaphor but idk if it landed. I just felt like... OC needed to face her home in order to realize she didn't belong there anymore? Even if it was only for a day, I felt it would suffice as enough of a reason to be like... "why am I even trying here when I got something good elsewhere?" Cuz technically she hadn't seen her home since the infidelity happened, so seeing it in person was gonna give her closure.

And yeah, in terms of Stephanie - and I talked about this with a couple commenters cuz they didn't have a confrontation at JKs house, and hoenstly I wasn't really planning on there being one, because on one hand... who cares what someone like that has to say. But, it felt kinda right in the moment to later have that, and I thought it would be kinda nice to just... show that even though you maybe don't get to hear or say everything you wanna say, but you can still have closure...? And, yeah, there are def people like that out there. They don't even necessarily step out into the world thinking they're doing anything bad that day, or they justify what they do by thinking they're just looking out for themselves, but, yeah there are absolutely people out there who will never take accountability for themselves and have no concept of what's going on outside of themselves.

I am happy to make you swoon - sometimes i swoon when i read stuff back too haha the "my _ _ wife" line made me giggle every time I listened back (I used a text to speech app when I edit, hence why I say "listening.")

And yeah the marriage I just thought suited lol. A rockstar wedding in a Vegas-type setting lol cuz why the hell not. I thought the impulsiveness parts of their relationship were hot haha

And yes, you called me out lol this was supposed to actually be a one-shot of horny keyboard smashing but definitely grew. I'm finding lately that I can't just write a quick and dirty story anymore. The best example of this was The Cross in the Toys series. I started that series years ago with a plan to to seven stories, and the initial stories were all fairly short (The wand was less than 2k words) and straight forward smut with little dialogue or plot. After the Ice Cubes, the series sat unfinished for a long time while I did other stuff, but when I said "you gotta finish this" and sat down in April to write The Cross and The Ring, I figured i'd be able to pump out each in a day (I wrote i think Starboard and Couchsurfer and The Wand each in a day). But it took me like... maybe a week and a half to two weeks to write the Cross and end up being like 22k words. In short, I just don't think I have it in me to write dirty one-shots anymore haha! Once I get going things start happening and then I gotta shell out a whole story.

Anyway, thank-you so much for deciding to reach out! Getting feedback from readers is like... so much much more valuable than I first realized when I started writing.

Thank-you for everything!

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souredfigs · 2 years

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ALRIGHT HOTD FINALE AND OMGGG here are my tHouGHtS and spoilers ahead ofcc

❗️❗️❗️❗️

• I mean it wasn't as shocking for me coz I've read the book so I obviously knew what was about to go down but with that being said

• Emma D'Arcy I love you so much . Their acting as Rhaneyra was outstanding, life changing , freaking amazing and I am in absolute awe. The shot of Rhaneyra at the end as Daemon informs her about Luce's demise , and she turns around and just by looking at her you sense her pain and rage and how the real dotd is gonna start and shit will go down was goosebump inducing . I mean I'm by no means an expert in acting but Holy SHRIMP THAT WAS POWERFUL . WHAT A STELLAR PERFORMANCE , ONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS ! AND IF THEY DONT GET AN EMMY I WILL GO APESHIT BECUASE WHAT THE FUCK?

• Rhaneyra's coronation was by far my favourite scene in the episode along with Daemon singing to vermithor , absolutely beautiful and you bet I'm learning that song

• speaking of lucerys

• MY BOY

• I was dreading this moment ever since episode one and it was just all around heartbreaking , despite knowing what will happen the scene still made me sit at the edge of my bed and tense up . We will miss you king 😔

• Otto hightower , this bitch in itself is a warning

• fuck him that is all I can say

• also the fact that Alicent kept that page Rhaneyra tore and kept it safe , it even has creases in it , meaning that she opened it multiple times whenever she missed her best friend ... *screams* they were both victims of the patriarchal society they were born to and this is something I will always stand by .

• JACAERYS MY BELOVED , He was all around the best this episode , the way he confronted Daemon and stood up for his mother was so pure, and it makes me so sad thinking about what will happen to him in the end . He was too good for the world of ice and fire .

• speaking of ice and fire , I'm really excited to see my beloved the Starks and winterfell next season , the pact of ice and fire and the theory of dragon eggs being in the crypts always intrigued me

• Daemon .. I am honestly surprised most of yall were shocked , like literally everyone of the characters in hotd and in asoiaf are unhinged and need counselling. If you are looking for right vs wrong you've come to the wrong place 😭😭😭😭 wait till you read f&b 😭😭😭

• the black council scenes in which Rhaneyra constantly reminds everyone that she has a duty to preserve the realm and keep it safe from bloodshed and that her ambition isn't the only thing that matters further proves to me that she would have been an great ruler

• Even Rhaenys admits to Corlys that Rhaneyra is holding it all together and keeping the realm from dissolving into madness and destruction .

• And I think the show was good when it came to Rhaenys portrayal as well , she too was a capable intelligent woman who was robbed of her deserving position.

• overall , there are some issues I do have , but regardless of that I am so excited for season 2 , this really did heal the wounds that I have from got season 8 and hotd really brought back the once epic Game of Thrones calibre of acting , dialouge and plot . Squeezing 20+ years of storyline into 10 episodes is hard for any production I think, and they executed it so smoothly .

• the costumes and cinematography and overall attention to detail was such a delight to see , so refreshing and it really showed you how much thought and effort they put into this spinoff, unlike the shitstorm that game of thrones became from season 5 onwards . Asoiaf franchise was practically dead with the end of game of thrones , I remember how everyone pretend the finale didn't even happen and people on tumblr removed game of thrones hashtags from their profiles , twitter was fuming and the reddit page for asoiaf turned into a fan page for lotr😭😭😭😭 like everyone was thaT fed upp

• hotd Sundays are over now and the fact that I have go wait for two years ( I think) to see my psychotic war criminals again is killing me 😭

• PHEW WHAT A SEASON . ILL BE WAITING FOR THE NEXT ONE 🤌😌

SORRY FOR ANY TYPOS BESTIES

#house of the dragon #hotd spoilers #hotd season 1 #hotd season finale #the black queen #rhaneyra targaryen #jacaerys velaryon #lucerys velaryon #aemond one eye #princess rhaenys targaryen #corlys velaryon #i literally am going feral #wow #what a season #you hear that d&d?#just imagine the shit that will go down in season two #if Rhaneyra doesnt go fucking beresek in season two then i will lose it #shes in her reputation era now #and i will fully support

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riewritten · 2 years

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14 SLIPPING AWAY

DUSK IN THE BRIGHTEST | chapter directory

erwin smith/fem!reader, erwin smith/you, no y/n | slow burn, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff & smut, mutual pining, canon AU, college/univ AU, professor erwin smith, commander erwin smith, non-linear narrative, manga spoilers

Trigger warning: canon-typical violence, graphic description, explicit sexual content, suicidal thoughts, mental health issues, trauma, implied/referenced sexual harassment, implied/referenced abuse, attempted murder, overdosing

Plot: It was always the nightmares, really. Entrapped with walls, human-eating giants, fighting through metal strings and swords – utterly violent, dreary, recurrent. But behind the blurry faces was a man with menacing blue eyes and vivid features; eventually appearing before you as your new reputable professor, Erwin Smith. Since then, the disaster had slipped beyond your subconscious. AO3

art from miico.jpg again! they're so cute oh my GOD

From Levi's point of view, Erwin never seemed to be in good shape since they met. He encapsulated every forlorn this world could ever have and everyone in their circle just knew he was barely keeping his facade. This man's clearly seen better days, they always thought. However, Erwin has an odd getaway from everything and Levi is the one to keep up with it—one of which involves Erwin dumping unsolicited story ideas on the man. Hearing heaps of tragic scenarios involving everyone Levi knew – constantly at that – was just plain disturbing, whether they were just silly stories or not. Erwin apologized for it but repeated the gesture when he got drunk again, which left Levi highly defeated.

However, when Erwin decided to meet each in their circle separately and sounded as though he was bidding his farewells, a red alarm came off—something must be done to keep Erwin from slipping away.

"Levi," Hange mumbled worriedly on the phone, "I met Erwin just now and it's true. He's alarming, you know? I jokingly told him he better treat me drinks but he immediately agreed without contentions!" then they started shouting, "Isn't that strange? Erwin didn't mumble a single banter! He didn’t mock me all throughout our hangout! How am I supposed to react to that!"

"Maybe I’ll understand if you stop screaming for once," Levi gruffed. After massaging his temples, he added, "So, what did he say?"

"Miche's right, he ended up telling us the same—that he needs to go far away so he could pay the rest of his debt."

Weird, Levi thought. Erwin came from a well-off family so he's certain it's not a literal debt he has to pay, "Did he tell you what the debt was?"

"He kept on getting vague to me as well. Just exactly what he said to others."

"Any other signs to look at?"

"He doesn't look like some angsty city boy anymore; his smiles are wistful, too. I confirmed he's really giving his possessions away, had put his house on sale, and set everything in order."

“Maybe his over-the-top brain finally kept up to him,” Levi was getting really pissed at the thought.

"When I asked him who he was supposed to meet next, he said he's just certain to make you the last one," swiftly, Hange's voice exuded sheer urgency, as if bidding beware, "Levi, you're the only one left to do this. He definitely can't go away this way"

That was something Levi doesn't need to be told. He's certain he'd do anything to knock some sense off Erwin no matter how cruel or sappy it could be. So when Erwin finally asked him to drink, he made sure he was all prepared. Before the meetup, he tried to recall everything Erwin said to him—nothing unusual came into mind. When he pondered further, however, he remembered Erwin spurring unusual nuances whenever he's dead drunk.

"All my story prompts are bullshit. They're not prompts at all." Erwin mumbled with dead tired eyes and a swaying drunk voice. "They’re real. Why are they real?"

"Are you asking me why? Go outside and have some air. You're wasted."

"No, Levi. You don't understand." he mumbled under his breath, all whining, "I didn't say it to you for nothing. It’s true, I’m wicked whenever I’m asleep. And I just want—" his voice was barely audible this time around, "I just want someone to judge me."

There, he finally closed his eyes.

Whenever he's like that, they always end up carrying him back home while unconscious. Despite the absurdity of it all, he’s keen enough to have an inkling about his mumbles, not at all unfamiliar with someone getting repeated nightmares, too. That's why on a random day, he pressed Isabel regarding yours—what it was all about, how often, and more relevant inquiries. Despite the young girl's reluctance, she still ended up spilling everything. By the time she was done, Levi was in a completely foul mood.

"I'm not joking here."

"Yeah, I'm not joking too."

"Did Erwin tell you this to play around me as well?"

"What do you even mean by that? Have you ever seen us talk?” she gruffed as if in a cringe. “You brought him here for the second time already but I'm still afraid of him! Ugh, I still shudder whenever I’m reminded of his build."

Isabel was never a good liar so her reaction was more than enough to perturb Levi. How is that even possible? Again, despite the absurdity of it all, he kept it in his cards regardless.

Anything to keep Erwin from slipping away from them.

"Yo, Levi," Erwin greeted upon seeing him; he was already with a glass of wine and settled nicely on the barstool.

"I'll get straight to the point with you here, Erwin," he dropped his coat on the counter and settled himself on the seat beside him. "I went here so I could stop your leaving shenanigans. We're no fools here. There's no way you'd be paying anyone's debt."

"Come on, now. I just wanted to wind out tonight." After all, Levi needs to get in the mood to hear the things he has to say.

"Why? Your silly coping strategy of making up stories to make me suffer got you bored now?"

"Heh, I suppose it did," Erwin knew his sarcastic smile wouldn't help Levi's already foul mood. "Can I smoke?"

"Are you planning to do something irreversible? Is that why you’re bidding us farewell?"

Levi watched as Erwin widened his eyes, albeit still with unfaltering composure. "Why would I do that?"

"What debts are you aiming to pay for exactly?"

"From an old acquaintance."

"You're not fooling anyone here but yourself. The others might be tolerant of your silly vagueness but I certainly have no patience for this. Be straight to the point or I'll be the one to knock you off instead of the wine you're drinking."

"Sorry," the blonde gave him a wistful smile, "but I don't want to talk about it."

"I'll spare you on that if this was some usual hangout but we both know it isn't," Levi was not drinking at all. He just sat there, tense, and in a lurking attempt to hide the unwarranted anger that Erwin doesn't need right now.

"As expected, you really won't let me win this one."

"Yeah, if you're now aware then stop stalling me on this talk."

"The story prompts are real."

Oh god, Levi just shut his eyes close in frustration; he even pondered what he might've done to deserve everyone conspiring to break his sanity. But then again, Erwin might not be sober already; he needs to jive in to this. "Okay. What do you mean by that?"

"Just like what I said. All the nonsense I spilled out is something real."

Was he trying to change the topic so Levi wouldn’t stop him? Or was Erwin waiting for him to actually believe it before he let out a dad joke laugh? Levi wouldn't know. He can't figure out Erwin's eccentricities. "Okay, Erwin. How so?"

"All the things I said to you," Erwin poured his glass of wine again, "I dreamt of it even before meeting you guys."

"Expound."

"That's it."

"What the fuck, Erwin. For fuck's sake. Be clear at once."

"Since the time I got conscious enough to recognize things, I’ve been having a fair share of very vivid nightmares."

"Please don't tell me you're sharing a story prompt again."

"No, idiot," he chuckled, "I didn't tell you all of those prompts for nothing. They were real to me because I see them whenever I sleep."

Levi can't deal with this soberly, hence he chugged down the wine. "Well, the nightmare part I can believe. I know someone who had that dilemma as well. Constant nightmares in one setting. Although she's not clear about what's happening around it just yet." Guilt started to fill his gut, though. How could he just use your grievances over someone you never knew? How could he, when you hold him with disdain for reasons he couldn't know?

When he looked at Erwin again, he immediately grimaced, "What the fuck is up with that face?"

"Who is that someone?"

"A close family friend."

"Do you know what their dreams are about?"

"I swear to god, you better be pulling off some kind of joke."

"What? No, why?"

Levi brushed his hair with a hand, frustrated, "The dreams she's been having are quite similar to yours."

"What's her name?"

Despite being completely clueless at the reaction, Levi just thought of going with whatever Erwin wanted if that meant prolonging this conversation. That way he could still figure out how to convince him to not push whatever his plans were. As soon as he uttered your name, Erwin dropped his glass on the table.

"Why? Rang a bell? What now? Are you gonna tell me she showed up in those silly nightmares too?" Levi hoped Erwin would finally say no with a dad-like laugh, but no, he was too horrified at the revelation. "Those damned walls, fighting giants, getting chewed by them. That's the gist. My brat told me about it because she's close to her." Still, Erwin heaved no response. "Seriously? Isabel wasn't fucking around?"

“How—” Erwin halted, chugged down the whole glass, and continued, “how’s that girl doing?”

“Well, as bad as you are if not more," then a sudden idea flashed before him, “I won’t be able to tell you much, though. Maybe get your ass to her then see it for yourself instead of bidding everyone farewell to pay for nonexistent debts.” After all, if he managed to get Erwin near their household then maybe he could have a turnaround towards the betterment of his well-being.

Erwin collected himself or attempted so. He seemed to grimace the thought of it so much. "I don’t think I could. She was haunted by the fact that I made her life miserable and instead of taking accountability, I left her blaming herself for feeling broken about it.”

What the fuck was that? I doubt I'll be able to figure that out even if I'm dead drunk. How am I supposed to respond? Levi’s head was throbbing. “If that's the case then she might be someone you’re really indebted to. She's been in rough shape since childhood as well. I think she’s getting worse day by day. You may have dumped this on me randomly but now that I think of it, this might be the reason why you’re in a rough shape as well. If not even the mighty Erwin Smith could easily survive that shit hole, I don't think she could."

“Fuck,” Erwin muttered under his breath, “I can’t stress enough how frustrated I am with that." He couldn't even chug down another glass again; the bitterness of it all glued on his tongue—tightly and tightly that he could almost taste the blood. Erwin vehemently hoped your mind would be at ease just like Levi and the others, at least in this one. Out of all the people he struggled to find in those nightmares to ensure their quality of life this time around, it was you that he couldn't get to see.

However, he tried clinging to the little hope left. He just needs to know you're in a relatively better place now, that way the guilt won't strike him too hard. "Does she smile a lot?"

"You made her cry in your dreams?"

“Just answer the question.”

“Rarely, but she still does.”

"Hm," as if that indeed eased his worries, Erwin was able to chug down the last bits of his wine, then called for the bartender to serve him another. "She looks really good when smiling. You must be fortunate to see that.”

Huh?

He held his tongue back and came up with another response, “I have so many questions but I beg you to shut up for now. Just go to her and prove to me you’re not fooling around. I’ll knock you out otherwise.”

“It’s not like I have a choice. I can’t leave her like that.”

Levi, despite the sheer confusion, was slightly satisfied. He had no idea how it worked but at least he managed to change Erwin’s mind. That’s what matters to him for now.

He pulled some strings so Erwin could manage to live around the area, but despite his clear agenda of helping him not lose himself, he was also curious at the premise of the nightmate itself. Afte4 all, if you're not having the same, he definitely wouldn't be able to reach Erwin.

He's also worried, very, very worried for you. His stoicity would not allow to show it, but you're one of the few people in this world that he holds with importance, one of the few he could empathize with ease.

When Erwin finally settled, they hung out again.

"She fainted. Right after she saw me."

Levi turned to him in disbelief, "You better be joking."

"I sure hope I am," he scorned, definitely not in the mood anymore.

And thus Levi tried to calm down. "To be fair, that girl doesn't get enough sleep. Maybe that came up to her."

"She doesn't look like she fainted out of exhaustion. I carried her to the infirmary myself, stayed for a while and even tried to wake her up."

Oh man, is it really this bad? Should I just shoo Erwin away from her?

Instead, he said, “How does that make you feel?"

"You wouldn't want to know."

"No shit. I really don't. Just answer the question."

"I thought it would be better to just run away again," Erwin mournfully replied, so mournful that Levi got worried about his efforts. However, Erwin added, "but I was also happy, and that feeling disgusted me."

"HYou're happy she fainted?"

"No. I'm happy I was able to confirm she's really having the same thing."

"I thought you were frustrated about that?"

"Yeah, I got too happy knowing someone could see me in that world and judge me the way I wanted to, all the while having the potential to answer my questions," the poor man sighed, "I was also delighted to see her again despite how bad she's dealing with this predicament. How foul could that be."

It might be a piece of common knowledge now but he still can't get used to the sight of Erwin being utterly pitiful.

Still, this is a different talk because it's you in the picture. If Levi were to weigh his priorities, it would be you—Kuchel wouldn't allow him to choose otherwise, too.

"Seriously, Erwin. I brought you here just because of how you reacted. If she really was stressed upon seeing you that she fainted then I don't think I would be able to bat an eye on that. This is the time you should explain properly."

Erwin didn't feel like messing around anymore. He was extremely tired and he hadn't thought of getting this far. That's why he told Levi everything about it without letting any details slip, even moreso not enclosing it in silly stories. He was almost impressed at Levi's silent nods, but little did he know, his friend was obliterated. He stood up, grabbed his stock of champagne, and ended up drinking too much again despite not having any plans to.

"Erwin, if you're really fucking around here I beg you to drop it now. This is seriously creeping me out."

"I really hope I have the will to fuck around."

"Fine. So what do you think is up with that?"

"I had a hard time deciphering it at first but after all the years I spent having those, I realized it's indeed something separate from this world. I'm not sure how that worked nor why only the two of us have it as far as I'm aware, but my hunch is that the nightmares might be events that happened first."

"So the two dying miserably, me who tried to kill you, and you being the bad man you're very eager to make me known, all of them are real?"

"Yeah," Erwin tapped mindlessly on the glass. He sensed how restless he was getting, "Can I smoke?"

"Go on."

The conversation was too heavy in the middle of a hectic week, even the stoic Levi couldn't be immuned. He just didn't have any idea how he would survive such a tragedy.

"I… I don't know how it happened nor do I want to witness that unfold but you better take her easy. I know how curious you could be but at least tone it down until she's ready. She's been through a lot."

"That doesn't need to be told," Erwin pressed his cig on the ashtray. "The last thing I want to be is another burden."

Levi knew that he could trust Erwin, he really does, but he rarely saw you lose your cool and only Isabel has the privilege to see that. When the nightout came, Levi's worried tipped over the edge.

"What did you do?" He glowered at the man holding your unconscious figure so you wouldn't end up on the ground.

"She went up to me and cried."

"Yeah? And what made her cry?" Levi's voice was rising up. "We already talked about this and I trusted you would stick to your word so what the hell is–"

"Hey, what's up?" Furlan cut him off, worriedly putting a hand on Levi's shoulder to calm him down. "She only looked like she drank a lot."

When Kuchel carefully handled your body so Erwin could stand up, he walked into the bushes and picked some bottles up.

"The heck? That's a lot!" Isabel exclaimed. That sight made Levi ground himself somehow but that's not enough to erase his already foul mood. He walked away to get the car without a word, leaving his siblings worried for him.

After the small commotion, despite the topic being almost too heavy to bear, he let Erwin tell him all relevant updates, silly conspiracies, and how they could possibly alleviate the situation and your worsening stress.

The last straw for him, however, was when they stormed into your house and heard straight from you something he heard from Erwin first. Maybe it would be better if he hadn't convinced Erwin to live here because you turned out to be the repercussion. He knew he used your situation for his benefit after all.

Maybe I should ask Erwin to go home?

It is until you came up to him at the restaurant before he made the wrong call. Now, he's finally facing you as he spills everything he knows, along with his selfish favor amidst the guilt.

"Recently, I actually just dumped Erwin the burden of ensuring you wouldn't end up completely insane. I know I don't have the right to make more requests to you after what I did but–"

"No," you cut him off flatly, "what did you do? It's not your fault."

"I was the one who brought him here–"

"Still, it's not your fault."

Levi almost let out a small laugh in amusement. He's not the one who needs consoling right now. "Fine. So here's my request," he gave you your free drink, clasped his hands on the bar table, then shot you an intent look, "save Erwin. I'm sure you could do it better than we ever could."

The remark made you utterly confused, "Where does he need to be saved from?"

"From himself. We're not too sure about this but it seems like Erwin was about to kill himself had I not told him about your nightmares. I'm not asking you to be some sort of caretaker but the thing you have with him is something no one ever has as far as I know. Do you get where I'm coming from?"

"So he was badly affected by this as well," you barely whispered. I thought he had a better life here.

"Yeah, he does. I'm actually really thankful I don't suffer the same and I thought I should apologize for that as well."

You heaved a tired laugh, "I don't get why you should but I appreciate the gesture, I guess."

"Though the change he had after bringing him here was almost alarming. He only smiles like that when he's wasted. I’m at a loss on the way he acts towards you now."

"I'm completely annoyed when he smiles that I thought he's born for that," you chugged half of the drink down. "Tell me more."

"He gets along with everyone easily but dead serious most of the time. So now that he smiles randomly and even laughs at the simplest things, I'm appalled to even point it out."

"Really? I told Isabel that the commander was horrifying and cold but he said Erwin's far from it."

"Because he's not horrifying and cold. It's just that he can handle conversation so well that he doesn't need to let out a positive mood to register his interest."

"That's weird," you chuckled in attempts to hide your forlorn with Levi's remark. Maybe being at ease despite the burden of remembering that world was too good to be true. "I hope he could show me that as well."

"I doubt he would, considering how cautious he is in bothering you. Also… it was never a good sight to see."

"But how could I save him with what I have? What do you think I should do?"

"I don't know exactly. I just thought you could and you'd be smart enough to know how."

"I can't believe the almighty Levi is facing me without any strategies at hand."

"It's because I'm done figuring out what's on that fucker's mind," Levi can't believe he could be this clueless as well. "His thought process is out of this world. I'm quite lucky you didn't end up the same because having another Erwin will make me lose my head."

"Oh, yeah… I suppose I understand that."

"But I think your presence will be more than enough to get him grounded. After all, I told him to pay whatever debt he has towards you instead. He can't just cut you off when he feels like it and he doesn't look like he had plans to."

"And he better not plan for it. I was beyond happy when I realized he has the same."

"You're happy he ended up that way? Strange. He said the same thing."

"No. I'm happy I saw him again," and thus Levi shot you a confused look because again, you said the same thing. "If you were the ones to show up in my nightmares first, I'd be genuinely happy to have you guys in this world. Despite me getting scared upon seeing him, he became some sort of solace to me when I discovered he has the same. That alone was already a deep companionship I think."

"He might get too curious at the situation at hand, though. Tell me if he gets too much. I won't hesitate to kick him back to where he came from if you asked me to."

"Being the overprotective old man again, huh," you sheepishly smiled, but it turned sad when your eyes looked down at the coffee cup. "Thanks. And sorry. For avoiding you since then."

"Took you so long. I ctually forgot you owe me an apology for that."

He was bothered at that? "I'm sorry. I didn't think it would–"

"Of course, it would. I thought it was a temporary thing but you went on for years," but now that Erwin explained it to him, he brushed it off. "But yeah, we're not on good terms in whatever world you've been seeing."

"No, it's not that. I just… I just elt guilty. You were aware that I befriended Isabel with ulterior motives and that made you angry."

"Was that really the case for you? Did you not hold Isabel with importance at all?"

"No!" you quickly interjected. "Of course, I treasured her a lot. I think it’s tormenting how I never got to genuinely show it."

"Were you able to convey that to the Levi there?"

You nodded hesitantly; Levi patted your shoulder, "Then that's enough. I'm sure he was able to appreciate it."

"But you were so angry and—"

"I'm not whoever that man was," he flatly replied and it got you silent, "but you were able to treasure my family even in a completely different world. I might not know everything about it but if I was really him, then I'd be thankful for what you had with her. Erwin said that brat wasn't able to have a genuine companion besides us."

Somehow the thought of that Levi finally accepting your apology was more than enough to exude heavy emotions. "Levi…"

"Just so you know, I am—and always will—be taking your welfare in utmost priority, I couldn't even care less with my confusion anymore. So don't mind what I would think. Just focus on turning better."

After setting the emotions aside, for now at least, you prompted again, "Do you think I could get along with Erwin this time around? I feel like the commander needs to be more cruel in my future nightmares."

"What are you worrying about?"

"That I wouldn't help but hold the Erwin we have in disdain. I know I shouldn't worry about that and he already proved that to me many times. I just know this feeling isn't linear."

"That man…" Levi hesitated for quite a bit, "he admitted that what he felt towards you in that world kinda sticks to him even though the circumstances here are completely different."

"Really? So he's angry at me?"

"He was angry at you there?"

You immediately nodded.

"Do whatever you feel about the situation then, but be sure to convey it to him," Levi almost let out a chuckle but held it back and shook his head in amusement. “That poor man. Ask him if he really was angry. You can’t save each other when one of you would be kept in the dark regarding your feelings. You understand?”

“That’s quite challenging, but I’ll try my best—" you shot him a glare when he rested his palm on top of your head and ruffled it messily, “stop, I’m not a kid.”

“Really? I was sure Erwin told me you seemed to like it.”

“No!” you quickly tried to swat his hand away, very flustered, but he gripped it.

I can never figure out why this man is awfully strong.

But then you stopped resisting when he flashed you a small poignant smile, “No matter what’s up in that world and regardless of the reason why only the two of you remember it, both of you have to make it right this time around.”

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i tried to do first 3 chapters for the second arc at least so i won't leave everyone hanging with staggered releases but,, im having a really rough time lately and if i aim to shorten the waiting period then maybe it would be better to just publish whatever i finished instead of leaving it in the dark. so, yeah. sorry and i hope u enjoyed this chapter.

i also hope everyone reading my fanfic are having a great time right now, or at least this story is helping you guys unwind. it's very tormenting to be in the dark place.

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violetren · 2 months

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Live action ATLA reaction for episode 3.

Better than episode one (practically a freebie) but not quite as good as episode two. Mostly because they tried to shove 3 different episode plots from the animation into 1 and as a result dropped the quality of all 3 concepts.

I mostly liked the Azula introduction. It showed us straight away that she is a manipulator who tries to emulate and impress her father, and it showed us Ozai being a shit dad (and made us 3 for 3 on episodes of the firelord NOT sitting on his throne, but at least this time it made sense).

I say mostly because I have mixed feelings about the little fire nation anti-war group. Its not that I think its impossible that there would be anti-war sentiment in the fire nation, or that it would all be getting quietly stamped out to maintain the status quo (and to encourage everyone else to stay in their lane). It's just the whole set up felt hollow as fuck. Like one dude threw around some revolutionary jargon and then the WHOLE group went to get slaughtered just because they found 1 (one) sympathetic person in the palace and didn't do any checks on her? They somehow managed to grow to that size in the Fire Nation Capital furthest from the fighting and closest to the propaganda machine but fell into that trap so easily? Idk, seeing an anti-war protest group mess up that badly and get stamped out so thoroughly and immediately in todays climate felt icky.

I think a scene of under cover Azula holding the hand of 1 (one) (singular) grieving and scared person assuring them that their pain is unfair that they deserve revenge for all the loved ones the war has cost them and that their plan to kill the Firelord is just. Have person thank Azula for being there, maybe have them give her a token of the dead loved one she reminds them off, and then having Azula give directions into a trap literally anywhere other than the throne room would have been much more effective. Don't let them reach Ozai, just see his silohuette through a door way, and then see it joined by Azula actually in the door way and smirking, hear the shriek of betrayal became screams as they get burned by guards. Watch Azula burn the trinket. Then have the Azula and Ozai convo. Or take it a step further with the trap, have the would be assassin burst into a meeting or a party, make them look like a deranged traitor and make their execution public as a threat to any dissenters.

A face and story would have been far more effective than the activism group caricature that we got is all I am trying to say.

However the cardboard cut out activism group didn't bother me nearly as much as Azula doing archery. I don't think I even fully appreciated Mai and Ty-Lee being introed because I was just so thrown by Azula engaging in a form of non-bending combat, and being beyond proficient in it. One of the core distinctions between Azula and Zuko is that she is the fire bending prodigy with blue flames, while he is an average fire bender who got good at swords because he was never going to be able to beat Azula at bending while living in the palace. Why is miss-fire-bending-is-everything doing archery!?

MOVING ON THOUGH.

We rejoin the la:gaang and have to deal with the fact that the show is trying to do The King of Omashu (book 1 episode 5), Jet (book 1 episode 10), and The Northern Air Temple (book 1 episode 17) all at once. But the extravagance doesn't end there! We also get some Zuko and Iroh action that low key seems to be setting up a situation in which Zuko is alone a la Zuko Alone (book 2 episode 7) and Iroh in jail a la The Headband (book 3 episode 2).

Normally I would have faith that Iroh could ditch the guards and escape alone, but frankly la:Iroh doesn't inspire the same steadfast confidence as his animated counter part. But I guess we'll see next episode.

Now all things considered they could have done a much MUCH worse job rolling all of these episode concepts into one, but a piece of media having room to be worse isn't quite the same as it being good.

Once again the pacing was trash, and the dialogue writing was less than stellar. Nothing got time to rise, or breathe, or bake, or whatever metaphor you want for giving the audience time to meditate on an idea and get invested in seeing the story resolve it.

My biggest annoyance with jumbling all of these character introes and plots into one place is that they split the characters up to have one focus on each element of the story, which meant that the others didn't get to have the character growth that they had in their parts of the original episode, or the growth that was related to the specific places those episodes were set it, as is the case with Aang.

Seeing refugees living in the northern air temple and coming to accept their presence even if it meant the space wasn't being used as his people would have used it was huge for Aang, and this episode can't achieve anything close to it because they put Teo and his dad in Omashu.

They try to distract from weaknesses like the one outlined above with spectacle. In episode 2 it was Kyoshi coming to rain hell. In episode 3, it's Aang and Zuko having a slap stick comedy market chase scene. Which just becomes another case of them trying to zany comedy when they need the convenient cover, while trying to downplay and ignore it the other 95% of the time. It isn't as strong as a showing as Kyoshi wrecking fire nation soldiers.

Over all I'm sure it would be a moderately entertaining but not standout episode of TV for anyone who hasn't seen the cartoon. It does hit a speed bump in that it very obviously isn't treating those people as its target audience what with how it baits the cabbage guy yelling the line one before committing later, and the manner in which it chooses to reveal Jet and his crew members.

The energy is low-key "you should be thanking me for ordering take out instead of getting mad I didn't clean the kitchen."

#chirping wren #live action atla critical #live action atla spoilers

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