#edit edit edit: can? he? stop? being? so? grrr | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bangbaby · 2 years

Text

##SKZ-CODE ( EP.08 ) !

FORMAT: dot point fic

PAIRING/S: lucy and the boys ( skz )

GENRE: idol, fluff, humour

WORD COUNT: 2.9k

WARNINGS: swearing, implied romance, lots o’ dialogue

NOTE: in context, italics are for speaking in korean and bold italics are for speaking in english.

lucy is a horror fanatic and the boys are not.

— a summary

edit by kiki !

##SHOOKERY NIGHT !

it’s important to preface that lucy enjoys getting frightened— she’s not someone who doesn’t at all blink at a jumpscare, rather that she actively likes the adrenaline she gets from it.

lucy is obsessed with historical horror and especially loves when it’s tied with humour because she likes shining light on dark situations (check out unsolved and watcher if you haven’t already)

that being said— she, han and minho were probably the only members that were excited at the prospect of a haunted house/school shoot.

lucy loves rainy nights but she should’ve suspected something was up when they were scheduled to film at such a weird/dark time.

on the way there, lucy shares a carpool with the hyung line. lucy and minho take an airpod each as they wholesomely sit side by side to listen to a spooky podcast.

they arrive at an old, creepy school that sends shivers down her spine; not because she’s bothered, but rather that it’s kinda cold (grrr, she’s been styled in a singlet) and there’s no heater. she should be fine once she starts moving though.

lucy gets handed a weird mess of skipping ropes, and the kids giggle because it might be a reference to her innate skipping rope talent. but she’s told it’s to decide teams and that whoever has has the special rope with the sticker (inside its handle) gets three members (which they realise is probably a bonus because lucy’s one of the least cowardly)!

cue lucy humming the squid game theme as the kids start picking the ropes and numbers they want. chan is definitely not trying to sneak a look at all of the ropes to see which one’s got the hidden sticker…

before the boys choose their numbers and confidently rip out their ropes (breaking them without fail), changbin and hyunjin ask whether they can refuse to choose or go alone (if they can’t go with lucy). to which the girl replies, i’ll just go alone then! and everyone ABSOLUTELY objects.

because all of the ropes were disconnected (except han and jeongin’s), they play rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets which member— felix is the first to win, but he picks minho because he knows he won’t hear the end of it from chan if he picks lucy.

changbin and chan lose the last round meaning they get lucy! hyunjin is a little angy he isn’t with his twin, but everyone knows getting stuck with seungmin and lucy would just be utter chaos (he might be the only other member who can handle them though).

they’re also not sure if it’d be any different to being in a group with chan and lucy. changbin knows this and very much expresses it on his face when the two adorably cuddle up to him. he’s happy about lucy, but he knows chan is a scaredy cat and is totally gonna use it for his personal gain.

sexy concept miroh dance! WHEN THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT BUTTS THEY MEAN CHANGBIN AND CHAN OKAY! lucy is laughing wholeheartedly at her lack in COMPARISON! chan is also not at all salty at changbin getting to piggyback lucy…

lucy hyping han and jeongin (the red lights duo) with her eyes half-closed: because they’re her children! but also that she can’t stop laughing at their silly interpretation.

and it’s all fun and games until THEY TRAP THE KIDS IN A ROOM AND TURN OFF THE LIGHTS.

immediate screeching: (in this universe, the kids are allowed to swear and get bleeped out in post so) they’re all cursing to high heaven. don’t you fucking do this! who turned the damn lights off? the hell is this?

for fuck’s sake, ever get trapped in a small room with eight grown men screaming at the top of their lungs? yeah, lucy knows it all too well (aha).

the creepy robot voice IS NOT LUCY! no matter how many times you ask, seungmin, the answer’s not going to change!

lucy falls off her chair when minho inevitably blinds her with his fucking apple watch— and gets stuck on the ground with chan who is straight up not having a good time and is clinging onto her for dear life.

she knows the boy has to exaggerate his actions to not seem sus, but she does smirk and roll her eyes at his dorky way of flirting.

when the lights come on, their compromised position is revealed and the kids absolutely shit themselves laughing at lucy’s face— she’s already completely done and nothing’s even happened yet.

kiki note: jeongin, hyunjin and seungmin protectively linking arms is one of the cutest things i’ve ever seen!

when the two finally return to their seats, lucy can’t hide how pumped she actually is. she agrees with han: i really didn’t think we were gonna do something scary!

not changbin wanting to take a cab home and han thinking the door’s actually locked when he’s pulling it the wrong way.

lucy, changbin and chan are to retrieve a puzzle from the science room upstairs: don’t stay alone and don’t look back!

*cue lucy and lee know turning to look behind them in perfect sync*

and as the three are told they have to be tied together, only then do they realise how fucked they are (lee know is cackling).

lucy: wait, i have to be tied to these two? i’m so screwed.

the other members happily witness the trio argue about who’s going where/in which order—

changbin: i’m not going in the middle, because i’ll be dragging you two behind me!

lucy: idiot, regardless of order— i’ll be dragging the both of you!

chan piping in with, i don’t wanna be at the front or the back!

lucy: okay, sorted! changbin, you’re leading!

changbin: WHAT, WHY? I DON’T WANT TO BE FIRST!

lucy: BUT do you really wanna face whatever’s gonna be behind us?

changbin quickly processes her point and prods a finger into chan’s chest: you lucky son of a bitch.

their debate also ignites the remaining kids to converse—

felix to lee know: you’re gonna make fun of me!

lucy: if he does, i won’t pay for his food tonight!

lee know: as long as you don't yell in my face,

hyunjin: wait, are we seriously doing this?

jeongin: i don’t wanna do this!

changbin: this is gonna suck! he’s (chan) such a coward! i don’t wanna go with him!

han: hey, don’t complain! you have lucy-noona!

lee know: you assholes (directed at the staff/jumpscares) might have my phone but i have an apple watch! don’t fuck with me!

jeongin in agreement: yup, if you remotely scare me, i swear to god i’ll press the SOS button!

han: and while you do that i’ll be singing exo’s the eve— so there’s absolutely no way you’re gonna screw us over!

felix: god, i’m even more scared now. i wanted to go to the bathroom before but not anymore,

lucy: wait, what? don’t piss here!

felix: i’m not pissing here! i meant my bladder is blocked by FEAR now!

hyunjin: he means shit!

chan: oh my god, why are we going first?

lucy: you know they usually save the least fucked for first,

hyunjin: facts, whoever’s left in here is screwed!

finally, the group of three make their way out (but are immediately followed by the sound of their own screaming and the members running to the door to catch a glimpse of what’s happening). lucy’s also holding the selfie cam, so you know it’s just filled with footage of her getting startled by the boys and looking straight into the lens like she’s in the office.

lucy won’t lie, the long corridor is creepy as hell and she knows if she squinted hard enough— she’d probably see something or someone at the end of it.

changbin: the fuck? noona, what the hell is that?

chan and lucy: what? (chan is holding onto lucy’s hand in the dark whilst frozen in fear— she can tell he’s actually a little bothered and rubs his hand with her thumb to soothe him)

the fucking zombie guard roaming the corridor ahead: lucy almost wants to laugh, but she’s not gonna lie, he looks pretty good.

lucy: chan! come on, i’m stuck on the stairs!

as the guard approaches them and changbin is the most vulnerable, he begins screeching without any honorifics at his older siblings (99’, 98’ and 97’ respectively).

BANG CHAN! KANG SOYEON! COME HERE!

lucy: tell your hyung to move his fat ass! CHAN!

chan: nopenopenope, this isn’t right!

as the guard persistently moves toward the trio, chan is nudging lucy back down the stairs whilst dragging changbin’s poor ass behind him back to the brightly-lit classroom with the rest of the kids.

absolutely the fuck not! chan and changbin exclaim to the rest of the kids as lucy tries her best to keep in her laughter by exaggerating her breathing.

chan, endearingly: can we just stay here?

lee know: oh, just hurry it up!

chan: no, seriously— it’s bad— (lucy shaking her head behind him to comfort the other members who are getting scared)

*cue seungmin and hyunjin walking back in and absolutely scaring the shit out of the three from behind, except they’re also just as shocked* (LUCY IS 100% RAISING A FIST AT SEUNGMIN AND IS ABSOLUTELY READY TO THROW HANDS)

lee know, startled by their reactions: the hell is with you guys?

lucy: okay, we just need to bite the bullet and go!

chan whines, but the group head back up the stairs.

chan: wait, they said not to look back— why do you think they said that?

lucy: to scare us? i bet they won’t do anything—

but just to be sure, chan arranges their positions so he’s back to back with lucy and changbin is leading the two of them forward.

lucy: ah, this is lame!

chan: you mean genius!

changbin: move faster you two! let’s go!

lucy: i can’t move if you two don’t!

changbin: wait, where’s the science lab? this way?

honestly, lucy’s just really hoping the boy behind her doesn’t pass out— she can seriously feel how hard he’s breathing, as well as how tense his shoulders are getting.

chan: please go easy on me, i’m sorry—

changbin: agh, seriously! what are you so scared of? you worked out! why’d you work out if you knew you weren’t gonna clock these assholes?

lucy hissing at changbin to shut up before cooing at chan: hey, you’re okay, keep looking forward! just please don’t break my arms—

chan covering his ears and bursting out into song as soon as he sees more scary figures at the end of the corridor actually startles lucy, causing her to nudge him with her hip— christopher! i’m sorry! i love you!

not chan also apologising and confessing his love to the guard to eliminate the sus from his previous words (the man isn’t exhausted from fear but from almost exposing himself to the entire world).

note: the noodles felix take out of the cupboard is none another than food from lucy’s snack stash. she probably won’t make it with those two anyway!

and he’s right, because as soon as changbin triggers the blanks/firecrackers for the first time— lucy’s pretty much gone deaf.

changbin and lucy scream in response to the noise as chan continues talking nonsensically to himself to ignore them.

chan: nah, can’t hear it! can’t hear you!

changbin: what the fuck! i’m seriously gonna go ape shit on you guys (the staff), i’m not joking!

lucy: whoever put those there, fuck you!

NOT THEM STOPPING TO SANITISE MID SHITTING THEIR PANTS—

lucy: ooh, is that hand sanitiser?

changbin: oh wait, let’s sanitise our hands,

chan: the security guard— oh yeah, sure.

lucy being unable to hold in her laughter as changbin asks whether the zombie guard has sanitised his hands (and the actor shaking their head no). that’s the scariest part of all!

before chan can actually step on any of the firecrackers, lucy makes an effort of batting them away with her foot or pulling him toward her because he knows his ears are super sensitive— hey, this is cruel (lucy directing her disapproval at the staff)!

despite the three of them having the shortest attention spans EVER, they scan the room successfully even whilst linked together.

chan: okay, science— science is very good!

lucy: is the puzzle in the gacha machine?

as lucy abandons her post for a second, the zombie guard gets a chance to scare them from behind— lucy raises a fist in retaliation but it never actually lands. she apologises profusely as changbin screeches at the guard not to scare his noona unless they want PAIN! but the guard drops them the hint that they need to look at the gacha machine.

changbin: but there’s chicken here!

lucy and chan: oh, really? can we eat it?

changbin is about to eat a piece when lucy stops him and points at the frozen body on the other table: wait, wait, it might be his chicken. sir, can we please have some of your chicken?

changbin: it’s a fake body, noona.

lucy: i don’t think it is—

chan at the zombie guard walking away: please don’t close the door! and… you’ve closed the door.

oh, dear. lucy begins bracing herself for when the body inevitably moves and they have nowhere to run.

whilst the boys attempt to figure out how to work the machine, lucy searches the area closest to them for more money.

lucy: 500 won for a bug? a little stingy, don’t you think?

changbin: wait, are we supposed to pay for every single one of these capsules?

MEANWHILE, the kids in the other room are telling scary stories: lee know explains how lucy’s recently gotten him into crime podcasts and helps translate those in english. the kids reenact classic campfire tales for felix who’s never heard them before. they don’t forget to debate about which between ghosts and zombies are scarier (lucy would pick ghosts because she doesn’t believe in them: kiki does though).

not chan complimenting the mummy actor lying on the table— your job must be very hard!

lucy: well, he gets paid to scare the shit out of us, so it can’t be that bad.

changbin: i’m telling you it’s fake,

and of course, as soon as he makes that comment, the body jolts up and incites a scream from all three of them. FUCK!

chan: i hope all of our members go through this, seriously—

lucy: except felix, the baby would faint.

the three quickly get frustrated at the machine, with chan asking whether or not it’s a red herring and the real puzzle is something to do with eating the chicken: it does smell delicious…

sooner or later, the guard comes back with the keys to unlock the machine: leave it on the table please! thank you! (the trio’s manners are just the cutest)

changbin: maybe the security guard is a nice guy! but you know, it reminds me of this movie. did you guys see—?

lucy: nope.

chan: never heard of it,

changbin: the security guard was the evil one in it, and kills everybody with an axe.

lucy: i see, so you’re saying our security guard’s gonna kill us with an axe—

changbin: no, but—

chan who’s diligently trying to figure out how to open the gacha machine: could you two stop talking?

lucy: oh, the keyhole’s at the top.

chan: could you have said that any earlier?

changbin: well, we were having a conversation about the security guard… anyway, why’d they give us the coins if we weren’t gonna get anything?

chan: there’s probably more, but since we’re doing so poorly—

lucy: the guard got frustrated and gave us the hint.

changbin: ah, okay,

chan: we're sorry (directed at the guard). thankfully, we’re not afraid of bugs.

changbin: i am,

chan (gesturing at lucy and himself): we aren’t.

changbin: but these are toys anyway.

chan: unless one of them’s real.

lucy: why would you say that?

changbin: that’s just cruel.

when they finally find the key and unlock the box that contains a puzzle piece, chan doesn’t forget to grab the chicken for the kids.

and by that he means handing the plate to changbin (because lucy’s still got the camera) so he can cover his ears.

changbin: hello and goodbye, mr. security guard! we succeeded thanks to you!

when they get back to the classroom, the trio look and act perfectly confident: though chan is a little pale in the lips.

lucy: guys, it wasn’t scary at all!

chan: it was nothing! and look, we brought chicken.

changbin: well, it was a little scary— but you guys should go upstairs and see for yourselves.

cut to the kids talking about whether ghosts are real or hallucinations: hyunjin retells his experience of the figure that entered his body whilst he was sick (the members visibly taking NONE OF HIS SHIT).

lucy may not believe in ghosts, but she despises sleep paralysis and has had her fair share of terrifying nightmares.

lucy can't even make fun of seungmin because the boy has his ears blocked (lucy wouldn't scare him further though, she'd just tease him about something completely different to calm him down and convince him it's not real).

it’s lee know and felix’s turn now: lucy and the rest of the kids spend the remainder of the episode trying to persuade the chick it’s not that bad (and bullying minho to take it easy on him)!

felix: i’m really bad with this stuff! can’t we all just go together?

seungmin: at least you’re not completely alone!

hyunjin: and if yongbok faints, lee know hyung can carry him!

as the duo head off, the trio are sent into another room where they can watch everything take place.

lucy: lix couldn’t even watch IT with me. (directed at staff) you can’t scare him too much!

^ I WROTE THIS BEFORE EP.09 WAS RELEASED AND IT JUST HAPPENED TO WORK OUT— follow me for more GENIUS moments, aha

[ nav ] [ masterlist ] [ skz ] [ itzy ] ©bangbaby

#skz code #skitzy #dot point fic #stray kids fic #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #stray kids 9th member #stray kids female oc #female oc #idol member #kpop added member #kpop addition #kpop #KAL1 #kiki kreates #yt lucy #variety lucy

65 notes · View notes

walpurga-nacht-academy · 3 years

Photo

Djinn’s Bride! ~A Celebration of Love~

Part 7

[Walpurga Nacht Academy]

[Djinn’s Lamp]

Djinn: EEEEEEEEEH!

June: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

Blanche: Hi-Himalia-senpai’s snapped!

Marcia: WOOOOOOO! GO FOR IT SENPAI! TEACH HIM A LESSON!

Djinn: HEY! HEY! HEY! PU-PUT THAT THING DOWN! IT’S AN ANTIQUE!

June: HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

Diana: … That table.

Rosa: I-IT’S MARBLE, ISN’T IT?! IT’S DEFINITELY MARBLE! AND IT’S MASSIVE TOO SO IT’S GOTTA BE HEAVY! AND SHE’S PICKING IT LIKE IT DOESN’T WEIGH A THING! IT’S SCARY! IT’S SERIOUSLY SCARY!

Blanche: Gi-Giants were said to be able to shatter mountains with just a kick… Still for a human, this is something else… But…

Rosa: Eh? Bu-But?!

June: HAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Djinn: STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!

[CRASH]

[SMASH]

Rosa: IT-IT PASSED RIGHT THROUGH HIM!

Diana: … As expected.

Rosa: ‘AS EXPECTED’?! WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!

Blanche: Djinn are creatures made of smoke and held together by magic. The fact that objects can pass right through them should be obvious.

Marcia: Cheating! That’s just straight up cheating! Booooooo!

June: … Tsk.

Djinn: AAAAAAAAH! NOW YOU’VE DONE IT! YOU’VE SERIOUSLY DONE IT! MY PRECIOUS COLLECTION!

Cass: Pre-Precious…

Blanche: … collection?

Rosa: Huh? You mean those gaudy figures you have displayed on that shelf?

Djinn: THEY’RE NOT GAUDY! THEY’RE COLLECTOR’S ITEMS! EACH IS WORTH MORE THAN YOUR MISERABLE LIVES WOULD FETCH ON THE SLAVE MARKET!

Rosa: EEEEEH?!

Djinn: AAAAAAAH! THEY’RE ALL SMASHED! MY FRIENDS!

Marcia: … ‘My friends’... I’m kinda feeling sorry for this guy again…

Rosa: I know what you mean…

June: FUCK ‘HAT!

Rosa: YOU’RE STILL GOING?! EVEN AFTER WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! YOU’RE STILL GOING THROUGH WITH IT?!

June: SHUT IT!!

Blanche: Se-Senpai!! Even if you swing with all you’ve got, it still won’t make a difference! His body-

June: Yeah, yeah! I ‘eard all ‘hat smoke crap y’all were talkin’ ‘bout! If ‘hat the case, ‘hen [OVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER-]

[CRACKLING]

Marcia: HEY, HEY, HEY! ARE YOU REALLY GONNA USE YOUR UNIQUE MAGIC IN SUCH A CRAMPED SPACE?! WE’RE IN CLOSE QUARTERS, YOU KNOW?!

Rosa: AAAAAAH! WE’RE GONNA GET BURNT TO A CRISP!

Cass: Mi-Mi-Miss Himalia!!

Vita: Fufu~

June: [-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG-]

Djinn: [TIME’S UP!]

[CLICK]

June: !!!

Rosa: EEEEH?! WH-WH-WH-WHA-

Marcia: WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!

Cass: Mi-Mi-Miss Himalia!!

Agatha: Ehehehehehehehe… the… big… chowder… got… trapped…

Vita: My~ What a delightful sight~

[BANG, BANG]

Blanche: It’s an hourglass… Is that one of his abilities? But that means…

Djinn: Alright!!

All: !!!

Djinn: Now I’m seriously pissed!! Those things cost a fortune! Not to mention the marble table! And the fact that ever since you’ve come here you’ve done nothing but insult me! You are all incredibly rude guests!!

Marcia: It’s not like we wanna be guests in the first place!! If you can’t stand us that much, then just evict us!

Rosa: That’s right! That’s right!

Djinn: Didn’t you hear me, girlie?! I said my master is to stay here and become my wife! None of you are leaving until that happens! I’m not playing around anymore!

Rosa: Grrr! Marcia!! Stop dragging your feet and just do it already so we can go home!!

Marcia: Haaaaaa?! Are you stupid?! Are you seriously that stupid?! I’m not doing it! I said it already, didn’t I?! I’m not going through with this plan! Besides, I don’t even understand why I should stay when Himalia-senpai is already in that hourglass over there?!

Eh… actually…

Rosa: Wh-What’s with that weird expression? Like you’re just realizing something…

Blanche: … I have a bad feeling about this.

Diana: Mm.

Marcia: That’s right!! I don’t have to stay!! Djinn!

Djinn: … Seriously… these were limited editions too… Hm? What now girlie? Are you finally ready to just go along with it?

Marcia: There’s no need for that! Not when you have the perfect bride right there!

Djinn: Hm? What do you mean?

Marcia: Hahaha! Come on! Don’t play coy! Just look at Himalia-senpai! Doesn’t she have a nice face and long eyelashes? Even though she works all day, her hair still looks nicely taken care of! And she’s got that busty figure too! Won’t she make for a perfect wife instead of scrawny, boyish, old me? Hm?

Djinn: … Hm.

Marcia: See, see~ It’s not rocket science! So let’s just forget about this whole marriage business! It never would have worked out between us. You know that! But with Himalia-senpai, I’m sure you’re gonna have tons of excitement! So, how about we give her to you, and you just let us-

Cass: N-NO!

Marcia: E-Eh! Ca-Cassandra! Was that you shouting?

Cass: Mi-Miss Pyroeis! We can’t d-do that! I refuse to leave Miss Himalia behind! It’s i-inhumane!

Rosa: A-Amazing, I think it’s the first time I’ve seen Cassandra so adamant about something…

Diana: The bond between them is strong.

Marcia: I-I get it! But isn’t it inhumane to make me marry that guy also?!

Rosa: You sure use morality when it’s convenient for you…

Marcia: Haaaa?! Don’t think I’ve forgotten that you wanted to sell me out too!! Actually! We should throw you in the bargain too!

Rosa: You monster!! If anyone should be thrown in is you and Dies-senpai!! You’re the cause of all of this!!

Marcia: Ok! Ok! I’ll admit that I might be a little at fault here!

Rosa: Just ‘a little’-

Marcia: But what about Blanche?!

Blanche: Excuse me?

Marcia: You’re the one who brought up the artifact in the first place, weren’t you?!

Rosa: That’s right!! If you haven’t brought up the issue of the lamp then stupid Marcia wouldn’t have shown it to us!!

Marcia: Yeah!! The stupid me wouldn’t have brought it out and then senpai wouldn’t have gotten her grubby hands on it!! So it all comes down to it being your fault!

Blanche: !!! That-!

Rosa: Repent! Repent, you monster!

Marcia: Mistakes should be paid in full!! So that means you’re the one who has to stay behind!!

Blanche: A-Absolutely not! I refuse to be punished for following the rules of-

Marcia: Like I care about that!! You’re gonna take the fall whether you like it or not!!

Rosa: That’s right!! That’s right!!

Agatha: The… hopping… chowder… should… take… the… amoeba… with… her… eheheheheheheheheheh

Rosa: GRRRRR! You’re still going on about that?! Maybe we should throw you in as well!!

Vita: Now, you are simply talking out of turn, little rose~

Agatha: Stupid… amoeba… wants… her… head… bitten… off… I… bet…

Marcia: As far as I’m concerned all of you should be thrown in!

Rosa: Right back at you!

Agatha: Annoying… lot…

Vita: So much excitement~

Blanche: Keep calm all of you!!

Rosa/Marcia: SHUT IT!!

Cass: Th-Th-Th-Th-This is-!!

Diana: They’ve turned on each other.

Cass: Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What should we do? If we don’t act now, then-

Djinn: … You guys.

Cass: Eeeek!

Diana: …

Djinn: Is it possible?

Cass: U-U-Um?

Djinn: Are you all fighting over who gets to stay in the lamp with me?!

Diana: …

Djinn: Maaaaaan! I’m so honoured! After all the nasty things you’ve said and done, you do really want to stay here, don’t you? Hahahaha, you should be more honest with this type of thing, you know!

Cass: U-U-U-U-Um…

Rosa/Marcia: STOP LIVING IN YOUR DELUSIONS!! YOU IDIOOOOOOOOOOOT!!

Blanche: … This is a disaster…

Vita: Fufu~

Djinn: Hmmmm~ But picking just one is really hard… What should I do? What should I do? Mmmmm~ This is choice is really difficult~

Agatha: He’s… saying… that… but…

Vita: He is certainly enjoying himself~ My, though I must admit all this excitement does conjure up fond memories of my own marriage arrangements~ Fufu~

Rosa: Eh? Your own- Does that mean?!

Djinn: Marriage arrangements… Hm… an omiai, huh? Then… hm…

Marcia: He-Hey, he’s muttering to himself with that serious expression… Sh-Should we be worried?

Djinn: An omiai meeting… WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA!!

Blanche: … I have a bad feeling about this…

Diana: Mm.

[RUMBLE]

Rosa: THE FLOOR IS MO-MOVING!

Marcia: EEEEEH!! IT’S SPLITTING APART!

[RUMBLE]

Cass: EEEEEEH!!

Diana: …

[RUMBLE]

Marcia: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH- Eh? It stopped? Why did- GEH! WHAT’S WITH THIS SET UP?!

Blanche: … It’s a panel show studio.

Djinn: THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT’S RIGHT BUNNY GIRL! Since it’s the fated union between two extraordinary souls, I’m sparring no expenses~ We’re gonna have a quiz that will go down IN HISTORY! I’m bursting with excitement!

Rosa: Quiz?! What quiz?! Hey, hey, what’s going on here?!

Djinn: Hmmm, you’re kinda dumb, fluffy hair. Gonna have to deduct points for that.

Rosa: HA?!

Djinn: But since I’m such a nice guy, I’ll explain it to you! See, what the busty vixen said got me thinking: if I have to be stuck with one of you for the rest of eternity I should pick the one that annoys me the least! It only makes sense to go about it this way, right?!

Blanche: I… I suppose so, but still…

Marcia: WHAT’S WITH THIS PANEL SHOW SET UP, HUH?!

Djinn: Oh, this? I just thought it would be way more interesting like this! Add a little spice, you know?

Rosa/Marcia: GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!

Djinn: SO! LET- US- START- THE- QUIZ- OF- A- LIFE- TIIIIIIIIIIIIME~

back | next

#walpurga nacht academy #twist #twisted wonderland #twist oc #twisute oc #twisute #twisted wonderland oc #twisted wonderland fanschool #djinn's bride #djinn's bride event #rosalia morgainne #blanche dion #june himalia #cassandra delphinne #marcia pyroeis #diana arrow #agatha voisin #vita dies

6 notes · View notes

1waizumihajime · 3 years

Text

hey~ so awhile ago i made a uquiz that asked for some unpopular a3! opinions. here is the verdict (note: responses have only been edited for spelling, and if a response mentioned members of multiple troupes they are repeated in each section) enjoy!:

tsuzuru should become a professional gay drama fanfic writer based off the mankai company

Chikage is a cool character but if he doesn't get over his mom trauma and keeps treating women bad its gonna be a problem. Like outside of kidnapping izumi as a sabotage for the company he treated her so bad bc she's a woman and he was like "oh I realize ur not like other girls" I hate it here

Sakuya is underappreciated and deserves some more heart to heart talks.

Citron and Izumi would make a fantastic couple!!

TsuzuMizu is one of the world’s greatest love stories. The Y E A R N I N G

I think that. Chikage :)

I don’t like Masumi

why does everyone like chikage and itaru i dont understand

masumi pls stop deep breathin

Tsuzuru’s deadlines were only for the first 4 plays of the company and the fact that no one says this to him or try’s to help him with his sleep and work means they’re perfectly fine with him ruining his health if they get what they want from him (a good script) in this essay I will

if they don't release the sprites of itaru and banri's older sisters i have no choice but to assume they're hot af and also sapphic

Izumi needs to place a restraining order on Masumi

Muku has bigger duality than Itaru

Masumi is creepy

Itarun is baby

citron is a walking racist stereotype and thats why i dont like a3 :)

itaru is too good looking for his own good, love that for him

sakuya deserves the world but that's not an opinion it's just a fact

I- u. H m— u h— ...... so like- Taichi Banri and Tenma hanging out being friends. Y e s—

muku nonbinary

Yuki is a cishet, and saying he isn't when it's stated he is, and gets bullied for not being cishet makes me feel wrong

a3! writers: we addressed kazu's problems me: you didn't address shit a3! writers: we've addressed them

misumi deserves the world

Yuki is Ace and no it’s a fact people refuse to acknowledge

maybe we should talk more about how kazunari never got his conclusion and still has issues being himself but im just sayin

i don't think is actually unpopular but a3 im begging you. please stop type-casting characters and let characters other than yuki play female characters hdjkhfjkhfjs khjksh ok thanks

Misumi x Tenma is NOT valid (Sorry not sorry)

idk if this is unpopular but i wish misumi’s character was more fleshed out...his whole life can’t be 1.) triangle and 2.) parental neglect ToT

Muku has bigger duality than Itaru

cmon we could have a little izumi/banri's older sister. just for fun and banri's mild suffering

Juza is overrated

I- u. H m— u h— ...... so like- Taichi Banri and Tenma hanging out being friends. Y e s—

if they don't release the sprites of itaru and banri's older sisters i have no choice but to assume they're hot af and also sapphic

i actually don't see the appeal in SakyoIzu. idk, Izumi can do better than that

banri depressed :( thats why he angy

juza and omi superior ship

banri has good fashion taste fite me

taichi is a top tier boy <3

Taiyuki supremacy

jtszbn :]

taichi and juza good ship why does no one ship GRRR i angery

juza is way more interesting than people give him credit for! him just casually offering to cross dress...i love him. also he definitely wears eyeliner

idk man but taichi is severely underappreciated

Juza and banri are both subs but banri is a brat and makes juza top. Juza's mom has beaten god behind a 711

Nachi is best boy

Azumi needs to Stop

Uhhhh the puppy characters aren't actually that cute and Taichi is very annoying on the surface before taking into account his backstory. The characters who have passions and interests outside of just being good to you, the player, are much cuter imo

it's not an unpopular opinion, i'm literally just in love with omi

Homare’s definitely gay, I can feel it

azuma... asexual.. thank u for coming 2 my ted talk

Tasuku is a himbo. He's buff, he's stupid, and contrary to popular belief he is NOT mean, yall are just sensitive. I will die mad about this

Tasuku is a himbo. No I will not budge on this. After he stops being an asshole he BECOMES a himbo and if liber would just SHOW him being the himbo he was meant to be then I'd be able to rest in peace

Hisoka is a really good flirt

U h Hisoka is so fuvkimg short i swear to fucking god he needs to drink more fucking milk-

Beyond the Wall is not that good.

guy deserves more thirsty hoes why does he have so few give guy thirsty hoe stans

homare rights

Homare world domination

hisoka unhinge

Azuma is genderfluid.

Tsumugi and his "grandma" vibe ;)))

Homare mermaid play. We need it

Azuma deserves a hug so does Homare actually all of Winter Troupe deserves a hug

Cybird pls let me date izumi I would like to give her a kiss pls

They’re all gay

Gay

I'm gay

i’m conflicted about izumi bc on the one hand i like fleshed out female leads but on the other hand because i’m so different from her i find it hard to relate to the game sometimes

the anime is still not perfect but I like it for what it is

um i dont hate this particularly, but it annoys me how everyone ships the lead and co-lead (saku&masu, tenyuki, juban) because they have a good dynamic, like ??? yeah lol and?? but its harmless and stuff so in chill w it. only exception is tasuku and tsumu because they do have chemistry!! absolutely hinted at

#a3!#a3! actor training game #a3! act! addict! actors!#note: a lot of people said gay so i reduced it to those three variations lmfao #the person who said jza is overrated is my enemy btw #also several ppl just left me cute messages TTTT i love y'all #if i get more responses i might make a part two of this but i think this quiz has crested a bit

15 notes · View notes

hyulix · 5 years

Text

stray kids as your boyfriend

( i edited the pictures of hyunjin, han, felix, seungmin and jeongin with female idols so pls don't use them it took me a lot of time !! )

so sweet to you — he's literally an angel with you

all he wants is to see you smile often because he thinks it's the cutest smile and just wants you to be happy when you're with him

he likes to eat with you. he sometimes feeds you so you taste his food and you do the same

asks for kisses while pointing at his cheek "babe, kiss ?"

loves holding your hand while his arm is around your neck !!

melts when he sees you in his hoodie

immediately hugs you when he sees you sad or crying ):

likes to touch you in any way, holding hands, wrapping an arm around you, laying his head on you (...)

when you're not feeling okay he notices it quickly and comforts you

always reminds you that he loves you till it gets cheesy

you have to stop him from working when it's very late so he goes to sleep !! he probably falls asleep in your arms

always giggles at your jokes, even if they are bad, he just finds it cute ???

calls you by your nickname or "baby". when the moment is romantic, he calls you "love"

so sweet to you

a big tease. he always teases you, but never about your insecurities !!

has a soft spot for you

he prefers to show you his love for you by small things instead of always telling you that he loves you

loves cuddling you. he never wants to let you go !!

you probably never knew you had small habits, but he noticed them and he loves them

melts when you play with his cats

gets jealous quickly. arguments happen sometimes, but they always end well.

claims that he can kiss u whenever he wants to, but he's so shy after a kiss

he's so clingy !!

when you play a game with your friends, he always wants to be in your team

he'd be cheesy and send long texts when you're not around

pecks on the cheek !! all the time !!

he has the biggest smile when you play with his hair

he really likes to see you smile and be happy he just can't help and calls you cute with a small voice "oh cute ~"

if you have any talent, like painting, drawing or dancing (...) he'd always admire you

has many pictures of u (:

clingy and jealous !!

he wants to be the only one who can hug you tight and burry his face in your neck

you always caught him staring at you, he just finds you so pretty and ethereal ㅡ

probably giggles at everything you do

he likes to tease you and when ur mad he smirks and pulls you into a hug

when he has food he automatically feeds you so you can taste it

loves to see you in his hoodie that is too big for you

probably has a pic of you n kkami as his lockscreen

the playful boyfriend

he's so energetic and so loud grrr

but you're probably the only one who can see him calm, when he's in your arms cuddling you

he kisses you without warning

you'd talk and he stares at you and suddenly gives you a quick peck

loves when you play with his hair or with his fingers

a tease, he loves to make you shy !!

pinches your cheeks

holds you and tells you how much he loves you

melts when you caress his neck and kiss his lips

sends you memes at 1 am

clingy clingy clingy !! he just loves your touch and being in your arms

you sit between his legs when you two play games, n sometimes he gives you pecks on your cheek

loves to go out with u at night to eat ice cream and just play around

i already wrote it, but he's sO clingy

sleepovers !!

he's pretty jealous too

arguments happen sometimes, but you two love each other so much that they don't last long

fights with pillows, and you two end up cuddling without knowing how

the cute weirdo

compliments you randomly, but always with something weird "you're so cute. i want to bite you"

he likes to tease you. he looks like he's gonna feed you, but when you open your mouth, he eats the food and giggles at your reaction

it's okay because he's cute

he loves cuddling, but he doesn't initiate it first !!

he whines when you pinch his cheeks but he actually likes it so don't stop (:

likes to play with your hair

he often finds himself staring at you, admiring each features of your face

at first he'd always giggle at everything you say because he's a bit shy

but when he's comfortable, he teases you so much. he won't let you kiss him till you beg or pushes you when you want a hug (,:

you two fight a lot (for fun), he'd hit you so hard but when you do he screams "IT HURTS !!" and whines

he loves to hug you from behind

follows you like a puppy

likes when you play with his hair and loves to play with yours

he likes when you baby him but he also wants you to see him as a grown man ㅡ let him baby you

#kpop #stray kids imagine #stray kids #stray kids imagines #stray kids reactions #kpop imagines #stray kids scenarios #woojin #bangchan #minho #changbin #hyunjin #hwang hyunjin #jisung #han #felix #seungmin #jeongin

547 notes · View notes

hope-for-olicity · 4 years

Text

Hope for the Holidays 2/?

Happy Holidays Everyone! I’d like to dedicate this story to all those who have taken the time to read my stories - I’m so grateful! I hope you enjoy this AU where Felicity and Oliver meet over the holidays when they find love right next door. Thanks so much to @mel-loves-all for the lovely edit. Also available on AO3.

2. O Christmas Tree

Felicity was finishing up her meeting with Thea, she could not stop her eyes from straying to the door again. She hoped Thea hadn’t noticed, she really thought Oliver would stop by.

“That’s about it. I think we can schedule our next meeting for the New Year. You are coming to the Queen Consolidated Holiday Party, right?” Thea began gathering her computer and coffee cup from the conference table.

“Sorry, Thea. Must have spaced out for a moment. What did you say?” Felicity noticed a twinkle in Thea’s eye almost as if she knew Felicity was thinking about her brother.

“I was just asking if you were coming to our holiday party?” Thea smiled.

“Of course! Caitlin and I are both coming, she will be bringing her husband, Ronnie.” Felicity smiled.

“What about you? You know you can bring a date.” Thea gave her another knowing smile, Felicity was getting a little weirded out by it.

“I know, I’m good on my own. I’d better head back. It was nice to see you, Thea.” Felicity heading out of the Queen Consolidated building surrounded by a little cloud of disappointment. She’d only met him LAST NIGHT but suddenly she needed to see Oliver. Felicity gave herself a little shake as she walked out the revolving door. Talk about too much, too soon, she needed to chill but it wasn’t every night that her own personal hero came to save her…

~~~~~

Oliver was been trapped in a meeting from hell. His father wanted a full update on what was happening in their London offices. It wasn’t that bad a meeting, Oliver knew it only felt that way because he was distracted. He didn’t want to miss Felicity coming to Queen Consolidated.

The moment his father got a call he needed to take Oliver was out the door. He rushed to Thea’s office only to find it empty. He stopped at her assistant’s desk, trying to appear patience as he waited for her to get off the phone. He continued to bounce on the balls of his feet.

“Mr. Queen,” she acknowledged him as she hung up the phone. “Your sister is in a meeting in the boardroom. Did you need her now or would you like me to book you an appointment?”

“No need for an appointment, I’ll find her.” Oliver rushed to the boardroom hoping he was about to see Felicity Smoak.

As he approached he saw Thea meeting with an older man, definitely not Felicity. He felt a crushing disappointment. Thea saw him through the glass windows and motioned for him to come in.

Oliver nodded, entered the boardroom.

“Mr. Kord this is Oliver Queen, my brother. He’s just rejoining our team here in Star City after working in our London offices for the past few years.”

Oliver leaned forward to shake Mr. Kord’s hand.

“Oliver, Mr. Kord runs Kord Industries as I’m sure you remember.” Thea nodded to Mr. Kord. “We are actually working together for the first time thanks to Smoak Technologies. Their CEO Felicity Smoak has created a biostimulant, it’s her patent but she wants to mass-produce it so the average person can afford to walk like she can, that’s what Queen Consolidated and Kord Industries are supporting.”

“Did you just imply that Felicity Smoak uses the biostimulant to walk?” Oliver was too shocked to hide it.

“Yes, she was in a car accident about two years ago, was paralyzed. She worked night and day to create this biostimulant, then convinced her best friend Dr. Caitlin Snow to do the implant. The two work together at Smoak Tech, while they have other projects the biostimulant is their main focus.”

“Wow. I mean, wow...I had no idea. Yes, I knew about the biostimulant but I didn’t know there was a working one inside her, I mean inside her back. I’m even more impressed than I was last night…” Oliver was truly in awe of Felicity Smoak.

“Last night?” Thea gave him a look.

“If you will excuse me, I have a meeting across town in an hour,” Mr. Kord stood. “Ms. Queen, I’m sure Ms. Smoak will be pleased with our progress.” Mr. Kord turned to Oliver. “Nice to see you again.”

As soon as Mr. Kord was out of the room. “Last night, Oliver? Do tell???”

“Come on, Thea, there is nothing to tell. She lives across the hall from me, but I’m sure you already knew that...in fact, I think maybe you planned it.” Oliver tried to give Thea his most intimidating look. It worked on everyone but Thea.

He stared for another moment. When she didn’t cave he decided to cut his losses to find out what he really wanted to know. “Where is Felicity?”

“It’s Felicity, now…no Ms. Smoak?” Thea teased.

“Of course, it’s Ms. Smoak!” Oliver began to feel defensive. “It’s just when she introduced herself last night it was Felicity, so…” Oliver trailed off, knowing he couldn’t win this one.

Thea began to laugh, “I’m sorry, Oliver. I’ll stop teasing. Felicity was already here and gone today. You missed her but if you want I can invite you to our next meeting.”

“Please do.” Oliver nodded, he began walking toward the door.

“About tonight,” Thea began.

“Pizza?” Oliver smiled knowing his sister’s love for junk food.

“Yes, but I was also going to say I didn’t have to decorate your place so if you could pick up a tree, I’ll bring some ornaments. We’ll have a tree trimming party. You have to admit the place needs to be Christmatized?”

“Christmatized?” Oliver laughed. “Okay, I’ll get a tree on the way home.”

~~~~~

Felicity wasn’t taking any chances tonight, she picked up Big Belly Burger on her way home. Tonight she was having a real meal, instead of her usual popcorn and wine. Maybe she was growing as a person?

It was another long day, Caitlin brought them both extra large coffees as promised this morning. She was so jittery, she was worried that Thea was going to say something. Coffee didn’t usually affect her so much. It had to be the coffee, it certainly wasn’t anything else, Oliver hadn’t even shown up.

“Grrr.” Why was she holding on to this ALL DAY?

Caitlin tried extra hard to get her to spill and get over her grumpy but to no avail. Felicity closed herself off in her office running code, trying her damndest to match it to DNA outside her own. What good was this biostimulant if only worked for her? Not that she wasn’t grateful to be walking be everyone else should have that option too!

The day was done now, she was going home, putting her feet up as soon as the elevator arrived. She watched the numbers tick up from the parking garages to open at the lobby for her. As the elevator doors opened, she was shocked by the sight in front of her.

A Christmas tree. Just a tree. It appeared to be on its own. It was the holiday season but generally, trees had owners. Should she get in?

A muffled voice called out, “Can’t hit the open button! If someone is there, maybe I’m talking to no one. The doors are closing soon.”

“Oh!” Felicity exclaimed. There was someone there. “I’m getting in.” She got in the elevator next to the HUGE tree.

She leaned forward to press her floor number and noticed it was already lit. This could only mean one thing. “Oliver, did you get eaten by a Christmas tree?” She began to giggle like a schoolgirl.

“Haha” came the muffled voice behind the tree. “It didn’t look this big on the lot.”

“It’s impressive.” Felicity looked the tree up and down. “I’m kind of impressed you got it in here all by yourself.” She wished she could see Oliver’s reaction to her compliment but he was trapped behind a huge tree. “Sorry, I missed you at Queen’s Consolidated today.” There was something about not being about to see his face that made her bold.

“Felicity Smoak. Nice to see you again...well sort of...I” The muffled voice was cut off by the ding of the elevator as they reached their floor.

“How about I help you get this tree out? Let me go first, I’ll put my bags down in the hall then we can both manoeuvre the tree to your place. Sound like a plan?”

Felicity was pretty sure she heard a “Much appreciated,” come from behind the tree.

“Felicity, I’m going to push the tree forward, so you get the top the lighter end, I’ll carry the heavy end. Sound good?”

“Alright, give it to me.” Give it to me? Felicity knew she was blushing and he couldn’t even see her.

Oliver chuckled. “Okay, I’m going to slowly push the tree forwards now so the top comes out of the elevator first. Let me know if it’s a problem. Remember the worst thing that can happen is we drop the tree.”

“Okay, I’m ready,” Felicity called out.

The tree began to fall forward, Felicity was there to catch it. “Alright, got it. I’ll start walking toward your door.”

She began walking as Oliver slowly came into his view his black pea coat covered in pine needles. “I think you got some tree on you.” For some reason this struck her as hilarious. He looked adorably rumbled and covered in Christmas tree.

“Fel-ic-ity,” Oliver sounded annoyed but she could tell by the smile on his face he was faking. “Don’t drop the tree.” He tried to sound stern but her laughter was contagious. “You think that’s funny? We are going to have to swing around in a circle. I need to get to my door with the key.” Oliver just shook his head.

“Rocking around the Christmas tree,” Felicity began to sing, badly, as the tree around in the space between their two condos.

“Oh my, what did I do to deserve you?” Oliver shook his head as he unlocked the door. Once he got the door opened, he turned back to Felicity. “Ready to bring it in?”

She nodded. Stifling a laugh when she looked at Oliver. He might even have pine needles in his hair.

The got the tree inside and propped against the wall. “There,” Felicity looked at the tree. “Well done us.”

“Yes, what a feat. Can I offer you something to drink? Thanks so much for helping.”

“No problem. After you were my hero last night, it was the least I could do. But I should be heading home, my supper is in a bag in the hallway.” Felicity began walking toward the door.

“I understand. But if you’d like to come by later Thea and I will be decorating the tree. We could always use the help.”

Oliver gave her a broad smile that made her knees a little weak. For a moment she wasn’t sure what to say so she decided to go with the truth. “I’ve actually never decorated a tree before.”

Oliver looked incredibly sad. Like someone kicked his puppy.

“Oh no!” Felicity needed to stop his thought process, STAT. “Don’t feel bad for me, it’s not like that at all. It’s just, I’m Jewish so we didn’t have a tree. My friends had trees and I see them everywhere they are quite lovely we just didn’t have one. I know I could if I wanted, I just haven’t...well,” Felicity took a deep breath she knew she was babbling. “I mean…”

“Felicity, I would love it if you helped Thea and I decorate my tree. How about you go home, have dinner and I’ll come get you when Thea gets here with the decorations? No pressure. If you change your mind...just don’t answer the door.”

Oliver looked at her with such hope, she really wanted too, “YES!”

~~~~~

Thea arrived a short while later weighed down with decorations. Oliver opened the door, retrieving boxes from his overloaded sister. “I ordered pizza on my way, it should be here soon.”

“Wow, Thea. I can’t believe you were able to carry on this stuff.” Oliver was so impressed with his little sister.

“I may be small but I am mighty.” Thea flexed her very real arm muscles. “All those weights at the gym payoff!”

“They do.” Oliver smiled. “I have something to tell you and I hope you will be okay with it.”

“Felicity is coming to decorate?” Thea smiled sweetly.

“How did you know?” Oliver was honestly bewildered. “I just invited her.”

“Oliver, Felicity texted to make sure it was okay. She didn’t want to crash family time. She and I are friends remember?”

“Friends? I knew you worked together. Didn’t realize you texted.”

“Is that a problem?” Thea gave him a pointed look.

“No, of course not.” Oliver shook his head. Thea was friends with his crush, no problem AT. ALL. “So you knew she lived across the hall?”

“Yes, but I swear this wasn’t a setup thing. Felicity is amazing but she’s like you - sworn off dating. It can’t hurt to have a good neighbour, right?”

“Right.” Oliver didn’t believe his sister for a minute. “On that note, I’m going to get Felicity.”

Oliver walked across the hall, took a deep breath to calm himself before knocking on Felicity’s door.

Felicity opened her door wearing a bright red holiday sweater that read - Gloves Actually.

“Wow.” Oliver was amazed. It wasn’t just the sweater, she looked beautiful.

“Are you mocking?” Felicity’s eyebrow rose. “I wasn’t sure what to wear. I bought this ugly sweater for a party and thought it was festive.”

Oliver continued to stare. This woman was amazing.

“It’s too much? I can change,” Felicity turned to walk back inside.

“NO, IT’S PERFECT. You’re perfect.” Oliver’s face reddened, he could feel it.

“Thank you.” Felicity smiled.

Felicity’s smile made all the embarrassment worth it. “Let’s go decorate the tree. Thea’s waiting for us.”

Thea met them at the door like an eager child “Let the Christmas tree trimming begin!”

Thanks so much for reading! More to come soon!!

I’m tagging people who might be interested. Let me know if you’d like to be tagged or untagged: @memcjo @stephswims @julieofrandomfandoms @mel-loves-all @cruzrogue @laurabelle2930 @lucyyh @green-arrows-of-karamel @oliverfel4 @tdgal1 @tangled23works @lageniuswannabe @swordandarrow @it-was-a-red-heeler @olicitytropes

#Hope for the Holidays #olicity fanfiction #alternate universe #oliver x felicity #MyFanfic

44 notes · View notes

johnmurphysreddit · 4 years

Note

Per prompt list, there's +/- 850 prompts w/a week left of KM. Huge amount for a slow hiatus! Counting ALL fills so far it works out to 58% being B/C. If more non B/C writers participate, the numbers will change. It's one of the only fandom events open to everyone & every ship w/o a bunch of storylines you have to include. It's no one's 'space' unless rare pair creators choose not to participate. As a rare pair reader, I wish more creators would get involved. Fandom needs content to survive!

I thought about ignoring this entirely but decided to err on the side of you actually having good intentions. I mean, yes, it is nice that there’s something going on during the hiatus and there’s a lot going on over there, but let’s torture a metaphor for a minute shall we?

There’s a party going on right now, 60′s themed, and I told my followers I was going. I told them that according to the invitation 60s didn’t just mean drugs and Woodstock and it looked like a good time. And within the first 20 minutes of arriving the sorority girls were shit talking the art department. (Search the prompt list for Echo or look at the back and forth of prompts in the low 20s of page numbers. That is some unnecessary nonsense.)

Sigh. Shrug. Whatever. Not all sorority girls.

So I went. And it turns out that while the yard (AO3) is technically included in the party they lock the door. That that’s the place where rarepair shippers can safely connect with people who share their interests isn’t part of the host’s calculations. I mean, fine, it’s their party and they set the rules but no. And while you can go outside of the themes of woodstock and drugs, if you’re there to discuss the Vietnam War, the assassinations of JFK and MLK, African independence, or the evolution of the Beatles you’re going to be pretty lonely. There are other places with better company for your particular interests.

And by your own count 3 in 5 attendees are the aforementioned sorority girls. Not all sorority girls! but there’s also no compelling reason for me to be in this space that not only doesn’t interest me but gives me hives while someone occasionally stabs me with a cocktail umbrella.

And since I told people to go there and that I was going I felt obligated to tell them that there was a disparity between who was invited and who showed up. (3 in 5 sorority girls) and that I wasn’t staying and why.

Let’s stop torturing the metaphor and instead go through the extensive list of ships that get queued or reblogged on my blog. I didn’t put my post about why I’m out of the KM in the tag, so anyone who saw it follows me, knows what I’m into, and presumably likes at least some of it, too.

Literally anything with Nyko or Indra or Spacekru - 0 fills

Murphamy - 0 fills

Becho - 0 fills

Recho - 0 fills

Recho 2 (that’s Ryker x Echo, yes it’s crackship, I don’t care) - 0 fills

Bechophy - 0 fills

Echophy - 0 fills

Memori - 0 fills

Ramori - 0 fills

Linctavia - 0 fills

Nytavia - 0 fills

Echtavia (you guys are slowly converting me) - 0 fills

Lincaven (they’d have been terrible for the plot but the functionality got me hng) – 0 fills

So, yeah, none of the things people look for from me are in a place I recommended to them. Sorry y’all.

I was going to look up prompts, too, but tbh I’m just not in the mood for a whole bunch of “Echo is evil incarnate so Bellamy cheats on her then he and Clarke torture and murder her then have soulmate sex on top of her mutilated corpse.”

I appreciate the inclusive spirit of the hosters, but I’ve got better places to expend my energy than wading through a bunch of stuff that turns me off so I can get to exactly none of the stuff I truly enjoy. There’s some Murphy x Raven and Clexa bits that I might put out as links once the event is over, but neither of those are in my top ten list, so thanks but I’m hard out.

If anyone else wants to participate go ahead. No one is stopping you. For me, nah. And this really is my last post on the KM and it’s not going in the tag because this is between me and the couple hundred people who follow me (7 of whom are active! Hello fellow kids!)

Final note for my rare pair shippers since you mentioned you are one: don’t make the mistake I did yesterday and put links in your OP. I made up that puppy fic rec list yesterday and included links to the fics and Tumblr (shakes fist at sky) didn’t include it in the tag because of the links. Grrr. Off to see if I can edit it.

#Anonymous

4 notes · View notes

1358456 · 5 years

Text

Review Response, July 28 - Aug 3, 2019

Not a lot happened, but hey. Another week.

Destiny #015

1) Hold the fuck up. Wait wait, just for a minute. There was a lot of shit that just happened and I'm precessing it. But lemme get this one thing straight. Sapphire is NOT dead. Obviously Peter would want her alive for Kyogre, but before that little but of info. I was CONVINCED that she was dead. I mean, I was just sitting there in shock and like telling myself "Yep, this is the point where I cry." but I didn't. And she's not dead. So I am assuming that the actual deaths in this fic are going to very... well I dunno how to say it. But it's going to be sad. But still on the topic of Sapphire, I am so happy she managed to (somewhat) get over her fear of salamence! This is a huge step for her! And it's really symbolic in the way that she was the one who defended Ruby from that claw, and just hmm so happy for her. Well, my happiness is taken with a bucket of salt as to how badly injured she is, but i'm happy nonetheless.

Oh! And something I forgot to mention in my last review was about the gym leaders, if the dexholders are going to win against Peter. They'll need the help of the gym leaders. And isn't it just funny that right as I was going to say that Sabrina saved them. Oooof if she hadn't saved them, then Blue would have been completely right. There would be mope than just a couple (if not many) deaths at that battle. They fought bravely, but dam are they underprepared.

Speaking of Blue, I found it sweet, but irritating for sure, that Blue was worried over Silver and (to some extent) Red. These were the things I was thinking before. What did they do to you? And here she was betraying them. And although she should have thought of the other dexholders and told them to flee, at least she told those two. I understand her reasoning-I need not to repeat it as Blue has said it multiple times, not to mention the whole controlling watchamacallit-but grrr. These were younguns that had no part in this battle and you didn't even wish them good luck. Well, she sort of did at the end. With the whole wishing for Sabrina to rescue them. Which I actually found interesting that she recognized as Sabrina's doing. It's no brainer, but stilll... interesting.

And the highly anticipated moment for me has arrived. The confrontation between Blue and Green! It was marred by the fact that I had to stop halfway through for something, but the moment was great for me nonetheless. And I thought you put up a great point during this! With Green saying why Blue was going to such lengths for revenge, I thought was a great way of explaining things to the reader. That may or not have been your intention I'm not sure, but I still thought that was nice. Because sometimes authors find lazy ways to justify a character's actions-or lack thereof-and it leaves the reader confused. Or if not confused, it sort of ruins the story for them as they realize that if it were not for that single action, half the drama in the story would not have occurred. But it was nice to see her response to it, and have her realize sort of what she was doing, and that she didn't really mean for it, but that she was just hurt. Perhaps there was no need tho as it was obvious that she was just hurt from the start. Well, I just wasted an entire paragraph on that, but I'll keep it here anyways as it's something that happens quite often in stories. And that pisses me off.

Oof, now tbh. i have nothing more to say on your writing. I've already touched on it a lot on my past reviews, and i feel I have not much more to say about it. I mean it's so hard to find good writing about pokemon, on , and you're one of the few I know. Anyways, thank you again.

Yep. Sapphire is NOT dead! Dex Holder blood has been shed, but no one died yet! And yes, Sapphire stands up to Salamence, which is a development that ORAS lacked (among many, many things), and also unlike ORAS, the claw actually hit her instead of pretending like it did for about a minute.

It’s the kind of underlying theme in Destiny. A casual player can never be prepared against someone who utilizes the full game mechanics. And every single Dex Holder is a casual. And so... they are not prepared. And yes, Gym Leaders can help, but... not by THAT much in terms of direct force.

Blue being hostile to the juniors is... well, another misunderstanding that could be cleared if she just got to talk to Red or Green. She was isolated from them for so long, and then finds out that Mega Evolution existed during the whole Mega Hunter event, and also finds out that there were far more junior Dex Holders after the Hoenn cast, and that said juniors were fighting alongside the others. It’s not much of a leap that the first thing she’ll think is “I have a lot more juniors and no one ever told me”. Ouch, huh?

Poor Blue, huh? She’s just so... hurt, with no one to really rely on. And... well, I do try to explain in-story why everything is happening. If I forget, I try to have it explained in the next chapter or something. ... And I better keep doing that, then!

Hehe. Thank you!

2) Lmao I'm so sorry, I don't edit reviews and going back and looking at all the typing mistakes is yikes.

Haha. I noticed. But it’s fine. As long as a sentence isn’t so riddled with typos that it just leaves me scratching my head, it’s fine.

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

Destiny #016

1) Well. Shit. I always suspected that fighting Peter upfront would do them no good. It's obvious. I've said it before there's no way. But that brings me to the huge thing that's happening in Kalos. I have no fucking idea what this one's gonna be. Nada. Pretty much anything about Peter you write so well the the reader cannot guess jack shit about his past, and what he's going to do. Much less his MOTIVE. Basically get the legendaries blah blah we've seen it a million times before, but for WHAT. This time's it's different. It's not some stupid ass reason that the writers put in as a shitty reason, this time it's obviously more sinister and he might actually accomplish it before the dexholders can stop him. That's what I imagine, that he actually does whatever he's going to do, and it's all chaos for a bit. But then the dexholders pull their shit together and manage to ruin that. Now this is one of my less convincing theories, because as I said. I have no idea what's gonna happen. But the way this is going, thats how I feel it will be.

Also like, I am so excited for the part where Blue and Green make up. I'm sure it'll happen. That's inevitable. I'm just not sure how, and I'm a sucker for oldrival so that'll be a treat,,,, (tho I know they're not a pairing in this fic, just let a girl dream)

One last thing before I end this, I just keep thinking that, I'm not even halfway through and so much has already happened. What the fuck is gonna happen next. Obviously a lot and it worriesssss meeeee. These are the things that keep me up at night, that's a lot of time for injuries and death and whatnot. (Obviously I'm exaggerating my sleep is unharmed by this fic lmao). But that's also a lot of time for plot and explanations. Oh boi am I excited for the explanations. Like actually, I wanna know why.

Anyways, thank you as always.

I try to write stuff like this partly as if this was an RTS game. SA did this, Destiny did it, and Legacy does and will do it. The story is mostly focused on the Dex Holders, with occasional tidbits from the bad guys. So the story is told from the Dex Holder perspective, so if they don’t know something, the readers won’t either. Mostly. It’s like the fog of war in RTS. You don’t know what the opponent is doing, and vice-versa. ... Or so you’d hope, anyways. You don’t know what’s going on in Kalos? That’s because the Dex Holders don’t. As the Dex Holders uncover “the plot”, so do the readers!

I* won’t burst your bubble, so don’t worry. I will make it grow bigger instead. They DO get to reconcile** soon***.

Indeed it’s a LOT of time for injuries and/or death and/or fates worse than death. And I try to avoid having a death occur “too soon” unless it’s absolutely necessary for the rest of the plot. So... there is still time~!

I look forward to seeing more reviews from you! You’re starting to get into the “good stuff”! ... I think.

#qna

4 notes · View notes

broken-clover · 5 years

Text

Dust Strikers Story Mode 1/4

I haven’t seen too many resources available when it comes to Guilty Gear: Dust Strikers, a DS-only sidegame released in 2006. While I will agree that the gameplay and story did leave a bit to be desired, I still get a decent bit of fun out of it as the only GG game I own that I can play at college. I wound up going through all 20 story modes for the purpose of jotting down all the game dialogue, in case anybody needed it for reference for whatever reason and didn’t have a copy of the game. I’m gonna upload this in chunks for the sake of space.

Part 1 (Sol, Ky, May, Millia, Axl), Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Dialogue for some scenes is repeated. I tried my best to keep this more or less lifted right from the game, though I did make a few edits just for grammar’s sake because this game isn’t very well edited. I did not try to change any conversations just for the sake of it.

Sol:...Whew... Jam: How rude. What's your problem? Faust: Is there something wrong? Sol: A doctor and a chef? This is a big joke. Quit following me wherever I go. Go back to your real jobs, man! Faust: This is what it takes to master the tricks of the trade. It's necessary to learn to see things from the patient's perspective. Jame: The art of cooking is also a quest. You're not gonna find anything new just by sitting around. Venom: Then I should get to know a wider variety of opponents. Let's roll! Sol: Move it. Just go to bed!

Bridget: Whoah, everybody looks tough Chipp: Hey! what's a kid doing here? Eddie: A child. Attractive in terms of her youthfulness but too immature to become my host Bridget: You're not taking me seriously? Then let me show you my moves Sol:...back off. Don't be wasting my time Eddie: Interesting. I shall keep a record of the battle results for future reference Bridget: Don't be surprised! Here I come! Sol: What am I, a babysitter? I can't deal with this...

Slayer: This is quite an unusual combination Sol: I'm starting to get tired of your face Testament: Different being. What do you want? Slayer: Nope. Nothing in particular. Just happened to pass by. Testament: Then please go away Dizzy: Oh, you're Mr. Slayer, aren't you? Please excuse Testament's words. He doesn't mean any harm. Slayer: I'm not bothered by it. Don't worry. But this is quite interesting. Sol: So what the hell is your point? Slayer: Those who have veered off the path. I guess the same must be said of me. Testament: What are you insinuating? You better have a good explanation Slayer: My apologies if I offended you. I'm just genuinely interested in your powers Sol: You using us to kill your boredom? I think it's time you hung em up.

Anji: Finally found you. Sol:...It's you again. Anji: Let me ask you straight out. Do you have any idea where 'he' is? Sol: So what if I know? Anji: Can you tell me where he is? Of course I'm willing to work for it. You and I have a bout, and if I win, you tell me. Sounds fair? Baiken: Wait! Let me in on the festivities Sol: Sorry, not interested. You guys enjoy each other's company Anji: Even Justice feared my powers...Still not interested? Sol:...! Baiken: Shut your trap! You're starting to get on my nerves. I'll kick all of your butts right now! Axl: Whoa!...Damn it...is this a bad time? Baiken: Eavesdropping, are we? I'm not impressed! Axl: I just wanted to ask chief something Sol: And even you. Why does everyone want to stick their noses in other people's business! Axl: No worries, chief! Just a quick bout, no hard feelings! Sol: I'm not responsible for what happens.

I-no: You're late. You shouldn't make ladies wait like that. Sol: shut up. What are you wandering around for? Johnny: Hey, what a coincidence. Didn't expect to run into you here....guess yu're busy with a woman Sol: You stay out of it I-no: Ooh, another cute guy Ky: All of you! Freeze right there! I-no: and now a cute boy, too. Ky: Sol..! And Johnny the pirate, and you're..! I-no: I'd stay out of it if I were you. Why don't you just go home to mommy? Sol: That's enough chit chatting. Let's let the fists do the talking! Ky: ...Sol! I-no: The violent guy as always. Sure, why not...I'll cut you all up into pieces! Ky: I guess there's no alternative. Holy Knight combat was initially meant for handling multiple enemies. I'll show you what it's all about!

Sol: Finally we meet... Gig: Grrr... Sol: I'm here to figure you out. Gig: Grrrgh! Sol:...Too late, I guess. Then die.

Gig: Grr...grr... Sol: Don't bother. It's over Gig: Grr.... Sol:...I'll make sure we get even for your sake. I guarantee you we'll find the dirt bag...

Jam: Ayah! Who's this cute guy? Ky: You must be...that chef, Ms. Jam Kuradoberi. Jam: That's right! You remembered me! I'm so happy! Ky: I'm glad to see you're doing well. May: Wahts...oops! Oh no! Ky: You must be May, the pirate May: Are you going after Johnny? You'll have to get by me first. Ky: Please, put your guard down. I'm not after pirates right now. Testament: So you're out bounty-hunting then. Probably after me then, aren't you? Jam: Ooh, you're quite the hottie too. Wanna work at my restaurant? Testament: Stop talking nonsense... May: It's two hot guys...but Johnny's way hotter than both of you!

Zappa: Hey! Miss! Millia:...Yes? Zappa: If it's possible, can you be my wi... Millia:... Zappa: Actually, never mind... Axl: Dude, let me show you how it's done. Hey, you in the beautiful blond hair! Let me buy you a cup of coffee so I can see which glows brighter, your hair or your eyes. Millia:...Um, I'm in a hurry. Ky: You're Millia, the former assassin. If you're not with the guild anymore, leave the rest to the police force. No need to put yourself in danger. Millia: I'll take care of him. It's none of your business. Ky: But no, we have to... Zappa: What's all this talk about? Even the police are here. Maybe I should get outta...NO!...Happiness. Hatred! Hatred! Millia: Why don't I ever have luck with men?

Faust: Traveling lady with the scent of blood. Where are you headed? Baiken: Get lost, you lame doc. It's none of your business. I can kill whoever I want. Chipp: Woman enduring countless bloodshed. So you're that Japanese beauty? Ky: There's nothing but anger inside you. As a protector of public safety, I can't let such hateful words pass Baiken: Kid, if you don't wanna get hurt, you should just keep your mouth shut Ky: I have confidence in my sword. Not exactly my favorite option, but in this case I have no choice Faust: What you need is some time off in total peaceful serenity. As a physician, it is my obligation to make sure that you are cured.

Anji: You must be Ky Kiske, former leader of the Sacred Order of Holy Knights Ky: Yes, that would be me. And who are you? Anji: Last name is Mito, first name is Anji. I'm just a journeyman Ky: So what can I help you with? Anji: I'd like to challenge you to a match. I wanted to see firsthand the skills of a top-class warrior like yourself. Ky: I can tell from your presence that you're not an ordinary foe. Asian martial arts? Interesting. I accept your challenge. Slayer: In that case, count me in too. Fighting for the sake of fighting. To me fighting is life's best form of entertainment. Don't you think? Potemkin: I myself haven’t had any worthy opponents recently. Sure, I'll take you on. Ky: This is getting interesting. It's been a while for me too. Bring it on!

I-no: You're late. You shouldn't make ladies wait like that. Sol: shut up. What are you wandering around for? Johnny: Hey, what a coincidence. Didn't expect to run into you here....guess you're busy with a woman. Sol: You stay out of it. I-no: Ooh, another cute guy. Ky: All of you! Freeze right there! I-no: and now a cute boy, too. Ky: Sol..! And Johnny the pirate, and you're..! I-no: I'd stay out of it if I were you. Why don't you just go home to mommy? Sol: That's enough chit chatting. Let's let the fists do the talking! Ky: ...Sol! I-no: The violent guy as always. Sure, why not...I'll cut you all up into pieces! Ky: I guess there's no alternative. Holy Knight combat was initially meant for handling multiple enemies. I'll show you what it's all about!

Ky: What overpowering energy! Gig: Grr... Ky: You telling me this used to be a man? Gig: Grrrgh! Ky: Damn! I have no other choice...

Gig: Grr...grr... Ky: Barely managed to hang on... Gig: Ghhh... Ky: It looks like his losing control of reason has maximized his powers to infinite levels... Gig: Grr.... Ky: ...Pease, rest in peace I-no: Good job for a young boy like you. Ky:! I-no: I can probably kill you easily now...but that wouldn't be fun. So I'll let you go. Ky: You tell the man who created Gears, that he will pay for his crimes! I-no: You don't stand a chance! Why don't you look at yourself in the mirror before you speak? But I'll let him know anyway. Seeya! Ky: ...hate to admit it, but I'm not strong enough yet...but I will eventually rise over the true Gear powers.

May

May: I've got the chills. Faust: Perhaps you have a cold. Here, let me take a look. May: Don't come near me! Faust: What's the problem? May: These vibes...I'm positive! You're...you're bald, aren't you! Venom: You must be Faust, the Dark Doctor. Or should I call you doctor- Faust: Stop it. I don't use that name anymore. Venom:...Excuse me for being disrespectful. Doctor, I'd like you to accompany me. Faust: I'm sorry, my job is to save lives. I don't know if I can be of much help to you and your comrades. May: Look at all that hair...I guess it's not as bad as being bald...doesn't it get in the way? Venom: Let's put your limitations into perspective, then. You'll realize there are only so many lives you can save! May: Who, me? Zappa: KILL! KILL! Let me kill! May: What's with all these weirdos? I'm fighting for real, then!

Chipp: Please, I'm begging you! Baiken: Geez, what is your problem? Chipp: Make me Japanese! Even samurai give mercy, don't they? Baiken: No samurai here. Not a chance, buddy. Be a big boy and get over it, willya? Anji: Hey, what are you doing here? Chipp: You'll do! Please, tell me how to become Japanese! Anji: There's no way in hell, man. Be content being the 'president' Chipp: NO! I wanna become the president, become a Japanese, surpass master's ninjutsu abilities and take revenge! May: You guys arguing over something? Chipp: Damn...what are you doing here? Anji: Yup. A 'Japanese' May: Japa...what? Why're you crying sir? Something wrong? Did I do something wrong? Chipp: I will reach the top! You watch me, master! May: Wow, you scared me! You know I'm tough when I'm mad!

Jam: Ayah! Who's this cute guy? Ky: You must be...that chef, Ms. Jam Kuradoberi. Jam: That's right! You remembered me! I'm so happy! Ky: I'm glad to see you're doing well. May: Whats...oops! Oh no! Ky: You must be May, the pirate May: Are you going after Johnny? You'll have to get by me first. Ky: Please, put your guard down. I'm not after pirates right now. Testament: So you're out bounty-hunting then. Probably after me then, aren't you? Jam: Ooh, you're quite the hottie too. Wanna work at my restaurant? Testament: Stop talking nonsense... May: It's two hot guys...but Johnny's way hotter than both of you!

May: Wow! Look how big you are! Potemkin: And so are you. May: Hey! That's not very nice! Potemkin: No, I just thought you grew a little compared to the last time I saw you May: Well thanks fr the compliment. Think I'm good enough for Johnny now? Eddie: Having a host in her growth spurt...might not be a bad idea. Johnny: Out of the way, May! Potemkin: Humph! May:...Thanks Johnny: Thanks. I owe you one. Eddie: How dare you... May: Now it's my turn! I'll prove it to you that a girl in love is unbeatable!

Millia: Long time no see...Honey, you look very different. Dizzy: It's all thanks to May, and all of my great friends. May: Hee hee. Stop, you're embarrassing me Dizzy...everyone loves you only because you're a good person, that's all. Bridget: Yes, I think so too. To think that there used to be a bounty on her is weird when you think about it now. Millia: Treasure that happiness you have. And don't turn out like me. May: Why don't you join Jellyfish too? I'm sure Johnny will welcome you. Not to mention you're beautiful. I'm a bit jealous...don'f forget though, Johnny is mine! Millia:...thanks. But I think I'll take a pass. I have some unfinished business. Plus...actually, never mind. I think I better go now. Okay, let me through.

May: Phew. Finally here. Gig: Grr.... May: Wow!...No worries. I'm not freaked out. Johnny always tells me I should lend a helping hand to those in need. Come with me, my friend. Gig: Grrrgh! May: What! Whoa!

Gig: Grr...grr... May:...Why? I didn't want to do this to you. Gig: Grr... May: I'm so sorry...

Dizzy: May! May: Dizzy...I couldn't do it...Couldn't help him like Johnny would. I just wish we could've been friends. Dizzy:...I think you did the right thing... May: Whatdya mean? Dizzy: Look at that peaceful face. Thanks to you, he's finally free from long suffering. May:... Dizzy: Let's go back. Everyone's waiting. May:...uh, all right (...rest in peace, my friend...and good night)

Millia

I-no: What do we have here, the desperate bachelorettes council? Baiken: What kind of greeting is that? That's not a very nice thing to say Jam: That's right! You're rude! And what about you? I-no: Oh dear, don't be so uptight. It's just a joke, honey. Or were you offended 'cause I was right on the mark? Millia: You're a joke. Why don't you get outta here. I-no: Oh no. I'm scared. I guess this is how women become as they get older. Baiken: You crazy! I'll cut you up into pieces! Jam: I'm not showing you any mercy either! Millia: If you're not gonna get outta here, we'll have to get rid of you. It's as simple as that. I-no: You're such sweethearts. Very well, I make you cry lots. We'll find out how loud you can cry.

Testament:...Long time no see. Millia: That's a first. You coming up to me to say hi. Things have changed, haven't they? Testament: You're still caught up in the past and changing the thorny path. Millia:...it's none of your business. Move out of the way, will you? Testament: I don't have a problem, but... Millia:... Testament: You seem hesitant. With such mixed feelings, it may cost you your life. Millia:!!! I must have lost my edge, to be getting advice from you. Potemkin: What he's saying is on the money. Those with swaying motivation never fight to their full potential. Please excuse my eavesdropping. Anji: Just happened to pass by. Millia: Then I guess I'll have to eliminate all doubts before I get to him. I'll need your cooperation for that.

Millia: So...we meet again...Zato. Eddie: So you still haven't gotten over him? Millia: Shut up, you damn beast...I'm talking to him, not you! Eddie: What do you want to talk to ME about? Millia: I'm taking you down. I'm sick and tired of looking at your pathetic, bony remains. Venom: Not so fast...! Master Zato is regarded as the crown-jewel of the guild. You'll have to hand him over to me...! Slayer: I've told you the Guild is no more. No raison d'etre and no purpose. Continued existence will only bring further regret and despair. Venom: Oldtimers can keep their mouth shut. The guild no longer belongs to you. Millia: It has nothing to do with me anymore, I don't care what happens to it. I just want to take care of this guy with my very own hands. Eddie: Do you think it will be that easy? What do "I" think?"...Not so easy, "I" say. Venom: I sense you...Master Zato. I am going to free you, Master, from the evil spell of death! Eddie: Ha ha...this is great! Lowly humans who cannot accept death. That's the right evil spirit to have! Slayer: I'm the one who started all of this. I must atone for my past deeds. Fine, let us put an end to it all.

Millia: You look very much like him. Gig: Grr... Millia:You resemble him...and you resemble me. Gig: Grrrgh! Millia:...All right. I'll let you rest.

Gig: Grr...grr... Millia:...good night. It's all over now. For you, and for me. Gig: Grr... Millia:...may your soul rest in peace

Millia: (Have I been watching my own future? Is this what you wanted to tell me? Zato...)

Axl

Axl: Hey, what's that you're holding? I didn't know you had those toys, even in this day and age. Bridget: This is not a toy! It's a tool of my trade! Axl: Ouch! I'm sorry! What have we here? Playing pool at a place like this? Venom: How dare you insult my combat style. I say you deserve a beating. Axl: Hang on a sec! Something wrong with this era. Every toy's being used as a weapon. So what do people actually play with? Johnny: The best for of entertainment, I'd say is the thrill and romance of playing with fireworks at night. I'm pretty sure that's the consensus. Axl: You know what you're talking about! I'm actually great with fire myself...here we go!

Chipp: Hey! I have a question. Axl: Hi there, you look very hot. I-no: You talking about me? Axl: Of course! Who else would it be? Great body, silky smooth hair, you're electrifying! I-no: You're very good with words. Let me ask you then. Who's hotter? That woman or me? Chipp: Hey, listen up! Millia:...don't bother me. Chipp: !...you used to be in the guild! Millia: Yes, but that was a long while ago. Now I'm in the same boat as you. Axl: Ah man, this is a tough one. They're both really hot. Chipp: I'm taking down the guild! You women stay out of it! Millia: That I cannot do. Just like you, I can't pull out. Axl: This is a tough decision... Millia: And...quit staring at me with that perverted look on your face! Axl: Oops, I think I got her mad at me.

Potemkin: You youngster there. I see you have some talent. How about testing some of that talent on my fists? Axl: Man, you've got a nice build. But what do you have to gain? Plus, are you sure you can handle me? Potemkin: I wouldn't underestimate me. My drive for freedom locked inside my heart is my greatest weapon. Axl: Cool. I love peace and freedom too. But you might get out of breath when you're so stiff all the time. Ky: So you're fighting in the name of peace and freedom. Perhaps I might come up with answers for myself too. Excuse me, I'd like in as well. Jam: Just drive won't take you anywhere. There's no victory for those who can't face reality. I'll prove it to you right now!

Faust: This is an interesting symptom. I see, it's a cause and effect cycle. Axl: You, I never asked you to check up on me! Even though it's true that I've been through a lot, I've never had any doubts about my body. Faust: Oh, is that right? If there aren't any cures, that may very well be the best treatment. Axl: I'm more concerned about your body. Looks a little mysterious. Faust: Not to worry. It's all functional Slayer: Irregulars with an added spice that changes the world of men. Axl: You talking about us? Slayer: It's because of people like you that makes humans interesting. Even though you're blessed with great powers, it's normal to you. Very typical of how humans behave. Axl: It'll stress you out if you think so deeply. Zappa: Hahahahaha! Slayer: Look. Yet another fellow favored by the goddess of fortune. Axl: I do like women but I'm not sure about the goddess. Slayer: It must be the uncertainty factor that led you into running into me Axl: C'mon, let's just have fun...I thought this was supposed to be a party!

Axl: Huh? You can still speak? Gig: Grr... Axl: Man, what am I gonna do? Gig: Grrgh! Axl: Sorry dude, it's not my time yet.

Gig: Grr....grr... Axl: Phew! Hey, man. Haven't you had enough? Gig: Grr... Axl: I think that should be enough....what? This sensation!!! That Man: It is not yet the time for you to find out the truth. When the time comes you will find out. Whether you like it or not! Axl: Who are you? That Man: We shall part for a short time. Time traveler. Axl:...Ahhhgh!

Axl: What period is this? Looks like a messy period in time. Oh well, things will work out. Since getting rattled isn't my style!

#guilty gear #Guilty Gear Dust Strikers #resources #dialogue #sol badguy #ky kiske #guilty gear may #millia rage #Axl Low

35 notes · View notes

sweetnestor · 6 years

Text

On Days Like This | Chapter 9

teamiplier + oc, romantic/angst/platonic

PREVIOUS FICS (if you’re new here then I suggest reading these first)

previous chapter

hey hi maybe listen to this while u read :D

Later that afternoon, we made it to Orlando. For once, we had a hotel to stay in. I was looking forward to it, until I remembered that I was sharing a room with Ethan. A week ago, we were excited to have at least one night where we could be alone together. It made me sad that I was dreading it now.

The boys had rehearsal almost as soon as we settled in. Meaning, I had the hotel room to myself for a couple of hours. I was on vocal rest since my throat was getting more and more scratchy as the days went on, so I couldn’t rehearse my set with Mark today. Molly and Day had invited me to go to lunch with them, but I made an excuse about needing to shower and edit a video I had prepped in advance. I mean I did shower, but the three videos I had to prepare before leaving for tour were already scheduled.

Ethan returned to the room just after the sun went down. It was tensely silent as he went to his suitcase on one side of the room. Then, he quietly went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. This is how our night was going to be.

“Should I even stay here?” he finally asked once he came out of the bathroom.

We’re not fighting today. We are not fighting today.

“Well,” I said, already losing control of my words, “you can either stay with one of your many female friends and further feed into my suspicions-”

“Oh, come on!” he whined miserably.

“Or,” I said, raising my voice, “you can sleep on the couch and keep acting like you hate me!”

We are not fighting. We are not fighting.

There was a moment of silence. At first, I thought Ethan was going to yell or throw something, judging by the look on his face. Instead, he pulled his phone out and started typing.

I scoffed. “Are we still yelling at each other over the phone?”

“I’m asking Kathryn what room she’s in,” he mumbled. “I’m gonna go stay with her. I can’t do this today.”

For some reason, all my empathy and mushy girlfriend feelings dissolved. Instead, I was furious.

“So you’re going to leave me for some other woman,” I said, chuckling in disbelief. “And I assume you’re going to tell her everything that’s happening between us and what a pain in the ass I am?”

Ethan looked up at me, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“She said you were telling her things about us! Why are you telling her our business?”

“Because she’s my friend, that’s what friends do!” He was now fired up, angrily pacing around the room. “Not that you would know anything about that! Unless you’ve been talking to Jack this whole time!” he added resentfully.

“I have to, he’s my best friend!” I argued.

“I’m supposed to be your best friend!” Ethan finally yelled, probably being heard through the walls. “I’m supposed to be the one you go to! And you think I hate you? You…” He huffed out a sigh. “You don’t even say that you love me anymore! I know you’re mad at me, and I’m really fucking mad at you right now… but I still love you, and I make sure you know it! Grrr, I’m in love with you, why do you think we haven’t broken up yet? I’m so fucking in love with you, it makes me crazy!”

I wanted to laugh out loud, but the volume of his voice only made me flinch and cry. Why would you aggressively yell at someone that you love them when it sounds like you hate them? Why would you drop the idea of breaking up and then say you’re in love? What’s the point of that?

“No, no, no,” I told him. “You’re making me go crazy. Ever since the hospital, you’ve been treating me and looking at me like I’m fucking made of glass! You kept asking me if I wanted to go home!” I took a step closer to him, steam coming out of my ears. “I have generalized anxiety disorder, my fucking default setting is always ‘go home! Abort mission!’ It's so hard for me to do any of this! It’s hard for me to be on a bus full of people, and interact with them, and it was even harder when I miscarried! But I'm still doing it, and that doesn't make me weak or fragile or anything you’re seeing me as! And you know what? I'm proud of myself for getting through that and for going on this tour and facing my anxiety! I'm fucking proud of myself!”

I was out of breath by the time I finished my speech. My head was spinning with anger. Ethan just looked at me, his lips pursed. There had been a lot of silence between us lately, but this was the most crushing and intense. But when he finally spoke, his tone was hard and stern.

“What. About. Me? What about me?!” he asked, his voice cracking. “Do you think any of this has been easy for me? Do you think anyone asked how I was doing after we got back from the hospital? You may have been able to forget about the miscarriage and everything, but I can't get the fucking image of you screaming and lying in your own blood out of my head! I don’t understand how you can still lay in that bunk! I can't even sleep because all I'm thinking about is that I'll wake up and you'll be covered in blood again! And I swear to fucking god if you make another joke about pushing out a dead fetus or giving death instead of birth, I will fucking kill you myself!”

He stepped towards me, his angry expression suddenly turning into a hysterically sad one. “Why don't you care that this happened? Why don't you see that it affected me too? Imagine if you were left on the bus all alone and no one found you?” He began to ramble, his voice getting more and more shaky as tears welled up in his eyes. “W-What if no one found you, Bella? Would you have let yourself die? Would you have left m-me? Bella, w-w-would you have l-left me?” He stepped even closer, grabbed my shoulders and shook me. He was getting even more hysterical. “I c-couldn't lose you, I-I-I don't know w-what I'd do without you, god I thought I was gonna l-l-lose you I thought y-you were gonna die! I thought you were gonna die! W-What if I never got to see you again? W-What if I never told you that I love you one last time?”

I had never seen Ethan sob as hard as he did in that moment. He broke down completely, crying into my shoulder and wrapping his arms around me. He held onto me like I was a lifeline.

That was when all my anger went away. Instead, I felt horrible, horrible guilt. This entire time, I had only been focusing on myself, and getting myself past the miscarriage. Not once had I thought about how this impacted Ethan. He was apart of this too, and he was afraid he was going to lose me.

His knees started to buckle, so I sat us both down on the bed. Ethan still held on to me, his sobs quieting down, but still crying softly. I rubbed his back and stroked his hair, shedding my own tears as I tried to think of something to say.

“I-I’m sorry,” I choked out. “I should have thought of you…”

Ethan sat up, sniffling. He looked down at his lap, tears still spilling out of his eyes. “Do you even care?”

“I do,” I replied softly. “I haven’t forgotten, trust me.”

“Then why don’t you talk to me?” he asked. “What happened to us?” He took in a shaky breath. “Why do you push me away? You never push me away…”

We both knew that wasn’t true, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

“I don’t mean to…”

“Then tell me about the miscarriage,” he said, now meeting my teary gaze. “Talk to me, Bella, please! How did you know? When did it start? Why didn’t you tell me? What were you thinking about?”

A lot of questions at once. Ethan, my Ethan, was in distress but I couldn’t get over my own to help him. I didn’t know what else to do except stand up and turn away. It only frustrated him more.

“Stop doing that!” he yelled. “Stop avoiding it! Stop shutting me out! Stop hating me! I-I’m literally crying my eyes out to you and you’re just - I can’t do it like this, Bella! I can’t pretend it didn’t happen!”

“I have to!” I finally snapped. “I have to handle things one at a time! Right now, the most important thing is this tour! And fighting with you is just making me enjoy it less! It’s making me turn it into a bad memory - I don’t want to look back at this and think about how awful it was because my body decided to eject a fetus-”

Ethan groaned in frustration. “Don’t say it like that!”

“It’s what happened! My stressed out body couldn’t handle a baby, so it rejected it and I almost bled out! That’s what happened!” I stopped myself before I could sob.

We both stayed where we were, crying quietly. We had never fought like this before. I was sure the neighbors were hearing us.

“I don’t want bad memories either,” Ethan spoke after a while, his tone much calmer but still sad. “I don’t want to fight with you. I just… I miss you, and I have things to talk about, but… you just want to fight with me.”

I took in a shaky breath. I choked up even more at the memory of the miscarriage, especially since it started all of this.

“I’m not ready to talk about it,” I admitted.

Another pause.

“Why didn’t you say that sooner?” Ethan asked, annoyed.

“Because we thought the other person cheated,” I replied in the same tone. “Replaced one battle with another.”

“Can you not look at this as a battle? We just have to talk about this, like adults.”

“I can’t talk about it,” I repeated. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“It doesn’t work like that, remember? You know how you get when you hold things in… You get mad, like you are now. And you start drinking.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “If I wanted to drink, I would have done it by now. It’s like I’ve been telling you, a silly little miscarriage isn’t going to break me.”

“Yet you refuse to talk about it.”

By this point, there was no fight left in me. I was tired of being angry and upset. I didn't even want to be around him anymore.

“Can we do this after tour?” I asked, serious pleading in my tone. “We can go see Helena together when we're in LA again. Please?”

Ethan was looking at his lap. If he fought me on this, I don't know what I'd do.

“Okay,” he said at last. “But isn't your next appointment with her until after my birthday? Can we go that long without fighting?”

It wasn't a good sign that I was hesitating, and Ethan knew this.

“Whatever I've done to make you hate me, I'm sorry,” he told me. “I know you're strong, and I know you can do this and stay sober. I just get worried. And I need you this time.”

I hummed in response. I really didn't know how to handle this part of a conflict. I wasn't good at this. My brain was screaming at me to call it quits, which made me act like I really did hate him. This wasn't a happy, perfect relationship anymore, what's the point?

“If I hated you,” I said, trying to fight against the thoughts in my head, “I wouldn't be here right now.”

Ethan stood up and stepped towards me. “So you love me?”

“I don't hate you.” My brain was too loud for this.

“No, you have to tell me you love me.” There was a small, childlike plea in his voice. “I have to hear you say it so I can believe it.”

I felt cramped as he got closer. Then, I sidestepped past him to get to the door. “I need some air.”

“Are you always going to run when something bad happens?” I heard him ask as I exited the hotel room.

Once I was alone in the hall, I sighed and rubbed my eyes. Then, before anyone could come out of their respective rooms, I dashed off towards the elevators, Ethan’s sobs still circling my head and ringing in my ears.

_____

#crankgameplays x oc #ethan nestor x reader #teamiplier x oc #sweetheart writes #odlt fic #song: love me or leave my by little mix #particularly the verse:#'cause i can still be the only one you need #the only one close enough to feel your breath #yeah i can still be the place where u run #instead of the one that youre running from'#HAHAHAHAH I LOVETHIS CHAPTER DONT YOU #i totally did not cry when i wrote this #OH AND this is the Ethan Song(tm)#like thats what he's feeling #this entire time i thought it was a Bella Song(tm)#silly me shes hurting him this time lmao #and he feels like she hates him l m f a o #and yeah bella doesnt wanna confront the emotions that have arised from the miscarriage #so shes lashing out and pushing ethan away and obvs she didnt realize what that was doing to him #also the lines:#'no this isn't fair #love me or leave me here'#OUCH THOSE ONES HURT ME #but yh pls listen to the song whilst reading for the Full Effect #and then tell me what u think this was like the chapter i was most excited about

13 notes · View notes

mediocrethoughts · 3 years

Text

Self-discipline, Where Art Thou?

Journal for November 21, 2020 6:46 AM and the previous days

Eating chiffon cake and hopia right now, 6 AM Saturday morning, sipping on my chocolate drink every now and then, and reading posts here on Tumblr with the hashtag diary. Lots of the posts are really brief, and I’m thinking of just posting brief entries in here since I can’t seem to find the time as much as before. Thing is... when I write about something, my thoughts just flow out and I can’t stop typing... sometimes. This explains my extra long posts here in my blog. Anyways...

Hm... trying to recall what happened the past days that I wasn’t able to log here. Ah! I think I mentioned that my semi-finals started Tuesday, November 17. and ends November 18. I even listed out the subjects that I was going to take on my previous blog.

Turns out, all of these subjects I was supposed to take didn’t have any exams for us to take during those days. So there passed by the semi-final exam days... without any exams.

However, Thursday night, our The Teaching Profession teachers announced that we’ll be having an exam... an entirely different kind of exam from before. We were to join the Google meet according to our numbers (Sir Hans sent a list and we followed the list), and when we’re inside, they’ll ask us questions. Thankfully I was the 5th one on the list (if I remember correctly) so I got called that Thursday night. I don’t rly recall the questions because of my bad memory, but it had something to do with the Magna Carta, 17 principles of Montessori teaching, and I think a self-reflection with my current state right now. Not sure. I don’t think I aced answering those questions since as always, i was unprepared. Anyways, I finished that night but unluckily for some of my classmates, they still have to wait for their turn next week. I can already feel the torture and nervousness I would’ve felt if I was one of the ones that weren’t called.

Anyways, so... I actually had an activity that was due yesterday, November 20, 2020. It was for my Rizal Life and Works subject... and believe me, I really started doing it like right after the professor gave me the activity... but only ONE FOURTH OF IT! I forgot about it right after the first day and just crammed it all up yesterday. Around 10 PM I was already done, I just needed to edit some grammars and structures of my answers... but I needed to give Amber attention so I went to the bed. I was kind of getting sleepy so I opted to watch Flushed Away with Amber (it’s a cartoon with mice as the subjects), but I ended up falling asleep even before half of the movie passed. I woke up around 12:30 AM because tita woke me up telling me to feed Amber because she said she was hungry. She didn’t eat dinner (yet again) earlier and I kept postponing on when to feed her because I wanted Nivan to be awake so we can eat together.

And so I woke Nivan up, nagging him for being such a sleep hoarder when I don’t even get that much sleep, and finally he woke up. He cooked noodles for Amber (this is probably the only food that Amber eats aside from chicken joys in Jollibee) and to our delight she ate a lot (mostly because Nivan was drinking his cucumber soda, and she really likes it so for her to eat, we threaten her that we won’t give her any of the drink... it’s a bad method but it works and she eats... sigh).

After eating, I changed her clothes because she got wet from over enthusiastically drinking the cucumber soda... and then after around 30 to 45 minutes she fell asleep. That was already around almost 2 AM. While I was looking at her face, something clicked into my mind: MY RIZAL LIFE AND WORKS ACTIVITY IS ALREADY LATE FOR SUBMISSION AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Well, I was really frustrated and grumbled so much at myself. I positioned myself on my workplace and started working on the final touches of my activities... and 3 hours passed (I know it took really long... I got sidetracked a lot). It was already 5 AM when I finished it so I sent an email to Sir Born containing the files and an apology and acceptance if there were any points deductions because of the late submission.

I really have to work on my time management.

Anyways, back to my breakfast... AAAAAH I FORGOT TO SAY! I broke my fasting the other day... AND NOW I’M CONTINUALLY BREAKING IT ALKSDJFLKSAJDFKLASJDFLKJ. I’m so annoyed! I was already able to keep my 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule for almost 2 weeks and now I’m back to square one. I feel like I gained all the weight that I lost again and more. I’ve been eating a lot again... GRRR SO ANNOYED AT MYSELF.

Okay, now really back to my breakfast... which I think is not enough. I’ll probably get rice and eggs...

Sincerely, Angel EDIT: It turned out to be a longer one than I intended... and a more informal one too.

#journal diary #daily log

0 notes

amwritingmeta · 7 years

Text

4x05 Deconstruction: How a Monster Movie Lays the Foundation for Our Love Story

(This meta is long af. Grab a blanket and a cup of your favourite beverage and maybe something nice to chew on and come explore with me!) (as ever, apologies for any repetition of previous discussion surrounding this episode, I know I’m late to the party!) (in any case, here’s my take)

Monster Movie is written by Ben Edlund, story edited by Jeremy Carver and directed by Bob Singer. This episode is one of those subtle expositional feasts for Dean Winchester’s individual character arc - i.e. his journey out of his fear of never being good enough the way he is, and understanding and believing that he’s accepted and loved entirely for who he is, moving out of his self-worth being so closely tied to what he can do for others.

Because once you’re honest with yourself about what you truly want out of life, that’s when you can begin to broaden your horizon and possibly begin to expect that there’s something more to be had, something waiting for you, if you just take that leap of faith, and dare to trust. This is endgame stuff, and I’m about to argue that Castiel was always meant to be a catalyst for Dean’s self-examination, which will reveal his hidden internal need and is the whole entire point of Dean’s character journey: to learn lessons and evolve away from the person who doesn’t believe he deserves to be saved.

Point in fact, as much as SPN overall is about searching for one’s identity, that theme is focused and part of the overarching theme of S4 in wholly new ways, established through these two exchanges:

Dean: Who are you? Castiel: I’m the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition. Dean: Yeah? Thanks for that.

This is of course followed in the very next scene with:

Dean: Who are you? Castiel: Castiel. Dean: Yeah, I figured as much. I mean what are you. Castiel: I’m an angel of the Lord.

These two exchanges are not only the starting point for the interaction between these two characters - it’s the beginning of their entire joint journey.

Why?

Because these exchanges set up the theme of identity prevalent in this season with Dean’s questioning of Castiel’s identity, and Dean questions it not once, but twice for emphasis; the questioning ending with an assertion that Castiel doesn’t only know who he is, but what he is. (Deepened and doubly asserted in 4x02 with “I’m a soldier” - linking him to Dean with a chain so thick it could anchor a ship) (*glancing to the ceiling*)

Of course, here, at the start of S4, Castiel’s search for his identity has only just begun as well. Two journeys beginning at the same time, reflecting each other perfectly, both of the travelers carrying with them that one question: “Who are you?”which as the season progresses becomes the more profound “Who am I?”

Ok. Let’s leave that now, because the place where I really want to begin this meta on this particular episode is with a nosedive into the symbolism I see littered throughout it. So –>

The Symbolism

Black/White made me, upon some reflection, think of this symbol:

Yin/Yang.

Simplified, this symbol represents balance between opposites, two halves that together create a whole.

In Taoism, yin and yang are the starting point for change —>

—> split two sides of a whole up and the two sides will chase each other to once again find harmony together and if they can’t because you’re, you know, too closed off, well, then we have a Dean Winchester on our hands, don’t we? (and yes a Castiel) (they both wear an emotional armour of completely different types) (but they’re there)

But here’s what truly caught me up in the thought of yin and yang tied to the black and white theme of this episode: yin and yang as representative of masculine and feminine.

Disclaimer: I’m of the peeps who think that the societal construct behind assigning anything with some form of definitive gender is bullshit, to be honest, and I rather wish humanity could stop slapping labels on everything and dividing everything up into boxes, but as I see it, masculine and feminine are used in the traditional sense on the show in order to highlight the bullshit divide and so I shall use the masculine/feminine as such in this meta. Okay, disclaimer done.

Assorted Traditional Masculine traits, to be a man you need to show that you possess: strength, intellect, power, aggression, virility, bravery.

Assorted Traditional Feminine traits, to be a woman means being: nurturing, passive, tender, submissive, loving, kind, patient, understanding.

A man goes out and gets what he wants - a woman waits for whatever she’s lucky enough to get to come find her. Of course, bullshit. We all have a bit of both and we all have the ability to access and embrace these traits in ourselves. A man staying at home with the cooking and cleaning and care taking of the kids is awesome. A woman staying at home with the cooking and cleaning and care taking of the kids is awesome. What the fuck does it matter who does what as long as it gets done? And the kids are alive and happy? (fuck) (sake)

Now, let’s continue the Symbolism Nosedive with —>

The Monsters!! (grrr) (arrrgh)

Dracula: is a tormented being, yearning to be reunited with his lost love, he’s shown as a creature of deep emotion (feminine) and yet he’s driven, manipulative, competitive and unfeeling (masculine): he is quite literally a dual nature of femininity and, one could argue here, toxic masculinity. Bram Stoker’s Dracula also represents a release for repressed sexual desire and fear of the unknown, fear of that tall dark stranger who can enter your bedroom at night and slowly, but surely, turn you into something else. (ahem) (*glances at the ceiling again*) I could go on and I could go deeper, but I won’t.

The Wolf Man: is a tormented being and star of a 1941 horror film where the protagonist finds himself bitten when trying to save the life of a girl who is best friend’s with the woman he’s falling in love with. Unable to stop his own transformation from civilised man into bloodthirsty beast he grapples with his killer instinct and is finally slain by his own father (John) who doesn’t recognise the wolf is his son. Conversely, the dual nature of the werewolf symbolises the human vs. the animal within us - love vs. violence, intellect vs. primal urges. This said, the werewolf myth is linked to something else that is intriguing in the context of this episode: puberty and sexual awakening. I’ll get to why this is so intriguing a little later but here’s a teaser: it’s linked to “Agent Young” and a certain someone waking up dressed in a Hansel outfit.

The Mummy: is a tormented being, caught between life and death, but more than that this monster stands out to me because it’s not a dual nature, it’s a thing that’s died and has been preserved, but is falling apart, kept together by bandages, and has come back to life and is now searching for a way to restore its body to former glories. Yup, to me there’s a clear reason this monster stands out in a narrative primarily dealing with monsters that all are tied to confusion about ones true identity. (I’ll get to the why and the how it stands out in about 100 000 words) (kidding!) (or am I…)

The Shapeshifter: is such a tormented being you could even call this week’s true Big Bad a Dean Winchester mirror. With that backstory, I mean, I’m sure I’m not the first one to point at this. Beaten down by his father, ridiculed and hounded for being different and called a freak by society at large. Now, I don’t think John Winchester would ever have judged Dean for being bisexual, but he would judge Dean if he perceived him as weak, because emotions cloud judgment; a soldier leaves emotion behind when entering the battlefield and the Winchester’s life is a fucking battlefield, so John Winchester would feel it necessary to step into the role of drill sergeant first and father second in order to ensure the survival of both his sons.

And the army doesn’t raise soft, pliant caretakers - it raises killers.

To me, the shifter’s backstory is ALL about showing us why Dean began performing in the first place: being raised into his toxic masculinity (by default, John thinking it was for Dean’s own good) Dean’s fear of being rejected for who he truly is made him put up a front because it was safer, because he could believe in that hard shell and convince himself that all those other things he might sometimes wonder about or wish for himself, that deep longing for love and home and family, those were just pipe dreams. There’s a deeper layer to this, but I’ll explore that in my 4x06 meta.

Now, the shifter fell in love with the monsters of the classic horror films because he was called a monster for so long that he began to believe it. He’s accepted the identity someone else has dictated for him and has dressed himself in it proudly, seeing the beauty in it, but being so lost in it that he has no real identity left at all.

Nature vs nurture, guys, in its truest form.

Had someone, anyone, shown the shifter kindness while he was still open to getting to know who he was deep down inside, it might have given him the chance to accept himself, which could have given him the strength to brush off other people’s judgment as falsehoods, instead of accepting them as truth.

So, in this narrative of dual natures and conflicted identities, I see the shifter - in whom all these monster traits are combined, of course - as representative of Dean himself, and this is done for our benefit, so that we get to see inside Dean, into the internal conflict that he’s wrestling with, and has been wrestling with, for a long time.

Feminine vs Masculine

Control vs Change

Human vs Animal

Love vs Hate (or rather, frustrated rage finding an outlet in violence)

Dean’s journey has never been about shedding his manliness. This is not about changing Dean’s personality, because all of him has been shown to us over and over again. All of the above sides to him are in constant flux, in constant battle, no harmony, no balance, and we’ve always been privy to this.

What Dean has always needed is awareness (conscious or subconscious) of his internal conflict - a contrast that gives that conflict a sharper edge - because awareness means that he can open himself up to learning lessons that will show him who he truly wants to be, rather than who he’s been instructed to be and who he’s forced himself into thinking he has to be as a means of survival and doing his job - which is so much about keeping Sammy safe.

Okay, let me be more specific here, because performing!Dean and non-performing!Dean are not two separate men: they are the same man.

But performing!Dean is a security blanket that isn’t only about being the Strong and Protective Big Brother Warrior because of Sam

The performance, the blockade of walls, kept strong and in place by Dean’s need for control, is also there to shut down hope, trust and faith

Sam has always been the optimist, he’s always been full of these characteristics

While Dean grinds because you gotta keep grinding, not because he has hope and trust and faith that the grinding is leading, without question, to the desired goal and result–

–the way Sam does

The performance is there to protect Dean from getting his hopes up, from trusting there’ll be something good around the next corner, keeping him from opening up his heart because every single time he has ever done that, he’s been hurt or the rug has been pulled out

To Dean, there was never going to be a happy ending for him, there was never going to be a future of settling down and growing old with someone - the thing he deep down longs for the most - there was always only going out in a blaze of glory in the cards, so why should he care?

Why should he focus on anything but Sam?

The two of them, that’s enough, and Dean’s love for his brother is not a performance

And, of course, the performance - the walls of toxic masculinity - also comes down plenty. Non-performing Dean shows us that Dean is never a dog with women. He may be the love-em-and-leave-em type of guy (because of his fear of rejection if he stuck around for more than a night) but he’ll give them the time of their life (like with Lisa). And we know he’s capable of vulnerability (the tearful call to John in 1x09 for example) and shows willingness to open himself up (like with Cassie), but for all intents and purposes, Dean Winchester does not engage with matters of his heart.

Because down that road lies nothing but disappointment and pain.

However. These conflicting sides are - in Monster Movie - being brought into the foray and Dean is shown to be aware. So very aware.

Who or what has made Dean aware of this conflict within him, though?

Hint hint –>

Yes, of course the correct answer is: Who is Castiel?

As Ever, the Destiel of it All: Because you may rightfully ask me now what all these monster and identity things actually have to do with our love story. Isn’t this all to do with Dean’s individual arc and his journey as a character, no matter how Castiel may be, in my opinion, the clear catalyst for change?

Well, I’m about to argue, once and for all, that the love story itself - not just Castiel as a character - is integral to Dean’s character growth because —>

This whole entire episode is exposition for how Dean’s true coming of age story has begun through meeting Cas

Cas’ appearance, and Dean’s undeniable fascination and attraction to this winged mercenary, brings with it a sense of budding hope and a longing for the ability to have faith (in other words - to trust in something other than himself, which is the basis for Dean letting go of his need for control, which is the biggest tripper-upper for him always)

In this episode the seeds for Dean’s continuous examination of himself are actually planted for us (all of this examination will grow and blossom purely in the subtext of the show, of course)

And the foundation of the love story that is also laid down throughout this season is integral to Dean’s character growth

Because if Dean had never met Cas he would - narratively - never had had any reason to open up and be honest with himself about what he really wants in life: to be loved for who he is

And he would never have thought he deserved it, because he would never have cause to reflect on whether he does or not

And so the brodependency would have been left unchecked, because all of Dean’s self worth would still have been tied to Sam

And since Cas is the catalyst and our love story is the foundation for our protagonists entire character growth, it makes sense that the reward at the end of the journey, once all the lessons have been learned, is happiness for Dean with the man he loves, who loves him back for who he is

Now, change doesn’t come easy - and we have Yellow Fever to underline exactly how uneasily it comes for Dean Winchester and a further nine years of story telling to underline how slowly one has to go in order to change one’s fundamental perception of oneself - and to dare believe that good things do happen, even when all your experience goes against the very notion.

So, with the lay of the land before you, let us dissect and see if I can bring you over to this beautiful view.

(I find it beautiful) (you may scorn and toss your hair and walk out because you might think WHAT FUCKING VIEW??) (it will still be beautiful to me damnit!) (okay moving on)

My deconstruction of the episode below the line because it is long af (I did warn you) and I hope you’ve got something nice to nibble on and somewhere comfortable to sit and that you’re still with me! Here we go –>

The Episode

Scene 1, frame 1, minute 1. (yeah ok I’m not going to do it like that)

1. Welcome to Pennsylvania

Sam and Dean are in Baby, arriving at the state border of Pennsylvania, and Sam isn’t all that excited about investigating a random case when the world is ending, while Dean is optimistically making this remark:

Dean: Come on, man, it’s like the good old days. An honest to goodness monster hunt. About time the Winchesters got back to tackling a straightforward, black and white case.

The reason I even got hung up on the fact that the episode is in black and white is because it’s stated in dialogue. Whenever something is added in dialogue it usually means it has actual bearing on, or at least is there to add weight to, the plot itself. Which, in this instance, taking into consideration the overarching theme of confused identity and feminine vs masculine, the black and white truly does.

So even if it’s casual or a hooded remark, like this one, it’s mentioned in dialogue because the writers want the audience to be perfectly aware of it.

Just as the ��straightforward” is a tongue-in-cheek underlining of how nothing is fucking “straight”forward on this show. Especially not when Dean also tries to do a callback to the good old days, when monsters were monsters and killing them was done without hesitation and times, as Dean wants to recall them, were simple and less confusing. Of course, they never were that. Using “the good old days” is the biggest reveal to Dean’s emotional state of this entire scene. It ties directly in with the horrors of Hell that Dean is trying to ignore, but it also ties in with his fear of the unknown, of anything changing, especially changing in ways that are out of his control.

Feeling like this longing for something more - this sudden, almost soft hope that perhaps there actually is something more to be had because someone told him there is, someone has put that thought in his head, someone terrifying and unpredictable and absolutely, absolutely fucking awesomely surprising - feeling like that hope is something he can’t suppress would send control freak Dean Winchester into a complete and utter panic of overcompensation for things needing to stay as they’ve always been, for him to stay the way he’s always been. No? Yes. Oh, yes, it would. Just look at how this episode plays itself out.

(Erik Kripke. Ben Edlund. Bob Singer. Jeremy Carver. I. Love. These. Men.)

2. Oktoberfest

(Pssst: Do you know what the origin of Oktoberfest is? It was to celebrate the marriage between Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese, taking place in Bavaria in 1810) (just funny) (because Dean is so eager to engage with a tradition he considers tied to partying and getting laid) (when hidden from view is how the tradition began as an acknowledgement of commitment and a long and happy future with the person you love) (I mean shrug right?) (let’s shrug it up for the coincidence of a hidden, deeper meaning in the very setting of the episode itself) (it’s so uncharacteristic of the show anyway) (*small smile*)

As the brothers arrive to town, we now come to understand that here is the beginning of the long-legs-and-cleavage appearances, and yes, they will continue throughout the episode (and will continue to be prevalent throughout the entire season) (has Dean ever said “cheerleader” as often as in this season?)

Anyway, one of the pretty “bar wenches” is posing for a photograph taken by… well, a middle-aged man who looks like the poster boy for either mid-life crisis or just a tourist creep, I mean, that shot is set up as though you’re supposed to react to this: the young girl exposed to the male gaze and the male gaze delighting, while the young girl is in a submissive position of not being able to do much about it because this is her role in the scenario, right? But why is she even in that role in the first place?

So Sam and Dean walk into the square, Dean bringing up going to see the new Raider’s movie, mostly so Sam can say “You were in Hell” - planting that fact as part of this episode because Dean will later talk with our Girl of the Week Jamie about his “near death experience”.

Dean spots a “big pretzel” and goes for it, Sam watching him as though it’s nice to see Dean happy and excited. Dean’s back. They’re on a case. It’s a nice moment. Dean is also acting like a child at a fairground, which is another thing that has a bearing on this narrative (and on how his arc is built across this season). Eating the pretzel Dean is greeted by Jamie and is immediately taken with her because pretty.

They speak to the sheriff and Sam takes the lead, introducing them as Dean is still munching on his penis pretzel. And now we get Agent Young. My darling Agent Young, what a fucking amazing choice of an alias for this particular case. Why not Pan? You’ll never catch me and make me a man! Well, dude, you may resist all you want but we all know that you’re on the track to manhood. We’ve seen it now. And you cut quite the figure. Adult Dean alongside Adult Sam are going to kick ass even harder than they have so far done! S13 is going to be epicness! (digression)

3. Morgue

Feminine and masculine representation in this episode, as said, is interesting. The sheriff - a male authority figure - is dismissive of the female victim, complaining heartlessly of how her death is the last thing the town needs during tourist season.

Sam is annoyed and calls the sheriff out on his thoughtlessness saying:

Sam: Definitely the last thing Marissa Wright needed.

The sheriff goes on to paint a vivid picture of the probable perp - who must be a freak, right? And then laments over having to give into Ed Brewer’s insistence that his testimony be taken; the sheriff asserting his judgment over another man as well. Yeah, my point is that there is toxic masculinity all over this dude. What I love is that Dean doesn’t react to it, whereas Sam takes a stand against it: fucking subtle and still so in character it almost hurts.

4. Dean Never Forgets a Pretty Everything

Sam and Dean go to the local pub. Lucy is in our immediate line of sight and tied to Jamie straight off. Dean is pleased to see Jamie, Jamie remembers him from earlier. It’s all very memorable.

Now, let me be frank —> I love Jamie. I love her so much.

First reason, her name. Her feminine/masculine combined into one name.

Second reason, her attitude. This girl is smart, witty and self-confident. She has sass. Moreover, she knows who the fuck she is, she knows her worth, she knows she’s a catch and any guy should be lucky to have her.

Third reason, she’s protective of Ed. She is the complete opposite of the toxically masculine Sheriff.

Fourth reason, she sees right through Dean, and that’s shown in this dialogue:

Jamie: Wait a minute, you’re a fed? Wow, you don’t come on like a fed. Seriously? Dean: I’m a maverick, ma’am. A rebel with a badge. The one thing I don’t play by - the rules.

He winks at her. She’s mostly amused. The fact that she doesn’t buy his bullshit for a minute, but that she appreciates it for what it is - hiding that good guy underneath it all - is gorgeous because the very reason she’s giving him the time of day is that she can see there’s more there. And I love this exposition in an episode where Dean is beating against this soft tug inside of him that is threatening him with a possible longing for change, trying his damnedest to keep up his performance.

Give it one more scene and I’ll dig into why I’m feeling this so strongly.

But first —>

5. Ed Brewer

Ed is a character. Perhaps the boys even understand why the Sheriff was rolling his eyes and sighing and uming-and-ahing over having to pretend to take this guy seriously. Ed is not a toxic masculinity type of guy, though. He’s a nervous, glances-over-his-shoulder-when-walking-home-alone type of skittish guy. Harmless. Weak, even. And openly judged for it by on of our representative for toxic masculinity. Yuuuuuuup, indeed.

6. Agent Young and the Bar Wench

Now we get back to perfoming!Dean.

Alright, back to the episode!

Because now Dean is happily up to old tricks. Meaning he is absolutely, most certainly, out to get laid. After talking to Ed, the brothers write the case off as not their thing, but Dean says they should stick around, their room’s already paid for.

He makes another pass at Jamie, strikes out for a second time, but is happy for the chase, because - and I can barely even believe Edlund did this, it’s too good - Dean reckons he came back new.

As in: a virgin. (a fucking virgin)

And who made him feel touched for the very first time? Well, let’s take stock of his exchange with Sam —>

Dean: Man, it is time to right some wrongs. Sam: Come again? Dean: Look at me. I mean, I came back from the furnace without any of my old scars, right? No bullet wounds, no knife cuts, none of the off-angled fingers from all the breaks, my hide is as smooth as a baby’s bottom, which leads me to conclude, sadly, that my virginity is intact. Sam: What? Dean: I have been rehymenated. Sam: Please. Maybe angels can pull you out of hell, but no one can do that. Dean: Brother - I have been rehymenated. And the dude will not abide.

I mean, what can I say, what can one do here but applaud Ben Edlund?

This episode in its entirety is one huge neon sign for Dean’s bisexuality, as well as the already mentioned underlining of the inner conflict attached to it, and, to me, that underlining begins right here because it’s stated in this above dialogue.

How?

Well, peeps, men do not have a hymen. Do you know what has a hymen? VAGINAS.

Why does this matter? Isn’t Dean just making a joke?

Well, yes, he could be making a crude joke, hinting at virginity being only a female affliction and the masculine “dude” (his dick, essentially, when read superficially) will not abide. But look at how the dialogue is structured.

Dean never mentions Cas by name because that would be way, way too personal a statement to make. (Also way too early to tie Cas so unequivocally to Dean’s frame of mind by mentioning his name in dialogue, but we all know.) This is more or less Dean saying: Yeah, Cas pulled me out of hell and fucking purified me of sin, delivering me back to the world as smooth as a baby’s bottom and feeling like a virgin. (he left his handprint on my arm but we don’t talk about that) So what can I possibly do but fight against this tooth, nail and claw? Get myself back the way I was before. Get back to the good old pre-Hell days when I knew who I was, because all this weird longing and crap that’s going on in my head right now, I do not want it.

But dig deeper and this is how I read it —> Dean, in dialogue, divides himself into feminine and masculine.

I have been rehyminated. And the dude will not abide.

Elaboration: his feminine side is beginning to wink knowingly at him going isn’t this much nicer, to feel pure and whole and filled with hope for the future, rather than engaging in meaningless sex to cower from your fear of intimacy, stemming in your fear or rejection, linking directly to your lack of self-worth? And his toxic masculinity replies with an ever reverberating FUCK OFF.

And if Castiel is the one who rehymenated Dean - which of course he is - then Cas must be linked to the opposite of The Dude: The Dude that is on the hunt in the same fashion he has always been on the hunt. Consider The Dude in this scenario to be representative of the dudebro performance side of Dean. Meaning The Dude is Dean’s toxic masculinity, thank you, Ben Edlund. This while Cas - in dialogue - by being what restored Dean’s virginity is directly linked to the side that The Dude cannot abide. The side he is telling to FUCK THE FUCK OFF.

Ok, let me clarify how this speaks to me:

Castiel is here hinted at being linked to, and even representative of, non-performing Dean

And performing Dean feels fucking threatened

Castiel’s appearance on the scene is making Dean dare to engage with that feeling, deep down, telling him maybe there’s something else that he really wants, making him dare feel hope and the first glimmer of faith - and the dude will not abide the threat of change (and his slow death)

So let’s find a girl and talk about having sex with her as though it’s going to clear away the virginity (rebirth/new beginning) that meeting Castiel has left Dean with

This dialogue tells us that Cas is tied to the side of Dean that longs for true love, home, stability, family. It’s not pronounced yet, but the beginning of it is there, that fascination, that pull Cas has on Dean is just waiting to bloom into more, and deep down Dean knows it. I’ll come to why this episode made me convinced of this in just a few scenes!! (you still with me?)

4. The Wolf Man

A young guy is lying to his girlfriend about how guys need sex to not get backed up (toxic masculinity) and his girlfriend is about to oblige (submissive caretaker), but the guy is murdered by a werewolf. Moral of this tale: don’t lie to get girls in bed. (moral comes back around in the narrative of this episode) Also, yes, callback to more innocent times when teenage girls would fall for this bullcrap and I do doubt they actually do fall for it in our times of dickpics and snapchats. (shudder)

5. Back at the Bar

Shit is getting real after this werewolf murder. (It’s giving Dean a headache) (and rightly so) (if you think of this narrative as completely reflective of what he’s dealing with internally) (ahem)

Sam and Dean are back at the pub and Jamie tells Dean she gets off work at eleven and I love this, because Jamie demonstrates a rather typical way they use female stereotypes on this show: she’s a sexual fantasy, sure, but moreover she has brains and sass - she takes control and shows a layer of real personality. She goes against the female blonde victim stereotype.

Plus she has, as we’re about to learn, empathy as well. She’s a human being, not just a pair of long legs and a low cut blouse. It tells us what? Not to judge people on their looks alone, because we stereotype everyone we meet, whether we want to or not.

Dean: Hey, you think this Dracula could turn into a bat. That’d be cool.

And adorkable. Cool and adorkable. Dean at his finest.

(Dean and his obsession with bats) (I wonder why he has it) (there’s Batman’s dual personality) (Dracula’s many different guises) (almost like Dean can relate to these characters that are conflicted internally and manifest it externally…) (now we have Sam calling out the Batman parallel as the bullshit it is and presenting us with Wonder Woman instead) (self-assured, strong, brave, loving and open minded) (I cannot wait to meet Dean Winchester in S13)

6. Mummy Dearest

The mummy rises out of its sarcophagus and kills a security guard. The brothers discover dried ice on the scene and the fact that the sarcophagus is from a prop house in Philly. Sam calls the whole thing stupid and Dean remembers he’s late for his date with Jamie.

Now, let me address the mummy here, because it does stick out like a sore thumb among these monsters. More to the point, Dean even brings it up in dialogue when he later on has been captured by the Shifter and asks him: “Or even if you think you are Dracula - what the hell’s up with the mummy?” A question that’s never answered, but that’s in dialogue for a reason. Here’s my take on that reason:

The mummy is a tormented being that has been preserved after death and risen again, but is falling apart, is a husk of a body inside rotting bandages and is on a quest to make itself whole again, running the risk of never being able to do so, of never finding what was left behind in death. The mummy is a direct opposite to Dean’s description of himself to Sam and his optimistic view of how he was brought back to life without any of his old scars, and, to me, the mummy is exposition of the feeling Dean is dragging around with him underneath it all. A feeling that will become clear to us as the season progresses because Dean remembers Hell and all the things done to him, and all the horrors he doled out in return.

Also, with regards to the mummy, the brothers are dealing with a very, very identity confused shapeshifter who is escaping into a make-believe world of horror rather than to deal with the horrors of his/her real life.

*slow eyebrow raise*

6. In the Alleyway

Jamie gets attacked by Dracula - who calls her Mina - and Dean intervenes, Dracula calling him Harker and almost biting him until Dean stops him by pulling off his ear, Dracula escaping on a vespa. Again, the visual of Dracula on that tiny little non-motorcycle is part of the theme of the narrative: feminine and masculine in an eternal mashup, the supposed weak vs the powerful character traits are all interchangeable and part of a whole.

7. Aftermath

This scene is epic. Let me set the stage: Sam goes to the old movie theatre to talk to Ed Brewer, who they think might be the shifter. Dean stays with Jamie at the pub, laying out the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (as apposed to the guy lying to get into a girl’s pants) (and as apposed to the wink and the “I’m a maverick, ma’am” line that he opened with) (moral of that story line accepted)

Jamie: So this is what you do? You and your partner just tramp across the country, on your own dime, until you find some horrible nightmare to fight? Dean: Some people paint. Jamie: Wow. Dean: What? Jamie: That must suck. I mean, giving up your life for this terrible, I don’t know… responsibility. Dean: Last few years I started thinking that way and, yeah, it started weighing on me.

Dean: A little while ago I had this… let’s call it a near death experience. Very near. And when I came to, things were different. My life’s been different. I realise that I help people. Not just help them, though - I save them. I guess it’s awesome. It’s kind of like a gift. Like a mission. Kind of like a mission from God.

Here’s my reading of this exchange —>

Jamie paints a depressing picture of the brothers’ life and Dean tries to blow it off with likening that life to a hobby - the life is no big deal.

But then Jamie turns on the empathy and hits on a truth that opens Dean up, because he’s wanted to talk about it with someone, and he doesn’t know how to, or doesn’t feel he can, talk about it with Sam: Sam is grappling with being linked to Hell and Dean knows it might come to him having to kill him, how can he tell Sam that he feels raised up - not only from Hell, but out of his own bleak world view, out of his inability to have faith, linking into his difficulty to trust and hope, by the thought of being chosen by God?

This is why, at the start of the episode, Dean’s happy to be on a case: this is his purpose, this is why he was put back on Earth, this is why Heaven has his back - he does good deeds, he saves people. He feels he’s doing his part for the Greater Good.

If we want to look at character psychology and how to build a love story between two characters we don’t need to look much further than this, as Dean is a perfect mirror for the biggest internal obstacle Cas has to deal with for his individual evolution: believing an outside force can define who you are and assign your purpose, when you have to do that for yourself through faith in your own abilities, stemming entirely from a deep and real sense of self-worth.

But there’s even more to it than that, because the contents of the dialogue doesn’t just tie Dean’s sentiments to God and to being chosen by God; this episode and both of the exchanges I’ve typed out serve as exposition for Castiel:

When Dean talks of Castiel returning him without even the hint of old injuries it plants Cas’ core character trait of being a healer, first and foremost - he wants to help

Dean then softly reminisces of being brought back, how things are different, his life is different, the good he does feels validated by an external force that has nothing to do with him, but that is giving him back his belief in what he does being the right thing - this is faith sprouting in Dean and this ties directly to the love story and how Cas has come to push Dean forward on this path of self-examination, because it will inevitably lead to faith for Dean, just not faith in a higher power, but faith in himself and his value outside of what he can bring to the fight (remind you of anyone?) (there’s a reason these two characters’ core traits and core issues mirror each other) (because that’s what the two main characters do in a love story)

What is interesting to me is to think of the yin and the yang, the feminine and masculine, the thought that Dean is not being entirely honest with himself, that he is split in half between performing and non-performing, between his toxic masculinity and who he is deep down - his loving, honest, open minded, softer side - his feminine side. His inner yin and yang chasing after each other to become whole, to allow him to find balance, and how is this visualised?

After opening up, after being honest, after allowing this side - the side we’ve already had it hinted is tied to Castiel - to shine through, this happens:

To me, this kiss becomes a visual manifestation of the inner balance that should be at the end of Dean’s journey. Yin and Yang in symbiosis and understanding of one another.

But wait for it.

Because here comes Lucy and the reveal that she is also part of the shifter’s identity crisis. The shifter is suddenly split visually into feminine and masculine: the toxic masculinity of Dracula having chosen a softer shape to move among the mortals. The shape of an overlooked woman and the third bride of Dracula in those old movies the Shifter so loves. (remember the roots of Oktoberfest?) (wedding roots) (and there are brides all over this narrative) (funny isn’t it?)

Jamie: Oh, I am fine. Guy didn’t even touch me. And Dean, he just… flew right in and fought him off. Dean: Well, I didn’t actually fly, but I’m sure it seemed like that at the time. Jamie: It was really… really something.

I feel they’re really referring to someone else here. Someone who arrives through a fluttering of wings…

And, of course, the dialogue beautifully links Dean to Heaven again as well.

8. Well, I’ll be damned if it isn’t Hansel Young

Here’s where all of these feminine/masculine, there is absolutely something more going on here, what exactly is the symbolism of this narrative and all of such questions really began to knot together in my head. I stared and stared and tried to work out why the fuck Dean would have been taken out of his suit and put in a Hansel getup. Okay, yeah, hilarious, but also… huh?? Wut? This is not a fairy tale narrative - it is classic horror. So what is up with the suspenders there, Agent Young?

Oh.

See, this is where the point of this episode comes into actual focus. As I’ve already mentioned, to me, this is the beginning of Dean’s true coming of age story.

Dean is a man, okay? Dean is a manly man’s man, we all know that, and yet, throughout this episode, he behaves borderline teenager-y - and yes, it’s heightened, I feel, for this episode as an underlining of his inner turmoil, because Dean needs to grow up. Emotionally. And he’s never had real reason to before, but now someone’s come onto the scene that in one fell swoop is stirring feelings that bring out and highlight deeply rooted fears and an unwillingness in Dean to change anything. Ever.

He’s stuck.

Here’s the thing.

Hansel and Gretel is the perfect allegory for going through puberty, for being forced out of the nest, forced to find your own way and face the enormous challenges that life has in store. It’s a tale of survival and triumph over adversity and even over death itself. The siblings face down the witch and they come out stronger for it. Rather than climbing into her oven (or fiery furnace *meaningful eye brow raise*) and giving up, Hansel uses a stick to outwit and overcome the threat: allowing the siblings (a girl and a boy representative of female/male) to move from childhood into adolescence. They are set on their journey to adulthood.

To me, that’s what Monster Movie is - Dean’s first step towards growing up, growing out of old ideas that have held him back since childhood, growing into the understanding that he is his own person and has every right to be. That he deserves to be and can be happy.

The whole entire point of Dean’s character journey is not for Dean to shed the performance and become another person, the entire point of Dean’s character journey is for him to reconcile the fact that it’s possible to be a soft, dorky, nerdy, loving, brutally kickass man with dirt under his fingernails who also loves to cook and take care of everyone.

This is also the point of the show: to take the traditional family- and gender values, based as they are on Christian values, and deconstruct them, leaving the beautiful for all to see and pick-pick-picking at the hypocritical or detrimental. Society thrives on diversity. That’s a core value of the show itself.

(And I have to add this now after seeing 13x01 because I fucking pumped my fist in the air: “There is no weird. Everyone’s normal in their own way.” ANDREW DABB!)

9. Shifter

I’m combining two scenes here.

a) The shifter tells Jamie to get into a dress he’s chosen for her and when she refuses he loses his temper —> toxic masculinity oppressing freethinking femininity. Jamie has no choice but to comply.

b) The shifter is sorry that he scared her. He doesn’t want to scare her - everyone else, but not her. He tells Jamie his damaged backstory and the reason why he took to “the great monsters”, seeing how it would be better to be feared than beaten down. Jamie calls him out on his performance: he emulates the monsters, but it’s all a facade. She can see he’s lonely and she uses the word as a weapon. Jamie hears a noise and calls out for Dean.

10. Sam

Sam gets Dean out of his bonds and then teases him about the Hansel getup, which is also significant to me, because Dean isn’t at the point where he can free himself, not yet (hence the need for Sam to get him out of there) and Sam would be unable to understand Dean’s inner struggles (hence the teasing) because Dean isn’t ready to be open about any of it, not even with himself yet. He’s just begun this part of his character journey.

Sam also takes the lead in kicking the door down, which is, again, interesting. Dean doesn’t even try to take the lead in this scene, he even gestures for Sam to go ahead and kick the door down. Dean in a child costume taking the backseat…

11. Dracula and Mina

Dracula knocks Sam out - fitting since this actually isn’t Sam’s fight. (not in the symbolic sense anyway) Dean attacks Dracula and they trade blows, Dean giving the wonderful line of “About now you shut the hell up” because, well, that’s endgame, isn’t it? For his toxic masculinity to stop dictating to him how he should behave and who he should be.

Dracula overpowers Dean —> and gets shot in the chest by Jamie. (with silver) (which in classic lore is tied to the purity of Heaven…)

Dracula: No, Mina, do not weep. Perhaps this is how the movie should end.

And the toxic masculinity is defeated by the strong, powerful, self-assured, brave femininity. Because Jamie is representative of yin/yang in balance.

12. The End of the Beginning

Gratitude and kissing between Jamie and Dean. Jamie thanks the brothers for saving her life. Dean is satisfied. And even says “A happy ending. With a happy ending, no less”, which is intriguing on so many levels. They actually put the phrase “happy ending” in the dialogue. Twice.

Final note: if Dean was turning life into a movie, it’d be this one:

Porky’s 2 — The Angel Beach High School Drama Club is producing a Shakespeare Festival in which the group from the first film is participating. Unfortunately, a religious leader named Bubba Flavel wants to halt the production because he and his group, “The Righteous Flock,” maintain that Shakespeare is indecent and profane. The gang seeks out the help of Seward County Commissioner Gebhardt, who initially promises that he will pull some strings to keep the Shakespeare Festival running. However, the gang quickly learns that Gebhardt only agreed in order to secure a date with seventeen-year-old Wendy. When Wendy refuses him, he reneges on his promise. The local Ku Klux Klan chapter joins the movement to shut down the Shakespeare Festival when the Klan learns that John Henry, a Seminole student, will play Romeo opposite a white Juliet played by Wendy. Flavel welcomes the Klan’s support of his movement. The Angel Beach gang plot their revenge against Flavel, Commissioner Gebhardt, the rest of the county commissioners, and the Klan.

Yeah, that’s right, that’s the movie he’d want to live in forever.

The Angel Beach High School Drama Club.

Dean would want to be stuck in a movie about teenagers. A movie about teenagers who love Shakespeare and fight together against the oppression of The Man. And sexism. And racism.

This movie is referenced in a narrative dealing with Dean’s need to move out of adolescence and into adulthood.

Also, angels are fucking everywhere in this episode.

*dying just a little*

#spn meta #spn headcanon #monster movie #spn 4x05 #deconstruction #dean is bi #dean winchester #cas #destiel #long ass mother fucker #masculine/feminine #the greatest love story ever told

137 notes · View notes

steves3511 · 7 years

Text

So you want to convention

I am going to show you all the supplies you need to rock out your next Comic Convention

At my last convention I attended I was asked about writing a blog post about how I prepare for shows and the essentials I bring with me. Since I have been thinking of writing a post on this very topic for a while I thought that this was the kick in the pants I needed to finally start writing .This is my third year attending and exhibiting at shows, my second year exhibiting full time as my primary source of income. Over those three years and almost 30 shows I have exhibited at I have learned a lot about booth setup, packaging, and selling and interacting with customers; and I want to share with you those insights I have learned through trial and error so you wont make those same early mis-steps and hopefully help you have the best show you can.

First things first, you decide to test out selling at comic conventions and you are like "San Diego Comic Con here I come!" Hold your horses there brother; I like many artists strongly recommend starting with your local shows, its hard enough making money at your first show, you don't want to add to that by having to pay for travel and hotel costs as well. If you are lucky like me and have several friends and family scattered around the country offering a free couch to sleep on it certainly makes things easier, thought that airfare is still pretty killer (baggage fees grrr). Make things easy for yourself start local and expand out from there.

So you signed up for your local show, now what? First and most importantly if you are an artist in artist alley you are going to need prints of your work. At shows and online I often get asked where I get my prints from, or if I print myself from home (hell no!!). Having good prints is really important, it doesn't matter how good your image looks on a computer screen, if it doesn't look good as a print nobody will buy it. I get my prints from El-Co Colorlabs in NJ (dont worry non New Jersians they ship anywhere) The prints are more expensive than other places, though I will argue those cheaper prints do not come close to matching the quality of el-co, and I will happily pay a little more for that higher quality. (I challenge anyone to find a place that has better quality at a cheaper price)

High quality photo luster prints for an affordable price, what do you not love about that?

If you are looking to start out slow before splurging on more expensive prints and save a few bucks at the start I know several people get prints from MGX copy and have had pretty good results. They are a great beginner bang for your buck printer.

The next big thing you will need is some sort of backdrop. From experience a lot of the people walking around shows do not look down at the tables, they are all looking up looking for something to catch their eye. It is really important to have your work up high so people can see it, and to see it from far away. Every show I have people come up to me saying “OMG I saw your work from way down there and I just had to come over”

For my backdrop I use a photo backdrop display. When looking for displays there are a bunch that are cheap and affordable, I strongly recommend getting the most expensive display you can afford. Those cheap light weight displays are on the flimsy side and may not support your work, try to find one that looks like it is made out of a thicker sturdier metal and preferably says it can support 30-40lbs before bowing. This is the display I have

Ravelli ABSL Photo Video Backdrop Stand

This is is a similar setup to mine, sturdy enough to hold your prints and also easy to travel with

Now that you have your display you need something to drape over it and a way to hang your prints. At my very first show my booth neighbor and super awesome and fellow dragon aficionado Tyler Walpole had a very similar setup to this. It looked so easy for him to set up/tear down his display, the display also went up high so people could see it from across the hall. Watching him pull customers in and rake in sales I decided then and there to follow in his footsteps. (note, walk around the show when you can, taking notes on other artists setups and ask them questions, everyone I have met has been happy to answer questions and give helpful advice, you can learn a TON from from your fellow exhibiting artists)

What I do is drape a large sheet of felt fabric (Joe Ann’s) over the display and use clamps to hold it in place. To attach the prints to the fabric I tape the edges of my prints to a backing board and then place velcro to the back of the backing board, the backing board and the print then “sticks” to the fabric and hangs in place.

Heavy Duty Muslin Clamps

I place velcro on the 4 corners and then tape the corners of the print to the backing board. The print stays flat against the board and to hang it you just "stick it" to the fabric. Super easy.

I do recommend having larger prints behind you so it is easier for people to see, these larger prints are my fancy 18X24 limited edition prints. I use these both as large display prints and also as a higher premium item for customers. If someone loves your work and has cash to spend and you only have $20 prints then all you are going to get from that customer is $20.

Okay, now that the backdrop is taken care of now I need a way to display my prints on my table. First I have some black fabric (Also from Joe Ann’s) draped over the table to make it look all fancy. I then lay out these foldable display stands, one for each print. Have as many of your prints out on the table as possible. From experience it is hard to convince people to flip through a print bin/book, so the more stuff you have out on the table the easier it is for people to see and look at.

You can see I have all of my prints laid out in a line so its easy for people to see, you never know what print is going to catch someones eye, solve that by having all of them out.

Gibson Holders 6 DCWB Adjustable Wire Display Easels

If you cant fit everything on the table a good solution for a print bin I have found is this foldable bin I found at Target. Its the perfect size to hold 11X17 or my 12X18 prints, and its light weight for easy storage and transport.

For the display prints on the table you need some way to protect them and make them stand up. I currently bag and back all of my prints. I get re-sealable bags from clearbags.com and the backing boards from Uline (if you don't want 400 backing boards to start you can find them on amazon and elsewhere in packages of 20 or so) To start out you really only need the backing boards for the display prints; later on as you get busier and want to save precious time during the checkout process you can pre bag all of your prints before the show. Dont skimp on the bags though, you need some sort of protective bag for people who purchase prints, otherwise they may not buy for fear of damaging them.

In addition to my prints I also sell tabletop gaming playmats or otherwise known as gigantic mouse pads of my work. If you are a fantasy artist like me this is a great product to have, gamers love collecting mats that have cool art on them. Also it helps me stand out from everyone else at the Con, I am usually the only one who has them and its a great option for people who have run out of wall space with all of their prints. You have no idea how many times at a show I get “holy crap, he has game mats…I need a game mat” Just beware, these things are super heavy and add a lot of weight to your setup. If yo are interested in trying out some game mats I strongly recommend Drew Baker, I and many of my friends use him for his mats.

If you do fantasy art, Game mats are a great way to stand out from the crowd and offer something no-one else has

Okay now that you have your super awesome setup, you just sit back and watch people start flooding to your table buying up everything you have….right? Unfortunately not quite. No matter how good your work is you still need to sell it to people. Over the course of a weekend I maybe get 3 or 4 people total that just walk up and say “I need to buy this, how much” every other person that buys from me I have to sell my work to them in some way. I have seen several artists at shows sit back with their arms folded looking down because sales aren't as good as they hoped. Trust me, you don't want to be that guy.

The thing is nobody wants to approach you when you are down in the dumps, at that point it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy where you are bummed you aren't doing well and people aren't approaching you because you are bummed, thus making you even more bummed.

The best way to break through that cycle is to put on a “Con face” be happy and engaging, say hi to as many people as you can. No matter how bad a day/week you are having you cannot let it show while you are behind that table. Smile, be upbeat, say “Hey hows it going” try to get them to stop and start a conversation, and then lead that conversation towards you and your work. (in my opinion standing behind a table not talking to anyone for 8 hours is boring, if I am not making any money I mine as well have fun talking to people) No matter how bad the day is going you CANNOT let people know, you gotta be happy and engaging the entire time. There is plenty of time to vent at the bar after the show talking with your neighbors and fellow artists.

The selling thing is really what is going to make or break your experience at a show. No matter how nice your display is, no matter how good your work is, if you do not have the confidence in yourself and your work to tell people they should buy this, conventions will be a struggle.

That being said, my final bit of advice for first time con goers is to just have fun. Chasing sales throughout a weekend is a stressful endeavor, dont get bummed if you only make back the table cost. There are a lot of up front costs associated with exhibiting at shows, so if you dont earn a profit at your first show, do not despair and give up (I did not make back the costs of my first show, these things take time to build up). Have fun, work on your sales pitch, talk to your booth neighbors and ask them lots of questions, and scope out ideas for a better/improved booth setup. Use the show as a learning experience to apply to future shows and you will have a good time, and the knowledge of this show will make the next one even better.

Finally, if you are looking for more information and knowledge about conventions and selling and running a booth I highly recommend checking out 1 fantastic week. These guys host a weekly webshow going over not only conventions but how to earn a living as an artist (useful topic dont you say), I learned a lot about selling at conventions and running my business from them and I cannot recommend them enough.

#convention #fantasy art #fantasy artist #comiccon #Illustration #how to make it #booth setup #sales #convention prep #supplies #fantasyillustration #comic convention

39 notes · View notes