#late opinions delivered badly

[modernvictories]

In Blossom, Episode 13:

I think Episode 12 and 13 are the strongest episodes of the series yet (Episode 12 being superior in my opinion, but only slightly), and the writing considerably tightens in these episodes.

More below the cut. Spoilers included, obviously; proceed at your own risk.

I found myself irrepressibly charmed by the interaction between our second male lead and our first male lead in the beginning, and the insight into Pan Yue's past (the wounds on his heart finally revealed) was appropriately heart-wrenching; the mystery still isn't the best, but the investigative writing in this episode (12) is by far the most impressive of the things shared so far (in no small part due to the fact that they're investigating themselves, and not just interviewing people who coincidentally have the answers they're looking for and then going Eureka! while staring at scrolls or randomly thinking). I think it's no secret that In Blossom doesn't have the tightest writing when it comes to actually being a mystery, so the focus on the character aspects instead makes it a much more compelling story.

Our female lead continues to be the weakest point in the show to me (including her writing): I think her chemistry and compatibility with Pan Yue and Jiang is pleasant and much improved since she first met them, but her writing is inconsistent when it comes to her own character and her interactions with other characters, plus I think the lack of cohesion between how the two actresses portrayed Yang Caiwei doesn't do her any favors either. I'm liking Jiang more than I thought I would, too: his personality is playful, fun, and boyish, and I wonder if he's going to end up as an item with Yang Caiwei's other friend instead? They have very cute interactions and it does seem to be set up that way: I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up as an item.

I previously said I was glad Pan Yue's father didn't look to be an abusive monster (just a bad dad) during a previous episode discussion, but I'll have to take that back now: apparently I was too optimistic about historical fathers with illegitimate sons. My bad! For all I think that it's a tired trope, though, I was hoping for more angst, and it definitely delivered. It's so fascinating that Pan Yue's father doesn't seem to care for Pan Yue's mother or back up Pan Yue when he stood up for her despite his illegitimate birth and instead reprimands him when he refuses to apologize for defending his mother, because you notice that Pan Yue doesn't care about what other people say about him at all: but that temper and violence lashes out whenever people speak badly about people he cares about (like Yang Caiwei).

I also love how Pan Yue's propensity for violence isn't something that he manifested late in life because of Yang Caiwei's death: his method of defending the women he cares about in both past and present is strangling people who speak badly of them with his bare hands.

Again, though, I wish that Yang Caiwei was allowed more complexity: I love Pan Yue grappling with his trauma, his guilt, his suspicion, and his burgeoning feelings of affection towards "Shangguan Zhi" while still grieving, but Yang Caiwei's portrayal is widely inconsistent; she uncovers Pan Yue's grief before she clears him of suspicion (like finding their portrait in his locked box with a key he keeps on him, then saying that he probably did it to fool the public[??]), but once she realizes he's not the killer, she doesn't really think about it afterwards: I expected some more emotional impact from her figuring out he buried her where she wanted because he loved her, or some more grief about her affection for him after she decided not to tell him who she was because she thinks he's in love with the princess, but apart from that initial melancholy, she seems to be giggly, upbeat, and inquisitive around him. I anticipated some shock or emotional response from her: they only reunited for a few days, so she couldn't have known how deep his love ran; but now that she knows he genuinely cared for her, it's just unfortunate that she doesn't figure out the reason for his white hair or have any response to what she found out previously.

Various notes:

I hope Shangguan Zhi and Pan Yue's servants don't become an item; they're cute together, but I'm so tired of the trope where the main characters' second-in-commands/servants get together! It's basically in every drama I've seen.

That moment when Shangguan Zhi almost tells him who she is! And I can't believe that a traumatized, coughing, poisoned(?), still-injured-from-wolves, ill Pan Yue manages to smash a wall with his bare hands, carry Shangguan Zhi out of the dungeons, grieve his dead wife, and flirt with his close friend's sister while laying under the stars: the level of multi-tasking is insane.

The reveal of what the princess actually wants from him was also fascinating: I love that the princess isn't the obsessive female lead type that we're familiar with (see: Shangguan Zhi) but instead has a vested interest in protecting the natural interest.

And when is Pan Yue going to fire that coroner? There doesn't seem to be any point in him being there since he hasn't been able to do his job on multiple occasions.

#in blossom #ciri writes #episode commentary #text #mine #pan yue #yang caiwei #hua jian ling #花间令

[kingedmundsroyalmurder]

David Baker has returned to the narrative! David Baker has charmed everyone at the Williamson home, including Timothy! David Baker wants to know why he has been summoned back into this story!

David Baker would like to remind you that he is a eugenicist! "He did not betray the surprise and dismay he felt at learning that Eric had fallen in love with a dumb girl of doubtful antecedents; and the strange case enlisted his professional interest."

So Eric takes David to meet Kilmeny, and David is, of course, utterly bowled over by her beauty. Eric, meanwhile, never passes up a chance to be weird about Kilmeny: "Eric smiled as he recalled HIS first meeting with her. He suddenly realized how far Kilmeny had come since then and how much she had developed." This is how my friend talks about her toddler. 'Oh, she's developed so much these past few months! She's so much more confident now!'

There is also, as others have already pointed out, a massive difference between having an appointment with someone who has come recommended by someone you trust and looking up when you think yourself alone and suddenly seeing a complete stranger staring at you. Like, never mind the fact that Kilmeny has had the worldview-shattering character moment of finding out her true reflection, she was expecting David Baker.

“Eric, she is simply unutterable!” said David in an undertone. “Last night, to tell you the truth, I had a rather poor opinion of your sanity. But now I am consumed with a fierce envy. She is the loveliest creature I ever saw.”

I suppose there is something admirable in how blatantly all these men state that all they want from a wife is a pretty trophy. I'm also curious if we're ever going to get David Baker's tragic romantic backstory, which was alluded to back in chapter one.

Eric leaves David with Kilmeny and goes off to school. I had thought he was done for the summer -- are we into fall by this point? I have fully lost track of the timeline of this book. It's all a kind of hazy dream of endless summer. Again, we can definitely see the kernel of something that Maud will become much better at over her career. She eventually uses the seasons extremely deftly, tying the setting, the time of year, and the narrative together seamlessly. Even within one season, she will take us from early summer to high summer to late summer and the passage of time will matter. Here, I have no idea how much time has passed. I feel like the last month marker I saw referenced was July? But maybe it's now September? I have no idea.

Anyway, we run into Neil again. Remember Neil? Yeah, he's not doing so hot. "Neil’s face had grown thin and haggard; his eyes were sunken and feverishly bright; he looked years older than on the day when Eric had first seen him in the brook hollow." Eric feels a sudden surge of pity and asks Neil if they can be friends, while delivering a complete non-apology. Eric is not even listening and learning, that would be better than what he actually says. What he says is, "I am sorry if I have been the cause of inflicting pain on you."

Eric is very sorry you were offended. Eric does kind of think he did nothing wrong and this is entirely a you problem though.

Neil, unsurprisingly, does not want to be friends. Dire proclamations of 'I'll get you back yet!' aside, I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who had only ever been a dick to me, even without heartbreak in the middle.

But we put Neil out of our mind, because why should we spend any time worrying about this man who has threatened vengeance on us several times? There's a woman to talk about! Eric goes home and finds David, who tells him that there is nothing physically wrong with Kilmeny at all. Her trouble is psychological, not physical. There is nothing that a doctor can do for her. What David does say, however, is that he thinks maybe Kilmeny could cure herself, if she "wants it badly enough." This is straying very close to victim blaming, but I'm actually not mad at it because it is reminding me very strongly of the climactic scene from Ella Enchanted, when she breaks her own curse through sheer willpower and wanting it badly enough. And imagining Kilmeny bursting out the door and proclaiming, "I shan't marry the prince!" is tiding me through.

Meanwhile, David Baker is playing with an antimacassar decorated with a lion, and it has to be symbolism, because this has so far not been a book that draws attention to non-plot relevant props, but I cannot for the life of me figure it out. He pokes his fingers through the lion's eye-holes as he's delivering his verdict, which could just be a crude metaphor for curing Kilmeny with sex but feels awfully violent. Anyone have any ideas?

Eric protests that Kilmeny does want to speak, and David says:

“Yes, but I do not mean that sort of wanting, no matter how strong the wish may be. What I do mean is—a sudden, vehement, passionate inrush of desire, physical, psychical, mental, all in one, mighty enough to rend asunder the invisible fetters that hold her speech in bondage. If any occasion should arise to evoke such a desire I believe that Kilmeny would speak—and having once spoken would thenceforth be normal in that respect—ay, if she spoke but the one word.”

So Margaret repressed her own desire to speak and forgive her father so strongly, and under such a weight of emotion, that it will take a similar emotional event to unlock Kilmeny's ability to speak. Honestly I wish LMM had been able to just include a supernatural element here, because 'Margaret Gordon cursed her daughter with literal magic' would be so much simpler than this weird medical-but-not-but-kind-of-supernatural-but-not thing the book has going.

Eric is distraught, because he knows Kilmeny will never agree to marry him while she is still mute, and there seems to be no way to change her ability to speak. He can't rely on a climactic emotional event to occur, after all. He goes to the Gordon house and finds that Kilmeny has refused to see him. Janet hands him a note that says he must never come back, because it will be better for both of them if he forgets her. She is calling him Eric instead of Master, which is nice.

Eric, who does not know how to take no for an answer, says that Janet must go upstairs and fetch Kilmeny down and make her see him. Janet obliges, but Kilmeny will not be made. Like her mother before her, Kilmeny hears a man she loves pleading with her to come down and see him and will not do so. Eric comes back the next day, and same thing. She will not see him. Janet sits him down and says that, since Kilmeny won't marry him, he should stop coming to the homestead. It would be better if they didn't see each other anymore.

“I know I am asking a hard thing for your own good, Master. It is not as if Kilmeny would ever change her mind. We have had some experience with a woman’s will ere this. Tush, Janet, woman, don’t be weeping. You women are foolish creatures. Do you think tears can wash such things away? No, they cannot blot out sin, or the consequences of sin. It’s awful how one sin can spread out and broaden, till it eats into innocent lives, sometimes long after the sinner has gone to his own accounting. Master, if you take my advice, you’ll give up the Lindsay school and go back to your own world as soon as may be.”

At this point it's starting to feel as though, rather than Kilmeny being the one to venture into fairy land, it is Eric who has crossed the threshold into another world. I haven't really gotten a lot of otherworldly vibes from Lindsay or the Gordons for a while, but now they're back with a vengeance. And with them, the hint of a more interesting story! Once again, if this story had been able to fully commit to the magical/supernatural elements, it would be a lot stronger and more interesting. Eric, with his capitalist mindset and strong ties to the outside world via logic and learning, having to navigate fairyland would be interesting. But Eric hasn't learned anything, and so his being ejected from fairyland without his fairy queen doesn't have the ring of tragedy that it should.

#kilmeny of the orchard #kilmeny readalong #i was hoping to finish this today #but i got started late and that is not going to happen #so i think i will leave you here #on a tantalizing glimpse into what this story could have been

[coraniaid]

🔥Scooby Gang

Unpopular opinion ask game

(Better two months late than never?)

So … my slightly flippant answer is that I think “the Scooby Gang” is honestly not the best of names for the group of Buffy’s friends who know about her being the Slayer and help her out sometimes.  Partly because I think it’s a bit clunky to actually say it, but also because, well, try googling it.  Any group name where you have to specify the name of the source material is just a bit rubbish, I think.  

Also the reference itself doesn’t really work, does it?  The original Scooby Gang travels around the country, proving that supposed supernatural hauntings are actually hoaxes being carried out by mundane criminals and property owners, and they don’t really have an obvious leader.  The Buffyverse Scooby Gang … are all stuck in one place, the monsters they investigate are real, and they do have an obvious leader.

They should’ve stuck with Willow’s original suggestion of the Slayerettes.

A bit less flippantly … uh. I don’t think I have an unpopular take on the Scoobies as a collective, actually.  I mean, I think people who complain about them being bad friends or not really caring about Buffy are wrong – or at least viewing their actions in a deliberately uncharitable light in a way I don’t agree with – but at the same time I don’t think this is actually a majority opinion.  Or at least I curate my dash well enough that I see people arguing against it more often than I actually see the take itself.

So quick fire unpopular opinions about each of them, in no particular order, below the cut:

Jenny: I like Jenny a lot, but I kind of hate the retcon that she was sent to Sunnydale to spy on Angel and make sure he didn’t get his soul back.  Partly because of the jarringly racist way this retcon is presented and handled, partly because it’s so obviously nonsense (Jenny mentions Angel all of … what, once, before this retcon?) and partly because it ruins the much more interesting version of Jenny Calendar the technopagan with a life of her own that the show had implied existed before this.  And for what?  To deliver some exposition that the show could have presented dozens of other ways?  So that Giles and Jenny can break up again and Giles can be sad when she dies? 

Oz: I was genuinely surprised to see how well Oz did in the recent character polls because he is just kind of flat and boring to me.  He’s one of the more laid back people in the show, sure, and if he was a real person I think he would be fun to hang out and exchange terse monosyllables with, but he doesn’t really have any character arc to speak of until … well, whatever off-screen stuff actually happened that ended up with him getting written out in Season 4.

(I think there is a potentially interesting character to be made out of the fragments of Oz we see, but I don't think the show ever puts them together in a way that means anything.  He’s just Willow’s Nice Quirky Boyfriend, then he decides he needs to leave town and he’s gone forever.)

Cordelia: I like Cordelia, both on Buffy and on Angel, but she’s often really genuinely unpleasant in the early seasons of the show and it’s kind of grating when people pretend she isn’t?

I mean, I think I get why people talk about her the way they do (it’s partly that people are instinctively prone to like the character because of what Charisma Carpenter went through because of Joss Whedon; it’s partly because Cordelia gets a lot of character development and emotional growth and does become one of the most well-realized and heroic characters in the setting; and it’s partly because as early as Season 1's Welcome To The Hellmouth we are primed to sympathize with Cordelia because of the way Jesse acts around her).  Cordelia is always somewhat likable.  But she’s not nice.

When Cordelia bullies Willow for dressing badly or not having any friends, or when she brings up Xander’s abusive family or poverty in order to humiliate him in front of his friends, or when she ostracizes and shames Buffy for being different from everyone else (“I have to call everyone I have ever met, right now”), it’s not because she’s just a pure-hearted innocent who isn’t afraid to tell the truth.  It’s because she’s trying her best to be hurtful and being good at it.  It feels like it’s belittling the actual character growth she goes through to pretend that this isn’t what’s happening.

Tara:  Uh.  I don’t think I have any unpopular opinions about Tara.  Honestly I’m not even sure what unpopular opinions about Tara a person could have.  Tara’s great.

Okay, not an opinion about Tara herself as such, but I get kind of irked when people try to talk up Buffy/Faith by talking down Willow/Tara.  I mean people who complain about the latter being boring or being censored by the network.  (The latter take especially is weird, because however sanitized one thinks Willow and Tara’s relationship is, it’s a lot more textual and explicit than whatever Buffy and Faith have going on.)  

I don’t actually know how common that is outside of my dash, but I’ve seen it a few times and it just feels kind of tacky to me.  Sure, Willow and Tara have a different dynamic than Buffy and Faith, and it’s not quite as compelling from a narrative perspective to many people – including me! –  but they are nice.

Anya: I like Anya; I think she’s often poorly served by the narrative and I think her death is really stupid and unsatisfying but … well, I guess those aren’t unpopular opinions. 

I do think the frequent jokes about Anya being an ardent capitalist are kind of grating and don’t really make sense.  Anya isn’t some time traveler from The World Before Shops: she’s centuries old and clearly spent a lot of her time as a vengeance demon blending in with ordinary humans, as we see in Season 3's The Wish and then again in various flashbacks.  She shouldn’t suddenly be surprised by how the 20th century works, because she lived through it.  If she’s weirdly obsessed by capitalism (or what the Buffy writers think capitalism is), that should be an interest going back centuries.  She can’t possibly just have noticed it after becoming human. Her very first scene in the show, while she's still a demon, establishes she knows things about fashion and buying clothes! Well enough to impress Cordelia!

(Yeah, a lot of this is just that the Anya from Season 4 onwards isn’t really the same character as Anya from Season 3, I know.)

Giles: So it annoys me a little to realize this about myself, but the truth is that Giles is one of two characters in the show I’ve accepted that I like quite a lot less because of how the fandom at large talks about them.  I don’t particularly like being a contrarian, and I do still like Giles as a character, but I don’t like either flavor of Fandom Giles (either Giles the Perfect Dad or the Giles Who Is Compelled To Do Bad Things But Is Just So Sad About Them).

Whenever I see posts that focus exclusively on how tragic it is for Giles that he just had to drug Buffy and lie to her about it and almost get her killed, or how awful he must have felt when he abandoned her in Season 6, or how Jenny’s murder was so sad because of how it made Giles feel  I just think … okay, you’re not exactly wrong, but you wouldn’t talk about a character who does half the things Giles does in this way if they were a middle-aged woman.  And I know that for a fact because I’ve seen the way the fandom talks about Joyce Summers. 

Xander: I think the idea of Xander as a (very) repressed bisexual teenager makes a lot of sense of what we see from the character: things like his constant interest in how attractive Buffy’s boyfriends are and his repeated attempts to prove how “manly” he is.   It is a reading I believe is at least somewhat intentional, it is a reading that I like, and it is one that (combined with the hints we get about what his family are like over the course of the show) makes some of the way he behaves in the early seasons a lot more sympathetic.

However. I simply don’t believe there was ever any chance of the show having Xander actually come out.  I know that the official line is that one of Willow and Xander was always going to be gay, and that the decision as to which of them it was was made very late on, but I think that’s just a (fairly obvious) self-serving lie.

Look at how the show treats Larry – literally the only out gay man on the show in its whole seven seasons (except, maybe, Scott Hope).  Comes out in season 2, dead by the end of season 3, never once seen dating or expressing romantic or sexual attraction to another man, never mourned.  There are several other characters (Ethan Rayne and Andrew Wells being the obvious two) who are strongly implied to be attracted to men, sure, but this is always, aways played for laughs.  (Even Larry coming out is treated like a punchline.)

I think the chance of the writers having Xander ever start seriously dating other men (or even talking about finding them attractive in ways that couldn't be played off as a joke) was always basically zero and honestly it’s a little disingenuous to pretend otherwise.  The show is simply too mired in the period-typical homophobia of late 90s network television for things to be otherwise.

Willow: Sort of an inverse of the Oz take earlier: I was surprised by how badly Willow did in the recent character contests.  I think she’s pretty clearly the second-best written character in the show (just after Buffy herself).

That said, I guess my most unpopular Willow take is I think it’s kind of sad that she doesn’t go to a better college than Sunnydale U?  I think it is entirely in character that she would go to the same college as Buffy, and even that she would try to convince herself this wasn’t just because she was trying to help Buffy, but I still think it’s a mistake that she comes to regret.  If I were Willow’s friend in Season 3 – or, perhaps more to the point, one of her teachers – I would have tried pretty hard to talk her out of it. 

The show tries to present Willow’s decision to stay in Sunnydale as being an unquestionable positive, at least in Season 3’s Choices – and not just an excuse for Alyson Hannigan to stay on the show – but I’m not really convinced.  Okay, Willow doesn’t just want to help Buffy, but wants to “fight evil, help people” and “what better place?” is there to learn magic.  Let’s pretend to believe this is why she's staying in town.

The thing is though – as Season 4 makes clear – Sunnydale U is actually a terrible place to learn magic.  It’s only by luck that Willow meets even a single other witch, while off in England there are whole covens who would be delighted to teach her.  And the idea that fighting evil means staying in Sunnydale is a bit hard to defend too, given that this is the season of the show that establishes that there are other Hellmouths (in The Wish) and given that the season ends with Angel leaving town for LA to … uh, fight the forces of evil.  Which it turns out you can do pretty much anywhere.  Including, presumably, in places like Harvard or Oxford (where, in reality, there’s quite a lot of evil to be fought).

I don’t think this is an intentional reading of the show, but I do think you can see this choice as a sign of how little positive adult guidance there is in Willow’s life.  (We see just enough of her parents to know how neglectful they are.)   The show tells us that Giles wants Buffy to be able to go to Northwestern and get out of Sunnydale, but he doesn’t bat an eye at Willow turning down the chance to leave?  Other than Buffy, does Willow have anybody to discuss her choice with, even if she wanted to?

Yes, sure, in real life you don’t have to go to the “best” colleges just because you can and academic prestige isn’t the most important thing in the world and blah blah blah.  I agree!  And I know some people think this choice the show makes is empowering or inspiring.  But I think Willow personally would be happier somewhere where she was actually academically challenged, or somewhere she could actually be taught magic properly rather than illicitly teaching herself against the advice and wishes of her girlfriend and her ex-librarian.)

Again, I’m not saying the show should have had Willow leave.  I understand why they didn’t (even though part of me loves the idea of a spin-off Willow series where Willow goes to Oxford and the Bullingdon Club play the role of Wolfram & Hart).  But I’m not really on board with the popular idea that Willow going to the same second-rate college that Buffy is forced to settle for (and that Buffy gets to be sad about having to go to!) is actually a good thing.

#btvs #ask games #thanks!

[sonofthesaiyans]

Gangs of Paradis...

Unpopular opinion alert. Some may call it sacrilegious to say this, but if it were up to me on who got the focus in this series.....

I would rather take these guys........

And certainly THESE guys....... (Lynne’s my spirit gal.....) 

Or even THESE guys........! 

Instead of having been forced to put up with.......

These assholes. 

139 chapters and the famous EMA trio just does NOT deliver on the promise of their long journey. And most of the fault lies with the goddamned timeskip. 

I mean sure Armin’s fine, he was certainly the most sympathetic and the wisest of the three even if I’d say he also didn’t escape the timeskip unscathed......

But Eren Motherfucking Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman are the main heart of this story........and it is nothing but pure cringe at the end. 

Mikasa NEVER develops into a truly three-dimensional character, again due to her singleminded, one-sided obsession with Eren in a relationship that no sane individual would actively choose to pursue. To say they had one is being generous, character-killing love confession be damned, shippers. But Eren may very well be the weakest link, remaining a largely uncoordinated and mindless killing machine through the earlier seasons and never really developing believable relationships with his main circle OR with Mikasa. Worse still, his motivations are completely subverted by the final act, with him committing to possibly the most idiotic revenge plot in recent memory. I mean what else can I say about how fuckular Eren’s scheme is? Between the time loop, orchestrating his own mother’s death, eliminating the world but still leaving Paradis open to attack later AND the fact that it took a massively contrived final confrontation with Mikasa to help some long dead ghost snuff out the Titan curse......Just thinking about it pisses me off, it’s beyond comprehension. 

Yeah, Ymir Fritz, that’s another one I’ll have to get back to later, she’s another can of worms entirely.....

There isn’t much I think I can add about everything wrong with Eren and Mikasa’s toxic relationship and how the story’s final resolution literally hinged on that finding resolution, but the story of Attack on Titan continues to age badly the longer you reexamine their respective arcs long before Marley was ever a whisper in the series. 

Meanwhile.............You had these AMAZING squads that gave us the likes of Petra Ral, Oluo Bozado, Lynne, Gelgar, Miche Zacharius, and of course Levi Fucking Ackerman himself.......Who WOULDN”T want to see more of those respective bands? 

The minor characters of the series left far more positive impact on me than any of the EMA trio ever did. And I’m far more heavily invested in them than I am in a trio that simply did not justify their critical involvement in the series.  I want to see more of Petra, more of Lynne, more of Miche, more of Thomas, I want to see those who had the skill and character to really carry themselves and the story further, possibly with a more positive impact than the main trio. And I’ve been very busy lately ironing out their personalities and arcs they could’ve enjoyed. 

And let’s not forget others worthy of mention....

You could’ve had the entire series focus on Ymir and Historia and that could’ve sufficed all by itself. It certainly is a far more compelling pairing and a more complex one than Eremika ever was. Both of them got dealt a raw deal, so much potential here just was never taken advantage of. 

And of course....

Honestly without Sasha, Connie and Jean really struggled to find ANY place in the remaining portion of the story, I am still convinced Sasha could’ve carried this as the actual main girl over But at least with the three of them their relationship felt far more organic and real than EMA’s a lot of the time.......at least until the timeskip. I think you all can sort that one out for yourselves. 

Any of the aforementioned groups could’ve easily been greater than EMA. EMA got 139 chapters of development and in the end it just does NOT warrant it. 

But everyone else who was there at one point or another along the way before the timeskip...........they are worthy of another chance. 

In summation guys.........EMA sucks ass. Armin gets the least of the blame but Eren and Mikasa are just not the strong characters the story wants us to believe they are. And Hajime Turdyama should’ve given all the aforementioned the space to be even greater. 

Everyone Deserves Better. Just not this A-Team. 

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #shiganshina trio #anti attack on titan #anti eremika #eremika #eren x mikasa #eren yeager #Eren Jaeger #fuck eren #Anti SnK Ending #snk 139 #anti snk 139 #snk anime #aot anime #aot manga #snk manga #snk fandom #aot fandom #aot angst #snk angst #SNK analysis #AoT Analysis #squad miche #snk nanaba #aot nanaba #aot lynne #snk lynne #snk gelgar #aot gelgar

[eric-cartman-my-beloved]

What are some of your favorite episodes?

Well, I wasn't really sure how many episodes I could pick for this ask, so I chose seven. South Park has a lot of great episodes, so it was actually difficult for me to narrow them down.

Let's begin:

No 1:

I'm gonna be very basic and go with the obvious choice:

"Scott Tenorman Must Die"

I think it's pretty self-explanatory why. It has Eric, it has Scott (I love these boys), it has Eric singing about being a piggy, it shows how evil and messed-up he can be, it's very funny - what more could I want from an episode?

No 2: "Cartman Joins Nambla"

This was the first episode of South Park I watched that actually made me cry from laughter as I was watching. While I love Eric being cunning and manipulative, his innocence during the earlier seasons is very precious. It was just so adorable how he wished for mature friends so badly that he couldn't see what those men really wanted to do with him. (Fortunately he realized before it was too late though.)

Also, I'm never getting over that scene in the hotel where the men were chasing the kids across the hallways and the rooms. Simply hilarious.

No 3: "Put It Down"

This is one of those episodes that you can't help but like because it has a little bit of everything. A bit of Heiman, a bit of Creek and a bit of commentary. There's something in it for everyone.

Plus, I believe it's one of the episodes that shows perfectly how toxic Eric and Heidi's relationship is, and as a Heiman fan, that's something I love.

(Besides, have you seen Eric's black little hoodie that he wears in this?? How can anyone not like the episode?)

No 4: "The Death Of Eric Cartman"

There's plenty to love about this episode. Humor? Check. Great plot? Check. Eric? Check. Cartters? Check.

I really love how the kids left Butters out of their plan to ignore Eric, so he immediately believes him when he tells Butters he is a ghost and gives him no choice but to help him. Their friendship/relationship in general in the older seasons was something unique.

(Also, Scott making a small cameo is certifiably in this episode's favor for me.)

No 5: "Ginger Cow"

I know this has to be an unpopular opinion, but I don't hate "Ginger Cow". In fact, I don't even dislike it: I love it.

I can understand Kyle fans not liking it, but as an Eric fan who does not care much about Kyle, I love this. I just love seeing Eric torturing people - no matter who it is - and boy does this episode deliver.

Even if the concept of the torture is admittedly gross, it's their mentality in this that I love. I adore how broken and submissive to Eric Kyle has become by the second half of the episode, and how Eric is taking full advantage of it.

No 6: "The Passion Of The Jew"

I do appreciate a lot of the humor in this, but most importantly it has Eric playing dress-up and being very commited to it. That's it, that's why I love it.

Okay, that, and also because it shows some of his qualities that make him potentially a very talented leader.

Apart from those things, Eric's satisfaction when Kyle came to his house to tell him that he was right just gives me life.

No 7: "Follow That Egg!"

I don't have all that much to say about this episode. I just think it's extremely cute. Style paired together for a school project and trying to take care of their egg-kid? How can I say no?

Also Eric not even lasting three days and breaking the egg? So like him.

Overall a pretty cute and entertaining episode.

+Bonus/Honorary Mention: "201"

You know I just had to mention this. There's plenty of chaos going on in the town, a lot of older characters return, and we learn who Eric's real father is! Again, it's one of these episodes that have a little bit of something for almost everyone.

But if you know me at all, you'll know the main reason why I love it is Scott's return.

(This would have been an official part of this list if Scott had more than four minutes of screetime.)

Thanks a lot for the question, Anon!

#south park #ask #south park episodes

[cantquitu]

Sorry I didn't answer asks yesterday.

Insert the usual <just my opinion> caveats here, and please don't read further if you don't want to see me being annoyingly critical and moany... but I thought My Policeman was a bad script, poorly directed. It didn't do justice to the book, which had far more energy and urgency. I thought it was flat and dreary and boring.

There were some affecting scenes - generally whenever David Dawson was onscreen - and I liked the chemistry between Tom and Patrick in the scenes when they were alone. But I didn't find it anything as moving as the book. And when actors as good as this cast almost all fail to inspire, you know the issue is not their acting abilities.

I know it wasn't an easy book to adapt, but this was just a mess. The transitions between the 50s and 90s were tiresome, there was too little information delivered too late. The characters, with the exception of young Patrick, felt blank and inscrutable or worse, in the case of young Marion - blank and utterly shallow.

I think that was the biggest issue for me. It was impossible to care for young Marion. We knew nothing about her inner world, her hopes or aspirations. She quite fancied Tom, and would have liked to travel, and - ? What else? Nothing!

We needed to believe Tom was utterly irresistible. Marion and Tom himself each referred to him as being course and uncouth but we really didn't see what truly set him apart. My memories from the book were of him sea swimming, free and at home in the wild waves in all weathers. It was such an essential part of his character, distinguishing him from both Patrick and Marion. None of that came through.

The scene with Tom and Marion after Patrick's arrest was so badly written and directed. No inkling of Marion's desperation, or Tom's. It should have been such a powerful scene- her desperation for a life with her husband, his panic as his heart breaks...but ..nothing.

It's like Grandage forgot this was a film, a visual medium. The production design was so dull. That bloody house in Peacehaven...god. Patrick, Tom and Marion didn't want to be there, why would anyone want to spend so much time there as a viewer? Especially before you know who these characters are?!

I do feel bad because it's clear from interviews that the film-makers really were passionate about this film, and the book had such potential to expand on in interesting ways. I think that's why I was so disappointed.

#my policeman

[aromantic-misguide-to-romance]

Ace Dates with Leviathan!

Getting back to ancient requests by @kingsheir! GN reader-insert, word count: 813

At first it’s not easy to tell what exactly is a “date” with Levi, because… he rarely ever leaves his room so while you’re hanging out very often, you’re mostly playing games, watching anime or simply reading manga next to each other. It’s rather comfortable and cosy kind of relationship, even if he’s not the one to be overly affectionate (another thing that he’d probably implode if exposed to too much affection if he’s not used to it, so baby steps first). The topic of dating from asexual perspective didn’t really ever come up as a specific conversation – mostly because you’d been mentioning it before, during gaming sessions or just exchanging opinions on anime, etc. – so when you two became a couple, he was somewhat accustomed with your boundaries, at least in situations you two watched in anime or found in games.

You’re spending time together almost all the time, but actual going out with Levi does not happen that often – with him you’re mostly staying in, and there is not many reasons to complain about it. The dimmed light and the play of its reflexes in the water of Henry’s huge aquarium make it easy to believe that you’re hidden from the world and all the earthly troubles are far, far away. It’s soothing and surprisingly homely there – his room has become a real safe haven for you.

He does go out sometimes, of course. There are cons and fan events he wants to participate in, and there are things that cannot be delivered to the doorstep. Even before you started officially dating, you’ve been accompanying him on those “quests”. At first it was on you to take him to detours that could be vaguely considered dates, but he started tweaking his outing plans too, according to what you like and chose before.

A tiny bit at first, that is. You two took a detour he suggested to avoid the noisy and crowded main streets and boulevards in favour of smaller alleys where he slid his hand into yours. And flustered himself beyond comprehension with his own gesture, of course. So it became a pattern that you two take a different path to have some privacy away from the main streets. He got used to his own gestures as well. That first time though he didn’t dare to try That Normie Couple thing aka letting you feed him, it had to wait until later. But he got it! He tries to have a date a tiny bit like those spontaneous dates he saw in anime and he’s trying his best. He’s not very good at improvising though, so at some point you realise that he’s actually planning the “spontanous” detours. This way he could both feel secure and have what he wanted to replicate and experience so badly. It’s not that spontaneous anymore, but… who cares anyway?

It’s the best not to call him out on that though and just enjoy it. A successful date will definitely boost his confidence and encourage him to try more The Normie Things. Still, often he himself is reluctant to initiate anything he hasn’t mastered yet, just radiating the unresolved romantic tension vibes until you notice, but since you do and invite him to cuddles, the date goes smoothly. He sometimes asks for affection more or less directly – it’s clear that he craves it but isn’t fully accustomed yet. He’s getting much better with time though! Since he both needs reassurance in his inexperience and tries to figure out the whole dating thing, he also has an excellent habit of asking – whether for what he wants at the moment or whether you agree on his current objective (ex. a kiss). It can be direct, teasing or trying to push the initiative to you, but even if he’s roundabout about it, it’s crystal clear that he’s just as eager for the dates as you.

Since he’s firmly an indoor type of person, don’t expect to go out until late at night, but going home doesn’t mean there’s nothing more to do. There is! After all he needs to arrange the freshly bought merch on the shelves, he probably bought some manga or anime too, so you can watch or read together. If he’s feeling bold, he’ll definitely want a good cuddle in the meantime. At first attempts he probably would miss all you two try to watch or play, too flustered to pay attention, but as soon as it becomes a routine, he won’t let a chance for cuddles pass.

And if you are too tired to go back to your room, his bathtub doesn’t really give much space not to cuddle anyway, so it’s pretty much either him falling into slumber tightly pressed to you, or the other way around, but neither of you complain about the lack of space. Is there any reason to, anyway?

#obey me! #obey me #asexual mc #obey me leviathan #hyolf's stuff #no one's om headcanons

[ninthvare]

@garlalafell

"I appreciate your accepting the job on such short notice, though I'm sure folks in your position can't be too discerning!" the Lalafell laughs, reclining in a chair that seemed to be built for his exact size.

Evariste's jaw tenses, but he nods politely and manages an "Of course, Master Sasalai, I appreciate the opportunity."

"I needed to avail you of your services because there have been an increasing number of attempts on my head as of late. I can't trust Ul'dahn mercenaries in light of that- one just doesn't know for sure who they're working for."

Evariste's brain is torn between asking more about the assassination attempts that were absolutely not mentioned in the job posting and delivering another Of course, sir. What comes out instead is an embarrassing fusion of the two: "A-attempts on your course, sir?"

The Lalafell in question was a prominent member of the Ul'dahn merchant class, Kokolai Sasalai - a name that made Evariste very glad his sole Lalafellin friend was named by Garleans, but he kept that opinion to himself and dutifully committed his employer's name to memory.

Mr. Sasalai had placed an advertisement as far as Mor Dhona requesting two adventurers to serve as his bodyguards on his vacation with his wife to Costa del Sol. Evariste wasn't sure why he had chosen to advertise so far from home when Ul'dah had no shortage of hungry adventurers, but the coin was good and he'd never seen the ocean, so he accepted, inviting Vitellius to fill the second slot.

Now the intent was clear: Mr. Sasalai had planned the so-called vacation in order to get outta dodge after pissing someone off very badly, and he advertised in Mor Dhona to find guards without Ul'dahn allegiances.

They were on the deck of the magnate's private airship, waiting for the rest of the passengers to arrive. It felt to Evariste like he was in a dollhouse: everything was made to Lalafellin size - but maybe more things should be. Evariste resolved not to complain as he sat on a stool that barely held half of his ass.

Evariste had tried to dress down, and look like his idea of a bodyguard, so he wore a button-up long sleeve shirt under a vest, nicely ironed slacks, cotton gloves colored to match his vest, and flat-footed shoes. He usually wore boots with a heel, but he's glad he didn't. The last thing he'd need on this airship was more height. In case of trouble, his swords hung at his hips. The whole getup came off as more bartender than bodyguard, but at least he wasn't showing up his boss. He had kept his earrings and ear cuffs on, though, even tying up his hair to show them off. He can flex a little, as a treat.

The sight of his friend climbing aboard was a welcome distraction from his embarrassing conversational flub, so he took it.

"Vitellius!" he calls with a polite wave. "This is Master Kokolai Sasalai, our employer. I was just telling him how I had never been to La Noscea and that I'm grateful for the opportunity. Master Sasalai, this is Vitellius Verres, my friend to whom I extended the other job offer."

#garlalafell #naughty elezen sit on the tiny chair #hes calling him Master and not Lord because he's not a real noble lmaoooo #iirc in ishgard master is a downgrade from lord

[the-tired-cat-hexer]

HUGE UPDATE

Okay so little sad news but the more I reread everything, the more I realize that I don’t really have a solid start for the AU, right? So, I thought about the storyline some more along with the songs that first certain parts of the story, and I just realized I messed up the prologue and the first chapters pretty badly. In my opinion that is. Might be because I am still new to how to really start stories to kick of the action, ya know?

So, I will be resetting it. The start may change a lot, but I will not be changing for I have planned for the whole AU, characters, and vilians. The start will just be much better than what I have done really. So, yeah. Take the previous prologue and chapters as me testing it I guess. I might keep some scenes, just rewrite them.

Alrighty, should be all for now. So first, I will make character designs to show yall. Hopefully that won’t take flipping ages since I am a bit lazy lately, but, I promise to deliver.

Again, super sorry. QwQ

#mortalheirau #mortalheir #dream smp #dream smp au

[kinsey3furry300]

A very confused Star Wars Fan desperately tries to justify their belief that “Caravan of Courage” shows the way forward for the franchise. No, really.

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved Star Wars. And I mean, all of it. The books, the games, the Lego, the spin-offs: I even enjoy the Holiday Special in a The Room so-bad-you-just-need-to-see-it sort of way.  But particularly the films. But here is when we run into the big problem: I’m just the wrong age. The original trilogy launched before I was born, the prequel trilogy hit cinemas when I was already a teen and while I went and saw them and enjoyed them, I was at that age where I was self-conscious about seeing a “kids” film, and hyper-aware of how silly and cringy those films were in parts. So my indoctrination, my inoculation with the Star Wars bug didn’t happen in the cinema, and it didn’t happen with any of the main franchise works. It happened on home video, on a skiing trip in the French Alps in the early 90’s. I’d have been about 6, and this was the first time I’d ever been abroad other than to see relatives in Ireland.  And I loved it: to this day I love skiing, but more than that, I have very, very fond childhood memories of this trip. This was shortly before I lost my biological mother to cancer, she’d have received her diagnosis just after we got back from the trip. This was when my younger sister stopped being an annoying screaming thing and became and became an actual person I could talk and play and share ideas with, this was before the combination my mothers long illness and my father having just launched his own IT start up meant I didn’t see him or her any more, despite the fact they were in the same house as me. This was this wonderful, nostalgic child-hood bubble when my family was intact, and nothing could ever go wrong. I skied all day with mum and dad, and would come back to the chalet in the evening. It was an English speaking chalet, I met my first real-life American there, and having grown up in the 90’s in the UK nothing was cooler than making friends with an actual American my own age. He had a hulk Hogan action figure with springs in the legs so if you put him on a hard surface and punched his head down, when you let go he’d jump really high in the air. We used to play with it together in the bath, back in that weird 90’s time-bubble when it was possible to convince two sets of parents that this kid you’d just met was you best friend in the world and of course shared bath time was, somehow, normal and appropriate. And fresh from bath time, tired from the day, the parents would give us some hot coco, dump us kids in front of the tv and grab the first shitty low-budget VHS they could find to keep us distracted while they went to the bar. In this particular time, in this particular place, that shitty low budget cartoon was the  complete set of the 1985 Lucasfilm/ABC Ewoks cartoon, plus the two spin off movies, and to this day that cheap, kitschy, kind of bad series has a special warm and cosy place in my heart. I remember being enthralled by the world, in love with the characters, applied by the bad guys and the injustice they caused (to this day I’m still irate about that time Wicket lost his set of beads documenting his progress towards becoming a full warrior and the older Ewoks basically said, tough, you need to re-earn all those merit badges from scratch. This struck me as exactly the sort of bullshit an adult would pull, and pissed me off) and on tenterhooks about what would happen to the characters.

It was also, by a coincidence, the first ever Star Wars media I was exposed to, and the above combination of events probably explains a lot about me.

So I was surprised, the other day, when scrolling Disney+, to find they’d added Caravan of Courage AND Battle for Endor to the roster in my region. Surely Disney wouldn’t want their slick, cool brand associated with this old trash? Surely there could be no place for this in the post-Mandalorian Star Wars cannon? Surely this is a horrible mistake some intern made, right?

Unless…. What if I’ve miss-remembered? What if it’s not just rose-tinted nostalgia goggles, and it’s, in fact, secretly really, really good?

I rushed to my comfy chair, got a blanket, dimmed the lights, made some coco (with rum in it, because why the hell not?) and sat down to re-examine this lost gem.

And wow: it’s every bit as shit as you’d expect.

It has aged exactly as poorly as you’d expect a cheap, mid 80’s direct to video spin-off to age. Caravan of Courage? More like Caravan of Garbage, am I right?

And yet… I still enjoyed every moment.

And it was sitting there, in my pyjamas, watching a cheaply made direct to video cash-grab from just before I was born, seeing it again for the first time in nearly 30 years, and I realised something.

It doesn’t really matter if this film is bad, so long as I enjoy it. And if it doesn’t really mater if this is bad, then I, like many Star Wars fans, wasted a huge amount of time and emotional effort on being butthurt about stuff I didn’t like about the Rise of Skywalker and it’s ilk. Because somewhere, right now, a tired and frustrated parent is putting Disney+ on to keep their kids quiet for two hours. And they won’t think too hard about what they put on, so long as it keeps little Timmy busy for a bit. Somewhere, right now, a kid is watching Rise of Skywalker, and it’s the first Star Wars media they’ve ever seen.

And that’s okay. Because we don’t know what that kids home life is like. We don’t know if it’s good or bad. Maybe it’s great, maybe it’s about to take a dramatic plunge like mine did, and this moment here will be the cosy, warm memory they look back on in 30 years time, and that’s beautiful.  They’re getting introduced to a fun, wonderful fantasy world that could be with them all their lives, through good times and bad, and as fans we should be happy about that.

Star Wars will never, die: it’s too darn profitable, Disney will never let it. And while I hope they learn from their mistakes and make sure every future Star Wars is a timeless gem of story-telling, statistically, if you keep making enough films, some of them will be bad. And while I’d like them all to be great, it’s still okay if they’re bad.

Because nothing can take away my memories of that week in that chalet. Nothing can take-away my memories of when they put the original trilogy on in cinemas for the special edition and I had my jaw hit the floor with how good it was on the big screen, not knowing or caring who shot first. Nothing can take away you memories of the Original Trilogy, the Prequels, or the Clone Wars. Nothing can tarnish the bits of the sequil trilogy that you like, and there are good bits in there.

But wait, what about continuity? What about the sacred, perfect written time-line that used to exist?

Well, what about it? Have you seen any other big, epic fantasy universe before? They’re all a mess. A work of fiction, particularly fantasy, can be extensive, or tightly written, but not both. Harry Potter is only seven books, and the last two feel, tonally, like they’re from an entirely different series. I love them, but the grim-dark kicked in so fast you’ll get whiplash. The Hobbit is a perfect written self-contained novel, and LOTR is *The* big boy high-fantasy trilogy: fast forward 50 years, and Christopher Tolkien is desperately squeezing every last drop of money out of his father’s corpse by finishing and publishing every unfinished note JRR ever wrote right down to his shopping lists. Even Dune goes of the rails with sequels. I can only think of four fantasy works that are both extensive and consistently tightly written, Song of Ice and Fire, Wheel of Time, Malazan: Book of the Fallen and Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe. And even then, the prequels and spin-offs mess with the timelines: the Dunk and Egg novella’s change some character’s canonical ages and timelines, Wheel of Time was going slowly off the rails even before the Jordan died, Forge of Darkness made what was a good metaphor for the creation of it’s world into a literal war deep in the past, and Sanderson’s first Novel Elantris got a re-write to bring it more in line with the rest of the shared universe. The MCU, oft held up as the modern example of tightly planned, well thought out ongoing storytelling, is a lie: it was never as pre-planned out as Disney wants us to think; the first Iron Man, apparently, barely had a script, with Downey ad-lib-ing most of his scenes. None of the MCU films are direct sequels to each-other other than Infinity war and Endgame. There are three Iron Man films, and Three Thor films, and none continue an ongoing story line across multiple films, and the Cap films barely continue an arc, but only where Cap’s relationship with Natasha and Bucky is involved.  Much like these, Star War’s cannon is a complete, nightmarish, confusing, tangled, illogical mess. And it has been since 1984, as Caravan of Courage proves. It was never consistent and well planned.

And that’s okay.

I used to care about plot holes. I used to care about which works were cannon in Star Wars lore. I’m over that now. I’m happy to imagine the books, films and games not as a blow-by-blow historical account of a galaxy far far away, but as campfire stories from within this fun, imaginative world that we’re all invited to listen to. Stories that are in-universe myth and folklore, that we can all snuggle up and listen to while drinking highly alcoholic rum and remembering better times, knowing that wherever the future throws at us, no matter how the world goes to hell around us, we’ll still have the memories, and the ability to make our own new stories in the wonderful Star Wars world we all share.

And that’s okay. No, more than that: that’s beautiful.

Also Star Wars is completely unambiguous on the fact we’re allowed to kill fascists no matter how many times they keep coming back with a new logo, so that’s timely I guess.

So, there’s my hot take two-years after everyone else stopped caring about this stuff, as per bloody usual. Tell me why I’m wrong below, and does anyone else have any truly awful spin-off shows that they kind of have a nostalgic soft spot for?

#star wars #ewoks #caravan of courage #Star wars universe #epic fantasy #MCU #tolkien #LOTR #malazan #song of ice and fire #wheel of time #brandon sanderson #Cosmere #dune #late opinions delivered badly #i'm wrong and i know it #seriously hot coco with rum #spin off #bad spin off #so bad it's good #I love the ewoks cartoon #but you don't have to thats okay too

[moonctzeny]

Love on the line

pairing: phone sex operator and roommate!hendery x fem!reader

genre: smut

word count: 2.3k

warnings: phone sex, dirty talk, guided masturbation, praise, slight degradation, sex toy

summary: "After you find the promotional card of a phone sex service on the floor of your apartment, you decide to give it a try due to the dry spell that has cursed you recently. Little did you know, your roommate would be on the end of the line."

a/n: This is my submission for Inna's @ncteaxhoe and Kitty’s @immabiteyou Love and Debauchery Collab! I'm sorry I'm 5 days late but the tags stopped working when I was ready to post 😭

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

Your phone taunts you.

A little black, rectangular hole in the middle of your bed. Your made-up bed. That you wished someone would come and mess up. You can’t even remember how long your dry spell has lasted for, the sound of a creaking bed foreign in your room.

You look at the business card in your hands. It had slipped out of Hendery’s bag when he was rushing out of your shared apartment. Two half-naked, badly edited men were showing off their abs in the background of the tacky, hot-pink lettering.

DIAL NOW FOR THE STEAMIEST PHONE SEX!!! THE HOTTEST EXPERIENCE IS ONLY ONE CALL AWAY!!!

You can’t believe that you’re even considering this. It was your roommate who had planted the idea in your head, trying to change your opinion when you confronted him about the card you found on the floor.

“There is a reason these services exist! How is this any worse than watching a random dude jerking off on a porn site? At least you get some real interaction”

Interaction. You haven’t really thought of that before. It was the one thing missing from all the nights when you tried to take some of your frustrations away on your own. Even your best of toys couldn’t make you feel less alone anymore. Giving up, you reach for your phone.

“This is all Hendery’s fault”, you mutter under your breath as you dial the number, trying to make the decision easier for you. After a couple of rings, an automated voice comes from the recipient’s end.

“Congratulations, you just dialed the hottest phone sex service that is sure to leave you satisfied. Please wait until we connect you with one of our naughty operators.”

Rolling your eyes, you get under your covers as the line beeps consecutively, trying to get comfortable. Soon enough, someone from the other end clears his throat before delivering his well-rehearsed welcoming line.

“You dialed 1-800-HOT-HUNKS-TALKING. How can I please you tonight?”

Your mouth goes dry as the realization of what you’re doing weighs you down on your shoulders. What are you even supposed to say?

“Hi.”

“W-wearing what are you? Umm… What are you w-wearing?”

You look at the device in your hands in disbelief. The operator sounds young, around your age, you guess, with a deep, pretty voice underneath all that stuttering.

“Excuse me?”

“Uhhh… One second. You wish I was here huh? Oh, wait! Shit, fuck, I’m supposed to ask for your name first.”

You giggle at his rambling, the interaction way stranger than what you expected. The noise of papers being ruffled in panic can be heard in the background. You could’ve sworn you’ve heard his voice before.

“Messed up your script?”

“Y-yeah”, the operator admits, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told you there was a script. It’s my first week on the job…”

“My name’s y/n”, you say patiently, hoping your sweet tone calms him down. In return, you get five seconds of silence. “Hello?”

“Uh-uh yes I’m here”, the operator says, his voice changed now. You could tell it was the same person, choosing to fake a deeper timbre all of a sudden for whatever reason. “So, how did you decide to call the line? Lonely?”

“Yes, actually”

“How did you find us?”

Weird question, you think, but then again, maybe it’s mandatory to ask for marketing reasons.

“My roommate had one of your cards. He dropped it, I found it. He suggested that I try the line out”, you sigh, “I haven’t had sex for so long.”

“Must be hard”, the man almost whispers.

“It is”, you mewl, surprised at how comfortable you are already. “I just want someone to be there when I cum, you know? Help me out.”

“Why don’t you ask your roommate to do that for you?”

You laugh heartily at the question. “Trust me, I’ve tried. My dumb roommate is the densest person on earth. No matter how many times I’ve suggested that he just doesn’t take a hint.”

“What?! You’ve never asked me to help you out!”

You sit up straight at his response, phone still in your hands. The card, the voice.

“Hendery?!”

“Yes”, your roommate sighs defeatedly, “it’s me”.

“How? Why?”

You hear him grunt from the end of the line, frustration evident. You still can’t fit this situation inside of your head.

“I needed some money, okay? I saw this ad that they were looking for young male operators for a sex line and I thought hey, how hard can it be?”

“Yeah, you were really smooth out there”

“Hey!”, he protests, the angry tone of his voice sending a current of electricity to your lower stomach, “They told me I was good, I even went through a casting! I’m just- not good at learning scripts. I prefer to go freestyle.”

Laying back down on your bed, you can’t contain the little smile that tugs the corner of your lips upwards.

“Freestyle, huh? Let’s hear you then”

Hendery freezes once again, mouth immediately going dry. You weren’t just some lady he had to impress at the casting call, you were his roommate. The girl whose bare face he admired when making coffee every morning. The girl he goes out of his way to get her favorite take-out for when she’s sad. The girl for whom he’s been pining for all along. And just found out was willing to let him fuck her.

“Well”, he starts off tentatively, “first I would ask you what you’re wearing”

“O-Oh”, you squeak out, taking a look at your outfit under the sheets of your bed, “I’m wearing that black t-shirt you lent me. And those pink pajama shorts I wear all the time”

“Oh my god, these are so hot”

“They are?”

“Yeah, they make your ass look fucking-”. Hendery stops himself mid-sentence, not sure if he can be that vulgar yet. “And underneath that?”

“Umm, nothing”, you admit, heat rushing to your face, “I figured I should wear as little as possible for the call. To have, you know, easy access.”

“Fuck”, he swears under his breath, the sound sending shivers down your spine, “Now touch yourself for me.”

“What?!”

“I thought you said you wanted to cum? Isn’t that why you’re almost naked? And why you haven’t hung up already?”

You suck in a breath at the undeniable accusation, dipping your fingers under the band of your shorts. Your fingers slide right over your lower lips, gasping a little when your thumb grazes your clit.

“I’m doing it.”

“How wet are you?”

It’s embarrassing to admit, but the tips of your fingers are already getting pruney. The smell of his cologne from the t-shirt coils around you, arousing you even more.

“Very wet”

“Is that because you’re desperate, baby, or is it because of me?”

“Please”, you scoff, head dropping back as you circle your index around your opening, “You haven’t even done anything yet.”

“So you admit you’re desperate?”, Hendery teases, “My little slut. Didn’t even bother to put on underwear to get fucked over the phone better.”

Your airy moan signals Hendery to continue, his harsh words making your whole body tingle.

“Move your other hand over your tits. Pinch those nipples for me. I bet they sit all pretty.”

You squeeze your left boob as instructed, playing with the hardened bud and heightening your pleasure. The company of your roommate has your blood running faster than usual, already feeling yourself close as your fingers start to work harder.

“Fuck. I can hear that needy pussy from here. Soaking. Got your fingers all wet for me, huh?”

You whimper at the phone as you circle your clit at a steady pace, teasing the little nub until your toes are curling.

“Answer me.”

“Yes”, you say breathlessly, “Hendery, I’m so close.”

“Aww does that feel good baby? You sound so pretty when you moan my name like that. Makes me wanna ruin you more.”

Breaths getting harder to take, you feel yourself on the brink of falling over the edge. Your thighs shake from all the pleasure, nails digging in the plump skin of your chest.

“Come on, spread those pretty legs and cum for me. I know you want to. Let it all out.”

You moan gibberish in a lewd crescendo, spreading your wetness over your pussy as you rub yourself through your high. Hendery is swearing continuously on the other end, gasping for oxygen himself. The stars in your vision start to dissipate slowly, yet your audience only makes the fire in your belly get stronger.

“Hendery”, you mewl out and he hisses, addicted to the sound of your voice when you’re drunk on an orgasm.

“I know, baby, I know. Now reach for that pink dildo next to your bed.”

“How do you even know I have that?”

“I was looking for my headphones one day and I saw it on accident. Very impressed by your choice of length”, your roommate shrugs casually, making your blood boil even more.

“I told you not to snoop through my stuff!”

Hendery kisses his teeth at your tantrum, too impatient to have this argument right now.

“We’re already paying this goddamn line gold on our next phone bill. Do you want to bicker or do you want me to make you cum again?”

Huffing in irritation, you take the big toy out of its protective pouch, fingers barely managing to wrap all the way around it. Your rid yourself of your two pieces of clothing, fully bare for him now.

“Hendery…”

“What is it, love?”

“It’s not gonna fit inside me easily…”

The boy chuckles at your cute voice, the little whimpers adorable to him. “Dip two of your fingers inside your pretty pussy for me. You’re wet enough for these to fit, aren’t you baby?”

“Yeah”, you sigh uncertainly, pushing two digits inside your warm hole. It’s a snug fit that makes you wiggle to make yourself comfortable, moaning as your fingers drag over your sensitive spot.

“Good girl. If I knew you wanted me to stretch you open this whole time…”

He lets his bitter sentence unfinished, and you continue to pump eagerly, moans getting louder with every thrust. Soon you can move your fingers easily inside you, scissoring yourself open carefully.

“I- I think I can fit it now”, you whisper tentatively, making Hendery laugh darkly.

“My brave girl. Get on your knees. And try to ride it.”

You shuffle through your bedsheets clumsily, holding onto your bedpost as your trembling legs aren’t reliable enough. Positioning the tip of the toy right underneath your slit, you let gravity do its job and sink the silicone cock right inside you. The stretch burns you immediately, deliciously, causing tears to collect on the corners of your eyes.

“It’s really big…”

“I know it is baby but we have to prep you, don’t we? You know my dick is even bigger right?”

You had gotten a sneak peek through those grey sweatpants he loved so much, desperately trying to hide his morning wood when making breakfast every morning. The memory makes your pussy throb, sending thick slick down the length of the toy, coating it.

“How am I supposed to fuck you the way I want if you can’t even fit your little toy inside you? Wouldn’t wanna make my princess hurt. There’s still plenty of room in that tight pussy to stretch open.”

Determined, your ass finally reaches your mattress again. You let the toy slowly slip out, hovering over it for a second before pushing it all the way inside you again, heart thumping at the thought of Hendery’s promise.

“I- I made it”

“That’s my good girl. Now bounce on it. Just like you do on these nights when you get too horny to function. Were you being loud on purpose? Riling me up and hoping that I knock on your door to give you a good fuck?”

“Yes”, you cry out embarrassed, tears staining your cheeks, making your face glisten in your dimly lit room. Sweltering pleasure has completely overtaken the slight pain you felt, bed creaking as you bounce up and down desperately. The hard tip nudges your sweet spot over and over again.

“Come on, now. Give me one more”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, I’m cumming”

Waves of heat wash over you continuously as you collapse forward, screaming inside your pillow. A big wet spot sits proudly in the middle of the bed, evidence of your mind-blowing orgasm. In the intensity of the moment, you’ve let your phone slip from your palm, leaving a worried Hendery behind. You can hear a small, muffled voice coming out of your speakers.

“Y/n? Y/n? Are you okay?”

Forcing your upper body upwards, you manage to bring your cellphone back to your ear, hissing as your oversensitive nipples rub against your bedsheets.

“Yeah, I’m fine”, you croak through your damaged vocal cords, “this was, wow.”

Hendery chuckles proudly, you can hear his smile clearly over the phone.

“So you admit that I’m good at this job?”

“You are”, you surrender, exhausted, letting the toy slip out of you. A small moment of silence fills the next moments, neither of you being brave enough to ask the big question.

Hendery gives in.

“I’m finishing my shift in a couple of hours. Do you want me to meet you in your room later?”

“Hmmm… I guess I am curious to see if you’re as good in person as you are through the phone.”

“Ok, fuck. This is really happening, okay. Oh my god, I can’t believe this. I have to go now, but I’ll see you soon.”

You smile at his little rambling, feeling yourself being lulled to sleep from your two orgasms, eyelids heavy. Calling that sleazy sex line wasn’t that bad of an idea after all.

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

not proofread sorry for any mistakes ><

#hendery smut #neosmutcollective #neowritingsnet #nct smut #wayv smut #wayv scenarios #hendery scenarios #wayv imagines #nct scenarios #hendery x reader #nct x reader #huang guanheng #nct imagines #wong kunhang

[anashins]

If You're Willing to Kiss || Taeyong

“If you’re willing to kiss, then let’s show him what he’s missing out on.”

During a stupid round of spin the bottle, your crush kisses someone else, but you make sure that he'll regret it very soon.

_____

“Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!” the people in the circle chanted and clapped their hands simultaneously to the rhythm of their voices.

You watched in rigidity as your female best friend and your crush Jaehyun were about to kiss each other.

Reluctantly, they crawled to the middle of the circle as the chants only increased in their volume the closer they approached the spot until they were awkwardly sitting in front of each other, almost not daring to look into the opposite’s eyes, their cheeks visibly flushed.

At the same time, your heart broke into a thousand pieces.

You hadn’t signed up voluntarily to play this stupid game of spin the bottle as you sure had better things to do on a friday night, like reading or sleeping.

But you couldn’t have said no when Jaehyun had tagged you along to this party as all your friends were coming as well.

At first, you had been excited about it, because wherever Jaehyun went, you would willingly join him as you always wanted to spend as much time with your crush as possible.

After years of having hidden your feelings, tonight you had gathered enough courage to finally make a move.

But now he was about to kiss your best friend, and you felt utterly devastated as you watched how they slowly pressed their lips onto each other.

The people before had only shared light pecks without even touching one another at other parts, but Jaehyun and your best friend did not only kiss longer than required, they also started to put their hands on each other’s bodies, not minding the cheering crowd at all as though they had drifted off to their own world.

You felt sick in your stomach, murmured something along the lines of a hurried apology and excused yourself to the bathroom.

Splashing water into your face, you looked into the mirror while your fingers gripped so tightly onto the sink that your knuckles turned white in the process.

No wonder, you had always felt like that your best friend was a hundred times more beautiful and intelligent than you. Every guy wanted to go out with her, then why not Jaehyun as well?

You had seen the way they turned shy, the way they flushed at each other, and then the way they shared a chaste, yet deep first kiss with 20 other people as witnesses. You may be in love, but you weren’t naive.

If one kiss could change everything, then this had been the kiss.

The kiss he had been supposed to share with you. The kiss you had wanted to save up until it was now too late.

And before the first tears started running, you wanted to go home. Nobody would care anyway.

“Y/n, are you in there?” you suddenly heard from the other side of the closed bathroom door.

It was Taeyong, Jaehyun’s close friend, and the only one who knew about your secret crush.

“Yes, I’ll come out soon, no worries!”

You had forgotten that he was also here, but he hadn’t participated in this round of spin the bottle anyway.

Taeyong only knew about your crush because you had once poured out your heart to him when you were drunk, and until this day, you regretted it deeply as he never failed to miss a chance to tease you about this.

But always, he had kept his lips sealed in front of Jaehyun, and for this, you were grateful.

So of course he would now be the only one knowing about your true feelings after having witnessed your best friend and crush kissing each other.

Yet, you tried not to let any of your true emotions slip as you opened the door and faced him with the brightest fake smile you could pull off.

“Sorry, I just wasn’t feeling well. I think I’m going home.”

“Uh-huu…”

Taeyong inspected you from head to toe, and then decided that he wasn’t satisfied with this answer.

“You sure about this or are you just affected by the clownery Jaehyun has just pulled off?”

It had been a given that you couldn’t lie to him about this topic. Somehow, he must have gotten wind of what had happened. Perhaps, he had also purposely followed you to the bathroom.

You were just asking yourself why.

“Look, Taeyong, I don’t want to talk about it, okay?”

“Lately,” he started, “he has been talking about her a lot.”

You hesitated and gulped. “About… my best friend…?”

Silently, he nodded, confirming your fears and making your stomach churn. It hurt you more than anything ever before, and you were rendered motionless.

“I want to go home,” you then said in the same robotic manner.

At home, you could pour all your feelings out and finally started crying instead of staying at this place where you had to watch them getting closer and your best friend taking the place at your crush’s side that was supposed to be yours.

“Either that or you could stay,” Taeyong suggested.

You frowned. “Why would I want to stay?”

“Jaehyun is an extremely jealous person. If he sees you with someone else, he might regret it and realize that it’s you that he wants.”

“That’s stupid,” you judged and crossed your arms.

“How long have we been knowing each other, y/n?” Taeyong asked. “Long enough for me to know that if you don’t do something now, you will whine about it for ten years, and - no offence - I don’t have the time and patience to hear about your unrequited love for much longer. Either you do something now or you let go of him.”

“It’s already too late,” you commented dryly and wanted to pass by him, but he grabbed you by your arm, making you stop.

“Are these the words of a young woman who had fought her way through the crowd to the first row to see her favorite band up close, elbowing people to the left and right? They’re not! They’re also not the words of someone who had threatened an online seller with an imaginary consumer advice centre when they didn’t want to return her money! And you want to let him go just like that? If there was anything you have taught me, y/n, then it’s the fact that it’s never too late.”

Turning keen-eared, you asked, “So what do you suggest?”

--

Shortly after, you found yourself being part of the spin the bottle circle again.

Of course your eyes hadn’t missed out on the longing gazes Jaehyun and your best friend were throwing at each other while more and more people gathered in the middle of the circle to amuse the crowd with their kisses.

You were angry on the inside, but also full of nervousness as the bottle spun again and Taeyong jumped up, paused, and then reached out his hand to make it stop at the right time.

And the bottleneck was pointing directly at you. You inhaled deeply.

“Hey Taeyong, you wanna kiss her so badly or what?” someone shouted.

Another one added with a laughter, “He’s finally shooting his shot.”

“Shut up, the bottle is pointing at her, so that’s the rules.”

No one complained though as he crawled to the middle and you did the same. It was as though the crowd, your fellow students, actually had been wanting to see you two kiss for a long time, and you wondered whether you were right with your suggestion and why they would think that way.

Taeyong… he had always been there by Jaehyun’s side. He was Jaehyun’s friend, not yours.

Even though he always helped you with homework when you forgot yours. Even though he always handed you water at parties to keep you sobered. Even though he always gave you a ride when you missed the bus. Even though he always made you laugh when you were sad about Jaehyun again.

Even though, in a situation like this, he wanted to help you again.

There were many things Lee Taeyong did for you, yet you had never considered him your friend.

You wondered whether he felt the same way when he leaned in to you.

“If you’re willing to kiss, then let's show him what he’s missing out on,” he whispered only for you to hear. “If you’re willing to kiss, then close your eyes.”

But before you did as you had been told, you threw a last gaze at Jaehyun who looked at you with a mouth slightly agape.

Surprised that it might work, you grinned inwardly as Taeyong’s lips brushed over yours.

It had been so long that you last kissed someone, but from the first moment on, he proved to you that he was indeed a very good kisser.

Taeyong’s lips moved with yours in a very chaste way that had even something romantic to it, and it surprised you, to say the least. It was not even the manner in which Taeyong kissed you that gave you this feeling, but the way he made you feel, the emotion he delivered.

So comfortable, so warm, and raw, and you wondered whether this had been his intention all along or whether this was the usual manner in which he kissed.

So you didn’t wonder when you suddenly noticed him leaning in to you and bending your body to the point of you having to wrap your arms around his neck to look for support so as to not fall backwards, yet you didn’t stop.

Before, you had agreed on fake kissing passionately to rub it under Jaehyun’s nose, but truth to be told, the line between faking and reality slowly started to blur as you genuinely began to enjoy kissing Taeyong.

With his hands now holding onto either side of your waist, he parted your lips to deepen the kiss, and you gladly let him do so.

Even when he started using his tongue, you didn’t make him stop like he had asked you to before in case it would get too much, but you didn’t want him to just yet and pulled him even closer.

You only stopped in the moment Jaehyun interfered with an, “Enough now, it’s only a game!”

But when you pulled away and looked into Taeyong’s sparkling eyes that radiated so much fondness, you wondered how you could have missed the affection he had been holding towards you all this time.

You didn’t care much about Jaehyun’s opinion anymore. Or who he was kissing.

Because if one kiss could change everything, then this had been the kiss for you.

#taeyong #lee taeyong #taeyong imagines #taeyong scenarios #taeyong fluff #taeyong x you #taeyong x reader #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct fluff #nct x you #nct x reader #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #kpop x you #my writing #imagine #ah it's soft hours again

[spinchip]

It’s Not That Bad

Wordcount: 2400 Ship: Mountaingshipping, Cole/Zane/Kai Warnings: Broken bones, blood, violence, injury

Summary: Zane hides an injury.

The fight can’t even be classified as a real fight, in Coles opinion. It’s a street brawl, raw knuckles and split lips- the remaining members of the SOG are brutal when they catch the scent of blood. Without leadership the gang has devolved into troublemakers and men itching for violence, and they’ve gotten bolder- the fight taking place in broad daylight near the center of town. Two weeks ago they’d taken Jay down in the middle of a scrap, a bat to the side of his temple when the group had been separated (he’d been laid up in bed in the dark for days afterwards with a concussion) and since then they’d gotten cocky about the Ninja's weakness.

Lloyd had been adamant about showing a united front- the Ninja team had to be unflappable, rigid and strong to show the growing gang that they were not so easily beaten. They couldn’t afford to give them another inch, which is why it’s so frustrating when they get separated once more. There’s a new player on the gangs side this time, a big man hefting a hammer that could hold its own against Coles. He’s not particularly fast, but the others in the group keep them occupied while the man swings his weapon with bone breaking force. His presence was not something they could ignore, splitting their attention dangerously, making their formation too easy to break.

And it’s not Jay this time, but Zane, who is pushed into a throng of enemies all looking for blood.

Cole doesn’t see what happens to get them to this point, he misses the moment Zane is surrounded, but Lloyd urges the others to make their way to him over the clash of fists. Zane’s always been capable, and today is no exception- but just like before when it had been Jay, there are too many, and it’s not long before a lucky shot sends Zane to the pavement. A sloppy leg sweep Zane wasn’t expecting, going sprawling onto his stomach. It’s simple enough to recover from just fine.

Except the big man swings his hammer before Zane can get his hands underneath him. Down down down in a deadly arc-

There’s no warning Cole can give, no speed or strength to stop it, random men pushing him away from his friend but not crowded enough where he can’t watch it happen. The head of the hammer hits the base of Zane back and the sound it makes- Cole can feel the impact in his bones, his stomach churning and nearly making him gag. The crack of the anvil on metal makes him feel ill.

Zane doesn’t yell or scream, his fingers dig into concrete so hard they leave gouges, and then he goes completely limp. He looks dead, lying facedown on the pavement. The gang members hoot and holler, their fight rejuvenated, and they jump into the fray with more vigor than before.

Slowly, the man brings his hammer up and Coles realizes he means to hit him again.  He pushes frantically through the fight, blows glancing off his shoulders as he barrels through. Nya appears at his side, hair askew, and throws waves of water that sweep several people off their feet, dumping them clear of the path. Cole slams into the big man's side before he can deliver another blow, knocking him back from Zanes still form. Before either of them can get to the downed nindroid, new adversaries file in to try and beat them back, the fight resuming- but the ninja now scrambled and panicked at the loss of one of their own, and the gang member reveling in it.

The man with the hammer, he’s got thin blonde hair and dark eyes, manages to keep up with Cole. Despite Coles obvious skill and experience, he’s making stupid rookie mistakes. Internally cursing, Cole urges himself to focus- rushing into the fray to protect Zane would mean nothing if he fell to the man's hammer too, but it’s looking increasingly grim. The man is pushing himself faster, sweat beading on his brow, and he’s strong.

A smaller man darts past the two of them in a planned maneuver. The big man steps back and Cole is thrown off kilter as his hammer swings wide, and realizes too late that the smaller man has a knife- he can’t avoid it now. He twists, steps back, tries to minimize the damage- and then the man’s legs slide out beneath him and he hits the ground hard, head bouncing off the ice-slick pavement. Zane appears at Coles side and throws ice hard, frost and big chunks of ice invigorated by the wet pavement from Nyas last attack freeze the big man's legs to the road. Cole falls into place at his side, the two fighting off a few more before the gang realizes Zanes back on his feet.

Their bravado and cockiness vanishes. One man turns and runs, and at that the gang scatters- the one who are able to, of course, and are not frozen to the sidewalk or knocked unconscious.

Cole spins around to face Zane, who’s surveying the scene silently, “Are you alright?” He asks, hovering his hands over Zane as if to feel out the injury by aura alone.

Zane’s eyes are trained on the alleyways the gang members disappeared into, mouth a thin and calculated line, “I am alright. The Sons of Garmadons strength is dwindling.”

Cole blinks, frowning. It was almost like Zane wasn’t speaking to him, but the backs of the men hiding away in the dark corners of the streets. As if he was making a point.

The cops show up and begin to load the remaining men into Police Cruisers or ambulances, depending on their state. The ninja did not always pull their punches, especially after Zane hit the ground.

Zane watches as the man with the hammer is loaded onto a police cruiser.

Lloyd motions the two of them over, the others are gathered near a throng of policemen milling about, and Cole reaches out and sets a hand of the small of Zane's back to lead him- Zanes shirt is soaked through and ice cold. The moment his fingers make contact, Zane jolts forward with the barest intake of breath between his teeth. Cole jerks his hand back, the pain flashing across Zanes face almost impossible to catch, but Cole knows his boyfriend better than anyone. A blank mask slips over Zanes face as he stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the act, striding across the pavement before Cole can comment.

Cole trails after him, and now that he’s really looking he can see a dark outline of what looks like water straining the back of Zanes gi. In the heat of battle, if Zane got a particularly bad scape, he’d do some emergency first aid and patch himself up with ice like a scab. The hammer hit him hard, it must have jostled something loose- Cole tries not to worry too hard, Zane is still standing and had even fought with him. They just needed to wrap this up quick and get him home. He has half a mind to scoop the nindroid up gently and carry him back right now- but Zanes' words from earlier hang around his ears. Treating Zane like a delicate injured flower in front of any of the new SOG was bound to encourage their violence, just like in the aftermath of Jay. Like Lloyd wanted, a united and unbreakable front is what they needed to project.

Zane is hiding an injury, and for the sake of reputation, Cole has to allow it.

The police chief is standing with the others, and by the time Cole catches up Zane’s already reassuring everyone, “I am fine.” he says gently, Kais worry coming off of him in waves, “Is there anything we can help with?” He directs his next question to the police chief, clasping his hands in front of him.

Cole, along with the rest of his little family, zeroes in on the way Zanes hands are trembling.

His face is completely serene, his gi is soaked through as his ice patch job struggles to stay frozen, and he’s shaking badly enough for even Nya to notice, shooting him a concerned glance as the Police Chief thanks them. He drones on about safety measures and clean up and other things Cole wants him to shut up about so he can bundle Zane up in his arms and kiss and make it better.

Finally, once the conversation draws to a close and they can excuse themselves from the scene, they unconsciously box Zane in as they walk back to where the bounty is parked. The ramp is down and they surround him protectively as they trek up it. Zane still doesn’t hint that anything is wrong, the silence stretching over them tense as they wait for something to happen.

Nya lifts the bounty into the air, and still Zane doesn’t say anything as he pensively stares over the edge of the railing. Cole can’t stand it anymore, he turns around as the city disappears beneath the clouds, “Zane-” he starts.

“Cole.” Zane gasps, grabbing at Coles shoulders as his knees buckle, the calm mask cracking down the middle as he collapses. Like on the pavement before, Zane clenches his hands and bunches Coles gi in his fingers. Cole, startled, grabs Zanes waist- he gasps and whimpers, and cold fear snaps across Cole's mind. He’s never heard Zane make that noise before.

“Not there,” he shakes his head, Cole moves his hands up to cup under Zanes armpits, and while he doesn’t seem to be happy he doesn’t make that awful whimper again.

Jay and Kai are at his side, fluttering their hands in a panic. They want to help but Zanes reaction makes them reluctant to put their hands on him.

“How can we help? What’s hurt?” Jay asks as Cole pulls Zane closer, pressing them together to help stabilize him.

Zane doesn’t attempt to stand on his own, “Shut me down,” He pants, “It’s- the hammer. He broke my spine.”

Jay pales dramatically, weaseling between the two of them to gain access to Zanes chest compartment. He pried it open quickly, reaching it with practiced ease and resting his finger on the switch off button.

He hesitates, under normal circumstances Jay was to never use this button, “Are you sure?”

“Jay.” Zane stresses each letter, and tears spill over his eyes.

He goes limp- again- as Jay pushes the button, his forced shutdown stealing the iron grip from his hands and the tension from his body. He ragdolls in coles arms, slumping bonelessly into his chest. With no ice to keep him stable, Coles can feel the way his body- it’s… it’s not quite right, the break in his spine sending intense warning siglas to coles head where he’s laid against him. The same bone deep wrongness he’s felt once, in dance class when he was 12, and a girl landed wrong doing a complex dance move and her hand had twisted the wrong way- it’d made him sick, seeing the new bend in her wrist where there wasn’t supposed to be one. It makes him feel sick to carry Zane down to the garage when the dock at the monastery, legs trailing behind him and waist a little too loose where the rigid metal casing was snapped.

Jay's prognosis is, “It’s better than It could have been.” Which is not reassuring to Cole, but Nya seems to lose a bit of tension at.

Zane's artificial spine worked much like Cole or Kais, a bundle of ‘nerves’ and wires and other tubes strung through it to keep it safe. The blow had broken through the outer protective metal but the main cord and delicate wiring was largely unharmed. A few pinched and torn wires, mostly- Zane's ice brace kept the wound from deteriorating drastically. Jay wouldn’t comment on how much pain an injury like this would heap onto their friend, but Cole remembers the way the blood had drained from his face at Zanes confession.

“The fact that he could even move…” He mutters to Nya in awe, delicately and oh so gently maneuvering wires. Nya nodded, mute.

Once their repairs reach completion it’s nearly dark out, Jay flips the on switch back up, and they wait for Zane to turn on.

He wakes up with wet eyes, a few stray tears slipping down his face as the leftover pain signals work their way out of his system. He twists over the edge of the table, looking for relief from the hazy pain, nearly taking himself to the floor if not for Coles gentle hands steadying him.

He clutches at Cole again with a low sound of pain, and slowly his eyes clear.

Cole holds him as Zane buries his face in the soft of his gi top, hiding his eyes against Cole's collarbone. Kai moves in and starts to pet his hair soothingly, warmth spreading through his hands.

“You should have said something.” Cole murmurs, “This wasn’t a loose tube or a scrape, this isn’t something you should have powered through. You should have stayed down.” Cole doesn’t dwell on how much it must have hurt for Zane to get back on his feet, and how if he hadn’t the grunts knife would have struck home.

“I could not.” Zane breathes, pulling a way to readjust so he’s resting his cheek against Cole and his face is bare, “If the SOG knew they had hurt me-”

“We would have dealt with it just fine.” Kai says firmly, “Zane, this- you can’t hide an injury that bad. Watching you collapse, knowing how badly you were in pain…” He can’t finish his sentence, huddling closer and clutching at both his boys.

“I apologize,” Zane mutters, his eyelids flutter.

“We can discuss this tomorrow.” Cole says gently, “But I think we’re all exhausted. Let’s go to bed.”

Kai looks like he wants to say something else, but Zanes dazed and sleepy expression makes the words die on his tongue. He runs a hand through his hair, and Cole watches the weight of the day fully settle on his boyfriend's shoulders, “...Yeah, that sounds good to me.”

Cole carries Zane up to bed, Kai immediately taking up a spot at their boys' side. Zane curls into the warmth of Kais embrace as Cole turns out the light and crawls in behind him. Cole cuddles into Zane, who’s already asleep again, and idly traces the near imperceptible scar on his back where the hammer had split metal.

He stares into the patch of darkness where Zanes head is, and thinks about Zane lying prone on the pavement. He pulls him closer, wraps him up in his arms and holds on tight.

He closes his eyes, and sleep doesn’t hesitate to come.

#mountainshipping #cole ninjago #kai ninjago #zane julien #ninjago #spinchip fic #broken bones #blood #violence #injury #angst #hurt comfort

[miyuskye]

I saw some pretty hot takes on Eden lately and I just needed to vent.

I don't understand why Eden is /this/ badly received by the fandom (the whole fandom, even from Adam fans), and that, if you ship Eden, you must do it in secret or attach a post scriptum to say that yes, you ship Eden but, like, in a toxic relationship interpretation.

I have a very long history of shipping toxic and unhealthy age gaps ships, and I absolutely love this kind of dynamics if written correctly. I made my fair share of posts in the past rambling about the proper way to portray unhealthy relationships and not romanticise them (as well as saying that liking bad in fiction doesn't equal to condoning it in canon but we're not even in this territory with sk8).

However, that's not the case with Eden. We could argue that the relationship kind of starts like this (but it's up to discussion, in my opinion) but how it becomes post canon is the farthest from that kind of dynamics. I could understand where this is coming from from someone who doesn't like Adam and makes him to be Everything Bad That's On Earth, but I also see this kind of reaction from Adam's fans and it's a bit weird to me.

It's clear that Adam has romantic, arguably sexual, feelings for Langa. He makes it very clear during the course of the show and also in post-canon material (i.e. referring to the sk8 six group as "Langa and the (5) others" twice). I saw some people saying that Eden relies on an Adam's interpretation that it's not supported by canon, but I feel like these interactions and banters (VA event, DVD package box, him still showering Langa with flowers in the post credit scene) show otherwise.

Moving onto Langa, since I also saw a lot of people surprised that, wow, Langa seems to reciprocate??? At least it's better than people still thinking that Langa would ever reject Adam's advances in canon. This is probably a point that's very dear to me, since it's actually the basis as to why I think Eden places miles away from the toxic relationships above. The dynamics in these relationships usually goes that the older one coerces the younger and more naive one with something and exploits them in a way. Then, the younger one usually reacts and a new dynamics establishes in the couple. It's a cool thing to explore in fiction, but, again, not an Eden thing in the slightest.

First of all, Langa already is into skateboarding before meeting Adam. He didn't make Langa interested in skateboarding so he could approach him, he just saw him multiple times and only after that he decided to approach him.

When they meet for the first time, Adam isn't very much different than he usually is at S. He's still the extravagant, arrogant and self-confident legend of S. That is to say, he's not trying to appear different in Langa's eyes to install a false sense of security. Adam straight up claims him to be his prize and not only Langa isn't put off by that but this also makes him want to skate more against the other. If he wasn't genuinely interested in Adam, he would've been put off by this behaviour (like Reki is). In fact, Reki skates against Adam to prove a point, Langa skates against him because he wants to, no reasons needed. Again, during the recent VA event, after re-enacting some of the pivotal scenes in the series, Reki states that it's peaceful without Adam (his va wasn't present at the event) and Langa ~immediately~ says that he would have wanted to see some of Adam's scenes. That's not what you say about someone you don't like XD

He probably doesn't realize that Adam calls him Eve for a while, but when he does, Langa doesn't look weirded out or annoyed by it. He is surprised by it. And it's hard to think that he didn't get the reference when someone named Adam calls him Eve. I don't want to say that he agrees to be Adam's Eve, of course, but he's fine with it. Like he's fine with Adam giving him roses and his violent behaviour in general.

Talking about violent behaviour, he's never angry with him when Adam gets violent. He understands that such are the rules of S and during the last episode Utsumi said that she wanted them to fight with fists so she thinks that Langa would be fine with getting violent too (but after the Famous RinHaru Scene I see why she'd think that...) but that's just speculation. In ep 5, he just wants to skate with him, full stop. But also, even after seeing Adam getting extremely violent with Reki in ep 11 he's not actually angry or wants revenge. Instead, he's bent on wanting to know Adam better and teaching him the fun in skating. He rooted for Reki because he wanted to skate against him in a beef for sure but also bc he thought that the message could get across Adam even if delivered by Reki but when it didn't he wanted to do it himself. If Langa was being exploited by Adam, or groomed, or anything, he would've woken up after the Renga makeup. But, oh well, he didn't. That's because Eden was never meant to be abusive. That's not the face you show to your abuser.

Him and Tadashi are the only one in the series with the balls of actually calling out to Adam when he goes out of line. Joe does it in ep 11, but only because he's afraid for Reki's safety. Langa has no problems with flashing Adam an annoyed gaze when he smokes instead of skating against him, and has no problem calling out his bs in ep 12. I'm p sure that if he knew about Adam's warped conception of love, he'd call out on that too. He is able and has the agency of standing up to him and he's not a passive part in the relationship. Very much different from toxic relationships, where making the other unable to react (or them escaping from such a situation) is one of the main points of the dynamics.

There are countless ways Eden could go wrong and get toxic (the last ep showed us a pretty good example when they both got in the zone), but Reki teaching Langa the fun in skating prevented it. In a way, Reki made healthy Eden possible, but we're not ready to have this kind of talk yet XD

thanks for reading this very long post lmao

#sk8 the infinity #edenshipping #ainosuke shindo #sk8 adam #langa hasegawa #hasegawa langa #shindo ainosuke #i don't have a problem with people disliking eden but it ticks me off when people dislike eden for the wrong reasons XD #it isn't toxic and it wasn't meant to be #it could be still explored as toxic and it could go there easily that's why they have their boyfriends keeping them attached to reality #yes im talking about reki and tadashi lmao #not that the other two ships couldn't be read as toxic but that's for another day :)

[jjackrabbitt]

That Damned AU

Hey guys (gn), I know you’ve heard me talk about this before, but I’ve actually been working on it now, so here’s part of it. It’s called That Damned AU because it’s been waking me up in the middle of the night to think about it for the last two years, so it’s just me damning it. I will probably change the name at some point. If you have any suggestions, I will gladly consider them. Basically, That Damned AU follows the events of the canonical story line of MPHFPC, but I’ve changed some things around, messed with some details, and added a few things. Mostly to fix or add to things that I have complaints about or wanted to hear more of. I will be tagging it as That Damned AU in case you want to block it

Before we begin I would like to thank @finn-nito for letting me talk his ear off about all this and in turn talking my ear off. It’s been a lot of fun doing this with you and getting to know you.

Now for the damned thing:

Ricky actually goes into the house with Jacob when Abe doesn’t immediately answer. Probably makes dumb comments about the decor or some thing. Goes back to his car for the gun when they see the screen door. Tells Jacob to stay there. Rushes back when he hears Jacob yell for Abe when the flashlight is found. Catches up to Jacob just on the edge of the woods and gives him shit for moving. Tries to lighten the mood and reassure Jacob, until they see the trail of blood. Is there with Jacob when he finds Abe. Ricky tries to keep Jacob from touching Abe because he thinks Abe is already dead. Both of them handle the situation Extremely Badly. We actually hear Abe call Jacob “little tiger” this time instead of just retconning it. Ricky alternates between trying to get enough signal to call the police and crouching with Jacob to try and help him. Abe’s riddle is delivered the same as before and Jacob does see the hallowghast. Ricky tries to shoot it but can’t because he doesn’t even know it’s there. When Jacob sees it he does grab onto Ricky and start shaking him with one hand, still holding onto Abe with the other.

Both boys have to be questioned, together and separately. Jacob sees Ricky’s interview because he gets a chance to snoop through the policeman's notes. He gets mad that Ricky wouldn’t admit to seeing the hallow and Ricky gets defensive about it. They don’t stop talking though because they mutually think the other is having a stress reaction and is seeing things/is erasing things from their own memories.

Jacobs parents didn’t really like Ricky before and they really don’t like him now because they think having him around will remind Jacob of finding Abe, but Jacob almost seems less stressed when Ricky’s around so they’ll allow it.

They don’t necessarily see each other more, but their interactions are way more emotionally charged now.

Ricky does start carrying his gun more because while he didn’t see the hallow, that was a scary night and he did hear something. He brings it into Jacobs house several times without Jacobs parents knowledge. This is a point of contention between Ricky and Jacob because if Jacobs parents find out Ricky will not be allowed back and will be cut off.

Because Ricky is still very much attached to Jacob when he starts seeing Dr. Golan this time, Ricky is in more danger of wights.

Dr. Golan hears a lot about Ricky. Probably significantly more than he wants to.

Ricky doesn’t get the medical attention that Jacob does because he’s poor and when Jacob knows Ricky’s having a problem he asks Dr. Golan for advice for Ricky.

Jacob is more resistant to Dr Golan’s work this time, because Ricky is there to call bullshit when he hears it and mentions that Jacob's meds are making him weird. Golan responds to this resistance by trying to convince Jacobs parents that Ricky is bad for Jacob. It does work but both of his parents are fairly shit at computers and they both have to sleep some time, so Jacob can still message Ricky and sneak out at night.

Ricky does appreciate when Jacob gets advice from Dr. Golan for him, but he does still give Jacob shit for therapizing him.

Both of them are being observed by wights at this point. Jacob gets a series of very weird food delivery guys and there’s like, three different cars that consistently follow Ricky. The food delivery guys aren’t outright weird, they just have the same ~*vibe*~ as Golan and some times they say strange shit. One of them knew his name without Jacob introducing himself.

The cars wouldn’t be weird if they weren’t definitely the same cars, didn’t only stop following Ricky when he A) was near his house or B) took random turns without signalling, and didn’t seem to follow any particular pattern to where he was seeing them. If they were in a similar area at similar times every day then okay, he just keeps seeing the same people on their way to work or whatever, but that’s not what’s happening.

Not much comes of it though. Jacob gets a few weird stomach aches, Ricky gets pulled over by a really strange cop once. Some one breaks into Ricky’s house while no one’s there and goes through stuff but doesn’t take anything or make a mess, the door’s open and a few things have moved when he gets home. You know, normal stuff.

Once, Jacobs parents go out of town. One of his mothers cousins is getting married, and they just aren’t sure that Jacob’s ready for travel and relatives and a party and everything. They don’t want to leave him for the weekend, but they both agree that he’s been doing really well lately (and it’s been months. They want to get out of the house and do Normal People Things). They tell Dr. Golan that Jacob’s going to be alone for the weekend and tell Jacob to go across the street to their neighbour for help if anything happens and they give the neighbour Dr. Golan’s number.

Roughly ten minutes after they leave, Ricky shows up. The Crown Vic goes in the garage, Alien is turned on, Chinese food is ordered and the weekend commences.

They barely even watch the movie, they’re busy talking. They fall asleep on the couch and honestly? It’s the best sleep Jacob has in months.

Until it’s about 4 a.m. and Jacob wakes up violently because this time the scene in his dream changed. This time he and Abe are in Abaton. He doesn’t know it’s Abaton, of course, and though the events of the dream have change, this one feels worse some how. Now he’s missing his grandfather and this place that he doesn’t even know what it is. He feels weirdly protective of it.

Dr. Golan Really doesn’t like Ricky. It’s significantly harder to manipulate Jacob if Ricky’s there to call bullshit. It’s still pretty easy to get Jacob to go to Cairnholm though. Even Ricky doesn’t call him a quack over it. Only tells Jacob to send him a post card of the only place on earth that’s more of a nowhere than Englewood, Florida.

Jacob does have some apprehension over being separated from Ricky, but he figures it’ll be okay since there will be a phone at their hotel.

They do spend a lot little more together than usual in the weeks leading up to Cairnholm. It worries both of them that they’ll be more than a 20 minute drive from the other. Jacob’s more obvious about it, Ricky (poorly) pretends it won’t bother him that much.

Jacob does bring one of his dads less favoured cameras with him, to take pictures.

His dad does try to insist that Jacob spends some time with him to look at birds. It’s funny, they keep seeing this one peregrine hanging around. Some times she, Frank says it’s a she, flies over them. She doesn’t seem too interested in hunting. Some times she disappears for a little while, but she comes back most of the time, unless it’s later in the day.

Kev and Martin are dating. I know it says in the book that Kev has a wife but no he doesn’t ❤️. Kev and Martin are dating and in love and very little will convince me otherwise. Everyone on Cairnholm is completely chill with it. They have dinner with Martins uncle on Wednesdays. Kev tried to take Martin fishing once and it went terrible but it was fun.

Jacob meets Martin on the first day, at the Priest Hole. He’s done at the museum for the day and is getting a drink with his sister and working on his poetry. He and his sister are harassing Kev while he’s on the job. They meet because Martins sister, Amelia, sees Frank and Jacob lugging more than they can carry up the stairs and makes Martin come with her to help.

Amelia is one of the very, very few ocs you’ll see in here, I’m not here to add a bunch of people. She’s here because I don’t want Martin to be lonely, as a plot device to make things move forward, and because I think we  should have more women. Yes MPHFPC already has a good amount of active women characters, yes I want more.

They start talking because both Martin and Amelia are huge nerds who would be excited about bird watching. When Martin mentions the museum, Jacob gets interested, as before he thinks it will help him unravel his grandfathers riddle. That’s it for now, but I will try to update again soon, though it probably won’t be as long. if any of you have any ideas or opinions to add, I’d love to hear them!

#MPHFPC #unpopular mphfpc opinion hours #That Damned AU #long post #Ricky Pickering #Amelia #Martin #Kev #Jacob Portman #Alma LeFaye Peregrine #Frank Portman #Abe Portman