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#damn *phew* i finally finished it i literally lost a part of it and had to rewrite it despite saving it as a draft
did-we-imagine · 6 months
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Hi never “both sides” a genocide again please and thank you
I'm not sure what you mean to say, but I feel compelled to show empathy to all civilian victims in general because all lives are equal, and it is not to whitewash Israel or to minimize their war crimes (aka actual genocide/ethnic cleansing to further their colonial agenda).
One can feel bad for all civilian victims without buying into the criminal doctrine of zionism or being an israel/IDF apologist.
Dehumanizing civilians on either side is never good as it allows for racist/fanatic/murderous/extremist ideas to fester, which can lead to terrible tragedies. (This is exactly what is happening to the Palestinians in particular right now, they are being vilified through malicious propaganda. Jewish people went through the same during WWII with the nazis. It also happened to the Germans after during the final parts of WWII. Many women were raped by the Allies' soldiers...) . Here is an example of a mixed family.
I believe that the previous point is very important because there have been various extremists thinking that they were avenging the wronged party in their eyes through hate crimes against muslims / jews (the american 71 years old dude who killed that poor palestinian child and severely attacked his mother, and many others, which you can read about in this link).
I do not believe one bit that Israel's repeated attacks on hapless civilians in churches/hospitals are justifiable or defendable at all.
In conclusion, I would like to add a few very important points, especially for the people who defend Israel & think that pro-palestine people are antisemitic/racists/whatever:
-> This is not a religious war between jews and muslims. This is a colonizer entity attacking/exiling the colonized party. There is no reason to hate followers of either religion. In fact, palestine is a multi-religious country. There are muslim, christian and even jewish palestinians.
-> The palestinians are also semitic.
-> Right now, Israel is using Hamas' action as a justification to dish out full on genocide. However, as per international law, collective punishment of a people can never be justified by any means. Friendly reminder that Hamas =/= Palestinians and Zionism =/= Judaism:
https://www.aaiusa.org/library/debunking-all-palestinians-are-hamas
-> There are much more complex politics at play( FYI, other countries are using this conflict as a proxy war, esp USA/Iran ), considering that Hamas was financed by Iran, Hezbollah, and even Netanyahou/far right politicians from Israel who want to implement a one-state (Israel only) solution. The last category wanted to destabilize the Palestinian Authority & avoid the formation of a palestinian state through this.
Sources :
https://www.liberation.fr/checknews/netanyahou-a-t-il-dit-que-transferer-de-largent-au-hamas-etait-la-bonne-strategie-pour-contrecarrer-la-creation-dun-etat-palestinien-20231011_F5AKUAMMNVENDLJ6WBXLFPJETE/%3foutputType=amp
It's all the more jarring that this is french media saying this since the majority of their media is pro-israel.
https://archive.ph/H8LSL
-> Last but not least, this is not an equal war (for those who think that Israel is in their right). The infamous statistics of casualties. Pre-7th october 2023 :
https://www.statista.com/chart/16516/israeli-palestinian-casualties-by-in-gaza-and-the-west-bank/
Yeah, more people are dying on the Palestinian side...Because the genocide/colonization project has been ongoing for 75 years. This is proof on its own that Israel is a criminal state. Who woulda thunk?
Current stats:
Http://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker
->Israel is using this attack as an excuse to further its expansionist agenda, it's not quite bothered by the hostages' actual fates 🤡 :
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hikari-writes · 3 years
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『Haikyuu!!』
Fluff Headcanons
Pocky Day Special
↬ Playing pocky game with them
Pairing: Yamaguchi Tadashi, Akaashi Keiji & Yaku Morisuke
Warning: Tiiny bit of swearing and tooth rotting fluff 🥺🥺
Genre: FLOOOOOOOOOF
Words: 2.6k
Note:
- GN!Reader
Taglist: @ssucrose @laylahoran @whootwhoot @mirakeul @sunacity @hajibee @luv4kiyoomi @tamaguchi @cadenceh2o @yamagucji @ynainnit @tsukisemi [Join my taglist here!]
A/N: i know im 2 days late,, but whatever, better late than never >:( and you bet i did research on the pocky flavours for this 😎😎 and yes, i may say this is pretty self indulgent since theyre all my husbandos but shuuussh 🙄🙄 this got longer as it progressed and idek why--- istg its not bc of favouritism or anything okay 😣😣
↬ Yamaguchi Tadashi
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『Cookies & Cream flavoured Pocky』
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➳ It wasn't such a bad idea to play around once in a while
➳ So you bought a pack of Cookies and Cream pocky to play with Yamaguchi
➳ He wasn't too big on the idea at first, since you two are just FRIENDS after all
➳ Not for long though 
➳ But you managed to convince him, saying that it'll be fun and stuff
➳ He reluctantly gave in eventually
➳ You gave him the advantage of biting his end first, and you scooted closer to bite yours 
➳ When I tell you you could feel the heat radiating from his face
➳ The both of you started the game after you counted to three
➳ You started off pretty slowly, then you sped up after noticing Yamaguchi's pace slowing down
➳ You were nearing the middle of the pocky, when all of a sudden Yamaguchi picked up the pace and reached the middle of the pocky
➳ But he didn't stop there
➳ Instead of moving away and claiming his victory, he continued biting until he reached your lips
➳ You were shocked, obviously, so you just sat there and stared at Yamaguchi's closed eyes as he continued to kiss you
➳ After what felt like an eternity, he finally pulled away and looked at you. As soon as he noticed you're a blushing mess, a small smirk formed on his face
➳ “Well, wasn't that fun?”
➳ Your blush darkened and you narrowed your eyes at him
➳ “You sly little….”
➳ “You should've expected that coming though~”
➳ “Well, you sped up all of a sudden!! How was I supposed to see that coming?!”
➳ You grabbed the pocky box and took another stick out
➳ “Let's do it again. I won't lose this time.”
➳ Let's just say that this went on for a pretty long time and at the end of the day, you decided it'd be best to just confess your feelings to him 
➳ (Which was also "coincidentally" the sole reason you wanted to play a pocky game with him)
↬ Akaashi Keiji
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『Matcha flavoured Pocky』
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➳ Unlike the matcha pocky, your first kiss with your boyfriend was, minty 
➳ You and Akaashi just started going out and one day, during a sleepover that was held at Bokuto's house, all of you decided to play pocky game since it was the 11th of November 
➳ Of course, as a new (and also the only) couple in the group, the both of you were targeted as the ones to play the game first 
➳ You felt a bit conflicted about this matter. Of course, it would be a dream come true to get to kiss Akaashi (who would even let that chance slip by) but you're also not sure if you wanted your first kiss to be because of a party game
➳ Akaashi noticed your reluctance and figured that you might not be ready to kiss him yet, since you two just started dating after all 
➳ (Not gonna lie, he was pretty dejected but he valued your feelings first and foremost like the gentleman he is so he won't force you if you don't want to.)
➳ “I'm sorry, but can we pass this one up? I don't think L/N is ready to--”
➳ “We'll do it!! I mean-- I'll do it! I'm totally okay with doing it!”
➳ You quickly interrupted Akaashi and grabbed the Matcha pocky box from the table before taking one pocky stick out
➳ “L-let's do this…”
➳ You bit one end of the pocky and moved closer to Akaashi to make it easier for him to bite his side of the end
➳ Kaori and Bokuto both whistled at your boldness which made you blush even harder. Akaashi sent a silent glare their way in an attempt to make them shut up, to which they did (but not without smirking and grinning like cats at the sight of you and Akaashi)
➳ The game started and you could feel everyone's stares digging a hole inside you
➳ The two of you started at a pretty slow pace, and it felt like the pocky was kilometres long given how long it took for you to reach the middle
➳ As the both of your faces started to get closer, your heart thumped louder and louder, making you worried that Akaashi would hear it
➳ You took a glance at his face, and just as you did, almost as if he noticed your glance, he looked back at you
➳ Seeing Akaashi's beautiful eyes staring back at yours in such close proximity made your brain stopped working for a moment and in a state of panic, you accidentally snapped the pocky in two and stumbled backwards 
➳ Akaashi blinked in confusion at the whole situation, which just made your brain short circuited and steams started to escape from your ears
➳ You became a stuttering mess and you couldn't sit back up until Akaashi held out a hand to help you
➳ As soon as you got to sit up straight again, you immediately buried your face in his chest and murmured “It's my lost….”.
➳ Akaashi finished biting the leftover pocky and held you closer to him
➳ “That was a good game,” he whispered back
➳ Everyone started to give you two lovebirds teasing grins and laughs 
➳ The game continued with you still buried in Akaashi's chest, with you occasionally giving curious glances to see exactly what was happening
➳ After some time, everyone started to get sleepy and decided that it was time to sleep
➳ After what just happened, you honestly didn't really feel like sleeping
➳ So instead you whispered Akaashi's name and gestured for him to come closer after you two were ready to lay down on the futon
➳ “What is it, L/N?”
➳ He came closer to you but was surprised when you suddenly pulled the collar of his shirt and tiptoed just enough to reach his face before planting a kiss on his lips
➳ The kiss smelled and tasted a bit like mint, since you two just brushed your teeth and all, but you honestly weren't complaining at all. It was refreshing 
➳ Right after you parted your lips, you tried to look at him straight in the eyes (keyword: tried) and explained your actions
➳ “S-sorry I suddenly snapped the pocky….it was an accident...well, kind of. Besides that, I wanted our first kiss to be special so uhm…”
➳ Akaashi understood your intention now and he couldn't help but to give a soft chuckle at your flustered self
➳ “W-what's so funny??”
➳ “Nothing, it's just…..you were too cute so…”
➳ You silently screamed at him and lightly punched his arm as he continued chuckling. The both of you were still careful so as to not make any noise and wake up the others though
➳ (Kind of useless though since they were just pretending to sleep and already witnessed your lovey-dovey couple moments)
↬ Yaku Morisuke
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『Tsubu Tsubu Strawberry flavoured Heart Shaped Pocky』
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➳ It all started with a stupid dare by Kuroo 
➳ Of course, how could you chicken out and refuse if that was the case?
➳ Apparently, Kuroo’s older sister bought too many boxes of pocky and gave him some. He thought of sharing them with the team and brought them to school
➳ After practice was done, however, he got a brilliant idea
➳ He distributed the boxes to everyone but when he got to you, he got a different way to give them
➳ “Here you go, Y/N. A heart shaped pocky, special just for you, the manager. Tsubu tsubu strawberry flavoured.”
➳ “Oh, I’ve seen this type of pocky on the internet before. They look so cute! But I didn’t manage to find them anywhere. Thanks--”
➳ Just as you were about to take the box from him, he retreated back his hand and held the box higher and out of reach from you 
➳ You looked at him with visible confusion, and he smirked down at you
➳ “Well, this is a special type of pocky you know? It feels like a waste to just give it to you like that.”
➳ “Didn’t you say that I got the special one because I’m the manager?”
➳ You’re starting to get annoyed at his attitude but you tried to cover it up with a forced smile
➳ “Still, this is the only heart shaped pocky I got from my sister…..Hmmm what should I do~?”
➳ You tried to grab the box from him, but he only held the box higher and on top of that, used his other hand to push your face away from him
➳ You finally ran out of patience and started to go full on feral mode at him
➳ “KUROO TETSUROU JUST GIVE ME THE DAMN POCKY!!”
➳ This is why no one messed with you regarding the subject of candies and sweets
➳ It was quite a scene, and Kai had to step in to ease the fight
➳ Kuroo finally lowered his arms and you took that as an opportunity to snatch the pocky box 
➳ But he used the same trick again and moved his arms away before you could reach it
➳ “I’ll give you the pocky, under one condition.”
➳ You looked at him with extreme irritation. His name’s going to be in your blacklist for sure now
➳ “What?” You said, rather begrudgingly.
➳ Kuroo smirked in victory. He turned away from you and faced the direction Yaku was in.
➳ “Yakkun! Come here for a sec!”
➳ Your heart literally jumped out of your chest at that moment. Kuroo’s planning something, and whatever it was, you’re not gonna like it
➳ “So here’s the thing. I’ll give you the pocky, but only after you complete a pocky game, with Yakkun. How’s that?”
➳ Your face turned dark red at his proposal. 
➳ “Are you crazy?! There’s no way I’ll do that!”
➳ You whisper yelled at him so as to not raise any suspicion from Yaku.
➳ “And why won’t you, hmm?”
➳ Seeing his teasing grin and narrowed eyes, you knew at that moment, that Kuroo knew of your crush on Yaku. 
➳ “W-what-- how do you--? Don’t tell me you knew?” 
➳ “Knew what? Are you hiding something perhaps?”
➳ You gritted your teeth in frustration. Oh, he knew alright. And he’s gonna pretend as if he doesn’t
➳ “Whatever, and why should I even do this?”
➳ “To get your desired special heart shaped tsubu tsubu strawberry flavoured pocky?”
➳ Phew that was a mouthful
➳ He swung the pocky box in front of you, tempting you even more
➳ Just as you were about to agree to play the game, a realization struck you
➳ “Ha! Nice try there, Kuroo. What makes you think Yaku would even want to play this game with me?”
➳ “Play what game?” 
➳ You literally jumped from your position in shock when Yaku’s voice suddenly came up behind you, earning a snicker from Kuroo
➳ “I dared Y/N to play a pocky game with you, and if they did, they’ll receive this special pocky as a prize.”
➳ You internally screamed and tried to keep yourself from murdering this rooster head but Yaku’s unexpected reaction made you forget about the murderous instinct for a moment
➳ “Oh, okay. Sure, let’s play it then.”
➳ “W-wait, are you really, REALLY sure you wanna play it with me??”
➳ “I don’t see anything wrong with that. Besides, you’ve helped us -me especially- a lot by being our manager already. Helping you with something this trivial is the least I can do.”
➳ You tried to hide the blush that was creeping up your face and Kuroo, noticing your heating face immediately nudged your arm while displaying a much wider grin than before
➳ You excused yourself for a moment and took out your phone before googling “Can you stay friends with someone you just kissed?” in the case of you two kissing after the pocky game
➳ “Well then, here you go. I’ll give you mine since I still have some more at home.”
➳ Yaku took the box of pocky from Kuroo after he fished it out from his bag and opened the packaging. He took one out and bit the end without the coating
➳ Noticing that Yaku's ready for the game, you put back your phone inside your uniform pocket. You gulped once and tried to calm your nerves as you moved closer to him to bite your side of the pocky
➳ When you scooted closer to him however, he didn’t notice your presence until you were directly in front of him and biting the pocky with a heavy blush on your face
➳ Yaku stared at you with his wide, brown eyes for a moment before snapping the pocky into two out of reflex and fell on his back
➳ All of the others stared in shock at Yaku who’s now on the floor, covering his face with one hand. It was pretty obvious that he was blushing, even if he tried to hide it. His reddening ears gave it all away
➳ “Yaku, what’s wrong?”
➳ Kai was the first to break the silence. You were still shocked at his overreaction so you were just standing there with the half broken piece of pocky still in your mouth
➳ “Wait--I-- I just--- Uhm--- I thought we were playing a pocky game???”
➳ You had probably never seen Yaku this flustered before in your entire life. It was certainly a sight to see, but it just made your blush grew darker on your face
➳ “And you were….Wait, don’t tell me, you don’t know how a pocky game works?”
➳ Kuroo guessed with a snap of his fingers, as if he just made a great discovery
➳ “Don’t each person just take a pocky for themselves and it’s a game where you compete on who can finish their pocky first?”
➳ Kuroo covered his mouth to prevent any laugh from escaping and your soul had probably left your body at this point. The second-hand embarrassment you were feeling was no joke
➳ Kuroo tried to explain the rules of the game to Yaku, which just ended up making the libero blush even harder than before
➳ “Who even invented this game….”
➳ He whispered underneath his breath after Kuroo’s explanation. He looked at you who were surrounded by the first years poking their fingers at your arms and asking, “Are they dead?” with a troubled sigh
➳ “Okay….let’s do this again.”
➳ He finally got up and took out another pocky stick. Your soul finally returned to your body when he was in front of you and holding out the pocky with his mouth 
➳ “It’s okay if you don’t want to do it, Yaku! I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or anything….”
➳ Yaku silenced you by grabbing both your shoulders firmly, but not so much with force, as if he’s treating a fragile thing
➳ “It’s okay. I really don’t mind if I’m playing this... with you.”
➳ You bit the other side of the pocky and tried to focus on eating without thinking too much on what he just said, which just ended up in a total failure by the way
➳ The both of you went on a steady pace but when you finally almost reached the middle of the pocky, you both simultaneously stopped and stared down awkwardly, trying to avoid eye contact with one another
➳ Many thoughts ran through the both of your heads, and all of it were more or less the same
➳ “What if I accidentally kissed him/them? He/they probably wouldn’t like that….”
➳ “He/they would probably even hate me if that happened…..”
➳ After several seconds had passed, you two finally decided to continue biting on the pocky. And simultaneously once again, might I add
➳ This just resulted in the both of your lips to brush against one another in the end, and you swore your heart just escaped from your chest when you felt the sensation of Yaku’s lips brushing against yours
➳ You and Yaku both moved and turned away from one another, too embarrassed to face the other
➳ “Well, you’ve cleared the dare, so here’s your prize.”
➳ Kuroo casually put the box of pocky on top of your head and left the gym to head back home, followed by the others, intentionally leaving you and Yaku alone in the gym
➳ Okay, maybe you can at least lift Kuroo’s name from your blacklist after this. After all, he did help you get closer to your crush…..kinda
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kittyprincessofcats · 3 years
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RWBY Volume 8, Episode 13 (Worthy)
Well, wow. That sure was an episode that happened.
Thoughts under the cut.
Anyone who leaves spoilers for episode 14 on this will get blocked.
- First of all, I want to now talk about the spoiler I saw for this episode last week, to put the anger from my last post into context: After I had just finished watching episodes 8-12 and started writing my post about them, I went into one of the RWBY tags bc I’m dumb and saw a post that said (I don’t remember the exact words, but more or less): “I’m so glad Yang is finally dead, so now her fans can shut up about her and everyone can ship Blacksun instead.”
… Yeah. Imagine seeing that when you haven’t seen the actual episode and have no idea what really happened. I honestly completely panicked for a few minutes, before remembering I don’t actually know anything and this might just be a “Weiss gets impaled in Volume 5, but one episode later it turns out she’ll be fine” situation. So then I had to look up what actually happened to Yang, because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to sleep. So, to the person who made that post: Fuck you. Not only did you freak people out for no reason (because come on, there’s no way falling into the void actually kills you – and even if it does, we at least definitely don’t know that for sure after episode 13), but even if Yang had actually died, it’s super shitty that your first reaction to a beloved queer character’s death would be “yay, now people can ship my m/f ship instead”. Like, I don’t care if you personally dislike Yang/ dislike Bumbleby/ prefer Blacksun – show a little bit of decency.
Phew. Sorry, I had to get that off my chest because it really made me angry. Now let’s get into the actual episode:
- “Worthy” as a title pretty much already made me predict that Cinder would succeed in her plan, since “you have to be worthy” was what Watts told her in his speech. She’s gotten the message and is now back to efficient plans – and while I love to see it, it also very much scares me when it comes to our heroes’ survival chances. The last time Cinder was doing well, we lost Pyrrha, so… help.
- And gosh, this whole episode was so intense! I feel like it mostly set up a bunch of very intense situations that are going to escalate in the last episode that I’m very much not ready for.
- I still think the whole central location between the worlds is really beautiful, if dangerous. (They should have specified to Ambrosius that they want handrails or something.)
- Nora using her hammer like a witch’s broom was amazing.
- I also loved the scene with Jaune and the people at the train station; that was really funny.
- The middle of the desert might not have been the best place for the exit. Didn’t the group consider that there might be a sandstorm or something else unpredictable out there? Couldn’t they have picked a better exit point?
- Cinder causing an explosion in the middle of the evacuation that throws multiple people into the void was bad and all – but it was still one hell of an entrance!
- I love that now that Cinder realized that she has to rely on teamwork, she’s suddenly being so nice to everyone. Apologizing to Neo, complimenting Watts on “tearing the kingdom apart with nothing but his intellect”, that soft “You deserve this, Arthur”, complimenting Team RWBY on their plan, thanking them for teaching her “one last lesson”. Yeah, maybe she’s just talking to Neo and Watts like this because she needs their help, and to Team RWBY because she’s confident she’ll win – but it’s still amazing to see the shift in her attitude and how she’s clearly changed her tactic.
- It’s insane to me that some people correctly predicted that Cinder would ask Jinn the last question based JUST on the fact that there’s a part in the opening where everyone else freezes in time while she walks past them. Holy hell! I love trying to guess stuff based on the intro, but I would have never thought that far.
- Cinder’s question to Jinn seems like a waste considering it was Jinn’s last question, but maybe it just seems that way to us as viewers because Jinn didn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know. Was it the right thing for Cinder to do? I don’t know, to be honest. Yes, it did give her the chance to ruin the heroes’ plans, but I have a feeling Salem won’t be happy about the question being gone. Pretty sure Salem was going to ask Jinn how to get the Beacon relic, and now she can’t do that. (Cinder ruining Salem’s plans for the beacon relic? Let that be foreshadowing, please.) I mean, maybe it’s worth it from Salem’s POV if it gets them the staff and then she’ll have 2 of the 4 relics – but they could have still gotten the staff later, while I don’t know if Salem has any plan B for the beacon relic. And I’m a little worried about Cinder now. I always thought that Salem wouldn’t kill Cinder no matter what, because she still needs the Fall Maiden for the beacon relic – but if she now has to wait another 100 years for the beacon relic anyway, I’m not sure if she’ll have a reason to keep Cinder alive. (And I’m still worried about that “Some lives will end much too soon” line playing over that scene of Cinder clutching her Grimm arm in the opening.) I also wonder if Cinder even knew that this was Jinn’s last question. Did Jinn even tell her that? Also, when will the 100 years even be up? Do the questions just reset every 100 years regardless of when they were used? So maybe we’re already at year 80 or something and will only have to wait 20 years?
- The cut from everyone at the central command place screaming to them being dead was kinda funny in a “very dark humour” way.
- When Harriet first jumped onto that ship with the bomb, I, like an idiot, thought that she was finally being sensible and trying to get the bomb as far away from Atlas and Mantle as possible, not that she was trying to still drop it on Mantle. She and Ironwood might as well be working for Salem’s team at this point, because they’re doing everything to help the villains’ plan. And the villains are even counting on it! Watts freed Ironwood from his cell and is piloting Harriet’s ship. Those two are just straight up helping Salem’s team in their attempts to… what was it? Save Atlas?
- Ironwood killing Jacques was awful and proves once again that Ironwood has zero morals left. And I didn’t like Jacques, but that was the kind of death that absolutely no one deserves. He had no way to escape or fight back, he was defenseless, locked up in a prison cell with nowhere to run – that’s not just a murder, that’s an execution without a trial. And Jacques wasn’t even a threat, he wasn’t in the way of any of Ironwood’s plans. Ironwood killed him literally just because he could. And no one who thinks they’re the good guy (and Ironwood still thinks he’s the good guy) should go around just killing people who aren’t even a threat.
- And then we have Yang falling into the void. Honestly, as heartbreaking as Blake’s sobs and anger are, I kind of love this from a “supreme angst, let’s see my faves suffer” perspective. That said, Yang better actually be fine or else.
- Actually, my prediction is that the rest of team RWBY will jump into the void to save Yang in the last episode. Because they’re all falling in the opening, and because “Sometimes it’s worth it all to risk the fall and fight for every life”. That’s pretty much the only prediction I feel somewhat confident about, for the rest I have no idea.
- I wonder if it would have been better if Penny had just gone through the doorway and gotten the staff to Vacuo. I get why she didn’t, because Yang just fell and her other friends were in danger… but at the same time, she was supposed to protect the population and the staff (and she has the maiden powers that I’m sure Cinder still wants). If she had just gotten out of there, at least the group in Vacuo would have had some help against the sandstorm and the Grimm. But then again, it would have also severely weakened Term RWBY’s chances against Cinder and Neo… it’s a tough call, really.
- “Why didn’t you just learn your lesson?” “Oh, Penny… I did.” Okay, but that’s the thing: She really did! Just not the lesson Penny wanted her to learn. And notice how Cinder called Penny by her first name again? She didn’t use to do that. I still think somewhere down the line Penny has earned her respect.
- I wonder if Penny’s technically weaker now because she’s human (?? is she??). She’s definitely not used to fighting without her robotic parts (as you can see when she tries to reach for her swords and realizes they’re not there anymore). I summoning those swords like she then did her semblance or another maiden power?
- Blake now has to choose between helping Ruby and helping Penny and Weiss – gosh, the suspense…
- I’m glad Vine at least finally tried to stop Harriet now! (Better late than never.) But I really wouldn’t blame Qrow and Robyn for crashing into their ship. It’s not like they had any way of knowing that Vine was trying to talk sense into Harriet. Also, Qrow crashing through Harriet’s windscreen was amazing.
- Winter and Ironwood are going to fight to the death and I’m so scared of it. (I just need Winter to survive, please…)
- When Weiss described the doorway as a “one-way ticket to Vacuo” last episode, I briefly wondered if that meant they wouldn’t be let back through, but then I brushed it aside and didn’t think about it too much anymore. Oh, damn. You really do have to be very specific with Ambrosius.
- I’m not even sure which location is the best to be in right now because they all seem very unsafe: Atlas and Mantle are unsafe because Atlas is falling, because Mantle might still get blown up by Harriet, and because Salem might still come back any time. The place between worlds is unsafe because of the void and because there’s a big fight happening right there. And Vacuo is unsafe because of the Grimm and the sandstorm. So really, they’re all awful for the civilians right now.
- And now I’m thinking the volume might actually end with the protagonists split into three groups as well: Team RWBY in the void (that they’ll spend Volume 9 finding their way back from), one half of the other characters in Vacuo (Oscar, Ren, Emerald, maybe more?), and the other half still in Atlas/Mantle (Qrow, Robyn, Marrow, Winter, maybe more).
- I’m super nervous about the last episode. I haven’t seen any spoilers at all so far, and I plan to keep it that way. I’ll probably completely ignore anything RWBY-related until next week because the anxiety would kill me otherwise. I’m really worried we’ll get a character death or even several. And ironically, my first prediction on who might die this Volume (Penny, Nora, Winter, Cinder) hasn’t changed all that much. I’m worried about Penny because she has the Maiden Powers and the staff, so Cinder will come after her (but I really think it would be an awful writing choice to kill her off after we just went through so much to save her). I’m very worried about Winter because she’s engaged in a duel to the death with a man who has a big canon that he just blew someone up with. I’m worried for Cinder because of the opening and because Salem might be pissed at her for using the last question. I’m worried for everyone who’s still on Atlas and might get blown up by the bomb (Qrow, Robyn, Marrow, Winter again). And I’m very worried for the characters who are in the in-between realm. Not so much Team RWBY, but I’m worried about Nora, Jaune, and Penny. So yeah, I’m pretty much worried about everyone and very much not ready. Now let me ignore RWBY’s existence for a week – or only reblog posts I already have saved as drafts – because it’s the only way I’ll know peace.
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whenwordsmakesense · 3 years
Text
Day 2: Gay
@pridewrite2021 
Here you can find all my work for this amazing event!
From The Mess Rises a Poetrywolf (On AO3!)
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Ship: Derek Hale × Stiles Stilinski
Words: 2.6k
Summary: Stiles smiled, and kissed Derek's cheek that was closest to him. “I will do anything and everything for those I love. I will.” His smiled widened at Derek's blush. “Well. You know how I felt after that. We didn't lose anyone close to us but we did lose people—I hated myself. But you didn't. Because you saw the person I was before, waiting to be brought back to the surface. And you were right. I am not the same as I was, but, I am better then that.” Derek's hand had found his, and their hands were interlaced, now. Even though he was reliving something he hated to, Stiles couldn't stop smiling.
Or you could read here: 
Warning: Swearing.
>> Starts from here onwards.
The place looked completely destroyed.
Derek looked worse.
“What the hell happened here? I leave for one weekend—please tell me no one died!” Stiles seriously hated his life, because that question actually made sense. A terrifying, literal kind of sense, and why was breathing so damn hard now?!
“Oh, shit! No, no, no, it's—everyone's fine. Breathe, Stiles. In and out, in and out...”
Derek's soft voice and his warm, heavy hands on his shoulders grounded him, his breathing resuming it's normal beat alongside his heartbeat. He spared a moment to think of the contrast between the Derek he'd first met six years ago and the one who was in front of him right now.
He kind of hated himself for ever believing that Derek—the biggest marshmallow ever—was a villain. A bad guy.
“The hell happened here?” He asked once he could. Derek signed through his mouth and his jaw tensed, eyebrows knitting together in expression number seven, which meant ‘It was a simple thing, really, but I, being a Sourwolf, didn't use my words and the situation went out of hand and it was really stupid and if I tell you you'll just call me an idiot.’ At least, that's what that look meant to Stiles.
“Well, Scott and Isaac thought—”
This time, Stiles was the one who sighed in resignation. “Derek. How many times have I told you: Scott. Isaac. Thinking Bad. Actually, anyone but me, Lydia, Boyd, Peter and Chris thinking is bad.” At Derek's look, he added, with a roll of his eyes, “Okay, and you too. But only sometimes.”
“Do you want to know or not.” Derek's lack of inflection suggested that he was going to withhold the information from Stiles, and that might actually kill Stiles. Figuratively. Ugh, fuck his life.
“Yes, yes. Do tell, oh wise one,”
Derek just rolled his eyes and tugged him to the middle of the living room, where a mostly okay mattress was the only place to sit. You know, in a once perfectly fine living room.
“It was Scott's idea, originally, or so Isaac says. He wanted to bring back a cat—”
Stiles squealed. “Midnight?!”
Derek glared at him. “You knew.” He accused.
Stiles didn't like that tone. It suggested Stiles was somehow to blame, and he'd been out of town, damnit. “You know, Scott is my friend. And normal people, unlike you, text each other with this device known as a phone. Of course I know! He sent me a picture of the cutesy cat!”
Derek ignored the jab at his hatred to phones. Seriously, Stiles wondered if even the Pack Messages were sent by Erica through his phone. If, you know, Derek didn't like, write in full sentences with whole words like an old man.
“The ‘cutesy cat’ decided that Lydia's hair was the best place to sit on. Then it decided to scratch at her hair. Malia didn't like her packmate in distress, and Scott and Isaac's guilt was suffocating enough without Lydia's death glare at them, and Erica decided filming her would be a good idea. I think you can connect the dots.” Derek told him all of it in a complete monotone, like having an angry Lydia chasing Erica and Malia losing her control didn't affect him at all. Except the evidence of that was all around them, and Stiles was glad that this weekend was his on-field duty.
“I... Don't know what to say. At least we made it four years before this happened. Again.”
The last time the three girls had lost all their control like this was long, long ago, labelled under a box in his brain called ‘Do Not Open. Please.’ He seriously wasn't keen on opening it. Ever.
He kind of felt bad for leaving his Alpha alone to deal with the pack. Sure, said pack were adults, now, most of them in their last year of college and Lydia, being Lydia, was on her path to get her second degree where most people got one but... They really weren't adults. None of them were. Age was just a number, and apparently him and Derek were the ‘Pack Parents’ and the idiots calling themselves Scott, Isaac, Lydia, Jackson, Allison, Boyd, Erica, Kira and Malia were their kids.
Kids who were about to get a whole lot of chores because damnit, Stiles was not going to clean up their mess, and neither was Derek.
Stiles listed all the things he'd made their kids do while Derek listened with his eyebrows knitted together in expression number two, which meant ‘I am listening. I don't want to, but I am, because you're very intense and generally know what you are doing.’
“—and he can clean up the poop!” He finished with a flourish, arms finally coming to rest on his thighs. Phew. That was a lot of flailing, even for him.
Derek gave him a look. “Poop?”
“Poop.” He agreed. When Derek just kept looking at him, he mumbled, “I mean, Scott brought him here. He should be the one to take care of Midnight's excreta and stuff. It's only fair.”
Derek gave him the patented ‘Stiles, I'm going to kill you.’ look. Stiles didn't have to guess. He'd had this look thrown his way everyday since that one fateful night out and about in the preserve that started the werewolfy chapter in his life.
“What?” He asked self-consciously.
Derek didn't use his words, but he made it pretty clear with his gesturing around the once pristine living room what he wanted to say.
“We will train him! Come on, Derek, have a little heart!” He paused. “I mean. Not a little heart. Just more... Feelings. Ugh, well you know what I mean. Please?”
Derek only glared harder, and then for some reason, looked totally nervous. If it were anyone other than Stiles here, they would have thought that Derek just notched up his ‘I'm going to kill you.’ face by, say, a thousand, but Stiles was here. This was totally Derek's nervous face.
Stiles flailed hard, and accidentally hit Derek on his face. “Derek! If I find out either you or your kids killed Midnight, I—I'll divorce the Pack!”
“Why are they my kids when they're potentially cat-killers and your kids when they get good grades? I'm pretty sure you can't divorce Scott and Isaac's puppy eyes.” Derek grumbled, but at least he looked not nervous now. Well, less nervous.
“True,” he agreed, because man, Scott and Isaac were unfair, and added, “I'm the proud parent, dude, and you're obviously the pushover parent. You let them get away with everything.”
“I do not. And don't call me dude.”
“Keep telling yourself that, dude.” He grinned cheekily at Derek's glaring face. Seriously, though, it was true. The massive movie-theater-esque TV in one of the basement rooms was one of the many, many proofs of that.
And Stiles hated himself because he didn't need to say that he thought of him and Derek as parents... where they were like a couple. Sure, there were jokes and all, and they did act like it but... It hurt. It hurt because it wasn't true.
And Stiles wanted it to be.
In a bid to reroute his thinking process, he asked again, “You didn't kill Midnight, did you?”
Derek just rolled his eyes and said “No.” And then suddenly, Derek hauled them both up, and started to pick up the mess that was the living room of the house. “Pick up the cushions,” he said, gruffly, again nervous. Kind of angry—didn't Stiles just spend half-an-hour telling Derek about the chore-table he'd made on the spot—and also kind of disoriented, because what, he did as was told.
And stopped as he picked up the second cushion on the floor. He blinked his eyes, counted his fingers—ten, there were exactly ten fingers on his hands, this was not a dream—because that...
... Couldn't be true. Could it? But he could see Derek giving him small glances as he righted the couch, with ease, the cheating werewolf, and what was Stiles to do but shake as he picked up the card.
The card which addressed Stiles, and asked him, “Will you be my mate?”
Werewolves didn't have a predestined mate. They fall in love like anyone else. But they are part wolves, and instead of calling their significant other boyfriend or girlfriend or partner or whatever, they call them mate.
And it's final. If a werewolf asks you to be their mate, that means they're commited. It's basically a marriage proposal.
The card was blue. Stiles' favourite color, and he should not have teared up at that little gesture. But he did. And he hadn't even opened the thing yet, which, why not?
Tears welled up in his eyes as he read what was written inside, in Derek's clean, neat, cursive handwriting. Stiles might tease the Alpha for not using his words, but when it came to writing down his words... Derek pretty much put the best writers to shame.
“The day I met you I was a mess
And you were full of sass
You annoyed me to death
Made me tempt your fate
I could have killed you
But I am glad I didn't, phew.”
Or maybe it was just his biased heart speaking.  
He started laughing, his arms hitting Derek's chest as he turned around, the Alpha giving him expression number one, which meant ‘I'm hurt but I don't want to show it so I'm going to glare... Harder.’
“Oh, no, no, no, Der, just—phew?” He laughed harder, imagining Derek making that noise, his tough, gruff voice mimicking such a kiddie noise. Huh. Pew pew... Now that made him laugh harder.
When he finally managed to regain his composure, Derek just looked simple ol' annoyed.
“I don't even want to know. Just.” Derek made a ‘go on’ gesture at the card that was still in Stiles' hand, like he wanted him to read it, but also not. Like Stiles was going to reject him. Well, tough luck. He'd been in love with this idiot since he was seventeen, of course he wasn't going to reject Derek. Except maybe he would, because why would someone thrash their own house for a goddamn card?
Or okay, Stiles had to believe that what Derek told him did happen, because he could see Lydia's gorgeous strawberry blonde hair on the floor, but man if Derek didn't use the situation well.
The card told him why. Derek did have a way with words, and with the strings attached to Stiles' heart. He pulled every one of those with his badly written poetry.
Stiles was crying when he was done.
He slowly put down the card on the righted coffee table—Derek had been hard at work, apparently, with his nervous energy and mostly the place looked okay now—and made his way to the other man, and latched onto him like a barnacle. Derek froze for a moment, but with each second that passed, he relaxed, and slowly brought his hands to Stiles' back and rubbed soothing circles, like the human liked.
“I'm sorry,” Derek mumbled after some time, Stiles didn't know how much, and started to pull away. Stiles tightened his hold on the werewolf instead.
“Why? You shouldn't be. You have nothing to be sorry for.” He pulled back just enough to look Derek in the eye. “You don't, Derek.”
Derek didn't look away. Stiles guessed he couldn't. He knew because he was in the same boat.
“I made you wait.”
Stiles chuckled. It was a little watery. “Aw, you aren't being sorry for dragging ‘my human ass in the supernatural mess,’ that's real progress, Alpha.”
“You would have done it anyway. You're too curious for your own good.” Derek replied fondly. But the light atmosphere quickly changed back to the tense one, Derek going back to apologising for making Stiles wait for years, apparently.
“It was Isaac who told me that you've been in love with me for years. I mean I knew you were in love with someone... I thought Lydia at first and then Malia, maybe...”
“So this was Isaac's idea,” Stiles mumbled to himself. But he and Derek were still so close, and Derek heard him.
“Technically.” Derek agreed.
“I am not, you know. Not with them,” Stiles assured. “And... I get it. I'm actually glad you waited. You're... Healed. You were never broken, Der,” he whispered the words. It felt like he should, like they would lose their meaning if he said them louder. And it fit them. With the level of comfort Derek and him shared with each other, Stiles never felt like filling the silences with his chatter. “You were not. You were just in a... Feelings-Coma. You could feel them, but not really feel them, you know? I think. The good ones especially. Not for yourself at least. I hated it but I also get it, you know. After the Nogitsune—”
“You don't have to—”
Stiles smiled, and kissed Derek's cheek that was closest to him. “I will do anything and everything for those I love. I will.” His smiled widened at Derek's blush. “Well. You know how I felt after that. We didn't lose anyone close to us but we did lose people—I hated myself. But you didn't. Because you saw the person I was before, waiting to be brought back to the surface. And you were right. I am not the same as I was, but, I am better then that.” Derek's hand had found his, and their hands were interlaced, now. Even though he was reliving something he hated to, Stiles couldn't stop smiling. “I saw the one you could be, you know. When I took the time to think about you... Voluntarily, that is.”
“I guess I am just that special, then,” Derek said with a small smile on his face.
Stiles rubbed their noses together, cataloguing the way Derek's eyelashes danced around his beautiful eyes. “Yes you are. And you prove it everyday. I still don't know how you could still stay standing after losing everything—everyone. And I respected you for that. I thought I never could have done what you did, and then I got to know you and I... Fell in love with you.”
They stayed like that, in the kind-of cleaned but mostly messy living room of the Hale House, because in Derek's words:
“In all this mess,
You were the unique case.
You made me feel less alone
Like I could walk away from my tomb
Like I was alive and breathing
And feeling like my soul was freeing
From the cage of my broken life
Just because you gave me strife.”
Stiles especially loved the last line. Derek didn't just love him, he loved him despite all the things he's done to make Derek angry—and he's done that a lot. Maybe he could frame that bit, and the next time when he would inevitably get hurt—either from the monster hunting, which was more likely, or his occasional on-field FBI job—he could just show that to his Alpha. Because obviously Derek could never hate him, despite him being a stubborn idiot.
He giggled at the thought, and Derek just sighed.
“No, you're not framing it.”
“Oh, you know me so well, poetrywolf.” Derek sighed again, and Stiles added, “I was thinking I'd kiss you if you'd let me—”
Turns out he'd just kiss Derek for no reason at all. And when did the Sourwolf become such a great kisser?
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your-local-vamp · 3 years
Text
I disappeared off of the face of the earth for a while, but I’m back ya’ll!! I need to get used to the whole writing and then posting it thing haha. Anyway! I’ve had this idea for a really long time, but was very much procrastinating on writing it. Whoops. But here it is! It’s honestly mostly focused on the whole conflict within the vampire’s mind. I like to show different sides of them. My last one was straight up a stalker, but this one is a liiiiiiitle different, you’ll see :)! I need to shut up before I spoil the entire thing out of excitement lol. Oh and also! I finally took it upon myself to research how I can write better, make it easier to read and stuff. So if there are some errors or if anyone has advice for me, please do leave a comment! Also also, I have a habit to listen to badass vibe songs while writing/reading, so if you’re interested in some recommendations, hit me up! Okay that’s really it. Have fun reading!
Again, this story contains some explicit themes (blood, character death, overall just being angsty af) so make sure to check the tags before reading!
—————
Running From Death
I once again find myself drinking in the bar located a few blocks from my apartment. That intoxicated feeling I get after a few glasses is amazing to me. It’s pleasant to feel good for a change.
Being here also allows me to converse with the humans. Which is… Interesting to say the least. Their different personalities, lifestyles, stories. I happen to eavesdrop into conversations from time to time, which results in me hearing the most outrageous stories sometimes. May they be true or not, they interest me.
I try not to attract too much attention to myself, but I fail in doing so most of the time. Blame it on my charismatic vampire looks, I guess. Humans often strike conversations with me, but I’m not one to complain. I like talking to them when I get the opportunity.
The bell attached to the front door rings. A woman enters the bar. “Oh god, it’s her again,” someone in one of the booths behind me sighs. Hmm, must be a regular. I come here embarrassingly often, enough to call myself a regular as well, but I haven’t seen her before. She’s very handsome looking.
My hand covered with a leather glove tightens around the whiskey glass.
“Control yourself, please. You’ve practiced this many times before.”
It repeats in my head over and over again. Unfortunate things usually happen when I’m drunk. It saddens me, because I wish to not hurt anyone. I was a human once too. And I want to remember the memories from back then. Try to do ‘human’ things. But it’s hard, especially with-
“Hey, how are ya doing?” A voice interrupts my intrusive thoughts.
I look up and see the handsome woman sitting on a stool next to me. Her voice is lively and confident. But it’s probably just the liquor talking.
“Just thinking.”
“Abouuuuut?”
Oh god. She’s totally wasted. I now notice that she can barely even sit up straight without falling over. I can’t help but smile at her actions though, it’s almost endearing in a way.
“Just contemplating life, really.”
“I came here to do the exact same thing!” the woman says.
“How so?” I ask, now completely interested in her story.
“Ugh, where do I even start? My shitty boss fired me today. And you know what the most fucked up part about it all is? The fact that I’ve been working there for years! I did so much for his company, but he decides to just fire me, because ‘he’s gotta cut some people down’. So, I came here to drink my sorrows away. Well, I may have already visited two other bars, so I’m kinda far gone already haha.” The woman keeps on rambling, without actually making eye contact with whom she’s talking to. But I happen to listen to every single word.
“Why did he have to cut people off?” I question the woman.
“Pfshh, I don’t even know. Not enough money, I guess. He could’ve fired literally anyone else, but-“ she interrupts her own sentence, while her eyes make contact with the bartender, “-Hey! Can I have uhhhh. Whatever he has?” she finishes, while she absentmindedly points at my own drink.
She seems to have forgotten what she was talking about before, she’s just staring at the bartender until her drink is ready.
“And what’s your excuse for being here?” she asks, while taking a sip of her whiskey.
“Just taking a break from drinking blood and killing people.”
Well, that’s what I should’ve said if I really wanted to be honest. But being honest isn’t my reality. Lying has become my forte over the many years I have been a vampire. I don’t exist in the eyes of humans. And it should stay that way.
“Just taking a break from life.”
Yeah, that should do it.
“I come over here to share my entire life story, and all you’ve got for me is that? Damn.”
Or not.
“My life is really not that interesting,” I quickly add, trying not to blow my cover.
She takes an observing look at me. I have never felt so uncomfortable in my entire existence. She gives me the feeling like she can look right through my lies. “Hahaha, I’m just messin’ with ya. I don’t like to pry into people’s lives like that anyway,” the woman smiles.
Phew, I barely got away with that one. I return a signature smile to her. The one that makes everyone all the more invested in me, it seems.
*a few hours later*
The handsome stranger and I have been talking for hours. I lost track of time a while ago. Talking, or rather listening to her, reminds me of my human days. I used to help my elder neighbors with chores around the house, but ended up listening to them for hours and hours. I knew that when I had finished the chores, there would be a nice hot cup of tea and cookies waiting for me. The elder couple loved to share their stories with me. I know now that most of them were of pure fantasy, but at that time they were something I would so eagerly wait for to hear.
This woman gives me that feeling of nostalgia. The excitement of finally hearing the story I have longed for. It’s odd, since I have only met her a few hours ago. But somehow I feel like I’ve known her for a really long time.
“Nghn, my head hurts…” She snaps me out of my thoughts. “Woah there, don’t fall off that stool now,” I say, while carefully taking a step towards her. “C-Can you take me home?”
I look at her with disbelief.
Did she really just ask me to walk her home?
“U-Uh, I can call a cab for you? Or ask one of your friends to come pick you up maybe? I’m sure that-“
“Please.”
She looks at me with eager eyes. Her intention is really for me to take her home. If only she knew what I really am. I sigh. “Let me go to the toilet first, then I’ll walk you home.” I finally surrender to the human.
The entire way to the toilet I ask myself what I’m getting myself into. I shouldn’t be doing this, I know that all too well. But I can’t just keep hiding my true feelings all the time. I want to live amongst humans. I know that we can coexist. As long as I control myself, everything will be fine.
I sigh, take my gloves off and use the toilet. My head is suddenly throbbing like hell. I can feel that my body is trying to fight the urge to kill every single soul in this bar. Everything spins.
Shit.
“Hey, you ready or not? I feel like puking!” I hear the woman urgently knocking on the door. “Y-Yeah, I’ll be out in a sec!” I shout back.
I quickly finish and go back to the bar. “Let’s go,” we hurriedly exit the bar. She does so, because she needs to get home asap. And I do so, because of obvious reasons.
I can feel that I’m starting to lose control. It was a mistake drinking this much. I’m usually okay with drinking a few glasses, but this woman has a certain effect on me. And it’s not a positive one. Not while I’m drunk, at least.
The woman is currently walking behind me, laughing at her own jokes. All I want right now is to drop her off as fast as I can.
“Ah, shit!” I hear a loud thud.
I look back and see that she is now sitting on the cold concrete.
“What happened?” I ask, clearly concerned.
The woman shakes her head. “I’m so clumsy, I literally just stumbled over my own feet haha.”
God, we’re never going to get anywhere like this. “Oh nooo! My new pants! Ugh, this stuff always happens to me.”
I take a quick look at her leg and notice that the fabric is ripped open. She took a great fall apparently, otherwise that wouldn’t have happened.
“Damn, I’m bleeding too.”
That’s all she had to say to make my eyes turn red and making my fangs expose themselves. I quickly turn around, hoping that she didn’t notice my weird behavior already.
“Are you okay…?” she asks, proving my thoughts wrong. I disregard her question and return it with my own.
“Is it bad?”
I don’t know why I’m asking her that. No matter of how bad it is, the mere smell of her blood is driving me insane. All I can think about is that right at this moment.
“Uhm, no I think that I’m okay.” I can hear that she’s getting up and has started to walk towards me.
“Please, don’t come any closer.” I say this with a serious tone, hoping that she’d cease to move instantly.
“What’s wrong? It’s not even that bad.”
Fuck fuck fuck.
I can’t hold the urge back anymore. I never want to hurt humans, but I also can’t forget of who I have become. I’m a vampire. To stay alive, I need blood. Alcohol has terrible effects on me.
It’s like drinking water with salt in it. You’re drinking, but it worsens your thirst because of the salt. Alcohol only enhances my thirst for blood. I’m learning the consequences of that now.
The woman has come even closer to me. I turn around, only to see a reached out hand with blood on it. I try to fight the dark side of me with everything I have. That side of me gives in, eventually. I resist the urge and grab her wrist, only to warn her to stop.
However, this action suffers a great consequence. The woman looks at me. The white of her eyes turn dark red.
Wait… I look at my hand, having a firm hold on her wrist.
“My gloves!” is all I can utter at this moment.
I have forgotten my gloves in the toilet area. How can I be so stupid… I’m unable to touch any living being with my bare hands. If I do so, it dies. Everything I touch turns into dust. It’s a curse I have carried with me ever since I turned. It has barely posed as a problem the last few years. But I… I touched her without gloves on.
“W-Wait. No. I’m sorry, please!” I beg for my actions to reverse themselves. But what happened cannot be undone.
The woman’s eyebrows furrow and her eyes look back into mine, filled with betrayal. “H-How cou-ld y-ou,” she chokes on her own blood. She is in immense pain, I can tell. I let go of her hand, terrible guilt now washing over me.
She takes a look at her shaking hand, which gets covered with popping veins inch by inch. The sounds coming from her are agonizing. She stumbles backwards, now nearing her end. Tears roll down my cheek, as I carry her.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know my gloves were…” I’m unable to finish my sentence, as my non beating heart breaks seeing her mouth all covered in blood clots.
It’s ironic, really. I was barely able to resist the smell of her blood before, but now even though I’m covered with it, I don’t seem to mind.
Her body shivers uncontrollably, until it stops moving at all. I hold her limp body, watching my tears fall on her veiny cheek.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” I keep repeating it, somewhere having a wishful thought that I could go back before all of this happened.
But her body stays unmoving. I scream and I scream, all of my human feelings washing over me now. This shouldn’t have happened. My ignorance allowed this to take place. And I will never forgive myself for it.
I hear sounds of a crowd nearing by. In total panic, I let go of her body and hide in a nearby alleyway. I crouch and hold my hands over my own ears, trying to ignore the screams that are coming from the spot where I just killed a human. The tears are now streaming down, my thoughts racing. What have I done? I should’ve never went to that bar in the first place.
Fuck, I need to get out of here before they find me. I try to leave the guilt there and run from myself as fast as I can. I am a monster. And no matter how hard I cling on to the little humanity I’ve got left, I will always remain one.
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noona-clock · 4 years
Text
The Risk - Part 4
Genre: Fighter!AU
Pairing: Park Seo Joon x You (Female!Reader)
Warnings: Mild cursing and violence
Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | Words: 3,482
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A month ago, you would’ve said it would take a really special kind of person to make you actually want to talk on the phone. 
Speaking with someone face-to-face was okay, but talking to someone over the phone or video chatting with them? It just wasn’t your favorite form of communication. You would much rather text, and with just about everyone in your life, you did text them.
Seo Joon, apparently, was a really special kind of person. You had been seeing and talking to him for just about a month now, and...
Wait for it...
You actually, kind of, sort of, maybe looked forward to when he called you?
I know. Shocking!
A couple of weeks ago, Seo Joon had admitted that his hands were sore from training so hard that day, so if possible, could he maybe call you? He totally understood if you didn’t want to, he would just talk to you tomorrow.
But... you had already gotten used to talking to him... and, like, you hadn’t seen him for a few days, and you missed his voice... so...
You’d agreed. 
Seo Joon had called you, and you’d spent over an hour on the phone with him. And it had been nice! It hadn’t been incredibly awkward or cringe-worthy, and you truly hadn’t minded it.
He called you again the next night, and then a couple of nights after that, and by the fourth time he called you, you realized your heart started beating so quickly when you saw his name come up on your phone because you were... excited. Not because you were anxious.
Needless to say, your feelings for the guy had grown immensely over the last four weeks. You’d gone from being interested to having a crush to being fully head over heels in like with him in just about a month’s time, and... If you were being honest, you were happy.
Seo Joon made you happy.
There was, however, one tiny, very small, itty-bitty, quite insignificant thing you didn’t quite like.
The fighting thing.
See?
Tiny, very small, itty-bitty, quite insignificant thing.
Yep! Insignificant! You just were not a fan of his career, that’s all!
You had tried to make yourself watch some YouTube videos of Seo Joon’s past matches, and the only one you’d been able to watch the whole way through was one where he’d knocked his opponent out in under twenty seconds. The other guy hadn’t managed to even touch Seo Joon, so it really hadn’t been that bad.
But another one, a match where Seo Joon had actually almost lost, you hadn’t lasted even a minute. His opponent had started punching him, and when he’d managed to bring Seo Joon to the ground and lock his legs around his neck -- nope! You had hastily closed the window and shut the lid of your laptop within milliseconds.
You hadn’t been able to bring yourself to watch his fights on YouTube, so imagine your anxiety and stress when Seo Joon invited you to attend his match... in real life.
You were going to go, of course, because the look in his eyes when he asked you was a dead giveaway that it would mean the world to him.
And... you kind of had an inkling that, one day, he would mean the world to you? So?
Truly, you had no choice but to go. You had no moral choice but to go. You knew you would feel incredibly guilty if you didn’t, and you wanted to support him. He supported you by offering to read your creative writing assignments (and though his feedback was never helpful, it was always very sweet, and you rewarded him with kisses each time). You had never been one to receive without also giving, so if he was going to support you, then you would most certainly support him.
And that’s how you ended up sitting in an arena on a Wednesday night, wringing your hands anxiously in your lap.
The match was set to start at 7 o’clock, and it was currently 6:50pm. You’d already finished your homework and eaten as much of a dinner as you could on a nervous stomach, so now all you had to do was wait.
Wait for Seo Joon to come out and fight and win and then you could leave. Preferably with him.
Your eyes were scanning the arena, though you weren’t really sure why. Probably just for something to do because you were anxious, but then you saw a familiar face smiling, waving, and heading toward you.
Right before the man reached you, you realized it was someone from the dinner on the night you’d met Seo Joon. The guy who had called you a ‘waitress’ and acted like it was crazy you hadn’t known who he was. Seo Joon had told you a while ago that had been his manager, Jang Ho, and when he approached you, sliding into the empty seat next to you, he introduced himself as such.
“I wanted to give you this,” he said after shaking your hand in greeting. He held out a laminated card on a thin, black lanyard, and you saw the letters VIP printed in holographic letters on one side. “Once the match is over, go through those doors over there and show security this pass so they can let you back there.”
You nodded, taking the pass from him and examining it silently.
“This is your first match?” his manager asked, and you shifted your gaze to look up at him.
“Yes,” you replied, unable to hide the shaky anxiety in your voice.
Jang Ho grinned over at you, lifting a hand and patting your shoulder. “It’ll be fine,” he assured you. “He’s been training hard for this. He won’t lose.”
How could you tell him that you really couldn’t care less if Seo Joon won or lost? You only cared that he didn’t get hurt. 
So, you simply nodded again and let out a soft sigh.
“It’s starting soon,” Jang Ho announced, patting your shoulder one more time before sliding out of the chair. “Make sure you cheer extra loud for him, okay?”
“I will,” you answered with the best grin you could muster. “Thank you.”
Once he had left and gone through the door he’d just pointed out to you a minute ago, you let out a soft sigh and leaned back in your chair. To be quite honest, you were ready to get this over with.
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As soon as the lights went down in the arena, you straightened your posture, perching on the edge of your chair and looking toward where a single spotlight was now shining.
Music suddenly began blaring through the speakers, and you jumped slightly. An announcer came over the speakers then, your heart racing as you anticipated seeing Seo Joon. But after a few moments, you realized he was introducing Seo Joon’s opponent, and when the other fighter came out... well, you were only slightly mollified to see he wasn’t quite as muscular and tall as Seo Joon.
Maybe everything would be fine, then. This time.
As the opponent made his way to the ring, the music changed to another song, and the announcer said, “And fighting against him, we have our reigning world champion --”
Oh, god, here he was. There were only two people in a fight, so this had to be him. And you were also quite certain he was the reigning world champion, something you had never known would actually fill your heart with pride.
Even though you really didn’t like the fact the guy you were dating was a fighter, it was still incredibly impressive that he was the best one out there and had the titles and trophies to prove it.
“PARK... SEO... JOON!” the announcer cried, and the arena erupted into cheers as you saw a very familiar figure appear in the doorway. He looked incredibly serious, something you weren’t quite used to, but damn he looked good. Serious and good.
You clapped your hands together, watching as he walked out toward the ring. When he got as close to you as he was going to, you cupped your hands around your mouth and let out a cheer. He wouldn’t hear you over the rest of the crowd, but you could at least tell him you cheered for him. That was probably all that counted, right?
Seo Joon stopped at the edge of the ring, and a guy standing there began to pat him down. You’d seen all this in the YouTube videos, so you knew what to expect.
And... you expected...
You watched with bated breath as Seo Joon grasped the hem of his t-shirt and lifted it over his head. Several women in the audience around you screeched, and you had to hold yourself back from instantly seeking them out and clapping your hand over their mouths.
...I mean, you couldn’t blame them, though.
You hadn’t actually seen Seo Joon shirtless in real life before now, and let me tell you. It was quite a pleasing sight to behold.
In fact, you became so focused on his chest and abs that you didn’t even realize he was now in the ring and the match was about to start.
You honestly weren’t sure if your heart was racing or if it had stopped altogether, but either way, you could barely breathe as you watched the referee signal the start of the match.
Seo Joon’s opponent came for him almost immediately, but Seo Joon ducked out of the way with more than enough time.
Phew. Thank god.
It took about a minute before either of them threw the first punch, and thankfully, it was Seo Joon who dealt and landed it successfully.
Though, frankly, you didn’t enjoy seeing him punch someone. You certainly wouldn’t enjoy seeing him get punched, but it really wasn’t ideal either way. You just honestly very much disliked this whole thing!
You watched the entire match sitting literally on the edge of your seat, though it may be more accurate to say you watched some of the match. There were more than a few times you shut your eyes tightly or brought your hands up to cover them, especially the couple times when his opponent landed a blow on Seo Joon’s face -- the bastard.
Finally, after only about five or six minutes, Seo Joon managed to bring the other guy down to the ground, and several moments later, the referee blew his whistle to declare Seo Joon the winner.
You were out of your seat in seconds, clapping your hands and breathing your first normal breath since Seo Joon had walked out into the arena. The match was over and, truly, you couldn’t remember the last time you’d felt so relieved.
You weren’t sure you were going to tell him this, but that had been rough. And you were fairly certain Seo Joon had some scratches and bruises. That was a big ‘No’ from you.
The medics rushed up into the ring to attend to the losing fighter, and Seo Joon gave his coach a quick hug before they headed back through the same door in which they’d come. Once everyone in the audience stood to leave, you figured it was time to head back there yourself.
You weaved your way through the crowd, murmuring a few excuse me’s and timidly lifting up the VIP pass to the security guard now standing at the door. He moved aside, and you slipped through.
Thankfully, Jang Ho was in the hallway, and he saw you almost immediately after you came through the door. “See? I told you!” he cried with a huge grin. “He’s back here, follow me.”
...Why were you suddenly nervous to see Seo Joon?
You had been dating him for a month now, and normally, your heart raced with anticipation when you knew you were going to see him. But now it was racing with anxiety.
Jang Ho led you back through the hallway, whistling a jaunty tune as he walked. At least someone was happy! You certainly weren’t!
When he slowed down and stopped in front of a doorway, he announced, “I have a special visitor!”
He stepped out of the way, and your eyes immediately searched for Seo Joon. When they landed on him, even though his expression was one of pure delight in seeing you, the first thing you noticed was the cut on his cheek, two bruises on his jaw, and one of his trainers was dabbing an alcohol wipe on his knuckles.
“Oh my god,” you groaned under your breath, dropping your bag on the floor and striding over there.
“Hey,” Seo Joon greeted with a rather large grin. “I’m really glad you came.”
“Oh, god, look at your face,” you whined. Your eyes were laser-focused on the cut, though you could feel his own eyes were locked on yours. “Did you really have to get punched?”
“Sorry,” he replied with a chuckle as you reached up and gingerly ran your fingers over the cut. “I tried my best.”
You let out a soft huff and then turned to his trainer -- Eddie, you were fairly sure -- holding your hand out for an alcohol wipe. Eddie simply handed you the one he was using, and without you even saying or asking anything, he and everyone else left the room.
You took over tending to the cuts on Seo Joon’s knuckles, keeping your head bent over his hand and focusing on pressing the wipe to his skin.
“Really,” Seo Joon murmured after about a minute of silence. “Thank you for coming. It really means a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome,” you replied, your eyes not leaving his knuckles.
You figured he would let the silence fall back over you, but then you heard him take a soft breath. And then he said, “Would you... want to be my girlfriend?”
Your eyebrows shot halfway up your forehead, and you lifted your head to look at him.
Obviously, the expression on your face right now was not ideal because Seo Joon’s heart very visibly fell.
“No, no --” you blurted out. “I do. Yes, I do. Of course, I want to be your girlfriend, I just -- I really did not enjoy watching you. I don’t like seeing cuts and bruises on your face and hands. I’m just... worried that I won’t be able to be a good girlfriend.”
Much to your relief, Seo Joon’s expression morphed into one of soft amusement. He pulled his hand away from yours and stepped closer to you, reaching up to cradle your face in his palms. “I’m willing to take that chance,” he murmured, the tiniest smile tugging at his lips as he searched your eyes. “Besides. You’re being a good girlfriend right now.”
“This is true,” you whispered, your brow furrowed deeply as you looked up into his bruised but still incredibly handsome face.
“I understand, really. I do,” he continued. “This can be the last match you ever go to if you --”
“No,” you interrupted softly but firmly. “If I’m going to be your girlfriend, I’m going to do it right. I’m going to support you in doing what you love.”
“So... yes?” he asked hopefully.
When you were looking in his eyes -- not the cuts and bruises on his face -- and when he was looking at you with that expression, like he wanted nothing more in the world than for you to say ‘yes,’ what else could you say?
“Yes,” you answered, finally able to let out a soft chuckle.
A smile appeared on Seo Joon’s lips, though he almost immediately winced when it reached his cheeks.
You, of course, let out another whine, and asked, “Can we leave, please? I want to go back to your place so I can take care of you properly.”
“Yes, we can leave,” he murmured. “Go out the front and meet me at my car? I have to go out through the back and talk to reporters and stuff.”
You now felt comfortable enough to tease him, so you lifted one eyebrow in a curious quirk. “Oh, I see how it is. You want me to be your girlfriend one minute, the next you don’t want to be seen with me.”
Seo Joon, unsurprisingly, came back with a reply instantly. “No, I just want you all to myself.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to your lips before mumbling, “I don’t want them to see you for your sake, not mine.”
“Uh-huh,” you replied suspiciously. But you kissed him again, anyway.
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You insisted on driving Seo Joon’s car back to his apartment because his hands were bleeding! He had bruises and cuts! He was in no state to drive, and even if that wasn’t entirely true, you thought it was true, and that’s what mattered.
You were the girlfriend, after all.
Okay, despite the fact you were still fretting over Seo Joon’s injuries, your heart fluttered wildly every time you thought about the fact you were his girlfriend now. Officially.
Your boyfriend was the most handsome man you’d ever seen. With the best body you’d ever laid eyes on.
Oh god, you had actually laid eyes on his body earlier this evening. For the first time. And it had been so, so glorious.
“I’m really okay,” he assured you as you pulled into the parking garage of his apartment building. “I’ve been in much worse --”
“Don’t even finish that sentence. I don’t want to hear about it.”
Seo Joon didn’t even answer you; he simply pressed his lips together and stopped speaking.
After you’d parked his car, the two of you made your way up to his apartment; since he was extremely prominent in his career, Seo Joon was not lacking in the financial stability department. Not one bit. He was certainly much more stable than you (right now, and probably for the rest of your life since you were trying to become a writer). So, the two of you spent a lot more time at his apartment than you did at yours. You’d become quite familiar with it during the past several weeks, in fact. So familiar that after you’d typed in the key code and set your purse on the table in his entryway, you strode right into his kitchen and found the medicine cabinet on the first try.
As you were busy opening a bag of cotton rounds, you felt two very strong arms slide around your waist. You felt a chin come to rest on your shoulder. You heard a soft sigh next to your ear.
“Did I already tell you how much I appreciate it that you came tonight?” Seo Joon murmured.
“Yes,” you replied with a very tiny grin.
You felt him lift his chin and brush his lips against your neck before he said, “I saw you when I first walked out. I didn’t get to look much after that, but just knowing you were there made me feel a lot better.”
“Well,” you sighed. “Do you know what didn’t make me feel a lot better? Seeing you get punched. I hated that. A lot. So, you’d better not get punched ever again, do you hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Seo Joon whispered. And then he pulled away from you, only long enough to put his hands on your shoulders and turn you around to face him.
The bruises on his jaw were darker now, but before you had the chance to say anything, he bent down and placed his lips on yours. Your brow furrowed as he kissed you, and you could tell he wanted to -- was going to -- deepen the kiss... but you pulled away. You moved your lips from his, standing on your toes and gently, ever so gingerly, pressing your lips to one of the bruises.
You held onto him as you moved to kiss the other bruise and then the cut on his cheek, wishing your lips had some sort of magical salve on them so you could heal his injuries just by touching them.
“...I could get used to this, though” Seo Joon murmured.
“Too bad,” you replied without hesitating. “You’re still not allowed to get punched.”
You felt Seo Joon’s cheeks lift into a smile, and he tightened his hold on your waist, moving so he could properly kiss your lips yet again.
No, you were not incredibly happy right now. You had detested watching the fight with just about every fiber of your being. You didn’t like having to nurse his wounds. You didn’t want to have to be careful when you kissed him because it might hurt.
But... despite all that...
You could honestly see yourself falling in love with this guy sometime.
Probably sometime soon.
Part 5
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yo-namine · 5 years
Text
Last KH3 playthrough post! Endgame spoilers are below the cut.
Just a warning: This post is REALLY long and contains, um… opinions.
I’m glad the final battle trailer scenes happen right off the bat. I had no idea what would come next, and it made the experience that much more interesting.
Why do none of these keyslingers know how to block? First Aqua tries to shield Ven with her own body, then Sora does the same for Kairi. Just hit square, guys.
ZETTAFLARE DONALD ILU SO MUCH
The way Riku and Aqua stepped up to Sora’s side made me think they were going to be party members in another demon tide battle, but nope. Boo.
I’m surprised that Aqua just… let the demon tide take her? What the hell?
Sora loses Kairi, Donald, and Goofy and just… crumbles. He completely gives up and says it’s all over. Riku almost starts to try to soothe him, but instead, he gets up, tells Sora that he knows that’s bullshit, and then faces off against the demon tide (which was polite enough to wait for Sora and Riku to finish their conversation before attacking, by the way). It’s like a moment of tough love, and it’s actually what I was expecting Roxas to do back when I assumed he would be the one to show up in the Graveyard and pull Sora back on his feet. I wasn’t expecting a bunch of reassurances like “no, you’re not worthless, we can still do this, everything will be okay” but rather, “Get up, we’re not finished here.”
So Riku confronts the heartless and Sora just… watches in horror as they take him, too. And he doesn’t even fight back when they turn and come for him. And then the screen cuts to black and shows the final line of the prophecy, and… That was a really effective way to end that scene. Damn.
Yeah, I don’t know how to play chess, but I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to just conjure extra pieces from thin air, Eraqus. That was a nice line from him, though, about light from the past. Like, “The light doesn’t need time travel bullshit to kick your ass because HEARTS.”
Sora fucking died. Sora actually, literally fucking died. He goes to the Final World because he died. Holy shit.
The Final World is beautiful, and the music is lovely, too. The first thing I did after getting control again was take some selfies of dead Sora, ngl.
Sora’s been to the Final World before in his sleep, and Chirithy just let him pass through lmao.
Who is the first star that Sora talks to here? At first I thought it was Xion, but she says a “somebody” sent her to the Final World, so… Strelitzia? Ava? Skuld? lol I like that Sora just sits down next to her like this conversation’s the most normal thing ever. He’s dead and talking to another dead person, and he just rolls with it. I love this kid.
Some of the optional star conversations really got to me. One of them says that their friends replaced them after they died (“That was my seat. That was my place at the table.”). There’s also one that was apparently a child looking for their father, and that one actually made me tear up.
I’m not sure who the one who talked about being “identical” was. I think a third talks about their mentor, and perhaps that was a past keyblade apprentice? Another says that people teased them and a friend about being an item, and they pulled away from the relationship, and the other person never closed the distance. All of their little stories are just… sad. Jesus.
Naminé has a star! I missed her star on my first playthrough, but I replayed this part just for her scene. I wish I’d gotten it the first time, though. She clarifies that Kairi’s the one keeping Sora tethered to the world of the living. And god, Naminé’s words are so sad. She truly doesn’t think anyone really misses her or that she matters at all. But Sora says that he and the others (including “someone else special,” who I think may’ve been Xion?) miss her and want her back. AND she mentions her conversation with Terra from the orchestra! Holy shit, WHY was this conversation optional? That was important story stuff that explained why Lingering Will shows up when we rehash the fight in the Graveyard. Naminé came through for everyone in a pretty major way, and if you don’t talk to her star (which is VERY easy to miss), you’d never know it. Though… I guess that’s kind of fitting in a meta way. Naminé helping people from behind the scenes and not expecting any credit, I mean. Still, I wish I hadn’t missed this on my first playthrough. Anyway, Naminé’s “Let’s just say I’ve got your back?” was really cute. And then Sora thanks her and gets all flustered. “That’s not the official thank-you!”
I’m… still not clear on what exactly the power of waking is or how it differs from restoring someone’s heart the old-fashioned way (i.e. taking a Keblade of Heart to the chest), but okay.
JIMINY SURVIVED ALL OF THAT JFSKLFFJL
I liked going through the different worlds to save all of Sora’s friends. It was a nice callback to KH1, when you visit different worlds in End of the World, and when you get to Realm of Chaos and have to rescue Donald and Goofy from Ansem SoD’s heartless… ship… thing. It was really annoying fighting the same boss over and over again, though. It wasn’t difficult (save for one instance where the lich spammed aeroga and pinned me against the ceiling. I only survived because it triggered rage form.), and I get that it was just a series of symbolic battles, but I dunno, maybe just giving him less HP for me to have to mow down would’ve made it less tedious.
So the power of waking is “traversing hearts to reach worlds.” So I guess that’s what Sora was doing while falling through the different Stations of Awakening and then arriving in different worlds.
“There’s no saving you.” Fuck, okay, after finishing the game, this line in the sleeping San Fransokyo hits a lot harder. You think Kid Xehanort knows that Team Nort is planning to snatch Kairi and use Sora’s desire to save her to ultimately destroy him? Because if so… ugh.
Sora and Kairi’s little spin when they reunite is so cute.
“I feel strong with you, Kairi.” Awww but also UGHHHHHHHH because I know what’s coming. And then Sora has flashbacks to Eugene and Anna sacrificing themselves for someone they love, and I’m not 100% sure why. Is it just foreshadowing his sacrifice for Kairi? Is he afraid that her rescuing him will cost her her own life? Whatever it is, Kairi seems to read Sora’s mind and says that he’s safe with her. And again, that’s really sweet, and I like that her PoH powers are FINALLY being explored in some way, but fuck, knowing how this all ends makes watching this scene so painful the second time around.
I was so confused when Sora was revived and we started replaying that confrontation scene in the Graveyard. The first time I played it, I was very seriously considering skipping the cutscene and reloading my save because I thought I’d gone the wrong way or something, but then Lingering Will showed up and the scene changed. Phew. I guess we went in a little time loop there. But wait, if everyone’s aware that Sora revived them, then they must remember how they were taken in the first place, right? If that’s the case, why the hell did Ven run up to Terra a second time? Why didn’t anyone stop him? Why did Aqua have to look “Terra” in the eye a second time to know it wasn’t him? Am I to assume that if Naminé hadn’t summoned Lingering Will, these dingdongs would’ve all lost their hearts AGAIN?
I’m so over demon tide boss fights, but damn if that battle theme doesn’t kick ass.
EPHEMERA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY SHIT, OF ALL THE THINGS I NEVER SAW COMING. He helps Sora use the keyblades of all the fallen wielders from the first war to fight off the heartless, and you use the names of all those KHUX users who won that KH3 contest as attacks. Oh my gosh, what a sweet tribute. I like thinking that Larkey’s keyblade helped, too. <3
Oh god, when KH1 Riku showed up and Forze Del Male started playing, my entire life flashed before my eyes. I DID NOT want a rehash of that fight. I was relieved that I didn’t have to, but I was also just a little disappointed because that Xehanort shadow that emerges from him looked like a cool potential boss. I feel like there are actually a lot of scenes that happened in the Graveyard that would’ve worked better as actual battles or gameplay, tbh.
Also, that Forze De Male remix was hot as hell.
R.I.P. to all of fandom’s “Yen Sid is useless” jokes. What a way to go.
“You’re a whole pint by yourself, Sora.” I LOVE THIS DUCK SO MUCH.
I like that the maze tries to force you to choose between helping Riku or Mickey first like it’s some tragic moral dilemma. Like oh gee, let me think: Best written character in the series, or corporate icon Ricky Rat? That said, I actually did go to Mickey first just because I couldn’t get past the moving wall puzzle lmao. I wish this area had had a few more puzzles, though. I felt like I breezed through it way too fast.
Riku is really nerfed as a party member. He was CONSTANTLY KO’d in my fight against the Norts. Like damn dude, even Kairi stayed conscious through her battle (all 5 seconds of it, but still).
Repliku tears himself away from his own vessel and leaves it. For Naminé. Fuck, I didn’t expect that at all. What a great scene, and what a better ending for a character whose story I thought ended in CoM. I loved that.
Didn’t love that Riku and Sora just left Naminé’s vessel facedown in the dirt, though. Like… at least prop it against the wall or something guys, geez.
I like that you get a sort of farewell scene between the heroes and all the main villains of the series. It may’ve been a little fanservicey, but oh well. I’m not so hot on it from a story standpoint. Like I know we’re doing the anime thing where “I defeated you in battle, now we’re cool” but it still felt… odd. But at least it’s not as obnoxious as what comes up later with Master Xehanort.
I liked Larxene’s take on this especially, how she’d rather be destroyed than be a Nort. Why she joined up in the first place is still a mystery… And her answering Sora the way she did implies that the Norts aren’t just possessed mind slaves. They do have agency, though I guess that was clear from Even and Demyx turning against them, now that I remember it.
Building on the agency thing, I liked Vanitas’s scene with Ven. Ven wanted so badly for Vanitas to come to the light, but… It really wasn’t what Vanitas wanted for himself. “We decide who we are.” “I did decide who I am.” It’s tragic, but I like that it showed that not everyone was getting a happy ending from this game, and that there are some people you just can’t save.
COME GUARDIAN WAS TERRA’S HEARTLESS AFTER ALL. FUCK YES. I love that theory and I’m so happy it turned out to be correct!!!!! 
And then we finally get a Wayfinder reunion!!!!!! 
“What final words do you have for your superior?” Okay, I know this game is rated E10, but I half expected Axel to just look up and say “Fuck you.”
Xemnas and Axel’s conversation was so meta. Axel bragging about how popular he was, Xemnas calling Axel’s keyblade a joke. Like… Damn, they really paid attention to fandom over the years, didn’t they? I just wish they’d paid this much attention to all the fans who wanted a good storyline for Kairi. Anywho, Xemnas destroys Axel’s keyblade, so we lose two Lights from this scene. I’m kind of grateful that happened, actually. Having Axel lose his spot made it a little easier to accept Kairi losing hers. But only a little. Kairi getting kidnapped AGAIN was still stupid and contrived.
Unlike the other Norts, Xion’s apparently not acting on her own free will when the fight starts. Sora telling her “You can stop now” seemed to break something within her. And then Xemnas turns to attack her, and Sora’s heart reaches out to someone, and then BOOM. Roxas shows up to sass Xemnas and save the day!!! 
I barely did anything in that Isa fight, lmao. I tried to land a few hits on him, but then I realized Roxas could handle him just fine alone, so I just hung back with Xion and cast cure here and there.
I’m disappointed that there’s almost no interaction between Roxas and Sora beyond a couple of nods, tbh. It’s kind of a weak payoff after all the fuss Sora made about wanting to save Roxas at the start of the game. That was what Sora decided to fight for “with all his heart,” and then once Roxas is back, we just keep blazing ahead with the story without a moment to appreciate the fact that he accomplished his goal (or rather, someone else accomplished it for him).
Aww, Xion looked so left out when she stood of to the side and started crying. It was almost like she was hesitant to join Axel and Roxas after she came so close to almost killing both of them. She didn’t even reach for the other two when Axel pulled them into a group hug, she just kept her hands clasped tight together and sort of curled in on herself. Aw, honey. Anyway, I’m glad these three will get to be together again.
I half expected Riku to snap “ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?” when Sora tells him that Kairi’s been kidnapped.
I liked both Xemnas and Ansem SoD’s sendoffs. Kid Xehanort doesn’t give a shit that he lost, though, he just fucks off back to the past knowing damn well what’s about to happen. And to that, I again say ugh.
And then we get… that scene. What the fuck did Xehanort mean by “You need motivation.”? Motherfucker, we are already out here in the Keyblade Graveyard having this showdown. Kingdom Hearts is looming above us. Sora just got done killing all ninety-seven billion Xehanorts. This fight is happening no matter what you do. This doesn’t make any fucking sense. Having Xehanort kill off Kairi was stupid and unnecessary and pointless and lazy and truly horrible, horrible writing. And see, I can’t even give Nomura the benefit of the doubt here because he actually had Xehanort call Kairi Sora’s “motivation.” That was it. That was the only reason Xehanort killed her. Not because she was a keyblade wielder who was in the way of his goal, not because she was a Princess of Heart whose power could pose a threat. Not because of anything Kairi did or who she was as a person, but because she was a THING that was important to Sora. Fuck that. Fuck that entire scene, fuck everything about it, fuck everyone who gave that writing decision the green light. Fuck it. And knowing how this game ends (with Sora apparently sacrificing himself to save Kairi), Kairi now has more motivation than EVER to fight to get him back, but you know Nomura won’t give a shit when it comes time to write scenarios for KH4. He’s just gonna throw Kairi back on the islands and have Riku be the hero. Riku will find Sora, they’ll have adventures together and apart, they’ll continue to grow as characters, and then they’ll go home to where Kairi’s just sitting pretty, waiting to be the perfect reward for everything Sora’s accomplished. So there you go, that’s Kingdom Hearts IV. I just saved you $50 in the future (not adjusted for inflation).
Just. Jesus Christ, of all the idiotic tone-deaf bullshit… To have so much self-awareness while writing Naminé’s dialogue in the Final World and Axel’s scene with Xemnas in the Graveyard and then NONE OF THAT WHATSOEVER when it came to writing Kairi’s final scenes… That’s unreal. It’s almost unbelievable, but I really shouldn’t be surprised. Nomura’s pulled this shit before, so oop @ me for actually expecting better from him. Lesson fucking learned.
Anyway, after we get past all that stupid sexist bullshit that I actively hated, Sora gets ready to leave for the next area. I like that Donald and Goofy literally pick him up off the ground and help him stand, and that they go with him afterward. I just love the Trinity Trio in this game so much. They feel so much like a family now, and since I’m clearly never ever ever ever getting any decent Destiny Trio development, that’s a nice comfort. The other keyslingers stay behind to keep Kingdom Hearts shut, and Xion tells Sora that she can sense that Kairi will be okay, which… Yeah, alright. I just saw Xehanort slash into her back and shatter her into thousands of pieces, but no, I’m sure she’s fine. flskjdf Okay, sorry, I get what that scene with Xion was trying to do, but it just doesn’t make any sense? Xion is Sora’s replica, not Kairi’s. I could buy that she can sense Sora’s heart, but she has no real connection to Kairi’s at all, so how would she know that Kairi’s okay? Maybe she was just saying that as a way to comfort Sora, like a “she’ll always be in your heart” kind of thing, but even that feels off. Like that’s the kind of thing you say to someone a couple weeks after the funeral, not right there at the crime scene. Oh well. I guess it was sweet that she at least wanted him to hear that.
Then we get to Scala ad Caelum, which was kind of a letdown, really. I was hoping to get to explore the city, but you really just have one large area that’s ultimately just a battlefield. The boss battles weren’t much of a challenge at all, and you don’t even have to defeat them all, which was disappointing, but eh. The only tense moment was when Xehanort triggered Sora’s rage form in the final battle, but Donald and Goofy kept me healed up enough that it wasn’t much of a problem.
Xehanort uses the “one sky, one destiny” line from Kairi’s letter. Like it’s not enough that he killed her, he’s gotta plagiarize her, too. Dick.
Donald and Goofy help Sora ward off Xehanort’s final attack! Like they literally, physically help him push back against it! I love these half-pints. <3
Eraqus! He asks Terra to look after his other apprentices for him, aw.
Xehanort gives Sora the X-blade, and there’s no “sorry I killed your friend” or anything. He just goes on to be at peace with Eraqus. Seriously? This dude abuses Ven, hijacks Terra’s body, throws Aqua into the Realm of Darkness, murders Kairi, and he still gets to pass on peacefully into the next life with his bff? Come the fuck on.
Hearing “Always On My Mind” again was nice. That was always one of my favorite tracks from KH1.
Okay, after rewatching the ending cinematic, it makes a lot more sense to me. Riku suggests that they all go back to Yen Sid’s place to figure out how to save Kairi (which… why are we all acting like this is something that can just be undone? She wasn’t taken into darkness by the heartless like before; Xehanort struck her down. We didn’t see her heart leave her body or anything, she just shattered. To me, that looks like an E10-rated game’s version of death.), but Sora knows what he has to do. It wasn’t until the second time through this ending that I realized he was already planning on waking her heart at the expense of his own life. Knowing that, it’s a little odd that Riku just lets him go with a roundabout way of saying “I believe in you.” Kairi’s supposedly Riku’s friend, too, isn’t she? And he knows how to wake sleeping hearts, too, so why couldn’t he go with Sora to find her? 
I loved seeing the Wayfinder Trio laying flowers at Eraqus’s memorial. I also like that keyblades are apparently used specifically for this when the wielder has passed on. That’s a nice bit of world building. And Chirithy is reunited with Ven after all (who apparently remembers them)! Aww. I still don’t know how the hell Ven exists in this timeline, but still. Aw.
I love Xion’s new outfit, and that she and her boys got to go back to Twilight Town together. I’m not so hot on Isa being there, though, and I’m really put off by how chummy he and Roxas seem. I know these scenes are taking place after a little time has passed, so maybe there was some tension between them at first that we just don’t see because it’s not particularly relevant, but still… Anyway, a shadow passes over them for a moment, and I think it must’ve been the gummi ship arriving to pick them up and take them to a party on Destiny Islands. Nice.
When I got to the scene of Naminé waking up in Radiant Garden… I actually started sobbing. Like that’s embarrassing to admit, but that scene hit me so hard. Just watching her open her eyes, and then seeing Dilan and Aeleus lead her out to the courtyard where the ship lands. Seeing her smile when Riku holds out his hand to her… I started crying while typing this up just remembering it, haha. I loved that moment so, so much. I’m so happy she gets to be her own person, that Ansem helped restore her to finally give her a life of her own after everything he put her through. I love that Riku’s the person to welcome her onto the ship, that he’s doing this for the Replica who gave up the vessel for her, but also because she’s been his friend, too (albeit largely off-screen). And the final shot of her laying her hand so gently in his... Holy god, what a finale shot. That scene ALONE was worth the thirteen year wait for me. I am truly stunned that that was part of the ending, that Naminé—of all characters—was the final person they built up to. That was just so much more than I had ever hoped for for her.
And then the actual final scene. You have all the main characters playing on the beach. Xion and Naminé are finding seashells; Riku, Roxas, and Terra are running around doing… something; the Twilight Town kids and Goofy and Donald are making sand castles; Lea, Ven, and Isa are playing frisbee. And then everyone stops to look at Sora and Kairi on the paopu tree. Sora vanishes, and you see Kairi start to slowly curl in on herself as the scene fades to black. And… upon rewatch, I actually like this ending? I was confused the first time I watched it because I didn’t have Kid Xehanort’s words in San Fransokyo fresh on my mind at the time, but when I went back and watched all the scenes together, I understood that Sora woke up her heart, and him “abusing” that power took its toll. I’m alright with us actually not seeing him do this (or at least, I’m not bothered by that by itself. I’m really bothered that it happened like that after Kairi got fridged the way she did, but on its own, it’s fine.). I’m upset that Sora’s gone, but truthfully, I was sort of expecting it. And like I said in my tirade about Kairi’s writing a few bullet points up, you know he’ll be back. It’s just really upsetting to know that Kairi now has to live with the guilt over the fact that he gave up his life for her, and that—as far as she knows—she’ll never see him again. And you just know that Nomura will absolutely, positively not let her do anything about it come KH4, to which I can only say, again: UGH.
I don’t care about Braig being Luxu, bye.
I think I’m still too raw from the emotional highs (and lows) of this game to really analyze everything as clearly as I’d like. There’s still stuff I want to talk about, but I’ll save that for another time. I can’t deny how much I enjoyed everything that happened before Kairi got fridged, but man, that one point really sours a lot of this game for me.
But yeah, that’s all for now.
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icypantherwrites · 6 years
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Voltron Season Seven: Thoughts and Reactions
As you can see, I am out of hibernation mode ;p Just finished up a bit ago.
My thoughts in no particular order on season seven. Prepare for a few unintelligible spazzes and random questions that like, why were these not answered? Oh Voltron writers, you and your plot holes. Tagged with all of my previously mentioned ones so here goes!
Okay, so Adam? As much as I didn’t care for how he wasn’t supporting Shiro, I was excited by his role and inclusion in the story! Also, haha, I laughed because I named the one character in my Keith and Shiro backstory Adam and he’s a pilot too, haha. They definitely aren’t the same one because mine was a jerk, but I love that somehow I still got that name. (or maybe that’s how he and Shiro got to talking after Shiro confronts him for what he said to Keith? hehe. Look at me ;p)
But then. When they were mobilizing to fight the first wave I’m like, is Adam a pilot? And then we saw him and then his ship blinked out… gosh. Shiro at the wall with his name broke my heart. There’s a lot of regret there. Definitely something I wish had been further explored, but I’m not surprised they didn’t. There’s a lot that has been skipped over already.
So… Shiro has a disease that gets brought up once, never impacted him at all in the first six seasons and… never mentioned again? Er… what was the point of that exactly? (clone body not have the illness?)
Oh baby Keef. I cheered when he punched Griffin. Glad to see Griffin has grown up since then. But uh, can someone confirm for me the new cadet pilot with the glasses. Is her name… Wasabi? Usagi? And while I adore my Keith backstory this one was endearing too. And his dad died in a fire? Gosh. I had a feeling after the fireman refs but to hear it confirmed. Sad.
Where did Axca go? Like, she left the base with the Paladins and they have no resources to provide her a ship. So…? I’m curious with her popping up at the end behind Krolia and Keith at the grave… interesting. Once it was disproved that she wasn’t Keith’s twin I thought she might be Krolia’s sister but no mention when they met so… hmm. Curious and curioser. (does she like Keith? Hehe ♥ I admit I think they’re pretty asthecially pleasing together and I love Axca’s new design.)
Veronica is a fucking badass. As soon as she showed up on screen I’m like, that’s Lance’s sister. My sister was like, no, and I’m like, uh, her name is Veronica, coloring is the same including the blue eyes and in that really crappy family projection photo from season one there was a relative in a military uniform. Damn, I love her so much. Almost cried when I thought she died (twice xD). Also, her teasing Lance about Allura and her little smirk smile there? I died. So fucking cute.
This is my personal preference but I did not care for the game show episode at all, nor the “reason” behind it. There were a couple cute moments in it (all of them choosing each other to leave and I winced when Lance kept being called the dumb one and could taste the angst) but overall, my least favorite filler. And this coming from someone who adores game shows xD
The “lost in space” episode also wasn’t high on my list. I loved the idea of it and them forming a circle (that was so flipping cute) to stay together with the check ins (and a note to Keith and Krolia’s time together) but the words exchanged? I get it and didn’t mind but they never *really* resolved it. Not really. And some pretty hurtful things were said. Also, the fact they have almost fatal oxygen depletion based upon Keith’s indicator and their weary lines under their eyes, but then they literally bounce back full power to fight? Just throw the realism out the window. Just like the castle of lions losing all oxygen in a matter of hours two seasons ago xDD
How have we ever survived without the space wolf? Seriously? I’m bummed his name is not Yorak but I’ll take Cosmo. Very cute! Love how keith is waiting for the wolf to name himself. Oh, sweetie.
The Blade of Marmora luring with the Druids was delicious. Loved that bit. Glad Kolivan made it out. Wasn’t surprised when Krolia left the main cast; it was getting crowded and given that the writers have difficulty managing characters on a regular basis at times the more the less merrier.
On that note, loved Romelle in the first episode but she practically disappeared for the rest of the season. Disappointed. Thought her and Hunk were hilarious.
Same token bummed Matt was offscreen for most of it. But again, see above.
The three year time gap was interesting. Never really explained well either; pretty much I think a way for earth to get completely overrun by Galra. On that note, loved all of the Sam episodes, think the new pilots are pretty neat additions. Particularly love… Usagi? Wasabi? Kinkade too; a man of few words and I adore his name. Iverson too was a pleasant surprise and I loved his apology to Keith later and his constant backing of Sam. Also, Collen is a badass too. I do have to give credit to the writers; they make some amazingly strong female characters and it’s such a breath of fresh air (from watching YYH it was a stark reminder how things have changed over the years in terms of representation across the board on many things).
But one woman I did not care for was the Admiral. Boo hiss. I also hate that I called her turning on them as she was adamant throughout the entire thing about protecting earth in “her way” and I was waiting for this move. She did save the Paladins lives but she endangered them in the first place so… I acknowledge her desire to protect earth but am disappointed in how her character was played out. (and honestly, why the fuck would she trust Sendak to keep up his end of the deal? Why? Bit of weaker writing there).
Speaking of characters… where’s Haggar? At the end with the giant robot my sister and I were arguing who was driving it; I was Team Lotor and she was Team Haggar. Nada to both of us. Very interesting with that result too;  how was one Altean doing all that? Hmmm. And with the colony missing something is definitely up.
The Hunk family feels I was not expecting and loved them. I was glad he didn’t endanger the team anymore after he found his parents were not accessible, but dios I felt so bad. It’s hard especially to see Lnace and Pidge with their families and he with none. Loved his and Keith’s moment too. ♥ Keith was particularly awkwardly sweet and I loved it.
And Lance’s family! Gosh. Him hugging his niece and nephew broke my heart and then his being mobbed by his family stomped it into the ground with love. So. Beautiful. My boy has his family and I am so so happy.
Speaking of the families! Haha, I’m excited that I was write in that both Lance and Hunk’s families are stateside and I am going with my headcanon of Arizona (Garrison location) given how they were *right there* to be rescued. My childhood besties idea for Lance and Hunk when Lance immigrated over is still well and strong!!!
Back to Lance. I was so so so excited to see him getting some really nice shots and pieces in this season. The sword (c’mon broadsword, let’s see you come back too), the giant cannon gun, the amazing sniper shots (hoshit don’t get me started on that part, I love good sniper cover and damnnn ♥) his attempts to seat everyone in Lions (whoops xD), his stepping up to really support Keith and be second in command... just so much good stuff for my boy ♥ I was freaking out when Red didn’t come right away in the summoning thing after he and Veronica went under fire, but I’m like, Red always does things differently. And then she came in like ajdfkajfklda right when Lance was closing his eyes and thinking it was the end and just, so good. Great timing on that part.
Shiro’s new arm… loved the angst and pain as first one didn’t calibrate xD I’m terrible. I will admit I’m not sold on the design; very bulky and I dislike that it’s not attached; that’s not a proper hug! But I am happy he has one so will go with that.
Er, this is getting long. Last few.
How was Shiro breathing in space in fight against sendak? Someone, please tell me. But also yesss, loved that the two of them had a final fight. Brings back memories. When Keith saved him I really wanted a throwback to the “as many times as it takes” but alas, no go.
On Sendak… is he the main big bad? He sure has quite the Galra fleet. How do Ezor and Zethrid’s turn to piracy factor in? Was expecting something else with Lotor given their mentions of him early on. Is space just one giant war out there right now? We never really found out any details and here I was expecting Axca to fill us in.
The Atlas turning into its own Voltron was super cool. Loved all of the fight scenes although I admit I get bored with all the constant blasts so would have liked those shortened down and more character stuff, but it is a show geared for little kids so… boom boom pow.
The very end speech via Shiro had me on my toes as I didn’t think any of our team died but I was legit slowly starting to panic that somehow the new cadets were going to be the new Voltron pilots because ours were unavailable Phew, not the case! Loved the little hospital scenes popping around, particularly Lance’s nephew wearing his helmet and then Keith waking up to Krolia there. Oh, and Matt getting a hug from his mom! (and that ponytail! ♥ I love guys with a nice ponytail, mm, weakness).
Overall giving this season a 7/10 rating. Not my lowest, definitely not my highest. Very much appreciated though having a longer season to watch.
If you have thoughts feel free to comment on the post! I will not be posting any asks with spoilers in the ask until next Saturday though so best way to get a response is comment here. What did you all think of the season?
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And so I continue on my epic re-read of that nonsense royalty AU mixed with a teen movie except gayer-- uh, I mean, Misadventures
Chapter 6 here we go
I already remember that when I wrote this chapter I wanted to throw my laptop out of the window because it was impossible, so now I’m scared
Kim actually doing exercise in this fic was me directly calling myself out for lazing around all day
He tries to get out of detention by pulling the “but I’m a prince!” card ashfskdjhkf that won’t work on Lady Mendeleiev!!
Speaking of, I’ve had Ms Bustier called “Lady Caline” in this thing but Mendeleiev’s still referred to by her surname? Can’t remember what I was thinking tbh
Kim you dumb idiot, the nobles aren’t moving out of the way because you’re royalty, they’re moving out of the way because MENDELEIEV IS WITH YOU
Ohhhh my god stop accusing your own classmate of murder, I think Alix would have much more than a detention if she’d fricking killed someone
Sidenote: Alix did not deserve detention. The rules didn’t say anything about rollerskates so she did nothing wrong and this was very unfair
And there’s me showing off how much research on cobras I did lmao
...I’ll be honest, 90% of the reason I wrote this fic was because I wanted Kim to have to walk with a book on his head
goddammit you know when you notice symbolism in your writing that wasn’t there before? this fic is hecking doing it already. striking a BALANCE between being a stupid idiot and being a thoughtful goodbean is legit a running theme in this thing, and,, that’s,, their detention,,,sdskgkjf
I’m the noble who fell off the balancing beam. it’s me
Kim... I’m going to hit you on the head with that book I s2g STOP BEING A JERK
the symbolism gahhh I’m dying, he needs to be more patient and less reckless just like his life skjdhksjd sjdghbsjfhsk laksjflad
How did Mireille end up in detention, you ask? Simple. Aurore framed her. Those two have a real hecked up relationship in this thing and oh boy it’ll take a front seat in the sequel if I ever write it
well dammit now I ship Kim with Mireille I mean they held hands
“If someone doesn’t get over here to help me finish this stupid thing right now, I will throw this book at someone’s face hard enough to send their teeth into the back of their brain.” pls... alix... hit ME with the book I’m begging you
I’m. having an allergic reaction to Kim’s crush on Alix. I know what happens later in the fic and I’m already breaking out in hives
Chapter 7 is called “90% chance of death” which is an accurate statistic to describe the mortality rate of reading it
I MADE A NINO AND POTATOES REFERENCE OH MY GOD I TAKE BACK EVERYTHING BAD I EVER SAID ABOUT THIS FIC, IT’S PERFECT NOW
This reads like a game of Civilization and yet I hadn’t even played it yet at the point when I wrote this part
MAX W O W HAVE SOME FAITH IN KIM OKAY, HE’S A DICK AT THE MOMENT BUT HE’LL GET BETTER
And Kim stop trying to be tsundere, you’re so bad at it. everyone knows the real tsundere in this fic is Alix,
There’s me showing off about knowledge I learned on wikipedia again
“That would be the coolest way to die. Agonizing death by snake bite. I would love that.” Juleka you can’t just SAY that to Alix oh my god do you even know what happens in chapter 25???
Kim being good at archery is 100% a shoutout to Dark Cupid btw also he’s a sagittarius like me and I’ll fight you on this
Max just got bored and straight-up left the sports day lmaooo that’s the biggest mood
I can’t wait for chapter 60 where the Other sports day happens and it’s like the total inverse of this one
YES ALIX, GO OFF
she’s highkey lying. she cannot order someone’s execution, she may be a pharaoh but she really doesn’t have much power lol, she just pretends she does so people will let her do what she wants
only chapter 7 and Kim’s already crying over something dumb (aka the threat of being eaten alive by a venomous cobra)? nice
“I guess me suddenly storming in here and lowkey threatening to kill you may have been overboard” uh yeah, you don’t say?? he kinda deserved it tho lmao
I love how Kim’s all like “ayy there’s plenty of other cute girls at this school for me to fall for!” when the two people at school he falls for next are both BOYS
alright chapter 8 now baby, and yes the title “Chick???” makes perfect sense in context I swear
Oh here’s one of those boys already! Kim’s crush on Adrikins is so damn obvious I love it
The umbrella scene happened except with a parasol
the whole “you four seem to make a good group” thing was me thinking how Marinette/Adrien/Alya/Nino is a god-tier ot4
oh god I want to hug Nath
OKAY OKAY SO. Nath and Alix don’t make friends until like chapter 44 or something, but the reason she knew already that he liked Marinette was because Juleka told her in the snek scene earlier, and then Alix used this knowledge to force people into giving her chocolate
Alya your gaydar is so broken... almost none of the girls in your class are straight
I’m also going to hug Alix, I know what it’s like to be a confused baby aro -- in fact I was at the time I was writing this skdjfhksdjhgkjf
Kim’s homework was just me typing out a bunch of intelligent-sounding words I remember seeing in Crusader Kings II tbh
MAX YOU PRECIOUS GAY BEAN, GIVE IT LIKE 20 MORE CHAPTERS OKAY
ohohoho chapter 9 here we go
noooo Alya noooo don’t trust Theo!!! you’ll find out why in like chapter 47 but just!! don’t trust him!!!!!!
Alya I s2g... of course Marinette likes girls, she’s bi af
Chloe and Sabrina are wlw too... please fix your gaydar I’m begging you
same with Rose, good grief, she really does love Juleka omg
I love how I called the kingdom of Couffaine “mysterious” and “distant” because I hadn’t decided where it was yet, because I’ll have you know that for the sequel I’ve decided it’s the non-distant and non-mysterious Orkney Isles
Alya just knocks on Juleka’s door like “YO ARE YOU A LESBIAN?” skdjhkjsdhg I’m sobbing
No Alya, Couffaine isn’t a morbid kingdom, Juleka’s just really goth. Couffaine is just like how Scotland really is lol
Kim wtf you can’t just ditch Max like that good grief...
and there I go teaching the readers about geography, because that’s definitely what normal people talk about in their conversations
Alix’s ringtone is definitely a rickroll by the way
I love that these characters are in fact completely aware that they’re idiots who should not be in charge of a country, what they’re unaware of is all that precious, precious character development heading their way nyehehhehehe >:D
Look... I know I said I was having an allergic reaction but hugs with height differences are Very Important to me so just this once I’ll let it slide
Phew, chapter 10, and then I’ll stop because holy shoot I need time to process the ridiculousness of this mess
oh my god Kim literally burning the letters his parents send him in order to avoid his responsibilities is?? such a mood?? I’m basically doing that myself right now
This is the only time Emperor Gabriel even has any lines until like almost the last chapter lol
anD IT’S FULL OF FORESHADOWING OH MY GOD ADRIENNNNN
btw Chloe’s oracle question was “will I marry Adrien?” and of course the answer was no, so that’s why she was upset lol (idk what Marinette’s question was, I didn’t think of one oops)
more geography lessons!!!
Max being irrationally mad at Alix’s country having a higher GDP than his was inspired by him being mad about losing the gaming tournament to Marinette in the Gamer episode, by the way
Alix... is a reptile scalie I’m gonna regret saying that aren’t I
I love how her oracle question is literally just a stealth “I’m aroace, right?” and that makes the irony of the next bit so much funnier omg, poor Kim lmao I was so so cruel
(also I finally fixed that inconsistency... Fu said he was 186, but technically everyone in this fic is about a year or two older than they are in the show at the beginning, so he should be 187 instead)
Kim has just accepted that he’s going to die young by doing something reckless and stupid, that’s such a gen z mood wow
I’m genuinely losing brain cells because of Kim right now, I’m contracting the bubonic plague as I type, I’ve already lost 3 years off my life and so has Master Fu,,,, ask a sensible question you idiot
No Kim, it won’t be CPR, she really will kiss you, you’ll just know okay... now if you’ll excuse me I need to go bang my head against a brick wall for several hours
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esseastri · 6 years
Text
Megan Reads Oathbringer (part 10)
Hi, fronds.
I meant to keep going, I really did, but then That Thing happened and I was really upset and also a LOT of real life things happened, most good, but all busy, so. Bear with me. We’ll get through this monster eventually.
Part 10 encompasses pages 753-828 (previous parts)
I’m still super upset about the Rift, y’all. Like. Ultimate #yikes.
ANYWAY, MOVING ON
“That would give privacy to talk” Okay, but you are still in a public space with a bunch of other people, you maaayybe shouldn’t be, like...just using the king’s name casually like you’re besties?
Since this is supposed to be a stealth mission, isn’t it?
OKAY BUT ADOLIN JUST, UNPROMPTED OUT OF NO WHERE ASKING TO SEE KALADIN’S SWORD
SHALLAN PLS “It’s a little small” GURL PLS
“Kaladin liked them both...just not together.” I’m just waiting for someone to yell at them to get a room. Kaladin is the most likely candidate and I’m going to die laughing when it happens.
honestly, polyamory is the real solution here
Two Unmade.
which means we need two radiants to go fight them so Adolin WHEN ARE YOU MANIFESTING, MY BOY?
literally every time anyone mentions seeing a cremling--especially a weird-shaped cremling--I JUST GET REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE. WHAT IF IT’S 200-CREMLINGS-IN-A-TRENCH-COAT???
“But Adolin had been raised by a mother with a fondness for hugs” I’M SCREAMING THIS IS FINE I’M FINE. HE MUST MISS HER SO MUCH. HELP
wait, but don’t we know for sure that shardblades can be stuff that’s not swords? Like, didn’t Syl turn into a spear at the end of WoR? So maybe the Radiants DID make other tools for their followers--maybe they did have shardhammers for building and shardbows for hunting and shardshovels for digging latrines, but after the Recreance, the spren died, so they lost the ability to change shape?
Worth thinking about, anyway.
“Thank you for being you, Adolin.” “Everyone else was taken already.” BUDDYYYY. I LOVE HIM. HE’S SO GOOD AND WONDERFUL AND AAHH
OOHH, Shallan gets SQUIRES??? Somehow I didn’t really think that the Lightweavers would be one of the orders that had squires.. they seem a solitary bunch.
Kaladin just...scooting down to sit next to the highmarshal without an invitation is. listen, he’s always been brave, but this is a different sort of bravery--doing something that might get you in trouble with social codes is different from running headlong across a not-set bridge into battle--and I know he’s done shit like this before, often, but not...not really in context of military superiors? I don’T KNOW THIS FEELS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT AND I’M EXCITED FOR HIM.
I find it ironic that the COVERED walkway from the Oathgate platform to the palace is called the SUNwalk, but that’s fine.
Kishi is a really good name, dangit brandon stop taking all the really good names
Azure’s sword is a her?
YOU CAN’T JUST SAY THAT, KALADIN!! “How did you get here?” “I flew.” YOU CAn’T JUST. KAL, PLS
I’m
loev
hem
“I’ve given answers. If they aren’t the ones you want, perhaps the questions aren’t very good.” HELLO, I LOVE THIS BOY VERY MJUCH I DON’T KNWO IF YOU KNOW THIS ABOUT ME
wait come here chasing her
OH JESUS FUCK SHE’S VIVENNA ISN’T SHE
She’s from Somewhere Else and she’s got a weird sword and her name’s a color and Vivenna was SUPPOSED to show up in this book GODDAMNIT THERE SHE IS
heheheheheh gosh that’s fun
...............pleasant.
I suppose it is the HEART of the revel, after all...
I really, really didn’t sign up for a horror novel, idk why this keeps happening SIGH
You know you’ve watched too many shitty action movies when the first thing you can think of when a guy gets thrown off the city wall isn’t “oh god he got THROWN off a WALL” and is, instead, “I bet tehy’d have used a Wilhelm Scream there heh”
Listen, Kaladin, I know you CAN fight without flying, but you are currently fighting flying enemies, and you should absolutely go have an aerial battle with them, please, I just want you to be in more cinematic, badass fights pls.
OKAY, BUT MAYBE LAUNCHING YOURSELF OUT A WINDOW AT THIS FUSED GUY ISN’T THE BEST? WAY TO HAVE THE AERIAL BATTLE?
okay, I asked for this, but I rescind my request, BE CAREFUL BABE, PLS.
YES THE HEART
GO FOR THE HEART
YES
Y E S
“my red life” yah, ok, that’s definitely Vivenna NICE
hnnnngggg, every time Kaladin summons the sylbade and, like, does the thing where he rests her on his shoulder all casual and intimidating I just melt, I’m so
he’s so
and so
hnnnnnnnngggggg
mrrrghhh, OF COURSE There’s a gang that steals the food from Shallan’s informants and KILLS THEM EVEN THOUGH THEY’RE KIDS, uggghhh. Should have known.
Continues the trend of Shallan not really knowing anything about how life on the streets work, huh?
OK this lady with vine patterns in her skin who’s Soulcasting for Azure? Actual Soulcaster suffering the effects to way too many years Soulcasting? OR........Radiant?
Honestly, I suspect literally everyone of being a radiant at this point.
pffffffffffffffffffffffttt HOID
of course.
but why did he help? Why is he helping? What’s his game?
“She hadn’t lived on the streets and she didn’t know how to help people.” NICE YOU TO FINALLY REALIZE.
“The only way to live without failure is to be of no use to anyone. Trust me, I’ve practiced.” COOL, NOW I’M SAD ABOUT HOID. Listen, I know his books are sooo far off, but the more things he says, the more I want to KNOW about him. Argh.
“Many people have suffered more, and they got along fine.” Oooohhh, Shallan, honey. No one ever taught you that the fact that other people have it worse does not negate your suffering.
Also, like. most people have not, in fact, had it worse than you, really. In the grand scheme of things, having to kill both your parents when they tried to kill you sucks a LOT, despite your privilege making the rest of everything better for you...
GOD BLESS ADOLIN KHOLIN, WHO, WHEN CONFRONTED WITH HIS FIANCEE IN PANTS, REACTS ONLY BY COMPLIMENTING HER COLOR COORDINATION AND RECOMMENDING HER COAT BE TAILORED A HAIR BETTER.
BLESS THIS GOLDEN SUNLIGHT BOY.
“You’ve been wanting an army to attack your palace, Your Majesty... well, we’re ready.”
YOU MIGHT BE READY, BUT I’M NOT
DO NOT JUST GO INVADE THE PALACE WITH AN ARMY
GOD, HOW MANY OF YOU ARE GOING TO DIE
hi, Adolin talking to his sword still makes my heart swell, every time, he’s JUST SO GOOD AND PURE AND WONDERFUL
SUNSHINE BOY
HE PUT ON HIS UNIFORM
I’M
I lov hiiiiimm
it’s not Shallan that needs to drive this one back.
I’m still so enamored of this theory, I’m sticking with it even if it’s wrong, I don’t care. One Unmade per Radiant Order. It’s gotta be one of the boys this time. The Heart... Kaladin is nothing but heart, it’s gotta be the windrunner Unmade.
No one tell me I’m wrong, I will be SO DISAPPOINTED if it doesn’t go down this way.
OH SHIT
OOOHH SHIIIT
OOOHHHH SHIIIIIIIT
IT’S THE THING FROM THE COVER THE WHATSITCALLED THE ROCK MONSTER
OH SHIIIIIITTT WE ALL GON DIE
THUNDERCLAST, THAT’s the word phew glad I remembered
listen, Kaladin letting himself get smashed by a giant boulder just so he could Lash it away HURTS MY HEART
DON’T HURT KALADIN, 2K18
yuuuppppp it’s not a shardblade. Blergh, I didn’t finish Warbreaker, is there some wacky shenanigans with Vivenna’s sword? Does it pull the Breath from people or smthn? ...Do people on Roshar have Breath?
Adolin is SUCH ! A GOOD! COMMANDER!
.........I’m very glad that some of the palace guard aren’t evil, but. why did time move weird for them, apparently?
Is this the second Unmade? Is this one something to do with warping time??
I’m confuuuused.
oh
fuck
that’s
hot
GLOWING KALADIN WITH A TWELVE FOOT LONG SYLSPEAR, FLYING THROUGH THE THROWN-OPEN DOUBLE DOORS??? YEAH I’M F I N E, T H I S I S F I N E
nooo don’t split up
never split up
I don’t want this
Adolin giving Kaladin the Bridge Four salute. I’m cry.
oooooooooohh, Shallan summoned Pattern!! And she’s not panicking! I’m so proud of her ahh!!
Skar and Drehey just. continuing to save Adolin. Best bodyguards. Best friends. I love them so much.
mmmmmmmmmmm
I don’t
want this, this is intense this is A LOT
aaaaahhh fuck Kaladin’s wall squad came with. They are SO Going to Die, and I WI LL C RY
she’s singing? So... she’s... hm. What happened to the queen?
I STILL DON’T THINK SHALLAN CAN DEFEAT THIS UNMADE
ohnohecallshissonGav
I’m
ohnohecallshiswifeDearOne
I’m
Elhokar, please
you are so small, just. Be brave.
KALADIN, YOU MADE SYL KILL A SPREN??? I don’t care that it was an evil spren, that’s. You can’t.. Syl. Don’t make Syl kill her family, pls, I’m suffering.
oh no
what ancient spren, WHICH ONE, AESUDAN.
AND HOW
HOW DID YOU BIND VOIDSPREN TO PEOPLE
I’m assuming that’s what it is
I’M CONCERNED
Yelig-nar and Ashertmarn. 1. both of those are terrible star wars names, Brandon, you usually do better. 2. Are those BOTH Unmade? Or is Yelig-nar Aesudan’s...voidspren?
stormspren?
Ancient Parshendi Ancestor of Evil spren?
“I have taken the gemstone into me.” WELL, THAT’S A STEAMING PILE OF # Y I K E S
mmm yeah, no, she didn’t do it. Shallan didn’t defeat it, it retreated. Or was called away or something. We’re deeeefinitely going to have to deal with that again.
oh shit is this the other one?
this is the other one
Yelid-nar is Aseudan’s Parshendi Ancestor’s name. Sja-anat is the other Unmade.
I’m scared.
ON THE STAIRWELL? GoDDAMNIT THAT’S A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE PLACE FOR A FIGHT
 no
n
o
don’t
make kaladin
kill his parshendi friends
please
oh fuck, Moash is with Kaladin’s parshendi friends, isn’t he?
damn, I AM NOT READY FOR THIS
yeah, no SHIT The heart fled. I TOLD you Shallan couldn’t defeat that one.
but why is THIS one helping her? OR IS SHE
WHAT IS HAPPENING
GOOD DON’T KILL EACH OTHER PLEASE.
oh Kaladin
“He’s always been able to trick himself into seeing a battle as us against them. Protect those you love. Kill everyone else. But...but they didn’t deserve death. None of them did.” HI THIS IS MY GHOST TYPING, I AM DEAD NOW. Kaladin has come so far, from scraping along, doing everything he could to breathe, let alone survive, and now--look at him. Look at him realizing that everyone, everyone is doing the same thing he is. They are all of them fighting to survive, they are all of them fighting to protect what they love.
Everyone is the hero of their own story, even if they are a villain to you.
God, this book is so literary, it’s so strong. Be better. Do better than those who have wronged you. See yourself in those around you, even your enemy, and do better. Take responsibility for who you are and what you do and who you fight.  God, THIS BOOK.
Also, Kaladin trying to stop the fighting, I’m crying.
THEY ARE ALL DYING. I TOLD YOU THEY WOULD AND I TOLD YOU I WOULD CRY AND HERE I AM. SOBBING.
noooo
no no nono
I’ don’t
want this
put it
back
I’m
Elhokar waS SO CLOSE OH M Y GOD HE
ONE MORE WORD OF THE IDEAL GOD DAMNIT
Moash
of course
he always wanted to kill the king
fuck
I knew this was coming because I got fucking spoiled but it still hurt like a punch to the gut
FUCK, HE KNEW KALADIN WAS THERE AND HE DID IT ANYWAY
god
f u ck
I’m
he knew. he saluted. he didn’t even pause.
DAMMNIT, MOASH, YOU’RE BETTER THAN THIS.
god, Kaladin screamed, I’m
not okay
So much for Kholinar, god
“If we engage the device, we’ll be caught in a disaster.” AREN’T YOU ALREADY
...sapphire is windrunners, right? so why is the epitaph.........it’s a sapphire recording. A windrunner. “Am I not supposed to want to help people?” Does that mean...what is the Fourth Ideal of the Windrunners? The order of people who help people. Why...would their Fourth Ideal...not? be about helping people?
UGH, the radiant recordings make me SO NERVOUS ALL THE TIME.
1. I hate Taravangian. A Lot.
2. Here’s a thing: Navani spent a whole book and a half thinking her eldest child was dead, but holding out hope she was alive, and getting to have that vindication when Jasnah showed up. How...how long is she going to hold out hope that Elhokar somehow made it out alive only to have that shattered when the rest of them show up and he doesn’t?
ALSO FUN FACTS, DALINAR PROBABLY NOW THINKS ADOLIN, ELHOKAR, AND KALADIN--THREE OF HIS FOUR SONS--ARE DEAD, PROBABLY, SO THAT’S FINE, I’M FINE.
EVERYTHING’S FINE.
OH FUCK IT TOOK THEM TO SHADESMAR
WHY
OH MY GOD
WHERE’S JASNAH WHEN YOU NEED HER, SHE CAN NAVIGATE THIS SHIT
also !!!! PATTERN AND SYL AND ?????? ???? ?? ADOLIN’S?? SPREN????? PLEASE SAY IT’S ADOLIN’S SPREN. HIS BLADE. WHATEVER. PLEASE.
LET ADOLIN HAVE A SPREN 2K18
god, Vivenna: HARD SAME, GIRL
also, I forgot that she would have had to have come through the Cognitive Realm to get from Nalthis to Roshar, but heeeeheheheh yeah. She knows what she’s doing here, or at the very least has an idea. Excellent.
but FUCK
SHADESMAR
AND EVERYONE THINKS THEY’RE DEAD
and dear fucking god, Moash, you’re better than this, why must you continue to make REALLY BAD DECISIONS.
these are my priorities
leave me alone.
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Text
Running Into You - No. 6
Installment number 6 in my series of AU oneshots about Dan meeting his favourite youtuber AmazingPhil for the first time.
AO3 link
Genre: Fluff, with a sort of 2009-ish feel (but it’s still AU)
Warnings: A bit of swearing and some mentions of low self-esteem but literally it’s just fluff
Prompt: Missent Text
Summary: Dan’s on his gap year, so naturally he’s spending most of his time lounging around on the internet, watching his favourite youtubers and scrolling through tumblr. When he gets an accidental text from an unknown number, he doesn’t think much of it, until a series of events start to convince him the sender might just be someone he idolises: AmazingPhil.
A/N: This draft is like 2 years old, but @agingphangirl convinced me to post this while we’re waiting for pinof. It’s epistolary form, so I hope it isn’t too confusing. Hope you like it ^_^
Phil’s texts are italics, Dan’s texts are in quotation marks
6. Missent Text
Where r u?
Sorry what?
Where r u I’ve been here 10 mins
…Am I supposed to be somewhere?
You said on dm you’d be here at 6, I’m getting cold ^_^
Um I’m sorry mate but you must have the wrong number
Oh crap!! Sorry!!
.Lmao it’s ok. Just checked my dms and nothing interesting enough to make me be outside in this weather sorry
Tell me about it x_x I’m freezing. But if you’re not peej then I’ll be here a while
Unfortunately for you I go by Dan
Oh. Well, hello Dan. Sorry for bothering you with my freezing antics
Nvm it’s cool
It’s more than COOL, it’s COLD enough for ICICLES
I’m sure ur exaggerating
No my nose is an actual block of ice
Where even are you? Unless you’re in the Arctic you might want to get that seen to
--
Sorry! Peej showed up eventually (the friend I thought you were). Turns out he gave me the wrong number. All sorted now. I promise not to bother you again
Honestly it’s fine. I probably need more human contact so you did me a favour
Haha, glad to be of service ^_^ also I was in Manchester. It’s so cold it snowed. My icicle nose is allowed
Manchester? That’s like waaaaay in the north
Not that far but cold enough for icicle noses :P
Yes yes ok you’re allowed an icicle nose
Haha thanks :P so where are you, if not in the north?
Reading
Ohhhh so a proper southerner
I guess you could say that
Well hello Dan the proper southerner
God no that makes me sound like a queens guard or something
Do you queens guard people have time to text?
We’re too busy dealing with the corgis and all that shit
I knew it 0.o
XD but really I’m sitting in bed on the internet lol
Actually same
Haha really?
Yep. Which sites you on?
Just the usual. Tumblr, YouTube. My favourite youtuber has a new video due out tonight
Nice ^_^
What sites are you on?
Currently uploading a video to my YouTube channel
You have a channel?!
Haha yeah ^_^
Which one? Would I know it?
I don’t know. It isn’t a huge deal but it’s fun
Yeah I mean I admire that. I’d love to have a channel
Why don’t you?
Idk too scared I guess
Awr ^_^ nothing to be scared about honest, it’s just you and a camera
And the whole of the internet xD
Haha I try not to think about that part 0.o thousands of people watching me
Thousands? Wow so you must be a pretty big channel
Heh I guess, maybe ^_^ so who are your favourite youtubers?
Oh man I have loads XD Smosh, community channel, AmazingPhil (the one I’m waiting for the new video), charlieissocoollike
That’s a good mix ^_^ my new video is 99% uploaded and stuck there x_x
Seriously? Your connection needs to sort its shit out
Haha yeah it really does. I think it’s being attacked by bees
Bees?
Or wasps
Seriously?
Tiny horned beetles?
Do they even exist?
Idk but if they do they’re attacking my wifi
I’ll send the insect spray
Haha thanks XD it must have worked as my video is finally uploaded!
…Great video. Especially the lion wedding, that was sweet
Haha thanks! Glad you liked it, took ages to get the dress on lioness. Plus my mum nearly walked in on me 0.o
Holy fuck you actually are AmazingPhil aren’t you
Um, well, yes.
Sorry.
AmazingPhil, FantasticPhil, Epic Youtuber
or just Phil if you prefer
I probably should have told you
Jesus shitting fuck I’m sorry for bothering you
Don’t be daft! I accidentally texted you first ^_^
Yeah but I bet you didn’t expect to end up with a weird fanboy. Um. Not that I’m a stalker I promise
Haha it’s ok Dan honestly
I’m not going to spread your number around or anything holy shit like I’m so sorry
Honestly, please don’t worry, it’s been nice talking to you ^_^ I appreciate you not spreading my number around though. I got lucky with you, don’t want to risk a creepy stalker finding me 0.o
Lmao I promise xD how do you know for sure I’m not a creepy stalker though
0.o I’ll set the bees against you
I’ll start running now
Haha
So out of curiosity how long have you been watching my videos for?
Oh um a couple of years now
Really? That’s awesome!
Yeah. You actually replied to one of my comments once ^_^ made my day
Aw haha that’s great, which video?
The toxic one
Oh my god >.<
Haha it’s a good video :P
I should remove it from the internet immediately
Don’t you dare! Your fans would be sad
X_x well this isn’t very fair if you know about me but I don’t know you at all
Well you know my name’s Dan
And you’re from Reading. Tell me more? ^_^
unless you don’t want to, that’s fine, I’m just curious
Haha no it’s alright. Um. I’m Dan. I just finished my A levels and now I’m taking a gap year
Oh cool ^_^ going to uni after that?
Probably. Thinking of law
Wow, that’s impressive
Haha we’ll see ^_^
Just checking but how old are you? I don’t want to be a creep 0.o
Lmao dw I’m 18 everything is legal
Phew XD Anything else I should know?
Well I’m currently undefeated at mario kart
What seriously? You’ve never lost?
Nope and I don’t plan to start :P
I’d beat you
I really wish we could test that theory
Haha that would be fun :P we could always test it over Skype sometime?
That’s probably really weird sorry
I promise I’m not a creeper
It’s ok, and yeah, I’d love to Skype sometime
Yeah? Yay! :D
Lmao you’re probably going to want to run a mile when you see me though
I doubt that very much unless you have like five eyes or something
Five eyes? Wtf XD
Idk you could be a giant spider
[insert pic] See? Not a giant spider :P
Oh wow yeah not a giant spider. I spy a cute guy :P
Shut up >.<
Nice hair
Lol I swear I had it like this before I started watching you
[insert pic] And here I thought I’d started a trend
Crap you actually are Phil >.< yeah your hair is cool enough to be a trendsetter tbh
Haha thanks XD and yeah I am Phil. Is that a problem?
Are you kidding me? Nope except I turn even more awkward than normal around people I admire
Aw well awkward people are the best. And at least there aren’t videos of you half-naked on the internet
You make a good point
Hey so I’m uploading a new video tonight but I can’t decide if it’s actually any good. Check it out for me?
Omfg are you seriously saying I get a sneak preview on an AmazingPhil video
Yes please ^_^ I might have overweirded. Need a second opinion
Omfg
just like
give me a moment
wtf
fucking hell
wow ok
I’m calm now
yes I would love to check your video for you
Haha thanks. It’s up as unlisted, [insert link] please be honest with me if it’s terrible
Wow man that’s awesome! I love how interactive it is!
Omfg seriously how are you this creative like you shouldn’t be allowed
Haha really? Wow thanks, I’m not sure about the shot angle though and the lighting is kinda terrible
Yeah ngl the lighting is bad but you can’t control the sun
You never know! I could be a weatherman. But you seriously think I should upload it?
[insert pic with thumbs up] totally I love it
Aw I forgot how hot you are. It’s going up tonight then
CUTE I MEANT CUTE
Gah I’m sorry
Haha it’s fine, getting called hot is never bad in my book ;)
Would you believe it was autocorrect?
Haha if you want :P sounds pretty unlikely though
I’m hiding in a pillow and never coming out
No! Then your subscribers will hate me for taking you away
[insert pic in a pillow] do you like my new home
XD don’t hide from me seriously like you have a video to upload
[insert pic] ok true it’s on 68%
Damn YouTube upload times
Tell me about it. Have you ever uploaded a video then?
Lmao there’s one of me being a boss at DDR
Yeah? Can I check it out?
>.< Um sure, I’m a lame nerd though
Dan, have you even met me?
Haha ok true :P [insert link] just don’t say I didn’t warn you
No one’s feet should be allowed to move that fast. You’re so good, I fall over whenever I try and play
Haha I could teach you
Please be my DDR master Dan-sensei
Depends what you give me :P
I’ve got Pokemon cards
I’m sold
[insert pikachu with a lion pic] this was too cute not to show you
Awwww! Rawr ^_^ where is that?
Shop called forbidden planet. I’m in London on work experience and went there on my break
0.o London? You’re braver than me, capital cities scare me
Aw poor Phil haha
[insert pic] do I look ready for work?
Very serious
Srs bsns
[insert scared face pic] I’ll take YouTube any day
Haha. Me too tbh. Law offices are big and dull
Why do you want to do it then?
Idk. Job security? Having a point in life?
Fair enough :P
You did English didn’t you? Sorry I swear I’m not a stalker
Haha it’s fine ^_^ and yeah, English language and linguistics. Then a masters in post-production
Wow that’s so cool. So you’re in your 20s?
22 ^_^ My masters is the only reason I know how to edit videos :P
I wish I could
Well I can always teach you
Seriously?!
Yeah of course, I reckon you’d be great at making videos
Really? Lmao I’m so awkward tho
That can work in your favour, trust me :P
Haha well if you say so, YouTube senpai
Listen well Dan-kun and you too will learn the ways of the YouTube
Haha you’re so strange
You’re just jealous
[insert pic] so much
Stop taking pics at work
But it’s so boring. At least send me one back, save me from the dullness
[insert pic] on my way to a meetup so might be a bit slow
Oh cool meetup like YouTube meetup?
I guess that must be fun
I’d love to go to one but too scared and awkward lol
Save me work is literally killing me
I can’t actually keep working here
ugh why did I ever think law was a good idea I’m going to die at uni
Whoops sorry I seem to have spammed your phone
Hey Dan, sorry! I forgot to bring my charger to the meetup so my phone has only just come back to me. I mourned it’s passing *plays lion king music*
Oh that’s ok
I really am sorry that I couldn’t distract you from your work
Lmao no worries
Don’t know if it’ll make it any better but I am working on a new video and lion says he thinks law is a very admirable career option
Tell lion thanks and I’d be even more grateful if he did my degree for me
He says sign him up where are you going to uni anyway?
Well I’m not there yet. I have to start applying soon
Looked around any?
Errrr I’ll get on that
Isn’t the deadline soon?
Yeah but I’m an epic procrastinator
Lion is very disappointed
Lion can suck my dick
Dan!
Lmao I was kidding
XD
besides you’re 18 you have loads of time to sort stuff out
Yeah but I have literally no idea what I’m doing
No one does. That’s why you go to uni - to figure it out
You seemed to have it all together
Haha thanks, but honestly, I was just making stupid videos in my bedroom
does that sound wrong?
Lmao a little yeah
Oops
Dw lol if you’re a sexual predator you’re a bit far away to do any real damage
True
:( I’d rather you were nearer tbh
Even if I’m a sexual predator?
Lol I don’t really think you are though
Well I’m not
And me too, Dan
[insert pic] last day at the office today I literally couldn’t be happier
Lol I can see from your face
[insert pic] is it that obvious
Rawr
I’ll send lioness to aid you
Lioness not lion?
She’s much fiercer
Lmao probs true either way I’ll take help
At least soon you’ll be free
Yeah I literally can’t wait
Gonna do something to celebrate? ^_^
Lol all my friends are at uni
[insert pic] well Lion and I are proud of you
Aw thanks ^_^ I still forget you’re AmazingPhil sometimes
I’m deeply offended
no but really I’m just Phil and you’re really cool
sorry
Na it’s fine I just had to work
Oops XD
I’m hiding out in the toilets now so we’re fine lmao
and I have no issues with you being Phil
I mean it could be worse at least you aren’t a creepy stalker
I hope not. Also uploading another video tonight, I think you’ll like it
!!! Best celebration ever
^_^
So I may have been stalking you on Twitter and it seems your birthday is soon?
0.o stalker. And yeah it is ^_^
wait you follow me? What’s your Twitter handle?
Um. Yes I follow you. And this is going to sound very awkward and stuff but I kind of want to send you a birthday present
Omg Dan you don’t have to do that
Well I’d kinda like to so :P should I use your PO box?
Nah that takes ages to check, I’ll give you my actual address
I promise not to hunt you down
Tbh if it’s you I wouldn’t even mind
Omg
[insert pic with address] there you go
Lol is that a bank statement?
Yeah I’m so profesh
Phil! I could literally rob you
Well I trust that you won’t :P
Lmao you’d better
What’s your Twitter handle btw? You never said
Uh its danisnotonfire.
But please don’t judge me oh god I’m such a nerd
Dan honestly you’re the coolest person I know
sorry was that a bit much?
No! I’m just struggling to respond to the best youtuber out there calling me cool
Not just cool, the coolest :P wow you’ve commented on my tweets quite a bit
>.<
Sorry I never noticed you properly
You accidentally texted me I think that wins
Haha true
Happy birthday!
Thanks! ^_^ I have family stuff but I’ll talk to you as soon as I’m done
Sure sure have a great day!
— DAN OMG
YOUR PRESENTS
YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE YOU ACTUALLY SHOULDN’T
[insert excited pic cuddling the presents] you’re amazing
you’re so amazing
I can’t believe you
honestly you’re too amazing
how did I ever meet someone this nice and funny and cool and kind and cute and sweet
honestly
and I know you must be sleeping it’s like 2am but I have to tell you
OMG you’re too adorable
who let you be like this and you’re too far away :(
I wish you could be here so I could give you a thank-you hug
Wow I’m glad you liked them :P I’ll take a thank-you hug
What are you doing still up?
Can’t sleep how was the party?
GR8 M8! My parents embarrassed me in front of everyone
Oh no what did they do?
Got the baby photos out >.<
Lmao I’d love to see that
I was ginger
OMG for real?!
Yes >.< *hides forever*
That’s adorable
You’re adorable
Your mum’s adorable
Actually shut up
:P aren’t you too old for immature arguments now
Go to sleep
Lmao I’m glad it was good though
Thanks yeah it was rly good
Looking through the photos now
Any good ones?
Mostly drunk XD [insert pic]
Who’s that guy?
My cousin
Lmao ok I was about to say hands off
XD he was really drunk
You look a bit worse for the wear too
I may be slightly intoxicated
Haha tut tut Lester
Shut up Dan :P what is your surname?
Howell
Howell? Like a wolf?
Lmao if you like
Awooooooo
You’re so strange XD
AwoloooooOooooOOOOO
it suits you though
you’re very brown
XD aren’t wolves grey?
Well yeah
but like
you have their wildness
Lmao I’m taking that as a compliment
You should
you’re hot as hell
but so young and sticky out
like a baby deer
A wolf and a baby deer?
And eyes like an owl
You and your animal metaphors
None of those are quite right though
Like your eyes are too pretty they’re more like the night sky
but coloured with earth
You’re drunk
I mean it though
…I know
I wish I had eyes like yours
No! Yours are perfect
They’re big and weird
They’re deep and beautiful and I could swim in them all day
and I’m not drunk
I should be sleeping
You’re sleep-drunk :P which is actually a thing you know
Right I’m going to sleep
Noooooooo
We’ll talk about this when we’re both more sane
But I don’t want you to go
it’s quiet and sad when you aren’t around
and I’m cold here now
and it’s my birthday
Dan?
Dan?
Happy birthday you idiot. Now go to sleep
night Dan <333
I’m so sorry about last night I had too much to drink
Haha it’s ok it was your birthday
Yeah but still
I’m so sorry if I made you uncomfortable
You didn’t. There’s nothing to worry about
Do we need to talk about this?
Um. Do you want to?
Kind of
But kind of not
I don’t want to make you feel awkward
I’m always awkward
Dan, for real. You know what I mean.
Yeah I think I do
Do we need to talk about it?
I think we’re both aware it’s there. Let’s just see where it goes?
Yeah ok sounds good. And no awkwardness?
None at all, I promise <3
Good <3
Hey Dan, are you still up for Skype at some point?
Yeah, sure ^_^ tonight?
Yeah! I’ll just finish up editing
Ooh, what’s it like?
Haha spoilers :P what’s your Skype name?
Danisnotonfire same as Twitter
Original :P
added you
‘AmazingPhil has added you to his contacts’ you’re just as original I see
Shut up and answer the call
So my eyes are even bluer on skype? :P
Haha shuddup
They’re even more blue in person
Are they even blue lmao they’re like 3 different colours
[insert pic] mostly blue
Greeny yellow blue
Very poetic
Shuddup :P
sorry I’ll stop
Please don’t
Lol fishing for compliments?
Well if they’re being offered
You’re impossible
That isn’t a compliment
You’re ridiculously strange?
I’ll take that
Haha of course you would :P
So what are you up to?
Actually answering a few texts for once, you?
Throwing around some video ideas but I’m bored now. Who’re you texting?
Some school friends who are at uni
Nice ^_^
Well. Sort of. It’s weird
Tell me about it?
It’s just they all have these lives that are moving forwards and away from home and leaving me behind
and I just
My ex is dating someone else and I’m in exactly the same place as I was when she broke up with me
And I’m not content but I don’t really want to go anywhere or do anything and I just don’t know what on earth I’m going to do with my life
Were you happy with them before school ended?
Idk. I thought so at the time. But I don’t think I’ve ever really been happy, not yet
It’s ok. You don’t have to know right now. And one day you’ll leave all of them behind too and move on to something better
I think I already am. Having you around is better than them
Sorry
Haha don’t apologise for being so sweet ^_^
Also I’m single now. And bi. Just to avoid confusion
I’m bi too. Probably
Probably?
Not a massive fan of labels if I’m honest
If I feel something for someone then that’s all that matters
Might be demi, might be bi, might be somewhere inbetween.
And I don’t want you to worry about your future, ok? Everything is going to fall into place
<3
And if it doesn’t I’ll be around to distract you with more lame animal comparisons
Haha I actually love you
Me too <3
Get on Skype!
Ok it’s late you’re probably sleeping
it’s just
ugh I don’t know who else to talk to so I’m going to rant at your phone like a completely normal person
but mum yelled at me for not doing my uni application yet
but I just don’t know what to do I mean law yes but how do I decide where?
This is huge
and I don’t want to rush into it
but she thinks I’m going to miss the deadline though there’re months left
and I just
ugh
now she isn’t talking to me
-
Dan I’m sorry I was sleeping. Skype now?
I really don’t mind you spamming my phone, please do, always, I’d rather you had somewhere to talk about this stuff
And you know, Manchester uni is good. I could show you around
I spoke to mum about going to look around the uni.
She asked where I would stay.
I kind of told her I have friends at uni there.
It’s a half truth right?
Awesome ^_^ Um do you think she’d like to know the truth?
Probably.
Idk.
She might freak out and be worried
Because you’re meeting a random man you’ve never met before?
Lmao when you put it like that
Are you honestly ok with this? It’s fine if you’re not
No no I’m so ok. I want to meet you. Like properly
I want that too. So much
So it’s going to happen. I’m buying train tickets
Awesome ^_^ but your mum?
Do you think I should tell her?
I think she’d be happier knowing where you are
Yeah. Yeah I know. I’ll talk to her
Give her my phone number too. And my address
Lmao you after more stalkers?
Dan I’m serious I want you to be safe
You spoon
yeah I’ll tell her everything. She might not be best pleased though
Dw if she locks you up I’ll come rescue you
<3
<3
I told her
!!! And?
She said yes
OMG!!!!! I’m out atm but Skype as soon as I get back?
Yes please :P
[insert happy pic]
[insert happy pic]
Hey Dan you should make a YouTube channel before you visit me
?? Really?
Yeah I mean you always say you want to. And we could do a collab ^_^
For serious?!
Yeah! I mean, if you want to
I’ve been wanting to do a Q and A for a while and it would be fun I think
Omfg
Is that a yes?
Hell yes it’s a yes
Um only problem is
How do I even make a video?
However you want ^_^ you’ve told me loads of good ideas
But they’re so lame lmao
They’re really not. I promise.
Why not start with an introduction? Then you can go on to your actual content
Omg but like do you really think I could?
Honestly! Yes.
Ok
Ok
My mum’s going out in a minute so I’ll have the house to myself. I could film
That’s brilliant! I’m about to head out with mum but film whilst I’m gone and we can Skype later yeah?
Ok wow
omg
ok
Phil this isn’t working I sound so stupid
fucking hell I can’t do this
You can! Act like you’re on Skype to me
Can we Skype?
Still visiting my brother sorry :( tonight we will
Ok. I’ll keep trying
You can do it! Pretend the camera is me. Or any friend. It’ll help
Ok <3
<3
Holy fuck Phil I have views.
And subscribers! So many subscribers!
Told you!!
This is because you tweeted it
No, it’s because you’re really bloody talented
>.< I can’t believe I did that
You did and you’re awesome and I’m so proud of you!
Can’t wait to collab :D
Me neither, if you still want to I mean
Silly, of course I want to. Best thing about this month
<3
<3
Um so a bit of a change of plan
??? Do I need to cancel the train tickets?
No no! Just
Turns out my parents aren’t going to be here the weekend you’re visiting.
Is that a problem?
Lmao no why would it be
are you planning to ravish me or something
>.< I don’t think I’ve ever ravished anything in my life
Well you can start with me ;)
Dan!
Seriously though. Is it ok?
Yeah. Honestly it’s great.
Are you sure?
Are you?
Yeah I mean honestly it’ll be nicer to see you without having to get around them
I just don’t want to weird you out
You won’t
I hope not
Phil honestly I can’t wait
:D me neither
where are you btw? Skype isn’t picking up
Oh yeah, my internet is down, sorry
:O no wifi?!
No wifi. I’m not sure how I’m going to survive
I’ll spam you with texts
Please!
Actually I have something better
[incoming call: AmazingPhil]
I’m at the train station and it’s super early I’m not even sure you’re worth it
Sorry! I’ll make it up to you with hot coffee and hugs ^_^
Ok yeah you are worth it
Aw :D
On the train next to an old man who’s threatening to fall asleep on my shoulder
x_X tell him to keep his hands off
Lmao yeah I’m sure you’d really sort him out
I could be fierce
You’re literally a muffin with an emo fringe
I’ll fill your bag with bees
I’ll tame them into my own personal army
Then you’ll be our evil overlord
Mwahahaha
Can I be on your side when you take over the world?
Your lion powers could come in useful so yeah I guess so
Awesome we can run the world together
Yes :P
ugh the train is running late
:( by how much?
Twenty minutes atm
I’ll still get to the station at ten to
Well it might be running quite late by the time we get that far north
I don’t want to miss you. I’ll be there <3
I can’t wait
Me neither
Stuck in Stoke now. Literally the weirdest station I’ve ever seen
Haha really?
Yeah. And it’s packed. I had no idea this many people travelled this early on a Saturday, I didn’t even know this time exists
It doesn’t and you’re travelling in some other dimension right now
Shut up :P
Just waved my parents off. I’ll head out to the station soon
I’m so nervous
Me too <3
Promise you won’t run a mile?
Promise. I’ll see you soon Dan
See you soon
—        
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flauntpage · 7 years
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DGB Grab Bag: Predator Fans, Fan Voting, and Bettman Handoffs
Welcome to Sean McIndoe's weekly grab bag, where he writes on a variety of NHL topics. You can follow him on Twitter. Check out the Biscuits podcast with Sean and Dave Lozo as they discuss the events of the week.
Three stars of comedy
The third star: These two Predator fans – It was fun times all around in Nashville. Good presence of mind to slow down when the helmet almost slipped off.
The second star: The catfish has a hat – He also has a tiny stuffed penguin but we can only focus on so many things at one time.
The first star: Bike Guy – The NHL combine was this week. That's the event where the top draft prospects gather, compete in a bunch of physical tests, and then get made fun of for not doing enough bench press reps by out-of-shape sportswriters like me. The highlight every year is the Wingate bike test, in which prospects cycle furiously while a scary guy yells at them.
It's all quite terrifying. But this year, the Golden Knights decided to put the guy's talent to some use by getting him to yell at random Twitter users to be more productive.
Well, I just cleaned my whole house. For some reason I also just studied for all my exams, of which I have none. The guy is good.
Outrage of the week
The issue: We just had two Stanley Cup final games in Nashville, and all the fans there were really loud and into it and just generally having a great time. The outrage: None, of course. Literally nobody could be mad about this. Is it justified: Phew, dodged a bullet there. OK, on to the next section where we can… The issue: We're tired of hearing about how great Predators fans are. The outrage: Seriously, give it a rest, cheering on your team in the Cup final doesn't make you great fans. Is it justified: Wait, what? Is this actually a thing? Are people actually saying that? (Checks.) Yes, apparently they are. This is a bad take. The issue: Anyone criticizing Nashville as a hockey market is wrong! The outrage: In fact, it's always been a great market, and anyone who ever doubted it sure looks silly now. Is it justified: And then, right on cue, here's comes the backlash to the backlash. Look, can we all enjoy what's happening in Nashville right now while also acknowledging that it really did look dicey for a while there back in the day? That seems fair, right? The issue: The Predators have the greatest fans in the world. The outrage: If you deny this you are a terrible person and also probably Canadian. Is it justified: See there is a middle ground where we could… The issue: Predators fans are front-runners who only support their team when it's playing for the Stanley Cup. The outrage: Real fans are there for their team through good and bad, they don't just hop on the bandwagon when times are good. Is it justified: Well, first of all, that thing about Predators fans only showing up now just isn't true. But yes, they're more excited now because of the playoff run. Isn't that how it's supposed to work? The issue: Nashville had thousands of empty seats back in 2010. The outrage: If you don't sell out the building every night you're a bad fan base. Is it justified: Well, fine, but then you're throwing stones at just about everyone, including places like Chicago and Boston and basically everywhere outside of the really die-hard Canadian markets. But sure, fine, if it will get everyone to stop complaining and hyper-analyzing every hockey market, then we'll agree: Only Canadian fan bases that sell out every game are good fans. Can we all please stop this now? The issue: Canadian fan bases that sell out every game are pathetic sheep and the reason the country never wins the Stanley Cup. The outrage: A real fan base would only support their team when they were in the Stanley Cup final. Probably by being really loud and maybe throwing some kind of fish on the ice. Is it justified: I hate all of you. The issue: Hockey fans can never just let their fellow humans be happy about anything. The outrage: It's tiresome, predictable, and the reason why nobody likes us. Is it justified: Yes.
Obscure former player of the week
Penguins' goalie Matt Murray is trying to win his second Stanley Cup as a rookie, which doesn't sound like it should be possible. But it is — a player's status is determined by his regular season play, so it's possible to have two or even more postseason runs as a "rookie".
The list of goalies who've actually done it isn't all that long, but Murray's certainly not alone. It's been done by Ken Dryden and Jacques Plante (who I wrote about earlier in the week), as well as fellow Hall-of-Famers Ed Belfour and Martin Brodeur. Jake Allen did it three years apart, with appearances in 2012 and 2015, and Corey Crawford and John Gibson are also in the club.
As you might expect, the list also includes a few less well-known players. That includes this week's Obscure Player, Daniel "The Bandit" Berthiaume.
You may remember him from the Bob Miller tribute a few months ago, in which we all learned we'd been pronouncing his name wrong all along. But his career began when the Jets made him the 60th pick in the 1985 entry draft, a few picks behind future Conn Smythe winner Bill Ranford. He debuted in Winnipeg a year later, seeing his first action in the 1986 playoffs before he'd ever even played a regular season game.
He followed that up by earning regular duty the following season and splitting time with Pokey Reddick, who I just realized has never been an Obscure Player and we will damn well fix that over the summer. Berthiaume joined the rookie two-timer club in 1987, playing eight games as the Jets won a playoff round for the second (and last) time in Winnipeg NHL history.
From there, Berthiaume began a tour of the NHL; he was traded twice in 1990, first to the North Stars and then to the Kings. He spent a few years backing up Kelly Hrudey in Los Angeles before being dealt to Boston, where he had a falling out with the team during the 1992 playoffs. He was later traded back to Winnipeg, but never earned a roster spot, and by the start of the 1992-93 season he was plying his trade in Europe.
But the expansion Senators came calling, and Berthiaume signed with Ottawa to back up Peter Sidorkiewicz. He wasn't very good, winning just two of 25 games, but nobody on that year's Senators was. Here's a fun clip of Berthiaume trying to pretend he's not miserable in Ottawa. Berthiaume closed out his career with one of the sadder season stat lines in NHL history. In 1993-94, he appeared in one game, played exactly thirty-nine seconds, faced two shots and allowed two goals.
That made him the only goalie since the save stat's been recorded to give up goals in a season in which he never stopped a single puck. Even in the high-flying early 90s, a save percentage of ".000" was considered bad, and Berthiaume's NHL days were done.
He'd kick around the minor leagues (as well as some professional roller hockey) for another decade before hanging up the skates in 2005. He was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame last year.
The NHL fans actually got something (kind of) right
As part of their 100-year anniversary celebration, the NHL unveiled a fan vote to determine the all-time 10 greatest teams. And everyone immediately went "Oh no, this will be terrible."
After all, the league made a minor mess of its Top 100 players list, and that was an unranked list put together by experts. This was a ranked list, and it would be determined by fan vote. If the last year has taught us anything, it's that nobody should ever be trusted to vote for anything. And that's especially true for hockey fans, who'd no doubt cast their ballots for the 2015 Blackhawks or 2016 Penguins or a write-in vote for "Whoever just beat the Leafs, lol they suck".
This week, the final list was unveiled, and the winner is: the 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers. That's… well that's not terrible, is it? You can defend that pick. That team had 109 points, scored over 400 goals and lost just three games in the playoffs, never facing elimination. It was the Gretzky/Messier/Kurri/Coffey core at the height of its powers.
It's not a perfect pick — you could make a case for one of the late-70s Canadiens teams or maybe one of Al Arbour's Islanders Cup winners, and the 84-85 team might not even have been the best Oilers teams of the era (it was the only one between 1984 and 1987 that didn't finish first overall). But still, it's not a cringeworthy pick. As far as fan voting goes, that's progress.
So let's focus on the positive and take our wins where we can get them. And let's definitely not look at the rest of the list, which is like half Oilers teams and ranked an 87-point team as the second greatest ever. They got the winner reasonably close to right. We'll take it.
Classic YouTube clip breakdown
Win their win last night, the Penguins are now just one win away from a championship. That means the Stanley Cup will be in the building on Sunday night in Nashville. And that means Gary Bettman will also be in the building, ready to do his annual awkward Cu handoff while being booed.
A few years ago, I celebrated Bettman's 20th anniversary on the job by ranking every one of his handoffs so far. Today, let's take a look back at the handoff that ranked number one on that list, and remains to this day the most awkward Bettman Cup moment of all-time.
It's June 19, 2006 and the Carolina Hurricanes have just defeated the Oilers in game seven to capture the Stanley Cup on home ice. The crowd is roaring, friends and family have poured onto the ice, and emotions are running high. Who wants to hear a corporate executive deliver a rambling speech?
We actually start off with Cam Ward being interviewed by Ron MacLean. Ward's just been named the Conn Smythe winner, but he informs us that the honor is "completely irrelevant". He then adds "Unless I'm mediocre at best for the next ten years but keep getting huge contracts, in which case I guess it will turn out to be pretty relevant after all".
As Ward talks, we get a shot of Rod Brind'Amour talking to somebody, who starts laughing. Presumably, Brind'Amour has just told him what he's about to do.
The Cup is ready to make its way to the ice, so Ward has to get back to his teammates. Sadly, MacLean does not end the interview by poking him in the tummy.
And here comes the Stanley Cup, carried as always by its two longtime keepers: Phil Pritchard, and the other guy who apparently doesn't have a PR agent and almost definitely secretly hates Phil Pritchard.
Something to note: With this being the year after the lockout, the NHL broke with tradition and didn't introduce Bettman or have him announce the Conn Smythe. Instead, they introduce the Cup, and then Bettman slips in while everyone's cheering. Whoever it was at the NHL office who came up with this plan was immediately fired for making a good decision.
I think having an ominous thunder and lightning sound effect right as Bettman begins speaking is a little on-the-nose there, guys.
Oh good, it's the legendary "Peter Karmanos had a dream" speech we all learned about in grade school.
At this point, Brind'Amour has had enough and decides to just skate over and interrupt Bettman, because Rod Brind'Amour IS A FREAKING HERO. But Bettman hilariously shoes him away, admonishing him with an annoyed "I'm almost done" into a live microphone. This causes Brind'Amour to have to stand there awkwardly, and causes me to laugh so hard my lungs hurt every single time I see it.
That face where you're ready to go but your partner wants to talk for a while first.
Brind'Amour gets bored and decides to start randomly pointing. Bettman speeds through his last few mentions, and gets ready for his very favorite moment of the year: The handoff. Seriously, Bettman lives for this. He knows fans hate it and wish he'd give the job to someone else, but he doesn't care. Once a year, he gets to pick up the Stanley Cup and hand it over to the winning captain. And he always milks the moment for all its worth, mugging for photos and refusing to let the Cup go for as long as humanly possible. I honestly think this moment might be the only joy Bettman gets out of his job. He lives for it.
NOT THIS YEAR GARY.
In a moment that should absolutely have resulted in his instant induction into the Hall of Fame, Brind'Amour grabs the Cup off the table before Bettman can get to it. You can tell that Bettman realizes what's happening, but speeding through his speech has thrown him off and now he's caught still holding the microphone in his trophy-grabbing hand. It's a small delay, but it's all Brind'Amour needs, and he just straight up jacks the Cup before Bettman can do anything.
This may be the greatest moment in Stanley Cup history. They should have the kids in that bank commercial act it out for the next chapter.
Also, Brind'Amour proceeds to kiss the Cup on the neck instead of the main body, which always seemed weird but that sentence is already making me feel uncomfortable so let's just move on.
The rest of this clip is just the Hurricanes skating around the ice with the Cup, occasionally pausing to step over a sobbing Fernando Pisani or the remnants of Dwayne Roloson's knee ligament. Glen Wesley gets the OGWAC first handoff honors, Ray Whitney swears on live TV, and the whole thing is one long exercise in going "Wait, that was the 2005-06 Hurricanes roster? They really won a Cup with those guys?" I don't recommend any of it.
As an epilogue, I highly recommend watching Bettman's handoff with Scott Niedermayer one year later. Niedermayer tries the Brind'Amour yank move, but this time Bettman is ready for him and holds on. You know he worked on that all year long. Defending Cup yanks is basically Bettman's version of having to shake hands with Donald Trump.
Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at [email protected] .
DGB Grab Bag: Predator Fans, Fan Voting, and Bettman Handoffs published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv
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