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chosos-mascara · 1 year

Text

peppermint hot chocolate

𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙞 𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙭 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 - in which levi is a temporary manager in the coffee shop you work within. his hate for this time of year piques your interest, and you decide to break through the cold exterior and find out what's really beneath.

𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 - enemies to lovers, mentions of death, slow burn kinda, some angst (furlan and isabel), honestly haven't had much time to edit this lol

6.5k words

Toffee nut lattes, gingerbread men. Peppermint hot chocolates, topped with whipped cream and sprinkles served to wide eyed children, grins of excitement painted playfully across their expressions as they'd scooped at the toppings with small fingers. The Christmas season is here, though as adulthood had ruined most things, it had integrated itself into the season, too. Instead of childlike wonder, there had been an influx of annoyed customers to serve, a decrease in human decency and kindness.

Usually, a Friday evening without management would've been a hurdle you'd be able to pass with minimal struggle, though within the business of Christmastime, Erwin's absence had been noticed. Hange and yourself had worked through the rush, quick feet and rapid movements appearing to catch up with you toward the end of your shift, limbs aching as you'd flipped the sign to closed, sluggishly beginning the clean-up.

Relief had washed over you as you'd wiped the sweat from your brow, making your way to the staff-room to grab your coat before you'd leave for the night. Hange had emerged moments later, wide smile over their face as they'd pulled their jacket over their shoulders. You'd displayed a confused expression at their out of place body-language - given the context of the shift you'd shared, they should've been moping.

"What're you smiling about?" The question had come off slightly harsher than intended, though Hange ignored the delivery, excited tone as they'd raised a finger, brown eyes lingering over your slouched body. "Erwin's not back until next week." They'd spoken, causing your chest to tighten as you'd gasped, disdain overtaking your countenence. "That means," Hange continued. "Levi will be coming in."

Of course. The regional manager, Levi Ackerman, would take over Erwin's place as he'd been away, a small black haired male you'd had the pleasure of working with a handful of times. Usually when your manager had been out, he'd come to take over for the small amount of time - and take over he had. Levi would control anything and everything within the shop, and you were sure for the number of years you'd known him, he'd only said negative things to you. He'd been more than particular about the way drinks were made, but that hadn't been the worst of it - he was a clean freak. Working with him had been unbearable.

Hange, on the other hand, hadn't been afraid of Levi. They'd laugh, joke, poke-fun at him, all the while he'd make no more than a snide remark back. Levi had known Hange and Erwin in college, apparently respecting Erwin a considerable amount, while Hange had been an annoying child the pair had somehow befriended. How Levi tolerated them you hadn't understood, and the same had gone for the pair to him, because they'd been the furthest from sharing anything in common.

When you'd arrived for your shift the following afternoon, you'd arrived with low expectations. Eyes flickering to the grey ones behind the counter before you'd gone to change, you'd felt some amount of nausea. He'd looked stoic as ever, crease-less uniform sitting almost too perfectly upon his small frame, jaw clenched. Hange had come in moments after you, abrupt as ever as they'd allowed the rickety wooden door to slam behind them, throwing their belongings lazily against the wall before tying their already filthy apron to their waist.

Before going out to the floor, you'd checked the rota for the following week. Levi would be covering Erwin's shifts, and, just your luck, you were sharing all of which with him. A lump had formed within your throat at the black ink on the page, picturing shifts alone with him. Today was a Saturday, which had meant you'd at least had Hange to keep you company - there was always three members of staff on a weekend.

Swapping with Mike behind the counter, you'd taken your place at the till, sighing at the growing line of customers. He'd shot you a sympathetic look before walking to the staff room, readying himself to be free of the joys of customer service. "Hi, what can I get for you?" Speaking with a smile, you'd questioned the customer before you, listening to their request while tapping along the screen. When they'd gone to wait at the end of the counter, you'd asked the next, until you'd taken four orders.

Stepping away from the till, you moved to help out with the creation of drinks, popping a paper cup below the machine to start on a latte. Firmly, you bashed the portafilter against the bin to discard the previous coffee, then wiping it over and filling it once more, placing it above the cup and switching the machine on. You'd felt a set of eyes on you as you'd finished the drink, but chose to ignore the feeling until you'd called out the name and handed the beverage to the waiting customer.

Turning, your suspicions had been confirmed, Levi had been watching your every move. "Gotta problem?" You questioned, raising a brow. He'd sighed, eyes narrowing as you'd straightened over your apron, anxiously awaiting his complaint. "You hit the portafilter too hard, and didn't wipe it over enough before refilling it." He commented, crossing an arm over the other. "Right." Your reply was short and sweet, only to shield yourself from further bashing, turning to the till to take more orders and remove yourself from Levi's judgmental line of sight.

The queue had been constant, a steady flow of people, all the while you'd fought to keep up with the orders, balancing serving customers with making drinks, and delivering to tables. "Excuse me!" A voice had shouted you from the other side of the counter, one belonging to a short, blonde woman who'd been waving her hand enthusiastically. Giving her a smile through gritted teeth, you'd requested she give you a moment to finish up the drink you were making before you could serve her. Hange had left for their break, leaving only yourself and Levi to work through the backlog of orders. There had been four people waiting on tables and two to go, with yourself finishing an order, you left Levi to work on the others to save the impatient customer waiting - you weren't ready to have an argument.

"Hi, how can I help?" The smile painted across your tired cheeks was fake, voice slightly fried from the amount of people you'd had to talk to and a lack of time to grab your own bottle of water. "I've been waiting so long." She sighed, eyes rolling as her manicured nails came to sit on the counter, french tips tapping on the hard surface. "I'm sorry for the wait, we've been really busy." You didn't allow your expression to falter, even if you'd wanted to return a snide remark - the regional manager had been within earshot. This was something you'd have to take under the chin. "Maybe if you'd been doing your job, there wouldn't be such a long queue." Her voice was raised as your face finally slackened, swallowing back your own anxieties to try and alleviate her annoyance. "Sorry, I've been rushing around trying to-" "You were standing around behind there doing nothing, I could see you." She had snarled, as you'd flinched at her sudden abrasiveness. "Where's your manager?" She'd questioned, finger raising to point at your heated face, your line of sight moving to the now silent queue of people, all watching in awe as she'd directed her anger toward you.

"I'm the manager." Levi's voice came from behind you as he'd stepped to stand beside you, brushing his hands on his apron. The customer let out an exhale in amusement, snarky glance to you before continuing her story. "She's been standing around over there," She began, pointing to the back wall containing a row of coffee machines. "doing nothing, while we've all been waiting for our drinks." Levi let out a controlled breath while she'd moaned on, allowing her to vent before responding. You'd felt a need to defend yourself, the familiar wave of nervousness as she'd spouted her insults toward your work ethic to the regional manager. "Actually," Levi began, finally interrupting her when he'd realised she wasn't about to stop her offload. "She was doing her job - making coffee."

The customer had looked dumbfounded for a moment, mouth ajar. "You know, during the holiday season-" "I don't care about the shitty holiday season, or whatever you have to say about my staff members. Do you want a drink, or not?" Levi's placid tone had almost been startling, expression completely neutral as he'd managed to shut her down. She'd scoffed, before turning on her heel and leaving.

The pair of you had been left at the counter in silence until you'd felt a hand on your shoulder, excitable voice coming between you. "I'm back!" Hange had exclaimed, smile wide on their face as they'd failed to read the room. "Go for your break." Levi spoke, gesturing to you. There had been some hesitation in your movements as you'd stepped toward the door, questioning if you'd needed to thank him for diffusing the situation.

"Oh," Levi began, catching up to stand behind you while you'd spun to face him. "When you're back, just make drinks. Hange will handle the customers." You nodded, before going through the doorway. As you'd sat at the table, you'd wondered what he'd meant by the request, had he thought you incapable of handling people? Placing your head in your hands, you let out a sigh in frustration - working with him would be harder than anticipated.

When back on the floor, you'd done as he'd requested, staying within the back workspace to pump out each order, though his presence had been somewhat distracting. He'd be watching your every move now you were working beside him, an uncomfortable situation to work through. Though, it'd been only an hour until closing; you'd just have to stick it out.

When you'd finally hit 6:30, relief had washed over you. Hange was turning the sign to closed, Levi spraying down tables as you'd cleaned the over machines. Closing up had been quick work compared to the six hour shift you'd just endured, mind plagued with worry. Erwin couldn't come back soon enough.

Monday had been your first shift with Levi where you'd be without an extra pair of hands, though the shop should theoretically be less busy as it had been a week day. When arriving, he'd already been behind the counter, dismissing the supervisor from the morning shift. You'd soon joined him, a throb under your temple when stepping from the staff room to begin the next six hours. He'd been at the till, a few paper cups with black ink to signify the desired beverage, in which you'd began to work through. First, had been a gingerbread latte.

After the lunchtime rush had fizzled out, a decrease in bodies seated within the cafe, the pair of you had been left to wait idly by. Levi had kept on top of the workspace cleanliness, yourself the seating area, though there had always been an hour of downtime between two-thirty and three-thirty. This part of the day would usually be filled with playful chatter between yourself and Hange, or small talk with Erwin, though Levi hadn't appeared to indulge in either scenarios as he stood with his arms crossed, staring through the window to watch the cars pass by.

"Do you know how long you'll be here?" You questioned, picking at a loose thread on your apron while awaiting his response to the awkward attempt at conversation. Grey eyes flickered from their fixation on the large window to meet your own. "I'll be gone soon enough." The comment had been snide, an obvious jab at the dislike to yourself, and your distaste to him. Raising your hand in defensiveness, you'd reiterated your initial ask, specifying the intent behind your words. "I didn't mean it like that." Levi gave you a once over, gaze finally moving from your tense stature to return to people-watching. "I know." His voice had been quieter; softer. The bell above the door had chimed, and you'd been left to wonder what he'd been thinking of while he'd stepped forward to serve the next set of people.

An uninteresting shift had soon concluded, as you'd soon found yourself turning the sign over the door, a final wipe over the tables while Levi swept the floors. The close-up had been completed in silence, until you'd flickered the lights off and stepped through the door to leave, Levi traipsing behind you to place a key into the door, turning it. "See you tomorrow." You'd uttered the good-bye under your breath, cold air turning to vapor as your warm breath had met the atmosphere. Turning, you'd taken the first step toward your apartment, placing your hands into coat pockets in order to protect them from the weather. "Wait." Levi spoke, resulting in the halt of your footsteps, turn of your gaze.

"Are you walking home?" He questioned, to which you'd nodded, expression furrowed. "I'll drive you." His offer had been confusing to you, the pair of you hadn't been anything other than vague colleagues, if you'd even refer to yourselves as that. You'd only met him a handful of times, working a few miserable shifts within his presence; why would he offer you a lift home?

Your befuddlement had been obvious as he'd spoken once more, exhaling in annoyance. "It's cold." The two words had somewhat aided in your internal questions, though you'd had some anxiety, you'd nodded. He ushered you in the opposite direction, leaving you to follow behind as he'd made his way toward his car. "Where do you live?" He questioned as you'd caught up to his wide strides. You'd named the road and notable buildings nearby, allowing him to intake the information and plan the route home within his head.

When he'd stopped next to a spotless black Mercedes, you hadn't been surprised - a regional manager, clean freak, of course his car would reflect his financial status and personality. You'd slipped into the passenger seat as he'd pushed the key into the ignition, pulling belts over yourselves before he'd put the car into first and pulled away. The silence had been deafening, and you'd been left to wonder if the entire journey would be this uncomfortable to sit through, until he'd finally broken through the stillness to alleviate the uneasy aura.

"I think Erwin will be away until late December." Levi had spoken, shifting into third as his eyes were fixed on the road. "Oh." You'd replied, shifting within your seat. "Why'd they send him over there, anyway?" It'd only been the sixth, meaning you'd have to work at least two weeks with Levi before Erwin would return. "His family is over there. The previous manager left, leaving a vacancy, so Erwin requested a temporary transfer over the holiday period to visit." As he'd explained, his eyes had flickered between the road and the rear-view mirror, before shifting to your tight body-language. "Why do you look so uncomfortable?" Levi's probe had your slouched stance tense further, swallowing before mustering the confidence to voice your thoughts.

"Why'd you stop me from working on the till?" Voice wavering, you'd asked, thinking back to the shift two days prior in which you'd been shunned away from customers. His grip on the wheel loosened as he turned a corner. "I was giving you a break from the influx of shitty people." He'd replied, and you'd exhaled with the small amount of reassurance the statement had given you. "So, it's not cause you think I'm bad with customers?" You pushed, shyness reducing ever-so-slightly with his calmer tone, and relaxed nature. He'd been different to when in the shop. "Well, hearing you say how can I help every few minutes had been grating." Levi joked, though his voice had remained just as monotone.

"Fair." The car stopped at a red light, and Levi had reached to take the car out of gear, fingers grazing past your thigh as he'd pulled the hand-break up. The contact had caused your leg to move inward, tightening the muscles as you'd kept them closer together, away from the console. The small action had caused your skin to prickle with heat, though you'd suppressed stray thoughts as you'd reminded yourself of who was sitting beside you. As attractive as Levi had been, it hadn't changed the fact he'd been selfish, judgmental, and over-all, a bit of an asshole.

"You did shit on Christmas, though." The comment had been playful, testing the waters on how friendly you could be toward him before he'd go back to the managerial stance. He'd taken a moment to respond, and you'd been unsure if he'd remembered the small remark he'd made - calling the holiday season 'shitty', a phrase in which you'd come to learn had been a prominent part of his vocabulary.

"Christmas is a time for children, it's a financial burden for everyone else." His response had been bitter, yet had caused you to laugh. Of course, he'd been a grinch among everything else - you'd began to wonder if he'd enjoyed anything. "We're here." He spoke, to which you'd glanced through the window, unbuckling the seat-belt upon recognizing the surroundings. "Thanks." The small word of appreciation had left your lips as you'd opened the door, stepping out. "See you tomorrow." You'd spoken, earning a nod from Levi before you'd walked toward the entry-way of the apartment building, making your way to your home.

When stepping through the door, and throwing your belongings on the hooks in the hall, you made your way to the lounge. There had been a few buzzes from within your trouser pocket, an indicator that notifications were coming through - the work's group chat had new messages.

4 eyes: how'd the first shift with grumps go?? mikey: she looked terrified when i left 4 eyes: last shift we had, she had a rude customer and grumps saved her mole: levi's not that bad 4 eyes changed y/n's nickname to customer punching bag

A small smile had spread across your lips, rolling your eyes at Hange's messages. Thumbs still cold from the winter's breeze, you typed out a response a little slower than normal, waiting for the stiffness of joints to ease up.

customer punching bag: seriously hange? 4 eyes: it's funny customer punching bag: it went fine anyway. he gave me a lift home 4 eyes: levi let you in his car? customer punching bag: nah he carried me mikey: hange, the only reason you're barred from his car is because you're messy customer punchng bag: i do have 1 question, why does he hate christmas sm? mikey: ask him that 4 eyes: it's his birthday mikey: stop telling everyone hange, he doesn't like it customer punching bag: he doesn't like his birthday?

Read 20:34

With a sigh, you threw your phone down, exchanging the device for the tv remote, flicking on the box before you to lay onto the sofa. Soft speech and laughter filled the room, a repeat of a sit-com had been displayed on the television, though you hadn't paid too much attention. Why would Levi hate his birthday so much? While the background noise lulled you to fall asleep upon your sofa, you were left with more questions, mind fighting to find explanations for the odd behaviours he'd exhibited.

Tuesday afternoon had come too soon, impending shift finally catching up to the present. Apron on, mentally prepared, you found yourself behind the counter, this time on the front line of customers, Levi sticking to his place pouring coffee. The pair of you had worked well together, a synchronized dance as you flowed around the workspace, going from till to machine, a steady and quiet circulation. When down-time had arrived, your chores finished, you contemplated whether to stay silent, or to fill the stillness with conversation. Your discussion in the car had been somewhat pleasant, and part of you had been drawn to get to know him a little better, though there had been a barrier of the fact you'd been strangers. It wasn't like he would truly open up to you, it would take time.

Maybe, by Christmas, you'd be able to discover why he'd been so closed off, and why he'd despised this season so strongly. Small steps. "What're you doing for Christmas?" You'd decided to start small, slowly piecing together any information he'd feed you. "What's your obsession with Christmas?" He exhaled, taking the same position as yesterday, leaning against the counter with an apathetic expression. "It's not an obsession, just normal conversation this time of year." Defending yourself against him had seemingly been a reoccurring action, his sharp words slicing through you. "I don't celebrate it." He was dismissive, refusing to watch your reaction to his statement, instead maintaining eye contact with the road through the window.

"What're you watching?" Deciding to change the topic had appeared to be the best move, intrusiveness hadn't been something you'd wished to partake in, no matter how curious you'd been. You moved from your spot to stand beside him, mirroring the lax stance against the counter to look through the window with him, empty tables outside of the glass glaring back at you. There had been a florist on the other side of the road, blooms in the windows and greenery sprawled on tables outside, a few parked cars in front of other shop windows. A convenience store, a take-away, a hairdresser that looked to be too expensive to be situated on this street, among the dirtied brick of aged establishments.

You scanned the street, landing on a father and child walking hand-in-hand, the boy pointing to the window of the convenience store with wide eyes. As you'd squinted, you'd realised the small gloved hand had been directing his father's attention to a chocolate bar, jumping excitedly when the adult had given in, joining his son through the door of the shop to purchase a treat. "It's calming." You commented, hushed voice as the pair of you watched the duo leaving the store, this time, a purple wrapper in the boys hand, smile wide.

The following hours went by quickly, before you were back in Levi's car, plugging in the seat-belt before he was driving you home again. This could become a routine you could get used to, a soundless exchange between you during work, comfortable journey home. This had been your third day with him, and yet you'd felt your entire attitude toward him had changed. Although there had been some anxiety still, fighting to figure out the meaning behind some of his words, the time with him had come to be appreciated. Sure, Hange was fun to work with, but there had been something about Levi's presence you'd found endearing.

Your phone buzzed within your pocket, and then again, pulling it from the confines of the fabric you'd been brought to the screen lighting up, messages from the group chat. It had been Erwin, expressing he wouldn't be back until after Christmas, and the others reassuring him it would be okay, and then changing the subject to the works Christmas-do.

You smiled, texting a half-hearted reply to confirm you'd be there, before locking the device to slide into your pocket once more. "Who was it?" Levi questioned, pulling you from your thoughts. "We have a work group chat, we've arranged to go for drinks at the Christmas market next week." You commented, watching through the window as the lights of cars in front flaring in small droplets of rain over the glass. "You should come, it'll be fun." Inviting him hadn't crossed your mind before, and you'd spoken before thinking through your request, though assuming he'd decline. "When is it?" He questioned. You'd been unsure if the churning within your stomach had been the result of regret, or anxiousness to have him present while drinking with friends. "Next Friday, I think we're meeting in the center at eight, Mike and Molbit are on the closing shift."

Following a few more adequate shifts with Levi, that Friday had come quickly. A day off, spent cleaning your apartment, and then an evening getting ready, catching the bus to the center to meet with the group. Hange's ponytail had been the first thing you'd seen in the crowd, alongside a tired looking Molbit, and Mike. As you moved closer, you'd spotted Levi, in his black trench coat and grey scarf, hands in pockets. His nose had been pink at the tip, pale skin slightly flushed with the cold.

"Punching bag! Long time no see!" Hange shouted when you'd gotten closer, the groups gaze moving to rest upon you. Everyone had been in thick coats, prepared for the weather of the evening. You smiled, greeting them briefly before turning to Hange. "Is that my name?" You questioned, smirk playing at your lips. They nodded, laughing. "Either that, or just bag, which sounds rude." Their response had your eyes rolling, thankful for the reunion after almost a week without their loud presence. There was something about Hange that had been comforting, a friendly aura that had enveloped everyone they'd interacted with. Mike had already began leading the way to the outdoor bar, a table booked under his name.

The lights looked beautiful this time of year, decorating store-fronts and streets, illuminating the usually tired looking buildings to appear magical. There had been a temporary outdoor bar situated within the middle of the pedestrianised roads, rustic benches and outdoor heaters set up, jolly wintertime music playing quietly over the speakers, almost inaudible when the chatter of customers had been bustling. The five of you sat, Molbit grabbing the first round of mulled wine - a recommendation he'd wanted everyone to try.

"Levi," Mike spoke, sitting himself opposite you. You'd realised Mike and Hange had sat themselves facing you, and you'd been left to share the bench with Levi. "How've you been? We haven't seen you for a while." You turned your head, watching the side of the black haired male as he'd shrugged his shoulders, tugging his coat to cover more of his body. "I've been busy." He'd responded, Mike narrowing his eyes. "Just don't forget to reach out, okay?" He leaned forward across the table, elbows resting on the wood as he'd spoken in a quieter tone, glancing at you through the side of his eye. "I know this time of year is difficult, we're here for you."

Mike's endearing comment hadn't been meant for your ears, though as he'd had to raise his voice to make it over the chatter, he'd ended up spilling the secretive comment to you anyway. Levi leaned backward, nodding, while Molbit had returned to the table, a tray in hand. Each of you grabbed a drink, clinking glasses together while cheering.

The taste hadn't been pleasant, bitter on your tongue, yet you'd pushed it back regardless, relishing in the, albeit small, buzz of alcohol. "Finished already?" Hange teased, gesturing to your cup, the only remnants of drink had been a small clove that had previously floated on top, as well as a christmas tree twig for decoration. "Did you like it?" Molbit asked, to which you'd been left to sheepishly shake you head, a small smile playing on your lips as your actions had contrasted your true thoughts of the beverage. "I didn't, sorry." Your comment caused Hange to fall into a fit of laughter, slamming fist onto the wood. The four of you peered to them, confused, yet not surprised.

You'd decided to instead pick your favourite drink from the short line-up the bar had offered, and within two hours, all of you had found yourselves merry. Though, Levi had remained the same, even if the pinkish tint over his cheeks had grown deeper, he'd handled the alcohol well. There had been a few short lived games played within the group of you, though none of them had occupied you for more than a ten minutes at a time. "Do you wanna come back to mine?" A sudden inquiry from yourself, turning to Levi as the three others had bickered on the opposite side of the table, resting your head atop your hand, watching as his adam's apple had bobbed in his throat, grey eyes laying upon yours. He'd looked skeptical, internally fighting with the urge to say yes, searching for an excuse as he'd wanted to close himself off, to stop you from getting to know him - yet, he'd followed his heart, nodding.

Mike had raised a brow when you'd announced your departure, though no one had questioned further before the pair of you had walked away, making your way toward your apartment building.

"It's not far," You'd began, though guessing Levi had already been able to assume the journey's length as he'd been dropping you home every day this week, even if coming from another direction. The bus had only taken a few minutes, while the walk would most likely span twenty, though with Levi beside you, at least you'd be entertained. "So," Beginning to fill the air, long strides forward, you'd finally allowed yourself to ask the burning question. "What made you hate Christmas so much?" Although aware you'd only really known him the better part of two weeks, you'd still asked. With time progressing, you'd felt a small pull toward him, and with the liquid courage, your inquisitiveness had gotten the better of you.

As moments passed, you'd come to the realization that perhaps it would've been better to leave the slightly impertinent inquiry to yourself, opening your mouth to apoligise, though before you'd had the chance, Levi had began his answer. "Five years ago, I lost two close friends. Drunk driver on Christmas eve, speeding to get home. Isabel was killed on impact, Furlan a day later in ICU." His tone was solemn, voice low as his eyes dropped to trail along the pavement, watching as each foot had stepped forward. "I'm so sorry-" Embarrassed, you'd attempted an apology for the unwelcome question, though Levi had brushed you off. "It's fine." You'd watched as his reclusiveness took over again, frowning. He'd only just appeared to slacken up, and now, he was back to his aloof self. It had pained you to know he'd gone through such a traumatic experience, one he'd clearly lived through each December without them. "Do you have family?" Another question Levi struggled to answer, twiddling his fingers on the insides of his coat pockets as he'd explained the dynamics of the fucked-up family he'd had. "I have an uncle, but he's not really- I don't know. I guess I don't." He'd struggled to describe his life, as it had differed so greatly from what most people had expected. No family, a small friend group, a life of seclusion.

You'd reached the door, swiping the fob over the sensor to allow entry, walking up a set of stairs before being met with the entry to your own apartment, key turning in metal lock to allow the pair of you through. Kicking shoes off at the door, you exhaled, allowing Levi to follow you through to the kitchen, watching as you'd poured each of you a glass of wine - this time, it hadn't been mulled. During quiet moments with him, you'd forgotten he was your manager - down times in the coffee shop being your favourite time of day, when stillness had overcome you and you could simply bask in the muted aura, observing cars pass, or people watching. There had been an odd connection between you, a mutual, silent admiration.

You gestured to the glass on the table, pulling a chair to situate yourself on while he'd mirrored your actions, sitting opposite you, old oak between you.

"I don't see my family, really." You'd commented, bringing drink to lips as you'd zoned your gaze to an aged painting on the wall, one of the first artworks to decorate the walls of the apartment when you had first moved in. "It's not that I don't want to - I kinda just forget to." The admission had been something you'd kept to yourself, through adult life, working, the minimal time you'd actually had to yourself, it had been difficult to spare moments to share with others. "I kind of -" You stopped yourself, sighing. Closing your eyes, you'd hoped he would ignore the beginning of another admission, reminding yourself Levi had been your manager, that within a few weeks, you'd likely never see him again. "What?" He asked, quietly prompting you to proceed. "It's just," Swallowing your pride, you continued. "I don't think I want you to go. I like working with you."

For the first time in the week you'd known him, you'd watched as a smile had etched across his lips. An exhale in amusement had been pushed from his nose, before he'd brought the wine glass to his mouth, taking a sip. Heat had risen through your body at the intimate action, something you'd known he hadn't shown to many others, yet had displayed to you. Something had come over you, an urge you'd had over the past few days - one that you'd found yourself striding toward as you'd stood from your chair, the legs scraping across the kitchen tile as you'd walked to the other side of the table, grasping Levi's cheek within your palm as you'd leaned forward, placing warm lips to his.

He'd been startled, a series of abrupt movements leading you to invade his personal space, and yet, he hadn't pushed you away. Instead, he'd closed his eyes and kissed you back, the taste of red wine between you as you'd pressed yourself harshly against him, trembling hand moving from his cheek to rest on the back of his neck. Somehow, even after being invited to your home, Levi hadn't expected anything to actually happen between you - there hadn't been a scenario within his head where you'd also felt the pull he'd felt toward you, a crush he'd realised had formed that Tuesday, when you'd stood beside him in the soft glow of winter sun cascading through the window of the shop, watching the world go by beside him.

You'd added tongue within the kiss, an advancement Levi had appeared to miss while phasing into the memories of the past fortnight working beside you, accepting the fact he'd appreciated the moments shared within the shop, even if you'd made his heart race, or stomach flutter. Pulling back, you looked to him through half lidded eyes, though the smile on your face had soon dissipated when you'd been met with his disorientated expression, brow furrowed. "I-I have to go." Levi's voice bubbled over the words, a gentle break on the final word as he stood, moving past you to b-line to the door.

You'd been stood, bewildered, too muddled to make sense of what had just occurred. Levi had kissed back, he'd smiled at you, and yet, when you'd thought you'd had him, he'd upped and left? The situation had left you dazed, standing within the middle of your kitchen, eyes falling to the two half drank glasses of wine on the table.

Amid the emotions you felt crashing over your confused state, you pushed through, forcing your legs to move, running through your apartment and down the stairs until you'd finally caught up to his stiff stance, fingers enveloping the building's door. The halls had been cold, lack of insulation from the outside, with great contrast to the warmth of the apartments situated in the same walls. Levi's breaths had been visible, a vapor leaving his mouth at a faster-than-usual pace, as he'd fought the surge of sentiment washing over him. Had he become weak?

"Levi." You'd spoken his name, to which his gaze didn't falter, though his body had remained still with your presence. He could only listen, heart pounding as you'd placed a clammy had over his shoulder, a squeeze of reassurance. "Please, stay." The plead had been only decibels above whispering, fear of his response intertwined within the request. "I can't do this." He spoke, knuckled whitening as he'd grasped the silver handle harder, an attempt to push his thoughts away, preventing the hollowness he'd felt from surfacing.

"Can't do what, Levi? Accept that you like me? Accept we all care about you?" Although you'd spoken a harsh truth, your tone had been soft. "Stop running, please."

When he'd finally faced you, there'd been tears in his eyes. He looked at you through pain, internal struggle visible through his furrowing expression. But, he didn't flee, instead, Levi leaned toward you, hand quickly removing itself from the tight hold on the handle to your cheek, lips pressing to yours. Through the kiss, you'd tasted the subtle taste of tears, a mix of both yours and his as you'd worked against him, his rigid form easing up as you'd held him close.

Hand in hand, you climbed the stairs back to the apartment, a sereneness washed over you as he'd held you. The contact of skin with each skin had been a reassurance that Levi had felt the same need, and hadn't planned on leaving again.

The bell chimed, yourself and Levi walking through the coffee shop's entrance, yet this time, neither of you'd had work. His arm had grazed yours as he'd held the door open for you, a warmth over your skin as you'd remembered his lips on yours the night before, smile spreading amply across your cheeks. Following his strides, you stood with him as he'd ordered from the counter you'd usually resided behind, and as he led you from the shop to the cemetery near-by.

He stopped beside two graves, to which you'd glanced over. Etched into the stone had been the names Isabel and Furlan, two names Levi couldn't let himself forget. "This time of year was her favourite." Levi began, glancing to the drinks each of you'd held, warmth radiating beyond the red corrugated cardboard to caress your palm. "All three of us worked in the cafe - back before Erwin had been promoted, I was the manager." His countenance softened when he reminisced on the past, gaze moving to look at the sky above. The weather had been typical of this time of year, grey clouds painted delicately above, minimal amount of light able to shine through.

"Isabel had an obsession with peppermint hot chocolate, so when the seasonal menu would come out, she'd drink us out of stock." A smile played on his lips, exhale of amusement. "I thought we could drink it, to remember."

Through silent tears, you looked to the cup held within your hand. Until now, Levi hadn't mentioned the contents, and you hadn't asked. Bringing the plastic lid to lips, you sipped, chocolate taste coating your tongue among hints of mint, a good balance of flavor. One of the most festive drinks there'd been; a good choice of beverage. Time felt still as Levi brought his arm around you, your head falling to lean atop his shoulder. You finished the drinks while watching the stones before you, appreciating the company shared.

For the first time in years, Levi had felt relief; he wouldn't isolate himself any longer. Sharing their legacy alone had burdened him, a pain he'd been scolded with for five long years. With your presence beside him, he'd understood this is was an ache he hadn't had to suffer through alone.

"Thank you for sharing this with me." You spoke as he'd lead you away, toward his car. He glanced to you, then to the winter sun. Such a cold day, and yet he'd felt warmth. "I love you." The words fell from his lips for the first time as you'd stood by the Mercedes, hand-in-hand, a sigh leaving your smiling lips. You kissed him gently, savoring the taste of peppermint before pulling back to utter four words in return. "I love you too."

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pluviophile-bookworm · 3 years

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High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Rewatch pt.3

Ok, full disclosure: I should not be doing this right now. But I've been thinking about it since yesterday and, well, I reckon I can go over 1x4 and 5, and then move on to my actual work. So here we are. I'm really, really excited for these two, so without further ado, I'll dive right into:

1x4: It's hard to believe that I couldn't see... the majority of what happens in this episode when I first watched it

Why is Nini such a pro at making a scene with whoever her current boyfriend is in the middle of a public place? I mean, I get it that she's upset about EJ going through her phone — who wouldn't be — but maybe - and this is just a friendly suggestion — she could try and discuss that in private, not start a shouting match within view of all their classmates. Just saying.

'Ricky would never steal my phone' — well, perhaps not, but he's not quite above deleting stuff from it, either... I wonder if whoever is writing this show knows that there are many other ways to make a relationship unhealthy... it's not funny anymore. Just repetitive.

Ahhh Natalie and her emotional support hamster! At least there's one good thing about this scene.

Sure, Ricky, blame Big Red for the fact that you misplace your stuff... a very nice best friend he's got, indeed.

Gosh, everything is so awkward and there is just so much tension all over the place — Ricky's parents, then EJ and Nini, and then Carlos just being oblivious to the fact that they just broke up... you know, that last part just made me laugh. And then Ricky's reaction to his parents legally separating just broke my heart. That boy's been through too much.

Big Red being completely clueless about theatre terms is super funny and endearing, but let me just put myself in his shoes for a sec. He's followed his best friend into a badly thought-out scheme to get back together with his ex, got dragged into joining the crew, and is now expected to know what everything is. I would not put up with that... ok, who are we kidding, I'm a massive pushover and would put up with anything, but my point is... he shouldn't have to. At least people are doing the bare minimum to help him learn and nobody's laughed at him for not knowing. That's the good thing about this crew.

Ok, so I have posted about my thoughts of their take on What I've Been Looking For before, back when the episode was brand new, so I won't go into detail about that. In short, I think they've got the arrangement all wrong considering that it is a plot point in the original movie, but... the execution is funny. The scene is about Nini and EJ's post-breakup tension and it shows. I just kind of wish now Miss Jenn had pulled Nini out and put Gina in, even just for this rehearsal — and I might or might not be saying this as a Portwell shipper.

Miss Jenn is done with the students' personal drama and honestly, I'm right behind her. These kids are being completely unprofessional — and well, I realise that we can't expect them to be professional at this stage, but... they could at least try to concentrate on rehearsal and not their personal lives for a second.

Ricky hugging a cushion is my spirit animal. That's it, that's the comment.

Ahhh the tension between EJ and Gina though... 'around here seniors don't follow sophomores' — well, we'll see how it goes, Mr. Senior.

What gives Nini the right to shout at strangers about their relationship? I am honestly so frustrated with her these days. Wonder why I never was during season 1. The reasons are all there.

'He loves you' — yeah, like a little sister, he does. Also, Ash is so precious, always trying to see the good in other people. EJ 1.0 is so lucky he had her as an example.

Ok, I'm not going to go into what an amazing best friend Big Red is because we all know that (plus I'm saving it for a certain scene in 1x5), but this must be so hard for him. I mean, he's trying his absolute best to help Ricky feel better and distract him from his problems, and Ricky is turning everything down. I mean, I guess I understand where he's coming from too, but I'm unable to look at things through the lead-centric lens alone anymore. I'm more aware of non-lead characters now (some more so than others) and this is putting a whole new spin on my perception of everything that happens.

I've got no idea how Big Red can sleep with all this noise, though. I could never. But to each their own.

'perfect on paper' — that's EJ 1.0 to a T. I've got to give Nini that.

Ricky wearing the pride t-shirt... we love to see it.

See, this is why I keep forgetting why I ever shipped Rini and then remembering again... their chemistry is just so on-again-off-again, and here it's definitely present, but I just need a couple with consistent chemistry, you know. Hey, isn't that kind of what All I Want is about? Kind of. I don't know. I've been unable to listen to that song ever since it got big irl. I have this... problem with media that becomes popular and mainstream... I mean, I never hold a grudge against things just for being popular, but I just... relate to underrated stuff much easier. Not because it's underrated, but it just so happens that nearly everything I like and relate to is underrated in some capacity. Even HSMTMTS itself — it's practically unheard of here in Bulgaria, so I would not have found it if I hadn't been looking for it specifically. Ok, this comment got derailed several times. I guess I'll just stop here and move right on to 1x5 at this point.

1x5: A bedazzled tablecloth, a perfectly balanced unicycle and bad reception at the barn... not the perfect ingredients, but they can still... Work This Out

'Miss Jenn says that's a life in the arts... well, that and almost constant unemployment' — alright, I know this line is not supposed to be funny, and that it's a painful reality for a lot of people, but... maybe it's the delivery. I just laugh every time.

See, this is what I mean when I say I want to see consistent chemistry — Seblos have it. I mean, I really don't want to jinx things, but... they do.

Big Red seems to be in a more... outspoken mood today, I guess you could say. Too bad Ricky is still shutting everything he says down. Seriously, Big Red and Seb should start a club for people who try their best to be there for their loved ones and still keep being shushed.

I might be super frustrated with nearly everything Nini says and does (can somebody please tell me why that is?), but... flushing her dress down the toilet? Major mood.

Listen, I love Miss Jenn and that she's close to her students, but... emerging from a toilet cubicle and inviting herself to Kourtney and Nini's girls' night was... Will Shuester level of questionable.

Ricky being the mature one about his parents separation is... I mean, it's admirable, but how did he move past the impending depression of last episode and towards being the one who tells his dad to get up and move on? Well, I mean, good for him. But I think the issue is far from buried yet.

'Friend of the year'? Ricky? I don't think so. First of all, if he were, he'd know that Big Red does not have two left feet. Wasn't it you, Ricky, who was stumbling over the steps in HSM a couple of weeks ago? You're one to talk. Plus Big Red's been listening and trying to help while you've just been spouting off about your personal problems for... how long has it been now? I get it, Ricky has issues that he needs to work through, but he's almost legally blind in both eyes when it comes to Big Red.

Ok, but Ricky is the epitome of 'cannot solve his own problems but has a suggestion on how everybody else should solve theirs' in this episode. Maybe take a step back and listen to your own advice?

'My parents think I'm bonding with the livestock' — I've got no idea why I find this line so funny, but I do. And I've got so much love for this entire scene. Carlos' reaction to Seb's response to his invitation is just... the most adorable thing ever! My heart might just burst. Especially given what we're about to go through tomorrow in 2x10... I am. Not. Ready.

The entire karaoke scene just reminds me of... pretty much every extended family reunion on my mum's side. Her cousins love karaoke and are also completely tone-deaf. I love it that they're able to have fun with it, but my ears are still recovering from my great aunt's birthday party two years ago.

'When did you become Nini?' — Why does Mr. Mazzara know so much about his students' dating lives? I mean, Miss Jenn does, too, but he doesn't strike me as someone as invested in them as her. Idk, it just struck me as kind of weird.

'I didn't agree to photos' — please, EJ, I'm sure you'll want memories from your first fake-dating gig with Gina... once you're no longer fake-dating, you know. Boy, these two are going to have stories to tell to their grandchildren.

I've said some stuff about Nini, but... 'a bedazzled tablecloth' is the funniest description I've heard for Gina's homecoming dress.

'Maybe it's not actually about you at all.' Yeah, you tell him, Reddy! Ricky needs to get over himself.

The way Big Red sniffs out the drama, though... I was not-so-randomly reminded of that moment in 2x9 where Seb was like Carlos. and Big Red was like, 'Are you guys fighting?'...

Big Red doing a comedic lip-reading of Gina and EJ's dramatic scene is absolutely hilarious. I might or might not have sold my heart and soul to him after seeing that scene for the first time. But I just remembered how he said earlier that maybe he can't read lips and that just makes this 100% funnier — he was basically like a child who can't read yet making up a story based on the pictures in a book, and I mean it in the best way possible. He's a theatre dark horse, this one, and they should all be intimidated — or inspired, whatever they choose — by his hidden talents. Gosh, I love this guy. But can you blame me?

'You think I'm actually going to confide in you?' — Absolutely. You can't bully someone from your position of authority over them and then act like you're their friend. I do know now that Mr. Mazzara has hidden depths, but he had no right to be as rude to Carlos as he was in 1x3. He was right about one thing, though — Carlos doesn't need a dance partner to dance.

Ricky saying he was going to apologise to Gina and counting that as an apology is giving me major TJ/ Buffy flashbacks. I wonder why that is... * sarcasm *

Nini feeling like a fraud makes me actually sympathise with her for a second. But I feel like Nini's flaw of defining herself through boys and Ricky in particular has been addressed one time too many now, since it was first addressed here in this episode. If they make her and Ricky get back together again in season 2, I will riot. [side note: I feel like the Born to Be Brave scene says a lot about both Rini and Seblos as couples. Nini and Carlos both feel, in the moments leading up to the song, like they are incomplete without their partners. Ricky, too, has built his personality entirely around Nini at that time (and is still not completely over that in s2). And then the song comes in to remind them that they don't need a partner to be happy. I'm just thinking of Big Red's 'perfectly balanced unicycle' comment from the promotional materials, and of how he and Ashlyn, even when they're dating in s2, are never portrayed as being incomplete without each other. I guess there's a reason why they're the Beta Couple of the show — their relationship drama is nearly non-existent, and when it does exist, it's just caused by them caring too much about each other. Every other couple on the show should learn from them.]

Everybody supporting Carlos during the Born to Be Brave number just warms my heart so much... I am actually crying real tears. And then the end, when Seb finally shows up, right in time for the slow dance... I have a lot of feelings about this scene.

Seblos' dialogue here still kind of makes me cringe a little... but like, in a good way.

Yikes... Miss Jenn's getting into trouble... I mean, it was bound to happen sooner or later. But she's lucky she's had enough time with her students for them to love her enough to fight for her. Still, this is a topic for another episode, and so I won't expand on it in this post.

Well, that's it. That was 1x4 and 5. Those were pretty much my favourite episodes when season 1 was airing. And I can definitely see why, even if my views on some things have changed due to stuff that happens later. But, as I constantly say, that's what rewatches are for. In other words, 'once more, with feeling this time' as my choir director used to say.

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts: the rewatch #nini salazar-roberts #ricky bowen #gina porter #ej caswell #ashlyn caswell #ashlyn moon caswell #big red redonovich #carlos rodriguez #seb matthew smith #kourtney greene #hsmtmts miss jenn #hsmtmts mr mazzara #rini #seblos #redlyn #portwell #jnk

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artificialqueens · 3 years

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Galactica, Chapter 62 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Last Chapter: The assistant gossip network continued to do its thing, while Courtney lived her best life, Sutan offered Violet some wardrobe assistance, and Bianca planned a coming out.

This Chapter: The Galactica Holiday Party has arrived, and not everyone is prepared...

***

“Remember to find your light!”

Gigi turned her head, trying as hard as she could not to squeeze her eyes shut, the studio lights blinding.

“I said find it, not stare into the sun!”

Gigi blushed and moved her head again, doing her best to try and follow the instructions Sutan kept giving her.

They were in a photo studio in the Bronx, Gigi to get her first pictures for her portfolio taken, while Symone had practiced how to shoot in swimwear, her friend now waiting with her phone for Gigi to finish up.

Gigi had watched Symone move around, completely enthralled by how elegant the other model already was, Sutan barely correcting her.

“Straighten your back!” Gigi did as she was told, a pair of black jeans hugging her body, the long sleeved black shirt she was wearing clinging to her arms.

“Excuse me...” The photographer, who had introduced herself as Widow, looked out from behind her camera, “can I do my job in peace?” Widow smiled even though her tone was clearly sassy, her teeth blindingly white, her black box braids collected in a high bun. She was wearing a black leather jacket and jeans, big red earrings hanging from her ears.

“You know what I hired you for,” Sutan smiled back, and Widow rolled her eyes, making Gigi giggle.

“Yes sir, right away sir,” Widow teased.

“Don’t give the models any ideas with your attitude.” Sutan grinned, his sleeves rolled up around his elbows, refocusing on Gigi who had tried to hold the position he had asked for.

“No, not like, you have to be more.” Sutan moved his shoulders, and Gigi tried to copy it. She knew they were doing this shoot so she could get an idea of what she looked like, so she could train what Sutan called her inner photographer, but it was really difficult.

“No, still not right.” Sutan stepped on the set, getting next to Gigi, the scent of his cologne instantly catching her nose. “Your strength is in your lines Gigi, so you have to stand tall. Use those legs of yours,” He smiled, tapping his own left leg and moving it forward, mirroring what Gigi hoped she was doing. “Try this.”

Gigi moved her leg to copy Sutan, her entire center of balance shifting.

“There we go!” Sutan grinned. “Good job. Now hold it, and find your light.”

***

Violet tried to turn to the side, watching her profile in the big mirror on the back wall of the dressing room.

Her and Sutan had each been swept up by a personal shopper the moment they stepped inside Barney’s, Violet whisked away to the woman's clothes department where everything was outrageously expensive and completely new.

Violet was wearing a beautiful red dress, the hemline just off the floor, her cast barely visible if she stood completely still, which suited her perfectly well.

Violet had every plan to get to the Christmas party, sit down, and then hopefully not move again for the rest of the night, Jovan’s offer of bedazzling her crutches still making her shiver.

“So, what do we think?” Violet’s shopper smiled, the woman standing behind her, her pile of rejected dresses four times the size of the approved ones for the upcoming events, but she couldn’t help being extremely critical, not when everything was so stupidly expensive.

“Well…” Violet looked in the mirror. The dress suited her, even though it didn’t sit snugly at her waist, but that wasn’t something a loose loop stitch couldn’t fix so she could undo it again later and hopefully keep the dress longer. It hadn’t been Violet’s intention to lose weight, and if she was being honest, she had actually expected to gain with a broken foot, but it seemed like that hadn’t been the case, her appetite even worse than usual, her pain killers often making it feel like she had knives stabbing her stomach.

“I’ll take it.”

Violet knew that the dress would be approved by Fame, and loved by Sutan, the low neckline and the opportunity for matching underwear always a treat.

***

“Kat? Are you gonna be okay?” Trixie asked, voice soft.

They were sitting in a little cafe across from her doctor’s office. They’d just gotten the official news - she was pregnant, no doubt about it. She’d put on a transparently false, cheerful face while they were there but barely said two words since they’d left, a croissant and mango smoothie sitting in front of her, untouched.

According to the doctor’s best estimate, she was 14 weeks along, which already limited their options, a fairly invasive procedure now the only way to go if they didn’t want the baby.

She looked at him, blue eyes clear, and said, “I don’t know.”

Trixie nodded, taking her hand in his and holding it lightly. He didn’t want to push her too much, could tell that she was in a fragile state of mind.

“Well...I’m here if there’s anything…Anything I can do.”

“Got a flask on you?” she asked drily, then closed her eyes, immediately chagrined. “I’m sorry, that’s not funny.”

“It’s a little funny, babe.” He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, the two of them sitting side by side, their fingers intertwined.

***

Roxy looked up as Courtney rounded the corner from Miss Fame’s office, flashing her a bright smile. She had just gotten yet another delivery--Roxy was fast becoming BFFs with Greg, the Marie Claire office runner.

“Hey Rox! Whatcha got for me?”

“Hi, Court,” Roxy said, eyeing her suspiciously before handing over the bag, wondering why she was so perky today.

Courtney looked inside the bag and saw what Roxy had already - a large black velvet jewelry box.

“Open it,” Roxy said, and Courtney pulled it out, peeking inside before snapping it closed again. “Come on, you’re not gonna show me?”

A smile pulled at Courtney’s lips, and she leaned forward onto the reception desk, voice low, saying, “You wanna know something?”

“Yes, of course!” Roxy perked up. Was Courtney finally about to admit to her affair with Bianca Del Rio? It was gonna be a hell of a lot easier once she didn’t have to pretend to be in the dark anymore.

“You know how I said that I’ve been...uh...seeing someone who works at Marie Claire?”

“Yeah…you gonna tell me who?”

“Well, no,” she said, and off Roxy’s annoyed scoff, added, “But...we’re coming to the party tonight...together.”

“Oh really?” Roxy’s eyebrows shot up. This actually was pretty decent information, given the potential shit storm it could cause. The drama of Miss Fame’s assistant dating one of her best friends, and them showing up together to a company event? Absolutely delicious.

“Yeah, so...I guess you’ll find out soon enough,” Courtney said, eyes twinkling with mischief.

“I guess I will,” Roxy agreed, smiling placidly, already typing out a DM to Bob.

***

Fame breathed a sigh of relief as the car pulled up to the hotel she had chosen for the Galactica Christmas Party. The facade was decorated with dripping ice crystals, lights and fake snow making it the winter wonderland she had envisioned. The red carpet had been rolled out, guests already posing for photos and talking to reporters about their clothes, Fame recognizing the signature cameras from E! Network and one of Vogue’s journalists.

She had gotten the confirmation from Shangela that the string quartet had shown up, the musicians hired for the lounge area while the caterers had set up shop in the enchanted forest filled with actual pine trees, the bar carrying a line of gins specifically brewed for the event.

“So,” Patrick lifted an eyebrow, a curious expression on his face. The majority of Fame’s skirt was in her husband's lap since she refused to let the silk anywhere near the bottom of the car. “how are we feeling?”

“Me?” Fame smiled, leaning over to press a kiss against his cheek “Quite content.”

***

“Are you sure I can’t talk you into walking the carpet?”

Sutan looked over at Violet, the two of them on the bottom of the steps leading up to the hotel, Raja and Raven already halfway inside. Raja was in a tight-fitting emerald green suit with a deep cleavage, her hair twisted into a gorgeous updo, while Raven was dressed in a floor length gown in matching green, the two of them looking absolutely stunning together.

“Yes.” The message was clear, and Sutan could feel the tiniest curl of irritation in his stomach. Violet was beyond beautiful, her usually pink nails carefully painted the same red shade as her dress, a tiny purse slung over her shoulders, her black hair curled and spilling over her shoulders and back, her posture perfect even though she was leaning on her crutch, only one of them allowed to come along.

He wanted those pictures of them together, even if it was selfish.

“Lovely eyes-”

“I said no.” Violet’s tone left no room for argument, and Sutan pressed his lips together, taking a deep breath through his nose not to let his irritation win out.

“Sutan,” Violet reached out, gently touching his arm. “This isn’t a you issue, it’s a me issue. I’d love to go up there and be on your arm like a dainty little princess or trophy-”

“What?” Sutan raised an eyebrow. He had never thought of Violet as a princess, or even dainty, the muscles he knew she had and the iron will he had seen her possess over and over again so much more attractive than any trophy girlfriend could be. “That’s not what-”

“I know,” Violet squeezed, underlining her words, “But I’d honestly rather jump into traffic than talk to a single one of those reporters, and risk showing up in any of their publications.”

Sutan snorted, Violet’s dark sense of humor as always getting to him. He knew it also had to do with her relationship to her family, Violet’s choked hospital confession still rumbling around in his head, what little he had managed to piece together telling its clear story of a gossip magazine-obsessed mother, his girlfriend posing for his own mothers old canon camera at Thanksgiving without any issues.

“Okay, but promise me,” Sutan took a step, bringing them closer, his hand finding it’s now familiar place on Violet’s waist, “that I can get one soon.”

“A photo?” Violet raised an eyebrow, their hips almost touching, her free hand on his chest.

“Mmh, just for the two of us.”

“I’ll consider it,” Violet smiled, her fingers gently rearranging his tie, making sure it was sitting completely straight. “If you promise me that we can get a cab home.”

“A cab?” They had arrived with Raja and Raven, a driver coming back to pick all four of them up at the end of the night, “Why?”

“Because you, Mr. Amrull, look fucking fantastic tonight,” Violet looked up at him, a smirk on her lips, “and I wanna make out in the backseat.”

“You ready?” Bianca asked, looking over at Courtney as their car pulled up to the curb.

Courtney glanced outside, where a crowd of photographers and reporters were gathered, stomach seizing with the reality of what she was about to do, wondering if it was a mistake. Even walking the carpet with Bianca instead of taking the normal entrance with the rest of the support staff suddenly seemed audacious.

“No,” she admitted, looking back at Bianca apologetically. “I’m sorry, I-”

“Would it help if I told you how absolutely gorgeous you look?” Bianca asked, reaching out to take her hand.

Her outfit for the night was probably the most conservative of all the dresses Dan had pulled for her - a black dress--low cut, but not in a slutty way with a little bow at the front and full circle skirt, paired with a pair of Bianca’s beautiful multicolored Louboutins and simple, classy jewelry--including a glamorous strand of pink pearls that Bianca had sent over earlier in the day.

In spite of her nerves, Courtney couldn’t help but smile a little at the compliment, proud of the care she’d taken with her hair and makeup, hoping to make Bianca proud. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and responded with a cheeky, “Look who’s talking…”

Bianca grinned, and Courtney was once again struck by how fantastic she looked, in a red silk organza cocktail dress, the floaty feminine fabric accentuating her curves perfectly, a deep v-neck giving the perfect peek at her cleavage.

“What if we just stayed in the car for awhile?” Courtney suggested, fluttering her lashes.

“I promise to make it worth your while later, angel.” Bianca squeezed her hand, pulling her in close. “But right now, I’m pretty excited to show you off. So whaddaya say?”

Courtney took a deep breath, the churning in her stomach now a combination of nerves and excitement.

“Okay.”

Bianca signalled to the driver, who quickly got out and walked around to open their door.

“Here we go…” Bianca gave her hand one final squeeze and got out, giving the flashing cameras a polite wave before reaching back in to help her out.

Courtney’s mind was a mess. She suddenly had so many concurrent anxieties, like tripping on the carpet, or being dragged to filth by come gossip rag, or, given how lightheaded she now felt, fainting, here in front of all these people. She tried to steady herself, and Bianca’s arm slid securely around her waist.

“I’ve got you, don’t worry. You look amazing,” Bianca murmured in her ear.

Bianca led her down the carpet--a true professional, posing and smiling, calmly directing Courtney so that she knew where to stand and where to look, chatting jovially with reporters.

“Who’s your date, Bianca?” one of them asked boldly.

“Wouldn’t you like to know!” Bianca joked back. They’d discussed this ahead of time - better to keep Courtney’s name out of things for the moment, given her job title. Courtney understood, and agreed, and was even a bit relieved. For now, on gossip sites and fashion blogs, she’d just be ‘BDR’s latest blonde,’ and she was very much okay with that. After all, the people that mattered to both of them would know, and that’s what she cared about.

“Well, is it serious?” another piped up.

“You tell me,” Bianca said, and then Courtney really thought she might faint, Bianca pressing a sweet kiss to her cheek as about a billion flashbulbs went off in their faces, murmuring, “You’re doing perfectly, angel.”

She turned to Bianca, gazing at her with breathless admiration, feeling like the luckiest girl in the entire world. And then she took Bianca’s face in her hands and impulsively kissed her, right on the mouth, soft but sure. So what if it was only a fling? Courtney didn’t care anymore--she would remember this high for the rest of her life.

Bianca smiled against her mouth and whispered, “Well, that’ll make headlines...”

“Oops,” Courtney whispered back, both of them giggling.

They broke apart, matching grins on their faces as they looked into each other’s eyes, until Bianca turned back to the sea of paparazzi, now in a frenzy, shouting out questions too fast for Courtney to even process the words.

“That’s enough for you demons!” Bianca called, gently pulling Courtney up the steps, giving one last smiling wave at the top, Courtney’s hand still clasped in hers.

“Are you done?”

“Nope!”

Raja hid her grin, her shoulder touching Raven’s as they posed for the camera, her fiancée radiating excitement as she chatted and flirted with the photographers.

Raven had always adored the camera, and if there was a journalist behind it, she was practically in love, getting caught by the paparazzi a treat for her each and every time it happened.

Raja didn’t feel the same thrill, didn’t care as much about showing up in gossip magazines and websites since she had gotten more than enough of that in her youth, but she couldn’t be truly upset when it generated so many great pictures, Raven often looking sexy as sin when she got caught leaving the gym.

“Raja! Over here!”

Raja turned her head, the photographer catching her attention, and that was when she saw them, Bianca coming up a little ways behind her.

Seeing Bianca on a red carpet wasn’t strange, but what was frankly bizarre was the familiar blonde at her side.

Raja had expected Fame’s assistant to be somewhere in the crowd, since it was a company party and a big treat for the staff, but what the fuck was she doing on the red carpet? The support staff was supposed to enter the party through the normal pedestrian entrance.

And then, Bianca put her arm around Courtney’s waist, kissing her cheek as she giggled girlishly.

Oh, fuck.

This was not good. Frankly, Raja wasn’t shocked that Bianca had been messing with Courtney, her behavior at the meeting last week making it painfully obvious that she liked her. But this, this was next level.

Just when she thought it couldn’t get any more embarrassing, Raja witnessed something that made her blood run cold. Courtney grasped Bianca’s face in her hands and kissed her on the lips, causing absolute chaos from the group of paparazzi around them.

“Holy shit.”

“What?” Raven looked up at her, a concerned and confused expression on her beautiful face.

“Wait here.” Raja released Raven, leaving her behind on the carpet, prepared to ambush Bianca the second she got to the doors.

Bianca had done a lot of stupid shit over the years - they all had - and dating bimbos wasn’t a new thing for her, but making out with Fame’s assistant in front of the paparazzi?

That was a new level of braindead, even for her, and Raja had to stop it right now.

The moment Bianca stepped off the carpet, she felt someone grab her arm and roughly yank her into the lobby.

“Bianca!” Raja hissed, pulling at her arm. “Come here!”

“Ow!” Bianca laughed at Raja. “Let go of me, you fucking mountain gorilla!”

Just because the woman towered over her was no reason to be intimidated, and it was gonna take a hell of a lot more to bring her down at the moment than Raja looking at her like she was insane.

Beside her, Courtney let out a small gasp, and Raja tried to recover, putting an arm around Bianca’s shoulder and giving Courtney the most sugary-sweet, fakest voice she could manage to say, “Hey there Court, can you give us a minute? I have to chat with Bianca about something important. Great shoes, by the way.”

“Oh...yeah, alright. Um…” Courtney backed away, trying to give them some space. “I’ll just wait over here, then-”

“Perfect!” Raja dragged Bianca to the other end of the lobby, away from any reporters.

“This oughta be good,” Bianca grumbled, though she was still too hyped from the carpet to manage to be truly annoyed.

“What,” Raja pushed Bianca into a corner, inches from her face, her voice filled with venom though her eyes betrayed her geniune concern, “the actual fuck do you think you’re doing, Bianca?!”

“Wanna be more specific?” Bianca asked, tilting her head, an impish smile on her face.

"It's bad enough that you're fucking Fame's assistant, but to parade her around on the red carpet? Without even bothering to give us a heads-up? Are you insane?" Raja’s teeth were clenched, clearly trying to keep her voice down.

"Please. Our relationship has nothing to do with-"

"Relationship? Are you actually calling this a relationship?"

"Yes!" Now, Bianca was starting to get annoyed. Who the fuck did Raja think she was talking to?

"Oy, this is so much worse than I thought,” Raja groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Please don't tell me this is why you bailed on the tasting menu."

"So what if I did?"

"Oh god."

"Fuck you!"

"And what did you expect to happen, Bianca? What's your great master plan with this childish stunt?"

“Well...to be honest, I didn’t know she was gonna kiss me on the carpet,” Bianca admitted, a giggle slipping from her lips. “It was kinda cute, did you see?”

“I...am going to slap you.”

“Come on, Raj. I did give this whole thing a little thought.”

“Really? It doesn’t fucking seem like it!”

“Well, I have. Look, I know she’s gonna be pissed, but I also know she’s not gonna cause a scene in the middle of the party. And then after tonight, she’s got almost a full week to cool off before she has to see me again,” Bianca said, punctuating her statement with a charming smile. Bianca was no idiot. Of course she knew that Fame would be irritated, maybe even angry, but she figured that this was a situation where it would be easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. And besides, if she had to endure her friend’s wrath for awhile in exchange for being free to put her relationship with Courtney out into the open, then so be it.

“That’s what you think will happen?” Raja huffed. “Bianca, please, Fame hasn’t seen you guys yet. If we get Courtney out the back door, we can make an alliance with Patrick to get Fame drunk and unplug the wifi tomorrow so she doesn’t go online. It’ll be like it never happened, and we'll never speak of it again.”

“Raj, listen. I know this might be a real clusterfuck, but I’m willing to accept the consequences.”

“Oh jesus help me.” Raja groaned. “I hope she’s worth it, Bianca.” She pulled away, shaking her head. “I really hope she’s worth it.”

As she walked away, Bianca took a deep breath, looking back across the lobby at Courtney, who was doing a terrible job of trying to look casual, the anxiety on her face clear as day. Bianca sent her a big smile, reaching out a hand, and Courtney rushed toward her.

“Was she mad?” she asked, brows creased with worry.

Bianca cupped her face lightly, stroking her cheek, and promised, “Not at you.”

“Okay.” Courtney bit her lip, and Bianca leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“Shall we?” she asked, gesturing to the ballroom.

“Yeah...in a minute…” Courtney said, immediately adding, “I’m sorry.”

“Take your time, angel. There’s no rush,” Bianca promised. “In fact, if you’d rather get out of here and go somewhere else-”

“No, no, no…” Courtney laughed, taking her hand. “I’m fine. Let’s go in.”

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365days365movies · 3 years

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March 1, 2021: The Hobbit (Review)

Is “quaint” a good word here?

Maybe its the beautiful backgrounds, maybe it’s the stylized designs that make me think of Christmas specials, maybe it’s the faithful take on a classic story that I loved as a kid, but...I dunno. Quaint’s the first thing that comes to mind here for me, for whatever reason.

All I know is that I did enjoy this movie well-enough...even if it’s not my favorite. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a great story, and I do love the original Tolkien tale very much...but I don’t know if I can say this was my favorite adaptation or not.

Now, it got some things right that the Jackson movies didn’t, at last as far as I’m concerned. Thorin’s pretty good in this film, Gollum is great (as always), and it accurately sums up the story in a single movie without too much omitted (I do miss Beorn, though). But here’s the thing: the things that I think Jackson’s movies did wrong outnumber what this film did right.

You know, the weird addition of Tauriel and Legolas, the added Lake Town plot with fuckin’ Alfrid, the entire Azog thing, the fucking NECROMANCER thing, Rada...well, actually, I like Radagast. He was fun.

And that’s not to say that Jackson’s movies did nothing right. Quite the contrary! I mean, Martin Freeman is a PERFECT Bilbo Baggins, and basically everybody is perfectly cast, to be honest. And that includes what I think is the best part of the films: Smaug, as portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch. And yeah, that motion capture footage is hilarious, but it pays the fuck OFF, what can I tell ya? I mean...come on.

Smaug in these movies is fucking AMAZING, and I genuinely love him. And...well, you know what, let’s actually get into the Review. Enough navel-gazing here. Here’s the Recap (Parts 1, 2, and 3), if you’d like to read that first! OK, let’s get this done and Reviewed!

Review

Cast and Acting: 7/10

Given that this is an animated film, this is an interesting category to grade. I’ll be doing so based on their vocal performances, and...eh. For a Rankin-Bass movie, the vocal performances are a little standard. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some standouts. Orson Bean plays a kind and contemplative Bilbo, and while I don’t know that I like him quite as much as Martin Freeman, I do still like his performance. John Huston is likewise good as Gandalf, although Ian McKellen is...well, Ian McKellen, even in The Hobbit films. And then...there’s Brother Theodore. And, boy oh boy, do I love his Gollum a lot! I think he’s legitimately fantastic as this version of the character, and specifically as this version of the character. Andy Serkis is still the better Gollum, I think, but I do think that Theodore handles Gollum’s last line in this film better than Serkis did. However, I can see Serkis becoming the devious little monster he eventually becomes a lot more.

Also, Hans Conried plays Thorin, and all I could hear was Captain Hook, like, the entire time. There are actually a lot of voice actors from the time period in here, like Don Messick, Paul Frees, and Thurl Ravenscroft, and they’re all fine. There’s also Richard Boone as Smaug, and...he’s OK. Not saying he’s great, but...he’s all right. His deep booming voice does work well for the role, and some of his line deliveries are pretty goddamn solid, but...I dunno, he just doesn’t bring the same gravelly gravitas that I expect of, well, a goddamn dragon, let’s be frank here.

Plot and Writing: 9/10

What can I say? It’s Tolkien! And they’re pretty exact with their adaptation of the original work, as adapted and written by Romeo Muller. And yeah, Muller does a good job...but he also writes this similar to how he wrote all of the other Rank Bass specials. If there’s any problem, it’s that. But even then...I don’t know if I can call that a real problem. Still, I’ll take a point off for it, even though it’s really closer to half a point. If anything, I’m upset that Beorn was completely absent. You coulda worked him in, Romeo!

Directing and Cinematography: 7/10

This is essentially judging the storyboarding, and how shots were positioned in the artistic process. And yeah, it’s...mostly good. Unfortunately, true to form for Rankin-Bass production, it often feels just a little too stiff in places. Makes sense since Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass are the directors. Not as bad as some of their other productions, but still definitely a notable quality of the film. So, points off for that, but the rest of it is honestly fine, especially for animation of the era. What came out from Disney that year?

Oh, damn, the Rescuers? Yeah...shit, yeah, that looked WAY better, and that wasn’t even one of Disney’s best looking film up to that point. Although, different budgets should probably be taken into account. OK, moving on.

Production and Art Design: 8/10

I like the backgrounds in this film a LOT, lemme tell you. They were done by Minoru Nishida, who’s done a hell of a lot of animation stuff, but was also the art director for Kill Bill Vol 1! Neat! But yeah, the backgrounds are absolutely gorgeous here. How about the rest of the art design? Characters were designed by Lester Abrams, then redesigned a bit by the Topcraft guys (specifically Tsuguyuki Kubo), giving it the very stereotypical Rankin-Bass style that the movie is known for. And does it work? I mean...kinda. The good news is that the different races of Middle Earth are pretty goddamn distinguishable from each other, and creatively designed at that. The bad news...sorry, I never did get used to Smaug, I genuinely don’t like his design in this. Like...why the dog head? By all accounts, Smaug was a stereotypical wyrm-style dragon, with the reptilian features and I. I just...I don’t get it. Sorry, but Jackson’s Smaug wins here, hands down. But that said...I do like Gollum. It’s different, yeah, but I think his design works pretty well. After all, according to Tolkien, we’re not really supposed to know what Gollum is. And I think it works pretty goddamn well!

Music and Editing: 7/10

Glenn Yarbrough. I love ya. I SWEAR, I do actually like you and your main contribution to this movie, The Greatest Adventure. But if I have to hear that song ONE MORE GODDAMN TIME in this movie, I swear...because they chop up the song and use it in EVERY AVAILABLE INSTANCE with Bilbo. And I guess it’s his leitmotif, but they use that song...A LOT. And not instrumentally, I mean with the goddamn lyrics. Just...tone it down a little, OK? But OK, what about the other music, by Maury Laws? I like it! There are some songs in here that are very catchy, and I might actually get “Down, Down, to Goblin Town” on my playlist. Not that it’s all great, but it works for the setting and for the tone of the movie. And what about the editing? Eh. Visual editing is pretty good, bu7t the sound editing is...it’s 1970s animation editing. Hell, even the Rescuers sound editing wasn’t amazing, when I think about it. It’s fine, but it isn’t great most of the time.

Y’know...I think I can gel with a 76% here.

Yeah, I know, it’s low, but that’s because this movie was...good, but OK. I’m not necessarily saying that it was better or worse than the Jackson movies, because I think they compliment each other in some weird ways. I like Thorin as a character more here, but Smaug MUCH more in the Jackson films. While there definitely don’t need to be three Jackson movies...I’ll admit that I think this one is too short, coming in at only an hour and 18 minutes. And I gotta say, I love the fact that it’s animated...but the live-action films also look fantastic, I can never fault them for how they look (except for Dain...ugh). I think they’re similar, but different, at least for me.

But OK, here’s a question: is it just because it’s a property that I really like, and I have my own internal vision of it, which might be influenced by the live-action films? Entirely a possibility. Watch this movie yourself, make your own score! See what you think. Meanwhile, I’m going to try an experiment.

Fantasy movie, same production company, same directors, same animators, also based off of a fantasy book. And, uh...I dunno, a unicorn, maybe?

March 2, 2021: The Last Unicorn (1982)

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elderbwrry · 3 years

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Even if he doesn't say so - Chapter 2/?

Kylo/Hux/Poe Witcher AU

Chapter summary: The trouble with trinkets is they make people jealous. Or maybe that's just Kylo.

Chapter 1 here, 2 below or on Ao3, 3

Wordcount: 2029

Kylo raised his sword and brought it down fiercely on the horrible carnivorous vines he'd been hired to clear out of the local village's moor edge. The things had already munched their way through a cow and half a sheep, and the villagers were worried a child would be next. Perhaps to his own detriment, Kylo wasn't really all that interested in the reasons why he'd been hired; he was far more interested in the coin he'd get out of the experience, and the opportunity to really let loose some destructive energy.

Of course, Kylo had been trained well in fencing, dagger fighting, stave fighting and in hand to hand combat, but for his typical work, he favoured the longsword. The weight of it felt so right in his hands, the swing of it, the sharp edge or the blunt hit, the way it gleamed red after drawing blood. For most monsters, it worked perfectly well, but even then the necessity to dodge or force down some kind of potion usually took the pleasure out of the pure heft behind it. These vines, however, were easy game. They thrashed, shot out poisonous barbs, but mostly they stayed in one place. That meant Kylo could swipe the metal through them with abandon, and still be assured he'd meet his mark.

He hacked and slashed, let a furore course through his veins and out into his surroundings, over and over and over through whatever fleshy leaf, woody stem, fibrous buds he could reach with metal and intensity. When finally he let his sword drop to trail its point through the under-brush at his side, it was carnage. He went around the area, plunging the blade as deep as it would go into each root stump until he was satisfied that nothing was living, before stalking away from the destruction.

Chest heaving, he found a flat, dry piece of ground and lay down, looking up at the clouds and basking in the feeling of action still tingling through his arms, into his fingers, out into the earth and the air around him. He felt connected – to the ground he was lying on, to the source of his own power, without being worried he was lost in the force of a potion. This was all him.

Back in the village, when they'd described to Kylo what he was out to fight, Hux had listened carefully and given a fancy academic name for the vines. Kylo stuck with the common name, shrugging and standing to head off immediately. Hux had reprimanded him and delayed him until he'd found an anti-toxin potion to order Kylo to take before engaging the things, which Kylo had ignored. Now, looking down at his legs and seeing several barbs sticking out of them, Kylo again heard Hux telling him, “They have poisonous thorns, you know,” in exactly that tone that could piss him off just as much as it could make him want to pounce on Hux and make his annoyance known by ripping a few tunic seams in the process.

Still, the mage was right, as per fucking usual.

Kylo hauled himself up to sit, drew the potion out of a pocket and downed it, picking the barbs out while he waited for it to take effect. The pricks tingled a bit, but it wasn't anything too bad, certainly not to the severity that Hux's wariness had suggested. Though it was nice that he'd given him the potion. It felt like being looked out for.

He let his mind drift to how Hux and Poe would be doing. The mage was likely offering common-sense medical advice to the villagers in the most deadpan delivery possible, or flicking through one of the books he'd brought with him in his seemingly bottomless bags. Poe had been eager to do his usual thing and perform a little in the tavern. His voice was so wonderful, Kylo found himself thinking, the sparkle in his eyes as he reached the punchline of a bawdy tune, and the way he could command a room, tell a story better than anyone else before...

Well, Kylo should be getting back.

He stood, gave the area one last cursory look for any vines he'd missed, and, seeing nothing, turned to go. He was just sheathing his sword when he stopped, eyes catching on a clump of cheerful orange and white flowers which had managed to survive his visit, just on the edge of the carnage.

“Hmm.”

When Kylo returned to the village tavern and gave Poe those same flowers, Poe's face lit up with a smile. “Well, don't I feel special.”

Kylo noticed Hux eyeing them. Shit, had he done something wrong? “They're not poisonous too, are they?” he asked.

Hux seemed to snap out of some kind of reverie. “No, they're... they're just normal flowers. Excuse me,” he stood from the table he was sat at and made for the stairs.

If Kylo didn't know better about Hux's taste in “useless gestures” like flowers, he would have thought he should have brought Hux some as well.

[break]

They stopped at the next city. Kylo wasn't sure they should stay – there were no contracts of the style he took, and, in his opinion, staying pointlessly at a place like this was a recipe for trouble – but Poe wanted to get some supplies and try out a some new material with a more cosmopolitan crowd, and Hux claimed he had someone he wanted to visit, so stay they did.

Hux disappeared off into the bustling crowds early in the morning, and, later, Poe dragged Kylo off to the market. Kylo started to suspect he was only there so that Poe could make him carry things, which would grate on him usually, but he found didn't mind all that much, since it meant he got to spend time with the bard.

Poe was a people person, a fact which Kylo had always known, but it was never so clear as when he was not trying actively to entrance people as he did when performing – somehow not putting it on made it all the more obvious this was just him. He would flash charming grins to the women and manoeuvred through the crowds with an ease Kylo was jealous of.

For his own part, Kylo always felt the need to keep his hood low, to keep out of sight, even going so far as to cast a glamour some witch had taught him years ago. It was a weak thing, but eyes slid off him like water droplets off a bird. With Poe, however, he didn't need it; the man was so magnetic as it was, there was barely anyone who would bother to stare at anyone else. (Kylo included himself in that number.)

Finally, they came to a stand selling all sorts of gold and silver jewellery, pretty trinkets, gemstones on cords. One brooch caught Poe's eye – a dragon. “This is some amazing craftsmanship,” he noted, striking up an easy conversation with the stall keeper. When the man had to tend to another customer, he turned back to Kylo. “I'd love to fly. Do you think I'd be a good dragon?”

“You'd be great,” Kylo told him honestly. He was certain Poe would command the skies, given half the chance, and push back against the hunters until the entire Continent was dragon territory once again. The mental image morphed into one of Poe in front of a victory banner, the name of a great flying lizard no more than an epithet used by the forces he'd become leader of. It was a good look in him; he may not want to be in charge of his home kingdom, but with a cause like that, and people to follow him, he could be formidable. Lost in the daydream of Poe as some kind of dragon king of the skies, Kylo pointed at the brooch. “Do you want to get that?”

Poe looked at it thoughtfully, enough that Kylo could see the conflict in his thoughts. “Nah,” he said eventually, “it's expensive and... I have stuff at home.” He began walking away, and Kylo trailed after him, thinking it was a pity – the brooch would look so wonderful on him. “Maybe I could get Hux to transfigure me or something,” Poe mused, a glint of humour in his eye as Kylo blanched.

“I'm not sure that's how it works...”

“Imagine it though. Flap flap, blagh, I'm a dragon.”

[break]

A day after they left the city, they made their first camp at the edge of a copse. Kylo was checking over his armour while Poe and Hux were sat on a log opposite him, Poe cooking a fowl on the fire and Hux watching him do it. Kylo had let himself fall into a somewhat meditative state as he worked everything over, but a glint of silver and amber across camp hooked him out of it.

Hux had withdrawn a small pouch from his pocket, and withdrawn from that again a brooch. Another second let Kylo confirm – it was the very brooch from the city market. How had he known? Then he was handing it to Poe with a smooth, “I saw this and thought of you.” Bastard.

Poe was speechless for a second. “You shouldn't have,” were the first words out of his mouth.

“Well I can always-”

“No, I'll...” Poe reached to take it from Hux's hand. Kylo's jaw clenched as Poe's fingers lingered for too long. “Thanks, Hux. This is... wow.” He put it on, pinning it over his heart.

“It isn't straight.” Without waiting to be asked, Hux reached up with deft mage's fingers to fix it, smoothing out the fabric more than was necessary. “There.”

The leather armour in Kylo's grip creaked. Poe didn't hear it, but Hux shot him a look and... was that a smirk?

Then it hit Kylo; those flowers he'd given to Poe weeks ago must have made Hux jealous. It did not enter into Kylo's conception that Hux could simply like seeing Poe happy – happiness could be a part of it, certainly, but Hux was too cunning, too driven by ulterior motives for it to be that simple – or that Hux's feeling at seeing Poe like another person's gift could be any different to what Kylo himself was now feeling at seeing the same.

Well, if this was to be a game of one-upmanship, Kylo was sure he'd find a way to win. To make Poe smile like that, run a hand through his curls self-consciously as he now was – Kylo could do that just as well as Hux could. The rest of the evening, his mind was spinning with things he could give to the bard, trinkets of affection he could source the next time they crossed a place which dealt in such things.

The fire burned down and Hux retreated into his tent for the evening, Poe and Kylo settling on their bedrolls. They ended up facing each other, so Kylo, with his Witcher eyes, was not spared the view of Poe's finger fiddling with the brooch as he smiled to himself.

“He shouldn't have got it for me,” Poe mumbled again, as if sensing Kylo's train of thought, “It's probably gonna get broken.” Then, quieter, “I worry enough about whether you two will stay in one piece, I'd rather not worry about tiny things like this as well.”

Kylo thought about that for a minute. “You worry about us?” He couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. Out of all of them, Poe was the one who should be being worried about – Kylo himself was nigh on destructible, and Hux would probably survive anything out of sheer spite, even discounting his magic.

“Shut up,” Poe chuckled.

Kylo watched him smile up blankly at the canopy. And... if Poe could be happy like that without being showered with gifts, if it would please him more to worry about them less, maybe Kylo didn't need to compete with Hux. Perhaps the three of them were good enough as they were.

#darkgingerpilot #armitage hux #kylo ren #poe dameron #kylo/hux/poe #kylux #darkpilot #gingerpilot #my writing #fanfiction #witcher au #fantasy medieval au #star wars #even if he doesn't say so

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randomvarious · 3 years

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Madison Avenue - “Don’t Call Me Baby” The Annual 2000 by Judge Jules & Tall Paul Song released in 1999. Mix released in 2000. House / Dance-Pop / Nu-Disco

***Song starts at 7:19 and ends at 9:50.***

Madison Avenue, the formidable and fleeting Australian duo who achieved worldwide fame, sales, and accolades off of a pair of similar-sounding, fun, and fierce dance-pop club bangers at the turn of the millennium, actually didn’t originally intend for themselves to become just a two-person group. And that might sound a little hard to believe given that the team-up of Andy Van Dorsselaer and Cheyne Coates sounded like golden, mass-appealing kismet, but the two of them actually wanted someone else to sing their songs at first.

Van Dorsselaer, who would become a successful label owner, DJ, remixer, and dance music producer, met Coates, a choreographer and singer, in the early 90s at a Melbourne club where Van Dorsselaer was performing a DJ set. The two would then develop a years-long friendship before finally deciding to make music together, which would see Van Dorsselaer producing the songs, Coates writing the lyrics, and then the both of them trying to find other people to sing the songs that they had formulated.

The first vocalist that Madison Avenue enlisted was a woman named Kellie Wolfgram, who sang on the group’s debut single, “Fly.” Wolfgram was then picked again to provide vocals for their second single, too, 1999’s “Don’t Call Me Baby,” but the plan suddenly changed after Van Dorsselaer and Coates realized that they actually had another singer in mind, one with tons of awe-inspiring spunk and swagger: Cheyne Coates herself.

See, Coates at first had provided a vocal guiding track for Wolfgram so she could get an idea of what Coates and Van Dorsselaer wanted, but Andy and Cheyne soon realized that Cheyne’s own vocals were actually better suited for the track. And you’d think that someone who graced a song with that much attitude and gravitas would’ve been an obvious choice from the get-go, but as it turns out, that simply just was not the case; it took a bit of time for Madison Avenue to realize that what they had had originally was actually quite good enough.

“Don’t Call Me Baby” was then released on Van Dorsselaer’s label, Vicious Vinyl, which had a production and distribution deal with Virgin/EMI Australia at the time. The song became popular in the Aussie clubs, but it was Virgin/EMI who were able to get it to radio, where it then flourished with mainstream pop audiences across the country, launching it to #2 on the charts and eventually triple-platinum status.

However, the song didn’t originally fare so well in the UK. Released in Australia in October 1999, “Don’t Call Me Baby” worked as a spring-and-then-summer hit there, but it was released the following month in the UK, and naturally, they weren’t on that same seasonal vibe as Australia, so while the song did well in the UK clubs, radio decided to pretty much sidestep it.

But then a bootleg that mixed “Don’t Call Me Baby” with “Disco Babes From Outer Space” by Babe Instinct surfaced and received serious play in UK clubs, leading to 15,000 copies sold, which then forced Sony UK’s hand, who had US and UK rights to “Don’t Call Me Baby,” to re-release it. And at that point, UK radio stations were more than willing to play it. The song then went all the way to #1 overall and #2 on the country’s dance chart, while also earning gold status.

And while “Don’t Call Me Baby” proceeded to take much of the rest of Europe by storm with a bunch of top-10 placements, it did not achieve nearly the same fate in the US. It tore up dancefloors across the country and achieved #1 status on Billboard’s dance chart, yes, but it only got to #88 on the Hot 100, which, honestly, kind of feels like a crime! I think if it had been promoted well enough, this jam would’ve killed it in America, but I guess since top 40 radio wasn’t really too much in the business of playing house music in 1999 and 2000, Sony didn’t wanna throw money at a song that a path hadn’t been previously carved for. It’s understandable, but it was also probably dead fucking wrong!

Anyway, this song’s a goddamn bop. For one, Coates’ varying vocalizing is fantastically catchy. It’s not so much the notes that she provides, although her briefly, slightly higher-pitched lines within the chorus that differentiate from her overall tone throughout the rest of the track makes for a subtly killer touch; it’s moreso her changing of pace and how she switches from a free-flowing, sing-songy wateriness in the lines of her pre-chorus, where the last syllable of one line connects seamlessly into the first syllable of the next line, and all within a single breath:

Don’t think that I’m not strong I’m the one to take you on Don’t underestimate me, boy I’ll make you sorry you were born

To a couple lines later, with the much sharper and much more economical, putting-her-foot-down,

Don’t. Call. Me. Baby.

It really is a thing of pop lyric songcraft brilliance.

And on the production side, Van Dorsselaer cobbled together an equally catchy funky house groove by utilizing and re-working a handful of samples from the opening seconds of Pino D'Angiò’s silly 1980 Italo-disco classic, “Ma Quale Idea,” which actually based its bassline off of McFadden & Whitehead’s super popular disco hit, “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.” Van Dorsselaer brought his construction made of samples up to a house music speed, added a 4/4 kick drum, claps, and hats, and then threw in a searing, high-pitched string pad for the chorus. And that string pad goes well with those points when Coates also raises her own vocal tone for that little bit, too. Also, there’s parts in “Ma Quale Idea” where D'Angiò sings at a noticeably rapid-fire pace, and, conceptually, it’s not really all that unlike what Coates does on the pre-chorus of her own song, although Coates’ parts don’t sound nearly as absurd, so I wonder if Madison Avenue got their idea for that speedier delivery from this song that they wound up sampling so liberally 🤔.

Much to my own and what should also be your surprise, Madison Avenue was the first dance act to top the Australian charts (“Who the Hell Are You”) and also the first Australian dance act to top the UK charts as well (“Don’t Call Me Baby”). You’d think that both of those honors would have belonged to Australia’s own undisputed dance-pop queen, Kylie Minogue, but they absolutely do not. Madison Avenue actually got there first, and as far as Aussie dance goes, they completely owned ‘99 and 2000.

“Don’t Call Me Baby” is a song that manages to fit perfectly well on not just a late 90s-early aughts pop playlist, but also a house playlist that spans that same time period. And I don’t think that there’s that many songs from 1999 that you could say that about. I mean, along with its promotion and club success, this song’s inherent dynamism is the reason why it was included on both a bunch of pop comps as well as more dance-focused comps at the turn of the millennium, like Ministry of Sound’s The Annual 2000, which was mixed by Judge Jules and Tall Paul, and appears on Tall Paul’s side of the mix.

This one’s a tremendous tune that more than deserved all the praise, awards, and airplay that it received. Apparently Cheyne Coates grew pretty tired of it not all that long after its release, but I sure as hell haven’t and hopefully you won't either!

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pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer · 3 years

Text

Right of Law, Section XXVI

(The kolhii tournament is about to begin in Civitas Magna, and the arrival of a certain team sparks some controversy. Meanwhile, in Ga-Koro, Kojol receives a visit from one of the last people she ever expected.)

“After a series of heart-stopping qualifier matches, the 8585th District’s Kofo-Jaga have earned the privilege of representing Civitas Magna in this week’s kolhii tournament! The dynamic duo of Bour and Keahi won over hearts from all across the city, stunning us all when…” Tarduk looked up. “Gaaki? You still there?”

The Ga-Matoran snapped to attention. “O-Oh, yeah, sounds good!”

Tarduk set down the paper he was reading from and leaned forward. “C’mon, Gaaki, we’ve got a deadline to meet.”

“Sorry...it’s just hard to focus.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I mean, is this really what should be on the front page? There are much more important things going on.”

“You mean the things we were explicitly told not to write about?”

“Not just those, no. What about that art that’s been circulating? We’re allowed to cover that as long as we don’t make it sound like we sympathize.”

“Perditus is already doing an article on that.”

“He is?”

“Yeah. Page 10.”

Gaaki ran a hand over her mask. “No one reads to page 10…”

“Exactly. Haven’t you figured Ahkmou out yet? He wants to discourage people from buying and selling any suspected Nynrahn art, sure, but he knows that if he puts too much effort into it, people will get curious. A short afterthought of an editorial, though? A casual dismissal like that will plant the idea to avoid it much more effectively.”

Gaaki’s eyes traced a crack in the ceiling.

“Look...I’m not happy about it, but this is the situation we find ourselves in, Gaaki.”

“So we should just play along? Ignore our responsibility to inform the people? Is that right?”

Tarduk sighed. “...It sure doesn’t feel right. But what would we accomplish if we made a push right now? We’d disappear, and the Chronicle would carry on as is--the people would be no better off.”

A long silence passed.

“We may be in a position to do some good...but if so, we’re only likely to get one good shot. Aim carefully, Gaaki.”

The Ga-Matoran veered to one side. Her attempts at forming a response were abandoned when the door swung open, letting in a frantic-looking De-Matoran wearing a Hau. He rushed across the room, stopping only when Gaaki rose from her seat to say, “Woah, slow down there! What’ve you got, Krakua?”

“I was at the wall,” the other Matoran panted, “interviewing teams as they arrived...the Mahri-Nui Hydruka showed up…”

Tarduk leaned back in his chair. “Oh, that does sound like a scoop. From what I hear they almost weren’t approved to participate.”

Krakua waved his hands. “It’s even bigger than that! Hahli and Dekar are here, as expected, but Dekar’s the substitute! They’ve got Hewkii on the team now!”

Everyone looked up from their desks. Gaaki gaped a moment before asking, “From the Atero Scarabax? That Hewkii?”

“Exactly! I’ve got to run this interview by the editor right away!”

Krakua took off once again. Tarduk glanced at Gaaki, who remained perfectly still, eyes practically bulging out of her mask. Time seemed to freeze in the newsroom as everyone collectively held their breath, until the silence was shattered by footsteps coming through the open door. Gaaki was first to see who it was, and immediately returned to her seat, the shock on her face now mixed with copious dread.

“Slow news day,” Ekimu said, tools jangling in his apron pockets as he strode across the floor.

“I am certain they are merely stunned by your arrival, Lord Ekimu,” Yarion said, the scuffs on their armor still faintly visible despite its recent polish. “We are all humbled by your presence.”

At the back of the room, another door opened; Krakua quietly slinked out, and behind him stormed Ahkmou. The Turaga froze mid-step when he noticed the Great Being.

“Ah, Lord Ekimu,” he said, quickly smoothing out his disposition. “It is an honor to meet you in person at last.”

“Something’s wrong,” Ekimu said. It was not a question.

“Ah...not to trouble you, my lord, but I did just receive some concerning news. It seems that someone with ties to Xia has arrived as part of the Mahri-Nui kolhii team. I was just on my way to deal with the issue.”

Ekimu inclined his head. Turning towards Krakua, he said, “You saw this?”

“Y-Yes, my lord,” Krakua answered. “Hewkii from the Scarabax--”

“I’ll have him detained at once, Lord Ekimu,” Ahkmou said. “Please, there’s no need to worry yourself over the matter.”

Ekimu’s head swiveled back to regard Ahkmou. “I don’t worry.”

“O-Oh, of course.”

“Leave him be.”

Ahkmou raised an eyebrow. “...Ah...not to question you, but are you sure, my lord? I have it on good authority that Hewkii assisted in defending the rebel-held Xia against Atero, and we already had some suspicions toward Mahri-Nui. This is probably a rebel ploy.”

“I don’t care.” Ekimu walked forward. “I came to watch a tournament. Make a mask for the winner. Cause a stir now, and it may as well be cancelled. And what’s the worst he can do? Talk? Who’s gonna listen when I’m here?”

Ahkmou bowed. “Excellent point, Lord Ekimu. Please forgive my rudeness.”

Ekimu passed the Turaga, saying, “Have Vamprah keep an eye on him. Find out what he knows. After the tournament, I’ll take him back to the Maze.”

“Of course, my lord.” Ahkmou nodded to Yarion, who walked back outside. Running after Ekimu, he said, “Now then, on to other matters!”

They disappeared into Ahkmou’s office. Tarduk looked again to Gaaki, who was staring hard at the paper in front of her. Quietly, he repeated, “Aim carefully.”

Gaaki locked eyes with him. “I will.”

***

Dekar carefully peeked through the blinds. Nothing stood out as suspicious, but it was hard to pick out faces in the large crowd gathered outside the hotel.

“Please stop checking every few minutes,” Hahli said. “You’re driving me crazy.”

“Sorry,” he said as he stepped away from the window. “Just a little on-edge.”

“I understand. But if someone was coming for us, I’m sure we’d know.”

Hewkii lay on one of the beds, casually tossing a kolhii ball up and down. “Be at ease, friends. If we’ve made it this far, I doubt we have anything to fear.”

“Is everyone from Atero so laid-back?” Dekar asked, tone flat as the pavement outside.

“Dekar,” Hahli mumbled.

Hewkii sat up. “Oh...sorry, maybe it looks like I’m not taking this seriously.”

“No, no, we know you are. But...how are you able to stay so calm?”

“I guess I’m just a little more prepared for being surrounded by enemies. Not that Atero’s forces see that much battle, but I imagine it’s more than Mahri-Nui’s used to.”

Dekar crossed his arms. “You’d be surprised. If this is how you approach battle, I’m amazed you’ve survived this long.”

“Hm? You’re a warrior?”

“A hunter, at least. I also spend a lot of time surrounded by things that want me dead.”

Hewkii hopped to his feet, gently tossing the kolhii ball to Dekar. “I see! That must be exciting work!”

Dekar caught the ball in one hand, instantly stopping all its momentum. “It’s necessary work. I wouldn’t call it ‘exciting’.”

Hewkii frowned. Turning to Hahli, he said, “So, what is it you do when you’re not playing kolhii?”

“Oh, a little of everything,” Hahli said. “Errands, deliveries, even hunting with Dekar every now and then.”

“Not really sure what it is you want to do?”

“Well…I’ve always been curious about reporting, but, there isn’t much need for that on an island as small as Mahri-Nui.”

“Is that so? Need or not, you could always give it a try.”

Dekar shot the ball straight back at Hewkii, the other Toa bouncing it off his chest, rolling it down his arm, and then spinning it atop one finger. Unimpressed, Dekar said, “If you know something isn’t necessary, then doing it anyway is a waste of time. Time you could spend doing something else.”

Hewkii tilted his head. “...You have quite the work ethic, Dekar. I’m a bit jealous!”

“Is playing kolhii ‘necessary’, Dekar?” Hahli asked. “You need to have fun every once in a while.”

Dekar’s arms crossed once again. “I need something to occupy myself. Kolhii at least keeps me in good physical shape. It’s practical.”

Hahli rolled her eyes. “Oh, alright.”

Hewkii began juggling the ball with his foot. “Dekar my friend, I think it would benefit you to relax a bit. Once this is over, I’d be happy to lend you a hand.”

“There’s no guarantee any of us will be alive when this is over,” Dekar said. “Have you forgotten? Did you even understand that risk when you agreed?”

Hewkii balanced the ball on his toe. “I understand, and I haven’t forgotten. But what’s the harm in a little optimism? Plans falling through is better than seeing a day you never planned for, I think.”

“I’ll stay focused on the present.”

Finally, Hewkii set the ball down, resting his foot atop it. “...You don’t like being a part of this operation, do you Dekar?”

Dekar paused. “Honestly? I think it’s a bad idea. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have agreed to come.”

“It was up to you. You were given a choice in whether you wanted to come or not.”

“Hm...I guess I should say ‘if it were just about me’. But it isn’t. Mahri-Nui has allied with Zaekura, so we all have a responsibility to do what we can to make her vision a reality.” His voice dropped a bit. “It’s a good vision.” Returning to normal volume, he finished, “I’m prepared to do my part, whether I think it’s the best move or not.”

Hewkii grinned. “I understand now. You’re a good Toa, Dekar.”

Dekar grumbled something, going to throw himself onto a bed. Hahli said, “Well, I like the plan. Not everyday you get to save the world with kolhii, right?”

Hewkii laughed.

“I’m prepared for whatever might happen. Hearing about what you saw in Xia made me ready to fight.”

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Hewkii approached, asking, “Who is it?”

“Garan.”

Hewkii’s face lit up. Opening the door, he said, “Garan! I’m so glad to--”

He was greeted by a punch directly to the mask. Stepping inside, Garan asked, “What do you think you’re doing here?”

Dekar and Hahli leapt forward, each grabbing one of Garan’s shoulders. “We should ask you that,” Dekar said.

“Ow…” Hewkii rubbed his jaw. “I see you haven’t gone soft at your new desk job!”

“Why did they let you in?” Garan asked. “Your treachery isn’t a secret, Hewkii. It’s only a matter of time until you get shipped straight to the Maze.”

“Well, if this is going to be my last game of kolhii, you’d better make it a good one.”

Garan glared at him in silence for a few seconds.

“Please, Garan--”

“Why? Why did you have to betray us?”

Hewkii shook his head. “I didn’t choose to fight against you, Garan. I chose to fight for the people.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Don’t you know?”

Garan huffed. He took a step back, shaking himself free of Hewkii’s teammates’ grips. “The people will only be safe once Zaekura’s defeated. So I’m going make that happen as quickly as possible.”

Hewkii gave a single, slow nod. “So that’s what you think.”

“What else can I think? That it’s possible to defy the Great Beings? That a system that’s controlled this planet for a hundred thousand years can just come toppling down, and that no one will suffer in the process? You’re all just causing pointless chaos--can’t you see that?!”

He waited a long time for an answer. Finally, Hewkii said, “I doubt there’s anything I can say that you haven’t already heard, Garan. Let’s get some rest for tomorrow, alright? Play well.”

Garan left without another word.

***

Using her powers of Magnetism, Kojol gently raised a new Peace banner, the old, weathered one now in a pile in the corner. As she set it in place, she heard someone enter the cathedral. She paid them no mind as she made sure the decoration was aligned properly.

“Kojol.”

She blinked. Turning, she confirmed what she thought she had heard. “Hmph...seems there truly is a first time for everything.”

Gorast growled, taking a seat in one of the pews. “That how you treat your visitors?”

“You’re a special exception. Isn’t that how you prefer it?”

“Pfeh. You’re one to talk.”

“Much as I enjoy catching up, Gorast, why don’t you simply tell me why you’re here?”

Gorast eyed the Suva at the center of the room. “...I don’t really know. I was just passing by.”

“Then, if you’ll excuse me.” Kojol continued replacing the banners.

After a very long pause, Gorast said, “I never liked you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Kojol said, not slowing in her work.

“You always ignored what the Great Beings wanted and did things your own way. I could never understand that. We exist to serve them.”

“Perhaps. The way I look at things, I have a more specific role--not that it need clash with the will of the Great Beings.”

“But you’re harboring rebels. That idiot reporter interviewed Zaekura right here, didn’t he?”

“I am merely carrying out my role as I understand it. Aren’t you doing the same?”

Gorast dug her claws into the pew in front of her. “Don’t give me that! The will of the Great Beings is absolute, not something you can twist however you want!”

Casting a glance over her shoulder, Kojol said, “Such narrow thinking. Are you wholly dependent on the Great Beings, unable to make any decision for yourself?”

“I don’t need to decide for myself!” She slowly rose to her feet. “You may think you know better than the Great Beings, but I’m not that stupid!”

Kojol beat her staff against the floor. “Calm yourself at once! This is a place of peace, and I shall see it remains so!”

“Hah! You really think you could stop me?”

“You may be a peerless warrior, Gorast, but even you could not face down the whole of Ga-Koro single-handedly.”

Gorast clicked her claws together. “You sound awfully sure of that.”

“Are you prepared to learn why?”

They held each other’s gaze for a minute. Then, Gorast snarled and turned aside. “You all sicken me. I’m the only one who deserves the title of Makuta.”

“You are certainly the only one who views it the way you do. You’re like a child, proudly ignorant of the outside world, clinging to your parent’s leg so you cannot miss a single of their acts to perfect your mimicry. At least the child does not know anything else.”

Gorast whirled. “What did you say?!”

“I’ve no intention to repeat myself.” Kojol returned to work. “Will you be staying long?”

“...I need to escort Lord Ekimu back to the Maze in a few days. Maybe I should just stay here until then.”

“Very well. I hope you enjoy your stay.”

Gorast paused. “You’d really let me stay?”

“Of course. Ga-Koro welcomes all.”

She wished she had an answer, but she couldn’t even process what she was being told. With a low grumble, Gorast sat back down, angrily watching Kojol work as she waited for some kind of retort to come. As she waited, many came and went, offering prayers at the Suva or briefly conversing with Kojol about something--they all seemed wary of Gorast, but none were deterred by her presence. She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about that. Eventually, she got up and left the cathedral; she was only just down its steps when she bumped into a Guurahk wearing a beret.

“Oh...Makuta Gorast,” he said. “W-What a surprise…”

Gorast sneered. “It talks...one of Bitil’s, I take it?”

“Ah...yes. My name is Ulwin.”

“I don’t care.”

Ulwin nodded and turned to leave.

“...Wait.”

Ulwin stopped, half-turning to face her. “Yes?”

“Is Bitil here?”

“No, he isn’t.”

“...And you’re willing to tell me that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Gorast clenched her fists. “One of your enemies is right here. Doesn’t that worry you?”

Ulwin glanced up the steps for a second. “...It does, yes. But I know that I’m safe here.”

Some unfamiliar emotion pulled at Gorast. Ignoring it, she said, “You really think Kojol cares enough to protect you? Bitil’s the only one who can stand you mutant slugs. I’m surprised you’d go anywhere without him.”

Ulwin’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I admit...it has been difficult. And we knew it would be--that’s certainly part of why we were always so reluctant to leave father’s side. But, slowly, people are coming to understand us, to accept us. Makuta Kojol has welcomed us just as she would any other, and I have complete faith that she would protect us as any other. We’ve come to realize we don’t have to be dependent on father forever.”

For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, Gorast felt a sickly flame rising within her.

“I quite look forward to venturing to other cities, getting to know more people. I look forward to the safer world Zaekura is fighting for.”

“Zaekura,” Gorast spat. “She won’t win.”

Ulwin shrugged. “I suppose we shall see. Good day, Makuta.”

He made his way into the cathedral, leaving Gorast to stew. Just as she was about to take her anger out on whatever was within reach, Kojol emerged, eyes immediately locking onto her. Gorast hesitated. And that made her disgusted in herself.

No...I won’t be swayed, she thought, turning and walking off. I’m only holding back because the Great Beings told me too.

Her thoughts shifted to Ulwin.

Stupid slug. Rahkshi aren’t meant to talk back. Everyone...just keeps stepping out of line.

The crowds parted as Gorast made her way down the street, not a single soul eager for the misfortune of getting in her way. She barely noticed.

But I won’t. I’ll stay loyal, even if I am the only real Makuta left. Questions and doubts are for the weak. I won’t give into that weakness.

#Bionicle #fanfiction #Melding Universe #Right of Law

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nate-santos · 3 years

Text

What the Fox?! || Nate & Amaranth

TIMING: Present

PARTIES: @amaranthzhang @nate-santos

SUMMARY: Nate helps out one of his not so regular regulars.

Nate had a hard time getting up this morning. He knew he had to brave the outside world, and he honestly wasn’t ready. If what Jacob said was true, he definitely didn’t get enough sleep and would therefore be way more likely to see some crazy which immediately sent Nate spiraling. He tried to do some breathing exercises which helped him calm down long enough to at least put on all his cold weather clothes, but as soon as he stepped outside, the anxiety was back in full force, washing over him like a tidal wave. He kept his eyes down and made a beeline for the shop, only pausing for a moment here and there to wave an eye contactless hello to the few neighbors he passed. Unfortunately he was still able to see his neighbor, Niamh’s, hooves peeking out under her winter coat. Jogging the rest of the way, he scrambled through the door of Fondante’s Inferno and closed his eyes, his body sagging against the familiar counter. He made it. Just one day, he thought. Just get through the pick ups today and you can go home and snuggle Pierre and forget all the nightmares you’re having. Just as his heart rate started slowing back down to a reasonable rate, the door chimed, signaling the first customer of the day.

While Amaranth and others were capable of baking whatever they wanted, they didn’t always have immediate access to the ingredients and some ingredients just weren’t sold in town and Amaranth wasn’t about to head to a big city. If she was craving something, she wanted it then and there… hence her own store opening. Also why she was going to make sure she was among the first customers when the store opened. That... and she had already placed an order of Chinese sausage rolls. So it worked that she got there early. The less she had to spend in a room with humans the better. Of course she couldn’t really tell if someone was human or not but she was better off assuming they were until she was happily proved wrong (or maybe not so happily). As she frequented the bakery she now recognized the back of the head as belonging to the owner. Greeted with a chime, she headed toward the counter. “Good morning.” She only glanced at him briefly, not even meeting his eyes. Even just setting foot into the place she was already overly warmed by the heat of it and couldn’t help but slightly unbutton her coat for a moment. “I’m here for a pick up.” She informed him as her eyes dropped to the display case looking to see what else he had.

Nate had heard the chime, he knew someone had entered, but he still jumped a bit at the sound of her voice. It was familiar, though. This particular customer was always a bit standoffish, a bit proper, but it never bothered him. She was polite, she had good taste, and he was happy to help her. Rubbing his eyes, Nate turned and donned his best customer service smile. “Hello! You had the uh...Chinese sausage ro-” He froze, his eyes landing on the woman‘s shadow. In the dim light of the shop, Nate could make out a distinct shadow that was distinctly not human looking. His heart hammered in his chest and he forced himself to look up at the woman he’d seen come through so many times. She looked more or less the same, but her eyes...they were a vivid purple and distinctly inhuman. Her edges shimmered a vibrant purple, the color rolling off her skin in what looked like tendrils of flame. Nate shook his head, rubbing his eyes once more. “S-sorry...I- haven’t quite woken up just yet!” He spun back to the counter and rummaged through some of his orders, not even registering what names were on each one. “L-lemme just find y-your order…”

His change in tone caused Amaranth’s eyes to dart to him, brows furrowing in concern disguised as annoyance (like she would ever be concerned about anyone she believed to be human). Something was wrong and she wasn’t quite sure what it was. Sure, she was intimidating but… this was strange. She looked over her shoulder, half-expecting someone or something to be there but there was nothing there. No one. She wasn’t wearing anything provocative. It was still winter out there after all and she wasn’t going to look too out of place and draw more than usual attention to herself? Hm. What could be bothering him? “It should be under A or Z. Amaranth Zhang.” She offered not sure if he alphabetized by first name or last name. Either way it made his search that much easier. Start from the bottom or from the top. “Is there any fresh sweetheart cake?” She didn’t have time for him to recuperate from whatever spell he was having and needed to know the answer to her question.

Nate’s hands shook their way through the orders, finding the name he needed. He plucked it up and turned slowly, his eyes staying locked on the box. “S-sorry, yeah here you are Miss Zhang!” He held out the package and let his eyes wander back up to the woman’s face, as if not looking for a minute would have changed anything. Just like his hooved neighbor, his pastry regular retained her new look. He smiled, hoping it didn’t look too pained. “Sweetheart cake! Yes! We uh- just a second and I’ll grab the fox- box!! The box- of the cake... How much did you need?”

Amaranth kept a watchful eye on him noticing how odd he was acting. Even as he looked up at her. “Thank you.” She took the box, opening up to take a look at them. Yep, the fenodyree would be pleased. They found cut up sausages reminded them of toes and that seemed to keep them sated for the time being. She was lucky she was able to get out of the house without one of them chasing after her wanting to come along. They really didn’t know personal boundaries sometimes but Amaranth hardly showed any sign of being bothered. She closed the box as he spoke out to her and she tried to think how many she should take. Everyone would be fighting for them. “Two dozen.” She asked, knowing it would be long gone by the afternoon. She checked the case again, seeing if there was anything that called out to her. Her hand went to her mouth in thought. She hadn’t heard anyone else come in so she didn’t feel guilty about taking some more time. Maybe he needed it to calm down because he seemed to have drank too much coffee this morning. He was very nervous and Amaranth would have thought some of the intimidation would have worn off after her frequent visits. She had never given him any reason to be nervous around her.

Nate let out a weird “Yea-hngh-” type sound of affirmation and went into the back to grab some boxes. This wasn’t real. He gripped the edge of the counter and squeezed his eyes shut, praying that he could go back out there and the nice woman, who might be a bit proper and standoffish but otherwise perfectly nice, wouldn’t have the flickering edges of purple fire or a distinctly canine shadow. He needed to get it together. But wasn’t this why he was taking some time to himself? Working from home instead of making deliveries or working the counter? Why he was going to some holistic healer to do sleep studies? As if he’d ever had a dream about a purple fox person before. After a few steadying breaths, Nate grabbed the stack of boxes and headed back out, noticing Ms. Zhang looking over the case. “We have some fresh as fresh can be Sticky Sugar Butterflies,” he mentioned as he packed up her sweetheart cakes. “Just the way my aunties used to make them.” Nate smiled at the memory, calming down for the slightest of moments.

Amaranth looked to Nate as he spoke up and then thought about it. She’d be carrying quite a few boxes home but that wouldn’t be so bad. His mention of his family convinced her. She was a sucker for family memories. “Are they better than your aunties?” Amaranth asked, only teasing and hoped her remark would be taken as such even if she wasn’t giving a full on smile with her words. It was hard talking to people who she didn’t know were human or not. It was stressful feeling like they would - at a moment’s notice just betray you when you least expect it, when you finally decide to let a guard down, they’ll ruin it. They’ll ruin you. “I’ll take half a dozen please. And that’ll be it, you can ring me up.” She told him knowing she would have to wrap it up soon. She couldn’t take up all his time… and she couldn’t take all of his sweets home, as much as she might crave it so. But it would be a nice thing to enjoy with her family and that was what mattered to her the most. Even if she had to interact with humans every so often.

Nate set down the stack of boxes and walked over to the case, pulling out the tray of butterflies. “H-Hah! Of course not!” His laugh came out nervous and jittery, but that might have been more from the comment itself. If his aunties ever heard him claiming to make better anything than them, he’d be in for a stern talking to. Not to mention a force feeding session to prove who made the better pastries. Nate smiled to himself. He missed his aunties. He missed family gatherings. He missed being able to look at people and not worry what he might see. “But if you promise not to tell anyone,” he whispered conspiratorially. “They are definitely better than my aunties’.” He grinned and set about packing the rest of her order, making sure to avoid eye contact. “Now you gotta let me know how you like everything next time you come in, okay?” It was easier to pretend to be normal when he wasn’t looking at the woman.

Family was such a softening topic for Amaranth, especially when it was full of fondness. “I assure you, your secret is safe with me.” She said with a lightness in her tone, one would even think she said it for a smile, but if you looked, wouldn’t see much more than a pair of gentle eyes. Thankfully for Amaranth, he didn’t seem keen on looking her in the eyes. She pulled the boxes closer to her as he packed them up and then reached into her purse to pull out cash. She could never seem to figure out prices for things. It was always so confusing. That said, she always kept a hefty amount of cash on her as a result. Pulling out a few 20 dollar bills, she prepared for the total, making sure to keep enough for the tip jar that was nearby. Tips were another strange thing but she tried not to think too hard on it. “I will be sure to inform you of my opinion.” Amaranth assured with a nod. His pastries were always excellent and she was sure he was aware of that but if he would like a little ego boost, she supposed she could oblige.

#what the fox #amaranth1 #wickedswriting #short and sweet

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lewa358 · 3 years

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Game Retrospective: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Note: this post contains vague spoilers.

Screw it, I love horror games now.

I was always a bit of a coward growing up. I remember refusing to watch the first Harry Potter flick because the three-headed doggo in the trailer scared me too much. But I’m much older now, and with that age came maturity--at least, enough maturity to slap on a VR headset t creep through a dilapidated old house filled with people and monsters that want to do god knows what to me.

So I’ve beaten this. My second RE game after 4 (third if you count Leon A as beating REmake 2), though I played quite a bit of the first Revelations before the final boss decided to be obnoxious, and that shitty version of RE1. But that doesn’t really go into how brave I’ve become, at least when it comes to experiencing horror media.

See, most RE games are silly nonsense. Gory, dark, and powerfully atmospheric, sure—but also remorselessly goofy. Be it the hokey FMVs and voice acting of the first game, Claire’s silly outfit in the third, the demon Napoleon Bonaparte in the fourth, or the gonzo action gameplay and frenetic pacing of Revelations, this franchise has only rarely be truly horrifying. Don’t misunderstand: these games can absolutely be scary as hell when they want to. But the tone of the series as a whole has veered more towards the silly than the scary, especially after 4.

Which is why 7 felt so radically different. Damn near all of the earlier games’ inherent goofiness suddenly vanished, and instead we have a story of a guy trapped in a house with insane, seemingly cannibalistic freaks that refuse to die. The rooms ooze with grotesque detail, and the story is told in cutscenes that are as serious and polished in their animation and delivery as any western game. The whole thing is in first-person as well!

The gameplay is a nice change as well. What I really liked about RE2’s remake is that, in terms of level design, it felt halfway between an adventure game and a Metroidvania. You had to explore and backtrack across a cramped, claustrophobic environment to collect items that are used in other rooms to solve puzzles and explore more of the environment. Unlike an adventure game, these “puzzles” are usually relatively simple, but unlike a Metroidvania, the items rarely granted you extra abilities. And unlike in either genre, you had to carefully manage inventory space, ensuring that you had enough room for both key items and gameplay stuff like ammunition, weapons, and healing items.

And there’s also the enemies. Strong, brutal enemies, but the most reliable way to kill them is to use your incredibly limited ammunition, so simply running from them is a legitimate strategy.

I like that general design, and it’s here in RE7—mostly.

See, RE7 barely has normal enemies. For the first 6-ish hours of the game, your only opponents (with like 2 exceptions) are the Bakers--fully fleshed-out NPCs who are either completely unkillable or tied to a boss fight. This honestly works very well—it ensures that the enemies you fight are genuinely intimidating. That first house is horribly creepy, with fantastic detail crammed everywhere, and quite a lot of fiendishly creative tricks played on our woeful protagonist.

But after a while the game gleefully reconstructs the previous games’ approach, and honestly I liked that too. The game is great at both slow-paced, spooky exploration and relatively linear gunslinging, so I welcomed the change, especially given how hard the first half of the game was, and how satisfying the guns were to fire. And those boss fights are brilliant! Chainsaw duel! Running a guy over with a car in his own garage! Whatever the hell Jack was, with the upside-down head!

Now all this is great on a flat screen…but in VR, it’s a completely different beast. Being able to look around the Baker mansion and its related areas by moving your actual neck, and seeing it all in stereoscopic 3D, is wonderfully and disturbingly immersive. Being able to aim by looking at enemies is also a blast. It fully confirmed that VR is my favorite way to play games like this…even if the implementation here is drowning in caveats:

The resolution and other graphical capabilities of PSVR are extremely limited. This isn’t a problem in graphically simple games like SUPERHOT VR or games designed from the ground up for the platform like Astro Bot (which is still my favorite VR game)—but in a game as intricately detailed as RE7, you run into a lot of problems. All the character models look janky, with jagged edges and other limited details. Still incredibly immersive, but the issues are there.

As mentioned, you aim with your neck (or, in other words, moving the headset) rather than pointing a controller. The former is fine, but the latter would be much more immersive, and allow me to shoot without looking at these hideous beasts. There is, of course, no support for the Move or Aim controllers. Playing with the standard PS4 controller works perfectly fine, and aiming with my neck is definitely better than aiming with the control stick (or, dare I say it, a mouse), but it’s an odd choice that few VR games make.

Many times, the game switches from in-engine cinematics to pre-rendered ones. The former work in VR…but the latter do not. This is intended to be a subtle switch, but it’s jarringly obvious in VR, since it suddenly goes from a full immersive environment to a flat screen. This has the effect of lessening the impact of some twists and scripted sequences, especially in the final boss fight.

Despite how seriously the game takes itself, I was never truly horrified like I was with, say, SOMA. The game never really dives into any deep, thematically resonant territory—at least, not themes so simplistic, or maybe just subtle, that I dismissed them outright. It’s just Spooky House With Kooky Killers, The Game. There’s nothing really wrong with that, but I honestly feel like it should be more. The game is so damn good at being a Spooky House game, and does it so artfully, that I feel that something deeper should be easy for the game’s writers.

Like, what is there? Parental abandonment? You can’t really claim that’s a theme when the “parent” is an evil creator and manager of B.O.W.s and the “child” is an explicitly insane eldritch abomination. Those things completely ruin any chance of the story working as an allegory.

But still a great game besides that.

Game notes:

Developer/Publisher: Capcom

Time to beat: about 10 hours

Got Ending 1, normal difficulty, playing mostly in VR

Header image from the game’s Steam page; other images are screenshots from the game’s PC “Beginning Hour” Demo (and thus are not representative of how the game looked when I played it, especially in VR).

#gaming #video game #game retrospective #Resident Evil #Biohazard #Resident Evil 7 #RE7

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mobius-prime · 4 years

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234. Sonic the Hedgehog #166

DON'T. PANIC. I know. It's back. Don't worry too much though - it only lasts for two issues, so even if you detest this AU with all your heart and soul you only have to deal with it for a couple days. To be perfectly honest, I don't actually find the plot of this installment of Mobius 25 Years Later to be that much more interesting than the previous one. I find everyone to be a little too out of character, for one thing. However, it does at the very least provide a bit of closure to a story that was left wiiide open previously, so there's that.

Mobius 25 Years Later (Part One): Tempus Fugit

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley Colors: Jason Jensen

Last time on Mobius 25 Years Later, we left off with the timeline seeming to dissolve and rip itself apart while Sonic went back in time to fix the temporal and spatial instabilities of Mobius. Well, he fixed the threat of time coming to an end all right, but in the process somehow caused the timeline to skew wildly from how it was previously. In this new future, Shadow is a brutal and ruthless dictator, worship of Maria as an angelic guardian figure is officially sanctioned by his government, the Chaotix patrol the streets headed by King Shadow's chief enforcer Knuckles, and perhaps most bizarrely of all, Sally is married to Shadow as his queen. I have to note here that no explanation is given at all for how the timeline could have gotten messed up so badly - like, it doesn't really say anything about Sonic destabilizing specific events in the past, he just did something apparently, and stuff got messed up as a result. I'm personally not a fan at all of the idea of Shadow becoming so brutal like this, because it's just so out of character for who he's shown to become in the games (and in the comics coming up in a few issues), but at the very least there's the potential excuse of oh, well, this is a timeline where he didn't discover his true purpose in life and thus got led astray by darker influences or whatever. Regardless, things are very bad, and now Tails is on the scene, trying to figure out a way to fix it.

You see, he actually is able to remember the old timeline due to some kind of protective armband, and knows that this one isn't right. So he decides to go about recruiting some of his old allies to fix things, first starting with Knuckles. He walks in as Knuckles is instructing Lara-Su in her Guardian abilities, and Knuckles, once he realizes why Tails is here, ushers his daughter out grimly so they can talk alone. Tails tries to get Knuckles to listen to him, explaining that he took measures to protect himself, his wife Mina (remember? They got married in this timeline) and their kids from the time shift, and that he knows that everyone who was near the time machine when it freaked out still has memories of the other timeline. This merely pisses Knuckles off for some reason, and he yells at Tails to get out before he arrests him. Tails leaves the room dejectedly, but Lara-Su cheekily tries to cheer him up outside the door, clearly having overheard everything.

I already like this version of Lara-Su way better than the old one. The old one was weirdly whiny and selfish, while this one is immediately more assertive and ready to jump into action. As this is going on, we move to the dungeons beneath "Castle Mobius," where King Shadow is currently carrying out a rather… rough interrogation of Rotor, who's chained up to a wall. Shadow curtly acknowledges Rotor's strength of will in not "cracking" yet (it's not explained what information exactly he's trying to get out of him, but we can assume it relates to the timeline shift), and tells him he knows he will break eventually and leaves - and who is outside the cell to greet him but Lien-Da? She's apparently the one who captured Rotor for him, and she too remembers the old timeline, thanks to Cobar - we finally find out what she did when she confronted Rotor and Cobar back then!

Yeah, really don't like this version of Shadow. The juxtaposition of worshipping Maria as a gentle protective goddess, and Shadow's use of brutal torture tactics and authoritarianism is kind of… bizarre. A Legion mook runs up with information that Lara-Su has joined up with Tails, and Shadow orders Lien-Da to contact Knuckles to conduct an arrest of the two. Meanwhile, the two in question have managed to find Sonic, bedraggled and sitting next to a bunch of trash in a back alley, looking pretty awful. He, of course, is the same Sonic from the old timeline who went back to "fix" everything, and is horrified at how everything has turned out in this version of the future. It's once again worth noting that he sheds a few tears here, especially because this is around the time Sega started interfering more in the comics to make sure things were portrayed to their liking. There's a sketch version of the below page floating around somewhere showing Sonic crying substantially more than he is in the final product, which honestly, I don't know why Sega felt they had to force the artists to tone it back here, because I think if there's any circumstance where a normally cheerful and stoic person might truly lose it, it's losing their two children forever to the abyss of time.

Lara-Su urges the others to get up so they can go defeat King Shadow and save the day, but a sudden blinding light engulfs them. Sure enough, it's Knuckles, backed by what looks like half of Portal's police force, telling the three of them to surrender immediately as they're under arrest for treason…

The Chaotix Connection

Writer: R. Chacon and Ian Flynn Pencils: J. Axer Colors: Jason Jensen

This story is a bit bizarre - for one, it opens with a shot of Knuckles tied up and apparently coming to after being knocked out, only to immediately pull back a full day to show us what led up to this moment. That's a perfectly legitimate storytelling tactic, but it has to be done right for it to work, dammit, and the execution here is mostly just awkward and confusing. And for another, though someone is listed as the letterer for this story, very little of it is actually hand-lettered - the vast majority of it is machine-lettered. Seriously, out of the dozens and dozens of speech bubbles in this one story, which takes up half the issue's page span, only seven are hand-lettered (yes, I counted). I'm really not sure why this would be, nor why they bothered actually having someone letter only seven speech bubbles in the entire story when a computer was apparently doing that job perfectly well, but oh well. Anyway, here's the rundown - yesterday in Station Square, Rouge (sporting her Heroes getup) was snooping around for any juicy information when she got her hands on a nice little tidbit - namely, that Renfield T. Rodent is back. Remember him?

Aw, it's nice to see Sally and Sonic actually joking around with and teasing each other a bit. Things have been so frosty between them for so long, I forgot how nice it is to just see them being sweet and silly. The next day, Renfield's foreman oversees a delivery of slot machines to the new casino while Renfield himself watches from behind a screen, still sporting his capitalist tycoon grin and definitely seeming very shady as he talks to himself about putting on a grand show with this new scheme. The Chaotix and Rouge all arrive at the venue, and Rouge and Julie-Su nearly come to blows when Rouge insinuates that her only reason for coming is to show Knuckles that she's "gone legit." Knuckles breaks up the fight before it begins, and the group is let in early when they bluff to the guards that Renfield is expecting a meeting with them. They agree to split up and search for anything suspicious, checking in every few minutes to make sure none of them goes missing. Knuckles heads off on his own, and soon discovers an elevator that takes him to a secure room where the foreman is discussing the shipment with the help. When he hears Eggman's name mentioned, Knuckles knows this operation is rigged, so he leaps into action and begins to fight everyone present… alone. Seriously, man, couldn't have waited one whole minute to call in your backup? Speaking of the backup, Mighty in particular has decided it's prudent to check the food given what happened last time, while several of the others go for the slot machines as customers begin to file in.

Gotta love Mighty - no time to test anything scientifically, let's just shove potentially poisoned food into our mouths and see if we pass out! Knuckles, upstairs, finishes punching out the mooks and goes for the foreman, but when his fist makes a clanging noise against his nose he realizes that he's one of Eggman's auto-automatons. Things only get worse when said auto-automaton punches back, knocking him clean out. While the foreman ties him up and calls Renfield, Rouge, Vector, and Espio all check the slots, noticing that people seem to be acting weird while playing them. Sure enough, one glance at a screen later, the three of them are hypnotized as well. Knuckles wakes up with Renfield gloating over him, and naturally the rat immediately launches into a villainous monologue about how Eggman is paying him to use his fake slot machines to scan the brains of the patrons, allowing him to turn that data into a blueprint for what basically amounts to a Terminator. In fact, the whole casino is built on top of a factory that will start spitting out robots the moment the scans upload! Suddenly, the writers realize in horror that they only have two more pages to wrap this plot up, and so they go into overdrive figuring out a way to solve it in this limited amount of space.

I love the idea that Mighty just casually crunched up a whole factory and carried it around with him just to prove a point here. The police show up out of nowhere to arrest a fuming Renfield, and Julie-Su and Mighty explain that they knew something was wrong when Knuckles didn't check in, and even more hilariously, apparently on their way up here they just randomly passed the factory and Mighty was like "Yo, that doesn't fit the décor," hence him crunching it up. The president pops in out of the ether to congratulate the Chaotix on a job well done, and as Julie-Su and Rouge bicker some more, the curtain falls on one of the weirdest and most out of place stories we've experienced in some time. Bravo, Romy and Ian, we've officially learned that when you two collaborate, crap gets bizarre!

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 166 #writer: ian flynn #writer: romy chacon #pencils: tracy yardley #pencils: jeff axer #colors: jason jensen

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beatrix-wright · 5 years

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‘JOKER’ drove at 100 kilometres per hour in peak traffic while I was tied to the passenger’s seat

This will have spoilers for Joker in it, but I will not synopsise the film. Most of this will be about my experience watching Joker rather than the story of the film itself. I greatly appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this.

Joker, directed by Todd Phillips, starring Joaquin Phoenix, wasn’t what I expected…

That’s both good and bad. I have praise, undoubtedly. I don’t think it was a bad film by any means, but I also want to say up front that I don’t think I’m ever going to watch it again. At least not for a very long time.

I have seen a number of Todd Phillips’ films, through many unhappy mistakes. Frankly, I wasn’t expecting much of the cinematography, but really, Phillips knocked it out of the park in some sections. The movie has high and low parts in this category, but overall, regardless of what was happening on screen, Phillips has tried his best to make it as visually appealing as possible. Certain shots, zooms and camera movements perfectly encapsulated the emotion of the scene or of the characters and it really helped immerse viewers. This film unquestionably has a beating, feeling-driven heart. Although its a weak pulse that many would miss if not invested, it’s there, trying desperately to claw its way out from under the vicious and cool exterior that the film puts up. If Phillips and Scott Silver, the other writer on board the project, had the poise to take the film that direction, I truly believe that it could have been a meaningful, heartfelt tragedy. But we’ll get to that later.

Something else many people have applauded in Joker is Joaquin Phoenix’s performance, and they’re right. Phoenix, while not the first to play Batman’s most iconic villain by any stretch of the imagination, has made it his own in a way that works for the tone and message of the film. Joaquin Phoenix’s passion for this project comes through so clearly in his portrayal of Arthur Fleck/Joker. There’s a humanity and empathy that Phoenix manages to build in the beginning of the film that is missing from most portrayals where the Joker is only a raving lunatic. The only time I’ve seen anything similar for the character is in Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke, which was an inspiration for the film, but even that isn’t quite as authentic as the show given to us in Joker. The heart that Phillips emphasises wouldn’t be present without Phoenix. Joaquin Phoenix really was the best part of this film and I cannot commend him enough for the tastefulness he tried to bring to the project. His portrayal of Arthur Fleck’s mental illness is really nothing to be sneezed at, which brings me to my next point.

Joker has an almost truthful, although greatly exaggerated, portrayal of mental illness, something that surprised me while watching in the theatre. I have personally dealt with depression and anxiety and found many aspects of Arthur Fleck in the beginning to be somewhat relatable. Truly, this exploration of mental illness wasn’t something I’d seen before. While Fleck’s diagnosis is not not disclosed, simple sentiments such as “I just don’t want to feel so bad anymore” really hit home and yet again Phoenix’s delivery helped to bring genuineness that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. Many other minor things that I don’t have the time to go through really sold me on the character and the performance, and Arthur Fleck truly came alive for me and the others in the cinema. The film also establishes Fleck’s laugh as a signal for when he’s feeling depressed, lonely, anxious or anything of the like and it helps to guide the viewer through the confusing reality of mental illness. Laughter, too, helps myself and many others cope with our mental illness. I find it hard to be frank about how I’m feeling without turning it into a joke of some sort. It was odd watching a film about a well-known villain and sharing a number of experiences with him, knowing of his sheer insanity from other forums. But this was what really made the first section of this film so compelling.

My praise for Joker stops here, however.

Joker has been described as “dangerous”, but I don’t think dangerous is the correct description. Joker, in the best way I can possibly put it concisely, is ill-conceived, tactless and lacking awareness. It’s a bit like driving recklessly through peak hour traffic. For some people it might be enjoyable but to many, it is generally considered poorly thought out and foolish. And oh boy, oh boy, does Joker take you for a ride. For a film that initially seemed to somewhat understand mental illness, it falls flat on its face as it proceeds to blame Arthur Fleck’s mental health problems for his violence. This isn’t to say that some people who have mental illnesses can’t be a danger to others and themselves but the sheer standardness of Fleck’s symptoms at the beginning compared to his shocking acts of cruelty later left a bad taste in my mouth and I found myself thinking ‘I’m not a time bomb’ over and over at certain sections of the film. Stigma against people with mental illnesses permeates the story and I don’t think even Joaquin Phoenix, for all of his ingenuity in playing this character, could escape the demonisation of this group of people.

I’ve seen Joker interpreted as a “cautionary tale” about how “society’s ignorance of those who are less fortunate will create a person like the Joker”, but if it really wanted to be that, Todd Phillips and Scott Silver have missed the mark by a longshot. The message ends up garbled, and comes through more strongly as ‘If we, as a society, don’t watch out for mentally ill people, we may have a real life Joker on our hands’. Despite acting like someone who thinks he knows what’s best for society, Todd Phillips can hardly bring his message about it across properly in his own film. Most of us with mental illnesses aren’t going to suddenly snap and go on a killing spree, but Joker supports the opposite and isn’t particularly concerned for the damage it might bring to mentally ill people.

Like I said, I enjoyed the accuracy of Arthur Fleck’s mental illness but the rest of the film misses something that the beginning had: taste. I support the pushing of boundaries in film. I think it is very important to test the limit and explore new concepts and ideas no matter what. But it needs to be done well, and Phillips, who doesn’t have much experience with serious and poignant cinema needs to steady his aim before firing off a film like this. Many may decry me as a softy who can’t handle serious, disturbing or confronting films, but that is simply not the case. I just propose that if you’re going to be all that, you might as well do it properly. One such confronting film is Blue Velvet (1986, dir. David Lynch) which handles a variety of heavy topics. Lynch, in contrast to Phillips, however, wove his story delicately, creating a tasteful and seriously disturbing film that is still considered one of the greatest of all time to this day. When I got into the first act, I was deeply hoping that Joker would be something like that. It held so much promise and I genuinely think the beginning is magnificent as well as certain sections throughout. Again, this isn’t a bad film at all. I just believe it mishandled some of its ideas in a way that could be potentially damaging.

Something else I find to be an issue is the view of the Joker as a hero by real people. Arthur Fleck’s drive is largely based around his mistreatment. I personally really love complex villain who have relatable incentives, but the difference is that the Joker as a character is already idolised by a number of less-than-brilliant groups. The Joker has sympathetic motivations and while he absolutely turns into a villain he’s still framed as somewhat correct in these views which turns into a larger problem when narcissists who feel they are down on their luck identify with the Joker and use their misfortune to justify terrible actions against others. While for Fleck, it’s his poverty and mental illness, for some real people it can be something like not getting a girlfriend or having people of colour “invade their country”. To most people who watch Joker, it could seem absurd how this film would encourage violence but as someone who could relate to Arthur Fleck initially, I can easily see how someone with something more wrong with them than just mental illness could identify with him throughout the film. Because it isn’t just mental illness that creates mass murderers and serial killers. Its something far more deep-seated and vile. An ingrained dismissal for the value of human life. The pit that Joker needed to dig itself out of was that of misanthropic reddit pages and 4chan posts. It would have been hard, but frankly the film did itself no favours in having a nod to “we live in a society” memes during the Joker’s monologue towards the end. I don’t think that all of this was intentional and honestly, if you’re a normal person, have no fear of being radicalised. I just don’t know if Phillips completely comprehends what he’s toying with. There was a shooting by someone inspired by the Joker in 2012 at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises. These things occur, unfortunately, and even though if something were to happen now, in no way would it be the film’s fault, we do have to be careful what sort of an impression we can leave on people with our media.

Joker isn’t a bad movie. Is it everything it’s made out to be? No, and really that comes down a lack of precision in its creation. I really can’t watch it again, due to how monstrous it made me feel but I won’t disavow anyone who wants to go see it or enjoyed it for the right reasons, because there is a lot to enjoy if you’re not bothered by those aspects of the film. It was a really interesting character study of one comics’ most mysterious and iconic characters, but I believe the message they wanted to send about said character was poorly handled. Personally, I think I’ll stick to Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke. I’d rather the Joker’s origins be a bit more multiple choice.

Also if Joaquin Phoenix is nominated for or wins an Oscar, I won’t be mad, he really was pretty great

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littlehollyleaf · 5 years

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anyway, so - Eddie and Foxy

(oh I’m sorry you thought I was DONE?)

(actually I really am sorry - I know I have other messages and tagged posts waiting and I promise I’ve seen them and I really do wanna respond! I just -

~FEELINGS)

Can I just say - this little line -

Foxy: Heard you were dead, Ed

Because the delivery makes me smile okay? It’s the way Foxy puts a slight emphasis on ‘Ed’ - kinda like he’s TRYING to EMPHASISE THE RHYME?

A little bit of Eddie’s theatrics rubbing off on him? Or Foxy tailoring his speech/behaviour to match Eddie’s? Either way I find it very, very cute :)

Other things that are super cute - this moment -

When they visit the crime scene and Foxy deliberately hangs back to give Ed space to investigate - silently acknowledging that Ed is more capable.

But ALSO - we see Foxy watching with the above curious, maybe slightly nervous, expression. And I imagine a variety of things crossing his mind in that moment.

A touch of anxiety perhaps - that he’s making a mistake working with a known felon and murderer, is it morally/ethically sound?; that Ed won’t, or worse can’t, help him, because how will the GCPD ever stop the bomber and bring Haven justice then?

But alongside all that it also looks, to me, like Foxy is kinda nervously excited to see what Ed uncovers, to watch Ed work. I mean, it’s not fanboy level interest or anything like that! But I do get a sense of personal interest from Foxy. We’re not quite Watson eagerly waiting on Holmes’ deduction, but we’re in the vicinity!

Basically - there’s a nice level of quiet anticipation in Foxy here that I really love.

And it’s followed up by Foxy tiling his head and prompting Ed by saying his name - not softly, but not impatiently either. It’s a sort of firm but questioning - ‘Ed?’ and the tone suggests to me a dual worry that Ed might be stalling and isn’t going to help (putting Foxy on the edge of distrust/impatience) and also that, for whatever reason (ie. his mental heath issues or his current physical condition), Ed is too unwell to help and may be on the verge of collapse or a breakdown (nudging up Foxy’s compassion and/or pity). It’s Foxy trying to figure out if he should be berating Ed or tending to him, basically!

Then ofc Ed launches into ‘Detective Mode’ (Arkham Games pun there :p) and Foxy relaxes and joins in and they both happily lose themselves in the science of it all :)

Partners in Forensics <3

(no wait, couldn’t you technically, actually, literally call it ‘Partners in Crime’ ie. crime solving?? omg wordplay is the best)

And and - there’s a couple of moments during the deduction when both of them get mildly frustrated with each other, but it’s mitigated by the overriding respect each of them are feeling for the other as well -

1) Foxy’s weary response to Ed gleefully comparing the crime scene to a ‘classic locked room mystery’ and beginning his theatrical summary of exactly what a locked room mystery is. You can just HEAR Foxy thinking ‘oh god, another riddle/performance, can’t he just get to the point?’

Except moments later Foxy is actually engaging with Ed’s ‘performance’ - giving the correct ‘answer’ to a locked room mystery (ie. that the killer was already in the room) and going on to ask Ed, GENUINELY CURIOUS, if that means the bomb was already in the building. Seriously, I swear Foxy doesn’t look mad or impatient when he asks the question, he’s back to being properly lost in the puzzle and eager for Ed’s insight.

2) After Ed has offered his explanation/theory, in true theatrical fashion, about the oil drum (or whatever it was) being used as a bomb, Foxy offers his piece of glass as a possible rebuttal (also somewhat theatrically now I think about it since he deliberately offers it without explanation, forcing a follow up question from Ed - more adoption of Ed’s mannerisms?). Ed just looks at him and there’s a touch, I think, of suppressed disdain in his voice when he answers - ‘glass?’ Because Foxy is not only questioning the genius of Ed’s deduction, he’s also just messed up Ed’s performance by failing to applaud, or the equivalent of.

And yet, the disdain IS SUPPRESSED and tempered by GENUINE CURIOSITY. Ed isn’t just dismissive of Foxy, despite maybe wanting to be. He is also very much ACTUALLY ASKING for Foxy’s explanation, because he respects Foxy enough to know that whatever Foxy is bringing to his attention actually probably IS relevant.

...they go on to speak in tandem after that <3 perfect timing, having gone on a whole intellectual back and forth that has been bringing them slowly closer and closer until they are perfectly united :)

One very last thing! (...for now :p)

This is Eddie’s reaction to Foxy giving him the folder ie. the thing he was desperate for when they started and the reason he agreed to partner up with Foxy in the first place (oh damn, this plot and Jim and Ozzie’s plot were ACTUAL MIRRORS of each other this episode - Jim and Foxy both agreeing to ‘partner’ with their respective Rogue, should have twigged that sooner!)

Anyway, this comes after Ed has given his heartfelt speech about hoping Foxy finds whoever is responsible and makes them pay.

The caps really don’t do the reaction justice, because Eddie is honestly SO SHOCKED/SURPRISED at being handed the folder. It’s like... like his big speech was intended as his goodbye. There’s certainly a sense of finality to it. Eddie saying ‘this is where we part ways.’ Meaning, guys, I swear, by this point -

EDDIE HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE FOLDER!!

He’d got so swept up in the investigation (and spending time with Foxy?) that it had became his sole focus. He was no longer helping for the reward, he was helping BECAUSE HE WANTED TO.

...and sure, maybe it’s largely because he got invested in the mystery/puzzle of it. But the way he gets so sombre at the end makes me think there was a fair part of him that was shocked/sickened by the bombing enough to want to help in order to get justice for it as well

(he’s like Ozzie in that way perhaps - sickened and honestly wanting justice, but also happy to capitalise on the aftermath of the tragedy for personal benefit ie. Ozzie sets himself up as more of a hero because he enjoys the love of the people it provides him (and enjoys spending time with Jim?) while Eddie helps solve the crime because he enjoys the puzzle of it (and enjoys spending time with Foxy?)... maybe maybe...)

But anyway, however you break it down, Eddie ended up caring more about solving a puzzle with Foxy than getting his prize and I - *clutches heart*

Gonna end with this look Foxy gives Ed after giving him the folder.

Because it’s beautiful.

(what’s that quote, about looking at people you love when they can’t see?)

(this may have been a transparent excuse for me to make and stare at more pretty pictures of my boys but you can’t prove anything)

(I’ll try and engage with other posts/theories/characters soon... but I make no promises!)

#gotham: ruin #foxma #lucius fox #edward nygma #I can't believe this rarepair ship that started out semi-crack is honestly ~GENUINELY VIABLE now #...remember when I wasn't confident they would even get ~A SCENE TOGETHER this season??#this show gives and takes in seriously erratic ways

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tentoriwrites · 5 years

Text

Learning Curve: Episode One

The gang leader has an addiction to sugar?!

A group of affluent young men form a high school gang. Their goal is to bring peace to all the rival school gangs in their area. When an out of place girl at school threatens the peace and gains their attention, everything changes.

Pilot Episode

It didn’t take much thought to decide the best person to go to would be the leader himself. He was scary, right? Maybe scary enough to take some of the heat off her for a while. Following a trail of rumors, she went up to the roof after school. Bracing herself for the smell of cigarettes and alcohol, she pushed the door open. To her surprise, he was sitting on an overturned box reading. There were no signs of the activities typically attributed to a delinquent. As soon as the door clicked shut, he closed his book.

“Took you long enough.” He talked as if she were late for an appointment.

“I’m not sure what you mean…”

Rather than explain anything, he got to his feet. Without breaking his stride, he plucked the cloth wrapped box from her hands. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Hey! Wait! You don’t even know what I was going to ask!”

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t know what my woman needs?”

That one sentence left her so stunned she couldn’t even object as he smirked back at her. Just as she opened her mouth, the door clicked shut.

“This was a terrible idea…” She took a deep breath and lightly smacked her cheeks a few times. “Maybe it will all be ok… Maybe.”

The next day, an older man, broad and strong as an ox, was standing in front of her class when she arrived. He was holding a beautiful, very expensive yukata and all the trappings. His face lit up when he saw her.

“Just the young lady I wanted to see! This is from Mr. Oda.” He held the yukata out to her with a cheerful smile.

“Why?” She just stared at him dumbfounded.

“Oh, that’s probably outlined in this note!”

She took the proffered note but all it had on it was a date and time. It took far longer than she would like to admit before she realized he meant to take her to the school festival.

“Does he mean for me to carry this around all day?” She looked up at the gentleman a bit frantic.

“Fair point! I’ll just drop this off at your house! Have a great day!”

“HEY!”

He didn’t stop…

She spent the whole day staring over that note and trying to think of a good way to turn him down. That is until gym class. Several classes were all out on the field doing different activities. One group was playing kick ball while hers were jogging around the track.

“Incoming!” She turned to look at the source of the voice just time to block her face from a ball flying at it. Suddenly, something caught her ankles sending her tumbling over. Since her hands were protecting her face, there was nothing to stop her head from hitting the ground hard. Dizzy and disoriented, all she could grasp firmly was the laughter all around her. Until it abruptly stopped.

“The accomplice.”

“Toshiie is already in pursuit.”

Those voices, she recognized them…

“What shall we do with these two?” Mitsuhide!

“I’ll leave that to you.” Nobu!

“Understood.”

Her fuzzy vision started to clear just as Nobu reached to lift her off the ground. “Whoa! Hey!”

“Stop making so much noise. You’re hurt.”

“Well yeah… But I can probably walk.”

Nobu gave her a dubious look but offered her a hand instead. As soon as she got vertical, her head started to spin and she fell into Nobu. He clicked his tongue irritably before pressing her into his chest to steady her.

“You are going to pay dearly for hurting her.” It was a menacing growl that sent a chill down her spine. “Deal with them.” Before she could protest again, she was in his arms.

“I’m sorry.”

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“Not exactly. I didn’t want to be this much of a bother.”

“The only gym activities I’m interested are sumo and swordplay.” She caught a glimpse of his face. She hadn’t seen it this serious since the day they first met.

“Still… I’m sorry.”

“If you’re sorry, you should have made it clear what you wanted to begin with.”

“You walked off before I had a chance!” Her outburst was followed by a wince.

“Save your energy for getting better. There will be plenty of time to deny you enjoyed what I’m doing to you later.” A cocky grin followed his teasing this time.

“Do you have to make it sound so… illicit?”

His response to this was a hearty chuckle. “I had no idea you had a mind for such thought, brazen little thing. If that’s what you REALLY wanted then I could have given you a completely different reason not to be able to walk.”

Her cheeks instantly turned deep red and she punched his chest with the side of her fist. “NOBU!”

He chuckled again. When she finally brought herself to look at something besides her lap they were walking down a very crowded hallway.

“Everyone’s staring…” She whispered as she tried to hide her face in her hands.

“Let them stare. The more that see you now, the faster everyone will know.” Nobu spoke in a bold tone, completely nonplussed by the spectacle.

“Know what?”

“That you are mine.”

“You keep saying that but I don’t really know what that means. You said I need to tell you clearly what I want. Well you need to do the same.”

“Isn’t obvious, you silly little dullard?” He smiled cockily as he spoke. “You’re my girlfriend.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to that.”

“It doesn’t matter if you agreed to it or not. That’s what everyone is going to believe. Once that happens, you won’t have to worry about them bothering you anymore.”

She looked out at the sea of faces parting before them. The looks on everyone’s faces told her his plan was working perfectly.

“I’ll take it from here.” The school nurse motioned for Nobu to put her down.

“I’ll be back for you later. Do not do anything foolish while I’m gone.” She looked up at his face, serious once more. Suddenly he reached out and took her cheek in his hand. A tender kiss planted on the bleeding wound on the side for her head. It stung but the pain was tempered by the sweetness of the act.

“You got some of my blood on your lip…”

“It’s fine.”

“That’s kind of gross…”

“Go lay down.” He looked away sullenly before turning away completely and leaving her behind.

“Don’t let his cool guy exterior fool you. That kid has a really bad reputation. You don’t want to be wrapped up with him.” The nurse injected herself once again.

“He was just helping me here.”

“That’s not what it looked like from where I’m standing.”

As the nurse examined her, she couldn’t help but admire Nobu a little that even adults believed his rouse. After a few bandages and some salve, she was sent back to class. The rest of the day went by rather uneventfully, save for a few hushed whispers.

“They say he carried her all the way to the nurse’s room.”

“It was probably just an excuse to bang her.”

“She was actually bleeding though. Even he wouldn’t… would he?”

She was about to say something to defend Nobu’s honor when she was forcibly spun around. Her vision filled with a sea of black fabric. There was a dull thump above her head as a forearm came to rest on the locker.

“I thought I told you not to do anything foolish.”

“I just went back to class???”

“And what if something had happened to you again without me around?” He took her chin in his free hand making her look him in the eye.

“I am capable of walking…” She answered in exasperation.

“Your graceful meeting with the track earlier would beg to differ.” The arm leaning against the locker slid down to brush the bandage on her forehead.

She huffed and pouted. He donned a cocky smirk before grabbing her hand and pulling her along.

“H- HEY!”

“We’re leaving.”

“I see that, but where are we going?”

“Out.”

“I see that! WHERE?!”

He didn’t answer, just dragged her down the street a few blocks to a small café. Everyone there already knew him the moment he walked in the door. They were immediately ushered to a table and quickly brought, what she surmised, was every dessert on their menu. Her hands fidgeted in her lap with nerves as she stared blankly at the table. Words escaped her as she tried to articulate what she wanted to say.

“You are not honestly going to make me eat all this myself, are you?” Her head snapped up at that irritated sounding question.

“Oh umm… thank you very much.” She picked a piece of strawberry cake and pulled it towards her. She deliberately avoided his gaze again. Clink! She looked up again.

“If there’s something you want to say, you should just say it.” It was a bored huff as he leaned on the table. The way he looked at her was intense and captivating. If she wasn’t struggling to find her words before, she definitely was now.

“Well it’s just... people are already saying you and I are in a…”

“Relationship?”

“A very… er… physical one…” Her voice trailed off to nothing as her gaze drifted down to the table again. She was sure her cheeks were as bright red as the berries before her from the way they burned.

Nobu burst out in bold laughter. “If it’s rumors you’re worried about, you should have asked Mitsuhide for help.” He picked up his fork and went back to eating.

“I’m not really sure what the best thing to do is… But I’ll bring that kimono back to you tomorrow.” She gave him an earnest bow. “Thank you for your help.”

“Keep it.”

“Huh?”

“The kimono.”

“But… it’s too expensive and if we’re not going to pretend to be dating so there’s no…”

“I cannot have someone associated with me or my group showing up to the festival looking like they fell out of the throw away pile of a thrift store.” His delivery was completely deadpan and made the jab sting all the more for it.

“I may not even go to the festival.”

He sat his fork down again and looked her in the eyes with a piercing glare. “So long as you serve me, you are going. It matters not who you show up with but be there.”

“Se… serve you? H… how am I supposed to serve you?” Her cheeks started to color again as her brain ran wild with possibilities.

He burst out laughing again. “You really must be more lavaicious than you let on, brazen little thing.” He sat a familiar cloth wrapped box on the table with a smirk. “You made them yourself.” It was a statement. He knew.

“I did.”

“I expect a bigger box tomorrow delivered BEFORE school.”

Episode Two: Mitsuhide

#slbp #slbp nobunaga #modern au #high school au #fanfic #fanfiction

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