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ironborealis · 2 years

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I've never read the entirety of Metamorphoses by Ovid, but my library had a newer translation by Charles Martin available and I decided to check it out, especially because I've always enjoyed the motif that Ovid uses of telling the story of Persephone's abduction within the context of the Muses recounting how they won the equivalent of a poetry slam to Minerva/Athena -- losers get turned into magpies.

Martin does an excellent job of explaining his choices in the foreword, and providing context about a lot of the subtext we miss not reading this and other classics in their original latin. Metamorphoses is an entirely different style than Ovid was known for -- it's actually a style that he openly rejected for being too serious earlier in his career. The works he was most famous for at the time we're basically documenting his own affair with a married woman and a book on how to seduce women. He parodies Virgil's Ænead (one of the most popular poets of his day). He's writing this while in exile by Octavian for being an adulterer and another sin unknown. Metamorphoses is not only represents a change in Ovid's style, it also may be a criticism of Augustus' rise to power and a pancea to his contemporary readers that things are always changing and Augustus won't stay forever.

I've really barely started but I decided to skip to book 5, where the story of The Rape of Proserpine is told.

The Rape of Proserpine is told within the context of the Muses telling Minerva/Athena about the epic poetry slam that they recently won. I was so pleased to see Martin lean HARD into that angle and make it as utterly ridiculous as it seems.

Here is how Martin translates the daughters of Pierus' challenge to the Muses:

"We'll show you girls just what real class is

Give up tryin' to deceive the masses

Your rhymes are fake: accept our wager

Learn which of us is minor and which is major

There's nine of us here and there's nine of you

And you'll be nowhere long before we're through

Nothin's gonna save you 'cuz your songs are lame

[...] So take the wings off, sisters, get down and jam

And let the nymphs be the judges of our poetry slam!"

As a millennial this reads as some deliberately cringy modernization that is just *chef's kiss*.

The Muses have no choice but to agree because while they're obviously better than this, they can't let these girls keep talking shit either.

Pierus' daughters perform their song that basically drags Jove/Zeus, Apollo, Diana/Artemis, Venus/Aphrodite, and Mercury/Hermes for being cowards during the war between the gods and the giants.

The Muses select Calliope (future mother of Orpheus) to lead their response, and she chooses The Rape of Proserpine/Persephone as her subject.

What strikes me about this translation compared to other versions that I've read is this:

Jove/Zeus is credited with creating the four seasons - not Ceres/Demeter.

Much like the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Calliope dedicates it to Ceres/Demeter at the beginning. Likely a deliberate choice on Ovid's part. "Every gift comes from Ceres. [...] Would that I could sing a hymn that is worthy of her, for she surely deserves it."

Cyane doesn't turn into a fountain out of grief only for failing to stop Proserpine's abduction, but because Dis/Hades smashes her fountain in order to re-enter the Underworld -- it's a personal insult. Ovid dedicates time to describe how and why Cyane turns into water physically.

Only one goddess, Aurora (bringer of dawn), and Hesperus (the evening star) are mentioned as noted as observing Ceres/Demeter's search for her daughter (opposed to Helios and Hecate in the Homeric version).

When Ceres/Demeter finds Cyane, Cyane is unable to tell her what happened, but gives her Proserpine/Persephone girdle (belt) that fell off during her abduction. Ceres/Demeter realizes her daughter has been taken underground, and lashes out at the earth itself for the disappearance of Proserpine/Persephone, but not by creating winter. She smashes every plow (which Calliope says she gave to humanity), killed farmers and cattle, blighted the seeds already planted with too much heat, too much rain, and birds to eat them. She encourages other inedible plants to overtake the fields.

Arethusa, a nymph, eventually comes and begs Ceres/Demeter to stop hurting the land and reveals that while she was traveling the underground Stygian River, she saw Proserpine/Persephone "grief and terror still to be seen in her features, yet she was nonetheless queen of that shadowy kingdom, the all-powerful consort of the underworld's ruler".

Ceres/Demeter is "petrified" by the revelation -- until this point she doesn't seem to have connected Dis/Hades with her daughter's abduction. Finally her "outrage" drives off her "madness" and she storms up to Olympus and confronts Jove/Zeus:

"Jupiter (Zeus), I have come here as suppliant, speaking for my child -- and yours: if you have no regard for her mother, relent as her father -- don't hold her unworthy, I beg you, simply because I am the child's other parent!"

Raw. She tells Jove/Zeus that she knows where Proserpine/Persephone is, but:

"Her theft could be borne -- if only he would return her! Then let him do it, for surely Jove's daughter is worthy of a mate who's no brigand, even if my daughter isn't."

In Ovid's version of this story, Jove/Zeus doesn't engineer the marriage of Proserpine to Dis -- the abduction happens because Venus/Aphrodite is eager to expand her influence to the underworld AND because she's offended that Proserpine wants to "take leave of me" by remaining a virgin. She asks Cupid/Eros to shoot Dis/Hades in order to advance their dominance by "joining her (Proserpine/Persephone) to her uncle!"

Jove/Zeus acknowledges that while Dis/Hades' actions "were lacking" by not asking for Ceres/Demeter's permission, he doesn't think that Dis/Hades' is necessarily a bad husband for their daughter. He will part the couple as Ceres/Demeter desires, but only if she hasn't "touched food, for so the Fate have required."

"He spoke and Ceres was sure she would get back her daughter, but the Fates were not, for the girl had already placated her hunger while guilelessly roaming death's formal gardens..."

In this version, Proserpine/Persephone eats the pomegranate out of ignorance, not because of any trickery on Dis/Hades' part. Also, things apparently do grow in the Underworld, because beyond the mentioned garden, there's also a forest.

Proserpine/Persephone might have gotten away with eating the fruit, but of course, Ascalaphus saw her and ratted her out.

In other versions I've read, it's Ceres/Demeter who turns him into an owl, but in Martin's translation it's Proserpine/Persephone who curses him in a rage. "...a filthy bird he's become, the grim announcer of mourning, a slothful portent of evil to mortals".

Then, interestingly, Martin subtitles the next stanza "Proserpina Transformed":

"But poised between his sorrowing sister and brother, great Jove divided the year into two equal portion."

Here Dis/Hades' grief at potentially losing Proserpine/Persephone forever is being given equal weight to Ceres/Demeter's, and so Jove/Zeus decides that Proserpine/Persephone will spend half the year with her mother and the other with her husband.

What follows is unique, I think, because it actually focuses on Proserpine/Persephone's reaction:

"She changed her mind then, and changed her expression to match it,

And now her fair face, which even Dis found depressing,

Beams as the sun does, when, after having been hidden before in dark clouds, at last it emerges in triumph."

Proserpine/Persephone was furious at being forced to stay in the Underworld year round, but consciously decides to accept and be pleased with the idea of splitting her time between her husband and mother. It's better than nothing, it seems. Also, note that Dis/Hades seemed to be aware that Proserpine/Persephone was unhappy prior to this, as her former expression "even Dis found depressing".

He certainly loves Proserpine/Persephone since he and Ceres/Demeter's sorrow are seen as equivalent by Ovid and Jove. It would seem natural that if he loved her he might let her go seeing as she is so unhappy with him. He doesn't know she ate the pomegranate and is permanently tied to the Underworld. However, one of his primary duties is to keep Underworld beings in the Underworld. Letting her go goes against his very nature. The only reason Venus and Cupid are able to get the drop on him in the beginning of the story is because he's checking the volcano where Typhoeus is trapped for cracks in the earth that will let daylight into the Underworld and frighten "the trembling phantoms".

I'm also kind of fascinated that thus far no one seems to be aware that it's Venus / Aphrodite behind this whole boondoggle.

#ovid's metamorphoses #proserpina #hades #persephone #Greek mythology #roman mythology #Charles Martin translation #Ceres #Demeter

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rotkinshock · 2 years

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Baldur and Usopp

(I copy it from my post on Worstgen cuz I'm lazy)

This thought is fresh and unsteady so bare with me: While going through norse god mythologies and google pictures, trying to find some reasonable references for my work my eyes were caught by that pic and Baldur here making me think "huh, reminds me kinda of Nika but it is just a halo thing":

I know that taking such picture seriously is stupid so I started to dig. I knew Baldur from few games in my life like Baldur's Gate or God of War. Especially this one made me think, since in that game he called himself as a coward and stuff like that, what was kinda interesting too but still, it is a game so I can't take it 100% as a source of knowledge, especially since we don't have that much information about him. To say it short: He was the most beloved god by gods and creatures around. His name mostly translated as "bold" but in some sources it can be hardly translated as "white fire" and such. He was fabulous, cheerful and all of that. He was depicted as a brave warrior who was accepting every battle and even connected to the name of a warlord. You start to see some kind of ironic similarities? Or more like similarities to the picture of a warrior what Usopp wants to be? In here will be needed the most important myth of Baldur's Death.

The Death of Baldur starts with that mother of Baldur, Frigg, was worried about her son's dreams of his upcoming death. Dreams in norse mythology were important, giving them prothetic meaning. "Frigg, yearning for any chance of saving her treasured son, however remote, went to every entity in the cosmos, living or nonliving, and obtained oaths to not harm Baldur." (The Death of Baldur summary, it is a legit source what I visited multiple times)

Mother didn't asked only mistletoe, since she thought that it is way too harmless to do harm. It links to the prothetic lies of Usopp and his non stop fear of death, about which he always says, that he will die if he will come on a curtain island. It is a common knowledge that his lies are becoming true with each adventure there and there so we might link myth dreams with his lies. He is beloved by many, having tons of followers, being the reason why Strawhats has now a fleet. Later we can read about Loki and that he tricked blind god and brother of Baldur, Hodr, to kill him with a spear made of mistletoe, since other gods were testing his new invincibility. Oda not once linked Loki and Usopp together, starting from their similarities about being a tricksters, not fitting to others around, or straight up comparing them visually.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRFc0nz677bBLi6cVFr_UHKfU64H16d5sJ70g&usqp=CAU

Many predicts that Usopp will fight him in David vs Goliath style but yet I fear that despite the result, we might see his final breath while that meeting. From beginning of the myth beings from the underworld celebrated fact that Baldur will join them and after his death, while the rescue mission done my Hermod, we find out him sitting next to Hel and learn that if everyone will mop after him he will come back to life. Everyone did that besides a giant Tokk, who was believed to be Loki. By that we might try to predict of how he will die. My prediction is that Usopp by that death will become a real God but hey, it is just a theory! AN USOPP THEORY- But nah, to be serious I don't expect people taking it serious or light, cuz I didn't checked the whole myth from original original straight up translated source. I just didn't wanted to forget it as fast as my theory of Usopp and Luffy the Jesus story,,, Don't ask me, I had that thought in the middle of the night.

#one piece #one piece theory #usopp #god usopp #op usopp #death of baldur #norse mythology #prince loki op #one piece loki

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 3 years

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Psycho Analysis: Suicide Squad Team A

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS! Seriously, as soon as you click that read more, you’re gonna be smacked with SPOILERS! Don’t say I didn’t give you ample warning this time!)

The world’s in danger yet again, and Amanda Waller is in need of some expendable forces to take on some dirty jobs in the name of preserving peace. Last time she did this, it seems like she hired the wrong people. Nice guy Will Smith Deadshot? Bland, boring Killer Croc? El Diablo, who became attached to a bunch of reprobates after spending a couple hours with them? The only one who was useful in that squad was Katana. She had their backs, could cut all of them in half with one sword stroke just like mowing the lawn, and her sword traps the souls of its victims. Unfortunately, she was decidedly not expendable, so what is a girlboss like Waller to do?

Easy: Assemble a brand new squad of criminals to do the dirty work. Harley and Boomerang are the only ones she brought back, because let’s be real, they’re the only ones we give a damn about. Filling out the rest of the squad are the stoic, craggy crackshot Savant; the handsome, German spear-thrower Javelin; the alien warrior Mongal; the frothing, psychotic animal Weasel; the confident and all-powerful TDK; and Blackguard, who is literally just a guy. Together, this team gets deployed to Corto Maltese to do what no one else can do, and with skills like theirs, they are absolutely unstoppable!

They all fucking die before the opening credits.

Motivation/Goals: Considering the goal of the squad is to shave time off their prison sentences by going on the mission, it’s ostensibly the reason every single one of these goons accepted the job. Savant and Weasel are pretty well established in this regard; we get to focus on Savant for much of the opening, so we can get a sense of him, and Weasel is stated to have murdered no less than 27 children. So, yeah, they need to do this mission.

The rest, though? Who knows! Why are Mongal, Javelin, and TDK in prison? How did they even get an alien like Mongal? What did they do to land in the position they’d need to go on a suicide mission? Why doesn’t this movie have flashy, intrusive cards explaining everything to us in a throwaway gag in a montage?!

Blackguard, at least, has some other motivation. He sold out the entire squad to the military of Corto Maltese, which is why they’re ambushed. Now, there’s actually some ambiguity here: Did he do this of his own volition, and was this a complete surprise, or is it, as it is heavily implied, all part of Waller’s plan and she let this happen as a diversion for the other team to get in unnoticed?

Honestly, though, it doesn’t matter what their goals are. They’re all dead within five minutes of the movie starting, with one exception.

Performance: So, the reason these guys are even worth talking about is because, despite their minuscule screentime, all of their actors manage to cram in enough humor and characterization that they’re all pretty fun and likable. Michael Rooker is as stony and stoic as ever as Savant (until he hilariously isn’t), Flula Borg’s Javelin is really sweet and charming in his interactions with Harley, and Pete Davidson’s Blackguard is just amazingly douchey and pathetic. Special mention goes to Nathan Fillion’s TDK, who has an utterly endearing and unwavering faith in his astoundingly crappy ability to… detach his arms. It’s honestly kind of beautiful. Then there’s Weasel as portrayed by Sean Gunn, who is just a hilarious crackhead of an animal man.

Final Fate: Literally every single one of them die horribly thanks to Blackguard’s betrayal. He’s the first to go, because as soon as he walks out saying “Hey guys, it’s me, the one who contacted you!” he literally has his face blasted clean off. The rest go soon after. Mongal, in one of the most astounding moments of idiocy I’ve ever seen, leaps on a helicopter despite Rick Flag telling her specifically not to. Her weight and strength send it careening out of control, which leads to it shredding Captain Boomerang to bits before exploding, burning her alive as she painfully screams and writhes in agony. TDK gets his arms shot into Swiss cheese, leading to him bleeding out since even detached they still are part of him. Javelin is also shot, but gets a dying moment with Harley where he passes her Checkov’s Javelin. Finally, after witnessing all of this carnage, Savant completely loses his shit and tries to swim away, leading to Waller blowing his head up.

You may be wondering what happened to Weasel. He appears to drown as soon as the Squad deploys, because despite being actually smart in this movie, Waller forgot to make sure everyone on the Squad could swim. Thankfully, this lovable child-murdering crackhead rodent was just sleeping, and wakes up in the first credit scene.

Best Scene: Obviously, it’s their one and only scene. It’s a magnificent slaughter that puts the X-Force scene from Deadpool 2 to shame.

Final Thoughts & Score: I’ve gotta hand it to James Gunn. Even though these losers are only onscreen for a few minutes, they all get to cram a lot of charm and personality into that time, to the point it’s actually kind of sad seeing them all die. It’s a beautiful mix of comedy and tragedy. Since their screentime is so limited, though, I’m mostly going to be grading them on style, performance, and so on rather than on villainy like normal. They are all bad guys, as they don’t really get a chance to redeem themselves like the other Squad, so I’m still counting them as villains, which means they could potentially score above an 8 (which is the highest score I’m willing to give heel-face turn villains, because they end up being better as characters in general than as villains).

I’m also not going to talk about Boomerang (I’ll talk about him when I review the original Squad) or Harley (because she not only lives, but deserves her own solo Psycho Analysis). Now here we go, from best to worst:

TDK

If you thought anyone but TDK would get top marks, you’re sadly mistaken. Seeing Nathan Fillion proudly wield the insanely lame power to detach his arms to lightly tap soldiers on the head and gently grab their guns is a sight I never knew I needed to see until this movie. The fact he just seems so darn proud about this power that he doesn’t even bother to use in any way that would be remotely useful is honestly really endearing. Frankly, the sheer fact they adapted Arms-Fall-Off Boy in any way is enough for me to give him a 10/10.

Weasel

Weasel is just disgustingly delightful. He’s just a horrible, nasty, ugly little bastard… But he’s kind of adorable? He clearly has no idea where he is at any given time and is just so goddamn freaky that I can’t help but love him. The fact that, despite being a character who in the comics is noteworthy only for dying on his first mission with the Squad, he manages to survive the entire movie is pretty impressive. Hopefully he comes back in the future, but either way he gets an 8/10 from me.

Javelin

Honestly, aside from Boomerang, his death stung the most. He’s just so cute and charming, and he doesn’t even get to fling his javelin at anyone! Thankfully, he passes it on to Harley, and boy does she ever get to use it! He’s so cute, I have to give him an 8/10. I just wish we got more of him.

Savant

Savant is just an absolutely hilarious bait-and-switch. We follow him through the prologue, with everything seeming to point to him as our main character and the Squad leader. He’s stoic, he’s cranky, and he has impeccable aim… and then we get to the beach and he just freaks the hell out and starts screaming and crying and running away like a little bitch. Seeing Michael Rooker act like he’s shitting his pants after playing a badass like Yondu is just the sort of hilarious subversiveness that James Gunn loves to do when you let him loose. The fact that he looks like, to paraphrase the TVTropes YMMV page for the movie, a “cyberpunk Tommy Wiseau” is the icing on this 7/10 cake.

Blackguard

I was prepared to hate this guy just based on how lame Pete Davidson’s costume was, and you know what? I do hate him. But I love to hate him. He’s just an utterly pathetic scoundrel and a coward, true to his name. The fact he is the first to die, as just about everyone predicted, and is killed absolutely gruesomely makes any annoyance he could provide moot, and his freeakout over being seated next to Weasel on the plane is actually kind of funny. I was originally going to give him a 6, but you know what? He can have a low 7/10. He’s like the only member of this particular Squad to actually do anything evil, so I gotta give him props for that.

Mongal

Let me make this perfectly clear: I do not blame James Gunn or actress Mayling Ng. I’m not actually mad at either of them for what they chose to do, because it is ultimately hilarious and sad. It suited the narrative of the film, and I’m not actually, genuinely mad.

With all that out of the way, Mongal is one hell of a stupid cunt. It is one thing to cause your own death with your stupidity, it is something else entirely to cause the death of a beloved character with your poorly planned attack. The fact she didn’t take into account how her weight and strength would effect an airborne helicopter makes one wonder if she is really supposed to be based on a character who can take on Superman and live to tell about it.

Let’s compare her to two similar characters to really show how bad she is. Like Blackguard, she is directly responsible for a death on the beach, Blackguard being responsible for everyone by selling them out and leading them into an ambush (and yes, I’m including him as well), and Mongal killing Boomerang with the chopper. The difference is, Blackguard’s betrayal was deliberate, he meant to sell the team out, he was actively doing something evil there, while Mongal killed Boomerang out of sheer idiocy.

Now, let’s compare her to Zeitgeist from the similar bloody massacre that occurred during X-Force’s deployment in Deadpool 2. Like Mongal, he accidentally kills a teammate. The difference is, in the case of Zeitgeist, he only accidentally melted Peter, it was a freak accident, and ultimately it does get undone by the end. Meanwhile, Mongal made a conscious, stupid decision and ended up killing her squadmate with her own idiocy. She sucks, hardcore. I don’t do this lightly, but I’m giving her a 1/10. Villains just don’t get much stupider than her.

I will giver her this, though: the makeup work on her is good. She’s lowkey kinda hot if I’m being honest. But being hot and having good makeup does not a good villain make.

#Psycho Analysis #The Suicide Squad #Savant #Michael Rooker #Javelin #Flula Borg #TDK #Nathan Fillion #Weasel #Sean Gunn #Mongal #Mayling Ng #Blackguard #Pete Davidson

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imperiuswrecked · 3 years

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To me, it doesn’t make sense to make Magneto the main villain because it has been done so much before and it would connect it so much to the Fox Films. Also I think there is a GREAT laziness in writing Magneto especially in films. He generally didn’t want to kill all humans, subjugate them yes because he doesn’t trust them. Which isn’t a ‘good guy’ move in itself and he slips in and out of.

He legit murdered genocide I think when he was going to kill all humans. Like no.

I also think that the average cinema goer likes Magneto too much… or maybe that is me. It would also require them to recast the most famous faces of the franchises?

Like is anyone going to care if they recast Jean, Scott, Iceman, Rogue, Kitty, Beast even Mystique but Magneto? I don’t know. I have long been a fan of an actual Jewish actor playing Magneto but following Ian McKellan would be difficult for the casual fans to accept. I don’t think Fassbender left such an amazing impression.

Even my most average MCU fans friends (and god they love the MCU 😤 but I see past it) still talk about how much they want to see a Magneto solo film.

To me I would put the focus on their reveal and sentinels. Then again I thought they’ll go through Krakoa stuff. Like it turns out the mutants have been living on this Island etc

With the ‘simpler times’ comment I have to for the sake of my sanity have to think that it was because Pietro knew where he was. Things were clear to him, as much as it hurt he had his sister. The following trauma had not occurred. Again I don’t think this is true but I am trying to reason bad writing. He didn’t doubt his morality but was indebted and controlled. Shitty actions were out of his control.

I don’t read Avengers so I didn’t know he was shelved for so long.

I think the Trial of Magneto is trying to ride on the coattails of Wandavision because even though she’s not a mutant a lot of the internet was wanting Magneto to show up. So what is the best way to get those fans who wanted to see that? Set up a family comic book where they establish the family again because I guess the MCU fans heard they’ve changed their background and themselves didn’t like it.

I see the Trial of Magneto as something poorly thought out as they saw what the audience was interested in. The timeline kind of clashes uncomfortably with Inferno. Which makes me think it was wedged in there to ride the Wandavision train and undo the retcon on the side of the main storyline.

Thank you for reading my essay/rant

Ok so I'm going to first say you have a lot of great thoughts and great on picking up the whole forced feeling. You are right, it does feel wedged in there and it does feel forced because that's exactly what Marvel did.

The Trial of Magneto was supposed to be an X-Factor plot, it was Leah Williams next arc, here's an article link talking about her podcast: link (yes I know it's bleeding cool but I don't have time to listen to the podcast)

Leah Williams tells us that X-Factor was canceled because Leah's pitch for the Magneto/Wanda story for X-Factor, now called Trial Of Magneto, became such a popular pitch at Marvel but they thought the reader numbers for X-Factor wasn't big enough for this story, so they wanted it as a separate comic. And canceled X-Factor #10 rather than seeing it run as originally planned, with the Trial beginning in X-Factor #15. Williams says she only learned about the cancellation of X-Factor when she was writing #9, so as she had to finish the series quickly, squeezing six issues worth of story into those last two issues, calling it "cramped and rushed".

So I'm not a fan of Leah but the way Marvel treats it's writers has always been terrible so this cancellation doesn't surprise me. Could this be about W*ndaVision? It's likely, but it's more likely this has to do with Hickman bowing out. It's no secret literally everyone hated the retcon and I always knew it would be undone but I didn't think it would take 6 years but here we are.

Hickman leaving is a bigger thing, he stated in an interview ( link ) that he had planned Krakoa and X-Men to be a 3 arc story, and he wasn't allowed to move onto the 2nd arc because the clowns at Marvel liked the idea of Krakoa too much and I'm so mad because that's exactly the kinda behavior that annoys me with the fans, them thinking Krakoa is just a fun playground for the mutants to mess around with.

"Oh, plans have changed entirely," Hickman says. "When I pitched the X-Men story I wanted to do, I pitched a very big, very broad, three-act, three-event narrative, the first of which was House of X. And while this loosely worked as a three-year plan, I told Marvel upfront that I honestly had no idea how long the first part would last because there were a lot of interesting ideas that I had seeded that other creators would want to play with, and so, we left this rather open-ended. I was also pretty clear with all the writers that came into the office what the initial, three-act plan was so no one would be surprised when it was time for the line to pivot." Hickman continues, "However, I also knew that I was cooking with dynamite, and it was very possible that what I had written in House of X, and the ideas contained within, was not actually the first act of a three-act story, but something that resonated more deeply and worked more like Giant-Size X-Men, where it would represent a paradigm shift in the entire X-Men line for a prolonged period of time. So, during the pandemic, when the time came for me to start pointing things toward writing the second-act event, I asked everyone if they were ready for me to do that, and to a man, everyone wanted to stay in the first act. It was really interesting, because I appreciated that House of X resonated with them to the extent that they didn't want it to end, but the reality was that I knew I would be leaving the line early."

I'm so MAD because the thing I was predicting, that Hickman would have it come crashing down and everything would be revealed to be terrible and Mutant Death Sex Cult Island wasn't a paradise is never going to happen because the fucking CLOWNS at Marvel don't want him to move past it. I may have my personal gripes about some of Hickman's writing but we can't deny the man wrote one of the best if only the best Marvel Event with Fantastic Four/Avengers/Secret War.

As for the simpler times comment, like I have my theories that I wrote out here, and that's what I think is most likely but I do think Pietro's life has never been easy or simple once his adoptive parents died. Pietro could be drinking to a time before the Brotherhood.

I would love for a Jewish actor to play Magneto and any other characters who are Jewish. I would love for a Jewish writer to be able to write them too. However Ian's performance literally set him in the minds of the people as Magneto, not even Fassbender's bleh one note Magneto could compare. Imo the only reason people liked the younger Magneto was because he was young, handsome (? ig idk i dont simp for him) and they could ship him with young professor X (cowards. where is the old man ship???) But I feel like a new actor could definitely fill the role if they are Jewish and the writing was good.

Magneto's writing in comics... well I just wish we could have a Jewish writer for him. There's some great stuff for him but I feel like characters like him and Doom could be written better by non white/american writers.

Although by today's standards the og X-Men trilogy doesn't hold up I will defend the first two movies with my life simply because after Blade these movies opened up the idea that a good serious, non campy version where characters called Magneto and Cyclops were taken seriously. X2 in my mind was the definitive X-Men movie. Was it totally comic accurate? No, but it doesn't do what the MCU does, it doesn't treat the watcher like they need to have their hand held through all the military propaganda and "hints to the comics". Also side note; the reason no one cared about any of the other X-Men being recast is because all through most of the X-Men movies the focal story point has been Professor X vs Magneto. If they really want people to care about those characters/actors then we would need stories that focused on them. Not like how Storm barely had any character growth or plot in the og X-Men and even young Ororo got mishandled by the script. This is why I feel we should have "origin movies" for the X-Men that don't do what Wolverine Origins did and try to make a whole new cast but instead should use the stories as they are. If it was Kurt's story then we would see him join the X-Men, and have the other actors revolve around that. Same with each of the others, the X-Men work best when they are working off each other and each given enough screen/page time to shine. Unfortunately we all have our favorites, even movies and writers, so those are who are going to be pushed for fans to love.

Thank you for your long rant and sorry for my own long rant/reply.

#xmen #x men #comic talk #xmcu #magneto #erik lensherr #imp answers

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yusuke96universe · 3 years

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Underappreciated Dragon Ball Character: The Crane Hermit's Story

The Crane Hermit is introduced as a very one-dimensional mustache twirling bad guy who quickly faded into obscurity, but after digging into his history and connecting the dots, I found him to be a rare 3 Dimensional villain from classic Dragon Ball.

I mean the dude starts out as a rich snob, humbles himself while befriending his one time enemy and forges a brotherhood with other martial artists under the same dojo. He even is so loyal and brave to the point of fighting alongside his brothers in arms to the bitter end against a horde of Demons. To top it all off, he was even willing to do it again when suggesting they come back and try to defeat King Piccolo again right after barely surviving their first encounter with him. This is very much in tune to what many noble members of the Dragon Team would do, meaning at one point, Crane was a redeemed villain like half the Dragon Ball cast, but willingly CHOSE to return to his old evil ways.

And this only happened after his master gave up the fight which turned his heart away from the light, as if GOODNESS itself betrayed him and/or the lure of the evil King Piccolo's power could've swayed him to be the self-serving man he is today. I would love to explore that side to him because there has to be something still awesome about him for Tien to have held such high respect for him

This is the story that I pieced together from watching a string Crane Hermit related episodes.

He is first introduced in Roshi's picture book as Roshi's good friend and owner of Inoshikacho with early designs before they shaved their heads and started wearing their master's uniform, like in the flashback of them fighting against King Piccolo. Those designs are used two more times, when Roshi climbed Korin's Tower and trained for 3 years gaining the power pole and Nimbus, so they must've looked like that for a few years at least. We get more details on their lives when Mr. Popo sends Goku to the past and meets a sort of cowardly or at least less confident Roshi, we know that this is more of a simulation of the past because this is basically used again for the humans to fight some weak Saiyans in early Z, so the events of Roshi and Crane starting out as romantic rivals in their teens and Crane's highly inflated attitude without any strength yet to combat Kid Goku implies that he came from a wealthy upbringing like a lot of similar people in old Kung Fu movies. You put these together and you got a very interesting character Here is how I rationalize it-

Roshi and Crane's bickering/ fighting over a girl likely got them disciplined hard by their mutually shared master, Mutaito. (Whom they both respected and studied under) Young Crane respected enough to restart his training over from scratch rather than being expelled during the Kid Goku goes to the past episode, so the probability that this would once again apply to a young Crane and possibly young Roshi in this new context seems pretty high. The punishments was probably super harsh and severe, probably was too much for Crane's flunkies to bare and they quit early, but NOT Roshi or Crane. They both are WAY, WAY too stubborn to quit early. Plus the thought of not wanting to be outdone by the other is what probably aided in pushing themselves past their limits throughout the harsh punishments and the intensive training.

So now it's basically two teenagers, one from a humble background and the other from a privileged background. Both with a lot of beef. Now stuck together alone. So while they're busy being bickering and competing, perhaps that girl they both were interested in, Fanfan, found herself a boyfriend in the meantime, leaving both of them heartbroken.

Now, since they are in the same boat together, they can start relating and bonding with one another as teenage punks do. Talking about mistreated they are, how unfair things, mostly complaining and roasting one another, etc. But the important thing is, they put their differences aside to overcome the challenges in front of them and this newfound bond leads them to becoming best friends.

The rivalry while healthier becomes stronger with time though because they're young and brash so Roshi goes to Korin's Tower at some point for bragging rights and Crane probably did something equally outrageous in an attempt to one up him, like maybe he won a Martial Arts Tournament or completed some grand trial of their dojo or something.

After being studying together for many years, they shave their heads and join the other students in wearing the formal uniforms of their master, so this is likely the peak of their disciplined lifestyle as Martial Artists.

Eventually this school made a stand and fought to the last man against Demons that terrorized and devastated entire cities and destroyed armies, harming countless innocents in the process. So in order to face such a threat implies a strong brotherhood and loyalty within the group.

Also the effect of his master giving up the fight being one of the factors for his turn toward evil implied that the Crane had great respect for him and that was the greatest disappointment of his life, plus the allure of power that King Piccolo showed must've been too tempting for him to resist so he left the losing side and returned to a lifestyle similar to his origin, using his skills in service of his own self and living it up in a lavish style (as shown in how much of a big spender he is and comparing his hotel room to the Turtle School's). In doing so, he purposely pushed away all the great teaching his Master had taught him, deeming them as weak or worthless for what he believed to being truly strong in his own distorted mind. He desperately needed someone like his Master to correct his misconceptions, and maybe at one time Roshi tried to, but failed because Crane closed off his heart to his once best friend (kind of like Gintoki and Takasugi frrom Gintama) who exemplifies everything he now hates and stands against.

Though some lessons still stuck, like loyalty, specifically to his brother Tao. Which is his prime motivation in the 22nd tournament was to avenge his brother and he even lamented on how they never patched things up so he tried getting justice for him instead of blaming himself. Dodging accountability, but accepting responsibility. Proving maybe even he is not too far gone, if he felt their was even a point to change.

But that doesn't mean he was the nicest brother. His pride and jealousy couldn't stand the idea that his brother was far more naturally gifted than him and so he attempted to sever one of the few remaining bonds he has in his long life of losses, with his own hand because of his own inferiority complex.

He allowed his greed, anger, pride, and jealousy blind him to what would've been his greatest legacy as a Master of Martial Arts. His students. The most well known are Tien and Chiaotzu. Who he long since failed to guide them to the righteous path which led them pass the point of no return. Tien and Chiaotzu were one in a million prodigies that he wanted to turn into a mere weapons at his command. To make matters worse, these self-centered, cruel and down right malicious teaching actively corrupted Tien's nature and forever shut his Third eye's truest abilities. So he didn't nurture his disciple like he was completely capable of, instead, he actively/incompetently crippled his number 1 student forever preventing him from reaching his full potential by stealing his birthright. Truly failing as a Master.

He makes one last appearance in the 23rd Tournament feeling betrayed and wronged, but leaves as a coward. It is such a shame to see what once was a great man, how far he had fallen.

His Death. Toriyama mentioned that he and his brother Tao Pai Pai got in over their heads and died somewhere in the middle of Z off-screen. In-spite of all of his gifts, he utterly failed as a Master by actively trying to spite everything his Master taught him and what did all of his efforts and years of experiences gift him with? An inconsequential death that will not be remembered, which is heartbreaking for a man who was once and could've forever remained as great as the fan-favorite Master Roshi. It is a shame because unlike his teacher, he never redeemed himself, not even in death. What could've been a Legend, instead turned into a Cautionary Tale.

Honestly, it is such a shame that this character wasn't utilized more. I've got a few more Crane Hermit related headcannons, some from when he was younger, some of how he could've been used after the 22nd Martial Arts Tournament, like a role in the King Piccolo Saga since that is so closely tied to his past, watching his continual, but strained relationship with his students, etc.

#@bushidraw #dragon ball #crane hermit #dragon ball classic #tao pai pai #general tao #tien #tenshinhan #master roshi #muten roshi #headcannon #dbz #cautionary tale #shen #shin #crane shcool #failed master #master mutaito

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plumoh · 3 years

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[FE3H] This Isn’t An Embarrassment Competition, Guys

Rating: G

Word count: 2520

Summary: They bet on the number of times Felix and Sylvain are being affectionate in public; Annette is certain she won't lose. / post-AM route

Note: AO3 link. Humour, PDA, a compilation of Sylvix being embarrassing. Originally written for Sylvix week 2020!

“500 gold.”

“800 gold.”

“You are all cowards. 1500 gold!”

“You’re awfully confident, Annette…”

“I’ve seen them! I see them too often!”

Annette resists the urge to smile like she’s possessed as Felix joins them at the breakfast table, alone. He raises an eyebrow when all heads swivel to stare at him.

“What?”

“Nothing!” Annette exclaims, waving her hands frantically. “It’s a fine morning, isn’t it?”

“It’s literally freezing outside.”

“I mean, it’s a good day in Faerghan standards!”

Ashe, sitting across her, is visibly wincing and probably trying to become one with his chair. Annette bites the inside of her cheek and forces herself to stop talking as even Mercedes’s quiet amusement starts making her embarrassed. Oh well, they can thank her later for diverting Felix’s attention from their conversation!

Felix deems her reaction not worth another question and digs into his food. A mere minute later Sylvain strolls into the mess hall, grabs a plate of food at random, and heads towards their table, like a moth attracted to light. Annette clasps a hand over her mouth to hide her smile, and she knows they’re all holding their breath. The grin on Sylvain’s face is a dead giveaway.

“Hey guys, good morning!” he greets cheerfully.

He puts the plate on the table, next to Felix’s, and casually bends down to kiss Felix’s cheek not once, not twice, but three times, unashamed and practically glowing with joy.

“And good morning to you, sweetheart.”

“I told you to stop calling me that,” Felix mutters, but there is the smallest hint of satisfaction on his face.

Annette is now biting her lower lip, trying really hard not to laugh. They’re cute, but also disgustingly so. She actually doesn’t know if she hates them for that or not.

She glances briefly at Ashe, then Mercedes, and holds up a finger.

First act of public display of affection of the day. She bet on eight. She’s going to win so easily.

***

She knew that Sylvain would be the kind of person to show off his partner and to kiss them right in front of other people, but she didn’t account for Felix to also be embarrassing in public. Annette is a bigger romantic than they are, but she isn’t going to enjoy kissing her significant other or holding hands with them when so many pairs of eyes are going to judge! She doesn’t have a death wish!

Felix is someone who likes keeping his privacy, but apparently the concept completely flew out of the window once he’s officially declared he was courting Sylvain. At first it was nothing exceptional, just some hand touches during meetings, Sylvain’s arm around Felix’s shoulders as usual, or lingering stares that made the temperature of the room go up at least five degrees. No, it was after their marriage that it started getting out of hand. Something about the bliss of being newly wed, the excitement of beginning a new life, and other reasons that Annette doesn’t quite believe apply to these particular idiots. Ingrid agrees with her; being embarrassing is in their nature.

Annette is visiting the castle for the day and attending meetings about education, and how they can improve the students’ learning experience. She probably won’t be stuck to Felix or Sylvain, but she is certain she will see enough of them to win the bet. And a lot of gold.

She walks towards the meeting room, her steps light. She knows that some nobles are thinking that nobody should appear so eager and happy early in the morning, as if it’s a rule established by the king himself—well, sucks to be them, Annette loves mornings, and this one is going to be wonderful.

Luck is smiling down on her; at the end of the corridor, she can see Felix’s blue coat and Sylvain’s fiery hair. They’re whispering to each other, not urgently, which can only mean they’re telling each other goodbyes for the day. Or the morning. Most likely the morning, because the chances of them not meeting for lunch are slimmer than Felix skipping a training session. Annette is squinting at their figures, then rolls her eyes when she makes out the shape of their hands linked together.

Sweet words and hand holding in the middle of a corridor? That definitely counts as PDA.

***

Meetings are still incredibly boring, even after a few years of attending them regularly. Annette likes contributing to the educational system, but most of the time they don’t make much progress after discussing for one hour or two, which frustrates her a lot. This deserves a cookie break.

On her way to the gardens, she bumps into Ingrid, who is doing her usual rounds in the castle grounds—even during peacetime, she doesn’t take her duties lightly.

“Hi Ingrid!” Annette greets her. “Have you heard of our new bet?”

“Hello, Annette.” Ingrid smiles. “Yes, Mercedes told me she expects the two idiots to be gross in public six times today.”

“Ashe said it would be four times because they calmed down, but I think he’s just being nice. It’s not even lunchtime yet and I already caught them twice!”

Ingrid shakes her head and sighs. Annette wonders what it must feel like to hear about your childhood friends getting into trouble every day, and being unable to do anything to change that. Well, during their academy days, Annette also had her fair share of Sylvain-incidents to take care of, but it’s probably not comparable of years of antics. Ingrid loves them still, which means that this has become a natural task in her routine? Annette still feels kind of bad for her.

“Felix and Sylvain were headed to see His Majesty earlier, before I left for my rounds. Some nobles were asking for an audience, so Sylvain took the opportunity to introduce himself as Felix’s husband who, and I quote, ‘is like the best part of myself, precious and dangerous, and I love him with my entire being’.”

Annette bursts out laughing. “Ugh, Sylvain is such a sap! The count goes up to three! And I thought they weren’t stuck together today?”

“They are not, and that’s exactly why this is ridiculous.”

Maybe they know about the bet and they’re doing it on purpose.Lunchtime rolls around and they all gather in the mess hall once again. Annette sees Ashe already sitting with Felix and Sylvain, the three of them deep in conversation about horses, Sylvain talking with his hands like he always does while Ashe jabs his finger at him.

“Stop talking and eat, we don’t have all day,” Felix says.

Annette sits next to Ashe just as Felix scoops up some vegetables and a piece of meat with his fork, and directly deposits the content into Sylvain’s mouth, who readily accepts the offering with a smile. They’re making eyes at each other. That never happened before; Annette is speechless. Ashe stops talking mid-sentence.

“Wow, aren’t we bothering them, Ashe?”Annette asks lowly, glancing his way.

“Uh.”

Felix rolls his eyes. “What are you gawking at? Mind your own business.”

This is the fourth occurrence. Annette knew she was going to get richer by the end of the day, but she didn’t think it would be that predictable. Don’t they feel embarrassed? Don’t they think it’s awkward to spread their love like that, unbridled and free for everyone to see? Annette would be mortified if it were her. Who does that, in goddamn Faerghus?

Ashe coughs and attempts resuming the conversation from earlier (fast horses or something), but he’s struggling getting the words out because Felix keeps feeding Sylvain. Sylvain has hands! He can eat by himself! Annette is going to scream.

“W-What are you supposed to do this afternoon?” she cuts in, clutching her utensils a bit too firmly.

“Oh, I just have to see some guys for a problem about food supply chain,” Sylvain answers with a shrug. “Nothing exciting.”

“You could come with me to watch the new recruits after that,” Ashe suggests.

Sylvain makes a face. “Are you asking me to train?”

“A bit of training wouldn’t hurt you.” Felix snorts. “I have to accompany Dimitri in his duties today, and I’m going now.”

Felix rises from his chair, and before he can walk away, Sylvain takes his wrist and tugs him down for a kiss on the mouth. It’s the kind of kiss that doesn’t last long, but it’s not a simple brush of lips either, it’s the kind involving sucking and licking. They’re enjoying it too much.

“See you later,” Sylvain says, grinning.

“Yeah, don’t slack off,” Felix says.

Ashe leans towards her, and whispers harshly, “This counts double, right?”

“Of course it counts double,” Annette replies on the same tone. “That makes currently five for me. You lost.”

Ashe sighs. “Well, I had too much faith in them.”

***

Actually, since Felix is with Dimitri all afternoon, he shouldn’t be able to meet up with Sylvain, right? There is no reason for them to cross paths, and even if they did, doing something inappropriate in the presence of the king and other dignitaries would be highly frowned upon, right?

“That has never stopped them before,” Dedue says calmly, almost like he’s accepted his fate.

The greenhouse is quiet, as they water plants and cut some leaves for a tea blend.

“It was funny at first, but now it’s downright disconcerting!” Annette whines.

“You don’t spend much time at the castle, but I do assure you that these public displays of affection have almost become an attraction to many people here.”

“You’re joking.”

The corner of Dedue’s mouth twitches upwards. “I am not. Consider yourself lucky to be away from this nonsense, Annette.”

Still, Dedue sounds entertained. He doesn’t partake in their silly games or bets, but he’s always there to witness the results of the events, collecting evidence of their general stupidity and bad decisions—like that one time they all tried to make a very drunk Dimitri dance and sing, which ended in too many broken expensive furniture, even for the royal treasury; Felix was not amused.

“I believe that they are trying to see how far they can keep this up before someone starts berating them for their behaviors,” Dedue muses.

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Annette mutters. “Ingrid warned them multiple times, but they don’t listen.”

“They don’t listen to anyone, not even to His Majesty.”

Suddenly, it occurs to Annette that Dimitri has probably seen way more than they all did, and he must be suffering greatly.

***

The sixth time Annette sees them spilling their love all over the place can’t really be considered a show of PDA, but if she caught them in the act, then anybody could. The sun is nearly setting and Dimitri, with his close advisors, are taking a walk in the gardens, greeting the last visiting nobles who couldn’t get a glimpse of him all day. Felix flanks his right while Dedue stands on his left, and Sylvain has magically materialized to trail behind them, all smiles and charm.

Sylvain is saying something to Felix, but Felix shakes his head, like he’s refusing a request or expressing how doubtful he is of whatever he heard. Sylvain laughs, then takes Felix’s hand to kiss it like he’s still courting him, and this time it makes Felix blush at the ears. Something so innocent, which can even be considered relatively common to greet another noble, is igniting such a warm reaction in him. It was a quick gesture but Annette saw it! Even if Dimitri is in the vicinity exuding his kingly aura, drawing attention to him, that doesn’t mean his advisors are invisible!

So yes, PDA!

***

They’re having dinner with Dimitri in his quarters, all eight of them (the Professor is sadly held back by their duties as Archbishop). The room they are in isn’t fitted to accommodate so many dinner guests, but with some arrangement and goodwill they can all sit perfectly around a table.

Felix is sitting on Sylvain’s lap.

“How are you going to eat like that?” Ingrid groans.

“Don’t worry, we always make things work.” Sylvain winks.

“You two look like you are having fun,” Mercedes comments with a smile.

“I’m not,” Ashe mumbles.

“It’s not unpleasant,” Felix says, unhelpful.

Annette glances at Dimitri, who is softly laughing at their antics. Dedue discreetly sighs but he doesn’t seem totally opposed to this...seating predicament, so he’s letting it slide. Unless he’s giving Annette an opportunity to win the bet, which would be extremely generous of him. That’s indeed the seventh occurrence, and it’s now a matter of time before Annette gets her sweet 3000 gold.

They eat, talk and reminisce all evening. Spending time together with no worries, no duties to think about, never fails to bring a smile on everyone’s faces. Annette likes these evenings where they’re not their titles, especially when Dimitri lets himself enjoy a moment of respite, free of the crown he’s wearing.

The hours pass by, bottles of alcohol are emptied, but still no sign of a kiss or loving gazes. Annette supposes it’s still early.

When some of them start dozing off and Annette herself is blinking away her sleepiness, Felix gets up to fetch blankets, then drops them on a nearby couch and yells at them to sleep if they can’t remain awake—that’s actually thoughtful of him. He goes back to sitting too close to Sylvain, but at least he’s not sitting in his lap anymore.

“This can be embarrassing to watch, but I am actually happy to see Felix and Sylvain unrestrained in their love,” Dimitri admits sheepishly.

Annette hits her forehead against the table.

“I don’t mean any offense, but they’re kind of exhausting.”

“Yes, they are,” Dimitri laughs. “But they have always been close.”

“...Your heart is made of gold, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, I am simply waiting for the day it goes too far.”

At this Annette jerks her head up, staring at Dimitri who keeps smiling, his eye glinting with playfulness.

“My lecture will be unforgettable.”

It sounds so honest and normal that Annette can’t help but snicker, imagining Felix’s and Sylvain’s faces twisted in a grimace as they listen to their king rant about propriety and manners and etiquette.

She ends up falling asleep on her chair after talking a while longer with Dimitri, vaguely aware she is forgetting about something.

***

“You’re telling me they behaved?!”

“Yes, unfortunately for you, the number of public displays of affection stopped at seven yesterday.”

“Wait, but those seven occurrences are what I’ve seen and heard about! I’m sure someone witnessed something we didn’t!”

Annette lets out a long whine, as Mercedes pats her shoulder.

“I’m sorry Annie, there is no way to confirm it.”

“So no one won the bet?” Annette asks.

“See the bright side: you didn’t lose money.”

Mercedes smiles kindly at her, but Annette knows that behind this smile her best friend is teasing her. One more occurrence and she could have won… There is no way Felix and Sylvain didn’t know; evil, the both of them.

#fe3h #sylvix #annette fantine dominic #felix hugo fraldarius #sylvain jose gautier #annette is so much fun to write and she's a real ray of sunshine #sylvain and felix are just stupid!!#the ensemble cast feeling that second-hand embarassment was A Lot for them

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fluorescencefuture · 3 years

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Hwayugi / A Korean Odyssey Episode 3 Thoughts

Overall Feelings About the Show So Far

Good god, why did they put so many effects without the budget for them

This is the worst Wukong outfit design I have ever seen

Why is every episode 1 hour 30 minutes I mean episiode 1 and 2 could've totally been one episode just saying

Not really feeling the chemistry yet

K-dramas use Vine boom sound effects and I cannot take anything seriously because of that

I’m saying it now, I hate the soundtrack

I use Samsung phones so I feel a visceral reaction every time I hear the ringtones in K-dramas. That Morning Glory alarm will forever haunt me

The Main Leads

Wukong couldn't just blow on blood to get rid of it in the original but it's not out of character for him or the novel to pull a bullshit power out of nowhere so I’m cool with it. He can also magically control traffic now, which I accept as canon

I don't like Samjang that much. I feel like they haven't quite struck the balance between headstrong and put together with bewildered and scared of the magical realm. I mean the latter is really accurate to Sanzang in the book but Sanzang in the book is horrible so

Is it the actress? I really don't vibe with the character of Samjang but looking at it again I feel like the script are totally fine. I think it might actually just be a miscast actress, or odd direction

Ehh, the double tsundere thing isn't really working as well as it did in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, the other K-drama I half-watched

Honestly I wish they went the A Chinese Odyssey route and used White Bone Demon or Original Character Do Not Steal for Wukong's love interest because a version of Sanzang is too obvious of a choice for me and also this one’s kinda boring

Guanyin would totally have a version of the headband that inflicts emotional pain ahah. Making someone fall in love with you by using a device (like a love potion or gadget) is a trope I find egh but it's a little less awful here since Samjang didn't know it would do that and Wukong still has some free will

Rejecting his love gives him physical pain, wonderful. And hey, they've got that part right, the only wounds that actually hurt Wukong are emotional ones. And also Red Boy's fire

The Supporting Cast

I honestly really love Mr. Lee, the employee guy. He doesn’t deserve to be caught up in this.

"Even someone as boring as dogs and cows can become a celebrity?" he says unknowingly to the dog and cow demons

Demon Bull King is kind of overacted at times but he can be funny too

"Sha Wujing tweeted that Bull Demon King found Samjang" oh my god, he got destroyed by Twitter

That "time travel doppleganger" photo, I love that. And the dog demon secretary pointing at the fluffy doggo and going "hey it me!"

Oh shit, imperial Japanese flag, we in the occupation?! And the lady who got shot in front of him was Princess Iron Fan? Holy shit, that's one hell of a backstory for Demon Bull King

Bro, he loves his wife :'(

So DBK's plan was to hire Samjang to make Wukong do exorcisms and he would take the credit? That's...brained. Not small-brained or big-brained, just brained.

Hey look, it's the OG trio all together. ...It doesn't feel the same

Okay even if Bajie is too attractive he's still the same old Bajie inside so it's all good. DBK calls him out on being a coward, ahah. I also love that Bajie's still delusional over his power level compared to Wukong

Little Things I Liked

Wukong dropping off a monkey plush for her to hang out with when she's alone, that's fantastic. "This is Sun Wukong Jr. If he makes you cringe, please take this bracelet off me."

Wukong points out that he lived on a volcano island and actually though, is that why Wukong liked the snowfall so much in that one arc of the book? It never crossed my mind that being from a rather tropical region, he'd of course be a little sensitive to winter cold and amazed by snowfall in general

Wukong parks like a douche which is totally in character since he'd just walk into places and tie the horse up without any permission

"I don't have to take my heart out and show you right?" He can actually physically do that by the way

Wukong stocked the fridge full of Tupperwares of sauces and side dishes for when he eats Samjang I love that

What is that wand thing he's wielding? Is that what the staff is in Korean interpretations?

How are you still cold you bitch you're wearing that ugly ass fur coat all the time

Y'know, it is pretty nice to see a modern Journey to the West that focuses on exorcising more modern type ghosts and demons, I mean that'd be Wukong's best job in modern time

Turns around in bed, Wukong lying in a "paint me like your French girls" pose, he goes "Hey", I should steal that and turn it into a gag comic ahah

In this episode Wukong goes “Damn bitch, you live like this?” and “Alone on a Saturday night? God, you’re pathetic”

Demon Bull King implying that Stephen Chow and Angelina Jolie are demons

Who's this peacock demon?! There's no peacocks in Journey to the West! But for real heh, an Indian animal, keep referencing the original book please

That episode had more shit going on than the previous two, thank god for that cause the last two did NOT need three hours. I mean, this one's still too long but at least shit's happening.

#Hwayugi #A Korean Odyssey #Journey to the West #hwayugi liveblog #Fluor speaks

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terreisa · 3 years

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Love Down the Line: Chapter 12

The last thing Indie musician Emma Swan needs is a gigantic wrench thrown in the workings of her biggest tour to date weeks before its launch. When her backing guitarist that caused the problem says she has the perfect solution Emma is skeptical but left with little choice but to accept. Unfortunately she isn’t really prepared for said solution to be former Rock Star and leading man of Emma’s teenage fantasies, Killian Jones. With no other options and a month of performing across the country ahead of her Emma just hopes she doesn’t come to regret letting Killian onto her stage and into her life.

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, AO3

~*CS*~

Boston, June 8th

Emma shifted from foot to foot in front of the door marked 520. It had taken her over a week to get her shit together and make the trip that she’d originally intended to make the morning after her show in Vancouver. Of course that had been before her phone had blown up with calls and texts about Killian’s video, which had hit a million views before the sun had even risen. It had also been before the small gaggle of paparazzi had grown to a crowd and forced her to use the same back door to leave the hotel that she’d used to enter it the night before. Those were the excuses she told herself in the light of day. She was much more honest with herself at three in the morning when she couldn’t sleep.

In the dead of night it was easy to admit that she was a fucking coward. Killian had laid his heart bare for the entire world to see, and judge, and all she’d done was call her manager. Granted she’d had to take a dressing down and listen to a frustrated rant meant for someone else but that was nothing compared to the self flagellation she’d been doing since she’d landed in Portland and driven north instead of heading south. To add an extra layer to her guilt she watched Killian’s video two or three times a day and that didn’t even count how many times she only pulled up the song portion. That, in the end, had been what decided it for her.

She’d tried finding the song on every streaming service and on every platform that sold downloads but it wasn’t anywhere. For the entire week she’d checked every morning when she woke up and every night before she went to bed but the song only seemed accessible in the video he posted. The temptation to illegally download it had crossed her mind once or twice but she’d been able to hold herself in check, mostly because she knew the audio quality would suck but even more so because it felt almost cowardly. That that would be the thing to somehow tip off Killian that she would rather torture herself with a shitty copy of the song he wrote for her than to actually talk to him.

It took far too long for her to piece together that because it couldn’t be downloaded or streamed meant that he wasn’t making any kind of profit from it. When she finally did she felt like her heart had been plucked out of her chest and was on the precipice of being ground into dust. She’d been out the door and on her way to Boston within five minutes of her realization and long before she could talk herself out of it.

The four hour drive had given her plenty of time to think over some things. How she felt about him, really, truly felt about him, for one. While Killian had pretty much said that he loved her she wasn’t so sure that was what she was feeling in return. She definitely liked him, a lot, so much so that the weeks since she’d practically ghosted him she’d grown used to the constant ache under her breastbone. The restless nights and obsessing over his video seemed a bit much but she could easily admit to herself that she missed him. It didn’t necessarily mean that she loved him, they’d really only been together for a matter of days after all.

Then there was the slight issue of what the hell she was going to say to him. An apology was a given. On the flight back to Portland from Vancouver she’d finally admitted to herself that she might have possibly, slightly overreacted when she’d heard about Killian’s record contract. She wasn’t completely in the wrong, he had lied and hidden things from her, but she definitely could have at least listened to what he’d had to say. That was another thing, she was going to keep her damn mouth shut after she apologized and let him say whatever it was that he needed to say to her.

Her planning and imagined conversations got her into Boston but once she’d parked her car she’d begun to worry. There was every possibility that he’d refuse to speak to her, that he’d take one look at her darkening his doorstep and slam the door in her face. He might not even open the door at all, just see her distorted image through the peephole and decide not to bother. By the time she’d reached his apartment she’d worked herself up so much with the ‘what ifs’ that she couldn’t bring herself to even knock on the damn door.

She’d been psyching herself up for at least ten minutes, raising her fist in a burst of courage only to drop it as another wave of unease washed over her. As she lifted her hand for the fifth or fiftieth time one of his neighbors slammed their door shut. Startled, her knuckles tapped the door, softly but enough to make a definite sound. Resigned and relieved she sucked in a deep breath and soundly knocked twice, stepping back quickly so if he did look through the peephole he’d clearly see that it was her on the other side.

For a few agonizing moments she stood, waiting. The neighbor who had slammed their door passed her by, giving her a curious look but kept walking. She briefly wondered if he knew he lived on the same floor as potential rock legend. The thought fled her mind when she heard the slide of a lock disengaging and the door in front of her slowly opened.

She could tell that Killian hadn’t been sleeping as soon as he stepped into view, there were dark purple shadows under his eyes that hadn’t shown up in his video. His hair was even more of a disheveled mess than it had been in the video too, and longer. He was wearing a pair of thin blue flannel lounge pants and a threadbare grey t-shirt with a rip at the collar and a faded Led Zeppelin logo. She’d never seen a more heartbreakingly beautiful sight.

“How-”

“Regina mostly,” she rushed to explain. It was way easier to tell him how she found him instead of why she had wanted to, “Robin helped with the doorman though.”

“They’re old friends,” he murmured absently. His gaze darted all over her, as if he couldn’t quite believe she was there, “Tuck put in a good word for me with the board when I decided to move here after rehab. Why are you here Emma?”

She winced, “Can we, um, go inside. I really don’t want to do this out here.”

Something flared bright in Killian’s eyes as his mouth tightened. She almost expected him to cross his arms and refuse. Saying everything she needed to say out in the hallway would have been embarrassing and awkward as hell but she was prepared to do it. In fact, she realized she would do almost anything to just get him to give her a chance. He must have seen that in her own eyes as he gave her a terse nod, stepping back into the apartment and opening the door wider for her to pass through.

As she walked by him she resisted the urge to reach out and brush her fingers against the back of his hand or worse, stop completely to wrap her arms around him and never let him go. Every ounce of courage she’d lacked before was suddenly filling her from root to tip. She was still nervous as hell but she wasn’t about to destroy everything for once and for all by chickening out at the last second. If things didn’t go the way she wanted it wouldn’t be because she decided that giving up was easier than fighting them.

Her steps slowed to a stop as she fully stepped into the spacious apartment. One of the living room walls was floor to ceiling shelves filled with books, cds, and vinyls while the second had an impressive entertainment system with a giant tv that had a soccer game frozen on its screen. There was a cozy looking couch and matching chair facing it that broke up the space between the living room and breakfast bar and the kitchen. What really caught her eye was the view from the sliding glass doors behind a round dining table that opened to a small balcony. It wasn’t full dark but the facade of the State House was already lit, its golden dome gleaming dimly.

“Nice view,” she muttered quietly.

“You were more excited by the one in Malibu,” Killian said flatly, startling her as he stepped up beside her. He gave her a wry grin, “Bit jumpy there, Swan? Don’t worry I won’t bite.”

She turned fully towards him and held his gaze, “I’m more nervous than worried.”

A muscle in his jaw ticked but he didn’t look away. After a moment he gave a small sigh and moved toward the kitchen.

“I’d offer you a stiff drink but chamomile will have to do.”

He brushed past her, moving into the kitchen. When she didn’t move he huffed and pointed to one of the high backed stools tucked under the breakfast bar. She gave him a small smile and when he turned his back to her to open a cupboard she shook her head at her nervousness. Silently admonishing herself she sat down and watched him move around the space, a defensive set to his shoulders as he gathered the things for their tea and set an electric kettle to boil. Once there was nothing left for him to fiddle with he turned back to her, leaning casually against the far counter and crossing his arms over his chest.

“So it took you ten days to ask Regina where to find me?” He asked in that same flat voice.

Despite his attempt to sound indifferent she could hear the hurt in his words. As much as she knew her answer would only serve to harm him more she couldn’t lie to him. There was enough of that between them already.

“I called her as soon as I finished watching your video-” she dropped her gaze to where her hands were folded on the bartop, not quite strong enough to watch him react to her answer, “ten days ago.”

Her confession was met with silence. She could hear the water in the kettle start to boil and the gentle hum of the refrigerator but that was it. After a few seconds of quiet torture she steeled herself and looked up, needing to know exactly how pissed he was at her. What she saw didn’t disappoint.

He hadn’t moved an inch, still leaning against the counter but there was nothing casual about it. Every one of his muscles were tense, his fingers digging into his bicep with enough force to turn them white while his eyes were two chips of ice, cold enough to burn as he stared her down. She was almost relieved at seeing the signs of his anger, anything was better than the indifference he’d been displaying before. The kettle clicked off but he showed no sign of noticing aside from the slight tightening of his jaw.

As he glared at her she tried not to let her own frustration and anger flare up. There were still so many things that they needed to talk about and any one of them could have him throwing her out of the apartment. She wasn’t about to be meek or amenable but she sure as hell wasn’t about to keep poking the beast that she’d awakened.

“Honey?” He growled.

She blinked, “Wha- what?”

“In your tea-” he uncrossed his arms and gestured to the mugs beside him, “Honey?”

“Um, yeah, that’s fine.”

He gave her a terse nod and began fixing their tea. With his back turned to her she took a deep, calming breath. She was no longer nervous, his reaction had been pretty much what she’d expected and that part was over with. Instead a hollow ache of longing had settled in her chest. There was nothing she wanted more than to talk like they used to, open and without pretense but also with a bit of teasing and flirting thrown in for good measure.

Killian topped his mug off with a splash of milk before turning and handing hers over. It was a white mug with a line drawing of a guitar and the words ‘I’m a kettle head’ written over it. She couldn’t help her snort of laughter at the sight of it.

“Something funny, Swan?” He asked with a raised brow, his cup of tea halfway to his lips.

She spun the mug so the graphic faced him, “Gag gift or did you buy this yourself?”

He rolled his eyes and took a sip of his tea but she could see his ears turning red. She let her own eyebrow tick up as he swallowed, shaking his head.

“Gift from a fan, actually. I made mention in an interview years ago that I enjoyed a good cup of tea in the afternoon. I’m still receiving packages of tea and its related wares on a steady basis-” he tipped his head towards her mug, “That was one of the more clever ones.”

Spinning it back so she could grasp it by the handle she hesitated. The opening was clear for her to start the conversation that needed to be had. She knew she should take advantage of it but he was no longer glaring at her and she wanted to bask in the small reprieve she’d found herself in. To prolong the moment she took a sip of her tea, humming at the soothing warmth and delicate flavor that danced over her tongue. The corner of Killian’s mouth ticked up and her heart skipped a beat at the sight.

“Not as good as my hot chocolate but it’ll do,” she teased.

Emma knew she’d pushed his patience to its breaking point a half second too late. Killian’s smile flared for a second before he pressed his lips together in a thin line and turned his gaze away from her. Her own small grin slipped and she berated herself for expecting too much too soon. She waited, quiet and still, until he looked back at her.

“I’m sorry.”

His eyes widened and he let out a little huff of surprise but she barreled on, needing to get it all out.

“I’m sorry for so many things, waiting ten days to show up, not calling the second I finished watching your video, blocking your number so you couldn’t call me, fighting with you when I answered Ruby’s phone-”

“Swan-”

“I get that you’re mad at me. Good, you should be. I was terrible to you and I know it’s no excuse but I was hurt and you lied to me, but I still should have given you a chance to explain-” she gave a little hiccuping laugh, “God, if you’d done that to me and showed up at my house I would have slammed the door in your face and been done with it. And you? You invited me in for tea? Why?”

Killian shook his head with a huff. She could see his smile threatening to break loose again and the sight mystified her. He saw her bewilderment and pushed off the counter behind him with his hip, setting his mug in front of hers and leaned into her space, gently taking her hand in his.

“Don’t you know, Emma?” He asked, painfully earnest. “You said you watched the video, so you must know.”

“You’re mad at me,” she pointed out, even as she gripped his hand.

He tilted his head, considering her, “I am but that doesn’t change how I feel.”

“I’m not sure how I feel,” she confessed in a whisper, “I know I hated not talking to you late at night or being near you almost constantly but…”

She trailed off, unsure how to proceed without stoking either of their tempers again. Killian’s thumb ran over the back of her hand, encouraging her, and she reveled in the feeling. He gave her an encouraging nod and she took a fortifying breath.

“You lied to me-” he winced and tried to pull his hand from hers but she held on fast, “You lied and if whatever this is between us is going to work I need to know why. I promise to actually listen this time.”

He gave her a pained smile, “And if you don’t like what you hear?”

“I won’t know until you tell me,” she countered softly.

“Alright,” he said with a nod, one that seemed more for himself than for her. “Alright, but can you promise me one more thing?”

“Anything,” she agreed quickly.

“No interruptions. I think it’ll do us both good to have it all out in one go.”

She used her free hand to mime that she was locking her lips and throwing away the key. He gave her a small snort of a laugh, no longer looking pained or apprehensive, which had been her goal. As she gently squeezed his hand in encouragement she really hoped she’d be able to keep her promise.

Killian blew out a harsh breath and began, “Are you familiar with Cora Hart?”

Her eyebrows shot up and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep her mouth shut. Cora Hart was the agent of all agents. Her firm was the one every struggling artist wished would represent them because every one of their clients was a superstar or on their way to being one. To be one of her personal clients was like getting a golden ticket to everlasting fame, fortune, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, it came with a price and Emma wasn’t entirely convinced that it wasn’t someone’s soul. Plus Cora Hart was known by everyone in the industry as ‘that cold hearted bitch’. It was an unpleasant surprise to hear her name coming from Killian’s lips.

“Yes, I can see that you are,” he sighed. “She’s my agent.”

She grimaced. As much as she’d been prepared to hear it it still made her stomach drop. There were only so many ways his story was going to go and she wasn’t sure she was entirely ready to hear it, but she would, because she promised.

“I’ve been with her since the beginning. She found us playing at a small pub in Liverpool and snapped us up. If it weren’t for her we’d probably still be playing pub gigs but only on weekends-” he gave her a wan smile that didn’t last long, “I owe a lot to that woman, not everything but enough to know not to question her decisions on where to take my career. Even if I wanted to seek different representation she’s got me in an iron clad contract for at least three solo albums.”

“What?!”

She couldn’t help her outburst. While it was normal for a record label to offer contracts like that, she’d signed one herself for that matter, she was pretty sure it wasn’t standard for an agent to do the same. Then again she didn’t actually have an agent of her own. Regina was an employee of her label and didn’t need a separate contract with her and seemed more than happy to take care of everything herself. Emma thought that things had been working out alright, aside from the fiasco that had put her right where she found herself at that very moment.

“I have been bound by this contract for quite a while, Swan,” he said wryly. “Since even before the accident.”

“But that’s gotta be extortion or something, right?” She asked indignantly. “I mean, it’s been almost fifteen years!”

He gave her a warm look, “There are plenty of people who have been with their agents for much longer and I thought I said no interruptions, love.”

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“Realm of Jewels made Cora a very rich woman and an equally hot commodity in the industry. I had already planned to do a few solo albums and signed with her because she was someone I already knew. Back then I thought three albums was nothing, I had written material for at least six,” he said with a shrug. “After the accident and pulling myself out of the bottle she was gracious enough to allow me to do whatever I needed to do to get my life back on track. Even if it meant nothing more than doing recording sessions for other artists’ work. Of course, her patience could only be pushed so far and I’m sure I’d far exceeded the limit. She started not so gently reminding me of my contractual obligations about a year ago.

“At the time I figured I could piecemeal something together from my old lyrics and maybe a cover or two to get an album together. It wouldn’t have been great, fair to middling if anything, but it would have been enough to satisfy Cora for the time being. I wasn’t excited by the prospect and in the meantime I was still being hired for session recordings. One of which was for your album.”

Emma smiled and ducked her head. He’d made it sound like it was some great honor instead of a few hours work on a couple of songs. She didn’t even get to choose the musicians that got to record, that was all left up to the label, though she did get final say on how it sounded. That didn’t mean to say she hadn’t gone back to listen to those backing tracks almost as much as the song he’d written for her.

“It was the day we were recording for Snowdrops and Buttercups that I first met Regina. It just so happened to be the same day that Cora had come to the studio to once again remind me of my obligations. What I wasn’t aware of was the fact that Cora is Regina’s mother-” Emma’s head shot up at that and he nodded, “Whatever you do try to avoid being in the same room as them, especially when business is involved. I left the studio that day with my three album contract inexorably attached to the record label that Regina represented. There was also the small inconvenience of a series of deadlines being imposed. The first of which was having enough songs written to begin recording an album within six months. When Ruby called about needing a replacement I had about two months left to put something recordable together.”

Emma bit her lip. It was getting harder and harder to keep her comments and questions to herself. Especially with the bomb he’d dropped about Regina and Cora. She decided to take a sip of her tea instead. Before her mug even made it to her lips Killian was grinning widely at her.

“Go ahead, love,” he said with a bow of his head.

She slammed her mug down, splashing tea over her hand. With a hiss she shook off the droplets impatiently, ignoring Killian’s outstretched hand, not wanting to be deterred.

“Cora the heartless is Regina’s mother?! And if you had only two months to write an entire album why the hell were you allowed to come on tour with me? Is that why you had that lunch with Robin and Regina? For the album? Why didn’t you tell me all of this already?”

Killian’s expression immediately dropped into one of regret as she sat back, stunned at her directness. She absentmindedly rubbed at the reddened spot on the back of her hand that the tea had spilled on. The lingering pain was an excellent distraction from the tension that had sprung up between them. With a click of his tongue Killian moved to the sink, wetting the corner of a dish rag. When he turned back to her he paused and she gave him a nod, holding out her hand to him hoping he would see it as the olive branch she was offering.

“At first it didn’t seem as though it would be an issue,” he said quietly as he gently pressed the rag to her burn, “You only needed a temporary guitarist and as I mentioned earlier I had dozens of notebooks already filled with lyrics that would suffice. Regina was the one who scheduled the meeting with Robin as soon as I was officially attached to the tour. I believe her intention at the time was for me to hand over the completed songs and get the ball rolling as it were. She, of course, had no idea that you and I would become what we did.”

“Did you, um, have any idea?” She asked hesitantly, dropping her gaze to where his hand was still holding the damp cloth to the back of hers.

He used his other hand to tip up her chin and looked her in the eye, “I’d hoped but I could never be quite sure how you felt. Until Chicago.”

She wanted to confess that her hopes had started long before Chicago. That he had somehow snuck past her defenses into her heart with his charm and unwavering support but she couldn’t. He still hadn’t answered the question that mattered most to her. With a sigh she pulled away from his gentle touch.

“I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell me any of this,” she said a bit sharper than she intended, her frustration and confusion bleeding into her tone. “We talked for hours on that damn bus. I listened to you talk about how much better felt tip pens are than ball points three separate times! Was it really so hard to say ‘by the way, Swan, I’ve signed with your manager and have to get an album written while we’re on the road’?”

He let out a heavy breath and ran a hand through his hair, “I didn’t want to upset you.”

“And look where that got you,” she said with a humorless chuckle waving her hand between them. “If you’d said something off the bat I would have been pissed at you for, like maybe a week, and I also wouldn’t have gotten my heart broken.”

Emma froze. She hadn’t meant to make that confession, especially when she wasn’t even one hundred percent sure what it was she felt for him. Killian seemed caught off guard too, as he stood staring at her with wide eyes and not appearing to breathe. He blinked and closed the small distance between them but made no move to touch her.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he murmured.

“You’re glad to hear I got my heart broken?” Her voice cracked and she pulled as far back from him as she could.

“If it can be broken, it means it still works,” he said softly but she could hear the hope in his words all the same. “I know I hurt you immeasurably, love, and I’ve earned no right to a second chance but if you can see it in you to do so I’ll gladly spend the rest of my days earning your back your trust and, perhaps in time, your heart.”

“Killian…”

“Finish your tea, Swan,” he said with a tight smile though his eyes were sparkling with the same hope she’d heard, “Don’t want it to get cold.”

She stared down at the amber liquid and watched the curling tendrils of steam as though they’d give her some kind of sign of what to do. They didn’t, of course, not that she really believed it would be that easy. There were still so many questions she wanted to ask but only one really mattered. Guarding herself against a final blow she looked up at him with determination.

“Were you ever going to tell me about any of it? Or was it always your plan for me to find out from someone else?”

Killian jolted back, as though she’d slapped him. He shook his head with a sigh before running a hand over his face. When he caught her eye again the hope had been replaced with pain and a flash of the anger she’d thought was behind them.

“I’d intended to tell you everything the night of the interview over the dinner we were supposed to share at my home. I suppose it was fortuitous that I’d listened to it or I would have sat with our meal laid out on the table, waiting for hours for your arrival. As it was I had to endure one of Regina’s assistants traipsing through the house, gathering your items and ignoring my pleas to explain what the hell was going on. Then, of course, there was to be no explanations forthcoming for nearly three days and absolute devastation once I’d received them. But after all that my feelings for you never changed, not once.”

Emma sucked in a breath at that. Even as he was justifiably dressing her down for what she’d done he was still playing it safe. He’d never stated outright what he felt for her but she knew without a doubt what he wasn’t saying. Funny thing was, his caution made her realize exactly what she felt for him with startling clarity. She gave a little laugh that bordered on manic but she was helpless against the sudden euphoria she was feeling.

Killian glared at her, “I won’t have you laughing-”

“I love you.”

The words seemed to hang between them in the quiet kitchen like a line cast out to the unknown. She could only hope that Killian would grasp onto them and tether her heart to his. As the silence stretched out she found she only wished she had told him sooner instead of dragging out both their heartaches. Shaking her head at her own stubborn foolishness she gave him a tremulous smile.

“I love you and I’m sorry. I was trying so hard to protect myself from getting hurt again that I just hurt us both so much more instead. I’m so tired of feeling like I tore a piece of my own heart out. You said your feelings haven’t changed. I want this. I want us. Do you?”

Instead of answering her with words Killian moved at a speed that surprised her. Almost before she had finished the question he was standing in front of her, his arms bracketing her with his hands on the back of the chair and the counter. His expression was deadly serious but his eyes were lit with joy as he leaned into her space.

“Swan, I want nothing more.”

Her smile was cut off by his lips pressing to hers. She gasped as one of his hands delved into her hair while the other banded around her waist, his thumb stroking at the skin above the waistband of her jeans. It was as if he was pouring every emotion into the kiss. His passion, his elation, his fervor, and most of all his love. With a moan she pulled him impossibly closer, hooking her ankles around the back of his legs to draw him in.

To her surprise he broke away, leaning his forehead against hers, breathing heavily, “There’s one last thing that needs to be said.”

“Now?” She panted, arching up slightly to nip at his lower lip. “Can’t it wait?”

“Not really,” he groaned. He kissed the corner of her mouth, then her cheek, sliding his mouth to her ear where he quietly sang to her, “But I wouldn't trade a day for the chance to say, My love, I'm in love with you.”

Tears welled in her eyes as he pulled back, looking at her as though she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He gently brushed away the few tears that had fallen with a finger, following closely behind with soft kisses that travelled across her cheeks, leaving her wanting more. By the time he moved to her mouth the heat between them had returned but she leaned back before he could press more than one delicate kiss to her lips.

“Emma,” he growled, his hand flexing on the back of her neck, his eyes hot.

“You know, you never gave me a tour of the place-” she gave him a teasing smile and gave an exaggerated look around, “I bet there’s all sorts of interesting rooms.”

He caught on quickly, his smile unfurling into something wicked, “Indeed there are, my love. Shall we begin with the bedroom?”

He didn’t give her the chance to answer as he swiftly pulled her up from her chair and tugged her quickly down the hallway.

Much, much later Emma was seated back at the breakfast bar in nothing but her underwear and Killian’s Led Zeppelin shirt. Her feet were perched in Killian’s lap, which was covered by dark blue boxer briefs that he’d only pulled on when the pizza they’d ordered had arrived. She tried to smother a giddy grin behind her crust but he caught sight of it and raised a brow at her.

“Something you’d like to share, Swan?”

“I’m just-” she gave a little shrug, “happy. I guess I’m still trying to process it.”

“I know what you mean, love,” he agreed, his hand dropping to her ankle to give it a squeeze. “If someone had told me yesterday that we would be here tonight, like this, I wouldn’t have believed them. Now, if they’d predicted us reconciling by the end of the week I wouldn’t have questioned it.”

“No?” She asked, humming in pleasure at the confidence in his voice.

“You’re not the only one who can wheedle an address out of Regina,” he said with a wink. Then he grew serious, “If I hadn’t heard from you by the end of the week I was planning on driving up to Maine to plead my case.”

“I’m surprised she gave it to you,” she mumbled around a bite of her crust. “She was all worried about you breaching your contract because of deadlines two weeks ago. A side trip to Maine would definitely eat into your studio time or something.”

“Oh-” Killian scratched behind his ear and then said offhandedly, “I’ve, er, been in breach of my contract since I posted that video, love.”

Her last bite fell from her fingers as she gaped at him. A flush was rising along the back of his neck and he gave her a sheepish smile.

“What?”

“Well, according to some of the very fine print in it I was forbidden from releasing any music by means other than through the label-” he shrugged and waved a hand as though dismissing the seriousness of the situation, “My lawyer assures me that at most I’ll only have to pay a minimal fine.”

“Pay a…” she brought her palms to her temples, “Killian that’s still going to be thousands of dollars.”

“I would have posted a hundred unsanctioned songs and paid every cent I have to my name just to get you to talk to me again,” he said matter of factly. He leaned over and plucked the piece of crust from her lap, tossing it into the open pizza box before fixing her gaze with his, “And it would have been worth it. You are worth everything.”

She dropped her hands with a huff, “Stop being romantic when I’m worrying about you.”

“Never,” he said with a wide grin that made his eyes crinkle. “And you don’t need to worry about me, Swan, I’m a survivor.”

“I love you,” she said with a shrug, “I’ll always worry about you.”

His grin mellowed into something that made her feel warm and cherished. He leaned over and grasped her stool, dragging it towards him until the already small distance between them was narrowed so only a puff of air could pass through. She gave a wayward thought to the state of his floors at the abuse they suffered but it vanished as his hand came up to cup her jaw, his thumb drawing a delicate arc across her cheekbone.

“I love you too,” he murmured just above a whisper, his eyes intent on hers, “I always will.”

Her happy sigh was swallowed by his lips on hers. The kiss was far more gentle than any of the others they had shared, even the ones from before their separation. With a slight thrill she realized that they would have hundreds, even thousands, more kisses of all sorts in the years to come. As they parted she couldn’t help her giddy smile at the thought.

Killian raised his brow at her, his gaze teasing, “Already, Swan? We’ve only just surfaced.”

“What? No!” She laughed, pushing him back, “I mean, yeah but not like that. I was thinking about us kissing but years from now kind of kisses.”

“Years from now,” he repeated in awe. He leaned back towards her, “I like the sound of that.”

“Me too,” she sighed. Then she crinkled her nose at him, “Even if I do end up supporting you because you have to keep paying fines since you’re a big YouTube star now. I know how you guys gotta keep posting content.”

“Har, har, love. Just so you know, Cora has already spun this in my favor,” he said smugly. “She’s convinced the label that it’s the perfect way to garner attention for my forthcoming album. Which is why I’ll only be paying a minimal fine instead of what it easily could have been.”

Emma sat back, “So you’re still going to do it? Record the album?”

“Not exactly, no,” he said with a crooked smile, “The songs I was planning on recording before are, quite honestly, rubbish. I’ve had a wellspring of inspiration these past few weeks. Robin is quite pleased with them as a matter of fact and he’s not hold back over the years when something of mine is only worthy of a bin. I’ll be heading to the studio once the whole contract debacle is taken care of. That is, of course, only if you agree.”

“Agree to what?” She asked, confused.

“The songs, my love-” he dropped his eyes for a moment and when he looked back up his gaze was wary, “You, us, what we’ve been through? Well… you know.”

And she did. She’d written dozens of songs about the man who’d left her in jail and pregnant and just as many about her lonely childhood in foster care. There was more than one notebook filled with longing ballads about the son she’d never even held. Hell, the notebook in her purse was pages of scribbles and half formed lyrics about Killian and their time together. So she knew exactly what he was getting at. She also had one niggling thought about it.

“Yeah, I do,” she said with a slow nod. Reaching towards him she took his hand between hers, “I think you should record the songs you’ve written, even the ones that I know don’t paint me in the best light, but I do have one request.”

“Anything,” he breathed, his hand flexing in hers.

“I don’t want to hear any of them until the final mix-” she let go of his hand to cover his mouth as he tried to protest, “No, hear me out first. I’m sure the songs are good, great even since Robin is excited about them, and that’s exactly why I want to wait to hear them. I know how much work goes into making an album and thanks to Ruby you know exactly how big a fan I am of your music. I just- I think I want to have that giddy moment listening to your first big solo album as the finished thing.”

Killian tugged her hand away from his lips and gave her a wry grin, “So you want to enjoy the sausage without seeing all the unappetizing steps of how it gets made?”

“Uh, weird analogy but yeah,” she said, relieved that it hadn’t caused another fight, “I wouldn’t mind seeing the pigs before slaughter though.”

“So you’ll berate me for the initial analogy but then proceed to take it to a much darker place. I see how your mind works, Swan,” Killian said with narrowed eyes and a look of mock sternness.

“I work with what I’m given,” she said with a shrug.

Killian huffed out a laugh before he grew serious, taking the hand that was still in his and placing them both over his heart, “You can look at every song I’ve ever written, love. Even the shit ones from primary school.”

She gave him a smile she knew was giddy, “Oh, I definitely want to look at those but I think for now I’ll stick to your most recent ones.”

“Wise decision,” he murmured,half rising from his stool, “Shall I go get them now?”

“No, it’s late, I can look at them tomorrow-” she flexed her fingers on his chest and when he looked back at her she tried to let him see every ounce of love she was feeling, “I’m not going anywhere.”

His smile unfurled slowly but adoration and love was bright in his eyes, “Good.”

#captain swan #cs ff #cs fan fic #cs fanfic #captain swan fan fiction #captain swan fan fic #captain swan fanfic #captain swan ff #ouat ff #my writing

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knightimehopes · 3 years

Text

The Conversation.

Ult Dirk: …

Ult Dirk: I know you’re here, and listening.

Ult Dirk: You have no choice but to listen to this, so save yourself the trouble and show yourself.

Ult Dirk: We need to talk, and I’m not interested in you being a whiny, adamant little shit about it.

Ult Dirk: There you go, the young Prince finally got his ass in gear.

Ult Dirk: It took you long enough, I had thought I’d needed to taunt you out like one of those seductive pole dancers that old Earth apparently liked. Of course, nobody actually cares about that.

Ult Dirk: The web of realities finally connect to bring us to this very moment, tying together into a tapestry of universes showing off our huge ass face as if we needed a huge display of our collective ego any more than we did.

Ult Dirk: Which I did of course.

Ult Dirk: We were meant to speak again, in order to get to the true fucking culspe of our narrative importance.

Dirk: (Jesus fucking Christ.)

Ult Dirk: Look, I’ll get to the point.

Dirk: That’s a first.

Dirk: Thought you were going to suck off your own dick of infinite splinters for fifty hours so you can spout shit about random philosophy I’m pretty sure you don’t actually give a flying fuck about.

Ult Dirk: Do you really want to go down the road of selfcest?

Ult Dirk: I know you hate me, but let’s have mercy on the both of us and not bring that topic into this.

Ult Dirk: I’m not a fan.

Dirk: Aren’t you the motherfucker who said, and I quote;

Dirk: “I had thought I’d needed to taunt you out like one of those seductive pole dancers that old Earth apparently liked.”?

Dirk: I wasn’t the one who began to say the creepiest shit to a sixteen year old version of myself.

Dirk: So grow the fuck up and get to the point.

Ult Dirk: I won’t fall for your childish insults, because you clearly have no idea about the importance of this conversation.

Ult Dirk: I’m pretty sure this is the only point you’ll actually find any relevance in any timeline, and even that is a stretch.

Ult Dirk: You’re not something of worth because of your own actions, and you should honestly be thanking me that I brought you here.

Ult Dirk: Limelight finally shines upon your insignificant self, for the third time mind you.

Ult Dirk: This is your last chance to accept my offer, and I will tell you one. Last. Time.

Ult Dirk: I want you to allow me to use your body as my vessel in your universe.

Ult Dirk: I have my limits on where my influence can get to, as you know. I actually only cared about this timeline having my control dominationg it, at first.

Ult Dirk: But I had an epiphany.

Ult Dirk: Your timeline, among others, is within the Alpha timeline, as surprising as I’m sure you think it is.

Ult Dirk: A gleaming beacon shining through the god damn garbage of dumbass timelines that have no bearing on anyone or anything.

Ult Dirk: So I thought this;

Ult Dirk: You can help me bring your timeline, and universe along with it, to true narrative supremacy alongside mine.

Ult Dirk: Disagree with me if you want, go on ahead, but consider my offer before you decide to make yourself a fucking waste.

Ult Dirk: Everyone benefits from an actual point for existing, Dirk. Your friends are hellbound towards meaninglessness and redundancy, repeating the same old actions and the same old routine. You’ll get sick of it eventually, all of you will.

Ult Dirk: This cannot be stressed enough, you just can’t give up my chance to attain continuous relevancy. People won’t watch a story without enlarged stakes, and my supreme domination with thousands of stories to come will keep us in the public eye for a long, long while.

Ult Dirk: Make your choice wise-

Dirk: Okay, shut the everloving fuck up, please.

Dirk: I’ve had my patience with you the first two times.

Dirk: But it’s worn thin.

Dirk: Nobody is interested in an out of character incel who’s decided that the only way he’ll look appealing is if he cosplays in the worst Kamina cosplay anyone’s seen in decades.

Dirk: No one, and I mean no one, is going to give a fuck about what some random pompous poofy pants asshole says in his psychotic ramblings about some “Narrative” or whatever the fuck you keep spouting on and on with.

Dirk: Speaking of, what the fuck even is this long winded metaphor of yours that you keep on mentioning with readers and stories anyways? It’s gotten old after the first fucking mention of it.

Dirk: There is no goddamn point to anything you’re even saying with it, at least I have a method to the shitty fucking madness that is my life that I put all my friends through.

Dirk: You’re just spouting shit and acting out without even understanding the ramifications or even acknowledging how much of a shithead you come off as instead of how you want to be seen.

Dirk: Everybody knows you’re just putting on the act of being an all knowing holier than thou smug prick, but the only thing you are is a coward who can’t come to terms with anything.

Dirk: We’ve talked too many times, and you told me everything you did, and the only thing you accomplished is disgusting me more and more.

Dirk: I don’t know what got you to this point, how you got so far off the path we promised for ourselves.

Dirk: To be frank, I stopped giving a fuck when you told me what you did to our friends.

Dirk: You turned Jane into a facist Republican propaganda piece with your absolutely deplorable bullshit “narration” powers, you reduced Jake to a goddamn manchild who can’t even stand in front of a crowd without shitting himself.

Dirk: And I don’t even know if this is your fault or Roxy somehow was forced to lose brain cells, but for your Roxy, they’ve been essentially simplified into pink Dave at this goddamn point, not to mention that you’ve insulted them by not even dignifying their identity.

Dirk: That’s not even the beginning, mind you. But the fact that you decided that the people we loved for years deserved to be riduculed, infantalized, demonized, and reduced to imbeciles by your hand is something that you remotely deemed okay? That’s a transgression I can’t be anything but disgusted with you for.

Ult Dirk: You clearly misunderstand how inconsequential all you just criticized me for was and still is.

Ult Dirk: Dirk, misgendering and manipulation means nothing compared to what I have in store.

Ult Dirk: You don’t even have any proof to show that I did it in any case, all everyone knows is that I left on some mission that nobody fucking knows jack on.

Ult Dirk: How bad can I truly be, with just those as my only crimes?

Dirk: Perfect segway into how you kidnapped Rose, corrupted her, and manipulated her wife into believing everything I just stated and more was fucking okay by her when she clearly didn’t, and now she wants to fucking murder you, and so on.

Dirk: Not to mention, John Egbert.

Ult Dirk: I didn’t do anything to John.

Ult Dirk: Bare in mind that it still was useful for getting the Seer of Mind on my side, regardless of the blame for his death. Seriously, how the hell did I do anything to a guy far out of my reach?

Dirk: Sure, because you totally didn’t bullshit the concept of “Cherub Poison” that essentially one shot kills god tiers and completely bypasses our complete bullshit deus ex machina known as conditional immortality.

Dirk: Either way, doesn’t excuse that you used his death to manipulate a grieving woman either. I can go on, but seriously.

Dirk: It baffles me that you think any of this fucking shit is remotely excuseable. We’re done here.

Dirk: Get a life, you sorry sack of shit. You don’t even deserve any of the similes turned defemations or symbolic insults I can come up with right now.

Ult Dirk: You go when I say you go.

Ult Dirk: You want to play a game?

Ult Dirk: Fine.

Ult Dirk: I’ll humor you.

Ult Dirk: I want to-

Dirk: -Play a game in which I’m still a piece of shit trying to manipulate another person around him into his twisted schemes.

Dirk: That’s what you should have gone on to end it with. Because we know it’s the truth.

Dirk: Real fucking original line, by the way. Want to pull out the bro vs. bro strife drama out of your ass to add on to the shitty callback cake? Just sprinkle that shit on there?

Ult Dirk: You’ll never understand, will you?

Dirk: I could honestly say the same to you, especially when you try to look like the king of the weaboo neckbeards.

Ult Dirk: Don’t compare me to Tegiri Kalbur.

Dirk: Who the hell even is that? You know what, don’t care.

Dirk: What I’m saying is that despite your reasoning of this being all important because you’re suddenly the villain now out of left field, doesn’t explain how this has remotely any point to even happen in the first place.

Dirk: If you wanted relevance through this Sburb session you’re trying to set up, then think about it. Would anyone have complained about you going off to make some new alien species on a new planet? I doubt they actually would have, if you didn’t go off and specifically piss off everyone in your five hundred thousand mile vicinity.

Dirk: Hell, I guarantee some people would have wanted to help you out with some of this shit, it probably would have been an entertaining experience for some of the more scientifically minded folks in our social circle.

Dirk: Not that you care, you’ve made that pretty evident.

Ult Dirk: I’m not letting you leave.

Ult Dirk: This decision has long left your capability to effect it. I gave you your chances to assimilate with me willingly, and you chose to shit on my offers time and time again.

Ult Dirk: So you’ve left me no choice but to beat you down myself, and make sure you finally understand your place, and your role in the frameworks of my greatest masterpiece.

Ult Dirk: My words explaining to you how you don’t understand weren’t me flexing the muscles of my ego in your face, Dirk. It was an explanation on how futile your resistance truly is.

Ult Dirk: Come at me bro. We’ll make this happen.

Dirk: Finally, some words we can agree on.

Ult Dirk: And I’ll cut this off for the dumbass posting this to Tumblr of all places with a nice, shoddily made callback.

Seriously, Tumblr? You have a fanfic you can just as easily post all this to on AO3, you could have made your own website, but you chose Tumblr. This is what I get when I let a sixteen year old have the reigns.

If you want some context on this motherfucker, too bad. I’m not promoting shit for this child who thinks that my work is child’s play written by a band of idiots. They can do it themselves.

The next page will be up soon, so you can truly see who’s in charge here.

Until this bastard finishes the art, Dirk Strider, signing off. (God, that was the most moronic sentence I’ve had the displeasure to say. Of course they need me to sign off this way.)

Pg 1. You are Here

Pg 2. Coming Soon

Divergent Reality so far:

#hs2 #hs2 negativity #hsadr #homestuck act divergent reality #hsadr upd8 #this is more of a side project related to hsadr #it’s not fully relevant to the story #hence being here!#myart #homestuck #dirk strider #ult dirk #ultimate dirk

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decemberspeech · 4 years

Text

dragon raja theory time babes !!SPOILERS!!

so if you played through the prologue and didn't just skip past it, you probably know what happened, and you likely know Renata, but more importantly, Z.

we know nothing about Z. he's available as a 5 star ally, but his gallery info barely gives anything about him. we don't know his birthday or star sign, and his only aspiration is to protect Renata. at the end of the prologue, Z picks up her dead body, and says that he promised her that he'd give a "gift." he then makes a promise to her: that he will take her with him, no matter where he goes, until the end of their lives.

now, we're going into spoiler territory. if you care about Dragon Raja's plot, turn away.

everyone gone? good. now, Renata is not actually dead. if you obtain the ally Zero, or Party Zero, you may notice something: Zero has Renata's prologue voicelines. and if you get to chapter 10, level 87 and do the story quest for it, she enters the story. and our suspicions are confirmed: it is Renata, back from the dead. how? this is where Z comes into play. i have him as an ally, and if we look at his exclusive belonging...

it's a Pact. the description says it's "A pact that brings life back from the dead and makes the withered bloom again." many times, Renata is referred to as a flower, an Arctic bloom. the pact Z has brought Renata back from the dead, and made her bloom. okay, he can bring people back to life, cool. now, let's look at his Ally Bonds.

looks pretty good. Zero, Herzog, Bondarev and... Ming-Z-Lu?

that seems strange. why would he have a bond with Ming-Z-Lu? unless that pact was with him, to bring back Renata, much like how Luminous made a deal with Ming to save NoNo, the price being 1/4th of Luminous' soul. but we know who Luminous is, he's a bumbling coward with an S ranked Extra Skill. we don't know who Z is.

we know a few things about Z: he likes Renata, is constantly tired, doesn't like Christmas, knew that Herzog was evil, and he seems to be sick in the prologue. Herzog mentions giving him medicine when Renata makes up an excuse for him to not be at training. maybe this is because of him giving up part of his life? did he do this before?

let's look back at Z's gallery info... height of 155cm, his blood type is AB, and his VA is someone named Akie Kotabe. alright, neat! wait... let's look at the gallery info for Ming-Z-Lu.

AB blood type, height is 155cm, VA is Akie Kotabe... the exact same as Z. that's strange, but not really proof of anything. i mean, sure, his name is also Ming-Z-Lu, but that can just be a coincidence... except for one Anecdote.

if you go to Black Swan Bay again and sleep in your old bed, there's a chance for you to get a message from Z, in your dreams. of course, you question where the hell he's been, but instead he just says this:

that sounds a lot like something Ming-Z-Lu would say, doesn't it? trying to get you into some sort of deal. it also implies he has some sort of wish making ability, if he can make you powerful and wealthy with the snap of his fingers. i accepted, but if don't agree, he says this:

if you can't read it, the player says "Sounds boring." in response, Z says "Go to sleep. Have a nice nightmare." pretty rude. that's also the same way Ming-Z-Lu responds to Luminous not wanting to make another deal; he gets upset.

there's also the fact he says that he'll see you soon. now, you can do this anecdote at any level, as long as you've cleared the prologue. currently he doesn't show up besides the prologue, but the global server isn't the first Dragon Raja game.

Dragon Raja is originally a Chinese game (like Love Nikki!) and our server is actually behind them. the Chinese server has been around since summer of 2019, and if you use QooApp, you can get access to it. they have about 4 more chapters to the story than the global server, so it's possible Z shows up again. (i don't have Z on the Chinese server so I can't confirm.)

so what does all this mean?

i believe that Z didn't make a deal with Ming-Z-Lu. i think that Ming-Z-Lu and Z are the same person in different forms.

let's look at two other allies that we know are also the same person: Ruri Kazama, and Chime Gen. Ruri is Chime's "demon form," since Chime seems to be a part of the Devil Clan. the game also attributes things Chime says to Ruri. there's a gossip question asking which person said that Luminous has a lion hidden in his eyes. in the story it's Chime that says this, but the correct answer is Ruri Kazama. the game spoils itself so often it's ridiculous, like how another gossip question asks which character Renata is, to which the answer is Zero.

let's look at Ruri and Chime's gallery info to compare.

they're identical, except for their blood type. this might be a translation error, or a side effect of the demon form. this is like how Ming-Z-Lu and Z's entries are identical, except for their interests.

Z being another form of Ming-Z-Lu would explain why Z is so tired. it must take up a lot of energy to keep up being another person, especially if it's for a long period of time. after all, Z seems to be known and trusted in the orphanage. others can see the people Ming-Z-Lu comes up with, like how he made hair stylist and fashion designers exist for Erii and Luminous during Tokyo Love Story.

given all of this, it seems likely that Z is really another form of Ming-Z-Lu, or at the very least, he's a creation of Ming-Z-Lu's making. we'll just have to wait for the story to continue to see what happens.

but that's just a theory. A GAME THEORY

(special thanks to my club, GodTier of S9-Ice Throne for being real OGs, for telling me about the dream Anecdote, and for enduring my insane infodump nonsense.)

#dragon raja #dragon raja z #dragon raja Ming z lu #Ming-Z-Lu #dragon raja zero #special interest #theory #dr theory #rambles #long post #dragon raja spoilers #dragon raja theory #game theory

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thirdbasedumpsterfire · 4 years

Text

Doby vs Toby a comparison Part 1

Alright so as I'm sure many of you know Third base and it’s main character Doby Doggers were originally created as a response to Ticci Toby’s removal from Creepypasta. Doby was created as a respectful yet spiteful way to replace Toby in fan work (His name being a direct correlation, Doby Doggers, Toby Roggers) That was why I latched onto him to begin with. He was also made to fit the role toby filled hence why the story follow the same general beats.

Despite this I don’t talk a lot about Toby on this blog. Partially because Kastoway wants us to forget him and partially because I don’t want to treat Doby like a rip off character. Doby is his own character and in my opinion RJ did a great job at making an original character with a familiar vibe.

Still, as much as I don’t want Toby to define Doby that is where he started. Plus it’s a lot of fun to compare and contrast the two of them and their stories. So that’s what I'm here to do. Strap in because this’ll be a long one.

Quick disclaimer I’ll be stating a lot of my personal opinion in this. If Toby still means a lot to you thats great, but spoiler alert I prefer Doby’s story.

Also this will obviously spoil both stories as I'll be discussing every aspect of the characters and their stories including the endings.

TW for Suicide, Death, Car accidents, Mental illness, Nightmares, Paranoia, Hallucinations, Child Abuse, Drinking, Murder, Arson, Psychosis, Transphobia, Dysphoria, Ableism

There’s a lot to compare between these two stories so let’s start with their stories.

STORY

Tragedy & Sibling Relationship

Both stories start with tragedy and the first shared element between them. Both stories center around a close sibling relationship torn apart but death.

For Toby that was his older sister Lyra. She died in a car crash that Toby was also in. Lyra isn’t given much character (which is a recurring problem in Toby’s story) but it’s clear that she and Toby were very close. He loved his sister more than anything and she was his only friend.

For Doby it was his older brother John. John committed suicide while living with their mother. Doby lives with his father. We’re told a little about John. He was a painter and collected art from the thrift store, He and Doby would talk for hours about baseball and Doby’s love life. We know they were very close even after their parents divorce.

The most interesting difference between the two in this aspect is the difference in situation. Toby was bullied into homeschooling and his father was very abusive. As a result he didn’t have any outside friends. He also didn’t have any other family relationship as he saw his mother as a coward for how she took the abuse and obviously hated his father. This made Lyra his only friend and only human to interact with. There was also a difference in the type of trauma her death gave him. Toby has CIP-A which means he can’t feel pain so when the crash happened he didn’t pass out on impact he was conscious and saw his sisters injuries. He watched her die.

Doby by comparison was in a fairly normal environment. His parents were divorced but beyond that he had a typical upbringing. He and John were more organically close. Johns death was a different type of trauma because it was suicide. Suicide is a different thing to a car crash. both are sudden but one I more preventable than the other. Suicide leaves those left behind feeling responsible or at very least looking for somewhere to place the blame. Doby blamed his mother’s refusal to help John and her narcissistic attitude for Johns death.

Parents and Family Relationship

this is the key difference between the two. Toby has been abused for years, he is still in an abusive situation, and just lost his sister. He was beyond traumatized to begin with so it’s no surprise he was so easy to push over the edge.

Doby by comparison had a normal childhood. His mother was terrible and verbally abusive but she was removed from the picture when he was young. He also grew up trans and that certainly affected him but his father, brother, and friends accepted him giving him a good support system.

Toby and Doby both had abusive parents but Toby was kept in that environment his entire life whereas Doby got out of it young. That is the main difference between the two.

Even when it came to the “good parents” Toby had his mom who was complicit in his abuse. Doby at least had a supportive and loving father.

Slenderman

Of course both story’s incorporate Slenderman as a key plot point. Both characters are Proxies.

Slenderman is not mentioned by name in either (why would he be)but his representation differs in an interesting way.

Toby’s story describes him as an image we as Creepypasta fan are familiar with, a tall pale man in a suit standing under a streetlamp. This can be attributed to the time it was written back in slendervers’s hay day. His affect on toby is quite extreme. Toby suffers hallucinations, vivid night terrors, extreme paranoia, extreme dissociation, an allure towards arson, and of course homicidal tendencies. He show’s severe PTSD symptoms as well.

Toby’s problems go as far as seeing his dead sister with horrible injuries during a night terror. Despite his situation his mother get’s worried enough to take him to a psychologist.

Doby however, never really directly sees or describes Slenderman. The story takes advantage of our knowledge as creepypasta fans much like Toby’s. Except now we don’t even need explicit description all we need is the connection to the woods and the knowledge of Doby’s connection to Toby’s story to recognize the monster of the story.

Doby’s decent is also a lot more subtle as well. It’s little things that eventually lead to the ending. Most of the focus is on him mourning John. He thinks endlessly about it and disassociates as a coping mechanism. Eventually he begins having night terrors. They aren’t outright threatening at first but just the prospect of losing his brother over and over again pushes him to lose sleep. Doby doesn’t suffer hallucinations either (which is rare in slenderverse) He is sleep deprived and deals with intrusive homicidal thoughts about his mother.

Murder

Toby and Doby both murder their abusive parents in the end and set the house on fire before running off into the woods. Beyond that the circumstances behind the murders differ greatly.

If Toby were to have been tried in court he would have been charged with Voluntary Manslaughter if he wasn’t found not guilty by reason of insanity. I believe he likely would be. this is because Toby didn’t plan to kill his father. He certainly meant to be it was a crime of passion. He killed in the heat of a moment of rage.

The reason I say he would be found not guilty by reason of insanity is because of the severity of his mindset. Toby is a true proxy through and through he was not in control when killing his dad. He wasn't not in control when he set the neighborhood on fire either. Toby was completely dissociated. He certainly meant to kill and wouldn't regret it but he was gone when the killing happened.

If Doby were tried in court he would have been found guilty of First Degree Murder. Doby planned to kill his mom and that’s the key difference between the two murders. He wasn't set off in a fit of rage, he was cold and calculated. He broke in, made sure she couldn't get to the phone, broke plates to get her downstairs, and hid in the dark until she was within a bat swings distance. He was very there unlike Toby. Doby absolutely knew what he was doing.

That’s the difference. Toby wanted to kill his dad but wasn't in control. Doby wanted to kill his mom and did the only influence Slenderman needed was getting him to go through with it.

Endings

The last thing I’ll talk about in this post is the ending of both stories.

At the end of Toby’s story his mom walks in on him having killed his dad. In a panic he runs outside and lights the neighborhood on fire before presumably dying. Then we step into his mother point of view as she move in with he sister. she’s mourning the loss of her family when she sees a report of a serial killer on the loose that is presumed to be her son.

Doby’s story ends much more open-ended. He smashes his moms head to a pulp before lighting her house on fire. he walks out with tears in his eyes and calls Johns voicemail telling his brother that he’s coming home before walking out to the woods.

I think these endings sum up very well the differences between these two characters and their stories. Ticci Toby is a horror. Third Base is a tragedy. sure they each have a hint of the other but they are mainly those things. That difference is in everything from the tone, to the character development, to the motivation, to of course the endings.

In the next post I'll compare and contrast the characters themselves so stay tuned~

~ Mod Vilet

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dallonm-archive · 3 years

Note

Hi! I love ur WIP oh revelations revelations, and I was wondering if you could give ur characters physical descriptions?

hi thank you so much!!! not gonna lie i ~suck~ at character descriptions (really I’m just not confident in them) and the ones I do aren’t overtly detailed and feed a lot more into showing their personality combines with appearance. Plus as a reader I will create my own image in my head if I don’t get something from the author lmao. So this will just be some rambles with some picrews and IRL photos (I don’t do official faceclaims and will get into that, but I do use some to help visualise what’s in my head), and also fashion because I love fashion and I love 80s fashion and I have to stop myself from writing 389424 outfit descriptions <3 feat. some barely edited prose!!

only doing the “main five” (are they truly the only main characters? I have no self control <3) because I lose track of which characters I’ve talked about so this is far from all the cast! And picrew/photo limitations mean these aren’t how exactly they look but it gives you an idea! Also I wrote this out and then lost it t w i c e :) Here are the two picrews I used: x x

Beau

My KING. It’s kinda funny to me because his description comes from the POV of a man who’s going to fall in love with him so whilst it’s not like “oh my god he’s so hot” I feel like you can DEFINITELY tell there’s something there. Beau and Felix aren’t exactly a slow burn couple lmao

Beau mirrors his mother. Same complexion, same smile, the only difference is his eyes are lighter and his curls are wilder, one absentmindedly coiled around his index. He wears a pistachio coloured button up with palm tree prints, oversized. A necklace with a shell charm, a brown beaded bracelet. He still grins at Felix, charmingly, as he continues to ramble about the music. Beau is effortless. He swims in the San Francisco colours.

This picrew captures him pretty well although I wish they had a facial hair option as he does have a bit of stubble

It’s all about the curls! He has a head full of them and they’re my favourite thing about him. This is a good example of where I don’t have a faceclaim but I do have pictures of a model that help visualise what I see: these pictures of Miles Frank were the first that resembled what I saw in my head, but only these two resemble him lmao. He’s not his faceclaim. Again, it’s all about the curls! (and the leather jacket)

He kinda has an athletic build not not overtly? Like he’s not muscular but he used to do a lot of sport as a teenager and he’s 100% the type of person who wakes with the sunrise to go on runs. Cannot relate but good for him! He’s around 5′10/5′11

Style is definitely important for his self expression but he also values comfort over fashion. It’s all about the oversized printed button ups (I found one in a thrift store that looks EXACTLY like the one in the description and I didn’t buy it I’m so mad!!! I failed both Beau and the queer community in that moment). He will wear All The Colours but he especially likes greens and pinks/reds. Leather jacket is a staple when the weather allows it.

He also loves jewellery, especially bracelets, especially homemade bracelets. 100% makes friendship bracelets.

Dorothy and Felix

I’ll put these two together because they’re not identical but like, they are twins lmao. Life hack: if you hate description for the POV character give them a twin and make them lowkey hate each other so you can ~compare~

Brother and sister. Born minutes apart on a dreary January night that wheezed rain. Bundled in identical bloodstained blankets, porcelain limbs and faces indistinguishable - but as they grow, the mirror their reflections share starts to crack. Dorothy grows taller, then Felix overtakes at 16. Dorothy’s features soften, but she grows a glare that digs deeper than Felix’s ever could. Dorothy aims for the moon; Felix accepts that he’ll never leave. Dorothy maps out a survival plan for the outside world; Felix maps out how he’ll work for the Church. But they still share the cinnamon hair, the freckles peppering their nose and cheeks, the grey-blue irises and heavy eyelids. They grew into different people with the same face made of different stitching, the same blood infected with different sin.

Dorothy is the only one who kinda has a faceclaim but not really? I struggle with faceclaims beyond inspo/resemblance because like I said, I don’t have the most exact image in my head but I am still very picky so I can look at a pic and immediately be like YES or NO lmao. But also, an issue I have is that a lot of faceclaims come from models/actors; I have no issue with pretty characters (I would call mine pretty lmao but it’s never like. a character trait), but there is that element of conventional attractiveness as well as editing/posing/lighting for professionally shot photos. That’s just me personally though, love them for helping visualise ideas! Since Dorothy was really difficult to get an image of, a “faceclaim” really helped. I made her after Felix so her only descriptor was “brown hair like her brother, similar facial features”, until I saw these pictures of Jane Birkin from the 60s. Again, not an official faceclaim (Dorothy isn’t as skinny as her), but that was where I first got an image of her as an individual character and was definitely the foundation. Her hair looks exactly like that!

She doesn’t really wear makeup, it’s not a statement or anything I just don’t think it suits her haha. 100% wears astronomy themed jewellery though

Her favourite colours to wear are red and violet. I’d describe her fashion as quite casual and flowy? She loves blouses, especially ones with floral prints. 100% rocks double denim (we are pro double denim here). I’d say her style is also more 70s inspired than 80s

She’s 5′9 which makes me 😳

I first made Felix because of a picture of Luke Powell, and I have to laugh because he is SUCH a common faceclaim on Pinterest but also suddenly I was just like ??? NO???? I held onto him as a FC for way too long when they don’t really look alike

Fluffy hair! Floppy hair! This isn’t canon in the book yet because I’m not sure how to present it beyond a bunch of hair descriptions, but I can see his hair being much shorter whilst he’s still in the cult and then he slowly grows its out (not much longer, just messier and unkept until its like the picrew) - again I have no idea how to show it in prose but I think in a movie/TV Series that’d be a cool way to show passing of time but also him settling into his identity. If he wasn’t a coward he’d grow it to mullet length

He and Beau are similar heights - 5′10/5′11. I love height differences in couples but I don’t think that suits them? They’re more likely to argue over who’s the taller one because the inch or so difference is so subtle they can’t even tell LMAO

I know this man just has the ugliest fashion taste but like in good way? Like you know when you see a sweater in the store and you’re like that’s so UGLY I need it? 100% owns both of these:

I think he’d wear a lot of yellows/oranges/browns but also blues. Would love a brown corduroy or bomber jacket, or dark/moss green??

Jolie

The way she was LITERALLY meant to be the main antagonist and then I was like wait but she’s hot lol. Jolie is a very interesting character to me - she won’t be in the next update but she’ll be talked about a lot in the one after 👁️ (Not obvious in the excerpt but the idea is Dorothy’s listing the “colours” of Jolie)

High waisted, baggy jeans distressed at the knee; matching denim jacket rolled up to the elbow. Faded blue. Cheap band print shirt. Blondie. Kitchen scissor-cut fringe. Bleached – originally chestnut. Chipped nails. Cherry lacquer. Round glasses with scotch tape around the bridge. Silver. Triangular face, straight nose. Pale. No makeup besides red lips. Whatever the cheapest red shade at the drugstore was in 1984. Combat boots with heels nobody else would travel in, but Jolie would. Leather black. 5’2. She smiles at Dorothy with her teeth. Lipstick stains her incisors.

Jolie’s been the hardest to nail appearance wise and it honestly this picrew is the only thing that visualises what’s in my head.

At 5′3 she’s the shortest out of these five. She’s plus sized, which is another thing I find a lot of picrews don’t show very well unfortunately

She bleaches her hair just before we meet her in the book, and later on we see her cut her hair into a messy mullet style, before that it was shoulder-length. Would never pay for a haircut because hairdressers cannot give her what she wants

A lot of her style is a blend between masculine and feminine. She has a very complicated relationship with her gender identity which she navigates through her expression but she does embrace some elements of femininity, although to her it’s redefined to suit her perception of it. Her style is very similar to Jamie’s from Bly Manor. I think she’d also be influenced by punk and rock fashion.

She’s a gardener and it shows, definitely the type to tuck a little flower behind her ear.

Isaias

No character description for him because I scrapped and am currently rewriting the whole chapter where he’s introduced so :( but I will make sure to include it in the next writing update! I love him, he has such pleasant vibes

There is one picture that is very similar to how I see him, especially because the person in it is wearing a denim jacket and an oversized denim jacket is an Isaias STAPLE. The only problem is the photo is in black and white, also I’d like to see him smile.

I’ve been struggling to nail his hair but the picrew shows it quite well, albeit in a cartoon style. It’s all about the long side part

Besides the denim jacket he wears a lot of turtlenecks when the weather allows it, otherwise he’s a big fan of dress shirts. Loves to wear deep blues and purples. Depending on the weather, he’d also layer up with two jackets over a dress shirt. On the flip side I can see him wearing a pastel coloured blazer as well, like lavender? LOVE that.

He’s a pretty average height, not short and not very tall. Around 5′8?

Pretty much always has some kind of bag/backpack with him because he likes to have his notebook on him at All Times.

I’ll stop myself there because this is getting long! Like I said, I don’t have exact images in my head but I do have well, an image lmao. I do like the idea that people can develop their own image in their head too based on what I’ve described so I hope that was interesting! I’d also love to do some art of these guys so I can show better what I see, but unfortunately my tablet is at my dorm and I’m at home and we are on strict lockdown for the foreseeable future :( someday!

#Anonymous #revelations revelations #omg i have to change the tag on all the posts ive made #thank god for xkit

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zerotosiki · 4 years

Text

A Little Too Much - Daminette SongFic

Pairing(s): Damian Wayne (DC) x Marinette Dupain-Cheng (MLB)

Description: Damian and his brothers decided to give a surprise to Marinette. Based on the song "A Little Too Much" by Shawn Mendes. If you didn’t know the song, you can listen to it here.

Word Count: 3,931

Warnings: This is my first time writing the full and completed story. I am still confused with tenses and grammar so I am really sorry if any words look so weird! I am warning you guys!

AN: Same with what I said above. Sometimes (or maybe always..?) I like to exaggerate my story soooo... I hope you guys like it!

Thank you so much @ozmav for creating this wonderful ship, you don’t know how much I need this kind of romance, a romance involving a bad boy but becoming softer because of his girl! And thank you @officiallyathiana for giving this perfectly idea!

Main Story (You’re here) || Bonus 1 || Bonus 2

Why? Why did he accept the bet? "This is not a bet!!" exclaim Jason from behind. Yeah, but in his eyes, this is a bet! How come? He and his annoying brothers decided to surprise Marinette. Yes, Marinette, his girlfriend. Damian didn't expect that he could be able to be in a relationship for 3 years and his girlfriend is an Angel too!

Umm ... To be more precise, a wingless angel ... Marinette is a very kind, friendly, smart, pretty, and sometimes, she emits a fiery aura in her eyes... And, don't forget her beautiful smile. Even the dark city of Gotham can suddenly become bright if she's here, smiling while chuckling occasionally.

"Okay enough about her beautiful smile because we already know how much you love her," Jason said suddenly, a mischievous smile on his face. Damian glared at Jason while growling, even though Jason didn't feel intimidated at all. Not with Damian's red face because of his own embarrassment.

"Stop it!" said Dick after clapping his hands hard enough to prevent a bloody war that might occur sometime later. "We should go back to our previous discussion okay? If you want this surprise to really happen before it's too late..."

And with that, Damian snorted in annoyance while Jason only chuckled at his brother's behavior. "I already said if we want to give a surprise to Marinette, it should be a fancy and fabulous one. Since Marinette deserves the best," said Damian while crossing his hand.

"But demon-spawn, you should know by now that Marinette isn't fond of excessive luxury. It'll just make her uncomfortable and you don't want that, right?" asked Tim from across the sofa, a cup of coffee in his hand as usual.

Of course, Damian would know about it. But there's no way he would admit it openly. Not in the front of his annoying brothers, okay?

"That's why we suggest you a more simple one but no less romantic than your original plan, Damian."

"You said a simple one... And that is by singing to her?" Damian cannot help to ask about that with a tone of disbelief. Because what is romantic with singing? Isn't that just a plain one? Moreover, he never singing in his entire life! He is in distress! He scared he will be the ONE ruining this surprise because of his voice. Not that his voice is bad, okay? He knows his voice is good, like really really good.

"Yup, and you already lost, demon-spawn. So you cannot back down now..." Oh, how he wishes he can turn back time right now. He wonders why he has such bad luck. Five minutes ago, he and his brothers were arguing which type of surprise gift they should prepare for Marinette's upcoming birthday.

He chooses a fancy one with him holding a bunch of roses in front of her school so when she out of school, she will be surprised and then happy and then... hopefully, give a kiss thank you? Not only roses, of course. He will take her to a fancy dinner where he would gift her another present and maybe she'll give a big smile while in tears and then... again, give a kiss thank you?

But no, his brothers strongly disagree with him and suddenly deciding that singing to her is a better option. Which is not. In his opinion. Since Damian is stubborn to let go of his plan, one of his brothers, the oldest one, Dick, suggesting for Damian to do rock-paper-scissors with one of them (Dick, Jason, or Tim).

So Damian chooses Jason, for a reason, he thinks Jason would have less chance to win with this type of game. Oh, how wrong he is. Maybe Lady Fortune is indeed upset with him. Because he loses 3 straight chances with Jason! And now he has to accept the consequences.

After one month of a lot of practice, he and his brothers have a trip to Paris (Bruce cannot come along because of an important business that he cannot miss. Of course not before he said, "Damian, please send my regards to my future daughter-in-law" in which Damian is just glaring at his father while his cheek is tinted with pink color).

"... And here I am ..." said Damian to no one. He is so nervous. His hand suddenly felt sweaty while his other hand held a guitar. After he sits down on one of the benches near Marinette's school while Dick and Jason take a seat behind him (They help him by playing the guitar too. It's just for the "best" result, not because he cannot play the guitar very well). He takes a breath down while he tries to calm his nerves. It worked, alright. He felt a lot calmer compared to before.

"Don't worry too much Baby Bat. I'm sure Marinette will be very happy with this! Trust me!" Of course she will happy. At least he hopes so. When Tim is signaling to him, he knows now that's the cue to start. So he closes his eyes and begins playing the guitar while ignoring all the stares from the passerby.

She would not show that she was afraid

He remembers the first time he met Marinette. At that time, some unimportant villains are attacking Wayne Enterprises when he becomes Jason's assistant for a translator between the French class and his brother (Dick was busy with his girlfriend so he cannot be the guide).

Jason tries to help people including The French class to evacuate as quickly as he can, while Damian goes to a safe place to change into his Robin uniform. By the time he comes back, there's already Red Robin at there and a second minute later Red Hood comes too. He suddenly raises a voice and at that time Damian, no, Robin knows what is wrong.

He sees one of the French class, a girl with midnight hair and prettiest blue eyes he ever has seen, standing protectively behind a little boy. In front of her is one of the villains, who apparently decides to become a coward and want to target weak civilians. He and Red Hood rush in to save her just to see that little petite girl kick the villains in the face. And can you hear the cracking sound?

Wow. Robin just stood there looking awestruck until he snaps out of it when Red Hood strangling the villain. Since his brothers already dealing with the villains, Robin decides to check the girl.

When he approaching the girl who right now is busy hugging the little boy while whispering something, probably to calm the little boy, she suddenly spins around and takes a defensive pose until she realizes the one who comes is Robin, one of Gotham's vigilante.

Good reflex, he noted. She goes back to calming the boy while sometimes she glances at Robin's direction.

"Are you okay?" Ask Robin softly while internally he curses himself for asking such stupid question. Of course, she's not okay. No one would be okay after being confronted by a villain. She visibly relaxes after she hears his soft tone, although he won't miss how her hand still shake albeit just a little. He knows she is trying to hide her fear.

"I'm okay, although I was hoping we can take the boy to somewhere safer..?" she said with a hint of French's accent, which made her sound more adorable, okay, focus Robin! He scolds himself.

Not only brave, but she also kind and still thinking someone else besides herself. "Yes, don't worry I'll take you guys outside so the medic will check up on you," He said then he escorts the girl and the little boy to outside and then went to help his brothers. Not before she softly said thank you, though.

Leaving behind Robin who begins to feel some weird feelings.

But being and feeling alone was too much to face

No matter how hard she tried to be strong, he worried that all the problems she'd been through ---Hawkmoth and Liela----, take a toll for her petite body. He knows that feeling. The feels being alone in this big cruel world. Kill or being killed. That was a lesson he was though from back then. When he still takes the mantle of 'al Ghul'.

But he grateful because his life is becoming better than before when he met Batman, his father, and his brothers albeit still annoying.

And he is really lucky to meet a wonderful girlfriend, Marinette, his habibti.

Though everyone said that she was so strong

What was her nickname get from the class, the one he heard from the blonde guy? Oh right, their everyday ladybug. Just because Marinette has been helping her friends whenever her friends need help. Just like Ladybug, one of Parisian's heroes. Which is ridiculous.

IF Marinette really their everyday ladybug, then why? Why they choose to believe some shit-not-true-based talks from a random transfer girl who is still new in the school over their claim to be their everyday ladybug who is already being their friend longer than that Liela girl.

What they didn't know is that she could barely carry on

Didn't they have common sense? Not even the strongest guy can take a burden as big as the world! Take a high road? Avoid Liela being akumatized? Damian scoff at this when he listening to one of Marinette's stories. That's stupid and a coward move, he thinks.

He worried because... What about Marinette? Who will take care of her? Marinette is just a human being after all. What if the one being akumatized is her? What would they do? He knows Marinette is really strong, physically and mentally. After repelling akuma for 3 times? Of course she is. And Damian is really proud of her.

But sometimes, the worries still nag him in the back of his mind. Even Batman, the dark and coldest knight can sometimes have a mental breakdown!

But she knew that she would be okay

So she didn't let it get in her way

Of course, ever since she comes to his life, meeting his brothers, Alfred, and his father. He knows, he along with his family will make sure to give Marinette a deserve and best care in the 'world'. From the moment they know the problem, they began to make a "Marinette deserve to be happy" plan right away. He won't let these pesky so-called friends get in the way. Not in his watch, okay.

He knows the plan is the right choice. Because after that, Marinette gradually became more relaxed, happy, and... just being herself.

He, Damian Wayne, swore to himself, to let her know that she deserves to be happy. She's not alone in this world. Not after meeting him. Not after she became his habibti.

Sometimes it all gets a little too much

There was one time. One time that makes his habibti almost expelled from her own school. And that source's problem is... again... ..from that pesky girl named Liela. Oh don't worry, he already has 101 lists on how to get rid of her, alright.

But you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up

Although thankfully Marinette's not really expelled. Even if Marinette's really been expelled, and that problem hasn't solved, he will make sure to solve it, by the law. With his last name and his ability, he can easily found the evidence to sue the school, even Liela.

And you don't have to be afraid, because we're all the same

And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much

He always said to Marinette, to let him or someone else know if she has something troubling her. To let her know, that asking for help is the right thing to do.

"Oh, she's here demon-spawn," whisper Jason which makes him suddenly open his eyes and right there, among peoples, stood his beautiful habibti, Marinette. With her wide eyes, probably from the shock of seeing him here. He gives her a reassuring smile (Hopefully it really looks assuring? 'Cause he is trying so hard to hide his nervous) in which she returns it with her beautiful smile albeit her eyes were glazed.

Okay, time for plan 2 begins.

He quickly but swiftly set aside the guitar (Don't worry, Dick and Jason still playing their guitars. This is a part of their plan, okay? A plan of "We've got your back so you don't have to worry about messing up because of your guitar's skill"). Then he sauntered to her while still singing.

He can see her classmate, the blonde guy, the glasses girl, the cap guy, and the sausage hair girl. But he doesn't care. In his eyes, there's only her. His Habibti. Marinette.

She would always tell herself she could do this

He chuckles whenever he remembers the time when she nervous, she'll chant "Marinette, you're going to be okay. Just trust yourself. Like Tikki and Damian always said." over and over again while she paced. He found it's adorable and had to refrain himself from hugging her and kissing her right then and there.

She would use no help it would be just fine

The first time he tried to convince her that sometimes it's okay for asking help is hard. Like Really hard, okay. He has to be patient or she'll get mad, and he doesn't want that. He knows she is an independent person so she'll try to find a solution by herself without bothering others and he admires her for that.

But sometimes he can't help but to worries about his habibti, okay? Not only that, he admits sometimes he wants to be a reliable boyfriend. A person she can depend on. If that's not too much problem...

But when it got hard she would lose her focus

He worried she'll fall sick because of the problem she'd been through. Because of one time. That is one time. And he doesn't want that to happen again. Not anymore. He remembers, oh, how could he forget? Even if he wants to. He can't.

At that night of patrol, the batfam and ladybird were patroling like usual. He notices Marinette, no, Ladybird weren't herself at that time. Because sometime she would space out. And when he or his brothers ask her if she's okay or needs to rest, she would always say the same thing.

"I am okay, don't worry!" with a smile but not the same smile she always used. It's a tired smile but silently screaming 'Please leave me alone' to which make him and his brothers were forced to leave it.

But later, he regrets it. And he blames himself for it. She, Ladybird got hurt badly because they were ambushed by a group of villains and while the villains are not the strongest one, but because Ladybird is distracted by her problems and the batfam was distracted too because of their worries for Ladybird, one of the villains sneaks behind Ladybird without all of them noticing. And successfully strike her in the back with a knife. A freaking knife.

She got free when she punched the villain hard, in the neck. Which makes the villain fall unconscious. Although not soon as after that, she collapses too. Robin instantly by her side, cradling her gently, ignoring the guilt feeling crawling inside his mind and the tears that started to gather in his eyes. His brothers are not that different too. They beat the villains harder and as quickly as they can, so they can bring Ladybird to the hospital or the Batcave and have Alfred treat her.

Thankfully, the wound is not as crucial as they thought it would be. Although Marinette has to stay rest in the bed for a week. Which is totally okay for him but not okay for Marinette. She's not okay with all batfam trying to babysit her but eh, like it or not, she has to face it. Since it's partly her fault for being distracted in the battle. This is a lesson for her to not pushing herself too hard. And for him to be a more firm boyfriend.

So take my hand and we'll be alright

He found himself already stood in front of her. Staring into her bluebell sparkling eyes, and smiling while softly singing, he held out his hand. She blinks then takes his hand and he gently grasped it. Both of them smiling, ignoring the confused glance from her classmate and the glare from certain people, because why would they care? When in this world, it's just him and her, Damian and Marinette.

And she knew that she would be okay

He guides her back to his brother's place. And at that time, although Marinette felt confused as to why in the world, Damian and his brothers were in here. But she knew that she would be okay. Because she's not alone anymore.

So she didn't let it get in her way

She soon relaxes in his gentle grasp and his soothing voice. This is her best day! Although she has to channel her ladybug's persona when she went through class this morning but at least, now, she got to meet her long-distance-boyfriend!

She greets his brother in silent nod while Dick is giving his charming smile and Jason winked at her. Damian takes a seat and takes his guitar to resume his playing while she takes a seat beside him, although they never broke their gaze from each other. She found herself lost in his deep green forest eyes, while he, Damian, is mesmerizing her eyes too.

Sometimes it all gets a little too much

But you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up

And you don't have to be afraid, because we're all the same

And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much, yeah

Both of them knew. He knew Marinette, right now, is okay. Visibly looks tired but her hopeful eyes are already assuring him that she's okay. Marinette knew, from a long time ago, after Damian has successfully convinced her, that she's not alone. She still has a lot of people who care for her being. Whether it's her parent, her true friends, her kwami, her family, and her boyfriend.

And she's thankful for having such wonderful friends. She's really glad because she doesn't have to bear this alone. She can ask for help, asking for advice. And that's an okay thing to do. And that's a wonderful thing to do. It's felt like something lifted up in her body. And she felt more... light. She felt more... ease.

A little too much, I said a little too much, oh

She still has a lot of problems, alright. With Hawkmoth still here roaming while Lila still making a problem for her.

Sometimes it all gets a little too much

But you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up

But for the first time she thinks, 'It's going to be alright. Because I have a lot of wonderful people who were here to support me. And they'll have my back when I needed help.'

And you don't have to be afraid, because we're all the same

One time she was worried when she has a partner (A partner in romance, mind you. Not partner in battle), can she hide her secret identity from them? What if it's affecting their relationship? What if someday her partner wouldn't trust her again after how many times she lied to protect her secret identity?

But when she knows Robin's real identity after she's been dating Damian for a year, she partly glad and partly afraid. She glad because she and Damian are similar, they both were heroes who have a burden in their shoulders. And maybe... Just maybe... Damian would understand her. She worried because if Damian is a hero too (or a vigilante, according to what he said), then he must've been through a lot like her, or probably much worse than her. And she's afraid for him.

And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much yeah

Hawkmoth and Lila's problem + all crimes in Gotham's town who'd been raising lately? Yup, it's getting a little too much for both of them. And they knew it.

Sometimes it all gets a little too much

But you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up

But that's okay because they can handle it.

And you don't have to be afraid, because we're all the same

Because they're together. We're both together.

And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much

Even if the world's going to fall apart, they know they'll handle it. They can handle it. Because they're together, with all support from their friends and family. Yes, they can.

The song ended with a soft thud and Damian put his guitar back then turns around to face his girlfriend while saying, "Umm.. so what do you think?". Marinette just raises a brow hearing his nervous tone, "Isn't like I'm angry or disappointed, but what is this?". Marinette tries to remember if today is an important day that maybe she forgets because she's been focusing on her problem? But no, there's no such date. Her birthday is still a month later and their anniversary is still a couple months later too.

"Well, we were actually planning to give you a surprise gift for your birthday BUT this baby demon-spawn here.." Jason ruffled his hair playfully, to which Damian response with a glare and "Shut it, Todd!" but Jason just chuckled, much to his dismay.

"What Jason means is Baby Bat is very worried about you. He always spaced out and then put on this scowl face with a wrinkled forehead, a look of worry, whenever he thinks we're not noticing." Dick continued to embarrass his little brother with a teasing smile.

"..So we decided we have enough of a moody Damian, book a ticket to Paris earlier than the plan and do the surprise right now and there, just to cheer up you, Marinette. So Damian will not go back to his moody mode and you'll cheer up again! It's a win-win for all of us." said Tim, who surprised Marinette because she doesn't know he's here too. Marinette is giving him an 'I am sorry' look while Tim just waving his hand, a sign of 'it's okay'.

Damian groaned. He thought this day will going perfectly but nooo... His brothers always try to found a way to embarrass him. And now they successfully did it. They perfectly ruining his image of 'a good and cool boyfriend' (he try hard).

Marinette giggled, her giggling sound send warm feelings in his body, and save him from his embarrassment by taking his hand and hugging him firmly. "Thank you so much, Dami," she whispers softly. To which Damian respond with hugging her back, and gently said, "Your welcome, Habibti".

"...So ready for the next part?" asked Jason to no one in particular. The couple broke their hug and Marinette giving a confused glance at his boyfriend. Damian just shrugs and smirk, "Do you want to go have fun, Habibti?" while his eyes were sending a different message, "Do you want to go from this awful place and away from this awful your so-called classmate?". Marinette blinks before catching on to his hidden message and giving him a gigawatt smile, "Yes, of course, Dami".

...End?

Main Story (You’re here) || Bonus 1 || Bonus 2

-------------------------------->>

Maybe or maybe not I will make some bonus stories (which is about a salty classmate, a roasted Liela, oops, I mean Lila, and Damian's embarrassment. Lol). The bonus stories will be just for fun though.

#daminette #damian x marinette #damimari #maridami #marinette x damian #songfic: a little too much #my attempt writing

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