Tumgik
#continually introducing new conflicts to basically do the same thing again
cruelsister-moved2 · 2 years
Text
u cant write a realistic lesbian romance that people actually want to read because realistically it’s just being besties for at least a year and then realising at some point that youre married now. where do u fit the dramatic airport chase/kissing in the rain esque plotlines into this </333
6 notes · View notes
yanderes-galore · 9 months
Note
DBD Jake Park romantic concept!!!
I'd love to! Jake is such a cool character :) His lore is nice to listen to. Basic, but fitting. I hope I'm doing better when conveying a yandere survivor now- I tried to see what I could do with this one.
Yandere! Jake Park Concept
Pairing: Romantic
Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Family trouble briefly mentioned, Jake's hesitant at first, Violence, Jealousy, Protective behavior, Stalking implied, Blood, Dubious relationship, Jake's a twisted family man.
Tumblr media
Jake's backstory before being sent to the realm is actually a bit upsetting.
It's nothing too traumatic but it really shows his character in my eyes.
He originally held resentment towards his family and decided to live in the woods.
He learned to hunt and track, good skills that can help him in trials.
The moment he realized he should let go of his resentment and choose family, the moment he decides to go home, he never gets there.
He's taken to the Entity's Realm before he can see them again.
Jake is one of the original survivors in the realm.
He has some of the most experience and can be helpful to his team.
Used to tracking animals he is stealthy in trials.
Killers often realize their hooks are sabotaged before they even see him.
He has useful survival skills.
His darling would either also be a survivor around as long as him, like Dwight, Meg, and Claudette.
That or you're a new survivor he feels he can teach to thrive here.
The issue yandere survivors have is they aren't very threatening half the time.
They can't harm killers, but I imagine they'd be able to harm other survivors.
Not everyone works with each other so there would be possible squabbles and fights, verbal and physical.
It's what would happen in a situation like this whenever a new survivor is introduced in my eyes.
Jake typically remains calm, although he has fight in him.
Jake grows attached to his darling as he probably yearns for some sort of family.
He feels horrible that he never got to make up with his family before being brought here.
Truthfully, even with his family conflict, he's always been one to choose family over anything.
As he grows closer to his darling, trials bringing you closer due to the amount of teamwork required to survive them, he sees you as family.
Especially with his growing romantic feelings.
He may never see his old one again, a fact that brings sorrow to his heart.
As a result he starts thinking that he should see the survivors here as family.
Everyone's trying to survive here, everyone has the same goal, he gets attached to them.
Jake's the most attached to Dwight, Meg, Claudette, and you.
He sees this close circle as a family of his the most.
Jake would be hesitant to show his darling affection at first.
He thinks he loves you but he's been alone for a long time, he hasn't even had a partner before.
Jake would take it slow.
He wants to get a feel for you first before trying anything too intense.
He may shuffle closer to you at the campfire, make attempts at holding your hand, softly lean against you...
He isn't forceful.
Jake does small things you can easily back out of at first.
When you don't show negativity towards this he assumes you're comfortable enough with him to continue his obsession.
So you had opportunities to avoid any violence caused by his obsession.
His stealth could make him a skilled stalker, his ability to sabotage is also helpful to him in his obsession against killers and survivors.
Jake doesn't like the idea of being purposefully malicious to have you.
He likes things happening naturally, although he will put his foot down if someone steps in the way of his chances.
For example, if another survivor was showing interest in you, Jake would step in.
He'd at first make it seem like you're not interested, if that doesn't work then Jake will make it known that he likes you.
Jake would use violence if he had to.
I can imagine all the wilderness training would make him capable in defending himself.
Jake doesn't mind using his fists to fight anybody who won't back down.
The blood coating his jacket doesn't matter to him.
The survivor he beat up will be fine, he can't die.
Jake's clothing always had a bit of blood on it anyways, it just usually was his own.
Jake will admit when he fights over you he's a bit possessive.
He's been working hard to make a relationship with you, the idea of someone walking in and ruining it makes his blood boil.
You're meant to be with him! Who do they think they are!?
Jake would work hard to protect you in trials like many other survivors.
He'd help with generators, sneakily follow you in trials, and sabotage the killer if you're about to be hooked.
He may even sabotage other survivors to help your survival chance near the end of the match.
While Jake can manipulate his surroundings and sacrifice others for you, he'd do his best to make sure you're never hurt.
Even with blood on his skin and clothes and a bitterness towards other survivors... he would never hurt you.
He's so stealthy with what he does to have you that you may even begin to date him before catching sight of his red flags.
By then it's too late to back out.
34 notes · View notes
tr4showl · 10 days
Text
Long ass negative rant about a silly idol game story because I'm annoying and that shit has been eating away at my sanity for this week and I need to get this out of my chest
I had low expectations for the story but man I am still some how disappointed. I have a disdain for alkaloid and Crazy:B constantly mashed together since the abomination that was Romantic?date and the current event is sadly reaffirming that feeling even more.
To start off , while I liked the interactions between some of the characters , in general I felt they were mostly shallow and just felt like they were regurgitating the same constant shitty jokes without developing the existing relationships between them or building up new ones between characters that didn't have the chance to properly know each other yet. (Like for example, personally, I am so so tired of those embarrassing awful cannibalism jokes between mayoi and Niki that their dynamic is mostly based on, especially since that's most of Niki's Screentime in the story) And a lot of interactions just feels like soulless ship-bait that flies by even worse when you hate 90% of the ships they're baiting.(Enstars always had those kinds of moments but there were times when they felt genuine and added at least a bit to the characters and the dynamics between them, while here it's just painful to read) Sometimes I even felt like the characters were basically caricatures of themselves.
Also , the story is currently 26 chapters long with more dreadfully coming soon, but it feels like nothing happened so far which is alarming knowing that we're already 2/3 into the story. After just reading , I barely remember anything that happened besides the awful moments. Nothing feels like it has any significance whether it's to the characters involved or the reader. I mean , going back to the village felt like nothing more than a background change so they can continue doing nothing but in an old house this time instead of a studio as well as an opportunity for aira to be racist again, which shouldn't be the case considering it was the place both Amagis grew up in and have complicated feelings about. Especially for Rinne who was shunned all his life by the village for his status as future "monarch" and for his mindset which led him to run away to the city to pursue his passion of being an idol, so a thing as big as returning there (even if the main immediate conflict was solved by the end of the main story) should hold more weight than him just being a little bit mopey on the way there. Also they straight up just pulled a Turkish drama by introducing some random kid that came out of nowhere just so they'll get some "shocking" twist about his real identity that no one really cares about and that adds nothing to the already existing characters and only takes focus away from them. (Anyways my bet at this point is that he's secretly akanP's son and she's somehow related to the Amagis or even better, she was actually their mom all along or something but I digress) at this point I'd rather hear more about the weird and complicated Godfather nonsense than whatever's going on here
And didn't even get to aira racism. it was already unfortunately established as a character trait for him so it was unsurprising for him to act that way. Even then, him describing his prejudiced views in great Detail was so shocking and tasteless and left a bad impression of the whole story for most even when aira gets reprimanded and scolded for saying such things immediately after because it's obvious that the writer won't put in any effort to make the character outgrow his awful views. So even if we take it in good faith and assume that the writer was intending on mocking and criticizing those views , the whole thing feels tasteless and tone deaf because of how badly written everything is, especially considering Akira's less than favorable track record in handling topics like racism.
All of this is a huge shame considering they actually mention interesting things that they most likely won't bother exploring in the future that would much rather have them focus on instead of whatever we got (like Kaname being mentioned and tatsumi guessing something is up with HiMERU, Niki knowing what cooked human meat smells like which alludes to his father's past which we literally have only been getting crumbs of since the main story as well as Niki's complicated relationship with being an idol and his low self-esteem. just to name a few)
What makes everything worse is for how long the event has been teased and how it has been hyped up as this GRAND FINALE that finally wraps up the alkaloid/Crazy:B plotline. And if THIS is what we get I'm very concerned about what is to come. I know that we're only through 2/3 of the story so far, but I doubt they'll be able to get back up from this garbage this late into the story
I know that I'm writing this in the heat of my emotions and this is all silly and doesn't matter and I'll probably be over it by next week , but it's such a shame to see a series that can do WAYY better sink this low.
5 notes · View notes
tokiro07 · 5 months
Text
Cipher Academy ch.52 thoughts
[Toss a Coin to Your Cipher Soldier]
(Contents: thematic analyses - fairness/friendship, predictions)
"If you let yourself become bound to strange rules, you're basically enslaving yourself." What is this, Undead Unluck?
This was a good showing for Yosaimura, who continues to be easily in my top 5 for this series. I've always been a huge fan of Nisio Isin's mental gymnastics, and this series' running theme of malicious compliance is a particularly fun display of it. Much like Iroha used Anonymity's methods against her by basically saying "well if she got to once, then so do I," Yosaimura literally turns Hakanage's logic on its head by saying "if you're going to say that cheating is fair, then I'm going to play so fair"
Anonymity points out that this is likely only something that Yosaimura even thought to do because she saw Iroha do that during the CLP election, which also reinforces the running theme of growth through interpersonal exposure. Iroha learned how to twist technicalities in his favor from Anonymity, and Yosaimura learned how to do that from Iroha. Everyone's learning something from each other, and apparently that's a quality that only Class A has been able to cultivate
We haven't really learned much about the other classes, but I definitely would believe that everyone else is a lot more...either extremely collectivist to the point of everyone losing their sense of identity (Class E who follow Kubinashi blindly and Class F who are required to hide their faces) or overly individualistic to the point that they can't form connections to each other (Class B's wild sense of expression and Class C's psychic children who have never been depicted interacting). I guess that comes with the territory for the School of Subterfuge, doesn't it?
I'm also always a sucker for character interactions that hinge on trust. Someone trusting their friend to understand a crazy plan, to not hurt them in a wild stunt, or trusting their enemy to behave in a certain way because that's what they've always hated/respected about them; being close enough to someone to rely on them, even if what you're relying on is their unreliability, is so romantic. If you didn't think that Yosaimura and Anonymity were a great ship before, Yosaimura telling her that she trusts her to do something dangerous has to at least help change your mind
For as much of a rapport as they've developed though, it really seems like there's going to be a point where everything falls apart. The fact that everyone's approaching a convergence and we've now completely eliminated Classes D and F suggests that neither of them are going to be the major enemy once we actually reach the bottom of the dungeon, so unless Kubinashi or Yonakiuguisu are bigger threats than they appear, the final conflict is almost assuredly going to be between Class A members. If I had to guess, it's going to come down to the CLP candidates again, but this time it'll be colored by how well everyone has gotten to know each other versus their actions being based on their initial, surface-level impressions of each other
Themes of friendship aside, I feel like the thing that Nisio Isin wants me to take away from this chapter is that cryptocurrency is bad. I don't really get how crypto works (or the economy for that matter), but even I can understand that if a new currency is introduced that is inherently "worth" more than the entire world economy, that's going to cause some issues. Even if we assume that it's worth the exact same amount, doubling the world's money in an instant would theoretically tank the value of all of the world's money, assuming that anyone actually recognizes the value of that currency. I guess the question for me is why anyone would, but again, I don't know how crypto works
If nothing else, it also does raise a good question of how Iroha's plan can actually work - if the value of Morgue is based on the presence of wars, how would he be able to use it to stop wars? If you give someone war-money to stop wars, then the money you paid them is inherently worth less upon receipt because there's less war, right? The best I could see is giving one nation a ton of Morgue and telling everyone else "you know how you can tank that nation's economy? End your wars, their money will become worthless." Honestly, with Nisio at the helm, I won't be too shocked if that's even remotely close
Now that everyone is getting pretty close, I do hope that things will become a bit less episodic soon. Seeing so many different characters in so many different locations is fun, but it's starting to feel kind of..disconnected, I'd say. It's like nothing anyone is doing is having any impact on anyone else, so seeing everyone reunite should help it feel like these stories have consequences outside of floor they occur on
Beyond that, what I'm really looking forward to is seeing how people outside of the dungeon are fairing. Hakanage got knocked out a little too easily; much like Zakuroguchi who I predict is secretly pulling strings from the sidelines, I'm willing to bet that Hakanage is going to do something shady now that no eyes are on her
Until next time
5 notes · View notes
risingsouls · 1 year
Note
🦎[What do you think could be done to improve Super as a series?]
🦎 for my work thoughts || Always Accepting!
[Hoo boy. That's a big question because I would change so damn much. But I think I can sort it down to three main categories:
Tone Whiplash
Taking the interesting concepts introduced and keeping them interesting
Make it feel less like a parody (which is sort of a combo of the two but)
Probably one of the biggest issues I have with Super is the tone whiplash we get from Z to Super. For me, Z evolved from Dragonball's fun, comedic, and more whimsical tone to Z's well-implemented balance of seriousness when the moment called for it while keeping some of the fun and humor from DB. In other words, the series felt like it matured with the characters to put it a different way. Then Super comes in and it feels like it's more interested in reviving much of DB's comedic tone, relying more on jokes and fan service rather than actually continuing the story with a tone similar to what we get in Z. Moments that deserve anything other than a laugh feel passed over if not disregarded in seconds. The characters we watched grow and mature and change feel completely regressed to either what we see in DB if they were there (big examples being Goku and Bulma for this) or their characterization goes full tilt into One Attribute to the point od the character feeling totally flat or their motivations and actions just don't make sense because of it (Vegeta is a good example of this one). And all of this is, as I said, either for a laugh or because of fan service (and I don't just mean the sexy kind, either; excuse my tinfoil hat here, but I've been convinced for a long time that Super's writers are absolutely actively taking cues from fan material and reactions far more than they did with Z because I know there were issues with that back then too) makes it feel like you're watching a completely unrelated series if not just a fan made series. If you're not prepared for it, it's a really big slap in the face and jarring.
The next thing that absolutely sucks with Super is they really do actually introduce a lot of neat concepts and plots but....do nothing with them or ruin them by the end of the arc. Super is a bottomless mine for new concepts from God Ki In general, gods of destruction, angels, and the new universes to new forms(?) like Ultra Instinct, Beast Gohan, Orange Piccolo (both stupid names) and Ultra Ego. But we get next to zero explanation of them, and if we do, it's conflicting or even completely retconned later in the series. Again, it feels like it's all done just to do it and bring in a new form or power or whatever without making it feel relevant or giving any understanding as to why it's special from what we already know and understand. Similarly, pretty much all of the main arcs start our with interesting premises. However, most of the time, by the end, it becomes a huge train wreck and the whole thing just felt like a waste of time (the Goku Black arc which doesn't deserve the hype the fandom gives it I'll say it and the Granolah arc are good examples for basically the same reason). In every arc, it basically feels like there are no real stakes, and, if there were stakes like in the ToP, they get ripped out from beneath us by the god of gods saying they only made the tournament to see if the winner would wish back the other universes from being erased. And even with the concession of Zeno apparently claiming that he would erase all the universes if the winner made a selfish wish, it just makes the entire arc feel pointless. And this feels like it happens in every arc: if the plot had any teeth, by the end, they've been completely ripped out.
And finally, it just needs to not feel like I'm watching or reading a parody or poorly executed fan fiction. As I said this kind of puts both of them together and is just big on how poor the writing is most of the time, from the plot to the characters themselves. I mean shit there's not even blood. And I guess I get they're trying to appeal to a younger audience but listen. I was watching Goku beat the tar out of Frieza at 6 and I liked the series just fine, blood and not constant jokes and all. And maybe I'm just asking to much of this series but damn. If it felt like there was half the effort put into Super as was put into Z (which don't get me wrong could have used a little more effort and care itself in places), this could have actually been a halfway enjoyable series. But as it stands, I can barely handle a few episodes at a time or more than the monthly manga chapter to sate my curiosity and see if anything I want to see in this series comes to pass.]
7 notes · View notes
ogsherlockholmes · 2 years
Text
4th October
We’re going to take a short break from the J villains to Dr Grimesby Roylott from The Speckled Band, but this time it’s certainly not a debate about whether or not he was a real villain. 
Also, Roylott is introduced a lot earlier in the story, instead of just popping up randomly at the end. 
After his stepdaughter (there’s a common trend of stepfamilies having conflict in the Holmes canon) consulted Sherlock over her sister’s death and a weird noise in her room, Roylott storms in. 
“I am Dr. Grimesby Roylott, of Stoke Moran.” “Indeed, Doctor,” said Holmes blandly. “Pray take a seat.”  “I will do nothing of the kind. My stepdaughter has been here. I have traced her. What has she been saying to you?” “It is a little cold for the time of the year,” said Holmes. “What has she been saying to you?” screamed the old man furiously. “But I have heard that the crocuses promise well,” continued my companion imperturbably. “Ha! You put me off, do you?” said our new visitor, taking a step forward and shaking his huntingcrop. “I know you, you scoundrel! I have heard of you before. You are Holmes, the meddler.” My friend smiled. “Holmes, the busybody!” His smile broadened. “Holmes, the Scotland Yard Jack-in-office!” Holmes chuckled heartily. “Your conversation is most entertaining,” said he. “When you go out close the door, for there is a decided draught.”
Sherlock is completely unfazed by him, even when Roylott bends a poker stick as an act of ‘threatening masculinity’. All Sherlock does is straighten the poker. 
It’s also revealed earlier on that Roylott abused his stepdaughters and had a temper which would lead to physical fights. Obviously, this was why Sherlock purposely tried to annoy him and acted like he wasn’t threatened by him: Sherlock hates men of that kind, and he doesn’t waste his fear on them. 
Combined with his abusive past and the fact he tried to stop Sherlock from the case, Roylott is basically the main suspect. 
When Sherlock and Watson inspect Roylott’s room, they find a range of items which practically certify him as the culprit, or at least a really creepy guy. A safe, saucer of milk, a dog lash [leash or whip] and a collection of wild animals to complete the collection. 
Roylott killed his first stepdaughter in order to get a larger share of the inheritance and was about to kill the second to do the same (again, a common theme). His weapon of choice? A snake. Out of everything, he used a snake. Out of the boxing thinking, I suppose.
The hilarious thing is that this would be entirely impossible in real life (I know most of the cases weren’t either, but still) since part of the plan was for the snake to climb up a rope. Snakes can’t do that, so it doesn’t fall through. 
If you hate Roylott, you’re in luck because revenge is served in the best way and his own snake comes back and kills him. Maybe he was kind of smart, but his plan was a bit too clever and ended up literally biting him. Oh well, he won’t be missed. 
In the words of Sherlock:
“In this way I am no doubt indirectly responsible for Dr. Grimesby Roylott’s death, and I cannot say that it is likely to weigh very heavily upon my conscience.”
13 notes · View notes
gauntletqueen · 2 years
Note
i started gw2 and ive gotta ask... does it ever get more like structured? like in ffxiv i was immediately in msq watching cutscenes and doing quests but this feels more like im just supposed to wander around and do a thing if its in my general area?
also its extremely weird to me to start immediately in this big fight and also to have the player character voiced. but i really liked the character creator im v happy with my scrunkly asura necromancer :)
Thanks for the ask! I'll do my best to answer :>
(I did answer and I answered a LOT. I tried to make it coherent but whoops I love gw2 so I just kinda prattled on, sfahghgsaf)
TL;DR: Gw2 is built around exploration and working together with other players. Every 10 levels you unlock a series of more traditional story quests, at lvl80 you can just do story uninterrupted if you want. Not liking a voiced protagonist is valid but GW2 does do very good things with it, so I recommend you do give it a chance.
Instead of walking up to NPCs to receive quests, you are told the general objective as soon as you move within range of the quest NPC (these kinds of "quests" are called renown hearts btw.) At this point you can either perform the given tasks, or walk over to the NPC with a golden heart icon, and talk to them for more story and instructions.
First off: yes, it does get more traditionally structured, closer to what you're expecting!
But Guild Wars 2 has a very different structure to most MMO's, where quests don't work the same way.
There are also events which happen naturally, sometimes based on the results of other events. These events often also have fun minor characters and stories, and can sometimes have climactic finales against huge threats. The idea of events is that you band together with other players who happen to be around. It's one of the many ways how the game encourages co-operation.
These two types of "quests" form a very organic and living feel to the world, and Guild Wars 2 does expect you to explore for yourself and help out whenever you come across these objectives at your own pace.
As for the rest of your ask, I personally like that the tutorial is action-packed, it introduces you to one of several important and interesting characters (except Logan sorry), as well as whatever conflict you'll be dealing with as a member of your chosen race, plus it immediately says "Hey! In this game you get into big fights like this!!" which gets me more invested than ffxiv's slower "hey, you. You're finally awake" opening. Again though, just my opinion.
The important part for you, is that every 10th level, you unlock a new story chapter. These are each a series of instanced quests like the ones you're familiar with from ffxiv.
They're different depending on how you built your character's race, backstory and personality in the character creator, so you can replay the game with a new character and experience new story!
Basically, Gw2's "structure" becomes travelling around and exploring, participating in events and immersing yourself in the world until you level up enough to unlock the next story chapter. At level 80 (max level), you'll be able to continue the story without needing to level inbetween. The expansion and Living World content becomes much more story-focussed as a result.
(as a side-note, you'll unlock your first mount at level 10. It used to be that you could only get mounts once you got to the second expansion, but this was recently changed. They're not at all a necessity before said expansion but it's just nice to have one :> )
I understand the dislike of the voiced character, I've heard from many people that they dislike that. Having a voiced protagonist, especially one you create yourself, tends to take away a level of agency when imagining what they're like. I've personally made my peace with this. I think the game has great writing, and aside from my main character, with all my other characters I've kind blocked out the way the game writes them and just fill it in myself hehe. (and even for my main character I use the game's writing as guidelines)
The upside is that the player character has a much more vocal (no pun intended) and direct role in the story. In a lot of games like this I feel like the player character becomes a side character to the NPCs, where they get all the development and emotion, but in GW2 the player character feels fully developed and has tons of development of their own, which again gets me more invested, personally.
Tumblr media
And finally yes I love the Asura they are Leetol Smartass Gobline Creetures :3
I have five!
7 notes · View notes
nox-artemis · 2 years
Text
Berserk 365/366 Thoughts
So I got around to reading the new Berserk chapters. Wasn't really on the edge of my seat waiting but again - got other IRL shit to do and worry about in the meantime.
Firstly,
When they said that two chapters were going to be released at once, I knew there was a catch. And yes, we didn't get the typical 12-ish paged chapter but double, rather we got about 6-ish pages for each chapter which adds up to the usual chapter release count. I guess they announced a two chapter release to draw people in. I mean, I'm not complaining because I pretty much suspected that there was no way they were release 20-something pages of pure plot and story after Miura's last written chapter. Again, for this continuation to work they *really* need to take things a lot slower.
But I'm not disappointed with what the new team put out, and I think they have a good handle on things story wise (art wise it's still compelling and engaging and any differences are very subtle. We'll have to see how far the team's imagination will go with grandiose concepts and structures). We're introduced with that sense of tranquility being smashed to smithereens, a classic in Berserk. A day filled with peace, nostalgia, optimism but bittersweetness upon the extended stay of Moonlight Boy is instantly shattered when it's revealed that the boy and Griffith are one and the same BUT also when, in typical neo-Griffith fashion, he wipes away any trace of his humanity. Jerk even gives the most smug-ass smile to Guts in 366.
If Griffith had kept crying from the memories of being Moonlight Boy - of being Guts and Casca's lost son - would Guts have reacted so? It's hard to say since Guts' berserker armor - if we're to be honest - has helped to set him off for a little less in the past. Note that I say "helped" because with or without the berserker armor one of Guts' primary struggles is his violent reactionary nature particularly after the Eclipse. A lot has helped to quell that side of him but the physical presence of Griffith is obviously still going to be a main source of conflict for his character development.
And it's hard to say if Guts would have stayed from attacking because it's not made clear if he had the revelation that the Moonlight Boy is his son in the same way Casca has (it's more likely that he's doubly infuriated because this boy who was so unassuming and nonthreatening around him and his group turned out to be his mortal enemy in "disguise" rather than it is likely that he's mad because Griffith body-hijacked his long-lost son).
Speaking of which, this turn of events is extra heartbreaking for Casca in particular, considering that the previous chapter had her in a rare moment of happiness and that it's heavily insinuated that bonding with the boy has helped to heal her heart/soul, if just in bits and pieces. I'm kind of a *bit* confused if the new team kept with the continuity of the last chapter, saw in the second to last panel of chapter 364 that Casca made it to the doorway to see Moonlight Boy transform into Griffith, while in 365/366 it seems like she made it to the doorway when Griffith was already transformed. It's very minor, but the result is the same as poor Casca is spiritually assaulted by the reactivation of her Brand. I only hope that when she pulls through, she'll retain her constitution in that Moonlight Boy isn't Griffith in disguise but that Griffith essentially corrupted and stole her baby, along with so much in her life. I hope that getting her boy back will be her motivation to get stronger and to more importantly overcome her trauma.
It's immense for the story concerning Griffith's presence on the island. Although not officially canon, neo-Griffith is ultimately the result of the Idea of Evil, so apparently the magic of Elfhelm even has its limits for protection (even Zodd is there!). Not only is Casca basically reduced to unconsciousness just for being in Griffith's presence (which is a far cry from her when she was in her lucid state: recall that, under the influence of the child (a detail that's now pretty much confirmed) Griffith protected Casca and she was able to withstand the immense pain of the brand to even then), but her protective amulet also breaks. Maybe it's more of a result of Griffith leveling up to about 100,000 since meeting Casca and Guts on the Hill of Swords way back when (since a literal SHIT TON has happened). Griffith is still literally on a whole other level.
The fact that I'm able to say all this is proof of my satisfactory with this chapter, and I think that Kouji Mori and his team are headed in the right direction with keeping Miura's vision for Berserk up to task.
And yet Guts powers through despite the immense pain his body must be undergoing but the berserker armor is allowing him to ignore. Mentioning the berserker armor again - since the Beast of Darkness is also making its presence known at the same damn time as Griffith - is bringing implications of its own, as Guts will not only have to contend the external enemy that is Griffith but the internal-external enemy that is the Beast. Guts is granted the endurance and resilience to go after Griffith but at what cost (update: for instance I just noticed that his vision failed again in one panel. It's very scary considering Guts only has one working eye left).
(And yes very good that the plain serious Puck made a rare appearance! Hope we'll see more of that going forward!)
16 notes · View notes
dolokhoded · 2 months
Note
hii this is the-reynolds-pamphlet (this is my main and i cant get rid of it LMAO im not active on here)
re what you said about the s4 pacing. LITERALLY i wrote that whole other post as an answer to another ask i got about how the chosen's storyline really sucks in some aspects and i said the pacing is going to be incredibly off for season 4
okay first of all. there's a huge timeline issue in season 3 concerning the holidays and how much time passes since season 1, i was gonna make a whole other post about all the timeline inconsistencies but i didnt get around to doing it (i probably should). but like at this point it has been one year minimum since s1, realistically it should be three years if the end of season 4 is palm sunday. then like ??? theyre gonna spend the entirety of s5 on ONE week? and for fucking what. i thought they wanted a "bingeable" proper show with pacing and everything, why would they zero in on that
but anyways about ramah. first of all im 99% sure it's because her actress has schedule conflicts and likely wants to drop out of the show (that's why she mysteriously left to go talk to her dad in season 3). but also it's kind of obvious that they're using her death as character development for thomas for the rest of the series (which is gonna be like 2 weeks maximum over 3 seasons anyway. unless they continue onto acts but that poses another huge pacing problem.) which is pissing me off like?? i had the same reaction when tamar was acting weird for like one (1) episode and then she told mary everything and just left. why would you not give them proper character development established over a long period of time and just confine it to singular episodes like that. im pretty sure tamar's backstory won't be brought up again lmao. also ramah doesn't really have much of a personality (which sucks because i got the impression she was a bit of a rich daddy's girl and there was potential for character exploration) and her character hasn't even been that established so like... partially it's easy to kill her but on the other hand, it isn't as emotional especially bc she wasn't even here the last season.
also remember how in the other post i was like why are they literally giving consistent character arcs and emotional plot for matthew, mary, simon & eden, and james & john but theyre basically forgetting everybody else exists. yeah like james just fucking launches himself at someone and gets knocked out in season 4 which is great but how long are they going to be just keep throwing new arcs for the main cast and keep ignoring thaddeus' existence. btw i watched a clip of That Scene in s4 (i didnt realize what it was when i was watching it lmao) with thaddeus and james and they're basically asking jesus why he's talking about dying. so thaddeus stays personalityless while big james is over there getting concussions #maincharacter. im not saying that scene w/jesus isnt necessary but im saying its thad's big scene and it is once again about Not thaddeus
this entire thing is incredibly bizarre to me because they COULDVE made an actual show with fleshed out characters and everything ??? they confined themselves to 8 1-hour long episodes per season, which of course restricts how much storytelling they can do while keeping in all the major gospel events they need to put in. but like first of all they couldve Not Done that. i think their audience wouldve gone insane for more episodes. second of all, if they WERENT gonna carry on character arcs and give everyone a fleshed out character then why did they introduce them as such??? i mean it was probably because they wanted to spark interest and then just forget about it but that kind of sucks. why did they do this lmao they literally had the opportunity to make it better
ok v rushed reply cause i have to go to the library the bus is coming in 15 minutes which means all the law students are leaving which means empty spaces BUT
you're so right the chosen's timeline is fucked up atp i can't really tell when it's been a day or a week or like. a couple months it's. i dont understand what theyre doing and why theyre doing it like this. cause like. even the characters who do have decent arcs like matthew and simon peter and james and john are not being developed properly cause the timing is so goddamn off. and i Know that in this new season they're gonna try to make john like Rise Above and start to kind of live up to his name as the favorite and have more understanding of jesus' teachings while james doesn't which is very stupid to me cause like. When. i think it was last season that this guy was bragging about getting to plough a field. how are they going to have john transition into one of the most competent disciples just. doesnt make sense.
and ALSO !!!! the reason all of these arcs are being so rushed is because they never get a break because as you mentioned literally nobody else gets any character developement. i wanna see more of thad. and little james. and nathanael while we're at it, and zee, and philip, and mary and tamar's friendship. why are they just throwing shit in there and never expand on it at all, unless you're thaddeus, in which case you don't even get that.
also i have a.,., suspicion, kind of, on where they're going with big james, and i can't be entirely sure, i'm not saying i'm correct, but just in case. Leave Tamar Alone ! i'm begging you ! dallas ! leave tamar alone ! not every single one of your female characters needs a romantic subplot ! i know big james is pretty and you want to give him a love interest so the repressed christian women in your audience keep watching your show, i see him, but for the love of christ actually ! leave tamar alone ! i know that if this happens you're only going to utilize her character for romance LEAVE TAMAR ALONE !!!!
1 note · View note
emmym1 · 6 months
Text
My thoughts on... Black Widow 2020 (#6-10) "I Am The Black Widow"
So after that incredibly good and emotional first arc it's time to continue this Black Widow run. I was super excited to see where they would take it from here and how Nat losing her family would affect her. So I was really glad to see them explore that in this and more! It was really interesting to see how Nat was dealing with the grief of basically losing her family for good. Seeing her constantly be reminded of her life with them just by looking at certain objects or things in her daily life really hit hard. Seeing all the flashbacks and then the grief on Nat's face. It really hits deep. It was also really intriguing to see Nat open up about what happened and how she feels about it with Yelena. It's interesting to see how she has all these confusing feelings within her. She loved her husband and kid, even though everything was forced onto her. And it gives her these confusing feelings because partially she feels grateful for being forced into that situation and being able to live her life with them. But at the same time she absolutely hates that she's grateful for what they've done for her, and that hate, those confusing feelings, it's replacing her feelings of grief which she doesn't want to happen. It's super interesting to see how she is dealing with all these different and conflicting feelings and having no idea what to make of them. It also makes her really relatable as we've all experienced feeling like that. Nat's and Yelena's dynamic in this was such a highlight of this second arc. It's so interesting to see their similarities but also their extreme differences. In the way they want to help Lucy, in the way they approach missions, and so much more. But even though they have a lot of differences and different opinions on stuff, they still need each other a lot. And it's such a cool dynamic with some really fun banter! All of the art and action sequences in this arc were once again just breathtakingly awesome! This arc pushes the action sequences even more in awesome artistic direction and does some really unique stuff with it, all with incredible detail. There are splash pages where you can look at them for 5 minutes and still find new details you missed. It's absolutely incredible how good the art is in this run! Lucy was a surpising addition to the story, but a welcome one. It's really interesting how she wants to be part of this world Black Widow is part of all while Nat is trying her best to keep her out of it. Because she doesn't want her to go through the same experiences she had. Perhaps in a way Nat sees a younger self in Lucy, a younger self that she can still save of all of this. That's really the feeling i'm getting from Nat and the way she looks at Lucy. It's super interesting that's she basically a mirror of a younger self for Nat. I will say I do wish they would've fleshed her out a bit more. Her addition to the story was a bit abrupt and we don't really get much background on her beyond some surface level stuff. I hope they explore her character a bit more in the future. Same goes for Craig I feel, he gets introduced very abruptly with not much info on who he is. It was also kind of weird to see him go from being parachuted out of a window to all of a sudden being stuck in Nat's closet, like how did that happen? I wish they were able to fill in small gaps like that, because this arc has a few of them I feel. Not that it took away from the overall experience but It would've been nice to see them fill in those gaps. I was super surpised to see Anya Corazon show up in this and be such a major part of this arc. I first got introduced to her in Web-Warriors (2015) and have been dying to see and learn more about her. So i was super excited and hyped when she showed up! She's such a fun character and it was really cool to see her try being a spy. She surprisingly fits in so well with the rest of the team, I really hope she shows up in the next arc! Same goes for Kate Bishop, it was really fun to see her show up in this!
The storyline with apogee seems really interesting as I feel we've barely scratched the surface of it. So I really wonder what lies beneath. Like who is he? Why is he giving random people powers? What's his connection to Nat? It's going to be interesting to see where they'll take it. Something I'm also really intrigued by is Nat's new suit. I absolutely adore the design of it, it's just so incredibly perfect, i love it! It also seems to have an incredible amount of functions and tech, and seems to give her extra power somehow? I wish they would explain a bit more about what the deal with the new suit is, what exactly it can do and where she got it from. Because it seems like a really big upgrade for her (also I just really need to know where one can get a badass suit like that). This arc was a lot of fun and seems to be setting up something even bigger. It was super interesting to see Nat deal with her grief for her family and how it's affecting her in her daily life. Furthermore it was super intriguing to see all the conflicting thoughts she had about that entire situation. It made her struggles feel so very real. Lucy was a welcome addition to the story although i wish she would have gotten a bit more exploration but perhaps we'll get that in the future. Anya also just fitted so perfectly within this team! This arc once again blew me away with it's breathtaking art, it's defintely some of the best i've seen! Nat's & Yelena's dynamic was also super good. All by all tons of good stuff although some gaps could've used some filling. Regardless I'm super excited to see what's next!
1 note · View note
babyboibucky · 3 years
Text
The Match - Part 8
Pairing: CEO!Bucky x Fem!Reader
Word Count: 2.7k
Summary: You get a preview of what it’s like to be working with Mackenzie.
Warnings: I apologize as there is no smut in here lmfao but there is a stubborn Bucky lols
A/N: The jitters just never go away whenever I post a new part for this ajkcnjasncakjcnakj I find this part boring tbh but uhh things will start picking up again in the next part I promise
The Match Masterlist || MAIN MASTERLIST
Tumblr media
Bucky decided to push through with his partnership with Wilson Enterprises. It was a big one, so it definitely required the entire team's effort and perseverance. Apparently, this is the company's biggest, most major project yet so this was going to look really good in your resume. It would also provide you with more credibility to further excel in your career.
Except that Bucky actually hired a marketing consultant to take over the entire project as his revenge.
"Any questions? About the project or about Kenzie?" Bucky asked, standing in front of the conference room, next to Mackenzie.
You confidently raised your hand when no one else did. Bucky tilted his head, a tiny smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. He knew you were affected, of fucking course you were!
"Yes?" he called out.
You stood up and sighed softly, "I mean this in the most respectful way, Mister Barnes." you said, emphasizing his name. "But as the head of marketing, what exactly is my role here? Given that Mackenzie was hired to spearhead the marketing aspect of this project." you said, giving Mackenzie a passive aggressive smile.
"I don't want to overstep on some boundaries here, that's why I'm asking. I just want clarity, that's all." you said.
Bucky was about to respond when Mackenzie stopped him, grabbing his arm and squeezing it before taking over the floor. You narrowed your eyes at how her slender fingers were wrapped around Bucky's arm.
"Honey..." Mackenzie started. "There's nothing to worry about, this is a collaborative work between you and I. So think of yourself as my assistant, someone to help me out with the project." she responded.
Bitch.
"I'm not an assistant, Mackenzie." you said, smiling at her.
Mackenzie laughed, "I'm sorry, my bad. I shouldn't have used that term. Oops." she said. "Although, I believe I have more experience in this area so maybe consider me a mentor?" she suggested.
Bitch!
Bucky cleared his throat, "If you have certain ideas, you can discuss it with her. She is a consultant after all. Given her impressive experience in the field, I'm sure you'll learn a thing or two from her."
The meeting was wrapped up by noon and you simply couldn't wait to get yourself out of the conference room. You didn't feel like talking to Bucky anymore in all honesty, not after what he was doing. You knew this was just to spite you, get you to cave in first and give in to him.
All the more that you wouldn't, especially not when he actually used your job against you.
Everyone started rushing out of the conference room, ready to head out for lunch. As soon as you reached the doorway, you overheard the short conversation between Bucky and Mackenzie.
"Hey Bucky, we still up for lunch?"
-
The bathroom was empty when you stepped inside and thank god for that because you couldn't hold back your emotions any further. Tears gathered in the corner of your eyes, not because you were hurt. Fuck no, you were angry and frustrated. So fucking angry at yourself for getting into this mess, at Bucky for being such an entitled prick, at the entire world for plotting against you.
You groaned in irritation as you wiped away your tears, sniffing as you looked at yourself in the mirror.
You worked your ass off for this job, for your position. You risked your dignity when you let Bucky fuck you. You weren't going to let someone take that away from you.
You quickly fixed yourself when the door opened, followed by the loud clacking of someone's heels.
"Omg, are you crying?" Beverly gasped, rushing over to you.
You snickered, "No." you lied, "My eyes are itchy." you huffed out before noticing that Beverly was holding a sandwich in her hand.
"Why did you bring your sandwich here?" you curiously asked.
Beverly shrugged, "The pantry's full and the other girls don't exactly seem to like me...so..."
You shook your head and sighed, "Come with me, let's have lunch out. I need to get out of this fucking place anyway."
"Yay, omg! I knew you were nice! You're like, the only girl who actually talked to me nicely." Beverly said, tagging behind you as you exited the bathroom.
"Oh, there you are!" Mark called out. "I was looking for you. Wanna grab lunch? Oh...who's this?" he asked, noticing the blonde girl trailing behind you.
"I'm Beverly! I'm Sir James' new secretary." she introduced excitedly.
You sighed, "Don't ask me why." you said when Mark turned to you with a confused look, still not sure what happened to Bucky's previous secretary.
"So, lunch out? With Bev?" you asked.
-
You were completely zoning out during lunch despite the ongoing conversation between Mark and Bev, something about yoga? You honestly couldn't care less, not when you were feeling so conflicted about your current situation.
Would Bucky actually go that far just to get you back? Or does he actually hate you for saying no to him and is basically using his authority to make your life a living hell?
"So I heard about the new girl." Mark said, that snapped you out of your trance.
"Huh?" you asked.
"I find it weird for Mister Barnes to hire someone when you're here." Mark pointed out. "I mean, are you okay with that or..."
You snorted, "Fuck no. Look, I'm not gonna be the bigger person here. I was offended as fuck." you admitted.
"Yeah, it's super weird because she was hired through Tinder or something. Is that even legal?" Beverly pointed out as she scrolled through her phone.
You and Mark turned to her abruptly, "Tinder? Wait, what?" you asked.
Beverly chuckled, "I heard them talking this morning and Kenzie was like, 'It's so funny that we matched on Tinder and ended up doing business there you know' and I'm like omg Sir James has Tinder and I have one too but I never saw him there, bummer."
"Motherfucker." you hissed out.
Mark made a face, "Are you okay?" he carefully asked. "You've been really tensed since last week."
Apparently, Bucky never deleted his Tinder and have been swiping right on women. And that's how he met Mackenzie who just happened to be a marketing consultant. Now you were just furious, was he fucking her too? Has he been fucking other women this entire time?
"Hey, Bev..." you said, a plan hatching inside your mind. "Can I ask you a favor?" you asked nicely.
Beverly nodded, "Um duh, you're basically my office BFF now."
"If you ever hear Mister Barnes and Mackenzie talk about hmm, I don't know...something interesting. Maybe about the project...me 'cause you know, I'm the head of marketing and Mackenzie’s in the same field...let me know, will ya?" you asked.
Mark chuckled nervously, "I don't know what's going on but isn't that an invasion of privacy?"
"She's not going to eavesdrop, Mark. She'll just...listen closely." you explained.
"Bev might get in trouble if Mister Barnes finds out." Mark warned.
You waved a hand, "She'll be fine, Mark. She's his secretary, she has to know everything. Besides, I'm not going to let her get in trouble, if she does then I'll take care of it."
Beverly squealed in delight, "Omg, you are not my office BFF. You're like my office mom! You and Mark are literally my office parents." she said, lifting her phone up in the air.
"Selfie! This one goes to the 'gram." she said, taking a quick photo of the three of you.
She then proceeded to edit the photo while you and Mark continued eating lunch.
"Bev, you should really put your phone away and eat first. We have less than half an hour left for lunch break." Mark called out.
Beverly groaned and rolled her eyes, "Way to get into the role, Mark. You're such a dad."
You snorted, "Yeah. Loosen up, daddy." you teased.
"Playing family after just one date, huh."
Bucky's presence in the same restaurant should've really intimidated you, most especially that he just witnessed you tease Mark like that. But you were too mad at him to even care, what was the point even? He didn't believe you even when you told him the truth that Mark was just a friend.
Why even try now?
"Hi Sir James." Beverly greeted happily.
"Mister Barnes." Mark acknowledged.
Bucky ignored them and kept his eyes on you. You didn't falter under his gaze and simply stared back at him with blank eyes. It's as if a staring competition took place when the both of you merely looked at each other, neither of you looking away nor attempting to do so.
"How was that date last Friday, Jim?" Bucky asked, his eyes still trained on yours.
Mark made a funny face at the name that Bucky called him but shrugged anyway. Before he could even respond, you decided to answer on his behalf. If Bucky wanted to spite you, you'd give him a taste of his own medicine.
"It was actually great. We might go on another one this Friday." you said.
"We are?" Mark asked in a whisper.
Bucky's hand landed on Mark's shoulder, "Don't count on it, Andrew. She's going to be doing a lot of work on Friday due to the project." he said through gritted teeth.
You shrugged, "Oh, but I thought Mackenzie's doing all my work?"
"I'm ready to head back, Buck."
Speak of the devil herself. Mackenzie weaved through the tables and approached Bucky, her face brightening up when she saw you, Mark and Beverly.
"Oh, hey you." she greeted you. "Look, I think we may have started off on the wrong foot earlier. I'm not here to take your job, just here to spice things up a bit. Improve your ideas, give Bucky some assistance." she chuckled, holding onto Bucky's arm yet again.
You fought back the urge to grab your glass of water and throw it at her face. As the saying goes, kill them with kindness. So you merely shrugged and extended an arm for a handshake.
"Of course. I would love to improve your ideas as well, you know. Just a healthy discourse between two marketing professionals. We good?" you said.
Mackenzie forced out a chuckle and reached for your hand, "We’re good. I look forward to working with you." she said before turning back to Bucky who was still gazing at you.
"Let's go?" she asked sweetly.
Bucky smirked at you before wrapping an arm around Mackenzie's waist, guiding her out of the restaurant the same way he did to you. You were too focused on Bucky's body language around Mackenzie that you failed to notice that Mark was watching you closely, your expressions and how you reacted towards Bucky.
"I think I know what's happening."
-
"You what?!"
"Shhh!" you hushed Mark and peeked out of the empty pantry to make sure the coast was clear.
Mark noticed the tension between you and Bucky and he came to a conclusion that the both of you dated at one point. He wasn't really wrong but he wasn't right either. So you decided to tell him everything, from the moment you matched with Bucky on Tinder until your last conversation with him last Saturday.
"I honestly thought you were dating, I didn't know there was sex involved. No wonder he had been calling me weird names." he said incredulously. "Was that you and Mister Barnes that Janet reported to the HR?" he asked, stifling his laughter.
You groaned, "Yes. Ugh, gave me a panic attack when I found out about that incident report." you said.
"Hey..." Mark called out. "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me this. Your secret is safe with me." he reassured.
You nodded, "I think it was about time that I told someone about us anyway. This whole situation is driving me crazy and I don't know what to do next. And I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess, I shouldn't have said that we were going out again. I don't want you or your job getting compromised because of our petty fight." you exhaled.
You had to admit, you felt so much better now after confiding with Mark. It somewhat alleviated the weight on your shoulders, knowing that there was someone aware of what you were going through. Who would've thought that this person would end up being Mark? You did have friends outside of work of course, but you felt like they all wouldn't really understand the situation.
Half would hate you for rejecting Bucky and the other half would hate you for even swiping right on him.
"Do you mind an unsolicited advice?" Mark asked.
"Not at all." you said.
"Ignore him. Don't let him or Mackenzie get to you. Do what you do best, you're great at your job and you'll be fine. That might get him to realize that you're not a prize to be won. And if he still doesn't see that, then that's his loss. You're more than just that hot marketing girl at work." Mark said.
You laughed at his last statement, "Hot marketing girl at work?" you asked, shaking your head.
"It's true. So if in any case you decide to ditch the CEO and move on, you know where to find me." he joked, throwing a wink your way.
-
You wanted to finish all your reports so you could focus on the huge project so you decided to work until around nine in the evening. The floor was already empty by the time you were done. Bucky seemed to be working too, given that he was still replying to e-mails at this hour. Wanting to get all the reports over with, you decided to submit it to him before going home.
During the elevator ride to Bucky’s floor, you couldn’t help but wonder whether he was alone in the office. Would Mackenzie be there with him? Even at this hour? Your grip on the folder tightened at the thought of catching them in the act.
But did you have any right to feel this way though?
Brushing off the thoughts, you exhaled loudly and prepared yourself for whatever it was you were to witness. Upon reaching the door to Bucky’s office, you slightly turned your head to listen to anything. It was quiet. No hushed whispers nor strained grunts-- they weren’t fucking, thank goodness for that.
You decided not to knock and just walk inside like you used to, reminding yourself of Mark’s advice.
Don’t let Bucky get to you.
When you saw Bucky hunched over his desk, typing away on his e-mails instead of bending a certain brunette somewhere in his office, you had to admit that you were relieved. He looked up and his eyes looked dead tired, you almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
“You should really learn how to knock.” Bucky called out, slamming his laptop shut.
“Look, Bucky. I was just rushing to submit these reports so I can go home.” you explained and placed the folder on top of his desk.
Bucky frowned, “I said to call me Mister Barnes.”
You huffed out, “I honestly don’t care, Bucky. I’m not playing your damn games anymore.” you said and turned around.
A hand on your arm pulled you back, harshly turning you around to face Bucky. He was fuming, as usual. At this point, you were no longer fazed.
“You think I don’t know what you’re trying to do?” he asked.
You clenched your jaw and pulled your arm back, “I’m not doing anything. You bring in Beverly or Mackenzie or whoever it is that you have up your sleeve. I don’t fucking care. I just want to focus on work.” you said and stepped away.
“And you should too, Bucky.” you added.
“I don’t believe you.” he said.
You sighed, your shoulders dropping from exhaustion at this whole shenanigan. “I’m done, Bucky.”
And with that you turned around to exit his office, leaving Bucky unsure whether you truly meant what you said. A victorious smirk graced your lips as you walked back to the elevator.
You were far from done.
-
The Match Special Tags:
@marvelslag​​ @weird-mumbling​​ @propertyofpoeandbucky​​ @lostinthoughtsandfeelings​​ @mostly-marvel-musings​​ @squishybabies​​ @megzdoodle​​ @suchababie​​ @annathesillyfriend​​ @xhollycowx​​ @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog​​ @5-seconds-of-mendes​​ @gogolucky13​​ @countonthesun​​ @iloveshawnieboi​​ @learisa​​ @borikenlove​​ @scarlet-natasha89​​
Everything Bucky Tag List:
@ddowii​​ @jessou893​​ @stealapizzamyheart​​ @bagelofthelord​​ @mxnt​​ @dontputyourfckingdrinkonmytable @jeeperky​​ @ohladymacbeth​​ @wildflowergubler​​ @supraveng​​ @twinerd14​​ @buckysmar @bakugouswh0r3​​ @sweetcoldharmony @wintersfilm​​ @charminivy​​ @amelia-song-pond​​ @iamvalentinaconstanza​​ @mcubqrnes @im-squished​​ @tcc-gizmachine​​ @sipsteacasually​​ @prettyintopeerpressure​​ @weloveyasmin​ @est19xxshit​ @bloodhon3yx​ @dressed-in-prada​ @lizette50​ @thatfangirl42​ @sunflowerbunny2​ @unmagically​ @okiegirl24​ @sugarpunch-princess​ @enlyume​ @vvipgotbb @slimeyderp​ @lyoongx​ @just-deka​ @nobody-will​ @jaziona92 @elisebuitron​ @dpaccione​ @suvikamahes98blr​ @buckybarneshairpullingkink​ @earthtonav @x-judyjude-x​ @nani-kenobi @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @belladonnabarnes​ @iloveangstposts​ @weenersoldierr​ @asemistablehundredyearoldman​ @reidbuck​ @lizzarooni​ @girlfriday007​ @bonkywobble​ @lost-in-the-stars03​ @its-yasbxtch​ @whoth3hellisbucky​
1K notes · View notes
technowoah · 3 years
Text
Rather Be Devisive Than Indecisive pt. 2
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
You weren't planning to help Techno again, but here you are with his horse.
- ANON REQUESTED!
- I really wanted to do second part anyways! So thanks a bunch!
- this story is long 😪 it'll all make sense though!
- part 1 is here!
- masterlist!
Tumblr media
To say everything went south was a understatement. Everything went to hell, and you were currently living in it. You missed watching the sunset standing ontop L'Manburg's walls, you missed the peacefulness before the war. Maybe back then was too good to be true.
After the last encounter with Technoblade you had turned back to help Tommy and Tubbo. You tried to help wherever you could because you can see everyone drift apart, the main reason people came together was gone and dead. You tried to be a bigger sibling to both of them, and you tried to Tubbo and the former citizens repair the crater Wilbur left behind.
It took years, but L'Manburg was new and fresh again, with the help of Tubbo's new cabinet of trusted people L'Manburg was peaceful again. Tubbo had made you apart of his cabinet as well as Quackity, Fundy, Tommy and Karl. It was a new beginning.
There were days where you wondered if Wilbur would get a funeral. Schlatt had gotton a funeral, but you saw first hand how that went it wasnt a somber moment at all. It was for the best, they had mixed feelings about Wilbur and you dont blame them.
You had a new family, but there were things unkown to you, things that are being created out of your knowledge and that scared you. We have new L'manburg, but it isnt the same you dont know how long Tubbo could uphold peace in this new kingdom.
New things were created from the end of a old one.
It was a peaceful day in L'Manburg just as Tubbo promised the new citizens. You had stayed busy the whole day until a certian blonde came around your house frantically urging you to get outside and follow him
"C'mon! Just follow me! I have something to show you!"
"Tommy what are you talking about?!"
"Its VERY important, hurry! I dont want him to leave that spot."
Tommy had dragged you by the arm to the pier that evening and kept chanting that he had to show you something of utmost importance. You were trying to ask questions and keep up with his pace as he weaved through buildings claiming they were a "shortcut". Tommy stopped you at the pier and stood to your side, he was looking back and forth at the end of the pier to the water and back to you again.
You were about to ask why you were there until you saw a familiar man.
"Oh! Hello! Tommy who is this?"
He was pale, no, he was transparent. He looked pale, the sunset's dull rays made it seem like he still had skin. He had a yellow sweater on with brown pants and black shoes. He looked comfortable, he looked free. Next to his side there was a sheep on a leash with blue dye, you noticed it was poorly dyed too the dye was dripping from its wool. It was Wilbur, physically, but it wasn't HIM.
"He's Ghostbur." Tommy whispered to you while he stood between you two.
"Yes, I'm Ghostbur!" The ghost cheerfully said.
"This- this is y/n. Dont you remember?" Tommy cautiously asked Ghostbur.
Ghostbur had a look of confusion and curiosity on his face. He seemed so pure compared to when he was alive.
"No..I can't, but I would love to know." He stuck out his hand in a greeting.
"Hi I'm ghostbur!"
"I'm y/n." You said lowly.
You tried to reach out and grab his hand but it went straight through. You hated it, he's gone and you couldn't bring him back. It isn't him, but Ghostbur maybe better, Wilbur is gone and thats okay. Something came out of nothing, you kept telling yourself that everything was okay, but now seeing Ghostbur so naive and pure and free of the world's weight you believed everything would be fine.
"Im sorry. Im transparent, and I have no flesh." Ghostbur smiled.
"That's fine." You paused looking for the right words. "Do you know what you did? To L'Manburg?"
"Believe me, he dosen't. I tried." Tommy said to you.
"I couldn't belive I would do such a thing." Ghostbur added on.
"He shares no memories of Wilbur. Basically a new person." Tommy continued.
"That's great." You perked up. "It's bittersweet ya know. But Im happy you're here Ghostbur!"
"Im happy I'm here too, and Im happy I met you today." Ghostbur smiled at you while his sheep walked towards you, he unknowingly rubbed up against you putting blue dye on your clothes.
"Oh! This is Friend! I forgot to mention him to you. You can pet him!"
You didnt want to. He was dripping with dye, but you did it to appease Ghostbur. Tommy cringed while you petted the slightly wet, blue sheep. Once you were done your hand was blue, you rubbed it on your clothes that were already blue.
"I think he likes you." Ghostbur cheerfully said.
You were so thankful for Tommy bringing you to that pier. It was the closure you needed to move on and focus on building a new life for all of you. A peaceful life, but it seemed too good to be true. Days went by like normal and that sometimes was too much for you. You worked on new buildings and worked with Tubbo's cabinet too, that was a new normality for you.
The unknown scared you, but you had your family here. You had made amends with them and now and this is what you wanted. But then again it all seemed too good to be true.
Tumblr media
Nobody had told you anything, you weren't in cabinet meetings, nor around Tubbo or Tommy. You felt shut out, you felt sick. The cabinet had decided to do something about Tommy and Dream started to become involved in Tommy's predicament. Soon after Tommy was in court, stripped away of his vice presidency, and had been put on probation.
Tubbo had come to you about Tommy being exiled. There was a huge meeting with the cabient and Dream about that situation and you had stayed silent the whole time. You wanted what was best for L'Manburg, but Tommy was like a brother to you, you couldn't send him away to fend for himself. You could see the confliction on Tubbo's face as he was going through the same dilemma as you were.
In the end Dream gave Tubboo 3 days to chose if to exile Tommy or not.
Tubbo had talked to you about the situation before the second day came. You two were in the same boat when it came to exiling him. You two had came to a conclusion, Tubbo just had to talk with the rest of his cabinent for a final conclusion.
The second day came and the plan switched immediately when Tommy came and introduced it. He wanted to fight back against Dream, of course he did, but he wanted another man to come and help. They wanted Technoblade to join their revolt. Quackity and Fundy agreed with the idea, but Tubbo was more cautious. You hated it.
Technoblade wasn't a subject nor person you wanted to be associated with ever since that night in Pogtopia. After all this time you had forgotten about him, you had forgotten your failed attempt at rekindling your friendship until now.
Tubbo was cautious, but you were 100% against it. Tubbo agreed with the rest of the cabinet and Tommy. They eventually asked you, and of course you said no, but it didn't matter, majority rules in this case.
You all approched Dream intop of the obsidian walls with your final decision.
"We have come to a decision. Look around." Tubbk leaded.
"There's giant, obsidian walls." Dream answered calmly.
"There is, there is Dream. And that's a problem, okay? This is funny actually." Tubbo turned back to Tommy. "Tommy, I am- I am so sorry."
Tubbo continues to talk to Dream. "I have come to the decision, that it'll be better for the nation the most logical thing to do is for Tommy to be exiled from L'Manburg."
"What?"
"Tubbo?!"
"Teaming up with Technoblade is an awful idea! It's an awful idea!"
Oh thank goodness.
"We just had this conversation!" Fundy yelled.
"No! No! Okay?! Nothing! Involving any kind of conflict is not safe for this nation! You've undermined my authority from the get go! Okay! All of you! No one here has respected me. You all jump on these merry little bandwagons of destruction. It's not okay!"
Tubbo was livid. His face was turning red and will keep doing so if he kept yelling. You felt a familiar breeze beside you as you saw Ghostbur standing next to you and behind Tommy. He smiled at you and continued yo listen to Tubbo's angry speech. You wondered why he was here, why he showed up at times and then left. Like he only needed to listen and not give any input.
"You cant go back on the plan now?! What the hell?!" Tommy yelled.
"When I was sworn in I made a promise to do what was best for the nation. And right now, Tommy you, your presence here is not the best for his nation."
Your heart dropped to your stomach and you think ghostbur noticed. You were happy that you didnt need to see Technoblade again, but you were going to lose what you would call a brother. You started to backtrack on your final decision, you belived Tubbo was in thr right. Tubbo wanted what was best for L'Manburg and what was best for L'Manburg was for Tommy to be exiled. You wished there was another way, but you know Tommy was stubborn it wouldn't work that easy.
Your mind kept wandering to if Tubbo decided to team with Technoblade. He was right there would be destruction, a huge war and probably the end of L'Manburg. You didn't want that again, you didn't want to see him again. You couldn't help but wonder if he knew L'Manburg was brand new.
"Dream, please detain and escort Tommy out of my country."
Tommy was gone. Its been weeks, four weeks to be exact. L'Manburg was peaceful, everywhere was peaceful, but you had to admit that you missed him. Fundy and Quackity tried to convince Tubbo to bring Tommy back, but he already made up his mind. He was confident in his decision, you were proud he was ruling L'Manburg confidently, but everyone was weary.
You haven't seen Ghostbur around either, he must've been floating around somewhere. It's none of your business.
The walls have been taken down and L'Manburg was independent again. There were sacrifices to be made. There were a lot of sacrifices to be made to keep L'Manburg up, and you kept asking yourself if everything was worth it. Was the discs worth that much to Tommy? Was L'Manburg even a good choice to begin with?
Was Technoblade right?
Tumblr media
The Butcher Gang. They were calling themselves The Butcher Gang. The cabinet had several meeting and came ti the decisions that the biggest problems in L'Manburg were Technoblade and Dream. The cabinet decided not to kill Dream because of the fact that he was allies with L'Manburg, so they decided to try and kill Technoblade.
Dumbasses. You've mentioned to Tubbo that he was a very, very, very dangerous man. Tubbo has seen him before! You asked Tubbo constantly why did he wants to kill him when he says that he didn't want to team up with him. Tubbo said it was for the better of L'Manburg, but dosent he know that might cause even more trouble?
You didnt want to join them, you couldn't risk your life for something that is impossible to achieve. You separated from the cabinet, you couldn't watch them do this and you tried to stop them, but they insisted on the act.
Lately you've seen more of Ghostbur and that made you happy. It made you happy he wanted to spend time with you and it made you forget the trouble brewing in the cabinet.
"What's wrong?" Ghostbur asked while sitting on the edge of the pier with you, and Friend who was tied to one of the pier's poles.
"It's nothing Ghostbur." You said with a sigh.
"Good!" He cheerfully said.
"Can I actually tel you something?" You asked again, you wanted to get this off of your chest.
"Of course." He smiled.
You sighed and then began to speak as you looked out to the water. "It's the cabinet, its Tubbo, Fundy and Quackity that's the problem."
"But they are wonderful people! What can they do wrong?" Ghostbur suddenly asked.
"They want to kill someone, Ghostbur."
"Maybe it was a misunderstanding."
"I dont- I dont think so." You hung your head looking at your feet.
"Ghostbur, they want to kill Technoblade and I dont-"
"Technoblade?! That's my friend! Why- why would they want to kill him?"
Your heart felt heavy at his words. Another point not to kill Technoblade, you didn't want Ghostbur to hurt, not like Wilbur.
"He was a friend of mine too once. When L'Manburg first got blown up he- we betrayed L'Manburg and then spawned 3 wither skeletons to destroy the rest of the citizens." You explained to Ghostbur's disrught face.
"You wouldn't do that! You're kind!" Ghostbur exclaimed.
"It wasn't my best decision Ghostbur. People can make bad mistakes. A lot of people do. They aren't pure like you." You smiled softly at him.
A long hush fell over the two of you until Ghostbur perked up.
"We need to save Technoblade!" He exclaimed.
"Ghostbur I cant do that."
"Why not?"
"Because me and Techno aren't friends anymore." You said sadly.
"Why not?"
You couldn't answer that. You can, you can give the right answer, but at this moment you couldnt tell the ghost who suddenly stood up next to you.
"If I take you to where Technoblade lives will you feel better?" Ghostbur asked with Friend's leash in his hands.
Tubbo, Fundy and Quackity didnt know where Technoblade lives and desperately wanted to know to kill him. Maybe this was a good idea. You tried to convince yourself that as you walked side by side with Ghostbur. You had followed him through the woods as he weaved in and out of the trees. Friend was following Ghostbur as well, he wouldn't let Friend stay anywhere out of his sight.
You were getting special treatment, you were about to find out where Technoblade lived before The Butcher Gang would. Would you be considered a traitor again? Tubbo wouldn't want you back in the cabinet if you knew where Technoblade lived and you didnt tell him.
The atmosphere got colder as you two ventured on, you didnt know he would retreat all the way out here. It was snowing and you didn't bring any type of warm clothing considering L'Manburg was rather warm. Ghostbur had no problem, neither did Friend. Luckily you saw a light in the dark woods. It was further away, but you could see the light expand as you two treaded over towards it.
"That's the house!" Ghostbur pointed too.
You two reached the end of the woods and before you was an opening. There was blanket of white snow everywhere, there were footprints in the snow, but they were being covered by the falling snow above you. It was a valley and the only thing there was a beautiful wooden house. It was errie, the only civilization here was was Technoblade who lived in the house.
"It's pretty lonely." You said still cautious of the situation.
"Yeah it's sad, but we're here and it's okay!" Ghostbur said.
"Sure." You whispered as Ghostbur continues to lead the way.
You two got closer and closer to the house and you continued to try and back out. It's too late to do so now, you didnt even feel like walking back to L'Manburg after you confront Technoblade again. The two of you were heading up to his door, your heart was beating heavier as you got to his door. You brought your fist up to knock on the door, hopefully he was home because you were freezing cold. You harshly knocked on his door and awaited for his response.
You two waited for a while, but no one was opening the door.
"Ghostbur why don't you go inside?"
"I'll just peak my head in!" He answered and did so. His head phased through the door and then he came back out with a frown on his face. "No one is in there."
"Why did we come here?" You sulked and started to turn away from the door.
"Why the hell are you two here at night?!"
"Oh! Techno! Hi!"
Shit. You were looking into his eyes and you froze when he turned to you. This was the first time you've seen him in years ever since Pogtopia, you hated it. It was embarrassing you tried to become friends long ago, but that failed, and now you were here again. He probably saw you as desperate, coming back to him after betraying him.
"Hello Ghostbur. How are you?" Technoblade walked in between the two of you opening the door to his house. When he walked in he intentionally left the door open for you and Ghostbur. Luckily it was warmer inside and you welcomed it.
"Im good! But we are here for you." Ghostbur cheerfully said.
"Oh really?" Technoblade said while occupying himself with something else, not even bothering to look at the two of you standing awkwardly at his closed door.
"Yeah, Y/N tell him!" Ghostbur urged you on.
You paused for a second before speaking to Technoblade, who wasnt even paying attention. "There's these people called the Butcher Gang."
"Sounds stupid."
"Yeah it is. And they want you."
Techno scoffed. "Want me for what?"
You knew Technoblade was smarter than this. He was bouncing around the room not even sparing a glance towards you. He wasn't paying attention.
"They want to kill you Technoblade."
He stopped all of his movements, stood up to his full height and looked towards you and Ghostbur for the first time you've been in his house.
"You better not be screwing with me."
"Why would I?!" You got offended by his statement.
"I dont know, because you show up to my house out of nowhere and tell me that people are trying to kill me. This could be a setup! I cant trust-"
"Okay! The Butcher Gang is Tubbo, Quackity and Fundy. Thats all I know of who's in the group. They want to kill you because you are a threat to L'Manburg. Trust me!" You cut him off and explained.
"What do you want me to do about it?" Technoblade asked you.
"Dont kill them, but I wanted to warn you. They are being reckless and since you're out here they shouldn't bother you. They're looking for more trouble, Tubbo already has a lot on his plate, this isn't a good idea for you nor L'Manburg."
You finished your statement still weary of this whole situation. You hated being in this situation, Techno's presence didn't make you uncomfortable it was just seeing him and warning him of future danger. You two weren't even considered close, why were you here? You were here for L'Manburg.
"Okay. I'll try. No promises though." Techno smirked and continued doing whatever task he was doing.
You found somewhere to sit for the time being knowing that you two wouldn't talk. Looking around the room you realized that Friend was alone inside the house without Ghostbur. You looked outside and saw him walking from the woods again in a rushed pace. You didn't know he left, he phased back into the house.
"They say they're gonna kill you. Y/n was right." Ghostbur says.
"Were you two leading them to my house?!"
"No."
"No we didn't! We didn't even know they were coming today!" You stood up looking out the window in search of Tubbo and the rest of them.
"Ghostbur who was with them?" You asked as Techno ran around the rooms for weapons and armor.
"Um, Tubbo, Fundy, Quackity..Oh! And Ranboo."
"Ranboo?!" That poor kid. What is he doing?
"Eventhough I hate to say this. I don't trust you. Get out." Technoblade paused infront of you before rushing to the other room. "And tell them I'm not home!"
"And if that dosent work?!" You yelled back.
"Then to hell with them!"
You rushed outside with Ghostbur, hoping that the Butcher Gang dosen't notice you were leaving Technoblade's house. It was too late, they were already lined up outside with full netherite armor and gear.
"Y/n?!"
"Wait what are you doing here?" Tubbo asked as you made your way towards them.
"Im- I wanted to try and rekindle mine and Technoblade's relationship." You used an old lie to get yourself out of this situation. This was an already bad look on you, hopefully your lie would work.
"I thought your friendship ended a long time ago?" Tubbo asked again.
"It did, but I wanted to try again." This was embarrassing, now you really seem desperate.
"I see, then move out of our way." Tubbo asked you harshly.
"Uh- hey." Technoblade came out of his house with full netherite too, you weren't protected, so you will have to stay out of the way.
"Why have you guys come all the way over here to my humble abode?" Technoblade started walking towards his stable where he kelt his horse. He tried to lighten the mood, but it didn't seem to work. As he moved you moved with him trying not to be inbetween the dangerous men with swords and enchanted armor.
"You need to pay for your war crimes." Tubbo said while following Technoblade.
"That was like- that's in the past! Alright, that was a different Technoblade. Im a changed man now! Im in retirement! Im a good person now Tubbo!" Technoblade dragged on as Tubbo just hummed in response.
Quackity spoke up. "Technoblade you exploded L'Manburg with fucking withers."
"You literally spawned Withers everywhere!" Tubbo exclaimed.
"Im sorry, Im sorry Technoblade as much as you changed you have to be brought to justice for that." Quackity interrupted Tubbo.
The Butcher Gang tried to speak to Technoblade at the same time, when Technoblade spoke up over them all.
"Listen guys! I've gone through so much effort over the past month to change my violent ways! I've reformed alright? The voices, they demand blood! And I- I have been denying THEM! Ive been fighting back! Please! Please dont make me kill all of you, please just leave."
You guess he has changed, but you knew somewhere in your mind that he wasn't talking about just the Butcher Gang, he was including you too. You were somewhat confident that you wouldn't be attacked or killed, but you were terribly wrong before.
There was back and forth banter between the two of them. Techno had tried to show the gang his bees and tried to make a run for it.
"Techno!"
"Hey!"
"He's running!"
The gang started running towards him, but instead of continuing he stopped and turned to them. You were trailing behind trying to catch up to them, you kept running after them. You were not equipped for this night, you didn't know Ghostbur was going to bring you out in the open cold. You could hear Ghostbur behind you as you continued to run towards them.
"Y/N you're gonna damage yourself!" Ghostbur's voice became more echoed and further away as you tried to get closer to the gang before they got killed.
"There's no other way."
"Tubbo dont be stupid!" You were right behind the Butcher Gang.
"There's no other way!"
Fuck
"I CHOSE BLOOD!"
A cloud of smoke enveloped the 6 of you and you suddenly could see. You could only see the glint of everyone's armor.
"Y/N get behind us!" Tubbo tried to blocked you off from reaching Technoblade.
"Why didn't you bring any armor?!" Quackity yelled.
"I didn't think i was gonna be fucking out here!"
Technoblade must've set off multiple smoke bombs because the smoke wouldn't stop, the smoke made you woozy, but the others didnt seemed phased by it at all and kept fighting Technoblade. Your lungs felt full, and you felt like passing out, but you wouldn't allow yourself to do so.
"Tubbo stop this!" You yelled out when the smoke cleared a little.
"No! He needs to pay!" He said while fighting with Fundy.
The air was still hazy and you lost sight of people occasionally. Whipping your head around you were met with what felt like the butt of a axe. You quickly saw a split second of a shiny axe and then a pain in your chest spiked up. You double back and tried to recover, but then you've been sliced in the thigh and a deep cut in your side taking you down to the ground. You were bleeding out and desperately trying to heal the wound in your side. You felt your consciousness slowly slip from you as you laid on the snow. The warm contrast of your blood compared to the cold snow was sad. You always get hurt, no matter what you do. It's inevitable, and you finally gotten used to it.
The last thing you heard was yelling, but it slowly faded out.
Tumblr media
You were warm, and not in the middle of nowhere anymore. You opened your eyes to see yourself staring at a polished wood ceiling, the soft pillows and blankets around you made everything feel so much better. Your whole body hurts, you dont want to move nor do you want to remember. Thank goodness that someone had patched you up, you didn't want to die. You tried shifting your body but the pain in your side was denying any movement.
"Oh! You're awake thank God!" A voice called out from your side. You looked over to see the half human hafl enderman sitting in a chair by a window. "I thought you weren't gonna wake up! Tubbo and the rest if the cabinet was worried as well."
"Were you the one who patched me up?" You asked carefully.
"Yeah! Luckily I can see in that fog, so I took you away and patched you up." Ranboo smiled.
"Who- who hit me?" You asked trying to sit up again.
Ranboo paused. "Technoblade." Ranboo said in a somber tone.
"I see." You sighed.
Ranboo helped you sit back on the headboard of the bed and you two continued to talk.
"Are you mad at him?"
"Im just upset. Its okay, he said he'll kill all of us so I knew he would." You kept your gaze at you lap.
"Yeah I get it." Ranboo replied.
"I have a question ranboo!" You perked up.
"Yeah? Shoot."
"Why did you join the Butcher Gang?" You asked the taller man. He stayed silent thinking of a right answer before actually speaking.
"They were nice to me. I trust people who are nice to me, that show me kindness and treat me with respect. I know its lame, my answer isn't fully fleshed out, but that's the reason." Ranboo shrugged and you nodded.
You would love to know Ranboo more, he seems like a great guy, but he's just lost.
"Oh! I forgot! You have a letter!" Ranboo walked around the bed and brought out a folded piece of paper and handed it to you.
You unfolded it and began to read.
𝘔𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦
𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶
- 𝘋
"Execution site?" You looked towards Ranboo.
"Oh yeah! Technoblade's execution is today an-"
"How the hell did you get him?!" You interrupted him. "Im sorry."
Ranboo looked shocked before composing himself. "Dont worry! Well, we took his horse hostage and he immediately wanted to surrender if we didn't let Carl go." Ranboo gathered stuff around the room. "And the execution is today, happening in a few minutes and I need to be there. I'll be back soon to check up on you!"
You nodded and continued to listen to him.
"Are- are you coming?" Ranboo sent one last glance towards you before making his way out.
"You know you dont HAVE to go." You said trying to ease the tension.
"I know. I really do know." He sighed. "Are you sure you dont want to?"
"No, Im okay." You sent him a smile.
You had lied again. Of course you didn't want to see Technoblade get killed, but that note that was left made you go to the cave. You trudged you way up to said cave, even though the pain in your side was unbearable you continued on. Once you had gotton up to the cave, you peaked inside cautiously. You saw a man in a cloak with a familiar mask on with Technoblade's horse. You knew it was Dream.
"Hello."
"Hello Dream."
"I will cut right to the chase. Take Carl and wait here. I have other work to do." He handed you the reigns to Carl and started to leave.
"Excuse me!? What do I do? Why do I wait here?!" You yelled after him and he just waved you off.
You rolled your eyes and found a stone in the cave to rest against with Carl's reigns lazily in your hands.
You didnt know what time it was, but the sun was slowly going down, it wasn't particularly sunset, but you knew it was late. Your eyes began to close until your heard screaming in the distance. You sat up slowly, now fully alert. You held Carl's reigns tighter as you backed into the cave more and more.
Footsteps were heard in the distance coming up to the cave and you thought if Dream had set you up for failure. The footsteps grew louder until a panting Technoblade appeared at the entrance at the cave. He looked horrible, he was thinking the same thing about you.
You two exchanged no words. You didn't want to say anything, what would you even say? He rushed over to Carl and started petting him. "Carl you're okay!"
You hummed as you and Techno shared a glance. He smiled at you. He smiled at you. It's been so long since you've seen him smile. He didn't need words to communicate, his eyes and smile said enough. You matched his smile and gave him a knowing nod and he did the same.
"Feel better eh?" Technoblade started conversation.
"Not really. What about you?"
"Eh- used a totem of undying just now."
"What?! Really?" You exclaimed. "I guess that's why you're here now huh?"
"Yeah I'll tell you about it sometimes." He smiled and climbed atop of his horse and you could see him thinking. "Im sorry too. You almost died cause of me. Thats is unacceptable, I shouldn't- I shouldn't have attacked you. I couldn't-"
"You cant control it. It's gonna take me awhile to recover, but..." You touched your bandaged cut. "It'll take me some time."
Technoblade nodded knowing what you meant. He could always read your mind somehow, thats what made you two work. Knowing eachother. He sent you one last silent goodbye before riding out of the cave. You knew that trust was somewhat restored, and that you two were better than before. This might be a new beginning.
A very angry Quackity came running around the corner of the cave and spotted you leaving. He whipped his head around to you.
"Hey! Where the fuck is Techno?!" He yelled at you.
"I don't know-"
"Dont bullshit me!"
"I. Don't. Know." You said more sternly. He gave you a hard glare before running away.
You went the opposite way trying to make it back to the room you woke up in before Ranboo came back.
Earlier you were desperately trying to befriend Techno, but things come more naturally you learned. You cant rush things, nor control this world. Things will fall into place, your and Technoblade's friendship will blossom again.
You will never find peace, but that's okay. You should be used to it by now. Everything is chaotic, but everything will be okay.
224 notes · View notes
Text
IOTA Reviews: Sole Crusher
Tumblr media
Well... It's finally here... the episode introducing the new bee hero. And what do you know? It looks like I was right about how the new character would be portrayed.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
It's kind of funny how I made predictions exaggerating what could happen, and they were surprisingly accurate. Isn't that funny?
youtube
Let's just get into the seventh (chronologically the seventh and the seventh episode in the season to air after “Mr. Pigeon 72”) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Sole Crusher. Damn, I hate that a pun this clever was used for the title.
We get to the point pretty quickly with the first scene being Zoe arriving in Paris and getting a tour of the city. She asks to stop at the Dupain-Cheng bakery, where she meets Marinette through some brief Unfunny Marinette Slapstick. The two quickly strike up a conversation.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
I mean, it's not like Zoe is the sister of the absolute worst human being in existence, right?
Marinette compliments Zoe's shoes, and she points out that she designed them herself, and wrote every good thing anyone has ever said to her on them. But because she only has one friend, there's only a standard “I <3 U” on the left shoe.
So Zoe leaves the bakery and heads to Le Grand Paris where she meets her mother, Audrey. Unlike how she talked with Marinette, Zoe pretends to be just as snobby as Audrey in order to fit in. She then meets up with Chloe, who criticizes her for having poor person things like a phone without any diamonds embedded in it. And then she sees Zoe's shoes.
Tumblr media
Look, that meme was already dated when it was referenced in Black Panther three years ago. Please don't try to reference memes in 2021, Miraculous Ladybug.
Chloe offers some golden heels while saying that those kind of shoes are for winners to wear and crush the losers underneath. This is the only episode to mention this kind of ideology, and believe me, it gets worse when Chloe decides to teach Zoe how to be like her.
Tumblr media
youtube
Get used to this. This episode is all about demolishing any semblance of likability in Chloe's character. Now that Astruc doesn't have to bother with writing Chloe with decency since she's not Queen Bee, watch as he turns her into an absolute caricature of her former self.
Yes, Chloe has ordered her father to give her a lot of frivolous things in the past, but she has been shown to care about him, like immediately rushing to hug him after she was safe in “Origins” and showing concern for when he was akumatized into Malediktator while apologizing for causing it. For the love of God, one of the first things she did when she allied with Hawkmoth at the end of Season 3 was to have him unto her parents' akumatization. I guess she only cared about her rich parents for their status and not because she actually loved them right?
Next up on the list of Chloe's positive qualities to ruin is her friendship with Sabrina.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
🎶It's seven o'clock in the morning🎶 🎶I can't believe they made this scene🎶 🎶With the writing Astruc's enforcing🎶 🎶It's like he's trying to piss off me🎶
Yep, Chloe doesn't view Sabrina in a twisted view of friendship anymore. Now she's a slave. I'm not exaggerating by the way, he actually said that in a tweet.
Tumblr media
THIS IS WHAT THOMAS ASTRUC ACTUALLY BELIEVES
Okay, so I guess all those times we saw Chloe playing superheroes with Sabrina in “Antibug” and “Miraculer” were just a slave driver playing with their property. Actually apologizing to Sabrina for getting her akumatized in those episodes? Protecting her from the Scarlet Akumas in “Ladybug”? She was just interested in keeping her slave around. I think Astruc may have slept through the slavery unit in his history class. Yes, Sabrina was mostly used as a joke to show how controlling Chloe could be, but there were still semblances of an actual friendship between the two.
Chloe arrives at school and introduces Zoe as her half-sister, despite being the same age and having the same mother. Because I guess we can add basic biology to the list of things the writers don't understand. Now that we're at school, Chloe's friendship with Adrien is next up on the chopping block.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Yep, despite being Adrien's only friend and making a big deal about valuing his friendship to the point where she threw a big party just to make sure he wouldn't leave her and risked cooperating with an Akuma to save him, now Chloe just sees Adrien as a rich meal ticket. Two of the earliest episodes to show Chloe had a more compassionate side to her, and they just undid them. Even as much as I hated the episode, “Felix” showed Chloe was willing to cooperate with Marinette and her friends just to find a way to cheer Adrien up on the anniversary of his mother's not-death.
For the love of God, Astruc, 1984 was supposed to warn people about what could happen if they rewrote the past, not encourage people to rewrite the past. He probably finished Animal Farm thinking Snowball really did work alongside the humans, didn't he?
Marinette comes up and Zoe pretends to hate her, leading Marinette to wonder why she did that. She texts Zoe (she gave her number to her earlier) and invites her to a concert on the Liberty, but Chloe finds out. Zoe thinks fast and pretends it's just so she can torment her more. Chloe then takes out a book listing all the ways she can torture Marinette. I wonder if this is a metaphor for the writing process behind most of the episodes last season.
Zoe decides to go outside for some fresh air, and Andre comforts her. Funny how Andre bends over backwards to give Chloe whatever she wants, yet he's willing to actually talk to Zoe like an actual parent. Andre tries to cheer Zoe up, but she talks about her past where she had to put on an act so she would be liked, but (bet you've never heard this before) she just wants to be accepted for who she truly is. The surge of emotions is enough for Shadowmoth to akumatize her into Sole Crusher.
Tumblr media
In addition to having one of the most clever puns for an Akuma name, I actually like Sole Crusher's design. Not only is it a good excuse to reuse Chloe's character design, it makes sense thematically, as Chloe was trying to mold Zoe into a copy of herself. The gold and diamonds also make sense given Chloe's love for shiny things. Her powers tie into the bizarre belief Chloe has about stepping on the winners. Whenever Sole Crusher kicks or steps on someone, she absorbs them and gets progressively bigger, making it easier to do so. While it's not cracking my top ten anytime soon, it's still an interesting character design.
Sole Crusher heads to the hotel to get Chloe, and she manages to get away pretty quickly. Maybe in an alternate universe, she's a track star? For some reason, she runs to the Dupain-Cheng bakery and then... Oh my God... pushes Marinette's parents so they get absorbed by Sole Crusher, before trying to do the same with Marinette.
youtube
When has Chloe ever done something like that? Whenever she endangered someone during an Akuma attack, it was unintentional or a result of her naivety. She was only trapped in Pixelator's dimension because Adrien tried diving to save her, she only alerted Rogercop to Ladybug's presence because she eagerly called out for her, and during “Zombizou” she only tried to throw Sabrina towards the horde of kissing zombies once, and that was meant to highlight her growth. The only person to actually do stuff like this consistently is Lila, but I guess she got vaporized by Big Brother offscreen.
This episode is determined to make the audience hate Chloe by retconning everything about her character while portraying her as a complete monster. As bad as Chloe could get, she was never selfish enough to use anyone as a human shield. This kind of behavior honestly could be explained by saying Chloe was lashing out as a result of losing the Bee Miraculous permanently, but the events of the Season 3 finale aren't mentioned ONCE, not even in the next episode that introduces Queen Bee's replacement! How the hell can you set up the next Bee hero without explaining why the original needs to be replaced in the first place?! And trust me, I'm going to talk about Zoe replacing Chloe later.
Sole Crusher grabs Marinette in her hand, so the Horse Kwami, Kaalki, uses her power to teleport over to Adrien's house and inform him Ladybug needs help, meaning once again Adrien did nothing in this episode before becoming Cat Noir.
At the Liberty, Chloe offers more victims to Sole Crusher in the form of the band Kitty Section (consisting of Luka, Juleka, Rose, Ivan, and Mylene) and theatens the giant golden supervillain she can send her back to Paris, even though she's really not in a position to bargain right now. And she STILL continues to insult her. Do you hate Chloe yet? Come on, do you? The writers won't stop until you do.
After we see Sole Crusher's conflicted emotions, Marinette is set free by Cat Noir and transforms into Ladybug, immediately summoning her Lucky Charm, a shoehorn. They only learn Zoe's sneakers were where she were akumatized thanks to Chloe's ranting, so the episode unintentionally made Chloe save the day. Ladybug breaks into Le Grand Paris and breaks the sneakers where Zoe hid them, using the shoehorn to open a door. So Sole Crusher is de-evilized, Ladybug fixes the damage, and gives yet another charm to Zoe.
Afterwards, Zoe goes to the Liberty, apologizes for the act she put on, all while divulging to the audience her “tragic backstory”.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Of course, everyone welcomes her with open arms.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
And right here is where the biggest problem I have with Zoe as a character. I normally hesitate to use this term given how often it gets thrown around when criticizing characters these days, but I really can't say anything else.
Zoe... is a Mary Sue.
For those who don't know, the term Mary Sue originated in a Star Trek fanfiction from 1973 satirizing several self-insert stories at the time. Most of these stories showed a beautiful young woman joining the crew of the Enterprise and immediately gaining the attention of the crew. Mary Sue parodied this character archetype by showing how much she was appreciated by Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, the latter being driven to tears at her funeral despite his species being emotionless normally.
What does this have to do with Zoe? She has the exact same storyline as Mary Sue in the parody fanfiction. Her mere presence is enough to make Chloe act extremely out of character in an attempt to make her look better, and as soon as she apologizes while giving a frankly vague backstory, everyone just accepts her as their friend, and I mean everyone in the entire class. I'm sorry, but it just doesn't feel earned. Why was she bullied at her old school? What did her bullies have against her? What caused her to stop going along with her peers, and why did everyone turn against her? How the hell did the bullies who put cockroaches in another student's locker get no punishment while the victim was forced to transfer schools? It's an intentionally unclear backstory designed to make the audience feel sympathetic towards Zoe without actually doing anything else.
I want to ask anyone reading this who watched the episode a question: Outside of her backstory, what do we actually know about Zoe?
What is her personality like? She's nice? Socially awkward? We've never had a character like that in Miraculous Ladybug before! Sorry Marinette, Adrien, Juleka, Nathaniel, Mylene, and Marc, there's a new character with more personality than all of you combined!
What are her goals? She wants to be an actress? Great, but why? Even though there's no clear answer for why Marinette loves fashion, or why Alya loves journalism, or why Nino loves DJing, you can still see the passion in their lives when they do something related to their goals. Zoe only says she wants to be an actress, connecting it to her people pleaser backstory (and given how it ended, she must be a terrible actress), and in the next episode, she immediately gets the lead role in a student film.
When Mylene got the starring role in the movie in “Horrificator”, we at least got snippets of her acting skills in the same episode that established her desire to be an actress, which is also implied to be because she was inspired by her father in “The Mime”. She didn't just say she wanted to be an actress and got the leading role. She still had problems to overcome like her cowardice, which threw her own self-confidence into doubt. Here, Zoe just says she wants to be an actress, and is rewarded for no reason the very next episode.
Zoe basically exists only to be a foil to Chloe, and the writers had no idea what to do in terms of a personality, so they just dumped a bunch of extremely likable character traits onto her without thinking of how her character could come off. And like I said, she's a Mary Sue.
I'm not the only one who thinks this. I've seen a handful of posts on this very site calling Zoe a Mary Sue. In fact, I even asked another Tumblr user @anxresi​ to quote their take on Zoe being a Mary Sue, which I couldn't even top in terms of accuracy. They basically listed off five things that made Zoe a Mary Sue.
She has to have a ‘tragic backstory’ so all the other characters will fall in love with her. Usually within minutes, in the very first episode they’re introduced.
She has to have a supercute design so that the audience at home will fall in love with her. And if they don’t, they’re automatically dismissed as ‘haterz’ even if their objections are purely from a writing POV.
Her only flaw will be thinking too little of herself. “What, lil ol’ me as the Bee Miraculous holder? With my shyness, colorful shoes, chic beret and personalized pink strip in my hair? Gosh, who’d have thought it?”
The contrast to her half-sister will be a constant plot point, with Chloe always getting dumped on. “You see, kids? Bad things happen to bad people. But you see this super-sweet girl over here? She gets a free DAD. Instant FRIENDS. To star in her own MOVIE. The chance to be a SUPERHERO, even though she only arrived last week. Who cares if she has no depth, no personality and barely any reason for being in the show, apart from being a massive ‘Up Yours’ to all the Chloe fans out there?”
What about character development, Mr Generic Zag Guy? “Development? What’s that?! Zoe is already perfect as she is. The only ‘development’ she’ll receive is having her hair done in the first episode she’s introduced. Besides, That‘d’ word is banned here at Zag studios. Why do you think we abandoned Chloe’s stillborn arc so quickly? This is a KIDS show, why bother trying to create a complex character with more than one dimension?”
This is essentially who Zoe is. She's perfect, has no character flaws, has a cute design so the audience will love her already, and was designed only to replace Chloe as Queen Bee. That's all she is.
So the episode ends with Zoe feeling happy at all the new friends she made while we get one of the most blatant attempts of symbolism in the ending card I've ever seen.
Tumblr media
See, look. While Marinette is happily talking with Zoe with the image of Ladybug next to them, Chloe is to the far left with an EVIL purple aura, showing how bad she is compared to how great Zoe is. Only a braindead moron would actually like Chloe over the super awesome and pretty Zoe!
I'll give my final thoughts on the episode in the next part where I analyze this plotline as a whole.
LINK TO “QUEEN BANANA” REVIEW
291 notes · View notes
fightxxmexxshiggy · 3 years
Text
Don't fear the reaper
You love to go urban exploring and you make contact with a sexy supernatural being. I wrote this during KINKtober
Kirishima x female reader
TW:CHOKING, ROUGH SEX, BREEDING KINK, TALK OF DEATH.
Word count: 3420
Walking through abandoned buildings wasn't the safest hobby but it was definitely the most interesting one. You loved seeing all the graffiti, art and equipment from a bygone era. Sometimes you went with groups when the buildings seemed more dangerous but today you went alone. As you made your way through the abandoned factory for today's exploration you noticed all the dusty work stations, they were so eerie the way they were still set up like a worker had walked away for a break and just never returned. You were honestly tempted to film the place but seeing as you were doing this on a saturday and Halloween no less you decided not to push your luck. Walking carefully you avoided the broken glass and some more crumbling areas in the concrete floors. This space was so wide open it made you curious as to what had been made here in the factories prime.
 
As you headed towards the stairs that would take you to the second floor you heard a thump and a voice shout "fucking rats." From above you. Slowly you took the stairs one at a time and called out asking if anyone was there. After a bit of shuffling the voice spoke again." If you're a cop no one is here if you're an urban explorer I'm totally here and would love some company." Laughing you stepped onto the second floor landing coming face to face with a redheaded man with surprisingly sharp teeth. Smiling at you he came forward with a hand out for a handshake. Shaking his hand you noticed how large his hands were and how strong his grip was. Letting go you introduced yourself feeling a bit awkward now that you could see the face that went along with the voice. With a wide smile he crossed his arms over his toned chest, pulling his shirt taunt over the muscles. You really needed to get layed if a rando you just met on an exploring trip was getting you hot and bothered. You were so caught up in your own thoughts you almost didn't hear him introduce himself.
 
"The names Eijiro Kirishima and it's nice to meet a fellow explorer." You smiled at him before looking away to take in your new surroundings. The second floor was a bit dark and seemed even more dusty than the first if that was possible. Walking further into the area you saw a wooden plank laying in the middle of the mostly clear walkway. As you looked at it Kirishima chuckled and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. "That plank was my fault. I was walking further in to explore some more and a rat jumped out at me." Laughing you told him you had heard his comments on the rat earlier from downstairs. It was quite interesting to see such a large man blush like a child at being caught cursing. Quickly Kirishima bent down and picked up the plank to place it back against the wall.
 
Damn the man had an amazing ass and those arms were so cut you were definitely sure your pussy had just clenched a little. This was bad, this poor man was just being friendly and here you were imagining what it would be like to have his forearm around your throat while he did dirty things to your body. Clearing your throat you asked if he'd like to join for the rest of the second floor exploration. "I'd love that pebble. I usually wander around alone but I'd never say no to having company as cute as you." Blushing you looked away as you started to walk with him going deeper into the dusty space. To your left there were tons of planks and glass panes leaning against the wall and to the right were mostly boxes stacked against the railings. You assumed this must have been office space for the owners and admins of the factory. As you walked a little ahead trying to see what was by the farthest walls you heard the floorboards groaning under your weight before they completely went out from under you.
 
You were lucky and grabbed a part of the floor that hadn't caved in as you fell. You yelled for help and saw Kirishima walk closer to where you were hanging. His face looked conflicted as he made no move to help or even to give you any reassurance. You realized he wasn't scared to fall in but you couldn't tell why he wouldn't help. Sighing defeatedly Kirishima walked over without an ounce of fear and crouched down to make eye contact with you. "I don't know what to do with you pebble, my job is to guide your soul to the afterlife but I really like you. You're so sweet and shy, much too good to be restarted just because the plan says so." What was he talking about? His job was to guide your soul? Why was he talking like he knew you? You just met him 30 minutes ago. Had you just become friends with a nut job who planned to watch you die?
 
"Ah I can see that you're confused, I mean I would be too." standing up to his full high he towered over you as you continued to stare up at him with a mix of confusion and fear. He placed back and forth for a moment before turning to you and smiling that big sharp toothed grin that moments before would have made your tummy do a little flip. If hanging half out of a hole in an abandoned building wasn't enough what happened next shocked you so much you almost lost your grip. Kirishima slowly began to lift off from the floor just floating in mid air. With wide eyes you stared in shock, wondering if maybe you had gone a little crazy while hoping he might help you so that you didn't fall to your death. "Well I know what I'm about to tell you is a bit unbelievable so I decided to show you that I'm not joking before I explain. I happen to be a reaper and today was supposed to be the day you die. But like I said I really don't know what to do with you seeing as I don't want someone as manly and fearless as you to just be gone and reincarnated as someone else."
 
As if to further prove his status as a reaper the man before you started to change. His hoodie and shorts, which were pretty standard for building walks, melted away into a pair of black military style pants and boots along with a fitted black tank top that hugged his chest and back muscles in a way that should definitely be illegal. His arms were covered in a few black band tattoos that circled his wrists and biceps. What was the most astonishing was that his spiky red hair grew long, long to the point that the ends floated around his hips. His still smiling face was covered with a half skull mask leaving his mouth still exposed. "Hey pebble do you want to live as who you are now even if that meant some things about you would change or do you want to die and have me guide you to the next realm? I'll do whatever makes you happier even if it's not what I'd like to see." His eyes shone with sincerity through his mask and his smile seemed a bit forced. You could tell that even though he wasn't human like you he still felt the same emotions that you did. From everything he had said and shown you you could tell he held affection towards you. Enough so that he was willing to go against what was probably as natural as breathing for a reaper. Looking up at him still floating above you a smile broke over your face. You told him you wanted to stay as yourself whatever the changes might be.
 
Kirishima grinned at you somehow managing to look sweet and scary all at once. Wasting no time he floated over you and grabbed you by the back of your shirt with one hand. Instead of pulling you back to the second level he drifted the two of you through the hole and down to the concrete floors below. Letting go of the back of your shirt he held out his hand to you still trying to give you some control over the situation. As you took his hand he gave it a grateful squeeze before moving to sit with you on a dust covered bench. "Listen pebble I want to be honest with you. The only way for you to stay yourself is if you became my anchor. An anchor is kind of like a reaper's chosen soulmate and we only get a chance to have one every 1000 years of service." This day was getting stranger and stranger by the fucking minute. You could live but you would need to become this man's soulmate, basically his wife. Looking at him again you could say you wouldn't enjoy the physical parts of such a relationship. Honestly Kirishima had no business being this sexy. Well if this kind of thing was gonna happen to you Halloween was no better day for it to happen on. Squeezing his hand you agreed even though you knew he had more to explain.
 
"If you're sure then I'll take us to my home so that we can link our souls without turning into dust bunnies." The world around you faded out and changed into a huge bedroom that was painted black and red with posters of an old superhero movie lining them. There was workout equipment everywhere you looked, well that at least told you that his muscles were all from hard work and not just random spooky reaper magic. With no small bit of embarrassment you sat on his bed and rubbed your fingers across the covers looking anywhere but him. Taking you straight into his bedroom instead of a living room or something told you exactly what you had been guessing at. Linking souls was definitely going to require sexual contact. "Pebble look at me." Looking up you took him in once again almost drooling over his now shirtless chest as he loosened his belt giving you a tantalizing look at his black happy trail. He walked up to you and held your cheeks in his hands. He searched your eyes for a few moments and when he saw no fear or rejection lowered his head to give you a kiss. This kiss was slow and gentle but full of so much heat you were sure every nerve in your body was on fire. Kirishima's tongue licked across yours as he savored the taste of his soon to be anchor. Not wanting to just sit there and take it you put your all into the kiss licking his teeth, nibbling on his lips, and even sucking on his tongue the same way you wished to suck on another part of his body. Kirishima broke the kiss panting heavily as he let his hands caress down your neck until they reached the collar of the t-shirt you wore. With barely a flick of his fingers your shirt was torn down the middle, your bra sharing its fate. He pushed the shredded material down your shoulders letting it fall to the bed.
 
"I'm going to be as gentle as I can for you pebble but I have very limited control over myself at the moment. Your so fucking beautiful I swear my supervisor gave me your case cause he knew I'd fall for you." Crawling over you he straddled your waist and began to kiss and bite down your neck stopping only when he reached your breast. Pushing both your breasts together he kissed every inch of them worshiping the heavy mounds. With no warning he sucked both of your nipples into his mouth, bathing them with his tongue before biting them. After every bite he flicked his tongue against the hardened peaks earned himself little whines and moans of appreciation. Once he felt that he could no longer hold himself in check with just adoring your nipples, Kirishima slid down off the bed to crouch in front of you for the second time that day. Slipping his fingers under the waistband of your panties and shorts he tugged them down and over your boots leaving you in only your favorite necklace and your socks and boots. His blood was fire in his veins as he took in the sight of you. Your pussy was so beautifully slick with your juices that it would have been blasphemous for him not to take a taste. Grabbing your thighs he used them to pull your ass to the edge of the bed where he drove in with no hesitation. Licking and sucking the lips of your pussy before using his tongue to separate them. Each swipe of his tongue drove you higher and closer to orgasm. He suckled your clit grazing it with those sharp teeth. The hint of danger from having such vicious looking teeth on something so sensitive threw you over the edge. The pleasure made you so mindlessly happy that you screamed out "eijiro." Like it was a prayer.
 
At the sound of his first name on your lips all rational thought was lost to kiri. He stood shoving his pants down just enough to free his throbbing cock before he pulled you so only your shoulders and head remained on the bed. With you folded over the way he wanted Kiri slammed his cock into your tight little hole. He was only able to fit about half of his massive girth inside before he had to pull back out leaving only the head inside. This move was the best he could do to get the right momentum to start his powerful digging thrusts. Each thrust was hard and determined, meant to help him reach his goal. And reach his goal is what he did, Kiri bottomed out inside of you after 5 thrusts. His cock head kissed your cervix on the last thrust pulling a choked sob from your throat. Being folded into such a position only made the stretching of your pussy feel that much more overwhelming. Kiri set up a hard measured pace,his only focus on getting his seed into your womb to link the two of you together. Grunting and growling he told you everything he planned. "Fuck pebble your so damn tight and wet. I need to get my cum inside your womb otherwise I might go insane. No one told me linking to your anchor would make me feel like this. I wanna destroy anyone who would ever think to take you from me." You whined desperately every time his cock head battered against the entrance to your womb. It was too much and not enough at the same time. Reaching up you tried to rub your clit only for kiri to grab your wrist and hold it in a firm grip. He was almost passed the point of words but managed a beastly sounding "not without me." Before he increased his pace and shifted his hips making sure every thrust hammered your gspot. Kiri leaning over you to rail your little hole was already a sight to see but the way his hair hung down and tickled against your skin made every nerve ending you had buzz with electricity. A few strands had started to cling to his face due to the sweat pouring off of him and you had to swallow to keep from drooling. This man was made for it seemed, he was everything you had ever fantasized about on those lonely treks through the newest abandoned explore. The sounds of your sex echoed through the room, wet sucking noises, the slap of skin on skin and the sounds only two people in a haze pleasure could make. As he got closer kiri started to slap three fingers on his free hand against your clit. The rhythm of the slaps matched his cocks thrusts so perfectly it caused your pussy to let out a constant stream of squirt. At his final thrust he locked his knees prepared for what was to come. Kiri's cum shot from his slit hosing against your cervix as the base of his cock swelled locking inside you. His cum was so hot and he hadn't stopped tapping your clit. All this combined with the swelling of his cock threw you over the edge, an orgasm ripping through your body so hard your eyes rolled back in your head. Once you had gone limp kiri pulled you up into his arms before turning and sitting on the bed, still locked inside you.
 
"You are my anchor now the other part of me that will light my way even in the darkest hour." Laying down kiri relaxed, one large hand stroking your back as your breathing began to even out. Just as you were about to drift off you felt shocks and tingling race up and down your arms. Leaning up you looked down at your arms and found you had developed the same tattoos that kiri had on his arms. When you questioned him on it he smiled happily before caressing each mark. "These are proof that our link is true and blessed by the fate in charge of reaper unions." Your heart did a little flip as you took in his love filled expression. By now Kiri's knot had gone down so you pulled yourself up and off of his semi hard cock. He protested wishing to sleep buried inside you but quieted down when you spun around and put your pussy over his face. Leaning down you took his cock in hand and began to lick all the cum and pussy juice from it. Following your lead kiri pulled your hips down and swiped his tongue through the combination of your fluids and his. Once you had his cock cleaned you started to tease him, digging your tongue into his slit. His hips bucked and his leisurely pace on your pussy became wild as he slurped and sucked away. Feeling mischievous you continued you playing with his slit but began to rub that sensitive spot just under the head of his cock.
 
That is where you went wrong or in this case very right. Kiri's switch was flipped as he lifted you clear in the air by your hips. He threw you into the middle of the room but instead of hitting the floor you stayed suspended in the air. He was using his powers on you! With his magic kiri floated you to sit on his cock no other part of him touching you but the cock pressed at your entrance. "Pretty pebble do your bolder a favor and count for me. I want to see just how much of me is claiming this pussy." You couldn't deny him since keeping silent only made him tease you gently with his tip. Frustrated and wet you began to count each inch. At six you really started to feel the stretching of your inner muscles on this heavy cock. At nine inches you had a little drool running down the corner of your mouth. At twelve inches your pussy was continuously dribbling squirt down Kiri's cock and balls. At fourteen you came whining his name, begging him to fuck you properly and end this delicious torture. All he did was laugh and slowly thrust inside of you keeping you well pleasured but unsatisfied. "It's ok pebble we have all the time in the world now. We're going to take this slow all night long." His last words were said on a beastly growl as he placed one hand on your throat and squeezed enough to make your pussy squeeze his cock in return. This whole Halloween had been nuts so an all night fuck fest with your new supernatural soulmate was just the cherry on top. Sobbing you reached back and grabbed hold of a lock of his hair looking for any part of him to touch that could ground you. His thrusts got harder as you pulled. Well you knew how to get him to fuck you harder. You couldn't wait to learn more tonight and for the rest of your eternity together.
484 notes · View notes
yoontaethings · 3 years
Text
normal kind of love — jjk (1)
Tumblr media
pairing: jungkook x reader 
rating: explicit
word count: 2.5k
warnings: a lot of cussing and some teasing if you squint, but other than that none really (the warnings will come next chapter lmao)
you’re one half of hollywood’s on-screen it couple. the greatest chemistry known on-screen with the one and only, jeon jungkook, the bane of your existence.
a/n: this was supposed to be a longer chapter but i decided to split it in half to tease potential readers mwahaha btw this chapter is very very unedited, though i did postpone the upload because i had to remove some parts because i just thought the story didn’t need those bits anymore lol but the rest of this story i haven’t even read through yet, i just wrote and wrote and wrote so please excuse any errors (my tenses might also not be consistent but i’ll edit this soon)
taglist: @min-nicoleee @thisartemisnevermisses @ggukkieland @kokoandkookie @somelazysundays
Tumblr media
There was no way.
There was no way in hell they were pairing you up with him. Again.
You were confirmed to be cast as the female lead in the movie before any other characters were casted. They should have chosen a different male lead for this romance film. Heck, even Kim Taehyung, a friend of yours, received an offer for the role and you were certain he planned to take it. Unfortunately for you, even if Taehyung wanted the role, he couldn’t accept it because of scheduling conflict with another film he’s already working on.
Jeon Jungkook, an actor you starred alongside in “Dangerous Illusion”, was just confirmed as the male lead of your upcoming movie “Chosen for Pleasure”. The same man who seemed to make it his life goal to ruin you. After Jungkook was confirmed to play the male lead in your upcoming movie, fans on Twitter have been blowing up about it and made you two a trending topic worldwide. Elated fans mentioned you in their tweets expressing how happy they were to see you two again together. You wish you could say you felt the same.
The previous movie you worked on was a thriller/mystery. You played the part of Jungkook's wife in the film. The film was a blockbuster hit, as a result of the well-thought storyline, yet additionally because of its leads. Fans adored the chemistry between you and Jungkook, regardless of not having a lot of romantic scenes in the film. There were a lot of fans who wanted to see you two on-screen once more, this time, in a romance focused film. Looks like their wishes were coming true.
To add insult to injury, your impending film was going to be an adult romance. It required some steamy scenes that normally didn't trouble you because you were a true professional, yet absolutely irritates you now since you need to do them with Jeon Jungkook.
Tumblr media
The script reading was to be done today and your eyes opened an hour later than the time you set for your alarm because of the fucking snooze button. Seriously, why were snooze buttons even invented? They just allowed people to sleep through their alarms continuously.
Hand reaching for the phone on your nightstand, you knocked over a booklet that was over it. It was the script you spent hours reading to grab a sense of the character you were going to portray. Obviously, you already knew the basics about the part you were going to play, but knowing the entire story helped in portraying your character.
Your eyes squinted at the bright light of your phone that had the numbers 8:33 glaring at you, unlocking it to see a couple of texts and missed calls from your manager.
‘Are you awake yet?’
‘Please don’t tell me you forgot about the script reading today’
‘Ok I know you’re still asleep but just make sure you get ready on time, being late won’t do you and your image any favors’
‘I’ll pick you up at 9’
You rolled your eyes at his messages. You loved Hoseok and he was the best manager you could have been given from your agency, but he nagged too much. He was also your friend and his endless nags made you want to rip your eyeballs out sometimes because even when you’re supposed to unwind with him, he never forgets to remind you of your job.
‘I’m the fucking lead, Hobi, they’ll wait for me’
You slapped your phone back onto the nightstand and started going about with your morning routine. You didn’t have a lot of time, and even though you knew they would definitely wait for you, you hated being that bitch who made people wait so you took a quick shower and slapped on some sunscreen, powder, and finishing off with your go-to lipstick. You didn’t bother with makeup and dressing up. This was just going to be a script reading and sure, there were going to be photos taken but the thousands of dollars you’ve spent on facials and treatments already made sure your face was at least flawless despite the lack of effort.
Bringing only your phone, wallet and script, you exited your building and as usual, a shiny black van already awaited outside. Hoseok was leaning on it, scrolling through his phone when he sensed your presence and looked up.
“Oh, thank god you’re on time.” He exhaled in relief, pocketing his phone.
“I value sleep but you’re well aware I also value my career.”
Hoseok grinned. “Now there’s the y/n I know.” He then slid the van door open and you entered without another word.
The drive was pretty much uneventful, with you scrolling through your social media, seeing what fans have been tweeting about recently and with Hoseok humming along to the random pop music playing.
You longed for a distraction, something much more interesting than working your thumb throughout the drive because of the chasm that you were about to jump into when you arrived on set. You weren’t stupid enough to forget about the man who got the role of your romantic interest in the film. But you were wise enough to not let it haunt you for the past weeks. Now though, you can’t really avoid it anymore since you were supposed to be seeing him in person again after almost 2 years. You didn’t exactly leave on the best terms with Jungkook but who knows, maybe you’ll be able to act civil around each other.
At least you were sure you were going to act civil around him, already decided on taking the higher path. You’re not so sure about him, but fingers crossed he’ll at least be an adult about the situation and pretend he can stand being in the same room as you.
Soon enough, you were entering the room the script reading was to be held in. Bowing and greeting the actors and staff seated around the table as you passed by to get to the last vacant seat. You caught Jungkook’s eyes following your movements as you sat down. Luckily, he was seated across from you and it was easier to ignore his presence with the staff members greeting and coddling you.
As always, script reading began with actors introducing themselves and the role they’re going to play. As the female lead, you started off.
“Hello everyone. I’m y/n y/l/n and I’m going to take on the role of Yuri.” Hands clapped around you as you sat back down.
“Hello, I’m Jeon Jungkook and I’ll be playing Ryan.”
You didn’t bother clapping unlike the rest and avoided the eyes of the voice’s origin.
The script reading continued without a hitch– for the most part. The other cast members were very friendly, and laughter was exchanged during the read. The same couldn’t be said for you and Jungkook though.
When lines between your characters were exchanged, there was a weird tension in the room. It felt like everyone else were holding their breaths and waiting for either of you two explode and announce that you can’t do this film anymore. As dramatic as that would be, none of that happened. Instead, cheesy romantic lines sounded flat and bored from both you and Jungkook. The director made a tsk-ing sound whenever that happened.
“It’s always been you.” You read. The script said that Yuri and Ryan stared in adoration towards each other before Ryan uttered his next words.
“Marry me?” Jungkook asked.
You nodded your head as a wrap for the script reading. According to the script, there was supposed to be a kissing scene at the end, so you make ridiculous smooching noises. The cast burst into giggles before the director stood from his seat.
“…and that’s a wrap!” He clasped his hands together. “Hopefully when we start shooting things only look up from there.” He flitted his eyes between you and Jungkook.
Honestly, you wish that too but from yours and Jungkook’s history, you don’t really think that’s possible.
You were both professionals though and you’re sure you could at least count on him to make the on-screen romance feel real.
Tumblr media
“I’m sorry.” Hoseok said with pity in his eyes.
“Wha- but… why?” You asked, confused with what was happening.
Your part in the new film ‘The Notebook: Remake’ has apparently been withdrawn. As one of the rising stars in Hollywood, this was a really great opportunity for you. It’s one of the most anticipated films and accepting the offer of being the female lead in the movie was a no-brainer. Anyone who refuses that role is just stupid.
But now they were apparently taking it back.
Hoseok sighed. “There were too many scandals surrounding you recently. It doesn’t matter if they’re true or not, but you’ve been seen in hotels that Jeon Jungkook has been in too, and in everyone’s eyes you’re now secretly seeing him.”
“But we’ve never even been seen together in any of those photos. Don’t people know the word fucking coincidence?” Your brows furrowed, fists clenching at your sides. “And what does this have to do with my role in the film?”
“It seems they wanted someone with a ‘cleaner image’ and someone who’ll get the film to be a hit. Apparently, the romance won't be convincing if the female lead is dating someone in real life.”
You stared at Hoseok. He stared back waiting for a lash out, an angry outburst, anything really, but you remained silent, eyes unmoving. Soon enough, the dam doors burst open and the tears suddenly came streaming down your face. Hoseok exhaled and wrapped his arms around you.
“Hobi what did I do so wrong to deserve this?” you sobbed into his chest.
“Shh, it’s not your fault they’re all dumbasses. But you know the industry, y/n. We’ll find better films for you, okay?”
“Why is Jeon Jungkook such a thorn on my side? Why is he always ruining everything for me?”
“We can’t blame him, honey. He’s probably a victim in this too because of those damn rumor outlets.” Hoseok rubbed his hands along your back.
“But I’m getting the short end of the stick! The rumor is probably just feeding his bad boy persona!”
“Life’s unfair, y/n. Surely by now you’re aware of that. Just remember, karma’s going to bite them in the ass someday, okay? For now, do you want to call it a day and go home? I’ll drive you back and I’ll just report to the agency that you’re not feeling well.”
You nod your head, too listless to bother answering with words because there was only one thing on your mind right now.
Fuck Jeon Jungkook and his good looks. He just ruined the best opportunity for you. You were going to get him back for this. Like Hoseok said, karma’s going to bite him in the ass someday. And that karma was going to be you.
Tumblr media
You were supposed to be looking forward to filming one of your dream movies with your dream director. But all you felt was dread when you arrived on set. You promised yourself that you’d stay unaffected to Jeon Jungkook, but you couldn’t help the distaste for him to be left on your face while filming.
The scene you were shooting was when your characters first met and the first takes were a total disaster. You and Jungkook barely spared each other a glance, even when your character was supposed to be enticed by him, breaking down Yuri’s cold exterior. A break was called after the 6th take because the director was so frustrated that he looked like he was about to call the casting director and replace his two leads.
You sighed, not knowing what to do with yourself after the announcement of a break. Your feet led you to your dressing room, ready to pass out on the couch but before you could, someone barged in. Your head turned towards the door, expecting it to be your manager or the director or anyone really, just not the person who currently stood at the doorway.
“Can we talk?” Jungkook asked. Your eyes were suddenly drawn to his biceps which bulged from his shirt as he crossed his arms. The damn arms looked delicious. Too bad they belonged to someone you would never ever be attracted to.
“Sure.” You shrugged your shoulders. You were sure he came here to talk to you about filming and how to work out your indifferences and shit like that and honestly, you were so tired of hating him you’re ready to just go along with whatever. Hating someone actually takes a lot of effort, you realize.
Jungkook stepped towards you until he’s close enough that you had to tilt your head upwards to look at his eyes. His eyes locked on yours for a moment before his arms uncrossed and one of his hands landed on the wall behind you. He successfully caged you in with no way out. His lips part and your eyes are drawn to the movement, feeling his exhales on your nose. You swallowed nervously.
Good lord his breath smelled so good.
“Babe, I’m sure you’re just as thrilled as I am to be working with you again as you are with me, but let’s not mess this up okay? Let’s get this over with perfectly and quickly so we don’t have to deal with each other again after. Deal?” His eyebrows raised in question and you nodded dumbly, unable to form a coherent sentence with how close he was to you.
You felt a sudden rush of heat down there and was mentally cursing the man in front of you for how much he was affecting you. He tilted his head to the side and leaned in closer to your face as if he was about to kiss you then he suddenly stopped, his mouth forming a smirk, taunting you.
That smirk was all it took for you to snap back to reality. No, you were not going to let him take the upper hand here. A burst of confidence surged through you as you leaned closer to him too and allowed your lips to brush lightly against his cheek.
“Deal.”
You pulled away, satisfied with how his lips drooped apparently not expecting that. You looked down and there it was, the tenting of his pants that brought a coy smile to your lips. Ha, take that.
You glanced back up at him, your fingers trailing over his thighs. “Aw, didn’t realize you saw me that way Jeon.” You abruptly pulled away and walked out of the room without another word, leaving him hard and defeated.
This is the beginning of his karma, you thought as you grinned to yourself.
327 notes · View notes
lucemferto · 3 years
Text
Niki Nihachu & Barbara Kean
Gonna drop something controversial real quick.
Niki Nihachu is the most tragic character on the Dream SMP – and I don’t mean in the sense of her having a tragic story (though she is up there), but in the sense that she is tragically mishandled.
I want to start out by saying that this essay is by no means an attack on the content creator Niki Nihachu or her abilities as a performer. She is frequently one of the strongest actors on the SMP and I have no idea how much of her character writing was within her power. How much of it was improv, how much pre-planned, how much something she genuinely wanted to do and how much stuff she just stumbled into or – in the worst-case scenario – was forced upon her. I don’t know.
The Dream SMP is not very transparent when it comes to their creative process. As such I can only judge it as a discerning viewer and English major dropout, who retained some half-remembered stuff about narratology.
So, a few weeks ago, I tumbled on here that Niki’s character journey reminded me a lot of the character Barbara Kean from the hit TV-show Gotham. Then I got an ask asking me to elaborate. This is the elaboration.
Barbara Kean
So, a quick crash course for people who haven’t seen Gotham (the greatest comic book show on Television, seriously, what are you doing with your life?!): Barbara Kean was a major female character throughout all five seasons of Gotham – and not once during those five seasons did the writers ever figure out what they wanted to do with her.
Every 10-12 episodes or so, Barbara’s role shifted completely. She started out as cop-protagonist Jim Gordon’s girlfriend at home and moral compass, then became part of a bisexual love triangle, then a hard-drinking jealous party girl with a backstory as repressed, lonely rich kid, before being kidnapped by a serial killer and ultimately making her perfect metamorphosis into the psychotic ex-girlfriend trope.
And that was Season 1.
Since then, she became the pseudo-Harley Quinn to the pseudo-Joker, a whip-wielding dominatrix, the obligatory female member in a supervillain squad, some sort of information broker, a mafia kingpin, the leader of a girl-power posse and – my favourite – the reincarnated wife of an ancient immortal who also controls all of Gotham and transferred that control over to her before that plot-point was dropped harder than a half-dead Oswald Cobblepot of the Gotham piers.
Also, she’s Batgirl’s mom.
In short, it’s a mess – but that’s what makes Gotham kinda fun.
Character Cohesion
Now, obviously, Niki’s character journey has not been quite as extreme. But it falls into the same traps, I find. Namely, that there’s just a distinct lack of character cohesion or character continuity.
Now, character cohesion or character continuity doesn’t mean that the arcs these characters undertake can’t be explained in a logical way. Barbara’s character journey is logical in the sense that you can explain it all with in-universe logic – but it’s not logical from a narratological sense now, is it?
Character Cohesion basically means that a character’s journey is reflected in their personal conflict – their Want vs. Need. Their arc is the natural continuation of what was set-up in previous sequences. Everything falls into a whole with Set-up, Confrontation, Resolution – we set up the character’s Want, their Want and Need are conflicting, the Want vs. Need is resolved. Ideally this coincides with the plot beats of the large conflict surrounding the cast.
When you look at Barbara in Season 1 of Gotham, you’re not thinking “This one right here – she’s the reincarnated wife of Ra’s Al Ghul”. Because why would you? There was no set-up; it’s not part of what her character was about in this moment – or any moment before that concept was introduced. It’s not needed for her character conflict (or any thematic conflicts for that matter).
It’s quite transparently just something that is affixed to her so that she has something until the writers come up with the next at which that first thing will dropped, underdeveloped.
Niki in Season 1
Niki follows the same route, unfortunately. She’s set-up as the resistance in L’Manburg, allies herself with Eret and HBomb until – oops – it doesn’t end mattering, because that entire side of the “plot” is completely underdeveloped. Just be a damsel until Wilbur can swoop in and save you, Niki.
Okay, but now she has a big moment with Tommy and Tubbo just after the pit-scene. “We’ll figure something out”, she says. “We need L’Manburg back”. This is all before the backdrop of Wilbur completely giving in to his role as a villain and Techno’s apparent “betrayal”.
So, now, surely, Niki is gonna affect change in Pogtopia and will have some influence on either Tommy or Wilbur, the two people she’s closest to. What’s this? Her biggest contribution is holding a birthday party where Quackity convinces Wilbur to hold off on his TNT-plan? And after that … she’s just gonna be part of the Pogtopia-masses?
Now, I like Wilbur’s writing and Season 1 generally, but when it comes to Niki (and Eret) something went terribly wrong. Both of them provided many a set-up – none of which were taken advantage of, unfortunately.
And, just to be clear, I’m not putting the blame on Niki here (or at least not most of it). Season 1 was pretty firmly in Wilbur’s hand … and Season 2 was a train wreck.
Niki in Season 2
Niki is – for the most part of Season 2 – a nothing character. She has no real conflict, no character beats, no arc. This is because through some unfortunate writing decisions, Season 2 is pretty squarely focused on a specific set of characters – and even fewer of those characters are granted a fully explored, completed character arc.
It all culminates in her Doomsday villain arc – a moment that can be logically explained from both an in-character perspective and a meta-perspective, but unfortunately, it’s not justified from a technical writing point of view.
Niki burning down the L’Mantree is her “Ra’s Al Ghul’s reincarnated wife”-moment. It’s a big statement that put her character on the map for a large part of the audience again. It was a striking visual. It could not be ignored.
Most of that was because it was a stark departure from her characterization in Season 1. Now, such a departure doesn’t necessarily have to be bad. The problem comes in when
a.) The full potential of the character in their previous narrative role had not yet been fully or even partly exhausted
b.) It cuts into an on-going character arc and drastically changes its course
c.) It’s not foreshadowed or developed properly.
And most of those are true for Niki’s character. She was not necessarily underdeveloped but underexplored in Season 1 and had no consistent storyline going on in Season 2. She was a witness to Tommy’s trial, but that was never worked into an on-going storyline for her. No matter how much we retroactively pretend like this turn to villainy, this breakdown, was brewing deep inside of her – there was no foreshadowing.
The reason, why I said it’s understandable from a meta-perspective, is that the content creator Niki Nihachu had a self-admittedly hard time getting her foot in in Season 2 – because Season 2, for as much love as I will heap upon Tommy’s and Dream’s storyline, was a pretty messy.
So, the villain arc was not well foreshadowed and Niki’s turn was developed, but what happened after she was in it?
Niki in Season 3
Well, unfortunately that problem of an inconsistent storyline never really went away for her. In the beginning of Season 3, she hatched her wagons with Jack Manifold, which was a pretty big tonal shift – from darkly tragic to cartoonish villainy.
But as Jack kept developing his character in that lane and following up on big plot development with corresponding character moments, Niki again just … vanished. She then changed gears again, joining the Syndicate – a great idea if only the Syndicate actually streamed together and developed a storyline and group cohesion.
As it stands right now, Niki’s character exists in the negative space of the fandom imaginations. We are given some scraps and good character moments – her sleeping in a jail cell, “I started baking again”, her secret city – but those moments never coalesce into a full-fledged storyline.
Her character’s journey is still as fragmented and underexplored as it ever was. I really hope that – with Wilbur’s revival and the new character conflict that seems to arise from that for her – she manages to finally get the foot in and get the storyline and dynamic arc she deserves.
109 notes · View notes