#i was getting really fed up with the cast i had so i changed it :D!

[stylesispunk]

Waiting room

Joel Miller x f! reader

summary: A few years ago, Joel saved your life and you have loved him ever since but he didn't reciprocate your feelings or that's what you thought. word count: 2,5k a/n: I didn't write a chapter for "The Not so Invisible String" series but wrote this. I would appreciate receiving reblogs and comments. Happy reading!

Dividers by @/cafekitsune

"What happened to me?" you questioned, your curiosity seeking answers.

"I found you," the stranger replied. "You had slept for two days."

In two days, you changed the rules of the game.

In two days, Joel came across with his humanity when he found you laying on the ground after being beaten up by some smugglers.

And what a plot twist you were.

You were so young and naïve when the world broke into a mess, and the reminisces of your old life before were just fogging memories threatened to be erased completely by the clouds of your head. You had forgotten your mother’s voice, the taste of the cookies she baked on Sunday’s afternoons, and the essence of her perfume enveloping you in embraces you were never going to get back.

You still craved a lingering, real sort of comfort that hadn’t come. In this world, emotions make you weak, and being weak means you die.

The closest thing to caring you received from someone was from Joel. The day he found you, he treated your wounds, he prevented you from dying by starving himself, and he fed you with his food.

“I broke my rules for you.” He peeped once you recovered, but still, he let you stay.

Through the months and years, you had become accustomed to the idea of him and Tess being the only people you could trust; they were older and wiser than you, a perk but also a source of constant disappointment over the idea of you being seen as the foolish, weak kid.

You felt a burden. You were a constant troublemaker, getting into trouble with everyone who seemed to mess with you, but under some eyes, you were still Joel’s girl, just that you really weren’t. You just idealize the idea of it.

Because every time somebody hit you, he was there, and if that wasn’t love, what the fuck was it?

You knew that there was something between them beyond a simple partner-in-crime relationship. They weren’t what you would call lovers, but there was unspoken language between them you couldn’t decipher, not because you were a fool but because you weren’t a part of them.

Because you weren’t important,

You didn’t know if Joel cared about you coming back.

You were just someone Joel found almost dying.

Whereas for you, he was the closest thing you felt to home.

"Where were you?" his voice called out in the middle of the dark room, breaking the silence of the eerie night.

“God, you scared me,” you answered. "I thought you were asleep."

"You know I don't go to sleep unless I know you're here." His voice was so sharp it could cut in half.

Liar.

“You are asleep other times,” you acknowledged, trying to remove your boots without whimpering as the pain settled in your bones. “And I'm here. You can go to sleep now," you hissed, out of frustration but also from the pain emanating from cuts.

"No."

"Well, I'll go then," you replied.

“Come here, show me,” he demanded.

“No.”

“Come here,” he repeated, frustrated this time.

“I said, “

“Now!” the raised tone sent shivers down your spine, forming a lump in your throat.

You were there, not moving, and he was closer. The dim light in the room cast eerie shadows as he examined your face, his fingertips tracing the evidence of the scars painted on your skin.

The cut on your bottom lip throbbed with each breath. A bruise, vividly purple, marred the skin around your eye, testimony to the violence that had been part of it and the cut on your nose, which seemed to be broken.

Not only do you face hurt, but all your body is carrying the consequences of a beating you didn’t think you deserved. Your bones felt crushed under the pressure of the emotional turbulence going on in your head.

And Joel’s touch, his gentle touch, so delicate yet full of fury, not towards you but at the merciless people that forced such a wound on you. You winced as his fingers grazed the tender skin; his silence was so loud.

“Who did this to you?” he muttered, frustration lacing his voice. The sharpness of his earlier tone softened under your teary stare.

“It doesn’t matter,” you replied.

“It does to me,” he retorted.

“No. Joel, let me be alone. It hurts; my body was hit, and I would be dead if it weren’t for you,“you sobbed.

“For what?”

"For you," you admitted through a shaky breath, the weight of the truth bearing down on you. The room seemed to shrink as you uttered those words, exposing a vulnerability that had remained buried beneath the facade of strength.

Joel's eyes softened, and the fury in his touch transformed into a gentleness that contrasted with the brutality of reality outside. In that fleeting moment, it was just the two of you, suspended in a fragile moment.

His voice, now a whisper, carried a mix of concern and disbelief. "For me?"

“The only reason I’m not dead is because of you. Can you believe it?” You chuckled. “One of the men there recognized me as Joel’s girl, who I am not, and then they stopped. Not even because I’m a person, but because I am associated with a man.”

Joel's expression tightened at the revelation, a flicker of anger passing through his eyes.

“Let me clean your wounds, “Joel began, his voice a gentle plea to attend to your wounds.

"No. I don't need your fucking help," you interrupted, frustration lacing your words, tired of being the dog at Joel’s door waiting for him to notice your loyalty and devotion.

"Yes, you need it because you're a fucking naive baby acting restless and so careless." Joel retorted, frustrated.

“"I have no one. My life is just a waste of air for this damn world, so why should I care about my well-being?" you shot back bitterly, the pain in your voice mirroring the bruises on your body.

"Because I care about you," Joel admitted, his words a brief glimmer of hope. However, before you could fully grasp the weight of his confession, he extinguished any expectations. "You have Tess and me; we share our roof with you."

"Exactly. Your place, not mine," you argued, a stark reminder of the boundaries that confined your sense of belonging.

"Your point?" Joel challenged.

"You found me once and brought me here, okay? Thanks for it. But that doesn't mean I have your respect," you asserted, the frustration bubbling to the surface.

"My protection is not enough." Joel questioned, his patience wearing thin.

"It's not," you replied with conviction.

"Then you can go and find your own fucking place."

"That's what I'm doing. I'm leaving the QZ. There may be a place that fits for me," you declared, the decision firm in your voice.

Joel's silence echoed through the room, his eyes searching yours for any sign of hesitation. But you offered none, maintaining a stoic resolve as you walked away from the confrontation.

"What? Where?" he finally managed to utter, a mixture of confusion and concern etched on his face.

"Goodnight," you replied tersely, your voice carrying the weight of unspoken emotions. The darkness of the hallway enveloped you as you retreated towards the bedroom. The door creaked shut behind you, leaving Joel standing in the dimly lit room, grappling with the echoes of your departure.

The room was shrouded in darkness, and you lay on the bed, the events of the night replaying in your mind like a relentless loop making fun of you for being so foolish, but despite the physical exhaustion, sleep eluded you, and your thoughts continued to wander through the tangled maze of emotions.

And Joel, of course, whom you were leaving behind tomorrow morning before he could even notice you were going to disappear.

As you lay there, the door creaked open, and Joel entered, carrying a small bottle and a cloth. The soft glow of a flashlight in his hand illuminated his face, revealing concern and remorse for his previous attitude.

"I brought something for the pain," he muttered, his gruff voice softened by a vulnerability you rarely could see. You remained silent, acknowledging his presence with a nod.

Joel approached, his movements deliberate as he poured a few pills onto his weathered palm. "Take these. They'll help with the pain and help you sleep."

You reluctantly accepted the medicine, swallowing it down with a sip of water from a nearby bottle. The bitterness lingered on your tongue.

Joel then reached for the cloth, dampening it with water. Gently, he began to clean the wounds on your face, his touch surprisingly tender. The initial sting of contact faded, replaced by a strange mix of relief and discomfort.

"Joel,” you said, but he didn’t answer and focused on tending to your injuries.

"Joel," you repeated, a little more assertive this time. His name hung in the air, yet he remained silent, his attention fixed on the task at hand. The rhythmic motions of cleaning your wounds seemed to be his sole purpose.

You took a deep breath, the weight of unspoken words settling heavily in the room. "Joel," you said once more, this time with an edge of urgency, attempting to draw him out of his concentrated silence.

He finally looked up, meeting your gaze. "What is it?"

The room felt hot with tension as you hesitated before finding the words. "I appreciate this—the medicine, cleaning my wounds. But it doesn't change my mind about leaving.”

His gaze held yours, an unspoken plea for understanding. "You're hurt; you can't go so far in your state," he replied, a touch of concern in his voice.

"So what?" you retorted, frustration bubbling to the surface. "If I have to die outside, I will. I don't care. I'm just tired of this life."

Joel's eyes narrowed, his expression shifting from anger to concern. "What would make that thought go away?" he asked, his question cutting through the defiance in your tone.

"What?" you responded, caught off guard by the unexpected question.

"What would make life worth living?" he repeated, his gaze unwavering. The weight of his inquiry settled in the room, demanding introspection.

The silence that followed was heavy, the question lingering in the air as you grappled with the complexities of your own desires and the harsh realities of the world outside that broke any chance of achieving the dreams you had when you were a child.

The silence stretched, becoming a tangible force in the room, until Joel's desperation cut through it like a blade. "I'm waiting," he said, his tone laden with urgency.

"To have someone," you confessed, your voice carrying the weight of unspoken longings.

"How?" he pressed, searching for clarity in your cryptic words.

"To have someone that cares for me," you explained, the vulnerability in your voice laying bare a deep-seated yearning, a yearning you had been carrying for years.

"You have me," Joel insisted, his desperation now tinged with frustration.

"You're not mine; you're hers," you said, invoking Tess. "Do you think I don't hear you both having sex?”

His eyes widened, realization dawning on him as the unspoken truth reverberated in the room.

"Maybe my body was hers, but inside, it's here." Joel took your hand and placed it over his chest, just above his heart. "I'm craving for you."

A tense silence enveloped the room as your words hung in the air, and Joel's eyes reflected all the sincerity of his feelings slipping from his lips. Your skepticism pierced through the charged atmosphere, casting a shadow over the vulnerability that had been exposed.

"I don't believe you," you declared, a note of disbelief in your voice.

Joel's expression tightened, a blend of irritation and determination etched on his face. "You don't?"

"You're just saying those things out of pity," you accused, the walls of defense rising once more.

He shook his head, a flicker of frustration evident in his eyes. "You are whiny, a pain in the ass, arrogant, naive..."

"Stop!" you exclaimed, the litany of criticism hitting you harder than expected.

"Yet, despite it all," Joel continued, his voice a mixture of exasperation and something deeper, "you make me go crazy, and still, I want to break every single finger that has been laid against you."

The weight of Joel's words hung in the air, a revelation that cut through the tension and laid bare the depth of his emotions. His eyes, always filled with exasperation, now held a raw vulnerability.

"You don't realize that you brought sense back to my life!" he exclaimed, the urgency in his voice echoing through the room. "If you go and you die, there's nothing left for me to fight for."

"I want to be the last one you love," he spoke, his hands cupping your face, fingers tracing delicate patterns over the scars that adorned your skin. His gaze, dark and intense, held a promise that lingered in the air. "I want to be your ending."

"And I want you to be my ending," he added, referring to the weight of the words hanging between you.

A profound silence settled, punctuated only by the erratic beats of your heart against your ribs, In that moment, you felt that the confession of love coming from Joel was the last source of breath you needed to become a person again.

And then, he kissed you. With a warning written on his dark eyes, yet you didn't see it coming. He kissed you because there wasn't anything else to do. He wanted to claim your lips as them because they were his.

Joel's lips lingered against yours, the warmth of his kiss irradiated foreign feelings for you. You had never felt so loved for someone before, and as the kiss deepened, a subtle smile played on his lips, a rare expression coming from him.

He pulled away slightly, his dark eyes searching yours for any sign of resistance. His hands, calloused and weathered, gently caressed your face, tracing the contours of the scars on your face.

"You're not leaving," he spoke against your lips, with another gentle peck on them.

A shy smile played on your lips in response. "Whatever,” you replied.

Joel's confession had acted as a healing salve, mending not just the physical scars but also the emotional ones that had marked your journey through this world.

Joel's eyes softened as he caught the playful glint in your smile, and a warmth seemed to spread through the room. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a comforting embrace. The strength in his arms felt like a shield against the harshness of the world outside.

"You can be stubborn as hell, you know that?" he teased, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

As he held you in his arms, the world outside faded away, and all that remained was the warmth of the embrace and the quiet assurance of shared moments.

"Get some rest," he murmured, his voice a soothing whisper. "I'll be right here."

With Joel's arms wrapped around you, the weariness of the day and the weight of the past seemed to dissolve.

In the arms of Joel, the night embraced you, and as you closed your eyes, you found life worth living because of him.

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x y/n #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x f!reader #pedro pascal character fanfiction #joel miller series #the last of us fanfiction #joel miller #joel miller imagine #joel miller angst #tlou fanfiction #joel the last of us #joel x reader #Joel Miller #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal fanfiction #the last of us #pedro pascal imagine #pedro pascar character imagine #pedro pascal

[elaemae]

The premium version of human is here to wreak house, mfs.

[Twst x Obey Me!AFAB!reader]

CHP. 4

PREVIOUS CHP.: PROLOGUE 3

Thank you guys for the likes, reblogs and comments.

Also, to the people who became my followers, I'll be forever grateful for that😊

CW: When MC gets mistaken as a guy, they get referred to as he/him, but the problem is that there's too many males around the MC.

So, I've decided to color the pronouns blue when it's MC that's being addressed. Just to avoid confusion.

CLARIFICATION: The headmaster, and MC knows that Yuu is from another world, so MC decided to play along and pretend that they're from the same world as Yuu. (The human world where MC came from is mostly similar to the human world that Yuu describes. i.e. landmarks, cultural, knowledge, current trends, anime and manga are all mostly the same.)

REMEMBER: Read this before the chapter.

Experience changes people.

If you see MC doing something you think you won't do and you decide to complain about it, remember this:

• You act the way you do because of the things that you've gone through in your life.

• MC is the same.

• They experienced a lot of traumatic events and almost lost their lives a fuck-ton of times.

• Because of that, they've changed. They've diverged from being you into the MC that they are now.

• The life you're living now shall be treated as the MC's canonical past.

• Also, because The Obey Me!cast feels bad from all the times you suffered and almost died because of them, they tend to overcompensate you.

• You get dressed in the finest of fabrics, most luxurious jewels, as well as housed and fed with the best things that the three realms have to offer.

• You don't take them for granted, but years of living with that lifestyle had raised your standards to new heights and changed the way that you act towards certain things.

• You're free to make up your own head canons if you don't like mine, also y'all can give me feedback if you want so I can improve my work.

• This story will be set a few years after the canon of the Obey Me games.

• • • • •

Who would've thought that it would be a bad idea to try to trick someone who literally reeks of luxury to live in an old, bout-to-fall-apart dormitory?

Well, certainly not Crowley.

That fact became known when 'The shady looking dorm leader™' and also, the tablet decided to tag along with you, Yuu and Crowley, but then had to help Yuu in holding you back so that you wouldn't beat the ever living crap out of the headmaster the moment he dared to bring y'all in front of this rustic establishment and say "It had charm". (Too many You's)

Oh really? really?? Oh you'll see real charm when I beat you straight into the afterlife you greasy son of a bitc–

*Ehem*

It did not end well.

So instead of that, the headmaster had to temporarily put you and your fellow stranded-in-dis-school-human into the infirmary as your temporary abode and promised to fix the shoddy dorm so that it can safely house people in it. (Grim will appear in the future, dw)

*Que Azul tryna make you stay in Octavinelle and you vehemently declining that offer.*

Also, you're starting to get creeped-out by the floating tablet that keeps following you around and won't stop with taking pictures. there's also the small maniacal giggles coming out of the device.

• • • • • •

So there you two are, two people that've been kidnapped by this school's fuckin carriage are now bonding in the infirmary and distracting each other by venting about problems back home. (You two are too wary to be able to sleep properly.)

Like, yes Yuu, I'm in a polyamorous with more than a dozen problematic individuals.

Yes, it works out. somehow

Damn, three assignments due tomorrow all from the same subject? Have you ever tried cheating off of your classmates?

Oh— wait what?! a classmate from biology was caught fucking with a professor in a classroom!? Seriously??

No, I unfortunately no longer have a grasp on the concept of private space and poverty.

Yes, maintaining a relationship with a lot of people at the same time can be hard.

A lot of them are rich.

Wait, a seatmate of yours really gave two free expensive sketch pads just because you asked?? Where can I find that person??

Yes they all act like my sugar daddies and my man-children in one way or another.

No, don't you dare pimp yourself out, okay? There may be a lot of people in my life but the important thing is that we all love each other.

We support, comfort, protect, and guide each other to the best we can.

No— that didn't happen in a day, I had to bend over backwards and almost die a shit-ton of times before I managed to wiggle myself firmly into the hearts of those fuckers.

...Q- Questions about our sex life will be automatically ignored.

Just.. be nice to others, even if it's seemingly stupid.

Unless they are absolute scum then just maintain distance.

You just gotta eyeball it to figure out when to stop being nice to someone.

Never and I mean NEVER treat anyone badly unless they did something unforgivable to you.

Don't call me kind. It's easier to have a grasp on other people if you're nice.

Pft— You once saw a book called "How to be a sugar baby 101" in the school library?! And you saw your principal reading it?!

Sure-sure, I'll help you with your math homework— wait a second.. Seriously?? We've been kidnapped, I ain't allowing you to do math. Where the hell did you even hide that thick-as-fuck test sheet anyways?? Up your ass?!

• • • •

You sigh for the third time this hour, looking at Yuu who's making a "Mom.. I threw up in the carpet... I'm sowwy🥺" expression as they stand beside your bed.

"What happened?"

Yuu winced, feeling embarrassed as they hear you talk to them like a disappointed parent, they had failed to appeal to Crowley about becoming a temporary student of this school and now had to be a janitor/errand kid.

"The headmaster said that I'll be the handy-man of the campus while he searches for a way to get us home..."

You feel a vein in your head throb and your eye start to twitch by of the sheer audacity being shown in front of your face.

You are now feeling the immense urge to hex that bird-bitch.

Satan sat straight in his seat, speaking out to the others in the meeting table.

"I can feel irritation and the urge to curse someone again." He said.

It would've been funny if this was another situation.

"That's definitely from MC, isn't it? You mentioned being half-asleep and feeling MC get agitated through your pact mark, right?" Diavolo asked.

"Yes, at least our pacts are still intact..." Satan nodded.

"Great, we can use this to monitor MC even if they're far away." Lucifer stated.

Countless search-parties and interrogations have already been conducted, but they're still clueless on where you can be or who could've taken you.

Even Barbatos couldn't see what had happened.

They're starting to get agitated, MC..

• • • • •

Jade watched as Azul frantically drafts and redrafts a new plan of his.

It seems that something caught the eye of their housewarden in the ceremony today.

"What could be so eye-catching that you're in such a hurry to obtain it, Azul?" Jade couldn't contain his curiosity and asked.

"It's a new student, Jade." Azul started.

"He possesses such a large amount of magical artifacts in his hands, It's unbelievable! They were all high quality too!"

Jade blinks.

"Don't you have enough magical artifacts around?"

Jade is confusion.

"You don't know it because you weren't there." Azul narrowed his eyes at Jade.

"I first thought those jewelry of his were similar to the ones that you can buy with enough money in annual auctions, but then I realized that it's very likely that those jewelry are customized."

"...How so?"

"So I decided to try and take a closer look, but when I actually got closer and almost touched one of them, I felt a strong thrum of magic that I haven't felt before!"

Oh?

Now that got Jade's attention.

Azul has been exposed to a lot of strong, powerful people and magical artifacts over the years that he and his twin were following this dormleader of theirs and yet there was actually an artifact so strong that he can feel strong waves of magic by just almost touching it?

How curious..... If the magic of the artifact was so strong, why didn't Azul sense it up until he literally almost held it in his hands?

Seems like this year won't be boring, after all..

• • • • •

BONUS: Someone has a crush.

"Brother, Your package has arrived— What are you... Are you making fan art of Mr. [L/n]...?"

Idia screams like a dumb girl in a horror movie as he tries to block the screen with his body.

"O-ORTHO?! WH-WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT KNOCKING FIRST??!"

"And... what's with the pose?"

Ortho tilts head innocently, confused on why his brother is drawing a new student in a pose that can often be seen on videos that are called "Thirst traps". he's still confused about why they're called that way.

Idia: "O- ORTHO THIS ISN'T ANYTHING BAD I SWEARAHGJSI—"

*Starts to fuckin steam*

"brOTHER YOU'RE BURNING THE CHAIR!"

"AH CRAP!"

← Pr.3 | Chapter List | Pr. 5 →

Don't forget to like, comment and reblog guys, It's a big help :3

What do y'all think of the chapter? pls respond, I need feedback🥺

I woke up today and decided to kick canon's ass.

Elae: Thanks for reading this far.☺️

See y'all next time~

Next chapter: Prologue 5

@f0urleafedcl0ver

@a-traveling-void-human

@speckle-meow-meow

@leviathans-tail-scales

@citrus-cinnamon

@prefesro

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me lucifer x reader #crossover #obey me asmo x reader #obey me barbatos x reader #obey me beel x reader #obey me mammon x reader #obey me leviathan x reader #obey me satan x reader #obey me belphagor x reader #obey me diavolo x reader #obey me simeon x reader #obey me thirteen x reader #obey me solomon x reader #obey me mephisto x mc #twst x reader #twst x obey me #twisted wonderland x reader

[baldval]

Since you made one for Valentine’s Day, how bout celebrating Halloween with the main hazbin cast? Maybe Charlie is throwing a Halloween party or something!

HALLOWEEN W HAZBIN! ₊˚⊹♡

characters: vox, charlie, valentino, lucifer, alastor

warnings: nothing :)

a/n: idk if i like alastor's part, he's just so hard to write imo😭😭 pls tell me what you think guys🤞

VOX:

꩜ it’s obvious to anyone that vox looooves halloween. 

꩜ he’s claimed to you on several occasions that it’s his favorite holiday.

꩜ and that getting the chance to spend it with you only makes it better. 

꩜ and how does vox spend Halloween? two words.

꩜ haunted house. 

꩜ you never really understood the concept of having those on hell.

꩜ hell is already scary as it is.

꩜ however, being an overlord, having the control that vox has, eliminates some of the fear most people normally feel.

꩜ so a haunted house is his favourite place to go when he wants to feel some of that adrenaline.

꩜ he picked you up that night and away you went, ready to get your scare-factor on. 

꩜ darling, if you get scared, just let me know!” he pointed to himself with a grin "i'll stop the whole thing, i swear".

꩜ “afterall, I wouldn’t be much of a man if I can’t protect the person I care about most.” he smiles at you and you can't help blushing.

꩜ you stuck to him like glue, laughing and screaming through every house you went through.

꩜ it was well into the night before you both decided to call it.

꩜ your throats raw and blood pumping from the adrenaline.

꩜ but even in your stupor, vox still managed to take your breath away once he brought you back to your apartment.

꩜ his arms circled around you as he kisses your face.

꩜ you bury your face in his neck as you hug him goodbye.

CHARLIE:

꩜ as far as charlie is concerned, you can’t celebrate Halloween without a good time.

꩜ and to her, the best way to do that is with a party!

꩜ she throws one once every year at the hotel, because, how could she not?

꩜ “you’ll come right? you have to! pleeeease!”

꩜ she’s so adorably persistent, eyes all puppy dog wide and hands folded.

꩜ your answer is obvious.

꩜ and it had her jumping up and down throughout the whole lobby.

꩜ upon arriving at the hotel, you were completely in awe of the change of scenery.

꩜ what once had a reddish vintage look now practically screamed 'halloween'.

꩜ costumes, decorations, snacks, bowls filled with candy, games, music.

꩜ you knew your girlfriend sure took things to the extreme, but nonetheless, it was always fun.

VALENTINO:

꩜ valentino loves halloween.

꩜ you could say he likes it for the aesthetic and you would be right.

꩜ he'd invite you over that night to spend the evening with him.

꩜ you thought maybe you were gonna go to a halloween party, somewhere filled with decorations and people.

꩜ but when you get to his house you only see a mountain of scary and halloween themed movies piled high on the coffee table in his living room.

꩜ along with a bowl of popcorn, soda, and a selection of only your favourite candies of course.

꩜ “are we… gonna watch all of these?”

꩜ "well duh. why? you got something else to do?”

꩜ unexpected, indeed, but who would complain?

꩜ it was hard to pick which movie to watch first since he had such an extensive collection, but you both decided to kick things off with the classic 'the nightmare before christmas'. 

꩜ after that, 'carrie', 'scream', 'anabelle', 'halloween' too of course.

꩜ name it, and valentino had it. 

꩜ you sat on the sofa between his legs the entire time, bowl of popcorn in your lap, and you silently fed him pieces of the salty snack while he unwrapped and fed you bits of candy. 

꩜ it was the perfect way to spend halloween and you wished you could have gone at it all night.

꩜ but after the 7th film, you had promptly knocked out against val’s chest, popcorn bowl empty.

꩜ but instead of waking you up, he merely shut off the tv and covered both your bodies with a blanket, kissing your forehead.

LUCIFER:

꩜ you're getting ready as you anxiously wait for the king of hell.

꩜ the hotel was organising a halloween party, and of course you couldn't miss it.

꩜ and of course you were going with lucifer.

꩜ you couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement mingled with nerves.

꩜ just as you were beginning to think he might not show, you heard a knock at the door.

꩜ with a mischievous grin, he strutted over to you.

꩜ "sorry for the delay, darling," he said, offering you his hand. "hope you didn't wait too long."

꩜ you accepted his hand, feeling a thrill run down your spine as his fingers intertwined with yours.

꩜ "not at all," you replied, trying to sound nonchalant despite the butterflies in your stomach.

꩜ together, you walked in to the lobby, greeted by the lively sounds of the halloween party in full swing.

꩜ you were sitting at the bar, just chatting.

꩜ "i have to go to the bathroom, i'll be right back" he says with a wink as he leaves.

꩜ "hmm so he really is in love with you" you hear husk, the bartender, say.

꩜ "oh so you've doubted that?"

꩜ "not really, it's just that it's the first time i see it in live action".

꩜ "what do you mean?" you question him.

꩜ "i mean, do you see the way he stares at you as you talk." he fills up a glass. "pure adoration."

꩜ you feel heat creeping up your cheeks and turn around before husk realises how flushed you are.

꩜ lucifer gets back and it isn't long before you find yourselves in the ballroom.

꩜ with a twirl, he pulls you into his arms, and the two of you began to dance to the infectious beat of the music.

꩜ as you moved together, laughter bubbled up between you, your clothes swishing in tune with the music.

꩜ "you know," he says, his voice low as he spun you around, "there's nothing i would want more in the world that being with you."

꩜ you couldn't help but smile at his words, feeling a warmth spreading through you.

꩜ "well i can assure you it goes both ways." you replied, caught up in the moment as you gazed into his eyes.

ALASTOR:

꩜ it does surprise you that the radio demon has no idea what halloween is.

꩜ he comes up to you and asks you why the whole lobby is filled with pumpkins and little paper ghosts and black and orange streamers.

꩜ you simply smile and say, “it’s halloween!”

꩜ “oh…”

꩜ it’s not that he didn’t know what hallowen was, he explained to you.

꩜ he just wasn’t really aware of what occurred during the holiday itself.

꩜ so you decided it was time to change that. 

꩜ you told him to meet you at your room, not giving him any more details than that.

꩜ when he arrived, you took him by the hand and led him towards one of the best places you could possibly think of to give him a proper introduction to the spookiest night of the year. 

꩜ the pumpkin patch. 

꩜ upon arriving, alastor seemed absolutely awestruck at all the different things there were to do.

꩜ the corn maze, hayride, petting zoo (to which you found out that alastor is a major softie for animals).

꩜ and of course, pumpkin carving.

꩜ it was so cute watching his expressions.

꩜ how his brow would furrow when he tried removing the guts and how his tongue would poke out when he began working on the face.

꩜ you almost forgot you had your own pumpkin to carve. 

꩜ you both left in the later evening, hand in hand as the stars twinkled above you. 

꩜ “so what did you think? did you have fun?”

꩜ you were expecting a nod, or a quick little hum. 

꩜ but he straight whisked you off your feet and into his arms.

꩜ and you knew that right now, the smile on his face was truly genuine.

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel imagine #lucifer morningstar x reader #lucifer morningstar imagine #lucifer morningstar headcanon #hazbin hotel headcanon #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel vox #vox x reader #vox x you #charlie morningstar #charlie morningstar x reader #charlie x reader #valentino hazbin hotel #valentino x reader #valentino hazbin hotel headcanon #alastor #cursed cat alastor #alastor x reader #alastor headcanons #alastor imagine

[rogueddie]

Steve insisted on staying in Eddies hospital room. He'd only left to use the hospital showers, changing into some of the hospital scrubs that a nurse offered him. He refused to leave, even though it was more difficult to sew his sides back together. The nurse had made sure to scold him every time he so much as hissed at the pain.

He hadn't wanted Eddie to be alone.

That was his excuse anyway. It was more that he was terrified the police would try to arrest him, despite the feds or whoever doing everything they can to clear his name. They'd put together a water tight lie, a near perfect alibi.

Steve didn't trust any of them. And after seeing Eddie, eyes glassy, not breathing… after performing CPR for so long, so hard, that he'd broken ribs… Steve couldn't stand the idea of someone coming in and taking him away when no one is there to stop them.

Eddie doesn't wake up for a week. Dustin hadn't been sure how long it had taken for Steve to get to them, or how long it took for the CPR to resuscitate him. The doctors had made sure they all understood that Eddie might still have some brain damage. They had no way of telling with him still unconscious.

Steve is stretching, just woken up to the now familiar ache in his sides that are surely signs of his bites healing wrong, when he looks over to Eddie and sees his eyes open.

"Eddie?" Steve blinks. Then, it hits him. "Eddie! You're awake! Are you ok? What do you remember?"

"Steve?" Eddie's voice is more of a croak.

Steve quickly grabs the cup of water on the side with a straw in that he'd set up just in case. He holds it up, gently pushing Eddies arms down when he tries to reach for it himself. "Don't, let me, you'll pull your stitches."

"What happened?" Eddie asks, once he's drank the whole thing.

"Too much to explain right now, but... when we got back to you and and Dustin, you- you were..." Steve clears his throat, grips the bars on the side of Eddies hospital bed. "Sorry, by the way. I kinda broke your ribs while doing the whole CPR thing."

"Oh. So I did die?"

"Technically. But that's something you'll have to talk to Dustin about. Kids really torn up."

Eddie winces, has the decency to look ashamed. "Sorry. I didn't think it would... doesn't matter now. Uh, how's Max?"

"Complicated. But she's alive, just about."

"So it worked?"

Steve hesitated, hated that Eddie looked so hopeful. But he'd find out sooner or later.

"No. He's still alive, somewhere. The gates are open, a lot of houses and shit around town are destroyed... we don't know how she came back, but Max did die. She's still in a coma. They don't think she'll wake up." His voice cracks, throat tight at the memory of Max in her hospital bed, covered in casts.

"Oh, Steve," Eddie whispers. Horrifyingly, he doesn't look scared- he looks sympathetic. He shifts, best he can, patting his bed. "Sit down, man. How long have you been here?"

"Uh, right," Steve mutters, awkwardly perching on the little space. "I haven't really... left."

"Ok... so, how long have we been here?"

"A week."

Steves glances over when Eddie pulls his hand up, so he can comfortably hold it between both of his own. He eyes Steve, looking a little confused, like he's trying to solve a puzzle.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you stay? I'd understand a few days, but... a week?"

Steve looks down to their hands. Eddies hands look wrong without their rings. "I wanted to."

"Why?" Eddie waits a long moment, but Steves throat feels too tight to answer. Eddie huffs, looks a little amused. "Alright, Harrington. Not today. But I expect an answer one day. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Great. I'm going back to sleep." Eddie doesn't let go of his hand though- actually pulls him back when he tried to pull away. "Ah, not so fast. I don't see any beds in here. You look as tired as I feel. Lay down."

"But your stitches-"

"Will be fine. Come on."

Steve glances towards the door, nurses bustling past their room. But, when he looks back to Eddie, he's giving Steve wide, sad, puppy-dog eyes. And Steve only has so much willpower.

He moves slowly, carefully, curling so he isn't pressing up to Eddies lower torso and the worst of his wounds. He rests his cheek on his shoulder, surprised that it isn't as uncomfortable as he thought it'd be.

When he glances up, Eddie is grinning at him, wide and smug.

#stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #steve x eddie #steddie fic #ficlet #fluffifc

[bosbas]

Chapter 5: I don't want you like a best friend

series masterlist previous part || next part

pairing: benedict bridgerton x best friend!fem!reader WC: 3.8k words

Warnings: period-typical gender roles, idiots in love being idiots in love, angst, sexual tension, miscommunication (ish), benedict bridgerton being an idiot, anthony being a slayer in response

Summary: You and Benedict have been best friends since childhood, but things change dramatically once you come out in society. You’re struggling to find someone you’re as compatible with and who knows you as well as Benedict, all while trying to quell your ever-growing feelings for him. Shenanigans ensue.

May 26, 1814 - Word has it that Benedict Bridgerton has returned from his mysterious disappearance to the countryside and was seen at White's with the Beaumont twins last night.

But more interestingly, the second Bridgerton brother was spotted with a certain Miss Y/N Beaumont about the town getting flavored ice in the growing summer heat, with Miss Beaumont appearing notably more joyous with him than during her interactions with other gentlemen she met at the Cowper Ball. While not privy to the intricacies of this friendship, this author does wonder whether Mr Bridgerton's newfound reappearance in the ton will affect Miss Beaumont's standing in the social season. Will suitors be too intimidated to pursue her? Though this matter might prove irrelevant, as Mr Bridgerton might decide to pursue Miss Beaumont himself...

Once again, you found yourself amidst the flurry of commotion that marked the afternoon before a ball. Only this time, you felt considerably less nervous knowing you had Benedict's company to look forward to. This would be your first time seeing him at a ball, dancing together outside the confines of either of your homes. You were quite accustomed to dancing with him. Both sets of your parents had been eager to teach their children the art of dancing, resulting in frequent informal post-dinner dancing lessons where you, more often than not, were paired off with Benedict. And you weren't complaining. He was a magnificent dancer, and you found you could just let go and allow him to take the lead while the two of you waltzed. Instead, you could focus on the feel of his steady hands on your waist, the handsome smile he cast down at you, or the shivers that ran up your spine when he would lean down to whisper something in your ear. Perhaps you were used to dancing with him, but that did not make it any less enjoyable.

Which is why you found yourself unable to keep still, excitedly humming and squirming around in the carriage bound for the Featherington residence. It was like your debut all over again, you thought, but with Ben being the only person who would be seeing you come out for the first time.

"Y/N, that's quite enough!" exclaimed Theo, clearly fed up with your antsy behavior. "Whatever is the matter? We are almost there; are you truly incapable of sitting still for a few more minutes?"

You glared at your older brother, choosing to ignore his comment but stilling your movements nonetheless. You were more than aware that Theo and Bastian were all but dragged to tonight's event by your mother, the pair being less than enthusiastic about attending a ball the very day they returned from their hunting trip, but you were not bothered one bit. If you had to go out and look for a husband ball after ball, they should, at the very least, be forced to be there as well. You envied their position in society, under no pressure to marry so soon and with complete freedom to do whatever they wanted, really. Your own literary pursuits were under somewhat of a time constraint unless you managed to find a suitable husband who would allow you the freedom to continue them, which was becoming increasingly unlikely as the season continued. Despite your mother's comforting words, assuring you that you did not have to marry this season, you honestly wondered how helpful another season would be if it was as fruitless as this one. You reasoned that you might just have to settle for someone you weren't particularly taken with, which was a dreadful thought, but at the very least, you were hoping to find someone who wasn't terribly dull.

After half an hour at the Featherington ball, you feared that "not terribly dull" might have been too high of an expectation to have for potential suitors. You were in the middle of a dance with some titled gentleman, his name you were not entirely sure of, who had been stunned into silence after you made a quip about a book you knew he should have read, as it was included in the Oxford curriculum you had been privy to courtesy of Benedict. Now, the two of you were dancing in complete silence, your eyes scanning the ballroom for any sign of your best friend. Just as you felt your foot being stepped on by your mute dance partner, you turned to see that Ben had entered the ballroom. The sharp pain in your foot was forgotten, and you relaxed, knowing you had an actually good dance to look forward to now.

Benedict eagerly entered the ballroom alongside his mother and older brother, immediately searching the crowd of people for you. Although he would never admit it, he was, for the first time in his life, properly excited for a ball. He knew he would be able to dance with you, granting a socially appropriate opportunity for him to hold on to your waist for a few minutes and feel the curve of your hips, occasionally getting close enough so he could smell your sweet perfume and whisper a silly comment in your ear. A comment that would no doubt make you laugh or at least giggle softly in a way that always seemed to elicit a warm feeling from his chest.

Unable to find you in the crowd, Benedict turned to Violet, who surely would know where you were by now, with a questioning look. She softened her features and gestured toward the dance floor, where Benedict could see you dancing with another man.

He barely heard his mother say over the roar in his ears, "She's out this year darling, with barely a spare moment away from a suitor or another," too focused on the man's hands on yours as he spun you around. Tearing his eyes away from the scene, he looked at Violet, who was already looking at him with a hint of concern. He swallowed thickly and put on a broad smile, not wanting to outwardly show what he was feeling.

"I suppose I'll be competing for her affections tonight, then. Hopefully she has space on her dance card," Benedict uttered, internally cringing.

Turning to Ben, Anthony leaned over and clapped him on the shoulder. "I don't think that'll be too much of a problem, brother. If you'd read Whistledown in your time away, you'd know your dear best friend has scarcely been giving any gentlemen the time of day. At the Cowper ball, Colin and I were practically the only ones she danced with," he said with a meaningful look.

Ben looked puzzled, not entirely trusting his brother's account of your season so far. He probed further, "A couple of men asked the twins about her at White's last night, so I just assumed she was having a lot of success." At the mention of the gentleman's club, Violet excused herself and went to go chat with some other mamas milling about the ballroom.

"She is having a lot of success, to be sure. Lots of gentlemen callers and the like. I just don't believe she actually likes anyone just yet," Anthony explained, seeing Benedict's shoulders relax just a fraction.

Trying to appear nonchalant, Ben responded, "Oh. That's a shame then that she hasn't found anyone she connects with."

"Are you sure you think it's a shame?" came Anthony's teasing reply, earning him a small shove from Benedict.

Just before Anthony could return the shove, you came up to the Bridgertons, walking as fast as was appropriate at an event like this. "Oh, thank heavens!" you exclaimed. "I thought the dance would never end. What good is an Oxford degree if you haven't even read The Odyssey?"

Anthony couldn't help but laugh at your exasperated demeanor, making a dig at your previous dance partner. But Ben was too eager to get you to himself. He softly grasped your wrist and took hold of your dance card, wordlessly asking for your permission. You raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him.

"I can't say yes if you don't ask, Ben," came your response. Yes, he was your best friend, but he needed to show some decorum. Besides, you really wanted to hear the words coming out of his mouth, needing the sweet sound engrained in your mind so you could revisit the scene later when you were in bed playing over the best parts of the night.

Stifling a smile and giving you a slight bow, Benedict looked deep into your eyes and flashed you the most charming, rakish grin he could muster. "Miss Y/N Beaumont, would you do me the honor of giving me this dance?" he spoke lowly, sending you a cheeky wink.

A simple "yes" from you would have sufficed, but you were finding it difficult to form any words at all. Your throat had gone dry, and you were astounded by the intense effect his words had on you. Having such a close relationship, the two of you were as informal as could be. But here, in this ballroom, barely even touching you, Ben had managed to leave you feeling warm and out of breath with a more formal tone than you had ever heard him speak to you. You maintained eye contact with him, licking your lips in a failed attempt to get something out to indicate that, yes, you desperately wanted to dance with him. You settled for a quick nod, pushing your dance card-clad wrist further in his direction.

He clasped your hand in both of his, reaching his fingers to touch your own. A teasing smile pulled at his lips. "I can't take you to the dance floor if you don't say anything, Y/N," he retorted, throwing back your earlier words. You finally broke eye contact, shaking your head and looking down, laughing at yourself.

"Yes, Mr Bridgerton. I would be delighted," came your airy response. Your breath hitched in your throat as he interlocked his fingers with yours and put a hand on the small of your back, guiding you through the crowd during the short walk back to the dance floor.

"Very well, Miss Beaumont. But I insist you must call me Benedict," he said from behind you, lips dangerously close to your ear. You waited until you reached the dance floor, fighting goosebumps, and spun around to face him.

"Am I not allowed to call you Ben anymore, then?" you teased.

Ben could only smile down at you, a twinkle in his eye, "You can call me anything you like, darling."

Before you had time to process his words, which had undoubtedly left you breathless, the music started, and the two of you began dancing. It was a wonderfully familiar feeling, and you were gliding through the ballroom with ease, working perfectly in sync during every step, turn, and twirl. You were delighted. After far too long dancing with uninteresting or uncoordinated suitors, you could finally relax and just enjoy the dance, as well as the feeling of Ben's hand touching yours.

"So how is it, really? Looking for a husband?" Benedict asked after you had found a good rhythm.

Immediately, the topic clouded your features. You were unable to meet his gaze for fear of tears springing in your eyes. You bit your lip and composed yourself, blinking away any tears that had formed. With Ben, you could just be yourself; there was no need to pretend to want something you most certainly did not.

"Ummm... it's proven to be a challenge," you started, sniffling slightly. "Rather, I knew it would be challenging, but I didn't know how impossible it would feel. Every man wants a perfect, mindless housewife, and I fear I will be unable to fulfill that role. I want something different, Ben," you said, finally looking into his eyes. You were met with his sympathetic gaze, searching your face to take in all of your minuscule expressions. His hand softly squeezed your waist as you continued, "And I don't know if I will ever find someone who will allow me to do that. I can tell because barely anyone shows interest after they truly start to get to know me and can't keep up with the conversation," you added with a small laugh.

After twirling you around, he spoke, "I know, I can't say I envy your position. Truthfully, I would rather do anything other than get married at the moment, so I cannot imagine how you're feeling."

His words were thrown out almost casually, but you felt a stabbing pain in your gut as he said them. You already knew he didn't want to marry you. It would never work. He was your best friend. But it still hurt to hear him say it out loud. You were saved from having to respond by being twirled around again, so you simply nodded at him to continue, not trusting yourself to speak.

He sensed a change in your demeanor and thought that perhaps the prospect of marriage so soon was still a sensitive topic, so he tried to offer words of comfort. "At least you don't seem to have a lot of serious suitors right now. That way, you have time before you actually have to settle down."

But as soon as his words left his mouth and your face fell, he knew they were the wrong ones. You were staring off into the distance, refusing to make eye contact with him. The dance was almost over, and the pair of you were nearing Anthony once again, so Benedict knew he had to fix this in the next few moments while the two of you still had any semblance of privacy. Scrambling, he desperately searched for the correct words to say, blurting out the first thing he thought of to make you feel better.

"No, I didn't mean it like that, Y/N. I promise. You are so beautiful, and smart, and funny, and caring, and kind, and any man would be crazy to not want to marry you. With time, I am certain you will find a suitor who feels this way," came his rushed response.

Stunned into silence, seconds away from breaking down into sobs, you cut the dance short, disentangled your hands from Benedict's, and rushed to the ballroom exit, hoping not to cause a scene. The stabbing pain in your stomach was migrating to your chest. You were struggling to breathe and had tears blurring your vision, but luckily, you saw your mother near the exit and grabbed her hand, pulling her with you. She threw a startled apology over her shoulder at whoever she had been talking to and stopped you once you had left the ballroom.

Turning you around and firmly putting your hands on your shoulders, she scolded, "Whatever is the matter, Y/N? Why on earth would you–"

Stopped short by the sight of tears streaming down your cheeks, she softened and opted instead to hold you tightly to her, shushing you and stroking your hair.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked carefully.

You let out a choked sob, shaking your head. Primrose kissed the top of your head, not letting you go.

"That's alright, sweeting; we'll just leave the ball early then. Would you like that?"

You could only nod, holding onto her as she led you outside to the carriage. Desperate to go home and emotionally exhausted, you let yourself be directed into your seat and all but collapsed on top of your mother as soon as she was inside as well.

Back in the ballroom, Benedict stood frozen, looking in the direction you had run off in. Despite his utter confusion at your quick change in mood, he felt a crushing weight in his chest at being the cause of your distress. He thought things had been going quite well, actually. He had no idea why he had not been able to soothe you, usually an expert at reading your emotions, and had instead worsened the situation considerably. Wide-eyed, he turned to look at Anthony, who stood a few feet away. Ben was still stunned but shrugged at his brother, muttering, "Women" as an explanation for your sudden distress.

Benedict certainly had not been expecting Anthony to coddle him, but he could not help but be shocked when his brother's face transformed into a furious scowl, fists forming at his sides. He had barely reached his brother's side when Benedict felt Anthony's finger poking his chest aggressively.

"You are a complete and utter buffoon," whispered Anthony harshly, hoping to avoid a scene despite his overflowing anger. Benedict only sputtered in confusion, unsure of what to say.

"Oh, don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. I heard the last bit of your conversation, and obviously, this is a sensitive topic for Y/N. A large part of the reason no man has bothered to keep pursuing her is that they know the two of you have an incredibly strong 'friendship,'" continued Anthony in the same tone of voice, emphasizing the word 'friendship.' "You would know this if you bothered to talk to anyone at White's last night or kept up with your supposed best friend at all. But you were off in the countryside doing god knows what for whatever reason, and she had to face this alone."

Ire bubbled up in Benedict, feeling that his brother's response was uncalled for. "I cannot possibly have elicited this level of aggression from you. What the hell does Y/N's search for a husband have to do with me? Who she marries is entirely her choice," shot back Ben in the same angry whisper Anthony had been speaking in.

Anthony stepped back, looking at Benedict with disbelief. "You are either completely blind or the biggest fool I have ever had the displeasure of knowing."

With that, he turned on his heel, leaving Benedict reeling, still stunned, not to mention confused. He was replaying every interaction he had with you tonight, trying to find what he said or did that might have set you off, and, hopefully, trying to find a way to fix this.

---

Cass sat perched on your bed, where you lay in your night robe with a puffy face from the extensive crying you had done the previous night. Your mother had been discreet upon returning to your home, but your younger sister had inevitably heard you both come in and went to greet you in hopes of knowing what transpired at the Featherington Ball. Not wanting to explain your heartbreak to either of them in the moment, you had gone straight to your room and locked the door, not even allowing your lady's maid to help you out of your gown. But you knew you could not avoid your sister forever. So when morning came, Cass had slipped in before the rest of the Beaumonts rose. She found you already awake, staring out the window.

"Cass, I fear I have gotten myself into a most precarious situation," you started. She said nothing, opting instead to pat your leg in support. Her eyes grew wide as you briefly recounted your dance with Ben the previous night. You were near tears again, the pain of rejection still fresh.

"Well, I think Benedict Brigerton is an idiot. And a massive one, at that," your sister huffed out once you were finished speaking.

You let out a wet laugh in surprise, chastising her, "Cassandra! You must not use such foul language!"

"It's rather warranted in this situation, actually," responded Cass. Ever the fiery personality, you appreciated her fierce protectiveness in this moment.

"Honestly, I've gone over our conversation about a million times since it happened, and I don't think he actually said anything wrong. He doesn't want to marry. I don't have to worry about getting married right at this very moment, and I will eventually find someone who wants to marry me. Someone who is not him," you said carefully.

Tears welled up in your eyes again, but you pushed through, needing to say this out loud. "All of this is true. If Colin or Anthony or anyone else had said this, I would be inclined to agree with them. I think-" you paused, composing yourself.

"I think I have genuine feelings for him, which I had not entirely realized were there, or at least I had not categorized them as... whatever they actually are," you finished, unable to stop the tears from streaming down your face now. Cass reached over to hug you and moved to sit next to you on top of your covers.

You were still sniffling when she spoke up, "I was wondering how long it would take you to realize." Seeing your dirty look, she let out a laugh, "Sorry! I'm sorry! It was just quite obvious to me. Or to anyone with eyes, probably."

You put your head against the headboard behind you, closing your eyes in frustration and responding, "It's just very inconvenient that I feel this way. Obviously, he does not feel the same, which is obviously alright," you shot Cass a pointed look, warning her not to interject. "So, I believe that to actually find a husband, I must change my friendship with Benedict. Slightly."

"How do you mean?" asked Cass.

Rubbing your temples, you answered her, "Perhaps, seeing him less. So I'm not distracted. And so I stop comparing every suitor to him. And maybe not dancing at balls anymore. To have more time to dance with actual potential husbands. And because I do believe I will fall in love with him if we keep dancing like we did last night, which would not be helpful in the least." You had stopped crying now, your plan of action filling you with resolve.

"Are you implying that you aren't already in love with him? Because we both know that's not tr-" Cass attempted to say, before getting hit by one of your pillows square in the face. But this time, you were laughing with her. It was all going to be alright. You would find someone, and your feelings for Ben would soon become a thing of the past.

—

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#bridgerton #benedict bridgerton #benedict bridgerton x reader #anthony bridgerton #benedict bridgerton imagine #benedict bridgerton fanfic #benedict bridgerton fanfiction #bridgerton fanfic #bridgerton fanfiction #bridgerton imagine #bridgerton x reader #benedict bridgerton fluff #benedict bridgerton angst #benedict bridgerton x best friend!reader #bridgerton x you #benedict bridgerton x you #bridgerton fluff #bridgerton angst #love in bloom #love in bloom: writing

[northern-loner]

dear god now I'm losing my mind thinking about what the qsmp world looks like outside of the island holy shit.

obviously we know that the Federation has other locations that they run similar to how they run quesadilla, but how do you guess they get subjects for those? For some of them do you think they just take subjects they already have like hybrid experiments and throw them in? Or does the process change based on the general idea behind each location? Quesadilla was advertised as a perfect getaway vacation, what if another place was advertised as a unique wild-life expedition, or what Panacea did in opq where they promised money to struggling ppl if they signed up for their projects.

Do you think they run entertainment programs as well ShowFall-Media-style? Do they have Federation issued missing posters or hotlines? Do they have their hands in general authorities or are they a separate entity the Feds can simply influence through bribing or in-house plants? I like to imagine they're a pretty big deal in the modern world, like Google or Disney or whatever other world-ruling corporation you can think of.

BRO HOW DO YOU IMAGINE THE AVERAGE PERSON IN THIS WORLD IS?? Like there's no way no one makes conspiracy theories about the Feds and what they're really up to. Or random rare sighting videos of q!Bad or q!Antoine or maybe even Code monsters if they reach that far. We know Lovejoy is canon and literally funds parts of the Federation so there could be conspiracies about them too. That coupled with the parts of the cast who are said to be just regular guys before all of this, were there ppl that knew them and had genuine connections w/ them before their disappearance? THE TRUE CRIME COMMUNITY WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY INSANE IN THIS UNIVERSE AND WE ALL KNOW IT OMG.

All the more fantastical elements that are presented as just natural functions of the world as well. Like all the different supernatural or inhuman species just hanging around. Do you think Nightmare Stalkers could be major problem anywhere, or just some fucked up urban legend? All the different gods, are there different religions for each of them? What would those customs & worship methods be like? Do you think anyone has sightings of the actual literal Angel of Death on camera just buying a coffee or some shit?

Good god I need to lie down.

#qsmp #qsmp lore #qsmp federation

[scoobydoodean]

Thinking about 4.05 "Monster Movie" and how the shifter (Lucy) who dresses up as Dracula fixates on Jamie and Dean, casting Jamie as Mina and Dean as Jonathan Harker—Mina's fiance—the righteous hero who, with Van Helsing, saves Mina from Dracula.

The last time we really focused on the POV of a shifter was 1.06, where our shifter was a Dean parallel. This time I think our shifter represents Sam—or rather, the shifter represents Sam’s feelings about his own monsterhood, and the occasional envy he feels toward Dean—Dean who is cast by the envious shifter as righteous hero who "gets the girl" (but not this time, Harker!) In season 4, Dean will be given the title “The righteous man”. The same angels calling him that will call Sam “The boy with the demon blood” and “abomination”.

Opening on the scene where Dean has been dressed in lederhosen and tied up by the shifter:

DEAN looks at a portrait of a woman’s face on the wall which resembles LUCY. DRACULA She is beautiful, no? Bride number three from the first film. She never got the acclaim that she deserved. Which is why I chose her shape, her form, to move among the mortals unnoticed. To listen to the cricket songs of the living. That is when I discovered my bride had been reborn in this century.

The shifter wanted to fit in—to be perceived as normal—so they chose Lucy’s shape. It isn't difficult to connect that desire for normality with Sam's initial desire for normality. But the shifter discovered Mina (Jamie) and then everything changed.

In “Monster Movie”, the shifter initially despaired of their monsterhood, but monster movies gave the shifter a sense of dignity—a taste of power.

DRACULA "Real" is being born this way. Different. "Real" is having your dad call you "monster" -- it's the first time you hear the word. And he tries to beat you to death with a shovel. Everywhere I ran, everywhere I tried to hide, people found me, dragged me out, attacked me. Called me "freak," called me "monster." Then I found them. The great monsters. In their movies, they were strong. They were feared. They were beautiful. And now I am like them. Commanding. Terrifying.

I'm immediately reminded of a speech Sam gives in the previous episode, explaining why he's decided to embrace demonic power (4.04):

SAM I've got demon blood in me, Dean! This disease pumping through my veins, and I can't ever rip it out or scrub it clean! I'm a whole new level of freak! And I'm just trying to take this - this curse... and make something good out of it. Because I have to.

In Dracula, Mina was saved from Dracula at the end of the story by Harker and Van Helsing. Lucy wasn't able to be saved—she was a victim of Dracula’s, who started out a kind, soft hearted woman, but was killed by Dracula and reborn as a monster who fed on children. She was subsequently destroyed by Van Helsing.

In our parallel, I don't think Mina (played by Jamie) parallels a person so much as Mina represents an ideal or desire. Mina represents "getting to be the hero"—Mina represents the capacity for redemption.

What the shifter (and Sam) don't know is that redemption is something Dean is also seeking:

JAMIE That must suck. I mean, you're giving up your life for this terrible... I don't know, responsibility. DEAN Last few years, I started thinking that way, and, uh, it started sort of weighing on me. Of course, that was before... A little while ago, I had this – let’s call it a near-death experience. Very near. JAMIE sits down next to DEAN. DEAN And, uh, when I came to... things were different. My life's been different. I realize that I help people. Not just help them, though. I save them. I guess it's -- it's awesome. It's kind of like a gift... like a mission. Kind of like a... a mission from God.

Dean is on a mission from God—and we as forward-looking viewers who know Dean tortured souls in hell have a better understanding of why Dean ties himself to that mission—as a form of redemption.

Monsters on the other hand... monsters don't get the girl—monsters don't get redemption—monsters don't save the day. Harker and Van Helsing save the day, and Harker (Dean) gets the girl.

DEAN You do realize what happens at the end of every monster movie? DRACULA Ah, but this movie is mine. And in it, the monster wins. The monster gets the girl. And the hero, he’s... electrocuted. And tonight, Jonathan Harker, you will be my hero.

This is, in some sense, our Sam from 4.04 manifesting a win—manifesting becoming the hero through monstrosity. Dean doesn't get to be the hero this time.

SAM Dean, I need her to help me kill Lilith. I know you can't wrap your head around it, but maybe one day you'll understand. I'm the only one who can do this, Dean. DEAN turns back around. DEAN No, you're not the one who's gonna do this. SAM Right, that's right, I forgot. The angels think it's you. DEAN You don't think I can? SAM No. You can't. You're not strong enough. DEAN And who the hell are you? SAM I'm being practical here. I'm doing what needs to be done.

Sam wants Dean to take a back seat. In a sea of motivations for lying and working with Ruby, one of them—most certainly—is that Sam wants to be the hero and wants Dean to not be the hero... and in some sense, this also fits with shifter who tries to force Dean into a role—who insists Dean play the role of Harker... who, while one of the story's heroes, also plays the part of the damsel in distress at various points in Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Crucially though, Sam isn't just represented by Lucy and the shifter in "Monster Movie". Sam is also associated with Van Helsing—or rather—when Sam arrives to free Dean and Jamie, the shifter shouts,

DRACULA You will never be Van Helsing!

This is Sam's despair in the mouth of the shifter. Sam could never be a traditional hero. He's unclean—he could never be a hero like the badass Van Helsing—the closest thing the Dracula novel has to a hunter (knowledgeable, strong, tenacious, clever). Sam could never go on a quest like that.

SAM Knights of the Round Table. Had all of King Arthur's knights, and they were all on the quest for the Holy Grail. And I remember looking at this picture of Sir Galahad, and, and, and he was kneeling, and— and light streaming over his face, and— I remember... thinking, uh, I could never go on a quest like that. Because I'm not clean. I mean, I w— I was just a little kid. You think... maybe I knew? I mean, deep down, that— I had... demon blood in me, and about the evil of it, and that I'm— wasn't pure?

The thing is, Sam is paralleled with the shifter as Lucy (desperation for normality) and as Dracula (despair, reclaiming monstrosity as his own), but Van Helsing is also a part of Sam too. Van Helsing represents Sam's ability to choose his destiny—Sam's ability to choose to be a hero, despite how he's despaired of ever being clean. He just has to realize it's his choice—that life is not a maze he has no choice but to run through. He is not unclean. His destiny is not defined by Azazel's blood.

JAMIE Ever think that maybe you're lonely because you kill people? DRACULA Or I kill people because I’m lonely.

Sam continues through season 4 with this same frame of mind in a sense—not in the sense that he's killing people (though... at one point, he will) but in the sense that his actions are someone else's fault and are out of his control. And yet, the capacity to be Van Helsing and not the monster who despairs remains.

#pk rewatches spn number? #4.05 #4.21 #8.21 #4.04

[jomiddlemarch]

I loved and guessed at you, you construed me

It was not that he was waiting for her as much as that he was most often in the faculty sitting room at this hour and so was she and the staff knew to leave out a full tea service and also a magically chilled bottle of very dry amontillado, the color of her eyes. And then to tell anyone else that the room was occupied and that they were not to be disturbed.

It wasn’t that he was waiting for her, but he did look up when she came into the room, letting the ancient, rare and precious book he held slip out of his hand, an instinctive, wandless spell keeping it from clattering onto the floor.

“You cut your hair,” Draco said. 

Any pretense to eloquence, savoir-faire, or intellectual rigor associated with achieving his Potions Mastery and Mwandamizi kemia had been decimated by the four words, uttered in a tone of complete shock, which given his Pureblood upbringing meant flat, with a hint of scorn. He had spent the past twelve years working to convince Hermione he wasn’t that man anymore, the one who would have meant the scorn, the fault-finding appraisal, cold and superior and not terribly clever underneath it all.

(The one he’d felt doomed to become before the chandelier fell in his family’s ballroom. Before she’d testified to keep him out of Azkaban. Before she’d returned his formal letter of apology with a brief addendum You were a child, Draco an absolution he didn’t deserve.)

Blaise always said he was his own worst enemy. Theo always nodded and offered a glass of single malt Scotch. Neville always shrugged and tried to reassure Draco, meandering through some nonsense about how they’d all had to grow up too soon, let down by the adults, forced to experience trauma that they’d been lucky to survive and a plate of buttered toast would soon set him to rights.

Luna changed the subject and talked about some possibly fictional chimerical creature to take his mind off his shortcomings. It never worked but he appreciated her effort and consistency.

“I suppose that’s better than ‘Bloody hell.’ And “Holy fucking Christ.’ Harry reverts to Muggle obscenity when he’s really surprised,” Hermione replied. “You only told me what I already know, as I didn’t accidentally fall into a Mongolian silver scissor-bush.”

“Is that a thing?” Draco asked. 

He had to keep talking but there was a lot to take in, the startlingly gorgeous line of her bare neck, the angle of her jaw, how her eyes looked enormous, luminous. How her chestnut hair was swept across her brow and came to a delicate little point on the nape of her neck, all these hidden aspects suddenly marvels revealed. Suddenly, astonishingly breath-taking and erotic and also heart-breaking, because he’d wanted so to run his fingers through her loose hair, to stand behind her and draw a brush through her curls. Watching her eyes get drowsy in the dressing-table’s looking-glass, resting a hand on her bare shoulder and feeling the tickling silk of her hair. He’d wanted to cast the spell that ended the charm securing her chignon, to pull out the jeweled pins she used to keep her braids in the coronet around her head. 

“No. It sounds like something Luna would mention though,” Hermione shrugged. It was as if he’d never seen the gesture before.

“It’s a lot to take in,” he said.

“It’s actually not. It’s both literally and figuratively not,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Snape being a double-agent in love with Harry’s mum was a lot to take in. Any Sunday lunch at Molly Weasley’s table is a lot to take in. War and Peace in the original Russian without a translation charm is a lot to take in. I took off a few inches—”

“A few inches?”

“Fine, I got the first professional, Muggle, haircut of my adult life because I was fed up with my hair and charms and Sleekeezy and glamours, so many glamours, and you would think I have announced I am Grindelwald’s secret lovechild,” she said in a tone of complete exasperation, pursing her lips in a matching moué he felt an impossible urge to kiss very thoroughly and until she was gasping his name. 

He was fairly certain that action would not be requited, not now, and potentially not ever.

But definitely not now.

She was now almost glaring at him, waiting for a response.

If this was ever to become something beyond hopeless pining, if he were ever to be allowed to call her sweetheart and coax her back to bed, he couldn’t get the next part wrong.

“Are you happy with it?” he said. It was a gamble, saying anything would have been a gamble, but there was a chance he’d gotten it right.

He’d surprised her, that he could tell instantly, though her face changed very subtly. It meant no one else who’d seen her had asked and considered she might be. No one else had thought about why she’d done it, only what they thought of it. Evidently, both Weasley and Potter had indicated a negative response, Weasley likely driven by his own unrealized Pureblood upbringing, where all witches wanted the long hair associated with power and Potter never wanted her to be anything other than she’d been in their youth, when her unruly hair was her most obvious signifier.

“Yes, I think I am,” she said. 

“That’s good. That’s what matters,” he said. He was supposed to reference the book he’d been reading or follow-up on their most recent conversation about geopolitics or whether Chopin was a Squib or at the very least offer her something to drink, the tea first and then, when she demurred, the sherry. But all of those would require him to look away from her and he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Not quite yet.

“I ought to have done it a long time ago,” she said. She spoke without her usual forthright confidence, but also without any of the regret the statement might have implied. She sounded hesitant, as if she wanted something from him she felt she shouldn’t. Or shouldn’t ask for.

It was tempting to make some sort of declaration, offer reassurance or an argument. But he’d gotten this far by asking her a question.

“Why do you say that?”

“I don’t know. It would have been a way to move on. Grow up. Make my life easier, decide it for myself,” she said. She was watching him very closely as she spoke. She liked that he’d asked, though she wasn’t smiling. “It wouldn’t have been grief or some kind of, I don’t know, unhinged trauma response.”

It would very much have been a response to the colossal trauma she’d experienced if she’d hacked it all off after being tortured, and it wouldn’t have been unhinged when one considered the myriad extremely risky alternatives she might have chosen, but Draco wasn’t about to ruin everything. Even as his own worst enemy, he could keep from doing that.

“It could have been just something you do when you’re in your twenties, trying something out. Like, going to the Maldives or studying Norn. Learning earth magic from tribal elders in Namib.”

“Only you would saying learning earth magic in Namib is something you do in your twenties,” Draco said wryly. “Most people just go to the pub and fret a lot.”

“You didn’t,” she said.

“I think it’s well established I’m not most people,” he said.

“No. You’re not. You’re the only person who didn’t tell me cutting my hair was a terrible mistake,” she said. “As if it could even remotely compare to the other terrible mistakes I’ve made.”

“It’s not a terrible mistake,” he said. “And you’re the person I know best whose made the fewest terrible mistakes in her life and we can sit here drinking sherry talking about it because of it.”

“My parents wouldn’t agree,” she said.

“Neither would mine. I wonder how people grow up when they don’t have to discover their parents were deeply, entirely wrong about something absolutely crucial to survival,” Draco said.

“We could ask Blaise Zabini,” Hermione said after very clearly Thinking About It, a little crease appearing between her eyebrows.

“Too risky,” Draco replied. “It’s only the husbands people talk about but people have a way of disappearing when they ask questions about his mother.”

“No one would comment on her haircut,” Hermione said wistfully. “What a bloody icon.”

Draco laughed, startled.

“You’re enchanting,” he blurted out. Stupid, gauche, impulsive—he could go on (and on) about how ill-considered it had been.

“Well, I am a witch,” she said. She did not seem put off. In fact, she smiled at him, a little shyly.  “Goes with the territory—”

“You enchant me. Bewitch me,” he said, throwing caution to the winds. “You don’t want anyone to comment on how you look, so I shouldn’t but you’re exquisite—”

He broke off, fearing he’d broken it all. She was still in the room and he still had all his bits and bobs, when he knew she was a dab hand at wandless curses. It was rather late to decide discretion was the better part of valor, but better late than never.

“I didn’t do it for you,” she said.

“No,” he replied.

“I didn’t do it only for you,” she clarified. “But I was curious to see how you’d react.”

“Did you have a hypothesis? You usually do,” he said.

“Yes. You’ve exceeded it slightly,” she said. There was a gleam in those sherry-brown eyes and when she tilted her head to the side, he understood the vampire’s insatiable lust. 

“I can do better than slightly,” he said, half-dazed with the realization that she was requiting far more than he’d ever imagined. And that she’d imagined his response to seeing her bare neck, had wanted his admiration. He got up from his chair and crossed the room to her, standing close enough to take her in his arms. “I can do a wide margin. Prodigious. Overwhelmingly—”

“I like prodigious,” she said and he leaned in and kissed her parted lips softly, then deeply, one hand at her waist, the other cupping her cheek. The urge to possess her was tremendous, held in check only by an immense and constant tenderness, the moon that could pull the devouring tide back from the shore.

“Can I see overwhelmingly?” she whispered. “For comparison—”

“Of course,” he answered and moved to kiss her neck. He tasted the pulse of her carotid, sucking gently where he wanted to nip her. He moved back up to the hollow behind her ear, grazing her lobe with his tongue, then murmured,

“You cut your hair. I love it.”

#dramione #hermione x draco #draco POV #post-hogwarts #epilogue what epilogue #hermione gets a haircut #romance #pining #always some extra worldbuilding #references to lots of characters #had so much fun I wrote a second part #that one's hermione POV

[awhimproned]

you don't understand guillermo and his arc

have i got your attention?

hello, my name is nia, and welcome to me opening a blog solely for the sake of yelling into the void my analysis/meta of the haha hehe silly vampire show.

Small introduction/index right before beginning:

Spoilers for s5 finale!

Re-framing of what wwdits is really about and setting the record straight as what to expect and what not to be angry about.

Discussing how Guillermo's arc of letting go of his vampirism isn't, in fact, a let down or a missed opportunity and quite the opposite, is in character for him, in line with his character arc, and wasn't "all for nothing".

Long ass post (not exaggerating), so click "read more" and buckle up. Here we go.

I have to start this by reiterating that first and foremost, this is a batshit insane comedy show with batshit insane, morally bankrupt (yet endearing) and complex characters. It's not interested in telling a story or a plot, it's not interested in being pretentiously deep, and I say that for the people who can't really come to terms with the format and that the show is going nowhere, because it's not supposed to be going anywhere, it's just the daily lives of vampires and their little adventures and sometimes struggles. In a weird way, it's slice of life.

This show isn't like Good Omens or Our Flag Means Death in which you're concerned with an overarching plot. Even season 4 and 5 seem to look like it has an overarching plot, the term you're looking for is contained theme of the season. It's like "villain of the week" format. Only for the seasons. S1 we had the baron, s2 we had vampire slayer guillermo, s3 we had the vampire council, s4 we had nadja's night club, s5 we had vampire guillermo -- and these are just very broad summaries.

There ISNT an overarching plot, it's the character arcs that are starting to pick up, which guillermo's is the strongest and most reoccurring.

It's episodic even when there's a theme and plot of a season, and it's meant to be bite-sized and contained and followable. Someone who doesn't know this show can watch one episode from season one and one from season three and it wouldn't be that jarring depending on the episodes, like, the cast were able to answer "what episodes would you recommend to someone who hasn't watched the show" on the tumblr live ask.

The writers and the producers of wwdits are concerned with making you laugh, exploring how insane and unexpected places they can take things with a cast of vampires of the past who haven't quite adapted to the modern times and are devoid of common sense and knowledge most of the time in a mockumentary style. Yes, you know this already, I know, it looks like I'm being patronizing or condescending.

But do you know, really? I'm talking to a certain demographic, so please don't take this personally.

What most of these people consider dropping the show over, like the reasons "nothing changes" or "things go back to the usual and it's getting old" or "they throw ideas away" or "serious stuff gets brushed over so quickly" don't consider that these are often done on purpose.

Half because of the format and that the documentary crew can't be there all the time to capture every little thing and character moments you are naturally given in a normal TV show/movie, and half because it's one of the core themes of the show, that nothing ever really changes and these are centuries old vampires who are so closed off to change. That's the thing. That's what it's all about and that's where all the jokes are stemming from.

In a normal comedy show, you might perhaps see the characters being unhinged together, but you would also get to see their most private and vulnerable moments, (like maybe brooklynn 99), and you take that as granted, it's sometimes spoon-fed through cinematography and what's purposefully caught in camera per director and writer choices.

wwdits follows a very clear show-don't-tell narrative of characters putting on a front for the cameras, and you have to read between the lines more often than not to figure out these unreliable narrators, otherwise you might miss some things and take it at face value.

one example of this in my opinion is the relation between laszlo, baby colin robinson, the bastard children he doesn't like to talk about and the baby he turned into a vampire. the latter is very much played as a joke, the bastards are throw away line by nadja, but when you take baby colin into the picture and how happy it made laszlo to be a father (no matter how questionable), how (questionably) amazing he was at it, and how losing baby colin robinson downright made him grieve and mourn (like. he abandoned nadja to look after this child), you get a clearer picture as to why laszlo might have made a baby into a vampire and why he doesn't like to talk about the children he's fathered. maybe it's because he wanted to be a parent at one point, maybe with a vampire baby he could have a child who wouldn't die. it seems deeper than it was at first glance, the complexity is hidden beneath the layers of vampires being funny assholes.

other times you have to not overthink it and learn to accept some things are purely for shits and giggles. no matter how many levels of fucked up they are on. it's literally no use discussing the morality or how wrong things are. and on a framework such as this, the running gag being characters being left somewhere when their plot-relevance is over (benjy, jim the vampire, derek, the hybrid creatures etc.) shouldn't come off as surprising or lazy writing. because that's it, that's the joke.

This isn't to say this is a get out of the jail free card for not having progression or development.

I'm just saying that the vampires getting into shenanigans and everything being okay in the end despite all the drama is the status quo, and if you're going to have a problem with "sunrise sunset" and are so impatient with the theme of change being explored at a slow pace, then this show is not for you.

You are perfectly welcome to be frustrated with everything resetting, but you also have to know this is what you signed up for. The show is both trying to tell you something using this storytelling device to navigate the inherent cycle of stagnated repetition of the vampires' lives AND showing you that things ARE changing at the end of every season, bit by bit.

It's entirely on you that you don't notice and/or care it wasn't in the way you wanted it to be.

Like what they did with Guillermo.

The consensus of the arguments I've seen on this site consist of:

they finally made him a vampire and took it away from him and it was for nothing

it wasn't explored enough and well-enough

it breaks canon for him to be so squeamish about killing when he's been committing atrocities the whole show and it's a lazy reason to turn him back

nothing came of it. it ruins his character

he should have stayed a vampire it's what he wanted and deserved all along

it doesn't make sense with the narrative, they are writing him so differently now like he suddenly doesnt want to be a vampire? his character arc peaked in s3

First question: have we been watching the same show?

I'm going to walk you through this step by step for analysis sake, bear with me.

Who is Guillermo de la Cruz at the beginning of the show?

He is a fucking loser.

He is a pushover, has no confidence, deep down he's become so twisted from all the resentment and spite built up from being so overlooked, underappreciated and being cast aside. He has no life, he pays to live there as a familiar, his entire life is dedicated to Nandor, he's so tiny, has no presence.

And we establish his main motivation and want: to become a vampire.

But why does he want to be a vampire? Antonio Banderas in Interview with a Vampire. This apparently "inspired Guillermo because he had never seen another Hispanic person onscreen as a vampire". Yes, he projected and self-inserted to Armand, yes we know.

When you look closer, you'll pretty soon understands he craves the power he'll receive once he becomes a vampire. He'll become cooler, "sexier" (like he says that he doesn't feel any sexier when he became a vampire), nobody can look down on him, he can finally be someone, leave the old, pitiful Guillermo behind, it's all he's betting on. He doesn't want to grapple with his problems, the sexuality he represses, the Catholic guilt; he wholeheartedly assumes he'll just be a new person once he becomes a vampire, and for that, he'll do anything. He doesn't want to be a vampire, he wants to be a new, burden-free, hot-girl-eternal summer Guillermo who will demand respect just by existing.

Vampirism is the get out of the jail free card for him. The easy way out of his flaws and insecurities.

There's something called character's want vs. need in writing. What a character wants may not always be what they need. This is perfectly portrayed with Guillermo. Becoming a vampire isn't necessarily what he needs.

What he needs is making peace with himself, growing, acceptance, love, establishing confidence, finding his power -- self-growth.

the problem is he thinks vampirism will automatically give these to him. it couldn't be farther from the truth. this is a typical case of thinking the grass is greener on the other side.

So, naturally, discovering he's a vampire slayer is ruining everything for Guillermo, setting him up against the vampires whom he's trying to be a part of, to be accepted and loved by. It's threatening his found family.

Even though it's the most competent, confident, sexiest, and in element he's ever been in his life. It's what he's best at, when he's doubting himself the least, when he shines the most, the abilities come to him from within.

And he can't allow himself to embrace it. He still thinks vampirism will give him what being a Van Helsing is already giving him. He's gaining his footing, sticking it to the vamps who don't appreciate him where they deserve it, standing up for himself, being sassy and cunty, opening up, GROWING.

Yet he doesn't see it.

He believes he'll be whole once he becomes a vampire. You see him benefit so much from the van helsing genes but not once does he embrace it or actually celebrate his identity, embrace himself and who he is when it's what made him bloom in the first place. HE DOESN'T SEE IT.

He wants to renounce being a vampire slayer. He says it in season 5 to the baron. He full on wants to give up what makes him, him.

Hell, the symbolism of being a vampire slayer getting in the way of his transformation by fighting off the vampirism is so ironic and symbolic at the same time:

He can't find his true self and what his heart truly wants and needs if he doesn't give up the idea of being a fucking vampire. His true self has been within all along.

Guillermo's arc didn't peak in s3, it wasn't even close to being completed, because he hasn't found himself yet, he hasn't accepted himself yet. He hates being a vampire slayer deep down for setting him against the vampires and what he wants to become. Yes, he went through tremendous growth. He was powerful, he gained agency. But it was because THE POWERS VAN HELSING DNA GAVE HIM ON A SILVER PLATE. It wasn't that he accepted it. It wasn't that he found a sense of self in it.

He just got a preview of what he could become, is all. It made him think he was ready to become a vampire. He would never choose to stay a human/vampire slayer before the events of s5, it's always been about the endgame for him.

And it's so sad because Nandor is like. So stoked about vampire slayer Guillermo. He's so proud and giddy about him "being a warrior" because he knows Guillermo better than anyone and just when and how he's at his best. It's just that Guillermo doesn't see it and Nandor does. Just like how he knows Guillermo wasn't ready to become a vampire and how hard he would really take to actually killing people.

In retrospective, season 5 was about things we want not really being the things we thing we want.

They show that guillermo has gained the things he's wanted -- the love and friendship of the vampires and them deeply caring for him, thinking of him as family just in the way he thinks of them as, their respect, and he didn't need to be a vampire to get that. He already has the power he craves deep down.

He doesn't see it. He's not aware of any of it, he's so laser-focused to what he wants that he hasn't figured out how to handle the ugly side of vampirism, he hasn't even thought of it -- because he doesn't see any bad in being a vampire. He's so enticed by the power, the promise of sexiness and transformation and so blissfully ignorant by what he has to do to survive from being on clockwork in doing the dirty work for the vamps.

And precisely because of that hey show that guillermo wasn't ready to be a vampire -- yet. Because how can he be ready when he hasn't even figured himself out yet? When it's painfully obvious what he really wants isnt being a vampire but something he desires on a more emotional needs level?

And the most glaring point of this is how brutal and bloody his transformation was. It wasn't how he imagined or wanted it to be. He just wanted to be a vampire, and right off the bat everything went wrong.

He wanted it to be Nandor. He wanted it to be earned. He wanted it to be poetic, sexy and climactic.

Instead it was miserable and horrifying, the biggest shame to a vampire, and he had to keep it a secret to save his own life and nandor's -- hell, he wasn't even a full vampire, nothing had changed. Nothing had changed. When everything was supposed to change. (Catch the theme?)

And the thing he's happy about? The itty bitty powers he slowly starts to gain. Nothing else about vampirism is doing it for him. The raw meat craving, for one. He even cringes when he's drinking the blood Nandor gives him.

He only really wants the powers. He even goes on a little power trip when he fully turns. He's on a brief high until it comes to feeding.

And then the reality fully sinks in.

Guillermo has to come to terms with having to harm people if he wants to be a vampire. It's not the same as leading people to their deaths, he can't take the moral high ground by making the excuse he's not the one doing the killing or anything, vampires have their victims and he just handles the aftermath. Hypocritical? You bet your ass it is. Guillermo is considerate and horrible at the same time. That's what being complex is about.

Sure, there are ways such as not fully draining and just drinking his fill, but he isn't ready for tackling those topics yet. Vampirism was about becoming a new person for him up until that point, not having to drink blood to survive.

And figuring out that no, if he's given the choice, he wants to stay human has to be more devastating and earth-shattering for him.

Because everything he's worked for in the past 14 years, now, is up in the air for Guillermo. What does this mean for him, when will he go from there, is he still going to be a familiar, can he still stay with the vamps?

What does being a vampire mean to him now that his entire sense of self and future he'd built upon it is gone?

Here's what Yana Groskaya has to say about it:

This is one of the core themes of season 6.

In a sense, they've taken Guillermo's one and only hyperfixation away that was limiting his character. They've opened him up to new explorations.

He has to consider what being a van helsing could mean to him now that he can fully face his real self and there isn't a time limit to brush it under the rug so he can fully focus on becoming a vampire.

He has to face himself, learn about himself, go out more, discover himself better.

This also in a way is a direct parallel to Nandor in Season 3, and it's an interesting thing that it was Nandor who helped Guillermo to realize what he really wanted.

This wasn't "all for nothing" - it was a major beat in Guillermo's arc. To face what he naively and childishly wanted to "fix" himself had to be considered more seriously:

Nandor going "This is what I was waiting for" when Guillermo beat him in their fight in season 3 means SO MUCH MORE in this context.

Guillermo, in his BEST, having all the power, going all in on Nandor, seemed ready, as a slayer, he didn't hesitate to fight, harm, or throw hands, he could handle vampires and vampirism, and Nandor saw him fit. THIS was what he was waiting for. "You are alive because I let you live" and full on proving that statement. That he wasn't afraid to kill. For Guillermo to be ready in his soul, and it was his vampire slayer identity readied him. He had it in him all this time.

But in season 5, he has renounced it. He SAYS he has renounced it to be a vampire.

He has to embrace that part of himself to be truly ready.

Him becoming a vampire at this point in his life was so wrong on so many levels, they showed that Nandor would know when it was the right moment and he would do so right by Guillermo, and showed that really, what you think you want isn't actually what you want/need.

So no, this was bound to happen eventually, and an entire season dedicated to it was amazing in my opinion. Amazing things are coming for Guillermo, please don't be discouraged.

Thank you for reading this far.

I also want to write a Nandermo analysis at one point because I'm more passionate than ever and so excited (i loved what this season did with them), but we shall see!

#guillermo de la cruz #wwdits meta #wwdits #what we do in the shadows #wwdits season 5 #wwdits spoilers #nandermo #wwdits s5

[hehe-hoho-ohno]

What if the Muppet guys... were Muppeteers? 🤔

Dialogue taken from the Who's On First skit.

Archeops is a live-hand puppet. Emmet operates the head and right hand, while Ingo controls the left hand. Normally it's the right hand that is controlled by a different puppeteer but Emmet is left-handed so they are doing it this way round.

Archeops is a himbo type character. He is gullible, eager to help and frequently comedically misunderstands what other characters want from him.

Emolga is a Fozzie bear-esqe character who tells bad puns. She often has grand plans that are poorly thought out and never work. She is frequently paired up with Archeops in B plots, where she fails her way through her latest idea while Archeops helpfully makes things worse.

Emolga is a rod puppet. There have been two versions of the Emolga puppet made. The second version has movable eyelids and is generally better quality. The old one still occasionally appears in skits as her slightly lopsided twin sister.

Elesa voices both of them, but Skyla or one of the twins has to puppet the "ugly twin" whenever both are in the same shot.

This has led to many jokes and light-hearted arguments as to whether Ingo or Emmet is the ugly twin. ("Ingo must be the ugly twin. He does not blink."/"Still salty about losing the staring contest, I see.") Skyla takes over just so they will stop.

Skyla mostly works backstage, running the lights. She occasionally helps out in other ways, but mostly she does the lights.

Skyla does have some characters, most notably Swanna, whose reoccurring gag is that she looks elegant and sophisticated but then she does something stupid like eating a tire to the tune of Flight Of The Bumblebee.

Elesa still does model work alongside puppeting. This comes as a suprise to her model fans and vice versa.

However, Elesa has started to lean more towards puppeteering as she gets older. She started out just popping into the workshop during her free time to lend her friends a hand, but these days it's her main job, with modeling becoming more of a side gig.

Ingo and Emmet are more behind the scenes guys than performers. They make the puppets. They really like anamatronics, but the show normally doesn't have the budget for that.

Emmet keeps building Joltik puppets. Everyone keeps telling him to please stop because they already have more than enough. But they are small, cheap, easy to make, and most importantly Emmet finds them delightful. So he keeps making more. He likes to hide them around the set.

The joltiks' appearance has changed over the years as Emmet has gotten better at making puppets. The earliest versions were just pom-poms with googly eyes stuck on.

The twins have gotten more involved with performing as time goes by. Ingo is more camera shy than Emmet is, and he usually sticks to "left handing" for Emmet.

Ingo also plays similar support roles for other performers. He puppets Chandlure, while Shauntal (script writer) voices her. He is the right claw of Clay's Excadrill. He also helps with Drayden's dragon puppets, many of which are huge and require 2 or more people to operate.

Haxorus was initially Drayden's character. But after an injury he was unable to operate Haxorus (a full-body walk around suit). The initial plan was for Ingo to wear the suit and have Drayden dub him in post. However, everyone thought Ingo did such a good job (including Drayden) that they kept his voice lines in and had Ingo keep playing Haxorus even after Drayden got better.

Part of the reason Drayden was okay with this is becuse Haxorus was too similar to his other characters and didn't really stand out: a serious and sarcastic 'straight man' for the other characters to bounce off of, generally fed-up with the rest of the cast's nonsense. Ingo brought some much needed bombasity to the role. Now Haxorus comedicly overreacts to being bothered by the other characters, often in violent ways that result in an earthquake (camera shakes and performers toss their puppets up in the air, higgledy-piggledy).

The other reason was that Drayden liked seeing his nephew being more confident on camera.

Ingo does not get a mic. He shouts through the suit. He's just that powerful. Also he broke the last one.

Ingo also voices and puppets Gliscor. Gliscor was a henchman to a minor antagonist, but he wasn't very good at it - cheering on the heros that came to stop him (he didn't want to be rude). Gliscor was a break out character - becoming a reoccurring presence becuse the fans liked him.

Emmet controls Gliscor's right claw.

#submas #subway boss ingo #subway boss emmet #Elesa #Emolga #Archeops #my art #Muppeteers AU #Nimbassa Trio

[fanfic-lover-girl]

Feelings on HTTYD 2

So I just finished watching httyd 2 with a friend and I thought it was great! Not as good as the first one but I enjoyed myself. I had some issues with the movie so let me summarize what I liked and did not like about it.

What I Liked

Hicctooth - Toothless and Hiccup continue to be amazing together. Such a great friendship bond and they were so cute! The moments where Toothless was fed up with Hiccup were gold.

Stoick - This man was such a badass in this movie! Great fight scenes and his rescue of Valka and sacrifice for Hiccup were so well done. His bromance with Gobber was A+ and I love how he has developed as a father. He seemed even more protective of Hiccup in this movie compared to the first movie. It was actually kind of sweet. Also, his romantic dance with Valka was such a joy to see. Seeing Hiccup happy to see his parents together made me so happy too.

The villain - Drago was pretty entertaining as a villain. I wouldn't call him the best but I thought his design was cool. I think he was a decent villain to challenge Hiccup's naivity.

Toothless and Stormfly - These two had such fun scenes together. I smiled whenever they interacted. So cute! I just really liked Stormfly in this movie, such a good girl. Her bond with Eret was cute.

Toothless and Cloudjumper - These two were so funny. Cloudjumper had annoyed big brother vibes going on lol.

Music - Once again, the music captivated me in this movie. I love the HTTYD movie end credits songs! It makes me feel nostalgic.

Character designs - Liked most of the character designs. Hiccup looked good of course and Snotlout surprisingly looked great too. I liked the greying beard on Stoick.

Eret - I felt so bad for poor Eret. I think he was an interesting addition to the cast.

Friendship of the teens - I liked the interactions among the 6 teens/young adults. I wish the whole love triangle thing was less cringe though.

What I Did Not Like or Felt Neutral About

Hiccstrid - I have seen from Hiccstrid shippers on Tumblr that the second movie is the basis for their love of the ship. And at the end of the movie, I was struggling to understand why? I liked the initial Hiccstrid cliff scene for the most part but the ship was basically irrelevant for the rest of the movie. If you take out Hiccstrid, nothing changes really. There was hardly anything interesting about this ship. Felt so generic. And honestly, this ship feels very one-sided. It's all about Hiccup but what about Astrid? What does she get from this relationship besides the clout of being a future chieftess? And Hiccup's tendency to rush off into danger?

Astrid - Not sure if I liked Astrid's design in this movie. But more importantly, I was disappointed by Astrid's character. My friend agreed with me that Astrid was just there. Her only purpose in this movie seemed to be to give Hiccup his mandatory pep talk and to anger Drago to prematurely attack. When Astrid kept yapping about Hiccup's greatness, I swear I was dying on the inside. Astrid was important in the first movie but httyd 2 solidified her status as a pretty love interest character. Her dragon Stormfly seemed to have more going on in this movie. Astrid was just meh. All she is now is just Hiccup's girlfriend.

Valka - Maybe if I watched the movie without knowing about Valka, maybe I would be more neutral about her. But I don't like her. She's a deadbeat mom. Her reasons for abandoning Hiccup were so flimsy. Stoick, for all his flaws, was learning to be a better dad and I am so sad that Stoick will not get to see Hiccup grow as a man. Valka does not deserve the privilege that's for sure. I must also say that she did a crap job at advocating for peace. Sure, argue for peace while your village is under attack! Makes SO much sense. What made her believe dragons were good anyway?? I wish Valka was the movie villain. Or at least an antagonist.

Toothless - For the most part, I enjoyed Toothless' interactions with Hiccup. But he seemed way too playful sometimes? I don't think he should have been so relaxed with Valka since she attacked them. I miss the Toothless who was aggressive with strangers. Also, I find it strange that Toothless did not know how to expand his spines. He's a wild animal and wild animals should have instincts about these things. Finally, as cool as that super saiyan rage mode was at the end, I still want to know where this power came from.

Ruffnut - I hate how Ruffnut looks. She was pretty in the first movie and she also looks pretty in the ROB show. I don't know why her older design has to look like this. She looked especially repulsive when she was hitting on Eret. I kept asking myself why the scriptwriters did this? Why make her look so gross??

Hiccup's inner conflict - I thought the introduction of Hiccup's mom felt way too forced. The whole spiel about not knowing who he is because he does not know his mom made me so confused. In the first movie, Hiccup hardly cared about Valka. There was not even a throwaway line like 'No one in Berk gets me...but maybe mom would if she were here'. Why the sudden interest??? I also think Hiccup's struggle with his free spirit desire was poorly handled. Plus, I don't understand why Hiccup got the idea that his job was to be a peacekeeper?? Peacekeeper for who?? We don't even meet other tribes! I am sure this attitude is addressed in the shows but it makes little sense to me. How do you go from making peace with dragons to being a peacekeeper of the archipelago? And what leadership did Hiccup showcase to Valka for him to deserve the 'heart of a chief' line??

These are my main takeaways! Despite the shortcomings, I did like the movie. Sigh, now it's time for Hidden World.

#astrid hofferson #hiccup haddock #stoick the vast #toothless #valka haddock #stormfly #eret son of eret #ruffnut thorston #drago bludvist #cloudjumper #hicctooth #hiccstrid critical #astrid critical #anti valka #httyd 2 #how to train your dragon 2 #httyd 2 criticism

[riabef]

✎. The snow guides me to you

SUMMARY: It’s not the easiest task for those to confess their love so easily; yet even in your absence all he can think about is you, so why not try anyways?

FEATURING CAST: Alhaitham!!! hehe secret Santa gift for @prawndip! hi hi this is for you <3

PRONOUNS: gender neutral reader!, second person perspective “You”

WORD COUNT: 1444 words

WARNINGS: i think this is pretty fluffy, just about him going from “I tolerate you I guess” to “oh I think I like you” less in than 2k words

AUTHOR NOTES: writing this never made me feel so single before not going to lie - Wasn’t sure if you celebrated Christmas so I just went with a general winter theme, but changes can be made ^^ just send me an ask and I’ll prepare something else! I know it probably doesn’t snow in Sumeru or like,,,, the rest of Teyvat except for Dragonspine and Snezhnaya but …. Listen it’s for the plot 😔

✉︎ Alhaitham

The first time he met you was under a glittering sheen of snow, the frosty flakes and the cold nipping at his skin. At the time both you and him were only children, exploring the world under your feet, too caught up in the enveloping curiosity you felt; from wandering the Grand Bazaar to the ends of the city where the forest began, it was all so enticing for children to explore.

Despite your curiosities, there would always be a slight difference between you two, and that was that Alhaitham, your childhood friend, was always prepared. On the other hand, you, unfortunately, were not. So when the snow fell from the sky, almost by instinct your head turned towards him as though he was your answer.

Amidst the gray clody skies, coloured in shades of fossil and silver, there stood two children. Just far enough from the city to tune out any merchant chatter, or the noise of the city slowly getting ready for the end of the day; endless footsteps echoed across the pavement. The two children stood, bantering, almost, most likely because of the falling snowflakes.

Capturing one with your hands, you admire it’s beauty, the shaped perfection that these crystals had were utterly breath-taking, of course, if it were not for the cold you wouldn’t have an issue. Unfortunately for you, your archon decided to spare no mercy for the unprepared as the temperatures dropped even lower.

“Does it look like I’m your saviour?” Adorable as he seemed, he looked almost fed up with your antics. In hindsight, he really was adorable, if you ignored the irritation in his voice, or the passive scoldings that he’d give you; with all things considered, he was a good friend. Despite bantering with you from time to time, you truly care for him. And fortunately, that was reciprocated.

“Yes it does actually,” placing a mocking hand on your forehead as you clutched your heart, ready to give a performance that would just shy of opera standards, “my one and only friend. We’ve been through so much in our brief lives, and you’ve always been the one guiding me, the light in the dark-”

“So you’ve forgotten your gloves again?”

“Once again, you are right my dear Watson! Your deduction skills are simply extraordinary!” nodding your head solemnly as though you weren’t talking about your forgotten gloves. You continued, “However, it isn’t as it seems, although it appears as though I’ve misplaced them, or dare I say, forget them. They are here, in my pocket!”

All that fell out of your pockets were marbles.

“While you were having your little soliloquy, I thought it’d be better that at least one of us brings an extra pair,” he sighed, and for a moment you let yourself misleadingly think that maybe he isn’t so bad, perhaps he did have a soft spot for you all along, “of course, to compensate for the other’s forgetfulness.” 

“Sometimes I forget how much of a jerk you are.”

“The feeling’s mutual.” He promptly throws a pair of gloves without any warning, and you let your hands tread across the material very carefully as though it were a prized heirloom. Surprisingly, the glove fit almost as if tailored, and the material was incredibly soft against your skin.

Maybe you wouldn’t be wrong in assuming he cared about you a little more than he let on.

The next time you meet, the both of you are fervent researchers of the Akademiya, eagerly searching for all the answers that didn’t exist, and trying to gain an understanding of the environment around you. Although, Alhaitham supposes that you’ve taken the latter part of that statement a little too seriously as you tried gathering samples of even the flowers around Sumeru City, much less the snow.

Perhaps in a last-ditch effort of finding a perfect thesis, your mind could only find one solution.

As typical years of Akademiya alumni would describe, the arduous process of creating your thesis begins, however it began with searching for the perfect topic. Ideally one that no one had previous research on 

Crouching while trying to stuff some random moss from the pavement, you carefully select your words before voicing them aloud, “Hey Alhaitham-”

“It’s a bad idea.” Flabbergasted, you whipped your head to look at him in disbelief.

“But I didn’t even speak?!”

He sighed, as if expecting the answer, “I’m not wrong though.” 

“Anyways, what if I made my thesis about how good snow tasted?”

“That’d be wonderful, you could even make up another culinary darshan.”

You scoffed, resisting the urge to curse him out further in favour of gathering snow to make into a snowball, juggling it between your two hands as if contemplating your further decision.

Taking notice of this, “If you eat that, I won’t be liable for any physical illnesses you go through.”

“You say that as if you were planning to take care of me in the first place?”

He remains silent.

Although he cherished your smile, and especially your laughter (fuzzy feelings swirl around in his mind, for reasons unknown) he do has to admit that your especially low view of him does hurt him quite a bit. Regardless, he’s content remaining as is. The silent friend who shows up once a blue moon to show they actually care for you, the one who’s been waiting for you to take notice of his feelings, and waiting even longer to accept that maybe he didn’t just tolerate you.

Although unlikely, it’s possible that he’s taken a liking towards you.

The next time he sees you, he’s more than conclusive about his own matters, unable to deny it any longer, all that’s left is to accept his growing feelings for you. Especially with the way that you always seemed to meet him with the change of seasons. Like anyone else, he has his own secret to keep; and his seemed to be that he looked forward to winter for the chance to see you.

As busy students in the Akademiya, it’s not odd that you two find it difficult to share time together outside of the occasional glances shared in the halls with the occasional nods of acknowledgement. Despite this, the saying does go, “the heart grows fonder with absence” and that proved true with Alhaitham.

How ironic was it that someone who vehemently rejected human emotions felt one of the most strongest known feelings?

There was a moment in time where all he could do was spare a glance at you in the library, or the halls. Even if all he could do was spare a few of his thoughts for you, it didn’t help him get over this crush; almost akin to a poet’s longing glances towards their muse, drawn to the inspiration the other offers. It was almost laughable how his thoughts were easily drawn to you the moment the moon rose, when all was quiet in the city, when the lanterns were lit and the citizens drawn into a slumber.

Or perhaps the way his mind would drift to you even while the sun was high up in the sky, when the breeze felt a little too quiet, and the space beside him was unoccupied.

Time passed as endless and unchanging as ever, no compromises to be made, or any hesitation. Just like the grains of sand trickling down the glass, counting down to when he could see you again. Not like it could tell an exact date, but it helped pass the lonesome hours by. The endless feeling of work was a routine he took a liking to; although he found that including you in that routine was something he yearned to do.

It was then that he understood what he needed to do.

Only a letter was left on your desk with elegant writing, the name of the sender and everything was all left out as though it was of no importance; only requesting your presence at midnight at the “place where memories were”.

While you waited in the dark, the snow began to fall from the sky like it had all those years ago, except this time he was not the boy he once was, and you were not the child you once were either. With a smile you only knew that there could only be one person who called your attention like this, and it was him.

If it were anyone else you would’ve been displeased at the simple conversation, but because it was him, Alhaitham, your heart soared above the clouds, yet to reach the ground. 

“I think I love you.”

“Think?”

“I apologize, I know.”

#gixrsecretsanta2022 #riabef;; writing #genshin #genshin impact #alhaitham #genshin alhaitham #genshin impact alhaitham #alhaitham x reader #genshin alhaitham x reader #genshin impact alhaitham x reader #al haitham x reader #genshin al haitham x reader #genshin impact al haitham x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin fluff #genshin impact fluff #alhaitham fluff #al haitham fluff #omg I still haven’t reached 30 tags uh #Uh #genshin alhaitham fluff #I’m just making this up to be honest #wait #is there more tags #how many more tags #anyways #I’ve been listening to party rockers in the house tonight #10/10 #also party in the USA

[bigwigs]

so last month i dragged my bff kerry to come see brokeback mountain with me and, to make a long story short, it was genuinely a life-changing experience. my little brain latched onto something about the performance and sent me into a slightly alarming transformative spiral about how i want to live the rest of my life. i won't bore anyone with the details, but the summary is that i have spent too much time living to appease other people, and i'm fed up. i want to live in a way that feels authentic to myself. all i've ever wanted to do is write stories! so i decided i'm going to get an MA in creative writing next year.

anyway, i wrote the cast and crew of brokeback mountain a letter, posted it, then realised royal mail is absolutely fucked where i am so it might not have even gotten there. we went again last night, so i printed it out and took it with me and handed it to mike at the stage door, which only further cemented:

a) what a nice good boy he is* b) what a fucking dork he is

* lucas too!!

i asked if he'd sign my copy of close range, and he said he'd love to, and while he was doing that i told him i'd written them a letter but wasn't sure if it had gotten to them, so i brought it with me again.

(him: i'm sure it's in the stack of mail we have me: doubt dot jpg i have not received any mail for a month)

then i explained why i'd written it: "so i came to see you guys last month and after the play i had like, a week-long breakdown--"

(him: (mounting panic))

"-- but in a good way!"

(him: (visible relief))

i continued: "i ended up thinking a lot about how i was living my life and what the fuck i'd spent it on and yeah it made me decide to get my MA next year (and oh no i'm so sorry i'm tearing up)--"

(him: it's okay!!)

"-- SO YEAH what i'm trying to say is thank you!"

mike, finally free of my rambling, proceeded to be the nicest man ever and went: "oh, gosh, that's incredible. congratulations. what's your name?"

me: sara!

him, sticking his hand out: mike.

me, shaking his hand: ... yeah dude i know who you are

him, laughing, moving on to the next person: YEAH I GUESS YOU DO. it was nice to meet you! thank you so much for coming, and twice!

just the sweetest nicest man.

anyway, then i got lucas to sign my book too (lucas: "there are some really good stories in here", me: "there sure are") and repeated myself with a little less rambling, and he shook my hand too, then went "let me give you a hug too" and hugged me, rivalling mike for the title of sweetest nicest man (they can share, it's okay) and i almost died.

and now when i start my MA i have a reminder of why i'm there:

#brokeback mountain #mike faist #lucas hedges #it was just very sweet? idk like they both really made time to listen to me #and it was a difficult thing to say #and they were both so patient #just good boys with good vibes

[theflyindutchwoman]

Can we talk a bit about how different the show now feels from the first 3 seasons. It's one of the main complaints I've seen around lately, which I fully get. But the thing is, that is the point. The show IS different from back then. When The Rookie started, the story was following 3 Rookies + their 3 Training Officers in patrol. We have passed that. By now, two of the original rookies have graduated to fully fledged Patrol Officer, one didn't survive and none of the original TOs are in patrol anymore. The premise of the show has changed, so the storytelling has to adapt to this new dynamic.

And to me that's the major challenge faced by the writers today : the expansion of the world within the show. And that's also part of the reason why they are cramming so many storylines in one episode.

In season 1-2, they usually had three different storylines, one for each duo, but still keep the story relatively cohesive under the lesson of the day (Plain Clothes Day, the Roundup, CIs…) and a closing scene with the rookies most of the time. And from there, we had supporting characters at work (Grey, Anderson) and at home (the different love interests, son, friends, etc).

In Season 3, the problem started when Angela became a detective. There's a reason many procedural shows hate promoting their characters : it rocks your entire world. In this case, they had to decide how to integrate Angela with the other plots. Alyssa's pregnancy gave them an opportunity : it was easy to write it in the show, considering the proposal from season 2. And from there, the writers gave her an arc : La Fiera, with motherhood being a bonding element. From episode 03, she was used primarily for this or for personal matters (pregnancy/wedding). But outside of these two arcs, they never really managed to properly integrate her to the rest of the storylines… To the point where she's not even present in one episode.

So once season 4 rolled out, that same issue got exacerbated because this time, with the rookies' graduation, it was the whole structure of the show that was being reset. We suddenly had : . Tim + Lucy . Nyla + Aaron . Nolan . Angela If they kept the original one storyline/pairing they had going on, that meant potentially 4 storylines within an episode (+ whatever personal plots)… Not good. They also couldn't just pair up Angela with Nolan for the whole season since their job was of a different nature. So they had to get creative. Angela would work with a different pairing every other episode and they gave her the Elijah plotline, an extension of La Fiera. They also couldn't leave Nolan alone so Bailey became his unofficial partner on the job when he couldn't be paired with someone else. Even though she never should have been able to, since she's not a cop and there were some massive conflict of interests (the serial arsonist case, her ex-husband). Adding to that, we started spending more times at home with the characters. Wesley and Bailey became de facto part of the main cast. It's all fine but it also means less screentime for the plots. Or for some characters. Like Aaron for instance, who was supposed to be the link to the show's original story aka the rookies, but wasn't even made part of the main cast/characters.

And with season 5, the world got expanded even more. For the first part, we had : . Tim + Aaron . Lucy . Nolan + Celina . Angela + Nyla Thankfully for the writers, since they were gearing up towards Chenford, Lucy could be paired up with Tim/Aaron. And when the story needed Tim/Lucy together, it was easy to include Aaron with the detectives. So they were able to maintain a better balance than in season 4. But now, they have patrol + detectives + metro to contend with. And the occasional Feds showing up. And they have to find a way to make it natural for these different elements to interact on the daily basis. And make sure that nobody in the main cast gets left behind for too long. That means cases with bigger impact (you don't call the Feds or Metro for a simple ticket violation). And that means more plots inside each episode.

Like I said, that's the challenge now for the writers. Which, actually reminds me that this criticism is not new : it was always a complaint that there were too many storylines within each episode and the pace was too fast. Right from the start. It's just that now, with all this expansion, their former structure of having so many plots within an episode makes it more chaotic. We no longer have just 6 main characters. We no longer have just Rookies/TOs dynamics. We're not even just in patrol any longer. It was always an ensemble show… But this ensemble got bigger, both in terms of cast and world building.

The obvious solution would be to extend some plotlines in two/three episodes (like with Day of Death or the Stanton arc) to let them breathe a bit more. But networks tend to be against that for procedurals, unless it is for finales. We could also focus mainly on one part of the cast in one episode, then switch to the others in the next episode... People might not like that though. It's a tough call to make. Call that may not even be up to the showrunners/writers. Because let's not forget that networks love to meddle too.

#This is all just my opinion of course #But honestly for a show that has close to 10 main characters - it could be so much worse #The rookie #Chenford #Meta Analysis

[sanvirtheobserver]

Taking Flight, An SMG4 Fanfic: Volume 3

Here we are with Volume 3 of Taking Flight. After the Ketch adventure, our crew finally decides to return home to lick their wounds, catch up with old friends, and make new ones on the way.

Also, I MIGHT be rebranding this soon. More info on that once I wrap up Volume 4.

..............................................................................................................................

Chapter 11: Tender Love And Care

It's a relatively calm day in the Castle as Karen tidys up. You see, SMG3 made a deal with Karen that Depresso would babysit her kids if she agreed to upkeep the Castle while the Gang was gone.

Karen: I wonder how Clownie is doing....... Eh, I'm sure he'll be fine.

So far it's been going well.......... for Karen. A quick cutaway gag reveals Depresso stuck to the wall with duct tape. Katie is the only one actually trying to help him while Zack is busy playing Call of Duty and Cory is just spinning around in place.

Karen had just fed BEEG SMG4 when she notices SMG3 coming in through the front door.

SMG3: Honey! We're home!

Karen: Oh, hi Three. How was your trip? You all make it back alive?

SMG3: Just barely. Speaking of which, is the guest room open?

Karen: Of course. Why do you ask?

We see Tari and Melony rushing in.

Melony: SMG3, we need that guest room. Tari, you get the medical supplies from the Storage room.

Tari: On it!

Karen: Woah woah woah, what's going - GASP!!!!

Karen is shocked to see Mario and SMG4 carrying a barely conscious and bloody Meggy.

Karen: CHRIST ALMIGHTY, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?!?

SMG4: It's a long story.

Karen opens the guestroom and readies the bed as the three make their way in. They gently and carefully lay Meggy on the bed as Tari enters the room with an IV and some medical supplies.

Karen: Alright, set it up over here.

Back in the Main Hall, we see Whimpu and Melony going over Meggy's condition. Melony seems....... out of it. Everything is muffled and there's this ringing in her ears. She jumps when she feels Luigi touching her shoulder, snapping her out of her daze.

Luigi: Melony?

Melony: Oh, Luigi. It's just you.

Luigi: Is there something wrong?

Melony: Sorry, sorry. Zoned out for a bit there. It's just........ where do we even start?

Karen comes out of the guestroom to give an update.

Karen: I had Tari ready an IV for Meggy. That should help with the internal bleeding.

Luigi: I have more painkillers ready, and Mario is off to get some One-Ups from the garden.

Karen: Hold up! That much rapid healing with this many injuries could cause more complications. We don't wanna risk anything healing backwards or upside down.

Luigi: Oh. Okay.

Karen: We also need to dial back on the painkillers a bit until she's stable. She has a concussion, so we need to keep her awake for right now. Any more right now and she'll ABSOLUTELY black out.

Whimpu: You really do know your way around medicine.

Karen: You kinda have to when you're a single mom with four kids. Melony?

Melony: Hm?

Karen: I need you to hold her down while SMG4 realigns the bones and applies the sutures. Can you do that.

Melony: Yes ma'am.

Karen: Luigi, I need you to get the plaster ready for the casts.

Luigi: Okie Dokie.

Tari steps out while holding her left shoulder.

Tari: SMG4 is ready with the sutures.

Karen: Alright. I'm gonna look and see if anyone else needs some help.

Melony and Luigi go back into the Guest Room while Karen goes off to meet with SMG3. Saiko comes in and notices Tari headed for the bathroom. Once she's inside, Tari heads for the sink and takes a deep breath as she removes her jacket. The left side of her shirt is bloody. She winces as she removes her shirt and sees that her left shoulder is covered in burn marks that stretch across her chest and up her neck. That's when Saiko knocks on the door.

Saiko: You okay in there?

Tari opens the door a crack

Tari: Yeah I'm just getting changed.

Saiko: Tari....... I can see the blood. Let me help.

Now knowing she can't hide it, Tari reluctantly allows Saiko to enter. To say she was concerned about Tari's condition is an understatement.

Saiko: Jesus......

Tari: It's fine, really. I can handle it. You should be concerned about Meg-

Saiko suddenly pulls Tari into a hug, much to her surprise.

Saiko: I should've been there. I could've helped. I could've smashed that thing and kept it from taking you, I........ I'm sorry.

Tears begin to well up in Saiko's eyes. Seeing Tari hurt like this makes her wish that she had been there. Maybe things could've gone differently, maybe they wouldn't, but that doesn't matter right now to Tari. She gently wipes the tears from Saiko's face.

Tari: What matters is that you're here now.

Back in the Guest Room, Meggy is screaming her lungs out as Melony holds her still and SMG4 reinserts the last compound fracture. Mario holds her hand as tears stream down her face.

SMG4: And.........done!

Meggy: NGH.......AGH.......pant.......pant Okay.........Okay...........

Melony steps out of the way as SMG4 gets to work on the sutures. Meggy winces with every pull of thread.

Meggy: Hey Mario. You wanna play Super Smash Each Other In The Ass Bros after this?

Mario: Meggy, I don't think-

SMG4: No, that's good! Mario, keep her engaged while I finish up here.

While SMG4 finishes with the sutures as Meggy and Mario are talking, Melony's leans against the wall holding herself. Luigi comes in with a tub of casting plaster.

Luigi: Plaster is ready. You sure you don't want any painkillers?

Meggy: Yep. Doc said my brain is bleeding, remember?

Luigi: Whimpu never said that! He said you had a concussion!

Meggy: Eh, Tomato Miyamoto.

SMG4: That's not how it goes, but she's right. She needs to stay awake, and if she takes anything right now it could be lights out. Melony, I'm gonna need you to hold her still again...... Melony?....... MELONY.

Melony: Oh, right! On it.

She places her hands on Meggy as Luigi readies the plaster.

Meggy: Bring it on, doc!

Luigi: Okay, here it goes.

Kaizo is entering the Main Hall when he hears the screaming. Meggy tightens her grip on Mario's hand and Meggy's shoulder as Luigi applies the cast. Mario keeps trying to pep talk Meggy as Melony holds her.

Mario: It's okay Meggy! Just think about video games and Ramen!

Luigi: Keep her still, I think I got it!

Melony keeps mentally repeating "I can do this" as the noise gets louder, but even that's getting drowned out. Meggy's screaming, Mario and Luigi's yelling, the increasing grip pressure on her shoulder, it's beginning to overwhelm her. It's too much as her breathing gets faster and faster as she can hear her heart beating in her ears. That's when SMG4 gives her a light tap on the shoulder.

SMG4: Alright, Melony. You can-

It's too much. Without warning, she jumps back and backs herself against the wall, hyperventilating as she holds her head and begins to tear up.

SMG4: Melony?

Kaizo is caught off guard as Melony rushes out of the Guest Room, right past him, and straight into the Storage Room before shutting the door. Everybody is shocked, unsure what to make of what just happened as Kaizo enters the Guest Room.

Kaizo: So, um......... is the ginger still alive?

Meggy takes a deep breath as the pain subsides for a moment.

Meggy: Yeah........ I'm good.......... But I think Melony..........

Kaizo: I saw. I'll look into it. Also, the cat said that you should be good to start on painkillers again. Keep it to small doses, though.

Meggy: Yaaaaaaaaaaayyyy.

SMG4: Thank's, Kaizo. We have things covered here.

In the Storage Room we see Melony curled up into a ball and quietly sobbing in the corner as the door creeks open. She doesn't even acknowledge Kaizo standing right beside her.

Kaizo: Hey......... can you talk to me?

She shakes her head. Kaizo notices red splotches seeping out from under the clockwork armor. She's been wearing it since they had escaped the Ketch. He kneels down and keeps his voice low.

Kaizo: Look. I know I'm not too good with this whole "comfort" thing, but I can see that you're hurt. And I want to help.

She slowly meets his gaze.

Kaizo: So......... what do you need?

She waits a moment before signing "Take it off, slowly" before raising her arm to him.

Kaizo: Alright.

She winces as Kaizo gently removes the gauntlet, revealing a pattern of circuit shaped wounds underneath. The arm and armor are both covered in blood.

Kaizo: Damn........ is the rest of it like this?

She nods, signing "I wanted to make sure she was okay first". Kaizo takes a deep breath.

Kaizo: Alright......... let's get the rest of this junk off of you so you can wash off.

Tari and Saiko exit the bathroom, with Tari's arm and chest wrapped in bandages. They see Kaizo exiting the Storage Room with Melony, now bereft of that armor and covered with a blanket.

Tari: Melony?! Oh my God what happened?!

Kaizo: She........ had a bit of an emergency. Don't worry, it's all under control now.

Melony signs "he actually helped out a lot" with a smile.

Tari: Is there anything we can do to help?

Kaizo: Yeah. Is the Bath Room open? Because she is in desperate need of a bath.

Tari: Sure thing! C'mon Melony, let's get you cleaned up.

Melony signs "thank you" to Kaizo as Tari escorts her to the Bath Room. He notices Saiko smiling too.

Kaizo: What?

Saiko: Nothing. C'mon, let's go check in on Meggy.

They both head over to the Guest Room. Judging by the lack of screaming, they're done with applying the casts. They've also started on painkillers judging by the copious amounts of giggling. In the room we see Mario sitting beside her on the bed, letting her rest her head on his shoulder while they watch meme compilations on his phone. We see Karen and SMG3 talking with SMG4 and Luigi, with Karen handing SMG4 a jar of green liquid.

Karen: This is a diluted extract from the One-Ups Mario gathered. Put an ounce of this in her IV once per day and once per night. If all goes well, she'll be back on her feet in two weeks.

SMG4: Understood.

Kaizo and Saiko enter the room.

Saiko: Everybody still alive?

Luigi: Alive and well! Say, where's Tari and Melony.

Saiko: Kaizo helped Melony out with her armor and Tari is helping her clean up.

Saiko didn't say it directly, but she was proud of Kaizo. Those kindness lessons were really paying off.

Kaizo: How's the shortstack?

Karen: Well, we got everything patched up the best we can for right now. I'm having someone come over to help monitor. I gotta head back home and make sure my kids haven't killed Mr. Depresso.

SMG3: Thanks for everything, Karen. We all owe you one.

As Melony steps out of the shower and Tari helps dry her off, a knocking on the front door can me heard. They head over to the front door and Tari is surprised to see.........

Tari: Whisk!?

Whisk: Hey guys. My mom called and said you needed some help.

Tari excitedly welcomes her inside. We zoom out from the Castle as Whisk is introduced to the rest of the gang.

Tari: Guys, look!

Karen: Hey Whisky, glad you could make it.

Luigi: Whisky?

Whisk: Mom, I told you not to call me that in front of others!

Meggy: MOM!?

Karen: Oh, so you've met my daughter.

Tari: Wait, Whisk is your daughter?

Meggy: Karen's your mom!?

Mario: And I'm-a Mario!

SMG4: MARIO!

This goes on for the rest of the night.

Chapter 12: Chillin' Out

It's a cool spring night over at the Showgrounds. Peering through the Game Room window we see Tari, Saiko, Melony, Meggy, Belle, and Whisk all sitting on and around the couch watching a new movie called "Midwest Angelica" on the TV. Now, you'd think that after facing LITERAL GODS that they'd be numb to this kind of horror, and you'd be right.

Whisk: EEEEP!!!!

Not for Whisk, though. The first creature sighting has her vaulting over and behind the couch, much to Belle's amusement.

Belle: Whats the matter? CAT got your tongue?

Meggy: Be easy on her. You alright Whisk?

Whisk's head pops up from behind the couch.

Whisk: Y-yeah. I'm g-g-good.

Tari: Guys, maybe we should watch something else.

Whisk: No, really! It's fine. It's fine it's fine it's fine. I'm just gonna be...... back here for a bit. Heheh......

Meanwhile, we see Bob and Boopkins plotting something over in the Storage Room with a variety of cheap Halloween junk.

Boopkins: Bob, are you sure this is a good idea?

Bob: Oh come on, Boopkins! One does not simply see a bunch of girls having a sleepover without messing with them a little.

He digs into the pile and picks out a ghost costume for Boopkins and a creepy mask for himself.

Bob: Showtime.

They very quietly make their way into the Gaming Room while the girls are distracted, with Whisk all bundled up in a blanket burrito on the floor between Belle and Melony. Another jumpscare makes her flinch, but she manages to stay in place this time.

Melony: See? Nothing to be afraid of.

Whisk: Y-Yeah.......Yeah, you're right. It's just a scary movie is all. It's not real, and it can't hurt me.

That's when Boopkins makes his move, stumbling out of the shadows as he makes the scariest noises he can possibly make. It's not very effective, but it does make for an effective distraction as Bob catches them off-guard.

Bob: OOGILY BOOGILY BITCH.

That's enough to make both Whisk AND Boopkins scatter. Bob laughs his ass off, having successfully completed his mission.

Saiko: WHAT THE HELL!?

Bob: Holy shit, did you see that!? I sent her flying! Thanks for the assist, Boopkins. Boopkins? Boopkins where are you?

He looks behind the couch and sees them both holding each other in sheer terror.

Boopkins: trembling Oooooooohh maaaaaan.

Bob: Oh, damn. I'm a lot better at this than I thought.

Meggy may still be a week away from recovery, but that doesn't stop her from punting Bob out the window and into the dumpster. A faint "ow my ovaries" can be heard in the distance as Tari sits beside Whisk to comfort her.

Tari: I'm sorry about Bob. He can be....... troublesome, when he wants to be.

Whisk: I-it's okay. Hey...... can we put on some MyStreet?

Tari: Of course.

Over at the Café, we see SMG3 and SMG4 having their own little get-together with their old friends.

SMG4: I'm glad you guys could come over.

Remember when I mentioned X and FM getting new designs all the way back in Food Wars 2? Well, now they're right here and I finally get to describe them to you! X is around the same height and build as Whimpu. He wears a Turquoise hoodless jacket and Beanie, a dark green scarf and sweatpants, and a pair of glasses.

X: It's good to be here, Four. As for FM, he's as tall as Ganondorf and ABSOLUTELY jacked with a gorgeous blonde mustache and mullet. He wears a red skullcap and plad shirt, a black leather vest, some scuffed-up jeans, and a pink and blue friendship bracelet.

FM: Hey Three! I saw your new ride and I gotta say she is BEAUTIFUL.

SMG3 gives a clearly forced smile, silently grinding his teeth into powder as he prepares some coffe for the four of them. Looks like he's still not over the whole "abs" thing. SMG4 and X take a seat.

X: So, I see you guys got yourself a new place.

SMG4: Yeah. Things were a little crazy for a while, but we eventually managed to carve out our own little slice of paradise.

X: And judging by the ship, you've been on quite the adventure lately.

SMG4: Yeah.......... Hey, can you take a look at something for me?

X: Sure.

SMG4 pulls out a small device and places it at the table. It's the same one that stranger placed on Melony to drive her crazy. X picks it up and carefully examines the design.

X: Hmm.........looks like a piece of Xelor tech.

SMG4: Xelor?

X: Time magi. They're followers of Xelor, the God of Time in the World of Twelve. I've rarely seen them on Earth though. Where did you get this?

SMG4: It's a long story.

Back in the Castle, we see Boopkins and the girls are fast asleep in the Guest Room. Meggy, Whisk, and Boopkins have taken the dog bed, Tari and Saiko have taken the casino bed, Belle has taken the chair, and Melony just brought her own mattress........ but she doesn't seem to be resting as easily as the others. Taking a look within her dream, we see she's back aboard the Ketch, once again clad in that Clockwork Armor. All her friends lay dead around her as she holds a wounded Tari by the throat.

Tari: Melony........ please........

Melony wanted to stop, but she had no control over her own body. She could only watch as her blade pierced Tari's heart. Tari gave one last teary gaze, her heartbeat growing slower and softer as the light faded from her eyes until....... nothing. Melony was in silent anguish as she dropped Tari's lifeless body to the ground. A figure emerges from the shadows. It is the Stranger, the one who had turned her body into a weapon she could no longer control. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and a single phrase echoed within her skull......

?????: Good work, my puppet.

Melony awoke from her nightmare in a cold sweat, her distressed breathing rousing Boopkins from his slumber.

Boopkins: Mh.......huh? Melony?

Melony didn't respond, her eyes damp with tears as she held her legs. Boopkins hops down from the bed and walks over to her matress.

Boopkins: Are you okay? You look scared.

Melony looks to Boopkins, slowly regaining her composure as she wipes the tears from her eyes.

Melony: Y-yeah....... I just..... had a bad dream. Sorry for waking you up.

Boopkins: It's okay.

Boopkins hops onto the mattress and gives Melony a hug.

Boopkins: I'll go get you a glass of water?

Melony: Yeah...... yeah I think I could use that. Thanks.

Back in the Café, we see FM trying to make some small talk with an unamused SMG3.

FM: Anyways, we decided that Alex and Derrick would handle fireworks for new years. Like, what's the worst that could happen, right? Not FIVE SECONDS later we see Derrick is missing a hand and Alex has third degree burns on roughly ninety percent of his body.

Meanwhile, SMG4 had just finished regailing the tale of their Ketch adventure and the not-so-pleasant aftermath to X, who is tinkering with the Xelor device.

X: Yikes. I had heard that Xelor Armigers weren't the most pleasant to use but....... mind control? That's a whole new level of scuffed. Poor girl must've been mortified.

SMG4: Yeah. That guy was a MENACE. Pretty sure we'd all be dead if it wasn't for Tari coming in with the clutch.

X: Speaking of which, has she figured out the whole "ancient heritage" thing yet?

SMG4: Not yet. To be honest, we've all been taking our time getting back into the swing of things.

X: I don't blame you.

SMG4 gets up from his seat and does a stretch before heading for the door.

SMG4: Anyways, I've gotta get some shut eye. I have one hell of a meme backlog to get through tomorrow.

X: Well, before you go........

He tosses the Xelor device back to SMG4.

X: I modified the device into a temporal anchor. It should come in handy in case you see that Xelor again.

SMG4: Oh thanks, X.

X just shrugs with a grin.

X: Anything for a friend.

We close out the night with SMG4 heading back to the castle. He checks the Guest Room and sees everybody fast asleep, with Melony and Boopkins now peacefully snuggling on the mattress. SMG4 smiles as he heads to his room and calls it a night.

Over at Mushroom City, we see Wario and Waluigi rummaging through the dumpster for valuables. So far they've made quite the haul as Waluigi finds a vintage lighter and tests it our by lighting a cigarette.

Waluigi: I know a few folks who would pay quite the coin for this.

Wario: That's child's play. Check this out!

Wario manages to haul out a broken motorbike.

Wario: I've meet meaning to get myself a new ride, wahaha!

They both share a laugh about their finds, but fall silent after noticing someone else in the alleyway, his piercing red eyes set on the brothers. Wario pulls out a gun and Waluigi pulls out a bat as they both approach the figure.

Wario: This is our haul, wise guy!

Waluigi: Yeah, go steal someone else's junk!

The figure says nothing. He merely holds out his bandaged gauntlet and presents two gear shaped devices to the brothers.

Chapter 13: Lunchtime Tussle

It's a beautiful day in Mushroom City as Meggy, Whisk, Melony, and Tari are over at Peppino's Pizza for lunch. Unsurprisingly enough, Mario and Luigi are already there, with Mario getting started on his fifth Spaghetti Supreme. Something tells me Luigi isn't gonna be happy with the bill.

Whisk: Does he........ normally eat that much?

Luigi: Not really. Usually he'd be on his tenth by now.

Whisk: That....... can't be healthy. Have you tried getting him on an exercise plan?

Meggy: It's not impossible, but......it usually ends in disaster.

Clench: He turned into King Kong at one point. Climbed a skyscraper and everything.

Peppino comes out of the kitchen with the girls' order and a timid smile on his face.

Peppino: One Surf n' Turf Stromboli and a side of Garlic Knots. Enjoy!

Meggy: Thanks, Peppino.

He nervously watches as Whisk takes her first bite, knowing how crucial a first impression is when it comes to first-time customers. Luckily for him, Whisk is more than impressed.

Whisk: WOW! This is amazing.

Peppino breaths a sigh of relief. Another satisfied customer.

Peppino: It's a pleasure doing business with you.

He heads back into the kitchen for Mario's 6th Spaghetti Supreme as Whisk goes ham on the Stromboli.

Tari: Hey Melony, wanna see what I've been practicing?

Melony: Sure.

She holds out her hands and focuses, creating a small hollow bubble of blue light.

Whisk: WOAH. How are you doing that?

Tari: I've been practicing my barrier projection. I've got the basics down........

She tries to expand the bubble as much as she can, getting it to around the size of a volleyball before it pops.

Tari: ........I just need to work on my focus. I haven't gotten a chance to train since the incident on that Ketch.

Meggy: Speaking of which, did we ever figure out who the Captain was?

Tari: I mean, even with all the other factions on board, it was predominantly a Ketch, and even the Grineer and Corpus had those black Fallen banners. The captain could've been the Kell of whatever House those Fallen belonged to.

Melony: Well........I have a theory.......

She thinks back to that Xelor that attacked them on the bridge. If they were to place bets on who the Captain of that Ketch was, her money's on him. But her train of thought is interrupted when they hear a rumble coming from outside. Mario and Luigi also take notice of the rumbling, which was then followed by police sirens. They look outside to see a circle of police cars led by Mr. Monitor surrounding a local pawn shop. Even the military is getting involved as Chris and Swag come riding in on a UNSC Falcon. We pan over to see a pair of armor clad individuals. One is short and stocky, with barrel like arms tipped with mechanical bronze claws and a gear shaped signet on his chest. The other is tall and lanky, with an arm mounted crossbow, a quiver on his back, and a similar signet on his right shoulder. Both are carrying sacks filled with various items from the now wrecked pawn shop.

Swag: KIDS GONNA DIE TONIGHT!

Chris: This is Babygirl to Mamamia. Targets are in sight.

Hal: I read you, Babygirl. Keep those guns on standby. ATTENTION, FELONS. WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED. STAND DOWN AND YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED.

The Stocky one replies by launching his fist like a wrecking ball, sending Hal and several cop cars flying across the street. Swag opens fire with the Falcon's mounted machine gun to little effect. The Lanky one retaliates with a precise explosive bolt to one of the Falcon's engines, causing it to crash. Chris busts out of the cockpit as Lanky hops on top of the wreckage and pulls Swag out of the passenger bay, holding him up by the throat as Lanky aims for his chest.

Swag: You fool, do you really think you can best Swagmaster6969696969? I'll have you know I served as one of the generals of the Anime Secret Service and lead the charge towards dismantling the Anime Cartel. I know over 200 ways to kill a man with my bare hands alone and blew up a small Malaysian Island by sheer accident, so you can imagine the kind of carnage I can do Intenionally. You could've lived a happy life if you hadn't crossed me, and now I will reign hell upon you until you are nothing more than a blood stain and a memory.

Chris: Can you please just kill him and get it over with?

But just before Lanky can do just that, we see Melony come in and dropkick him off the wreckage before catching Swag all superhero style as Tari tags in with her glaive drawn. They both get ready to face off against their assailants.

Melony: That armor........ this must be the work of that guy from the Ketch.

Tari: Then we need to aim for the signets.

Swag: Alright ladies, it's time to kick some HOLY SHIT IS THAT A SURF N' TURF STROMBOLI!?!?

He rushes by Meggy and Whisk as he heads straight into the restaurant, much to Chris's bemusement. I guess that Stromboli must be one hell of a hit. Stocky hands his sack over to Lanky and charges forward. Lanky makes a break for it with the loot while Stocky battles Tari and Melony. Meggy readies her bowgun to give chase.

Whisk: Meggy, wait! You're in no condition to fight! You're not fully healed!

Meggy: It's fine. I just need one clean shot.

Suddenly, we see a truck roll in with Chris behind the wheel.

Chris: I drive, you shoot.

Meggy and Whisk hop aboard and the three give chase. Lanky notices the truck and opens fire. Chris swerves to avoid the incoming bolts as Meggy returns fire, trying her best to land a hit on the signet on Lanky's shoulder.

Meggy: Keep it straight, Chris!

Chris: I'm giving it all she's got! What the hell is this guy on?!

Meggy eventually manages to land a hit on one of Lanky's hands, causing him to drop one of the loot sacks which crashes through the truck's windshield. The truck serves out of control before crashing into a nearby flower shop, with Meggy flying head first into a bed of roses. A mercifully soft landing, apart from the thorns. Whisk's allergies start acting up as the airbag goes off right in Chris's face.

Chris: I don't get paid enough for this.

Back with Melony and Tari, we see Stocky giving them both no quarter. He easily tanks their ranged attacks while also constantly evading and deflecting their melee attacks, whipping his chained fists around like morningstars. Melony would've activated her Deity Mode by now if it wasn't for that nightmare interrupting her sleep last night.

Melony: Dammit....... he's gonna wear us both down at this rate.

It was then that Mario comes out of the restaurant, which gives Tari an idea. She goads Stocky into using a grappling attack, launching his claw right at her. Tari dodges and allows Mario to be grabbed instead. Since Mario had just eaten ten Spaghetti Supremes, Stocky has trouble moving Mario due to how heavy he is. He isn't even aware of what's happening. This gives Tari and Melony the opening they need. Charging up her sword, Melony lands a powerful strike on Stocky that sends him flying upward. Tari intercepts from above, landing a clean strike on the signet on his chest, splitting it in half as he crashes down into the pavement. When the dust settles, we see Stocky lying in a crater with his armor shattered. His helmet falls off and the girls are shocked to see that it's actually..........

Tari: Wario!?

Wario: It's hot....... in Topeka....... eeegh.

The gang meets back up in Peppino's restaurant. Luigi is paying off some tabs, Meggy is still prying thorns out of her hair, Whisk is recovering from her allergies, and Chris is busy interrogating Wario.

Chris: Alright you big yellow son of a bitch. You have T-minus 30 seconds to start talking.

Wario: And what if I don't? You gonna court marshall me? Send me to the big house? I'll have you know that I am a pretty tough nut to crack.

Swag comes in with a massive bladed weapon labeled "Neutertron 9000". One flick of the switch electrifies the blade, causing it to glow red hot and spin around at hypersonic speed.

Swag: You were saying?

Chris: You have two options Wario. Either you tell us now and we'll let you off with prison time and parole, or you can let my friend here test out the latest and greatest in surgical hardware on your eggroll. What will it be?

Judging by the abject look of horror on Wario's face and his desire to keep his family jewels, he gives in.

Wario: Alright, alright! Me and Waluigi were dumpster diving the other night when this mummy looking guy came up to us.

Melony's eyes widened in shock.

Wario: He gave us these gear broach thingies. We tried them on and........

He falls silent for a moment.

Wario: .........The power was amazing, but it felt like being crammed into an iron maiden full of tazers. Everything was too bright, too loud, and the only thing I could understand was this......voice guiding me. It was awful, like I was a tormented animal on a leash. I wasn't in control at all.

Tari looked over to Melony, who was still processing what Wario had told them. She felt the exact same way when that stranger placed the signet over her eye..... and turned her against her friends.

Melony: So it really was him........... and the guy with the Crossbow must've been.........

Tari: Waluigi..........But what would he want with a bunch of pawn shop knick knacks?

They look over to the sack, and we transition to another scene in a warehouse. We now see the Xelor stranger approaching the bag brought to him by Waluigi. He carefully opens the bag to verify its contents, before presenting it to a figure in the shadows.

??????: I heard you ran into a bit of a snag, Rhode. Did you not intend to deliver more?

The Xelor finally speaks. His voice was raspy and faint.

Rhode: Apologies, captain..........we were intercepted by......... her compatriots.

??????: I see.......

A large metal talon reaches into the bag, rummaging through its contents as a pair of gold glowing eyes peer out from the darkness.

??????: Still, you did manage to pull off a decent haul. We are still one step closer to our destination.

He pulls out what looks to be a blue stained glass dodecahedron etched with odd symbols.

??????: And one step closer to the gate.

Taking Flight, Chapter 14: New Neighbors

It's another fine day at the Showgrounds as Meggy and Melony eagerly watch Tari practice her barrier projection. So far, she's managed to create a dome she can fit in.

Meggy: Alright Melony, you're up.

Melony hacks away at the dome with her sword. Tari's shield seems to be holding up so far.

Clench: Keep it up, Tari. Keep it up.

Melony kicks it up a notch with some energy blasts. Tari winces as small cracks begin to appear on the barrier. Melony then switches to her Deity Mode and readies a charged strike, but Tari falls to her knees and the dome dissipates. Melony powers down and goes to check on an exhausted Tari.

Tari: huff..........huff.......... How long was that one?

Meggy: Two and a half minutes. A new record!

Tari: Great....... anyways I cough cough ..........sigh.........

Melony: Yeah, I think that's enough for right now.

Tari rolls onto her back.

Tari: No, no, it's fine......... I just need to take a breather is all.........

Clench: And maybe an Advil or two.

SMG4: So, what do you think so far?

The girls turn to see SMG4 with......... someone new. He's an odd looking fellow, wearing a deep blue suit adorned with hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds. He also has a lavender scarf with what looks to be a golden "bowtie" in the shape of a pair of wings. His head is a free floating ball with a mouth, and he wears a fedora with a golden band around the head.

?????: It's a rather lovely place. Quite roomy, too. It almost reminds me of my brother's place.

Meggy: Uh......SMG4?

SMG4: Oh, hey guys! This is Aybel, one of our new tenants.

Aybel: A good noon to you.

SMG4: He's gonna be running our new guest house.

Melony: Guest house?

SMG4: Yeah, something to keep things fresh around here. Me and Three have been in talks to get some more traffic flowing here in the Showgrounds, and he suggested we open up a place for guests to stay long term.

Tari: Now that you mention it, Three did say that things have been a bit slow here for his business.

Meggy: That's all good but........ why didn't you run this by us first?

SMG4: What do you mean? I've been sending you guys texts and emails all week.

Meggy: You mean the same things you use to spam us with memes?

SMG4: Well........

While Meggy and SMG4 sort things out, Aybel hovers over to Tari and Melony. Tari gets back on her feet to greet their newest arrival.

Tari: It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Aybel. I'm Tari.

Aybel: The pleasure is all mine Ms. Tari. And you must be Melony Greenhorne, I presume.

Melony: You know me?

Aybel: One of my brother's associates told me about these "mangas" of yours. She's quite a fan of your works.

Melony: Oh, wow! Well, make sure to send her my thanks the next time you see her.

Aybel: Actually, you may be able to do so yourself. She's gonna be a patron at the guest house.

Tari: Wait, you already have people lined up?

Aybel: Of course. They'll be here by sundown, so if you'll excuse me........

SMG4 and Meggy meet back up with the others as Aybel hovers over to an open plot of land.

Aybel: .......I must get to work.

And so he did. Motes of light fly from his fingertips and dance to his every gesture. He uses their light to draw perimeter within the plot, sculpting intricate patterns of doors and windows within a 5-layer octagonal frame. When the outline is done, the most fly together to create a single ball of light above the construct. Aybel snaps his fingers and BOOM! In a flash the structure becomes a red and yellow building with a tent-like top, the windows embroidered with a golden trim. An ornate arch adorns the entrance, ordained with a round plaque depicting Aybel's "bowtie". The Crew is awestruck.

Our Guest House is complete.

Aybel takes off his hat and out comes a small floating bubble with beady black eyes and a formittable set of razor sharp teeth.

Aybel: Bubble, could you be a dear and help me get the rooms ready?

Bubble: Gotcha!

The crew comes inside to see the main lounge. In the center we have the lounging area with 4 couches and TVs with various amenities such as video games. To the left we have the kitchen, to the right we have the bathrooms and storage, and in the back we have a stairway that leads to the upper floors.

Aybel: Good to see things are in order down here.

Tari: I gotta say, you have quite the setup here.

There's a knocking at the front door. It seems as though some of the patrons have arrived earlier than expected.

Aybel: When it comes to ensuring the safety and comfort of those under my care, I spare no expense.

He opens the door to great three new arrivals: A ragdoll with red curly hair and a button eye, a tall purple rabbit man with a flannel shirt and overalls, and an anxiously pale little jester with red and blue dimples and candy shaped eyes.

Aybel: Oh, Ragatha! I'm surprised to see you here so soon.

Ragatha: It's like you always said, hesitation is defeat.

Aybel: SMG4, this is Ragatha. She's a prized pupil of mine. The rabbit and the jester are her entourage, Jax and Pomni.

Jax immediately heads for the nearest couch before Ragatha snags him by the ear.

Ragatha: Jax....... these are our hosts here. Why don't you introduce yourself?

Jax: Alright alright! Jeez...... Sup guys, my name is Jax. It's a pleasure to be here.

Somewhat satisfied, Ragatha releases Jax and allows him to laze about on the couch.

Ragatha: At least take your bags to your room before you start being a lazy ass.

Jax: Hey, we walked for 30 miles! As far as I'm concerned we earned this.

Pomni: I'm really sorry about him. He can be......... insufferable at times.

Meggy: It's alright. My friend Mario can be like that too sometimes, so I'm kinda used to it.

Tari goes over to grab Jax's bags and heads upstairs with Ragatha and Pomni. We see three floors of rooms connected by a central spiral staircase.

Ragatha: Just place his bags outside of room nine.

Tari: Will do!

Tari heads up the staircase to room nine as instructed, placing Jax's luggage outside the door. She also can't help but feel........ curious about some of their new tenants.

Tari: So....... what brings you guys to the showgrounds

Ragatha: Well........ there was a bit of an "incident" over at our workplace, so Aybel convinced our boss to let us stay somewhere else. It's a bunch of responsible businesses stuff.

Tari: What exactly IS your "business"?

Pomni: We're a performance troop called the Circus. Well, less of a Circus and more of a.........makeshift community for lost souls. That's how Caine puts it at least.

Tari: Lost souls?

Ragatha: Yeah. Sometimes a soul gets lost and ends up becoming....... something else. Jax became a rabbit, Pomni became a jester, and I became a ragdoll. It can be a bit jarring at first, having only fragments of who you used to be. And sometimes even those get lost if you're not careful enough........ and you only have so long to find them again until you go crazy, which is when things start to get....... REALLY bad..........

She falls silent for a moment. Pomni goes over to Ragatha and holds her hand. Ragatha gives Pomni a reassuring smile.

Ragatha: So, yeah. The Circus provides us with a home, good work, and plenty of things to do so we don't start going crazy. It's a decent gig, all things considered.

Ragatha and Pomni retreat into their rooms, leaving Tari to contemplate Ragatha's words for a moment. She can't help but think back to the days where she'd be drifting around, living off of prize money from video game tournaments. Then came that day at the mall, when she first met Mario. In a way, she was a lost soul herself until she joined SMG4's crew. You could say that makes her a Carnie herself.

And with all things considered, she wouldn't have it any other way.

Chapter 15: Abstract Thinking

It's a full moon out tonight on the Showgrounds as more arrivals have come to the Guest House. First up we have Gangle, a ghostlike shadow figure covered head to toe in bandage like ribbons. A pair of white glowing eyes peer from behind a porcelain mask. Sitting next to her was Zooble, who looks somewhat human apart from the fact that their body is divided into various mismatched shapes, sizes, and colors. Their hair is basically a bunch of green triangles. Lastly we have Kinger, a walking white king chess piece with a white beard a pair of floating eyeballs, and two completely detatched floating hands. He wears a red velvet cloak and bears a scepter witn a queen's crown. He's also busy hiding in a pillow fort because he might be a little nuts. We see Tari coming in with a tray of lemonade.

Tari: So, how has your first day been?

Zooble and Gangle take their glasses.

Gangle: It's been really nice so far. Thank you.

Zooble: Yeah, it's good to be out under an actual sun for once......... no offense to Sunny, of course.

Tari walks up to kinger to give him his lemonade.

Kinger: Oh, thank you!

His hand pops out of the fort and grabs the glass before slinking back in. Tari just starts pacing around after that, clearly curious about something.

Zooble: Got something on your mind, kid?

Tari: Oh, well........... I was a bit curious about Aybel and this brother he keeps bringing up.

Gangle: Oh....... Aybel is very kind....... and.........

Yeah, she's not normally one for conversations. Zooble places a hand on her shoulder.

Zooble: They're the "ringleaders" of this little troop of ours. Aybel handles the logistics, and Caine does his best to keep us from losing our minds.

Kinger: He's also VERY showboaty. Like, a REAL showman. He's always so full of energy, and he loves to plan adventures and activities for us when we aren't out doing temp jobs.

Tari: Temp jobs?

Kinger: Yeah. When it comes to lost souls, the line between the mind and the body is practically nonexistent. As messed up as we are, our sanity is what gives us some semblance of control over ourselves. That's why Caine and Aybel do their best to keep us sane. Aybel thinks that doing normal people jobs will help us feel more "human," and Caine sometimes has us go on an adventure to keep our minds healthy and stimulated.

Tari can't help but think back to what Ragatha said earlier, about out how losing your mind can cause bad things to happen.

Tari: So........Your physical forms are tied to your mental state, so you need to maintain your sanity to maintain your body.

Zooble: That's pretty much the jist of it.

Tari: So.......hypothetically speaking...... if a lost soul DID lose their sanity, then they would cease to exist?

Zooble: Well........Not exactly.

The trio exchanges glances at one another.

Zooble: Let's just say its......... not a good time......... For anyone.

Tari: Oh........um....... okay. Sorry for......

Zooble: It's fine. Look. If anything goes wrong, we'll give you a call. Alright?

Tari nods. She takes the hint and decides not to push the topic further as she takes her leave. An awkward silence fills the room after her departure.

Kinger: Did someone mention an insect collection?

We later see Tari flying above the treeline. She can't help but feel awful about that conversation.

Clench: Look on the brightside! Zooble and Kinger were still nice about it, so it's not like you screwed up TOO badly.

Tari remains silent. She can't help but feel like she messed up as a hostess by overstepping on what was evidently a sensitive topic. Maybe she should wait a bit longer before bringing that up again. She should also watch out for that lance flying towards her.

Tari: Huh? WAAAH!

Tari narrowly dodges the lance. She frantically tries to trace it back to its source right as another whizzes towards her. She brings up a small barrier, but it pierces through and stops a mere armhair's length from her eye. She also sees its not a lance. It's a sharpened candy cane. She dives down into the trees, stows her wings and draws her glaive in case things get up close and personal.

????????: You're a daring little duckling, aren't you.

She spins around to meet her assailant: a princess, dawned in a royal dress embroidered with sprinkle patterns and a crest depicting a piece of hard candy adorned with a crown. She had the face of a swirling orange jawbreaker, and a small crown rested upon a head of red orange slice shaped hair. A bright orange gem sat on her chest.

Tari: Look...... I'm sorry I intruded on whatever you were doing. I did not come here looking for a fight.

????????: Of course you didn't. No one would bring a glowing pair of wings on a stealth mission, especially at night time.

Tari: Of course! This was just all a huge misunderstanding. So let's just-

Tari's words are cut off with a swift kick to the gut, sending her barreling back. The princess then draws a swirling peppermint lance from her gem as Tari tries to get back on her feet.

????????: Of course........ it would be rude of me to not finish a fight I started. Nothing personal, just basic warrior's etiquette.

She rushes forward again, more than prepared to drive that lance through Tari's heart........ but is stopped when her lance meets a pair of cleavers wielded by a familiar ragdoll.

Ragatha: What the hell do you think you're doing?

????????: Oh come on, Ragatha. You know how banefully boring a patrol can be. What's the matter with letting off some steam?

Ragatha: She's with me. And she has nothing to do with this. Now stand down.

????????: And you think you can take me on?

Ragatha: No........ but Aybel might. Especially when he finds out you abandoned your patrol in an area where there's a primeval on the loose.

Tari is shocked to even see Ragatha of all people here, and confused as to what this woman has to do with her.

Ragatha: I'm giving you a choice here. Either we keep up this fight and Aybel finds out you abandoned your duties to "let off steam", or you can stay your weapon and save your murder boner for the primeval.

The air is tense and still as the two stare each other down.

Ragatha: What's it gonna be?

With a sigh, the princess relents and stays her weapon.

Saturday: You're no fun. It's not like I was gonna kill her anyways.

Ragatha: Yeah....... right.

Ragatha stows her cleavers and helps Tari to her feet.

Ragatha: I am so sorry about this. She can be a bit......... trigger happy, sometimes.

Tari: It's okay, but......... could you please explain to me what's going on here?

????????: I am Loolilalu of house Bonbon, heir to the throne of Sugar Canyon.

Ragatha: We just call her Saturday.

Tari: Well, it's nice to meet you, Miss Saturday.

Saturday only replies with a scoff and a roll of her eyes. A bit of a brat, as you can see.

Ragatha: So...... why are you out here, anyways?

Tari: I was just heading home for the night until your friend ambushed me. How about you?

Their little meet and greet is interrupted by a distorted shriek from the woods.

Ragatha: ........That's why.

Saturday: I'll tell you what. You can either fly back to your little nest and forget tonight ever happened, or you can make yourself useful and see how deep this rabbit hole goes. I personally don't care which.

Saturday then rushes off in the direction of the shrieking with Ragatha following close behind, leaving Tari to contemplate her next move.

Clench: I don't know about you.......... but I'd like to show that bitch just how "useful" we can be.

Tari gives a confident smirk as she spreads her wings and flies off after the two.

#smg4 #smg4 au #smg4 fanfic #tadc #Nexus!AU

[oneatlatime]

More season 1 thoughts

I like Katara better in the second half of the season than the first. I found her less annoying. Is that because she has evened out as a character, or is that because there was less of her? I don't know. I'd love to see a quantitative analysis of the number of lines per character per episode. Still, Katara handled the whole Pakku problem with fewer explosions than when she was handling the pirates and the waterbending scroll, and you can argue that the Pakku stuff was much more of a direct attack on her, so I'm going to call her reduced annoyingness growth.

Poor Sokka has been consistently my favourite character since episode one, and that hasn't changed at all. He just got royally stomped on in a way specifically designed to cause as much pain to him personally as possible in the finale, and I'll be interested to see if that causes any long term change. My boy is good at repression, so I doubt there will be obvious change, but this show is good at gradual stealth character growth. I'm looking forward to trying to ferret out the subtle changes to him in season 2.

Aang is lovely. I think he appears to be the least changed of our main cast at first glance, but like Sokka, I expect that getting used/possessed/actively participating in mega fishman destruction in the finale is going to have some effect on him (Still not clear on exactly who possessed whom / who was in control. Don't know if I'll ever know, or if it really matters). Aang is a lovable island of fun in a sea of century old war trauma. When he's not being stupid because he's 12, he's being consistently kind and open hearted, with an unshakable core and sense of self. Congrats to Gyatso on raising such a self-possessed boy. And you know what? He's entitled to stupid 12 year old moments because he is 12.

Poor Yue. Kind of a one note character at first glance, but because she's a mirror of Sokka, she feels just as deep as he does. That's clever writing.

Appa continues to be both team transportation and team dad. I think Sokka is team mom. Katara may be feminine, but it's Sokka who's keeping them fed and going in vaguely the right direction. He's the practical one. While Katara's or Aang's actions often drive the story, it's Sokka who's on clean up duty to make sure that the impulsive and bighearted decisions made by his sister and adopted brother blow up in their faces as little as possible.

I am convinced that Momo has no awareness of the main quest. I think Appa knows that his human and his human's friends are trying to save the world. I think Momo knows that these humans and their big furry thing feed him and keep him warm while going to lots of different places.

I loved that the season finale couldn't be predicted. The end game that the show set up was a showdown with the firelord. I expected that the firelord would make his first appearance in the season finale. Instead, we get a conflict I didn't see coming in a location I had honestly forgotten we were going to. Even if you had watched episodes 1 through 17, could you predict the conflict and location of the finale beyond something something fire nation? I like that I couldn't predict it. Too often shows spend so much time building up to the season showdown that it's almost anti-climactic because you've pretty much guessed the shape that the conflict will take. Not this show.

I think my favourite episode of the second half of this season is Bato of the Water Tribe. I loved having a glimpse into non-war water tribe life. It gives us a look at what it is that the people fighting the fire nation are fighting to preserve/get back. It also gives us a rough outline of the kind of person Sokka and Katara's dad is, which surprisingly adds a lot to Sokka's characterisation. And I love an episode where Sokka gets the A plot. The fight scene was really entertaining to watch, although I do feel sorry for June's big beast.

I think the best (as in the most skillfully executed) episode in the second half of the season is probably The Blue Spirit. It's a character episode disguised as an action episode, and not to get too much into fanfic speculative territory, but I feel like it lays groundwork for a couple of possible paths for the characters that certainly weren't available to them before. Also I love the melancholy note it ends on. I don't like unhappy endings as a rule, but I make an exception for contemplative endings, like the Southern Air Temple, the Summer Solstice Part 2, and the Blue Spirit.

I find I prefer the 'problem of the week' type episodes more than the episodes that serve the larger plot, because honestly I just want to hang out with these guys. High stakes adventures are both important and necessary, but it's also cool to have a problem presented and solved in 23 minutes. I feel like the characters act more like people and less like servants of the plot when they're in 'monster of the week' type episodes.

There were fewer eye-poppingly beautiful episodes in the second half of the season, although the Deserter's forest and fireworks festival was nice. The finale was downright bland, but you can't have lush multicoloured foliage at the north pole. I am so thankful that the show doesn't go for that stupid grimdark aesthetic that movies are still struggling with.

Finally, a word on the blasphemous live action that definitely doesn't exist:

Some of the greatest parts of this show are the gorgeously colourful eyepopping backgrounds, the very well thought out combination of bending and cartoon physics, and Sokka's stupid faces. You know what a live action can't do? Any of those things. So really, why did they even try? I can't think of a show, a world, a story, that is more suited to the artistic liberties and conventions of animation.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #atla season 1 #avatar the last airbender